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A Passion for Paris-Style Espresso Cups

February 28, 2011 by

For years, I have had a very British passion for all things tea – tea cups, tea pots, tea accessories, etc. I still have a great love for tea, but that passion has since expanded to include all things espresso! Whether you associate espresso with Italy, France, or Spain, the dark elixir definitely has a European flavor. Since I received my Nespresso machine a few months ago, I have been eying various latte, cappuccino, and espresso cups, looking for a style that was European, fun, and a bit funky.

Enter Crate and Barrel.

Of course, C&B is not exactly European as far as style, but they do occasionally sell products with a French or Italian flair. And just as luck would have it, this year C&B has a line of cafe/coffee and espresso cups that fit all of my style criteria. The porcelain cups are a shiny, sleek white, similar to what you’d find at a cafe in Italy, yet the chunky black lettering (spelling either espresso or coffee) adds a bit of Paris whimsy to this jittery line.

Chic Paris-style cafe cups + quality espresso at my fingertips = A very happy and wide awake girl

Ooh la la, bring on the java, and more cupboard space!

Filed Under: Food & Wine Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Life’s Little Pleasures

February 24, 2011 by

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On a recent trip to Vancouver, I was reminded that you can still find joy and pleasure through the little things in life, even when you’re least expecting it.

In the middle of an especially stressful 12-day business trip, I sent clothes to the hotel laundry to be cleaned. Among the clothes included suits, blouses, jeans, and, yes, underclothes! This was not my first time using a hotel’s cleaning service, but it was the first time I had sent underwear out to be cleaned. Later in the evening, when I returned, sleepy-eyed and exhausted, to my hotel room, I noticed a small white box with a red ribbon tied around it. I smiled a huge smile – probably one of the very few real smiles I had shown all day. And through this smile I thought, oooh, a present! Someone sent me chocolates, or maybe it was a gift from the hotel! When I opened the box I was surprised and nearly tickled to find my underwear cleaned and neatly folded in the box, wrapped in tissue paper and tied with another ribbon- a white one this time.

The beautiful presentation and extra care shown toward my underclothes was one of the best examples of attention to detail that I’ve seen from a hotel. But more than that, just seeing my underthings tied with a white ribbon brought me a small amount of happiness – an unexpected lift during a somewhat challenging trip away from home and my family. It also reminded me that little things are still important, no matter where you are.

Now, the next time I take an extended trip, I’m looking forward to sending out my clothes to be cleaned. And I hope that some of them will be returned in a little white box!

Ciao

 

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: , ,

English Breakfast Tea: A Refined Classic

February 21, 2011 by

For the last 4 years, I have received an Amazon giftcard from a colleague. The first three years, I used the card to buy things that we needed – for the house, kids, etc. But this year, I was determined to spend the giftcard on myself and buy something I wanted. Aside from buying several of the books I’ve been wanting, I also bought a tea that I’ve been searching for in stores for a year. Harney & Sons English Breakfast Tea, although sold online, is quite elusive in the stores – at least near my house. I want to clarify that the H&S English Breakfast tea that I’ve been coveting is the sachet version, not loose leaf. I’ve purchased the loose leaf tea and have been extremely pleased with the taste, although it is a bit inconvenient when you’re on the go so much like me. Hence, my quest for the English Breakfast in sachet form.

Imagine my excitement when I, giftcard in hand, found the exact tea I was looking for on Amazon and it was sold via Harney and Sons (I’m a bit of a tea loyalist as most of you know). A few days ago, my package finally arrive. I couldn’t wait to tear open the box, open the gorgeous old-fashioned tin, and try the aromatic tea nesting in the dainty sachet.

I was not disappointed either. It tasted similar to Tazo Awake (one of my favorite teas!), yet not as strong or full bodied – possibly because I didn’t let it steep long enough out of sheer impatience for trying my new find. Although seemingly less potent, I do find that H&S’s English Breakfast is more reminiscent of the black tea I savored during my trips to England  - quite classic and refined – just add a bit of milk and you have a yourself a cup of creamy British heaven.

Pass the strawberry scones please….

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Filed Under: Food & Wine Tagged With: , , , , ,

Casually Chic Fridays in France

February 17, 2011 by

In the US, where business casual work environments and “casual Fridays” prevail, it’s easy to forget that a place of business is still, well..a place of business. Even if you don’t have meetings on Fridays or if your CEO never shows her face after 3 PM on Thursday, it could still be considered a faux paus or even a career disaster if you show up wearing sweats or worse, looking like the office tramp.

In Paris or possibly anywhere in France, casual Fridays are becoming more common but are still rarely observed. Even on the most casual of work days or office events, French women still manage to look effortlessly sophisticated, sexy, professional, and tres chic all at the same time. They believe that, even on Fridays, you never know who could be watching you or judging your professional decorum.

However, just because French women don’t wear cut-offs or logowear on Fridays does not mean they are uptight or strictly conservative in what they wear. On Fridays, you may find the French girl wearing jeans or skinny black pants, but they will be paired with a colorful blazer, a funky top, and, what else?, a scarf of course!  After all – just because you’re trying to be professional, does not mean you have to be boring or school marmish! So, as you see, to a French woman, it’s not so much a casual Friday, but rather a casually chic Friday.

I also believe in the French women’s philosophy of observing the casually chic Friday. Likewise, I believe that you should dress for the position that you want. So if you’re an admin but want to be an account manager – dress like it! Take tomorrow’s ensemble (pictured above) for example:

  • Olive green velvet blazer (JCrew, circa 2009)
  • Blue and beige striped fitted long sleeve tee (JCrew 2010)
  • Dark wash perfect fit bootcut jeans (Gap 2011)

Fun and stylish? Yes. Trampy or frumpy? Never! The new director of communications….we’ll see ;-)

Ciao my friends and dress well.

Filed Under: Fashion Tagged With: , , , ,

The Language of Love

February 14, 2011 by
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Valentine’s Day may be coming to a close, but it’s never too late to tell the one you love just how much he/she means to you. Here are five very impressive ways to say just that!
5 Ways to Say I Love You
  1. French – Je t’aime
  2. Spanish – Te amo
  3. Italian – Ti amo
  4. German – Ich liebe Dch
  5. Greek – S’ ayapo
Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: , , ,
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