~ Textiles ~

Aprons 

French-inspired gardens and homes include H O W we live, not just W H A T we live with. French Country is a lifestyle, not just garden and home decor recognized as French design. 

Look at the joy of living in the expression of a French grocer in Amiens, France as he arranges fruits and vegetables on the sidewalk outside his shop. 

French Design on Friday 11

~ Lighting ~

Interior 

French Country interior lighting comes in many styles just like French Country exterior lighting on last Friday's French Design on Friday. A French château is one place to look for authentic French design for interior lighting and no château better to view than my favorite, Chenonceau. 

Spring Garden Party

Spring Garden Party 

Ideas for a garden party using what you have... 

Spring came early this year in north Texas. Spring arriving early was a wonderful thing because my sister and brother surprised me with a spring garden party for my birthday. You are invited to join the party and to see how to use what you have to create a beautiful outdoor party. 

Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles is hosting the Hello, Spring Blog Tour, and my surprise birthday party came at a perfect time to share as part of the tour. 

For new readers visiting as part of the Hello, Spring Blog Tour, welcome! 

I hope you will become a regular reader and come back often. 

Regular readers, dear friends, thanks for stopping by to see what's going on this spring at Botanic Bleu. 

I am excited to be joining 14 talented bloggers who are also sharing how spring looks in their homes. The full schedule is listed at the bottom. Be sure to visit them, and tell them the birthday girl said hello. 

I had planned to share my French-inspired garden shed all decked out for spring, but will share it later. 

French Design on Friday #10

~ Lighting ~

Exterior 

Are you looking for exterior lighting with distinctive French design for your home? Where do you research for ideas of lighting to use? There are scores of lighting sources on the internet, but are the fixtures offered genuine French style? 

French country design is popular with interior designers, home builders, and bloggers. All offer their interpretations of French design. If you want your home to have authentic French design, start by looking at materials used in France. Go to the primary source for design ideas. 

Celebrate Pi Day

March 14 is known as Pi Day because 3/14 are the first three digits of Pi (π). 

Why celebrate? 

French Design on Friday 9

~ Garden ~ 

Topiaries - Part 2 

Topiaries are all over France, not just in Paris, and come in all shapes and sizes making them one of the most common of all French designs used in gardening. 

Whether you have a city garden or a country garden, topiaries add French style. With Spring less than two weeks away, now is the time to consider adding topiaries to your landscape... to your garden, your deck, your patio, or your driveway. 

Take a look at photos of topiaries in Sarlat, France for inspiration in designing your own gardens. 

Sarlat, France is one of hundreds of beautiful French towns that survived modernization over the centuries. And is one of my favorite French towns that I visit over and over again. Its creamy-colored old stone buildings line narrow streets designed for horses, carts, carriages, and people. Part of its charm comes from manicured trees trimmed into topiaries along the streets. 

Half Bath From American to French

From American Country to French Country 

Over a decade ago a long journey of changing the American Country look of our house to a French Country look began with the kitchen and is still a work in progress. 

This spring, changes for a new French Country look are coming for the guest half bath. To help me decide what to change to get the look I want, I took several before photos of the bathroom. Here is how the guest half bath looks now with an American Country look. 

When we built our house, I drew the house plans on graph paper. We toured a sawmill company in western Massachusetts, and they used my hand-drawn plans to create builder's blueprints and to cut the posts and beams for the framework of the house. 

French Design on Friday 8

~ Garden ~ 

Spring is a time to dream of new gardens, new plants, and new design layouts. A perfect time to create a design of your dreams. Do you dream about creating a French style to your home and garden? 

French design can be created with just two plants. Yes, it only takes two plants to give a French style to your home. Two plants give instant French design with no long-term garden plan revisions needed.