PaperArtsy Blog 2020 Year in Review - Part 3/4
Welcome to the post-Christmas period
This
is my favourite week of the year. The Christmas crazy is over and we
get to relax, look back and look forward. And for us, being here in
France this year is a very new experience.
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| Yes! We even managed to decorate the front door this year! |
Like
many of you around the world, we have been keeping to ourselves and
staying at home except to get groceries. But the last few weeks we have
seen a glimmer of normal life here in France when our lock down lifted
on Dec 15th. That week, we were invited to our neighbours for a
wonderful afternoon of Christmas nibbles and drinks, which was the
perfect way to kick us into a more upbeat Christmas spirit than we had
thought possible under the conditions. Our schedule too is quite
different this year. Normally we are just 2 weeks off doing 3
trade-shows in 6 weeks in 3 different countries, and it is absolute
bliss not having that anxious pressure looming which certainly usually
undermines the festive period. Not this year!.
Daily
walks around the local village just 20 mins from us and we are
constantly amazed at the picturesque views we get to appreciate in this
beautiful Dordogne region.
I'm slightly obsessed with doorways and mossy steps, paths, walls!
We
are fortunate to have my sister and her fiance arrive here just over a
week ago; they are here for a month. It became pretty obvious early in
Christmas week we would be working right up to the courier collection
late afternoon on Christmas Eve. Along with Courtney, they happily took
over all the Christmas planning, and boy were we treated to a
French-style Christmas feast. Lots of small courses: aperitif, 2
starters, main, cheese, and the traditional Bûche de Noël (Yule Log) for
dessert.
Each
course was meticulously planned and utterly delicious. After not eating
out all year due to Corona restrictions, it was like being in a
restaurant, and felt extra special to have them here and the most
wonderful dining experience to boot! One we will never forget! Most of
the details were deliberately kept secret from me, so it was such an
exciting day of anticipation!
They even took their menu to
the local wine 'cave' in our village, and the lovely man was quite
impressed. They all very much enjoyed selecting the perfect matches
for each course. We slowly oozed through each course, suffice to say it was a very long day/night!
For us, and each of the past 20
years, Christmas is always a series of video calls to chat with family
who are all on the other side of the world, so this year is not so
different to how we normally spend Christmas, but I totally understand
how difficult it must be for so many people who have not been able to
travel or visit with friends and family. I truly hope you have managed to make the most of this very odd Holiday Season.
Time to continue with our annual blog round up, today we're sharing picks from Topics 11-15: Calming Colours, Typography, Lines, Fused and Shade of White. Join me as we look back on some wonderful inspirational highlights.
Leandra
Topic 11: Calming Colours
My first pick is this amazing beauty from Alison. I am captivated by these tree-leaves designed by France Papillon. I just love the shapes. Alison Bomber (link) and a lovely journal spread.
And Claire Snowdon (link) shared soft shades in a Tracy Scott lace book.
Topic 12: Typography
We
all seem drawn to the shapes of letters and fonts, and when you are
creatinv, there are so many ways to use them, be it as a focal or
background. Etsuko Noguchi (link) really makes the word 'nature' pop in this piece.
Topic 13 : Lines
And I hope you didn't miss Jenny Marples (link) and her Zinski house tags
Nikki Acton (link)'s contrasting colours and wood panels were fabulous for this card!
Topic 14 : Fused
Fusing things is lots of fun, and our bloggers came up with lots of ideas! My first pick is from Ellie Knol (link). Loving these colours and how the layers are so beautiful on the corrugated card.
And I hope you didn't miss... Keren Baker (link) who had real fuses in her piece!
Topic 15 : Shades of White
This
isn't the first time White has been a blog theme. The bloggers always
feel challenged by it, but they utterly LOVE the outcome, so if you do
anything, try this! Love this by Corrie Herriman (link) .
And I hope you didn't miss... Lucy Edmondson (link) - the hessian makes a great backdrop for the gorgeous central frame.
Jennie Atkinson (link) is no stranger to soft shade of white, so this is her safe place!
Jennie Atkinson (link) is no stranger to soft shade of white, so this is her safe place!
Alison Bomber (link) tried some inverse experimenting
Leandra
6 comments:
It sounds as if you have had a fabulous Christmas in your new home, how very exciting! Only one of the photos would load but I'll check back later in case! Your menu looks very impressive (although my schoolgirl French isn't up to translating much of it) and even better to have someone else prepare and cook it!! Happy New Year to you all.
So pleased you were able to enjoy the festivities. And that someone else took over the planning. The menu looks amazing.
I love the review topics. Always wonderful to look back over the year.
Thanks for sharing your narrated neighbourhood sights and Christmas delights with us . Beautiful surroundings and your Christmas menu matched with ideal marriages of wine sounds absolutely delicious . Food and drink envy!
Another fabulous collection of fantastic creativity from all the very talented guest designers .
Take care and stay safe
x
I haven't been able to join in as often this year, or keep up with what was going on, so these round-ups have been a brilliant way to see some of the amazing inspiration available year-round on the PaperArtsy blog. Thanks for including me in the mix, and thank you for the time and effort put in to sharing these end of year celebrations.
Alison x
Oh my goodness that menu looks right up my street, and very 'dordogne ' with the foie gras. Gorgeous artwork, I remember Keren's amazing remembrance piece with the acetate, and I adore Helen's doll. Thank you again for featuring a piece of mine, crikey I was terrified of Shades of white!x
I see now I missed out on quite a few of the posts this year.. it's a real treat to see these come by in one post. It is a beautiful country you're living in.. nice to see some pictures. Glad you were spoiled a little (much) during christmas.
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