French Lesson No 9 and The Winner Is...

This French lesson is going to be quite short. I will be going out of town to celebrate my niece's graduation from college with some very incredible women in my family Friday morning and I am rushing to get everything together!

Okay, Okay, so who's the winner? The winner is announcered at the bottom of this post!

I've decided to teach you some vocabulary for giveaways. Giveaways are so common, and you may find these words helpful and fun to use.

Giveaway Vocabulary

Bonne chance! = Good luck!

Cadeau = a free gift; a giveaway; a freebie (or freebee)

Gratuit(e) = free (add an "e" if you are referring to a feminine noun)

Gagnant(e) = Winner (add an "e" if the winner is a woman/girl!)

Le tirage au sort = Drawing (Like the drawing will be on Friday)

Félicitations! = Congratulations!

Un commentaire= a comment

Laissez un commentaire = Leave a comment

photo via The Paris Apartment
Speaking of giveaways, Janet at French Blue is hosting an AMAZING giveaway grace a Claudia Strasser, the author of the book and blog, The Paris Apartment. Claudia's blog has a HUGE following with at least 2,000 daily visitors! People from around the world visit her blog on a daily basis because they are inspired by her Paris-glam style and her around the world travels.

Claudia has offered 3 months of free advertisement on her blog for anyone who owns an online store. In order to enter your name into the drawing, you must go visit here for details.

The winner of the a la parisienne giveaway is Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. La gagnante est Claudia! Félicitations!

Here are just a few samples of fonts, colors, and embellishments. Of course, Claudia will get to decide!
A la parisienne will be making 5 free custom made sidebar labels for Claudia.

Merci to all who participated. If I had more free time, I would make labels for all of you! Maybe I will do another drawing soon!
A la prochaine!

Je rêve en francais: French Blue is a Dream

"Je rêve en français" That's what the tiny red and white label said on the package that was nestled at my front door yesterday. What started as a "Guess the Goddess" riddle hosted by Janet at French Blue, ended in a stay at home mom's day filled with excitement and joy.

Here's a peek at the prize- The Chanel ribbon was a great foretelling of the lovely gift Janet sent!

Of course, I had to document the entire process of opening up this package by taking pictures. I knew that this gift would be special because the two lovely ladies, Janet and daughter, Noel, put this gift together are extrordinarly talented and creative women.

Leave it up to Janet to protect this lovely gift with pale pink packing peanuts- such a sweet touch!

And the perfect topper for this surprise- a handmade WHITE paper rose by Noel at Fanciful Designs.

The lovely Janet sent a bottle of Chanel fingernail polish in the color of Ballerina! If you go back to her post for the riddle, you can see that she thought of every last detail: the ballet slippers and the tutus! She really planned this give away well! And of course, she sent the sweetest little card with the most precious image of ballet dancers!

Look at this STUNNING handmade paper flower by Noel! I think that she could create some of the most beautiful, feminine displays for Chanel Inc. Hmmm...Does anyone out there know someone who knows someone that can get these two together???

Thank you, Janet and Noel, for such a lovely gift and for your friendship. I have enjoyed blogging so much because it connects me with some of the most thoughtful and creative women like you!

Last call for my GIVE AWAY!If you are interested in making your blog more Beautiful, I am doing a give away for 5 free custom-made side bar labels including installation! Please go to this post for entry details. Deadline to enter is Thursday, May 28th (PM). The winner will be announced Friday!

A la prochaine!

French Lesson No. 8 - Les Couleurs Jaune et Orange & Beau vs. Belle

une rue = street

(image via Menton Daily Photo)

un village = a village

(via Fede0253 on Flickr)
Bonjour, mes étudiants! Pack your valises for a journey to the French and Italian Rivieras. We are going to be bathing in the beautiful yellows and oranges of the Mediterranean coastlines! I have to admit that when I started planning this yellow and orange French lesson that I was a bit, well uninterested, because I am not usually drawn to these colors. However, I got to thinking about my previous travels to Provence, Nice, Monaco, Sorrento, and Pompei, and I remembered that there is an entire world full of beautiful yellows and oranges. I hope that you not only learn something new about the French language, but you are also transported to these beautiful places!

un tissu = fabric

(photo via Erinpk on Flickr)

Today's objectives:

• Vocabulaire - French words for things that are commonly yellow or orange
• Adjectives - Beau and Belle - Correct usage and placement of these adjectives
• Intermediate/Advanced -Making adjectives agree with plural nouns
• Advanced -French Cartoon - A Lemon Holdup!

The color for yellow in French is jaune.

The color for orange in French is orange.

une épice = spice; les épices = spices

(via Arnaumax on Flickr)

un citron = lemon; les citrons = lemons

une orange = orange; les oranges = oranges

(via Jeff Biglan on Flickr)

Different variations of yellow and orange:
butter yellow = jaune beurre
canary yellow = jaune canari
gold-yellow =jaune doré
lemon-yellow = jaune citron
burnt orange = orange-brulée
yellow-orange= orangé-jaune

Examples

a canary yellow house = une maison jaune canari

a burnt orange spice = une épice orange brulé

la glace = ice-cream

(via Martha Stewart.com)

Beau vs Belle

Beau = beautiful (masucline object)

Belle = beautiful (feminine object)

Examples

un beau village = a beautiful village

une belle rue = a beautiful street

NOTE- when using beau or belle, you place them BEFORE the noun. However, the majority of French adjectives go AFTER the noun as in colors or our easy adjectives that we learned about several weeks ago.

Examples

un beau village jaune vif = A beautiful, bright yellow village

une belle robe unique = a beautiful, unique dress

un beau gâteau = a beautiful cake

(via Martha Stewart.com)

Intermediate/Advanced

So, this lesson will now get a little more complicated. If you studied French in highschool or college and are familiar with some of the rules in the French language, you will be fine. If not, you may get a little confused!

Making beau, belle, jaune, and orange agree with plural nouns:

Belle becomes belles

Beau becomes beaux

Jaune becomes jaunes

Orange (the color) NEVER changes. Do not add an "s" when it modifies a plural noun.

Examples

Les beaux tissus jaunes = Beautiful yellow fabrics

Les belles coquelicots orange = Beautiful orange poppies

une coquelicot = poppy; les coquelicots = poppies
(via Moonjazz on Flickr)

une fleur = flower; les fleurs = flowers

une botte des fleurs = a bunch (ie. a bundle) of flowers

(via Londontraveller on Flickr)

un beau ruban orange = a beautiful orange ribbon

(via Martha Stewart.com)

une belle invitation= a beautiful invitation

(via Martha Stewart.com)

un citron pressé = lemonade

(via ::Fanny:: on Flickr)

Advanced
I accidentally stumbled upon the dessin français and thought it was hilarious!

un citron faché et fauché! = An angry, broke lemon!
(via Ideoblc Flickr)

Translation - for those interested or in need!

Top bubble- "More zest, I am pressed (literally pressed as in citron pressé) but pressé also means "in a hurry"

Bottom bubble - "Stay calm and there won't be any difficulties/problems" Here is the play on words "pépins can mean difficulties or SEEDS!

Please let me know that I am not the only person who thinks this is very funny!

une voiture = car

(via Dustoh on Flickr)

les vacances = vacation! (Note the word vacation is plural! The vacations:)

(via Mario Bertocchi on Flickr)

Roll call- Send me a comment that you attended this lesson

Homework - Make a caption for either of the two last photos!

Student feedback - If you have any comments or suggestions concerning the French lessons, please share. I realize that this lesson is long and a bit more difficult than usual!!

Bonne journée et à la prochaine!

French Lesson No 7- La couleur Rose

un tutu = a tutu:)

Salut, tout le monde! This lesson will not only be fun, but you are going to learn all kinds of vocabulary for your blog posts, journaling, crafting, etc!

Today's French lesson is all about PINK!

Objective's

*French words for some common PINK items
*French words for different shades of PINK
*Putting it all together - describing PINK objects in *FrenchIntermediate/Advanced - using adjectives when describing two or more items
The color PINK in French is ROSE.

une verre = glass (a glass from which you drink or eat-must be made of glass!)

un maillot de bain = swimsuit

le chewing gum = chewing gum:)

un petit-gâteau = a cupcake


une pivoine = a peony

les pivoines = peonies

une bicyclette = bicycle OR

un vélo = bike

Different shades of PINK:

Bright pink = rose vif

Baby pink = rose tendre
Light pink = rose clair

Pale pink = rose pâle

Coral pink = rose corail

Magenta = magenta

Dark pink = rose foncé

Putting it all together
In the French language most adjectives go AFTER the noun. So when you want to describe an object using a color, the color goes AFTER the object.

See examples below (under each image).
une maison rose = a pink house

(Yes, I realize this is indeed a café in Paris named La Maison Rose)

un bâteau rose pâle = a pale pink boat

une porte rose vif = a bright pink door une salle à manger rose corail = a coral pink dining room une robe rose clair = a light pink dress

Blog Uses

You can easily use these colors in some of your titles. French titles just sound more fun, n'est-ce pas?

Examples-

"A Woman Who Wears Pink" = Une femme qui porte du rose"

"A Little Bit of Pink" = Un peu de rose

"Why Not Pink?" = Pourquoi pas rose?

"Marie Antoinette's Pink Shoe" = La Chaussure rose de Marie Antoinette (This one is for Noel @ Fanciful Designs!)

"Romantic Pink" = Rose romantique

I am sure that you can come up with all kinds of variations!

Intermediate/Advanced

When describing more than one object:

Remember that if your object is plural then so should be your adjective modifying the noun.

ExampleS

deux bâteaux roses = two pink boats

deux portes roses vif = two bright pink doors

(vif modifies the color pink not the house so it does not need an added s)

_{Images #1. Flickr-Life in a Venti Cup; #2. A la parisienne #3 A la parisienne}

#4. A la parisienne; #5. Flickr- cakejournal; #6. Flickr- Oh Merci; #7. Flickr- Ioran Denim's; #8. Flickr; #9. See image;

#10 Flickr -Gorgeoux #11. Marie Claire Maison; #12. Vanity Fair

Four Generations-Honoring Grandma

One year ago today, I was a brand new Mommy- a Mommy celebrating Mother's Day with a baby that was just 9 days old. As I reflect over the past year, I cannot believe all of the memorable milestones that have passed - first coos, first smiles, rolling over, eating cereal from a spoon, sitting up,
crawling, first words, first teeth...no walking yet, though:) God has blessed me and my family with a wonderful year. We have had so many special moments together as we watched our daughter's precious personality emerge.
This Mother's Day I have felt feelings that I have never before felt...I feel a strong appreciation for the patience and gentle care my mom has given me my entire life. Living self-lessly every day for Amelia has taught me more about love than I have ever comprehended before. And I look at my mom now and realize that she has loved me in this fashion for 28 years. From the depth of my soul, I thank you for loving me, Mom.
This year has also been memorable in that my mom's mother, Grandma, went home to be with the Lord almost 2 months ago. She was sick for a long time and not quite herself for several years, but I still vividly remember and feel her impression on my life.
Last October, we got to spend some time with Grandma, and Grandma and Amelia (5 months old) met each other for the first time. I remember Grandma holding Amelia for a few short moments and she was stroking her little feet with her aged soft hands...Since we rarely saw Grandma and only occasionally see my mom, we decided that we needed to document this gathering of 4 generations. My aunt took one of us sitting. Then I took this photo of our hands. I am so thankful that we did this, as now there are only three sets of hands still living.
I would like to share a few things about the women behind these hands:

Grandma

loved pink- all shades, especially BRIGHT pink ; a GREAT cook - her biscuits and gravy and pecan pies are mouth-watering delicious!; a fruitful gardener who wore a flappy garden hat; a believer in Chrsit; she called flowers "FLARES"; goofy - she always made the funniest faces when she was confused or frustrated; Very resourceful and creative- she sewed clothes for her children, made toys for her grandchildren; hard of hearing - spent a lot of time saying "What?!" or "Mandy, I can't understand what you are saying"; helped Grandpa with the farm when she was a young mother; played dolls with my mom when mom was a young girl'; was only allowed to spend a little money every month (Grandpa had her on a STRINGENT budget!; she always secretly called me to her room and gave me a little spending money before I went back home; used to rub my feet and my legs when I was a young girl; used to take me to the park and city pool in the heat of the summer

Mom

soft spoken; meek; a believer in Christ; very intellectual-especially with numbers and math; has an incredible eye for color; an OUTSTANDING seamstress- she began making her own clothing in the 5th grade; made my prom dresses and wedding gown; loves to be at home; loves order and cleanliness; loves aqua, pink, spring green, and light yellow; met my dad the first day of college;makes lists for everything; has the memory of an elephant; used to keep a daily diary up until a few years ago; plays the piano and the organ; dependable - always on time - remembers and keeps her word; loves the show "Dancing with the Stars"; doesn't like to read; very level-headed and logical when giving advice; spent hours on the phone with me (when Amelia was an infant )listening to me fret or boast; the most LOYAL friend a person could have; innocent; loves meatloaf, home made fried chicken, vanilla ice-cream, plain yogurt; not a huge fan of dessert; was a Momma's girl

Me

I am a lover of music, especially singing and harmony; have a romantic, feminine style; a believer in Christ; laugh ALL of the time; very talkative; former French and English high school teacher; cat person; pretty paper collector; used to be a good athlete (basketball); enjoy fellowship with older women in my family; love blogging and photography; have an obsession for travel; love my church family
Amelia

speaks her own language of which I only understand a handful of words!; has beautiful BLUE eyes (my husband and I are brown-eyed); mellow baby; loves chicken, strawberries, and cinnamon/raisin bagels; not a huge fan of cow's milk or a sippy cup:); sucks her thumb when she's hungry or tired; loves to say "Wow" and "kitty kitty"; a sweetheart; loves to ride on Daddy's shoulders; has a rolling laugh; loves to flip through baby books and point at images;has hair the color of golden wheat fields;

a Daddy's girl

Leçon No 6 - Feminine Words & Quelle Porte!

la porte = door

Cou-cou, mes bons étudiants! I hope you are having a great week!
This weeks lesson is an extension of Leçon 4 (masculine nouns & "Quel")
If you have not done Leçon 4, I would go visit it first!

Today's objectives:

• Feminine French words (Yea! Finalement!)
• Making exclamations in French about feminine objects! Using "quelle"!
• Adding an adjective (describing word) to your exclamations!

VOCABULAIRE:
Below are images of feminine French objects:

la vue = view
la maison = house la chambre; la pièce = room

la chambre à coucher = bedroom (if you are trying to be specific)

la chaise = chair; les chaises = chairs la robe = dress
la chaussure = shoe; les chaussures = shoes
la coiffure = hairdo; hairstyle

Other feminine French nouns:

la fête = party; celebration

la fleur = flower

la photo = photo

l'image = image; photo

la semaine = week

la rue = street

la vie = life

la voiture = car

Making exclamations in French about feminine objects

First here is a short review of Leçon 4-- using "quel":

To make an exclamation in French about an object, the French use a form of the word "quel" Remember with masculine nouns we use "quel"

Example = Quel magazine intéressant! (What an interesting magazine)

Formula for feminine French nouns:

Quelle + feminine noun

Examples

Quelle image! = What an image!

Quelle vie! = What a life!

Here are some additional phrases with Quelle that you may find very useful in blogging:

Quelle horreur! = How horrible!

Quelle idée! = What an idea!

Quelle misère! = What misery!

Quelle coincidence! = What a coincidence!

Quelle catastrophe! = What a disaster!

Obviously, you may want to add an adjective (describing word) with your explanation.

List of easy adjectives once again:

adorable, agréable (nice, pleasant), artistique, bête (dumb,silly, stupid),bizarre (weird, strange, odd), chic, classique, comique (funny/comical), drôle (funny), fantastique, grave (serious),

incroyable (unbelieveable), logique (logical), magnifique, populaire,rasoir (boring) ridicule, romantique, stupide, unique

Formula for adding an adjective:

Quelle + feminine noun + adjective

The formula is also the same for masucline nouns!

Quel + masculine noun + adjective

Examples

Quelle chambre romantique! = What a romantic (bed)room!

Quelle coiffure unique et bizarre! = What a unique and odd hairstyle!

Quelle maison chic! = What a stylish house!

Quelle vue magnifique! = What a magnificent view!

Roll call! For today's lesson, I am taking roll! Who is attending class? Who is playing hooky??? You must leave a comment for me to know your are attending!

For all of my over-achievers, you may leave an exclamation about the last image in this post! Soyez créatifs! (Be creative!)
Images

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