21 February 2010

I Love Paris in the Springtime {Brunch}

Really, Paris in the spring... there isn't anything better.

I love the food, Laudree macarons and warm baguette and brie.  I love the drinks, red wine and champagne.  I love the Eiffel Tower and Sainte-Chappelle and the Centre Pompidou, the mix of very old juxtiposed with the very new.  And I love that brunch, an American concept, is becoming a popular thing in Paris. 



My favorite thing is sitting around with great friends, good food, and laughing for hours.  The lingering over that table listening to French music & debating for hours means more than the vintage silver or the menu planning, though after reading this blog, you know I enjoy those too.

To decorate, we pulled lots of black and white Paris photos from around the house, some we had taken ourselves.  I added lots of white and lavender flowers in different types of vases and jars.  To set the table, we pulled out the silver Dave's great aunt left him, the vintage glasses that we received as a wedding present, vintage linen napkins given to me by my aunt that were hand stiched by her mother in law & mixed all of those with glass plates picked up at the Dollar store and our everyday white plates.   We used what we had {though admittedly, there is a lot of French stuff in the house to choose from} & pulled out special pieces that we don't enjoy often enough.





I made the placecards using a French photograph from Graphics Fairy.  She finds some amazing graphics that she cleans up & encourages you to use for free!  I loved it because it was whimsical & the caption reads "true friendship" in French.  Even if I was the only one who knew that, I just loved the message.  I also printed out several vintage French labels from her site to use on the vases & jars.  I just used some double sided tape to stick them on for easy removal after the party.

The macarons were made by the fabulous Cecilia Mercante.  I am going to give those a separate post later in the week to tell you all about our visit.  We drove up to Ann Arbor to get them at her kitchen and they are, in a word... amazing.

Le Menu
Creme Brulee French Toast
Quiche
Fruit Salad
Sausage Links
Croissants & Bonne Maman Cherry Preserves

Nutella, Raspberry, & Vanilla Macarons

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
Champagne
French Roast Coffee 




And we can't forget les enfants!  Our little guest Oliver is obsessed with the Ratatouille movie, which is set in Paris.  He has been telling his mom how excited he was to come to a french brunch, so I themed the table for Ollie and Finnegan based on the movie.  I used a red and white tablecloth & turquoise napkins, chairs, & glasses.  I added a silver pot, some wooden spoons, red flowers, Remy place cards, crayons, & coloring pages.  And really, for the two year olds, they thought it was awesome to have brunch with a view of the Eiffel Tower!


  




Just one last thing... This is Oliver's Mama and me {we are the two in the top middle} in the spring of 1992 1993 when my love affair with Paris began.  How amazingly wonderful that eighteen seventeen years later, we're still enjoying croissants... and now our boys are too.  {Edited because I am an idiot & Amy set me straight in the comments!}



17 comments:

  1. Everything looks amazing and delicious! I love that you did a whole theme for the boys' table. I can only imagine how cute they were.

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  2. Thank you! Every last detail was appreciated, from the thoughtfulness of inviting us in the first place, the food, the namecards (which I threw in my purse so I can use as a bookmark), the Ratatouille table, right down to whatever it was you slipped in my coffee.

    I loved the closing of your post. One little correction though...weren't we there in 1993? Come on, we're not THAT old!

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  3. LOVE IT! Especially the table for two, two year olds!!! I'm going to have to try it! TFS!

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  4. Amy Dean StuempgesMon Feb 22, 10:05:00 AM EST

    Freakin' adorable Michelle! Mr. Zapetelli would be impressed. Was it Edith Piaff that he used to make us listen to in class?

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  5. Amy, I miss Mr Z, he put up with so much shit from us! We were talking about him at brunch too. Ahhhh french class, good times.

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  6. ohmyholygod. i am in love with you. the brunch is positively Martha-worthy- every last detail is GORGEOUS! AND it made me happy because I am going to Paris for the first time- In April! WOW! Can I like be your cleaning lady so I can eat the leftovers!?!
    xoxo
    (and btw thanks for your thoughtful comment today- appreciate it!)

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  7. Alright, WHEN (not if) I come and visit you, I expect such fabulousness to be part of my stay. You are so creative and so well traveled and just well...cultured. A breath of fresh air for this rural dweller.

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  8. Of course Miss Ashley! You are more than welcome any time!

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  9. The table looks AMAZING Michelle! You are so freaking talented! I especially love the boys table, that was absolutely adorable!

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  10. Ok and I just noticed that you used the memory box I gave you, I feel pretty special now! lol

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  11. Oh, this looks like so much fun... my younger girlie is in love with Paris and her 15th birthday is in April... it might be fun to do something like this... I need to book mark this page. Do you ever share recipes?

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  12. Nik, I sure did! It was so cute.

    Rebecca, I'd be happy to pass recipes along to you! Let me know what you'd like.

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  13. Your Spring party is FABULOUS! The details are fantastic and the menu sounds divine. The kids table is really cute too.
    Holly
    504Main.blogspot.com

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  14. This is a really GORGEOUS tablescape...I love the theme! The food looks wonderful.
    Susan

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  15. This is the first time I've come to your blog and I am DYING!!! First...LOVE LOVE LOVE (and am going to copy) your party!!!! (except you left out the VITAL-TO-LIFE Nutella) And Second, I am SUCH a francophile! And am now aching to be in the Tuilleries!!

    AM now going to stalk the rest of your blog :)

    Au Revoir!

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  16. This is the sweetest little brunch party! The menu looks to die for :)

    I really love the french postcard place cards you made for your guests -- always looking for new ideas!

    xo alanna
    iheartlaughing.blogspot.com

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