Sweet Treats

With the holidays just around the corner, visions of Halloween candy and sugar plums are dancing in my head more than usual. This seemed like the perfect time to share my photos of some of the sweet shoppes I visited while in Paris. The French take their patisserie very seriously, I might add! ;)


This tea room serves as a delicious respite in the Louvre museum!



And, of course, the most famous of all is Laduree - everyone must go and try their macaroons!




This is what I ordered!


And then there are the scrumptious gifts!




Do you see all those lovely ribbons in the background?


Another sweet treat I recently got to enjoy was this surpise from one of my most favouritest customers. Renee has been ordering my jewelry for over a year now, but her talent is sewing, and she sent me this adorable towel and cup cozy embroidered with my initials! The cheery colours are sure to brighten up my kitchen even in winter! Thank you so much, Renee! :)




And here's what I've made this week... lots of yummy colours and textures to satisfy that jewelry craving. These will be available in my Etsy shoppe throughout the week.

















Whatever your sweet tooth desires, we are lucky to have such an abundance of goodies out there in the world to choose from. Have a week full of treats! :)

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

Since tomorrow marks the summer soltice, I thought I'd celebrate with one of my favourite summertime fruits and a song that sums up the meaning of life. These lyrics, written by Lew Brown, and first published in 1931 remind us to live in the moment:

Life is just a bowl of cherries
Don't take it serious,
Life's too mysterious
You work,
You save,
You worry so
But you can't take your dough
When you go, go, go


So keep repeating "It's the berries."
The strongest oak must fall
The sweet things in life
To you were just loaned
So how can you lose
What you've never owned


Life is just a bowl of cherries
So live and laugh, aha!
Laugh and love
Live and laugh,
Laugh and love,
Live and laugh at it all!


Also to celebrate the season, as well as The French Circus' one-year anniversary on July 3, I'm offering my first give-away!



Please enter to win these fleur de lis and garnet earrings by simply leaving a comment telling me what you'd like to see more of either on the blog or in terms of jewelry design. I will draw a name at random and announce the lucky winner on July 4.


Bon chance, mes amis!

What's for Lunch?

With our busy lives, it can be a challenge to find time to really stop and enjoy this mid-day meal. I've been trying to make it a ritual to go out or prepare a special meal for myself at least once a week, on a day when work demands don't require that I eat at my desk. Here's what I've been up to lately.


Last week I treated myself to an alfresco lunch at a nearby Italian restaurant since our weather was finally gorgeous. Because it was a little later in the afternoon, I had the whole patio to myself!


Caesar salad, prosciutto and tomato sandwich and a new magazine... can't be beat!




I also picked up these huge, sweet strawberries on the way home.



Today I sliced them and used them in a spinach salad with smoked salmon, Parmesan and a few whole wheat crackers. Simple perfection!



What's for lunch at your house?

English Tea

Because of conflicting work schedules, my family decided to celebrate Mother's Day today so we could all be together. My sister Danette made a lovely diet-friendly English-style tea, complete with low cal versions of classic recipes like berry scones and quiche. She also served salmon and cucumber sandwiches, fresh fruit, juice and any kind of tea our hearts desired. For dessert, we enjoyed scoops of butter pecan ice cream and pirouette cookies. As you will see, her decorating style is more mid-century than mine, with bright happy colours perfect for a warm spring afternoon. What is everyone else doing to celebrate Mother's Day?