A Perfect Pair

Just found this picture on my camera. Caught dancing together in the Nikki Beach club at Cannes - Leopard and Snake. Bet they're a wild couple.

Some interesting Wimbledon statistics (compliments of the Metro):

• 32,913 seats


• 447,126 spectators


• 17,000 bottles of champagne are drunk


• 56,000 lb of Kent strawberries are munched


• 14,000 pints of cream are savoured

Ah Wimbledon, it always takes me back to being on the junior varsity tennis team. I taught myself how to play one summer. I hit balls against the wall on the court of Leann Park. I practised my serve to my imaginary partner and I avidly watched Wimbledon trying to absorb the rules. Two weeks before school started, I went to the week long trials for the team. I was ecstatic to be picked and I wasn't the worst one on the team, I was the next to worse one. What joy! I was just so proud to be part of the team. That's how I felt a few months ago when I struggled to sew some lingerie. Isn't it the things that challenge us the most that we cherish the most?

Cannes Surprize!

I forgot to mention that in the apartment I was staying in in Cannes, this lovely lady was right above my bed. For those avid Extremely Crafty blog readers, do you notice it's a sketch in the same series as my post here. And I thought those Nomadic Academy of Fools had done it themselves. No, they'd lifted the photo from someone else's site too.

I post about it and the sketch randomly manifests above my bed. Coincidence or is it a sign? What do you think?

p.s. - If it's a sign, a sign of what?

Cannes Cannes!

The lawn outside the Carlton. Remember the doll's house I posted about two days ago, well, I woke a few days later to see that the house was gone and in its place was a giant Christmas tree on either end and everything was covered in snow to promote A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey. Whose job is it to spray snow I wonder?
This is La Croisette - the main ocean drag in Cannes. The beach is lined with tents where people eat, drink, and party. That's the glass roof of one of them there.

Hotel Du Cap - these are the dining and bar terraces. A group of friends and I spent the day there. This is where most of the stars stay while at the festival. It's about a half an hour drive or fifteen minutes by boat. Here's my boat! (one day)

View of the restaurant terrace.

Pool

But life isn't all fun and games at the Hotel Du Cap. These are the paparazzi who hang out at the rocks bear the Hotel Du Cap and snap photos of stars on their yachts with super duper long lenses. It's also right near where people disembark from their boats to go ashore at the Hotel Du Cap.

One of the many glamorous hotels on La Croisette in Cannes. If you're a star, you're either staying at the Hotel Du Cap or if you want to be right downtown, you'll stay here. Great for late night star spying. Quentin Tarantino is a regular late nighter.

Palm trees in the moonlight. We have a long weekend in the UK this week, so I'm going to be crafting up a storm and plan to have lots of fun new projects for you to do soon. What is your favourite type of craft?

Macaroon Love

I absolutely love macarons and I love how this picture turned out. Two macarons on honeymoon. In Cannes, I was staying near a little patisserie and it was heaven. Each morning, I would eatone almond croissant, one pain au chocolate, and one macaron (or maybe two) and once I even had another patastry that looked like a giant potato chip, but it was pastry and so light with almonds on top. Does anyone know what it is called? It was pure delightful. Someone should write a French pastry cookbook.

I was always intrigued by macarons - what do those little colorful cake/cookies taste like? Well, they're crunchy on the outside and moist on the outside and regardless of color, I think they taste like almond.

I've been trying to find the best macaron recipe for all of my Extremely Crafty Chums and found these. If anyone has another good macaron recipe, I would be really grateful if you could leave a link in the comments section. Merci beaucoup!

Strawberry (but recipe uses jam, so not sure about this one)

Gigantic macarons

Chocolate pistachio
Aha! read on the blog vine this is the best recipe at A La Cuisine. Two flavours are listed - Caramel-Fleur de Sel Macarons and Toasted Sesame Macarons. Don't they sound yummy?

If you try any of the recipes, let me know how they turn out. I'll be making some this weekend.

Cannes Craft

While in Cannes, I discovered a brilliant Parisian menswear designer named [I can't find his bloody name! Ack! Will keep searching]. I’ve always thought men’s clothing could benefit from embroidery and the odd flower and this designer is making it.

I met a guy at the Majestic hotel and he was wearing this shirt so I had to speak to him. I eventually asked if I could take photographs of his shirt and whether his wife would mind. Luckily, he’d had a few mojitos, so didn’t mind.

The back of this shirt was decorated with red and orange thickly embroidered star like flowers. Chunky graffiti roses were also printed on with thick black lines. The man was also wearing a white linen jacket that had a subtle shimmer of silver running though it and it was lined with white on white paisley silk. It was wonderfully bold, but I wasn’t cheeky enough to ask for three photos.
On this shirt, he decorated the back, cuffs, and right front side.

The next day, I bumped into the French film agent and he was wearing another shirt by the same designer. This was had quilted cotton patchwork on the right front side of the shirt.
Other than making films, Cannes was void of any other type of craft. I lie - there was a giant dolls house outside the Carlton Hotel to celebrate the opening night movie, Up! the story of an old man who ties balloons to his house and goes on an adventure.

Tomorrow - Tons of photos of Cannes during the film festival.

Ne-Yo's Painting Passion

So as I was writing the other day, I was at the Nikki Beach club in Cannes. Picture a giant white tent erected on the beach. One side of the tent was open with large beige wicker sofas with plump white cushions scattered beneath the stars. In the covered part of the tent, a floor had been erected, on which a dining room, bar, DJ turntables stood. The color palette was white and sand.

A girl perched herself on the back of our sofa and a bunch of people started asking to take pictures with a guy in a hat. I asked her who he was and she said “Ne-Yo”. I knew he was a singer, so I jumped into action with my camera. I knew this was the first celebrity sighting and I had promised my Extremely Crafty Chums to get the low down.

“So what sort of crafts or hobbies are you interested in?” I asked.

If you guessed, knitting or macramé, you’re wrong. If you guessed painting, you’re right.

Ne-Yo loves to paint and has been painting ever since he’s been singing. He is very passionate about it and likes to paint all subjects. No favourites here. He uses all colors and he’s painted pictures of all sizes – some really big canvases. He hasn’t had a show yet. He’s not sure if his work is really ready for that, but he would love to show his work one day.

I should have said that he could launch his creative pursuits with Extremely Crafty, but I only thought about that now. What a great exclusive. ACK! I missed out on that one. I shall remember that for next time.
About an hour later, my friends and I went to the Nikki Beach Night Club. This one was part of the Palais where they have the red carpet premieres and not on the beach. Here again was Ne-Yo and his group, including the girl who I spoke with. Turns out she’s the girlfriend. How embarrassing asking her who Ne-Yo was and it was her boyfriend. Ne-Yo performed his hit song and was about ten feet away from me. He really is a brilliant singer. He seemed like a totally cool, laid back guy who took the time to speak to myself and other fans. His girlfriend was also really cool and we waved like old friends of an hour previous. When he left the club, Ne-Yo said “Hey” and patted me on the back.

Have any of you had any experiences with either really friendly or really not so friendly celebrities?

Up tomorrow – Crafty in Cannes! I discovered a Parisian men’s clothes designer who embroiders and paints dress shirts. Pictures of his work.

Second Celebrity Sighting!

Quentin Tarrantino. Said hello as he was running past. Didn't have a chance to ask him about crafts, btu I think we all know what his hobby is - film making! He has a film at the festival - Inglorious Baestards. My friend chased him down the street and learned Quentin is staying until Thursday. We have an actress we'd like him to meet who Quentin has apparently liked her previous work. Said actress was staying with us and gave me swuch a fright that night, I could barely sleep!!! Quentin would love her. She'd Kill Bill, Kill Bob, Kill Just about anyone if her showreel is anything to go by. Quentin was at the Soho House party where I was on Friday, but although I searched, I couldn't find him. I think he was hiding behind the lobsters.

More on that Monday.

Post from Cannes

Found an internet connection. The highlight of yesterday was interviewing singer Neo about his favourite hobby and seeing him perform live in a nightclub where he was partying. When I met him, it was rather embarassing because my friend and I were at the Nikki Beach "Beach" club as opposed to the Nikki Beach Nightclub. The beach beach club is a club that's been erected in a tent on the beach. My friends and I were sat having drinks on their luxiorious white sofas (a beach club has better furniture than I do) and suddenly a group of people passed and a few people started asking for questions. I asked the pretty girl who perched on our sofa who were they taking photos of and she said Neo. My first celebrity sighting. I got in there with my camera and asked "Do you do any sorts of crafts or hobbies?" I was surprized at his answer.

And the girl - it was his girlfriend. How embarassing. Anyway, bumped into her at the next party in the Palais at the Nikki Beach Nightclub and we waved at each other (she from VIP) and I got a pat on the back and a hey from Neo.

Come back on Monday to read what Neo's secret passion is.

Cannes Count Down

Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

I'm off to Cannes on Thursday. I'm going with a film producer friend and hope to make it to the red carpet.

Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

I won't be doing any of the above, but I'm sure there will be lots of others to take my place. Well, of course unless I'm offered a million dollars and a film contract and yellow only M&M's. She doesn't look as if she eats many M&M's, does she? Hmm, must remember to take white bathing suit for lying around ont he streets. Just in case of course.

Photo courtesy of mundomiss.blogspot

My goal for the trip is if I meet any celebrities, I will ask them about what their favourite craft is. How cool would that be if I could get mini interviews with celebrities on the Croisette. In years past, I bumped into Michael Moore a few times, Eddie Murphy, and Bollywood star, Aishwarya Rai.

If I do bump into any stars, who do you hope I meet and what questions do you want me to ask?