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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Paris on the farm

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Just about three years ago this time of year I visited Paris on my own and felt welcomed by a special farm display on Avenue Montaigne (designers row) complete with a designer cow parade, and hay bales and pitchforks at Dolce & Gabbana. These charming fellows are bouncers, which they have at all the designer stores. But even they made me feel welcome.

So I'm returning the favor, with a Parisian display at our Michigan farm. Connecting two dots on the planet on Earth Day, n'est-ce pas?
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I had two tins of coffee from Fauchon food store in Paris that I'd picked up a couple years ago to give to my sister Ginnie. When she came for a visit at the farm after Christmas last year she happily brought them to share with us since she hadn't consumed them yet. Delicious.

The tins are beautiful, and I haven't wanted to throw them away. I didn't know what to do with them, until I saw Design Sponge's post with images of pretty cans as flower vessels.



Cut some chicken wire (we have lots, need some?) and fold and stuff it into the can for holding the flowers up, a makeshift frog (brilliant).



Et voila! Paris at home on the farm. Voulez-vous un café?



Now where is that bouncer of mine?


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Some of you noticed (thank you) that I began a small blog. It's called small and is comment-free. It came to me one night (you know how nights can be - all that silence and dark space), just images of small things. I'd love it if you'd stop by now and then and remember that small things matter.

small gift at the restaurant:

61 comments:

cathyswatercolors said...

Hi Ruth, Gabana goes Green Acres? Smile,smile smile. I read the design post too. Great flowers, I even love that table! How about some coffee can arrangements at the wedding. Speaking of weddings,David and I watched the movie, Rachel Getting Married.I didn't think it was that great,kind of a Girl Interupted but not that good,(usually I love any movies that involve psychiatric hospitals,reminds me of those long lesiurely Sunday drives my family would take to the mental hospital to visit my aunt after she left the convent.. i know, i know, you can't make this stuff up, sorry I got off topic) but the wedding was quiet different,tents and musicians ...

Kahn the bouncer too cute, but scarey tooooo yikes!

Nautankey said...

Aaah I was expecting to see something about Paris hilton :).

So trying out a new genre eh? Looks interesting and could have tried some designer wear for the farm animals :D

CottageGirl said...

Ha! Ruth!

Great way to connect the dots on our small, yet diverse planet.

I love your can arrangements as well as the Design Sponge site! Thanks for the link.

Those bouncers look a bit out of place in front of Dolce & Gabbana ... where Paris meets the country!

I agree with shicat. Some of those sunflowers in pretty tins might be a cool thing to have at the wedding.

Happy Earth Day!

Kat said...

Khan makes a good bouncer! Enjoyed reading this post and will check out your new blog with no comments. Happy Earth Day! Go hug a tree, I know I will. Oh, almost forgot, the daffodils make me smile.

Sally's World said...

great post love it!!!

ds said...

Flowers are gorgeous! Am filing new use for old cans & chicken wire (a bit lacking in that). Will Khan be an usher at the wedding?
Who knew stores had bouncers??? Even (well I guess especially) in Paris???
Happy Earth Day!

PeterParis said...

(I remember well the cow parade, but was not yet a blogger and took no photos!)

Countryside in the city and vice versa, aren't we often dreaming of this? If one could have the advantage of both? Maybe to ask for too much? :-)

christina said...

I am a sucker for old cans. What a tribute! I love this!
xo

Loring Wirbel said...

Your bouncer should be reserved for rough and tumble Miami clubs. Seems a bit scary for Paris.

Bob Johnson said...

Lol, love the bouncer, Ruth you have the coolest taste in stuff.

Anet said...

So lovely! I love French country:)
I'm enjoying Small. It's refreshing to just enjoy it and not have to comment:) Simple things in life:)

Dakota Bear said...

Very quaint! I too like decorative cans and bottles. Now you have given me ideas how to put them to decorative use. Thank you!

Susan said...

Khan the Bouncer! I'm pretty sure he could take on those fancy Paris window dressers! And the mannequins wouldn't stand a chance!

You just have the best ideas! I'm temporarily blog-blocked. Maybe this weekend will unblock me! Can't wait!

California Girl said...

sweet new blog. very very nice. everything you do is nice. always a beautiful photo, a reference. thank you.

rauf said...

i remember the picture Ruth, the debate then was, what are those two guys doing there.

Kahn looks more like a self styled dictator, and not like a democratically elected bouncer

Ruth said...

Cathy, hehe, I can definitely see Lisa creating a window in Paris like that.

I love the table too, Don picked it up somewhere on a curb. He's always doing that.

"Rachel Getting Married" is the next movie I'm watching, just haven't found the time yet - it's on my stack. rauf told me it reminded him of our daughter getting married here at the farm. And yes, we will be having all kinds of vessels for sunflowers - canning jars and odd vases - why not throw in a few cans? Green Giant peas? Hahaha, just kidding, pretty cans would be cute.

And don't worry, Don doesn't plan to let Khan out during the festivities.

Ruth said...

Nautankey, I am so sorry to disappoint you about Paris Hilton. But she would be scarier than Khan!

Designer wear for farm animals, hmmm. Shhhh, please don't tell Don, he doesn't need any more ideas.

Ruth said...

CottageGirl, with all the sunflowers Don planted last weekend, we will need every vessel we can put our hands on. Well, some of them will stay in the ground.

I hope you enjoy Design Sponge - it inspires me every day. I just absorb the images, and then I move on. They have some very good DoItYourself posts as well as Before and Afters.

Ruth said...

Kat, I laughed at myself for posting daffodils right after I complained about them in the last post.

Ruth said...

I'm glad, Sally!

alice said...

Oh, you make me laugh this morning, Ruth! Just a precision, I think it's rue Montaigne ;-)

Ginnie Hart said...

I feel like such an Indian-Giver, Ruth, but then I think they were meant for me to give back to you. I feel the same way about special tins. I canNOT part with them. So, thank you for putting these to good use. Now I'll have to check out your new blog!

GailO said...

More beautiful photos! Thanks for introducing me to Design Sponge...that's one I never heard of before...I've been trying to get rid of excess things in my house...now here is another excuse to hang on to all my "stuff":)

photowannabe said...

I love this post with its tongue in cheek composition. The formidible bouncers at the door and your "bouncer" are priceless.
I'm off to see your Small site. Its sounds like a delightful idea.

Dutchbaby said...

You are too clever for words!

How fantastic that you now have a reminder of Fauchon at your disposal. I have a Fauchon tin which contained individually-wrapped ice cream wafers.

Should I fear Khan more than the bouncers in Paris?

PeacefulWmn9 said...

What beautiful thoughts and pictures. : )

Karen

Hildegarde said...

Great idea to give the small things a place. wished I had such ideas at night too :-)

Ruth said...

DS, we are debating whether to bring Khan and his ladies out, but probably not. I don't quite trust him after being attacked by a rooster at our last farm.

I had never seen store bouncers either. When I tried to go into the Ritz Hotel to look around, they wouldn't even let me enter. Have to be a guest. I must have been looking a little too like Aunty Em.

Ruth said...

Peter, I don't think it is asking too much at all. We have to make our place what we want. Would you like some hay? Or, maybe Dolce & Gabbana has some leftover for you.

Ruth said...

Christina, oh yeah? I think tomato cans especially are pretty. I love red.

Ruth said...

Loring, you mean Khan? He would fit right into Samarkand though, I think.

Ruth said...

Oh thank you, Bob, especially in blog friends.

Ruth said...

Anet, French country - cuuute!

Thank you, I'm having so much fun with small myself.

Ruth said...

Dakota Bear, maybe you'll show us?

Ruth said...

Thank you, California Girl, that's kind of you. I am really enjoying focusing on one photo over there every day.

Ruth said...

rauf, Khan is getting scary. I carry a pitchfork with me in the coop if I go in there, I don't trust him. I wonder if you ever had any rooster encounters when you helped your mom raise chickens?

Dutchbaby said...

P.S. Visited small - too cute!!

Ruth said...

Thank you for the correction, Alice - I'll change it in the post!

Ruth said...

Boots, I remember Mom having a lot of old Christmas tins. I have one of her very old beautiful tins, the one she kept her sewing things in; I keep mine in it too. I wonder what the painting on the lid is. I think I have to post about that treasure now.

Ruth said...

Oh dear, Oliag, that doesn't sound good. Only keep the ones you can't part with.

Ruth said...

Sue, you should have seen the cow parade in Paris. There were some very well designed cows, like the one in black lingerie in the link I embedded.

Ruth said...

Dutchbaby, nice to see you! The answer is yes. I think those bouncers at the door of the Dolce & Gabbana store are just for appearances. I know I wasn't even free to browse in French stores. They only wanted me to buy.

Ruth said...

Thank you, and welcome, Karen, and your post on your gratitude list was like smelling the spring rain.

Ruth said...

Hildegarde, oh it's so nice to see you, I've stayed away too long again. Why do I do that?

You have good ideas in the light of day - too many for my poor feeble non-artist brain. You should rest at night.

ds said...

Back again to say that the poem by Wendell Berry is perfect; I love 'small' (those flowers on the napkin are precious);you are, of course, right to exclude the chickens from the wedding; and NO WAY do you look like Aunty Em!!
G'night...

Delphine said...

Thankyou Ruth for flying the flag for France ! Now I know what to do with discarded coffee tins! I wish I could be imaginative like some people....Our daffodils are not our yet!Next time you are coming over to Paris blog me! We are 2.5 hrs south of there!

Anonymous said...

Liked your small idea and the blog pictures! Keep 'em coming!

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

Un petit noir sur le zinc !
Or an expresso, it's up to you.
Thanks.
Two days ago, I got an excellent italian coffe in Malmö with my daughter.

PeterParis said...

A further small correction: It's Avenue Montaigne! You will get it correct at last! :-))

renaye said...

ah paris! i want to go there too!

sandy said...

I'll have to check out your other blog.

Love what you did with the tins, so cute.

Merging Point said...

may be coincidence, when i happened to finish a cool drink, instead of throwing it out, i kept admiring it as a vase or a plant holder and it looked so pretty... wow! seeing it here with flowers.. wonderful, ruth!

myonlyphoto said...

Ruth you are right, small things do matter. And now can I have your bouncer, lol, he is one handsome one. Anna :)

Ruth said...

DS, glad you like small. And Berry is a treasure, absolute treasure. Thanks for all!

Ruth said...

Delphine, I need inspiration from others on a regular basis. I don't come up with many ideas on my own.

I would love to connect with you in France!! Is that what you mean? :D

Ruth said...

De rien, dear Daniel, my pleasure!

Ruth said...

Merci, Peter! I have remedied it now, thanks to you and sweet Alice.

Ruth said...

I hope you can, renaye.

Ruth said...

Thank you, Aunty Sandy.

Ruth said...

If a coincidence, a nice one, Merging Point.

Ruth said...

Anna, small things, like your little Matthew, who matters oh so much. Ahhh!

Yes, you may borrow Khan.