Tuesday Miscellany: Délices de Provence, and More

Produce at farmer's market in Provence. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

I can’t believe it’s been over 7 years since our visit to Provence! The beautiful villages, the wine, the landscapes, the food, the art, the wine 🍷… I’m thinking we’re way past due for another visit.

Gifts from Provence…

Gifts from Provence: My Stylish French Box for August. A look at the contents at une femme d'un certain age.

So I couldn’t wait to see what Sharon had included in the Provence-themed “My Stylish French Box” for August! These boxes are always such a delight to open and discover the contents. The August box was beautifully packaged, as always. Each box includes a gorgeous brochure that details the uniquely French items inside, and gives a bit of background about the artisans or companies that produced them.

Contents of My Stylish French Box for August: a notebook, solid perfume and a leather glasses case. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

Above (clockwise from top left): a purse-sized notebook with a bird theme from Les Editions du Paon. A leather sunglasses case from Les Pavés Sonores, a young leather goods brand created by two Parisian sisters. A solid perfume and holder from Rose & Marius in Aix en Provence. (Mine’s the fig, j’adore!)

A lavender wand from the Provence-themed My Stylish French Box. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

You can’t think of Provence without picturing fields of lavender, and among the goodies is a beautiful lavender wand from Franc1884.

From the August My Stylish French Box: decorative pillow covers, gourmet olive oil, a miniature chalkboard and antique botanical print. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

Above (clockwise from bottom left): Two printed linen cushion covers from Charvet Editions. I know exactly where these are going to go! A spritzer with gourmet olive oil from La Maison Alziari. A miniature slate chalkboard with a linen tag, a charming way to keep a shopping list. And an 18th century botanical print (in beautiful condition, I might add!) from a botanical encyclopedia from 1791.

There’s also a fetching watercolor print by Jean-Jacques Sempé. The August box is sold out, but orders are now open for the November box, and I’d suggest if you’re interested that you subscribe sooner rather than later. These boxes make excellent holiday gifts, and the November box is usually in high demand. (Annual subscriptions also make exquisite gifts.)

My French Country Home Magazine Provence edition. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

Did you know that Sharon also produces a gorgeous quarterly magazine, My French Country Home Magazine? It’s packed full of French lifestyle inspiration: recipes, decor, travel tips, and more.

Disclosure: My Stylish French Box and My French Country Home Magazine were gifted.

Wrap It Up

EMME travel wrap in Plum. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

Whether you’re looking ahead to fall travel, or just cooler weather on the way, don’t forget about a lightweight wrap! The EMME travel wrap, offered in black and plum (shown above) is on sale, and you can get an extra 25% off with code UNEFEMME. The discount also applies to the EMME Petite bag, which is perfect for shorter trips, the gym, or to use as a makeup organizer.

(Please note, due to a miscommunication, the discount was originally listed as 30%. It should be 25%. Thanks for your understanding.)

Pupdate

Coco and Byron, two senior Cavalier King Charles spaniels. Details at une femme d'un certain age.

Coco (on left) gave us quite a scare on Friday night. She was asleep in her bed and out of nowhere had a grand mal seizure that lasted over a minute. She was very lethargic and disoriented afterward, so we rushed her to the emergency vet. They ran some blood tests and kept her overnight for observation, but saw no additional seizures. After a few hours she was alert again (and with usual good appetite) and her blood tests came back in normal ranges, so we brought her home Saturday afternoon.

She’s wearing what the vet called “reindeer bells” from her collar, so that we might be alerted if she has a seizure in the middle of the night. Should she have additional seizures, we’ll schedule an appointment with a neurologist. Senior dogs…it’s always something.

How’s your week shaping up?

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24 Comments

  1. So glad she is better. Sounds like she is getting the TLC she deserves. Pets are such a gift and blessing. Your furry friends are super cute.

  2. Our first dog began having seizures at a year old. The first time it happened, we thought she was choking. Very frightening! After several seizures our vet put her on a mild dose of barbiturates which kept her from having further seizures and didn’t seem to impact her in any other way. Hope all is well with Coco!

  3. I purchased the petite Emme bag on your recommendation for a spring trip to Ireland. I found I was taking far too many cosmetics and treatments when I travel and was too busy to use them religiously, sacrificing precious space in my luggage. So I pared down what I needed, bought mini lipsticks from Bobbi Brown and decanted creams and face sunblock into small jars. It was very liberating and I had everything I needed. The bag also hand washes very well after trips…many thanks!

  4. I watched my mom have several grand mal seizures; it’s terrifying. Good luck.
    Those lavender wands fascinate me. I have lavender galore and keep looking at them to try to figure out how they’re woven.

    1. Our son has had a few (some quite severe) over the years, so that’s how I recognized what was going on with Coco right away. Yes, it’s quite scary. Thanks!

  5. I bought The Emme bag after reading about it in your blog. I bought the larger size and now I believe the petite size would have been fine for me. Love it!
    My Shih Tzu had seizures from an early age. He was always on meds and was great except for a bit of a weight gain. He was such a joy as I know your dogs are to you.
    I always look forward to reading you blog.

  6. Lovely Provence photos, and precious pups. I loved my Renzo (black tomcat) even more in his great age. He lived to 20. Scritches for your pups, and purrs from Livia, my current pussycat, also black.

    By the way, the southwest of France is very interesting as well.

  7. Aliziari olive oil- my favorite! If you go to Nice their shop is an absolute classic. I can order the oil stateside through Amazon and Williams- Sonoma, but there’s nothing like the variety of sizes and types like you can find in France. And the packaging is to die for!

  8. Hello Sue, thanks for writing about the plum wrap and petite EMME bag. When I added both to my cart and went to check it, I wasn’t able to get the discount on the petite bag. The travel wrap ended up at $20, but the petite bag stayed at $29.99. I got this message: “A discount has been applied to this order. You can’t add another discount.”

    Can you help, please? Thank you!

    1. Hi Nancy, I’m told the discount should apply to the Petite EMME bag as well. If you send their customer service a note at [email protected], they should be able to make the adjustment for you. Thanks!

  9. I remember my mother and her sisters making lavender wands with an overload of the herb growing at our cottage. For many years one aunt spent every September in the south of France and had purchased a few wands. Those girls dissected one to see how it was put together, bought their ribbon and guess what all the ladies in the family got for Christmas that year? I still have mine and a crush revives them. This one is lovely!
    My mother’s elderly Lhasa developed seizures in his later years and the vet never could find a diagnosis…the little man lived a very long pampered life and never seemed to have issues after a seizure. Hope your pup has an equally benign prognosis.

  10. A quick question about the EMME travel wrap: The website says it’s dry clean only. I’m trying not to buy anything that I can’t care for at home, so I’m wondering if you’ve actually dry cleaned it or if you (or anyone else who has one!) have tried machine washing it? Thanks for any input!

    1. You should probably be able to hand wash it. And that sort of wrap would be easy to wash in a basin, and hang to dry.

  11. Hi –

    Just went to order the travel wrap, but the discount given was 25%, not 30% – any idea why?

    Alysan

  12. I actually sent them an email myself, and she said the discount was supposed to be for 30% – BUT – she was kind enough to offer free shipping! So I ordered the wrap!

    I really enjoy your postings! While, at 76 and retired, I don’t need bunches of clothes and am careful of how much I spend, I love your style and am working on re-doing how I dress! Thank you for the inspirations!

    Alysan

  13. You look lovely in the plum colour, Susan! Just thought I’d share some travel info about Provence because my UK family summers in Esparron de Verdun, on the very cold lake there! It’s an isolated beautiful rugged area in the Haute Alpes. An amazing drive (day trip) is to do the Gorges du Verdon route through Moustiers Ste Marie, Aiguines and finish up at Castellane. The twisty road is a challenging drive, but the scenery is worth it. Best to check with the automobile association to be sure the road is open & in good repair.

  14. Senior doggies are indeed a challenge and your canines are lucky they have you to take of them! Here is to their continued good health!

  15. Just ordered the plum EMME travel wrap. Had my colors done last week and this is the first item in my new colors! Time to pass on the black wrap I always used…