Plans de travailles

That's the French expression for countertops, which the British call "worktops," and this is important since the carpenter charged with replacing the one on the kitchen island, or ilot de cuisine, is British. So today I corresponded with Warren, the British expat carpenter, who informed me that my base cabinets are a tad too wide to accept a stock size butcher block worktop like the ones they sell at IKEA. He suggested ways he could buy two tops and split and rejoin them to create the size we need, but that didn't excite me. So I did some googling and finally found a French firm that makes custom butcher block worktops in whatever size you need. I have tasked Warren to look into this company and see what a top in our specific measurements would cost.

Here I thought this would be an easy project, but as soon as custom, or bespoke, sizes come into play, the economics of the situation grow exponentially. Zut! Quel domage.

The packing list (leave behind)

These are the things I am bringing to France that I will leave there:

Slipcover for ottoman in reading nook in Parchment pattern, which is scribbled with French words

Slipcover for wood chair in bedroom, also in Parchment

Knitted blue throw for loveseat

Sink skirt and extra red ball fringe, thread to hem it

Spring curtain rods to hang sink skirt

2 rolls of retro turquoise and white striped contact paper for kitchen drawers

Knives

Pile of framed family photos

Grapevine basket

Clock-themed guest book

Maps of France and Paris

2 Small lucite easels to display plates

Large turquoise metal easel to display something I haven't discovered yet--maybe a vintage cookbook

Vintage red and blue linen tablecloth

Roku TV-streaming device

Yard sale tags for Saint Martin's Day vide grenier

Okay, now comes the problem of figuring out how my clothes will get to France if my suitcase is packed with all this stuff. Hmmmmmmm . . . .

My book

 

Earlier this month my memoir "The Time and the Place: Turning Dreams to Duras in Southwest France," was released as an e-book in the Kindle Store on amazon.com. Today I received two different emails from readers who just wanted to tell me how much they loved the book and how much they want to go to France. I am just glowing! These women just made my day. 

Le jupe de l'evier est fini!

My flirty little sink skirt is complete (well, except for the hem) and is so darn cute! I can't wait to see it in its final home on Rue Traversiere, where I will hem it when I get the final measurements.

I opted not to use my cranky, 30-year-old sewing machine, which I got when I was pregnant with Chloe. It's always given me problems and, frankly, might be the primary reason I don't particularly like to sew. What I do like are pretty things and owning a decent sewing machine can be one way to aquire them.

So here's my new machine, a machine a coudre in French:

It was incredibly cheap, only $75 and it does the basics quite well. The straight stitches are straight. The zig-zag stitches both zig AND zag. It even makes buttonholes, but I don't imagine I will need that function anytime soon. I wasn't quite sure what I'd get for my money at that price, but I am really quite pleased.

This morning I set out to make my sink skirt, which was not hard, only a bit time consuming as I was learning the nuances of the machine at the same time I was trying to figure out how I wanted the skirt to look. By 12:30 it was done and I got out a cafe rod to see what it would look like gathered to approximately the same width as the actual space where it will live.

Now it is folded up in my packing pile, which is growing to outrageous proportions. We leave for Duras two weeks from today!

A kitchen project from a sleepless night

I could not get to sleep last night. No matter what position I put myself into or how many times I fluffed and rearranged the pillows, sleep was just not happening for me. So what did I do instead? I mentally pictured my cottage kitchen and all the improvements I've made to date. After envisioning each corner, I made some decisions about what my next steps will be to further the theme I've started, which for lack of a better term, I refer to as the "Vintage Vibe."

Here's a pic of my top cabinets, which I finished in June. Below in the sink area is where I want to go next. I ran through my original idea of painting the lower cabinets the same antique white as the uppers, but decided that didn't have the level of oomph I needed there. After my new butcher block countertop is in place on the island, I will paint those lower cabinets in the Old White.

So, what did I envision for below the sink? I will attempt to make a funky skirt that will go from the wall on the left to the dishwasher. From the livingroom you'll only get a peek at the fabric, but when standing at the sink, the fabric will jump out and say "bonjour Madame," and is certain to cheer me up--even on the dreariest days.

I took a ride to Joann Fabrics this morning and curated this group of raw materials. Hopefully, my hands will be able to fashion the funky, rose-festooned, ball-fringed skirt that my brain is imagining.

Focused on France

My head and my heart are both longing for my little hideaway in Duras. My heart is pretty much always there, but now the rest of me has to kick it into gear so I can finish some projects during my two-week stay.

This week I ordered another set of the same kitchen chairs I ordered in June, but the delivery was botched so I never received them. The good news is that I have already heard from the shipper and the delivery is scheduled for Friday with Sue, my housekeeper, in charge of receiving the goods. I can't imagine that I could have another disaster with the same company so I am just going to let it happen from afar and wait for news of a completed transaction.

I emailed my painter to see what the status is on the shutters, which were painted an ick shade of dark green when I bought the cottage. People identify themselves by the color of their shutters, so it's of utmost importance that the color matches the personality of the owner. She wrote back today that the ones on the second floor are finished and she will finish the first floor by this weekend. Julie said she would send me photos when all are complete. One of my dreams was to have a stone house with aqua shutters and now I will have them. Yay!! I can't wait to see the pix.

I also had Julie bring her carpenter friend Warren over to the cottage to give an estimate to replace the countertop on the island with a nice butcher block top. She reported today that he has been there, given the estimate, and this morning I gave him the go-ahead to buy the top and start the work. So . . . If all goes well, when I arrive in a few weeks, all the projects will be complete except for those I plan to tackle myself.