Archives for April 2011

April 2011

Easy as…. biscuits?

I firmly believe that at least once every late spring/early summer, dinner should consist of nothing but strawberry shortcake! It's not nutritionally balanced, but it's not the worst thing you could have for a meal, and everybody needs to take some time out once a year and truly savor strawberries. As William Allan Butler reminds us "doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did."

If you really want to look like a cooking genius with very little effort, make homemade biscuits to use as shortcakes. Biscuits are truly one of the easiest foods in the world, if you have the essential tool (show above): a pastry blender (or cutter). Sure, you could ... View the Post

Paris shopping: Au Nom de la Rose

These tiny little shops are tucked all over Paris, and they are like little floral jewelry boxes, with fragrance added. They often spread rose petals on the sidewalk outside their shops, which just about breaks your heart. Floral arrangements are available from the most tiny nosegay (what a treat to carry to dinner!) to the most immense "boy did I screw up" apology bouquet imaginable. Only in Paris could roses be so cherished!

www.aunomdelarose.fr ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files – part 2

I think this will be the regular Wednesday post until I run out of the original content! As I noted last Wednesday, this information remains timeless, which is as good as reason as any to seriously consider incorporating these insights into my life.

"She buys a new outfit every 3 or 4 months, and thus gets rid of an outfit about that same time. This is her work wardrobe only, remember (although that is the lion's share of her clothes) so out of the 15 outfits she has, they last 3 or 4 years each. Bear in mind, she buys REALLY REALLY good things - Sonia Rykiel is one of her favorites. She made a strong point of reminding me that she does NOT dry clean everything each time she wears it. She rinses out sweaters and blouses ... View the Post

A coat that I admired…

Getting off of the train on my way to visit relatives, I started chatting with a woman wearing the above jacket. Her outfit was very simple, black pants and a classic handbag, and the jacket made her look - simple and elegant. I've not had another rain jacket in my shopping plan, but this sighting of sleek chicness has me thinking...

love, Janice ... View the Post

Why am I doing this?

So I’ve been pondering why I chose to revive the Vivienne Files, and I think it comes down to one goal: I want women to be happier than they are. Too many of my friends and acquaintances are bogged down in a routine that seems to have been determined by other people, and they don’t enjoy their relationships, their work, or their own life. They drift, doing what they think they should do, and seldom if ever pause to look at their goals, their dreams, and what plans they have in place to make these things happen.

And, at least to me, it seemed like Vivienne had that all sorted out. She shopped with a plan, saved with a plan, worked with a goal, and overall seemed to live a life of deliberate purpose and intent. I’d ... View the Post

Back to the roots of the Vivienne Files

I still have copies of all of the postings from the original "Vivienne Files" (sending lots of love to everybody at the Yahoo group Je Ne Sais Quoi), and so in the interests of full disclosure and establishing context, I'm going to post them over the next few weeks. Her French style perspective is timeless, so I'm not concerned that these posts are nearly 10 years old!

"I was burning up the e-mails today with a friend of mine in Paris - consulting with her about clothes, what to get rid of etc., and she hit me with the completely shocking statement: She owns 5 work outfits for hot weather, 5 work outfits for cold weather, and 5 which are "transitional". She did point out that for some of the outfits, she will have two tops - ... View the Post

A different criteria for my possessions

Over the years I've looked at all sorts of schemes and organizational plans for how to decide what to purchase - are you building a capsule wardrobe? maybe buying the entire matching set of sheets? For whatever category of product you're purchasing, someone somewhere will give you some guidance regarding what to buy. But I don't really want to live my life (or spend my money) according to someone else's guidelines, so I've searched for years for a different way to evaluate the merits of the things I'm going to buy.

A few years ago, a distant relative died, leaving nobody near to her to clean out her home. My mother and I gamely volunteered to take on the project, and in retrospect I think we were both suffering from ... View the Post

So I just realized that people are still reading what I wrote….

And so I've decided to take matters into my own hands and create my own blog! I'm still in touch with many fascinating and fabulous French females, and so I will try to use this space as an opportunity to share with you what I learn from them. If you have questions which you would like for me to pose to my companions, just let me know! ... View the Post