Vintage Wedding Attire~an Etsy Showcase~and Un peu de français

For some reason my new posts haven't been on my follower's blog lists. So I am republishing my most recent post. Bizarre, n'est-ce pas? So on to my original post that was perdu in blogland!

You are all going to die when you see these gorgeous images that I found on Etsy today!!! This post is a mixture of couture wedding apparel, vintage style clothing, and le français. Can it get any better?

Par hasard, I stumbled across what has to be my favorite Etsy boutique thus far. It is called Bonzie and the two partners of this boutique, Bonzie and Ger, live in Ireland.

Their work is absolutely breath-takingly gorgeous

Romantic layered tulle bridal skirts

Sheer, ruffled boleros

Ruffled scarves

Tanks adorned with ivory flowers

gray velvet jackets...

I'm in fashion heaven!

Now for une petite leçon de français:

What you will learn:

*FASHION vocabulary

*the verb PORTER- to wear

une jupe = a skirt

une jupe en tulle= a tulle skirt

Elle porte = she wears or she is wearing.

Examples

Elle porte une jupe en tulle. = She is wearing a tulle skirt.

La femme porte une belle jupe en tulle. = The woman is wearing a beautiful, tulle skirt.

un col aux volants = a ruffled (flounced) collar

I am not sure what the French would call this "scarf." I would imagine that they would call it a collar.
If you are a French-speaker, please share your label for this beautiful accessory.

un débardeur aubergine =an eggplant (colored) tank top

une veste en velours gris = a gray, velvet jacket

les bottes grises = gray boots

La femme porte les bottes grises. = The woman is wearing gray boots.

Elle ne porte pas les bottes noires. = She is not wearing black boots.

Bonzie et Ger sont vraiment douées. Leurs beaux vêtements de mode d'époque sont populaires et ces propriétaires ont certainement eu beaucoup de succès. N'oubliez pas de visiter leur shop sur Etsy!

Have a beautiful week-end, mes amis!

French Lesson: Teaching Baby le français

How many of you wish that you had been exposed to a foreign language as a young child/toddler rather than learn Spanish, French, sign language for the first time when you were in middle school, high school, or even as late as college?

Many of you either have young children or precious little grand children. Even if you are not fluent in a foreign language it doens't hurt to teach them a little of what you know.

I would like to share with you a few common French words/phrases that I use on a daily basis when talking to our 14 month old daughter.

*Note that the pronunciation guides that I give are not based on the International Phonetic Alphabet!

la chambre de bébé

To tell your baby to "go night-night"

say
Fais dodo= "go night-night"

Prounounced - [fay doh-doh]

Milk, a word babies love to hear

However, this word is difficult for a baby/toddler to pronounce- a baby must be able to use m, l, k, sounds to say the word MILK.

The French word for milk is le lait, which is simpler than it's English equivalent-milk, but the French have an even easier baby word for le lait:

lolo = milk in French "baby talk"
Pronounced = [loh-loh]

Amelia with her favorite rattle at 8 months

Every morning after we are finished with breakfast, I pick Amelia up and say "Jouons!"

Jouons! = Let's Play!

Pronounced [zjoo-ohn] - The S is silent

Here is another word that I have really been trying to emphasize lately. Around 13 months Amelia began to say "No." or "No!" quite well. After reading about this new phase, I learned that not only is this word familiar to them (after hearing Mommy say, "No! Don't touch the DVD player!" "No! Don't spit out your food!" countless times a day), the word "No" is also much easier to pronounce.

Well, I've found that Amelia is quite adept at using a W sound, so we've been working on:

Oui!= Yes!

Perhaps, oui will take the place of no!

_{Image Resources: #1 Jacadi #2. Jacadi #3. Flickr- solarider #4. A la parisienne}

French Lesson No. 11 - Le Salon

Coucou, mes amis! If it seems like I haven't been around much, it's because I haven't! I've been a busy woman these last two weeks, and I have a little surprise I have been waiting to share with you! Very soon! Very soon...you will know!

This French lesson is a French lesson mixed into a little story I want to share!

Today's Objectives

• Vocabulaire - le salon & l'anatomie
• Expressing what you like and don't like

~The bust that I've always wanted~

We'll just pretend that I am only talking about the statue!

Vocabulaire - L'Anatomie

Eyes = les yeux

Nose = le nez

Mouth = la bouche

Chest= la poitrine

Head = la tête

Hair = les cheveux

(Note the plural form in French "hairs." This is a good example of how English is not always logical. Do we have ONE big hair or many hairs??? I think the French have it right this time!)

{My story} A couple of weeks ago, I went on a short vacation with some women in my family to Fredericksburg, Texas. We were shopping and buying like mad women released from their cages! (Well, maybe I have exaggerated a tad).

One thing that I have always been on the prowl for is a bust for a mantle in our home. Bust statues, in my opinion, are one of the main objets d'art you would find in a grand Paris apartment, and since I love this style, a classic, feminine bust is on my "to buy" list. As I was walking through one of the best home furnishing stores in Fredericksburg, I caught a glimpse of the perfect bust. (Oh, I am having fun with these double entendres!)

Long story short, I was unable to bring her home with me (as the price was too steep and the trunk of the car was packed to full capacity!)

And what did I stumble upon this week? A gorgeous image from Nonsense & Sensibility. Once I saw this photo, I knew that I had to borrow it for today's French lesson. Little did I know the surprise that was inside...Oui! mon buste!!! Regardez au centre de l'image à côté de la cheminée! Mon buste parfait dans toute de sa gloire! So, I guess she wasn't the rarity that I thought she was (or shall I say he since it is a masculine object)!

Vocabulaire - Le Salon

Livingroom = le salon OR la salle de séjour

Shelf = l'étagère (f)

Fireplace = la cheminée

Books = les livres

Lamp = la lampe

Couch = le canapé

Painting = le tableau

Expressing likes and dislikes

Aimer in French means "to like"

Adorer in French means "to adore"

J'aime = I like

J'adore= I adore

Examples

J'aime la lampe en verre. = I like the glass lamp.

J'adore le canapé rose. = I adore the pink couch.

Making these negative:

ne...pas goes around the verb (Note n'....pas goes around a verb that begins with a French vowel sound)

Je n'aime pas = I don't like

Je n'adore pas = I don't adore

Example

Je n'aime pas les livres par Al Gore = I don't like books by Al Gore.

Bon week-end à tous! The next time I speak to you, I will share the exciting news!

French Lesson No. 10 - What Is It Made Of?

Bonjour, mes amis! This week has been a little hectic around here. Little Amelia has outgrown her morning nap, and I really miss that free hour and a half in the morning to get things done. I guess I will eventually adjust-J'espère

Today's Objectives:

• Vocabulaire - for what things are made of
• Reading - Practice reading in French!
  I have decided to add into this lesson a few very short paragraphs in French to help you to practice reading in French (we all need that reinforcement). Of course, I will give you the English version in case you need it.

en soie = made of silk

les rideaux en soie = silk curtains/drapes

Les rideaux en soie autour du lit donnent cette chambre un air royal. J'aime le mélange de motifs- les rayures et les fioritures.

The silk curtains around the bed give this room a regal air. I like the mixture of patterns-the stripes and flourishes.

en verre= made of glass
la bouteille en verre = glass bottle

J'utilise de temps en temps une bouteille de parfum en verre comme un petit vase pour un petit bouquet dans la salle de bain.
From time to time, I use a glass perfume bottle as a small vase for a small bouquet in the bathroom.

en coton=made of cotton
la robe en coton = a cotton dress

la chemise en coton = a (man's) shirt

Regardez ce couple-ci. Ils ont l'air purs et innocents en portant ces vêtments en coton. Une belle image tranquille n'est-ce pas?
Look at this couple. They look pure and innocent while wearing these cotton clothes. This is a beautiful and tranquil picture, isn't it?

en papier=made of paper

une fleur en papier = a paper flower

une chaussure en papier = a paper shoe

Noel, la fondatrice de Fanciful Designs, a fait cette chaussure blanche en papier. Elle a été inspirée par l'anniversaire de mariage de ses parents quand elle l'a créée. La chaussure est legère, romantique, et parfaitement charmante!

Noel, the founder of Fanciful Designs, made this white, paper shoe. She was inspired by her parent's wedding anniversary when she created it. The shoe is light, romantic, and perfectly charming!

en plastique=made of plastic

les boutons en plastique = plastic buttons

en cuir = made of leather

une malle en cuir = a leather trunk

une valise en cuir = a leather suitcase

Noel a trouvé cette malle en cuir il y quelques années à un marche aux puces en Californie. La malle a la marque Goyard-Paris. Quel trésor!
Noel found this leather trunk at a flea market in California a couple of years ago. The trunk has the mark, Goyard-Paris. What a treasure!

_{Images #1 and 2-Flickr-xjavierx #3. a la parisienne}

#4.Flickr- Rosiehardy #5. Fanciful Designs #6. a la parisienne

#7. Fanciful Designs

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!

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