/ Shell Sherree

Venerdi in Venice: If the Boat Fits

18.5.12

ink pen & watercolour illustration, 7" x 8.75" [18 x 22.5cm] BROWSE PRINTS

Venice. {"And about jolly time," I hear a small-yet-dedicated bunch of you cheering, waving your proseccos in the air.} See that little chink of light over on the far side? Under the archway? Guess who's waiting yonder. And this time, Hugh's brought his beautiful French bulldog Peaches along. {Everybody say, "Awwww!"} Her booties will come in handy in case of a very mild acqua alta this weekend. And so we don't feel left out... our apartment is stocked with plenty of these in every size. {Grazie to dear Danielle of VenetiaMicio for the glorious inspiration for today's illustration.} If we decide to take it easy, we can avail ourselves of the boat and Hugh can steer us in the right direction. And on that note...

Happy Venerdi in Venice to you!

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Francophile Friday: Macarons Take a Stand

11.5.12

ink pen & watercolour illustration, 7" x 8.75" [18 x 22.5cm] BROWSE PRINTS

Boulangeries and pâtisseries are regulars on the illustration playlist Chez Shell, offering up their wicked, sometimes-flaky, oft-pastel, always-sugary wiles within. And it occurred to me that I've been leaving their interiors to your {beautifully qualified} imaginations for far too long. Today, a lone plate of macarons is utterly insufficient. I present you with two tiers {inspired by this}. Make a wish and they refill automatically. In light of that, we might need to free ourselves from the puritanical sensibility of belts. {Make another wish and the hemline adjusts to your preferred length automatically.} And on that note...

Happy Francophile Friday to you!

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Francophile Friday: La Cure Gourmande, Paris

4.5.12

ink pen & watercolour illustration, 7" x 8.75" [18 x 22.5cm] BROWSE PRINTS

I'm all for medicinal chocolate, medicinal biscuits and medicinal lollies ~ mind you, being brought brandy by a Saint Bernard would be a hard act to follow. There's minimal risk of that in Paris, however, so let us self-prescribe with sweet abandon at La Cure Gourmande. Thanks to dear Virginia of Paris Through My Lens for inspiring my illustration today. Merci, ma chère, comme toujours.

And thanks to all the fine detail, I'm about to consult my Fanciful Pharmacopoeia of Sweet Somethings to see what will stop the fine lines dancing in front of my eyes. {Better in front of my eyes than around my eyes...} On the other hand, we could throw research to the winds and see what La Cure has to offer. {There are several in Paris and elsewhere in France, Belgium, Spain and 'autres pays' around the world.} Time for a quick wardrobe change then we're set. And on that note...

Happy Francophile Friday to you!

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Francophile Friday: Arnaud Delmontel, Paris

27.4.12

ink pen & watercolour illustration, 8.75" x 7" [22.5 x 18cm] ACQUIRE PRINTS

Ah yes, Arnaud. It's grey and chilly. Perhaps someone could whisper in winter's ear that it's still autumn here and I'd be grateful if the coldest season would wait its turn. But by happy coincidence, it was a grey and chilly April day in Paris when dear Virginia Jones captured the inspiration for today's illustration in Paris Through her {talented} Lens. {Thank you, merci, ma chère! I hope you don't mind, but I turned the sky blue in hopes it will catch on here.} An 'architect of small pleasures', Arnaud Delmontel is revered by his clientele for his crusty baguettes and his colourful macarons and desserts. Today's subject can be found in Montmartre {there are others in the 9th and 17th arrondissements}, and you can take a little tour thanks to their charming website.

If we need an extra layer for the weekend, this should do the trick. Or if you want to trade flats for heels, let's keep the boldness rolling. As for these little fellows, I couldn't resist bringing them along for the ride. There are scooters and sidecars waiting for us around the corner. And on that note...

Happy Francophile Friday to you!

PS: One of our regulars and unabashed francophiles, dkshopgirl, is including a little feature on yours truly this Sunday. {Thank you, dk ~ I'm honoured!} Please enjoy losing yourself in her drifty and pretty blog.

arnaud Delmontel
57 rue Damrémont - 75018 Paris
tél. : +33 (0)1 42 64 59 63

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Francophile Friday: Aux Bons Amis, Paris

20.4.12

ink pen & watercolour illustration, 8.75" x 7" [22.5 x 18cm] ACQUIRE PRINTS

I can't believe it's taken me so long to illustrate a Parisian bar whose very signage is a toast to you, my magnificent readers ~ my dear friends. Our pal Katie kindly provided me with the inspiration for today's illustration, Aux Bons Amis, which is quite hopefully the same as the one located below. {If not, the one at rue de l'Atlas scored reasonably warm reviews anyway, and with our company thrown in, we must surely be on a winner.} We can drape ourselves strategically around the bar like this and debate whether we should have our hair chopped off like this. And yes, to make up for last week's feline shortage, we have a pair of them today, and a bluebird because ... well, surely one can never have too many bluebirds. {Piano accordions, on the other hand, are another story entirely.} And on that note...

Happy Francophile Friday to you!

Update 21 April 2012: Confirmed by Katie, this Aux Bons Amis is indeed the one shown below. And she has generously allowed me to show you her photo alongside my illo for the fun of it. Click here to see the side-by-side version.

Aux Bons Amis

1 rue de l'Atlas, 75019 Paris
Quartier: Canal St Martin- Hôpital St Louis

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Francophile Friday: Au Nom de la Rose, Paris

13.4.12

ink pen & watercolour illustration, 7" x 8.75" [18 x 22.5cm] BROWSE PRINTS

Bonjour, my petal pies. Flowers are still one of the most gorgeous ways I can think of to say, "You're a good sort," "Sorry, I've been remiss," or to never lose an opportunity of seeing something beautiful, for beauty is in God's handwriting' {Ralph Waldo Emerson} All of which I wanted to express to you today after my lengthy sojourn.

Even better when the flowers are in Paris, such as these at Au Nom de la Rose. Merci to dear Virginia of Paris Through My Lens for today's inspiration. And I know, I know ~ you haven't had a wardrobe change for the past five weeks ~ sacrebleu. This should rectify the matter. And as there's no kitty within, here's your feline fix for the weekend. And on that note...

Happy Francophile Friday to you!

Au Nom de la Rose

87 rue Saint-Antoine 75004 Paris

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