Ballet Season

Ballet is back in vogue. Dior came out with the lovely pink satin ballet bag that laces up like a satin pointe shoe and lovely nail polish in Ballet Pink and Silver Pearl to complete the look. Repetto, my favorite brand of slippers, takes ballet shoes off the stage and onto the streets of Paris. I bought some pink leather slippers, leg warmers and a ballet bag while I was there last year. Bourjois cosmetics also lauched a ballet inspired line this year. Bourjois has charming packaging and I have heard that is is manufactured by the same company as Chanel...not sure if it is true or not, but it is a nice product. The tiny blushes are a convenient size to throw in a purse.

Pink Makeup Bags

Lately I've been hunting for a new little makeup bag to tuck in my purse and carry a few essentials. These are my favorites. The top three are from Lisbeth Dahl, the next is a Chanel and the bottom one is from a Paris website.

French Dressing Screens

I love the idea of changing behind one of these charming dressing screens. During a visit to Paris I visited Fifi Chachnil's lingerie boutique. Instead of having a dressing room, all she had was a little mirrored dressing screen in her shop. The sales girl was passing lovely silk bra and panty sets to someone concealed behind the screen. I have wanted one ever since but alas, they are nearly impossible to find in my area.

Petite Boudoir

We live in an old craftsman style farmhouse with very little rooms and even less storage. I know it is a crime, but I painted over perfectly beautiful wood antiques: bed, armoire and vanity, to soften up the room. It is amazing how much stuff I crammed in here. I bought pretty hooks from Anthropologie to hang long nities from my doors. The walls are a pale salmon pink that glow in the amber chandelier lighting. I added moulding to the armoire and doors of the closet to blend it with the french bed. I bought Bella Notte linens in the pale pink color called Petal for my bedding ensemble in velvet, silk and damask...beautiful and washable! The chandelier is Italian Tole picked up on my first trip to Paris. It has pink and yellow delicate porcelain roses with amber, smoke and coffee colored crystals. I love to lay in bed and remember my trip as I stare at the crystals glittering in the soft light.

French Vanity Dressing Table

I like to have some of my jewelry options in plain site so that I remember to put on earrings or rings before I run out the door. I have a drawer I store jewelry in and am always surprized when I open it because I forget what is in there. Vintage German or French half dolls make great bracelet or brooch holders. Statues are perfect for hanging necklaces. My favorite find is a mini French vase shaped like a pink fish that I store my diamond hairpins in. Hope this inspires you to add a little sparkle in your life.

Nancy Ann Storybook Dolls

Lately I've been collecting Nancy Ann Storybook dolls off ebay for a nursery rhyme themed baby shower. My mother had one of the pink babies on the top of her birthday cake when she turned five. The prints are out of a mother goose nursery rhyme book. The faces are so sweet. It looks as if Nancy Ann Storybook dolls were fashioned after these beautiful prints.