CHEZ FIFI

HERE TODAY...GONE TOMORROW (AGAIN!!)

DONNA 

BONJOUR MY FRIENDS!

Here I am! Well, at least for a few days as I am leaving again at the end of June for a month-long shoots in California. So, it's time for a quick update.

My eyesight is getting worse (like my new glasses?) I like to thing it's the result of looking through the camera lens too many times or being fixated on the computer screen and not "a getting older" thingie.....

I can't believe it has been over a month since I last posted but, as you probably know, I have been on shoots in Illinois, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York so time just flew by.

Mark and I have have been shooting for magazines (American and Europeans) and for my new book too.

We had a lovely time in Illinois.

We got to see JOY  again and also ANGELA, as usual they were wonderfully hospitable.

JOY snapped this photo of Mark and I............

AANNE MARIE'S Na-Da Farm Event WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

and the BOHO Ball

  was fun (I did wear that outfit I showed in a previous post--Mark called us (REBECCA left,DONNA,on the right) "The Former Saloon Girls.") But, another day, having to outrun a tornado wasn't fun. That was really scary. We ended up having to hide in a little roadside diner and when the weather looked as it was getting a little bit less threatening I ordered a salad and a BIG glass of wine. Well it was the worse salad and the worse vino I ever had but I figured that I may as well enjoy them because it could be my LAST meal!

Over at JEN I took a minute to allow my inner little Fifi to come out to play.....

...and re-shooting TRACEY'S home was pure pleasure. She also took a picture of Mark and I......

In fact, we had a lot of dangerous weather issues almost everywhere we went and lots of adventures too:

*We shot at a goat farm in Vermont and one goat chew my shirt, the other threw up on me and a third pooped on my feet....here are two of culprits, the third one went into hiding!

*We ran into a bad storm (in New Hampshire) on the highway and a power line came crashing down on the car......

*In Connecticut, a Great Dane thought I should be his dinner! Yikes! That was a close call...the crazy beast didn't know he would get mostly bones, well maybe that's what he was after: my bony butt!

*But there was one sweet puppy owned by the darling Laura

 

*Also in Connecticut, a brazen chipmunk decided to nibble on my bare toes...but we had fun shooting Debra Germain's house.....(DEBRA her daughter and her 3 adorable kiddies and me......)

*I got two shoot dates mixed up in Illinois but POLLY saved the day by allowing to switch things! Thanks you Pretty Polly (she and I decided to be "queens for a minute"--Polly is wearing LAURA'S garden crown and mine is a Christmas tree topper...)

I think Polly took the photo below.........

Rebecca Ersfeld (below)

made us drink Champagne in the afternoon....that's why he is smiling and I look sleepy........

Oh, and before I left for Illinois in May I took a nasty fall in my courtyard (tripped on the garden hose) and broke 2 ribs. So, I am doing all these shoots with the broken ribs and they don't get a chance to heal. Other than that I am just fine!!

In fact, I managed to carry that big hunk of wool (actually very light--but, OH MY GOD! So STINKY, from the baby doll sheep that live on the farm. The truth is that the wool is cashmere-grade and as airy as a puffy cloud.

 

 

From Na-Da Farm to Raspberry Field Farm, BerryBog Farm and Fat Toad Farm --and all the homes in between, it has been fabulous. Though, as usual, I can't post the photos we took, I made a little "teaser" collage.....

 

Shooting for magazines is always fun and shooting for book 2 is as much a treat as it was for book one! By the way, ROMANTIC PRAIRIE STYLE is featured in the current issues of FRESH COTTAGE and also in the acclaimed magazine of the BBC: 

BBC HOMES AND ANTIQUES

FRESH COTTAGE

 and in the beautiful

JEANNE D'ARC LIVING

***********

Lastly, while on shoots in California, for those of you who are interested I have several book signings:

July 5 from 5PM TO 8PM

at

A BEAUTIFUL MESS
28875 West Agoura Road
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
T- 818.874.9092

http://abeautifulmessantiques.blogspot.com

and also in

Northern California

JULY 12-From 11am to 2pm- 

SUMMER COTTAGE ANTIQUES

153 KENTUCKY STREET,

PETALUMA CA 94952

T:707-776-2873

http://summercottageantiques.com 

 

JULY 13- 5PM-7PM

UNIQUELY CHIC FLORAL & HOME

423 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg, CA 95448 (707)433-6694

http://www.uniquelychicflandhm.com

I will have 2 more book signings in Northern California (in Sonoma at Chateau Sonoma and in Mills Valley at Maison Reve) but I am not sure of the times yet. Will post about it as soon as I know.

When I get back to L.A, there will be one more in Venice, at Tumbleweed & Dandelion and, again, I will post the day and time.

Ok my friends, that's all I have to report for now. 

Hope to see you at one of the book signings or back online later.

Time to get the suitcase packed again but Miss Lucy doesn't approve......

A bientot!

 

 

GOING....GOING....GONE........to the BOHO BALL and photo shoots

Time to go shooting for the next book and also for magazines. I am so looking forward to this new phase!!

Fortunately, Mark and I will be shooting in the Chicago area and also doing a couple of book signings.

The first book signing is May 19 at the beautiful

SCENTIMENTAL GARDENS

in Geneva, Illinois

also taking in 

ANNE MARIE'S BOHO BALL

and the second book signing will take place during 

THE NADA FARM EVENT MAY 20 &21

So, what's a Fifi-Girl to wear to

Anne Marie's BOHO BALL?

Well, since the style is wide open to personal interpretation I thought I would go all out and make the most of the opportunity to play dress up.

Here is what I came up with:

I made a headband with fabric and paper flowers embellished with a few rhinestones and ribbons.........

I ordered this lovely dress from

MAGDALENA

(merdalonka@gmail.com)

and treated myself to the boots from

THE JUNK GYPSY CO

I also got the white pettitcoat from them but now, it's a pale PINK to peak at the bottom of the dress and recall the pink roses from the headband......

Soooo, do you think I will be BOHO enough?????

Of course Mark will take lots of photos of the events and I will post them as soon as I get a chance.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile

ROMANTIC PRAIRIE STYLE

also made the page of PERIOD IDEAS, the beautiful British magazine 

"With 180 pages of advice and inspiration, Period Ideas is the biggest traditional homes magazine on the market. Covering everything from the bricks-and-mortar of renovation to the most beautiful interiors, you’ll find every issue full of practical wisdom and design suggestions from some of the UK’s leading experts."

 

 

 

OK, my friends, I am off but I will think about you and will report later........

Let me know what you think of my

BOHO "interpretation"

THANK YOU!!

 

HAPPY DAY........

I do not know the artist who painted this lovely mother and child scene but it seems so perfectly fitting to wish you a

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

that I had to post it. My apologies to the artist for not being able to mention her/his name.

 

To all the sweet moms out there:

May this day will be as special as you are.

THANK YOU!!!!!!

Wonderful news are many times more wonderful when they can be shared, especially when so many people are intricate parts of a success, as it is in the case of ROMANTIC PRAIRIE STYLE. I know I owe it all to you for being so supportive and loyal, so it's only fitting to share this with you. THANK YOU!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO 

 

Romantic Prairie Style 
Homes Inspired by Traditional Country Life
CICO Books, 9781907563195, April 2011, $29.95
by Fifi O’Neill 

Romantic Prairie Style ranked #6 in sales on Nielsen Bookscan 
for two weeks in a row in the Hardcover House & Home category, as reported in the
Best-Selling Books listing (week ended April 17th) in the April 23, 2011 edition of
The Wall Street Journal 
Circulation: 9,963,418
Click below to view:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703789104576273032911055412.html?KEYWORDS=%22Best-selling+books%22

 

AND

IN 

THE HOUSE DIRECTORY (UK)

a site that gets 500,000 page views per month..........

More to come.............

IN THE NEWS.....

ROMANTIC PRAIRIE STYLE is featured in the April issue of CS INTERIORS magazine (Chicago).

It was interesting to see how the review was written as it was done in conjunction with the concept of Little House on the Prairie and Frank Lloyd Wright's prairie style architecture. 

Of course, I am very grateful to see Romantic Prairie Style featured in this beautiful magazine though surprised because it is such a luxurious and modern publication. 

My sincere thanks to the publisher

JENNIFER POLACHEK

You can also see the magazine in its digital edition at

 

http://media.modernluxury.com/digital.php?e=HBCH
   

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And, the beautiful Italian magazine

CASA ROMANTICA  

also featured my little cottage in this month issue. In this instance they cleverly used photos from 3 different shoots: two by Dan Mayers) and one by myself. What's really cool, at least for me, is to see how my living room and dining room have changed since the original shoot.

I hope you read Italian.......but even if you don't you can at least enjoy the photos and the beautiful layouts the magazine does.......

(I am not sure what they said about me but I trust them....)

 

 

 

 

This is how the dining room looked about 6 years ago........

...........and also the living room.............

....and this is the living room now...........


 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, enough about me..........

TIME TO THANK the sweet ladies who reminded me of the names of the

"Hydrangea tree"

(Dumbeya)

Thank you PEGGY

The "Dr Zeuss tree" 

(Bombax ellipticum)

Thank you EWA

and, yes, thank you, Mar Bailey, the white Florida Wisteria

(Queen's Wreath)

does indeed also come in purple

as the one on my fence.

So, you see, I DO read all the comments.......

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL WHO TAKE THE TIME TO LEAVE ONE!