Carolina Cottage: It’s all about the accessories
Remember the film, The Devil Wears Prada? I watched that movie about a zillion times when I was recovering from hip surgery. I usually watch movies to study the sets (The Holiday is a recent fave). This time it was the clothes which, one could argue, were the sets. Watching Ann Hathaway sashay her way through a gorgeous wardrobe I realized that it a great outfit is really all about the accessories.
The same is true with interior design. The curtains can be great, the sofa just so. But it’s really the accessories that make the room zip. Which (finally) brings me to Carolina Cottage and her beautiful decoupage trays, votives and paperweights.
These trays are the kind of thing you don’t find all over the place. And at $30 each, they’re easily affordable. 
Fill them with plants, stack up some books, group some cooking oils. Trays are great for organizing. Think of them as a purse for a table.
Votives anyone? If trays are the purse, votives are the earrings because they sparkle when they’re lit. Line them up along a mantel. Dot them around an entire room – or place just one in a powder room. These are $15 each.
Paperweights look terrific on top of a pile of books. They’re the… hat? Yes! Because they top things off. These are $7.00 each.
Scoot over to Carolina Cottage (at Etsy) and let her accessorize your home’s wardrobe.
Do you decoupage? It’s easy to do. My mom decoupaged a trash can once. That ended her craft career. I wish I was one of those people who could pick up a piece of trash and turn it into a vase in 15 minutes. But I’d have to research it first. Ack!
Cire Trudon: scented candles only the French could make
I’m part way through my second reading of “The Essence of Style – How The French Invented High Fashion… “ It’s a fascinating tale. I’d always assumed that fashion just came to be in a natural way. Au contraire! The French aristocracy planned the creation of  haute couture and more.
The history has evolved into a fascination for me. Especially the really old shops in Paris – those which were formed in the 17th Century when the French put their feathered heads together and made Paris the center of the fashion world.
One of these shops is the candle maker, Cire Trudon, located on the rue de Seine, in Paris.
In 1643, a merchant named Trudon arrived in Paris. Through a fortunate marriage, he became owner of a ‚Äúgrocery‚Äù store in rue St. Honor?©. He also became a wax merchant and supplied his customers with candles for both the home and churches. He developed and perfected his candles, which his sons inherited.
Eventually, the Trudons became the official candle makers to the French Court. They managed to make it through the revolution and made candles for Napoleon.
The family has been continuous business since opening its doors.¬† And they’re still making candles ‚Äì the best in the world. Maison Trudon owns a patent on their manufacturing secret: a wax paste made with vegetable ingredients. The secret mixture is blended with the finest perfumes. The scented candles burn longer and better than ordinary candles. And the scents are uniform. Each scent revisits its moment in history and enlightens a little legend of French taste.
The products they make today are wonderfully varied. There are scented and unscented candles, candles for holders and larger ones that stand alone. My favorites are the busts of famous Frenchmen and women.
Cire Trudon makes a variety of scented and unscented candles. Follow this link to find a shop near you. Don’t live near one? You can always order by phone. I’m going to New York next week. I know one shop I’ll be visiting.
Would you ever buy a bust like the one above? I would! But you’d have to burn it or it will get all dusty and yellow. What do you think – yes or no?
