Laguna Beach Saturday At The French Basketeer's

It was another magical afternoon at

The French Basketeer's

 Laguna Beach home

for her 

French Food Camp!

The table at Andrea's French Food Camp

 was set once again by the fabulous

Mary Qvale of Q Street

And yes,

I was fan grilling all over her tabletop once again!

Mary had organic heirloom roses flown in from Northern California 

intermixed with dogwood branches and grapevines.

Which were the perfect accompaniment for 

the drool worthy 

Astierdevillatte dishes and glassware

which can be bought though Q Strret.

I am definitely making my starter list of pieces to collect!

I sat there for the longest time

just taking in here masterful tabletop composition.

Everything Mary does is pure artistry!

Including this utterly chic wrapped gift she had for me!

Every detail was done so perfectly

right down to the silver wax stamp on the back of the envelope!

It was almost too gorgeous to open!

But I did open it

to find these absolutely stunning linens inside!

They will most definitely be making into the decor 

of my daughter's upcoming wedding in May!

Thank you ever so much dearest Mary!

Besides the most perfectly adorned table

the French Baskeer 

once again brought her always A+ hostess game!

This time there was champagne tasting all afternoon!

And just look at this cheese spread! 

So remarkable!!

The coffee station with

the spring sunshine streaming in!

After lunch there were birthdays to be celebrated in 

French Basketeer fashion!

Which means not only cakes with the most amazing candles …

But a violin serenade as well!

Isn't Andrea an off the charts hostess!

Not only that

she is able to gather the most Amazing Guests!

So as I said before …

If you ever get a chance to attend 

The French Basketeer's Food Camp

You will be so glad you did!

If you want to see more of Andrea's 

fabulous gatherings you can go 

HERE

I have been recording each one of the magical events!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life

Laguna Beach Afternoon

This Saturday the French Basketeer 

had another of her fabulous afternoons where  all things were French

at her Laguna Beach home.

This for me is always an occasion to wear something wonderful

and

even design a brand new crown!

I decided on a ball gown from Beholden

that I recently ordered on line.

I knew it would give me a perfect neutral ball skirt

that I was looking for.

I brought the formal gown down a bit more casual

by simply adding a light weight sweater form Anthropologie.

To accent my waist

I pulled the front of the sweater together

with a vintage floral barrette.

I left the back of the sweat long.

I wanted a crown that spoke softly.

So I found some velvet hydrangea flowers

that I tea dyed to just the right hue.

The afternoon was calling for rain

so I chose to do a rain proof style

slicked back into a low pony

with a vintage pearl encrusted barrette to finish.

New taupe sunglasses from my favorite vintage shop

finished off the ensemble.

The chilly SoCal afternoon

was the perfect opportunity to pull out my beloved

cashmere wrap by
Catherine Robinson Cashmere

The theme of the French Basketeer's French Food Camp  this month was

Paris Bistro

and 

as always the afternoon was absolutely remarkable!

Andrea never ceases to amaze!

But as I say every time

besides her entertaining brilliance

it is the people that Andrea can can gather together 

that is such a remarkable gift!

Show about these stunning peonies by the highly talented 

Mary of Q Street!

They certainly have me excited at the prospect of spring!

Big thanks to you Andrea

for another wonderful

Laguna Beach afternoon!

For anyone local to the area

I highly recommend

The French Basketeer's French Food Camp

It's always a most magical afternoon!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy 

as you style your life

Peonies, Champagne and Laguna Beach

It was another beautiful Saturday in Laguna 

at the

 French Basketeer's
 French Food Camp.

Flowers were again done by Mary of Q Street.

This time there were lush gatherings of this seasons peonies …

as well as David Austin roses organically grown in Northern California.

Mary once again used dramatic grape vine branches mixed withinin.

Andrea's French linen oversized napkins are always such a luxurious finish to the table.

This months theme was 

"Champagnepalooza"

with light French fare

and 

plenty of Champagne tastings!

We were all asked to bring a bottle of our favorite to share.

I brought some delightful Sofia.

Cheeses were instantly made even more appealing

when laid out with grape leaves

such a fabulous styling tip to remember.

Andrea served one of my favorite summer salads.

Tomatoes, sliced peaches, barrata cheese

with a reduced balsamic creme drizzle

finished with basil.

It's as tasty as it is a summer beauty!

There of course was a desert bar 

and 

this month Andrea has even tried her hand

at making macaroons!

The menu was a perfect compliment

to all of the Champagne tastings.

With so many glasses at once

it was easy to actually taste the differences in each

and 

find new favorites!

The menu, champagne and setting

made for a magical afternoon

with some serious girl talk.

My wonderful husband came to pick me up 

for our date night in Laguna as usual.

This week though because of some great girlfriend moments

my friends came with us!

I thought the Deck in Laguna Beach

would be the perfect place

to continue our conversations!

The Deck is  always a popular destination on the weekends

as it is one of the few places you can dine outside

so close to the water!

My handsome husband was such a dear 

to entertain us all

as we filled him in on conversations.

We even ordered food reminiscent of 

the French Basketeers's menu.

I so enjoyed wearing  my outfit for the occasion.

I layered my tunic slip

with my Rachel Zoe cashmere sweater over

cream culottes from Zara

and

topped this  off with my very favorite antique kimono.

The finishing touches were all my designs

tassel earrings

an armful of bone and pearl bracelets

and 

a turban.

It was a magical day in Laguna Beach from start to finish.

The kind memories are made of!

As always my friends

I wish you love and joy

as you style your life