Rue de Edwardo - Paris Mural

What Timing! I start my blog and tell everyone of my love for French and a lovely Parisian cafe mural drops into my hands. Timing is everything!

This mural all started with a lovely couple (who are actually friends of the family) and they told me what they were looking for. They handed me some framed pictures of work from an artist I am so aware of Viktor Shvaiko. He captures such romance in his paintings. His work is simply amazing!

They tell me just a few things they would like to see - a cafe window scene, an awning over the bar with swags on each side and some aged walls with brick. So I go back to the studio and begin to sketch. In my original sketch I was not going to paint the door. But after careful consideration I thought it would add more dimension! So voila! I made the door into a glass door and inside I added a hand wrought iron staircase. I also added a sign next to the door "Bridgette's Boutique" This is her daughter's name and now she has a boutique over the cafe. Anything is possible with paint!
After the door was finished, she asked if I would be able to paint her family dog. "Of course!" I say, she doesn't know it but I love painting animals;) Animals have been a favorite of mine to paint since I was a tiny tot.
Close-up of Scruffy's face

One of the happiest flowers - Daisies
I painted her daughter's name in the mural and I now I need to get their son's in here as well - Edward- Rue de Edwardo. The sign at the corner is for cafe Bistro - Le Berger
The swag at one end of the bar and a flowering tree.
close-up of cafe window
This is the cafe before I put on the stucco walls and brick.

I hope you will enjoy and I hope to perhaps inspire some budding artist to create something wonderful! Au revoir!

DJ Mark The 45 King Appreciation

DJ Mark The 45 King doing what he does best. Amazing stuff. No Serato, no high end turntables or mixers, just skills and love for the beats.

I know you are here for the free downloads so here you go. I uploaded the classic joint in case you don't have it and as a bonus Eli Escobar's 2k8 remix.

The 45 King - The 900 Number [320 kbps, zShare]

The 45 King vs. Pase Rock - The 900 Number (2k8) (Eli Escobar Remix) [320 kbps, zShare]

Hörselmat - Right On

Nice video clips that I had slept on. How great would it be to go crate digging with Kon & Amir. If you watched the videos you might remember Amir telling a story in the beginning (2:00-2:30 min) of the latter video about a record he bought for 500 bucks. He was having difficulties pronouncing the artist. It spells Hörselmat. Yep, you try pronounce it. I wonder where he got the information about the album cover saying "If there's someone selling this one for over 20 SEK (about 2 USD) don't buy it", because the text on the cover art is in Swedish. Anyhow, it was a funny story at least for Swedish speaking people.

Well, the song is really tight and the album is really rare so Amir spent his money right. The track made it to the CD version of Kon & Amir's compilation Off Track - Volume 1: The Bronx. If you dig the track, the whole album seems to available for dowload here so go get it.

Hörselmat - Right On [320 kbps, zShare]

C-Mon & Kypski - Shitty Bum

I just love the video and the song is great too. The track appears on C-Mon & Kypski's Static Traveller EP that came out in 2004. Download it here.

I would really like to see them live. I've read that they produce songs from scracth on stage with the help of sampling, looping, effects and Kypski's scratching. Their performance is also said to be visually very strong. Sounds like a winner combination. Check out more from their website.

Ray Barretto - Together

It's sunday and I feel like I should post something mellow but I chose to upload two and a half minutes of hard hitting latin funk just because this track is so amazing.

Together is a great tune by Ray Barretto. It originally appeared on his LP Together (Fania Records, 1971). Vampi Soul released a re-issue 7" that has Barretto's 1969 latin soul groover Hard Hands on the b-side.

Ray Barretto - Together [320 kbps, zShare]

Hello Lovely Fall!

Hello Autumn! It is the first full week of autumn here and it's time to get my house in order. So me and my family spent Saturday at a lovely place called Didier Farms which is about an hour north of Chicago. I felt I was at little town fair. Pony rides, Hugh Slides & Hay rides... Hotdogs, Carmel apples, Freshly popped corn, Elephant Ears & Sweet corn all under a big red top and right next was a old halo with little piglets squeaking for their mommy.

I ran right for the food! An ear of sweet corn... freshly dipped in butter. mmm... & decided to start looking for some pretty pumpkins. But I had to first stop at these lovely mums.
I took home some lovely orange and dark red mums.


These Radio Flyer Wagons were so cute all lined up waiting to get snatched up to fill with lots of goodies.
Some lonely pumpkins waiting for their owners to come get them!:(

These little plastic containers are filled with lots of sweets. And yes I did take some home and they are already gone! mmmmm hehe
Mmmmm...more fresh food...Acorn squash...I can not wait to bake some of these in butter and lots of brown sugar!
ohhh so hard to decide which ones to take home...The dilemmas I have ;)

I thoughts these were the most beautiful pumpkins I have ever seen! Soft grays, greens, oranges and yes, even lavender tones. I took one home to put on my dining table. I think it will look lovely with my Grandma's china & her monogrammed silverware & some antique linen made by my great great Grandma back in Germany. I will definitely post some pictures later this month of my dining table.

Happy Autumn to you all!!!

Oh my P.O.S.H!

I found this wonderful small shop that is full of unique treasures with lots of personality! It's called P.O.S.H Chicago & it's right here in Chicago.

How about a whispery pale robins-egg blue high fired ceramic ware decorated with delicate filigree & Chez Germain logo in white. They also have matching mug and plate but I would love to place this on a simple white plate...Oh and they have lots of those too...
How about a little dash of this or a little smidgen of that. Oh my Gosh! I Love these! Especially since I was not blessed with any sense of cooking or baking. he he
C'est le coeur qui fait valoir les mots." It is the heart that gives meaning to words...I still love the art of lettre writing. Wouldn't you love to receive a lovely hand written lettre on a soft pastel harlequin pattern? Directly from France! The Reservoir Absinthe Glass. They also have a beautiful Absinthe Fountain. So french...the sugar cube. These come nicely wrapped. So sweet! (lol)

How about French Farm Meal-time Set for your little one. The darling drawings of cutey animals are labeled in French!

Or perhaps a tin full of the alphabet cards in French. I would love these for me! Perhaps place them in my studio.

I definitely need to get this one...remember paint by number? This comes with 8 other pictures to paint as well. A lovely ballerina, a pretty fall scene & lots more although The Eiffel Tower painting is all I need.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

If you would like to check this place out here is the link P.O.S.H Chicago.

Kleeer - Tonight

A whole lot of horrible funk with electric elements was done in the 80's. Luckily there's some amazing stuff as well. Kleeer's Tonight is one of those tracks. For some people, it's the definition of smooth funk and I don't disagree. The tune had an impact on the early classic sound of west coast rap though the band is originally from the east coast. The song dates back to year 1984 when it appeared on Intimate Connection.

Kleeer - Tonight [320 kbps, zShare]

And here's DJ Quick sampling Kleer on Tonite.

Coffee Breaks, pt. 4

My first intention was to acclaim David Ruffin and his past-Motown works. He's an amazing vocalist. There's something special about his voice, whether he's the frontman of the Temptations or going solo after he got sacked from the band. So there I was, choosing a proper song to upload and remembered that 9th Wonder sampled David Ruffin's Slow Dance a couple of years ago so I decided to continue the series of posts called Coffee Breaks.

Slow Down is soul music with capital letters. David Ruffin's voice is full of pain and pleasure at the same time. The song appears on Gentleman Ruffin that came out in 1980.

Slow It Down is a track produced by 9th Wonder and performed by Little Brother. The song appears on The Minstrel Show that came out in 2005. The beat is tight as **** so I also uploaded the instrumental that appears on this one.

David Ruffin - Slow Dance [320 kbps, zShare]

Little Brother - Slow It Down (instrumental) [320 kbps, zShare]

Little Brother - Slow It Down (album version) [320 kbps, zShare]

The Natural Four - Try Love Again

Try Love Again is a lovely mid-tempo soul tune that appears on The Natural Four's self-titled album. The song is arranged and produced by Leroy Hutson. It was released by Curtom Records in 1974. A shorter version of the song appears on the flipside of Can This Be Real. The album is full of quality tunes but for some reason it wasn't commercially successful back in the day and it's hard to find these days. Well, the 7" is easier and cheaper to obtain.

The Natural Four - Try Love Again [320 kbps, zShare]

The Main Ingredient - Evening Of Love

A fantastic, foot stomping soulful boogie track from The Main Ingredient with Cuba Gooding on the vocals. The song appears on their 1981 album I Only Have Eyes For You. Though it's a killer tune it wasn't originally released as a single but Expansion Records did us a favor and released a 7" version of Evening Of Love.

The Main Ingredient - Evening Of Love (album version) [320 kbps, DivShare]

A "jungle" BIG boy room...

A Big Boy Jungle Room...This room began with the help of a little five year old imagination. The sweet boy sat in with his mom & I on our first meeting. He loves animals his mom told me. He tells me he wants "gorillas, elephants, snake, bear & an alligator" in his room. He also knew exactly where he wanted them. So the sketch began...

Before

Then the painting starts...This picture is at the end of Day One.

The final picture.

"I want an alligator under the window in a pond. I also want the teeth cleaner bird in his mouth."

momma and baby gorillas-nesting

Baby elephant playing in a pond

The final pictures & 4 days later...A jungle room for a little boy to grow into. I also added in the tree a growth chart camouflaged in the tree trunk to mimic wood carving in the tree. This room was great fun to paint! Best of all one day I was able to see him in his space playing make-believe with all the animals.

A great thing about a mural is that colors can be completely custom to the homeowners taste. She loved the green in the leaves. It really pops!

What do you think? What would you change or add to a jungle room?

Lavender Love

(image from - The English Home)

Love is "pauple" at the age of four. My mom let me pick out my first Big Girl Room color - it was a lovely soft shade of lavender & my carpet was deep purple (lol). I now am having a new fond love for lavender.

How about having a lavender space be a gentle fountain in a luscious garden. I love, love this picture! I would someday like to paint it.

(image from - The English Home)

Perhaps surround my fountain in Willow Veil (lavandula stoechas) scents.

(image from - The English Garden)

Maybe having a lavender lady's une pièce de poudre( a powder room) painted in a soft gray ( to duplicate the lovely fountain) & place my lavender accent in a beautiful chair in front of my make-believe antique vanity. This criss cross backing is heavenly!

I would definitely have my vanity surrounded by aromatic linen sprays in lavender scents of course.

I think I am forgetting a beautiful floral arrangement to sit atop my antique vanity for my guest to view. Maybe something simple like this...just one perfectly bloomed periwinkle hydrangea in a clear glass vase. Viola!

What would your lavender space be?

In The Mix...Stevie Wonder

Here's a couple of my favorite Stevie Wonder edits/remixes. It's hard to rework on such classics without raping them but these guys have really done it right. It takes a lot of skills and love for music to get it right.

Stevie Wonder - Superstition (Todd Terje Edit) [320 kbps, zShare]

Todd Terje is a master of re-edits. He seems to be able to take any classic tune, rework on it heavily and still make it work.

Stevie Wonder - Uptight (B.Cause Fraze Ruff Ride Refix) [320 kbps, zShare]

DJ B.Cause, one of my favorite DJ's around, has done an excellent uptempo remix of Uptight that's heavy on the bass.

Stevie Wonder - All I Do (U-Tern Disco Edit) [320 kbps, zShare]

This one's amazing. A solid disco/boogie version by DJ U-Tern. It has a nice and long intro and outro making it dj friendly.

Ben Westbeech - So Good Today (featuring The Dap-Kings)

Here's a perfect soundtrack for this morning. The feel good song of the year. Ok, it came out last year but it's all so good today.

Ben Westbeech - So Good Today (featuring The Dap-Kings) [320 kbps, zShare]

The Lovely Villa Anna...

Villa Anna

A visit to the Lovely Villa Anna Blog is a must see...Anna comes to us from across the pond in beautiful Australia. Once you step into Anna's world you will be delighted by her wonderful images.

My first visit to her wonderful blog was by happenstance when I was searching for an interior designer - Ginny Magher whose Provence Farmhouse is at the top of my all time favorite home EVER! Anna did a delightful post of her Atlanta home which is as amazing as her Provence home.

Anna's blog opened a new world for me. I spent a few days looking at her every post and sometimes even twice. I felt like a blog stalker but she has such a wonderful eye to everything beautiful! I never knew that blogs existed for us francophiles. It is such a great find! Because of Anna I decided to give the blogger world a try. Anna has also reminded me of my first love which is homes, especially French Homes and her blog has lots of them to drool over. Thank you Anna!!!

Coffee Breaks, pt. 3

It's been a couple of weeks since the last coffee break so I think it's time to take one.

Juicy Fruit by Mtume was a # 1 RnB hit back in the day (1983). The album is pretty mediocre but I like the keyboards and drum machines on it, especially on the title track. The version I'm sharing is the extended vocal mix taken from the 12".

The sample song isn't one of my biggest favorites so the reason I chose this is my love for Biggie's 1994 banger Juicy. If I would get into making top 10 lists, Juicy would most definitely be on the top 10 rap tracks of the 90's. The album version is good, no doubt about it, but Pete Rock's remix is solid gold.

Mtume - Juicy Fruit (12" Vocal Version) [320 kbps, zShare]

The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy (Pete Rock Remix) [320 kbps, zShare]

The Notorious B.I.G - Juicy (Dirty Mix) [320 kbps, zShare]