Tickle's Flown Away to the Rainbow Bridge...

It happened almost three months ago, within the first hour of the last day of June, and I still feel numb with pain. It happened quickly, six weeks after your being diagnosed with a nasty lung condition with a big long name (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis). So quickly, it is still hard to take in.

R.I.P. Tick-Tick, We'll meet again, at the Rainbow Bridge!

I have since been assured that you are watching over me from where you are now and that, in your world, beauty is magnified and life is one big ball... of energy, high and bright.

We met on the August Bank Holiday week-end of 2006 at Manchester Dogs Home (U.K.) and it was love at first sight. I saved you and you saved me, you my best friend, my soulmate, close family and my now guardian angel.

Tickle: "Why are you crying, mum? I'm not going anywhere!"

You were one little hyperactive bundle of Jack Russell Terrier dynamite, running around, loving to play fetch and barking away to your heart's content, never tired, never fed up, always up for action! You weren't for the faint-hearted or the sedentary; you were just right for me, we fitted in each other's active lifestyles!

We navigated the highs and lows of life, together, always together. My life revolved around you. We were one unit, inseparable, out and about, trekking up the mountain, driving around the island, exploring places, visiting people, making friends, running errands, taking photos, daydreaming, sat on the beach, baking, gardening, saving things, fixing things, trying to fix the world one random act of kindness at a time... Oh, and you could be so funny at times, such an entertainer! And you turned heads anywhere we went, because quite frankly you were one good-looking tricolour Jack!

Your little bed, toys and cushions have remained at the same spot, less than one foot away from my desk. Your leashes, harness and collar are still hanging from the hook by the front door. In the kitchen, your cushion (that you loved plumping up so much!) has been taken over by three kittens called Coco, Reuben and Rohmus, all cuddled up together. You already knew Coco (11 months old now) and we helped her stray mummy cat Midnight raise her. As for 4-month-old Reuben and Rohmus, you must have brought them to me within a couple of days of your departure as I found them outside our front door with their four siblings and an overwhelmed Midnight who had delivered the new litter... Tick-Tick, you softened the blow with a flurry of kitties, showing me that life goes on, life must go on, for those kittens at least to live it.

So life goes on as it must, with joy and heartbreak all at once. With you, my Tickle, on my mind and in my heart forever always. I miss you greatly.

Run Free, Fly High, Together Always! I love you.

Presidential Showdown: Triumph for a New Cultural Era

In the wake of the presidential election of Donald J. Trump, the air has turned sharp and crisp with optimism and the promise of a reborn America like our parents had enjoyed. A new dawn is rising over the socialist paradigm swamp that had gripped the West since before our parents were even born (1930s), namely The Frankfurt School, serving under different guises the socialist agenda that is now in full swing.



Thanks to Mr. Trump, the global agenda of the private interests and corporate elites has been exposed to a wider segment of the population, and the new presidency will tackle it. Mr. Trump assured that under his presidency no dream will be too big. The forgotten man and the forgotten woman will rise and the USA will become prosperous again.

Alongside it, the cultural marxism that has infiltrated, compromised and jeopardised the mainstream media (MSM), education, religion, morality, family, employment, private property, cultural identity, national sovereignty, and thought process, will be challenged further and hopefully dismantled by the powers that be. The population will hopefully join in once they come to the realisation that they have been duped all along under the false premise of freedom of speech and freedom of choice.



Political change in America will send ripple effects and political change to Europe. Now unless you were born in Europe and have been enlightened about the detrimental effects of socialism and communism to a Nation, you will have no idea of the levels of mediocrity that European nations have been forced to sink to under the EU-UN umbrella over the last 35 years, and this includes design and lifestyle.

You will understand that as a design blog, Mirabelle has an obligation to report these facts to you and get political. I do respect voters choice yet I cannot help but be baffled by the Hollywood backlash against Trump and the dissent from the college kids who should know better but would rather burn the American flag and envisage their whole lives under a jobless, future-devoid, open-border, state-controlled economy that only serves the likes of Goldman Sachs, Bilderberg Group, George Soros, Monsanto and nefarious trade agreements like the TPP. Get a grip, kiddos!

(Pict source)

Although Mirabelle has strong reservations regarding Trump's policies for the environment, the new presidency will however redefine a new society, and creativity will soar to new heights like skyscrapers. Mirabelle is launching a new series: TrumpPower. Over the coming weeks, we will be exploring and celebrating the representation of prosperity and success in culture, art, design and fashion. Stay tuned!

Source: (1) The Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump John Lewis Christmas Ad, is based upon (2) the British high street retailer John Lewis Christmas Advert 2016 that was cleverly 'reworked' by the creative crew at Joe. You gotta love Buster the Boxer... and the garden critters! (3) Congratulations to President-Elect Trump and to Vice President-Elect Pence on their electoral win! Thank You America photograph, via Donald J. Trump's official website.

Baby Arts

When I was in secondary school in Saint-Quentin, northern France, one of my arts teachers was Serge Dutfoy. I doubt he would remember me years and thousands of pupils later (!) but I sure do remember him because not only was he my arts teacher for a couple of years, he also established himself as a fixture on the local arts scene as a cartoonist and a jazz musician. He is a local celebrity!

Earlier in the Summer, when I stumbled across his name while browsing through a local arts blog, I traced monsieur Dutfoy back to his personal blog. Although it hasn't been updated in three years, it still managed to catch my eye, or rather this piece of anthology, "Serge et ses Grenouilles" (Serge and his frogs) did, drawn by his artist auntie Germaine, in Paris in 1946-47. The two family cats, Titite and Totote, are studying the figurines in the water from a safe distance, maybe trying to figure out whether or not they are edible...

My arts teacher's happy bath time as a baby, captured in watercolours! And with his grandma a piano teacher and his mum a piano player, we can safely say that art runs in the DNA of the family!

Source: "Serge et ses Grenouilles" watercolour, via Le Blog de Serge Dutfoy. His biography (in French) is available via La Lanterne à BD, L'Aisne Nouvelle and Wikipedia.

Slate & Peppermint

As I was stood there on my local beach the other day with Tickle, two words popped into my mind: Slate & Peppermint. Slate like the colour of the sky and the sea in this incredible reflective display as the back-end of Summer comes crashing down into Autumn. Peppermint as the vegetation, parched and burnished after a hot unrelenting few weeks, is awaiting the long overdue salvation of the rain. I'll see you on the other side of the rainbow!

Source: Photography Mirabelle Design Inspiration.

The Garden Beckons

A garden is Man's vanity project, a reinterpretation of nature for our own comfort: growing the edible and cultivating the eye-pleasing. It is an extension of the home, a solace, a place where we unwind and kids play safely. A space where we surrender our thoughts; we let our mind wander and there it takes us down its wondrous pathways... There is the private garden and the public garden, and off the charts is the secret garden, a personal host to the unkempt thoughts and the ordered ones, the wise desires and the wilder ones.

A vegetable and fruit garden is a practical way of attending the land and yields crop to our labouring hand. The practical garden certainly was so for our elders living in rural communities and to which land had to be productive, not stand idle. What else is a garden? A garden is a place of observation - an observatory of sorts - where the little seed we planted rewardingly comes to be, and the pruned shrub has been lent a hand so it shall draw the vigour that will make it strong and prosper. A garden is a testimony for oneself and others. There is nothing more satisfying than to be the custodian of a plant or shrub or tree that an elder lovingly put into soil and nurtured, for future generations to enjoy and care for in turn. For I do believe strongly that there is a little of us that lives on with each plant that we commit ourselves to.

Sources: (1) Where to start? Garden inspiration might nudge you down the local flower shop, or it could just be a walk in the countryside or a spot of sunshine... The Little Potting Shed of Tarporley, Cheshire, is the little sister of The Potting Shed of Alderley Edge, an exclusive leafy Cheshire town south of Manchester. (2) There is a lot of action going on in horticulturist, writer and BBC presenter Alys Fowler's garden and its size (20ft. x 16ft.) debunks the assumption that one shall need ample space in order to grow a wide variety of plants. Alys's compact garden is a punch to the senses; it is packed-full with colours, textures, aromas and edible plants! Her facetious Jack Russell Terrier Isabelle lends a hand, oops a paw! Photography via Pinterest and believed to originate from BBC. (3-5) Britain has some of the most inviting nurseries/ garden centres in the world, replete with oodles of style and Venusian charm, an effortless romantic inclination, and an attention to detail and presentation. This craftsmanship comes together as a living Liberty pattern (or other favourite British florals) or a canvas to a poem, that distill your experience as quintessentially British! And wait a minute! Those nurseries also cater for the palate (oh, the plump freshly-baked Victoria sponge cakes!), and the home in equal measures of style. Petersham Nurseries, Richmond, Surrey is one example of that very British quintessence. (6) Wispy Verbascum like this one pictured by Norwegian lifestyle blog Roser og Patina will be noticed in the cottage garden and stand its own amidst lupins, foxgloves and delphinium. (7) Digitalis purpurea, Foxgloves, Ibid. (8) What came first, chicken or the egg? No worries, a hen is always the bearer of good news: fresh eggs! And it gives the garden and the owner a little company, and a country feel. Hens are friendly, social and curious. Photography by Ali Harper in Georgia, USA, to illustrate the Dandelion Greens and Pepper Omelet recipe designed for Kinfolk magazine. (9) Flowering right now in the wild, on the shaded roadsides of northern Corsica, the elegant and statuesque Bear's Breeches (Acanthus spinosus) can also be grown from a packet, from an online place like Crocus. (10) Pink Sunday Sage (Salvia horminum), a heritage seed by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Co. (pictured below).

Further Inspiration: Find out more fascinating facts about Alys Fowler's life, from BBC Countryfile. Also catch an episode or two of her BBC TV series, The Edible Garden, from Archive.org. Alys's eponymous book, The Edible Garden may be purchased from Barnes & Noble.

'If I had a magic wand, I’d like to see what would happen if we’d never had the Enclosures Acts and still had small-scale subsistence farmers, where the land was not owned by the few but by the majority. It would be interesting to watch how that played out and whether our lack of understanding about food and where it comes from has partly been caused by the fact we have capitalised the countryside for the benefit of a few individuals.' - Alys Fowler interviewed by BBC Countryfile

P.S: More garden inspiration from Mirabelle, Mirabelle's Secret Gardens, and La Baguette Magique!

Love it! Your gardens are beautiful! https://t.co/BO4uJgho1J

— Baker Creek Seeds (@rareseeds) June 14, 2016

The Farce of Modern Art

Whatever falls under Fine Art needs to be treated with care. Whatever falls under Modern Art needs to be treated with caution. And this, not only as a movement but also as a composite of artists that define themselves as anything that oscillates between contemporary and post-modern, with the inevitable Conceptual Art thrown in the middle.

What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG), you might think, but the artist has us believe that their creation goes much deeper than their stating the obvious, that there is depth and meaning and a philosophical point of view blurted out of that fat blob of paint marring a canvas, or that incongruous growth that spikes off like a bizarre assault to the senses. That riches are to be exuded from a modern work of art that either looks like it was thrown together by a five-year-old, or whose incongruity makes it point-blank at odd to the accepted laws of beauty and balance and the classical form of talent that is meant to take an oeuvre through the times, perdure and leave an indelible mark on our collective heritage. And maybe this is where Modern Art develops into a fallacy, thus turning into its own worst enemy.

Maybe this is the frustration of Modern Art: wanting to rewrite the rules by breaking them, and the finished product failing to convince and impress as a result, as the viewers feel they are being taken for a ride. Failing the recognition and admiration and blessing of the Art community as a whole, failing to simply be Fine. Mirabelle is not here to judge, but rather to ponder a Modern Age-old concept: Is Art for Art's Sake a reason for creating Art?

Source: All photography, part of the Champagne Life exhibition currently featured at the Saatchi Gallery in London, UK, until 9th March 2016. (1) 'Moje Sabz' by Iranian artist Soheila Sokhanvari (2011). (2) 'Domestic Terrorist Burt' by American Suzanne McClelland (2014). (3) 'Untitled 21' by Canadian artist Julia Dault (2010). (4) The Truth About Modern Art, a must-watch critique by Paul Joseph Watson! - [Beware: use of strong language].

A Wonderful Winter Wedding...

If you follow Mirabelle's sister blog La Baguette Magique, you will have found out my big news: I just got married to the loveliest man there is, Roby! Our Big Day was an intimate affair - only close family members - and no lavish ceremony. It was all about pared-down simplicity.

Though needs to be said that we forfeited neither style nor elegance. However we dispensed of the following: wedding planner, professional photographer, personal florist, bridesmaids, wedding attire, hire limo, band/ DJ, private chef... and five-course banquet for that matter. Sorry if this may not be the idea of a fairytale wedding for some of you, yet for both Roby and I, it was exactly the way we both wished our Big Day to be: low-key and fuss-free. A by-product of low-key and fuss-free meant that our wedding came out to be inexpensive, yet not in the sense of tight-fisted or cheap, i.e. lacking the essentials or attention to detail. Ours was inexpensive *and* luxurious!

Here let me share with you a few hints and tips on how to achieve an inexpensive fuss-free wedding reception that does look the part:-


Wedding Venue:

The wedding lunch took place at my parents' house.

Table Decor:

Living on an island miles from the closest town, we had to make do in terms of floristry for instance. From the local general store, my mum picked a small cream rose bush whose pot she wrapped up in foil and then wrapped in a heirloom crocheted doily held together by an elastic band. She also picked a bouquet of mixed flowers (pink carnation, chrysanthemum, red rose, gerbera, pistacia lentiscus, papyrus, etc.) that she placed in a tall crystal vase.

Flowers instantly add grace and elegance!

Table Linen:

Family heirloom embroidered white linen that belonged to my grandma, dating back to the 1930s, and still in pristine condition. Our ultra-special family occasion linen!

Making a statement with heirloom pieces...

Tableware:

Making a statement with heirloom pieces, and going tone on tone, as white on white is so chic! White porcelaine de Limoges plates. Silverware & crystalware, family heirloom pieces from early 20th century to the 1960s.

... and white on white is so chic!

Menu Fayre:

Mostly buffet style finger food for the apéritif and first course, laid out on trays placed on the dining table: canapés (of thin gingerbread slices spread with fig and walnut jam and finished off with a layer of soft blue cheese); cherry tomatoes sliced halfways and held together on cocktail sticks with a dice of artisan smoked/ cured meat in the middle; courgette (zucchini) fritters; freshly-made mushroom pizzas from the local bakery, sliced in bite-size squares, shop-bought savoury palmiers, fresh grapes, cheese bites.

The Buffet Table

Main Course:

Scallops in a white wine sauce prepared by my mum, served straight off the oven in their individual fancy ramekins. 

Dessert:

Galette des Rois, ordered fresh from the bakery. The galette is an Epiphany pastry speciality from France, made up of puff pastry filled with Frangipane (almond paste). We personalised it by serving it with homemade candied kumquat slices and caramelised persimmon slices. [P.S: If you are feeling adventurous, why not make your own Galette des Rois, from scratch! Try David Lebovitz's recipe.]

Roby's favourite French sweet is a Christmas chocolate speciality called Papillote!

Beverages:

Champagne (Charles Lafitte and Alfred Rothschild et Cie) from apéritif through to dessert. Some dry white wine served with the scallops. Mineral water and upmarket apricot juice as soft drinks.

 Afters:

Black coffee served in English china cups, and chocolate fancies, including Papillotes.

Our wedding dog Tickle never got himself in a pickle with his wedding collar on!

Source: (1) Mirabelle montage of Magical Thinking Henna Letters 'N' (Nathalie) and 'R' (Roby) by Urban Outfitters. (2-9) Photography by Mirabelle.

20 Sweet 16

And now is a short and sweet communiqué from Mirabelle & Tickle:

P.S: Isn't this beach buddy of mine cute and gorgeous?! Head over to Tickle's page for more cracking photos!

Club Tropicana

Heat is on, design is hot, girls are hip, colours are cool, drinks are cold, sounds are neat, night is chic. Welcome to Club Tropicana!

Sources: (1) If you can't take the biscuit, you might as well have your cake and eat it! Saint-Honoré Vanille, a classic French choux and whipped cream gâteau revisited by Cédric Grolet, chef pâtissier (pastry chef) at 5-star hôtel Le Meurice, Paris. (2) Be spiky! Piña Ring, in solid gold-plated glass, by Australian jewellery designer Vera Xane, via Nasty Gal. (3) Bring you bongos or fake it with a pineapple! 'Pebble' print fabric in 'Pollen', by Skinny laMinx, designed and printed in South Africa. Photography by Heather Moore. (4) A sweet and spiked taste of the Tropics: Grapefruit, Guava and Rum Sorbet by The Artful Desperado. (5) Wallflowers will sit prettier on a Magical Thinking Industrial Chair, a feminine take on the Helix Chair, exclusive to Urban Outfitters. (6) See and be seen! Oversized Opaline Talc Cat-eyed Acetate Frame Sunglasses with metal lettering logo and gradient ivory camouflage lenses, by Prada. (7) Ladies, tower over the crowds in 3 ¾ inch heels! 'Whichway' Sandals by Stuart Weitzman, shown here in 'Camel Suede'. (8) Tough luck! Our Tickle just got partied out! (9) Light up the way to the party! Copper Lantern String Lights, via Urban Outfitters. (10) Prickly Pear Cactus, in bloom, northern Corsica. Photography by Mirabelle.

@baguettemagique Beautiful!!

— Le Meurice (@LeMeurice) July 27, 2015

Little Miss Penguin Bloom

Mirabelle loves happy pets, whether they be a doggie, a hedgehog, a chicken, a unicorn, or a magpie! Penguin Bloom is a clever little bird who has bridged the gap between life in high places and human dwellings. She was rescued as a baby by Noah Bloom and raised by the whole family in Newport, New South Wales, Australia. She is free as a bird to fly as she pleases, and is always welcome home, where she is known to sneak in, especially on wet nights. She has remarkably bonded with her adoptive family. The little darling has also become an Instagram sensation, with a following of 89K subscribers! Who can resist the cuteness of it all? I certainly can't!

Source: All photography via the Penguin Bloom Instagram account, except (5). Browsing little Penguin's Instagram account is guaranteed to bring instant sunshine to your day! Scores of adorable, cracking pictures! (1) 'Drying off after a shower' (04-Aug-2014). (2) 'Noah wishing he could fly away with me' (26-Mar-2015). (3) 'Seriously need my own headphones' (06-Sept-2014). (4) 'Giving some advice and a little extra weight' (23-May- 2015). (5) Photography via the Cameron Bloom Instagram account: 'Myola road sure can wear you out' (25-Mar-2015). (6) 'High heels' (26-Jun-2015). (7) 'Tuesday morning pump' (09-Sept-2014). (8) 'Freedom' (03-Jun-2015). (9) 'I've been gone 8 days and this morning thought I'd better come home and say hi.' (14-Apr-2015). (10) 'Where we going Roo?' (06-Dec-2014). (11) 'Rain inspired beauty shoot' (13-Sept-2014). (12) 'Love transcends all colours' (11-Jun-2015).

★ 15-Aug-2015 Update: Things have progressed into Super-Stardom for our Penguin! She has clocked over 95.9k followers on Instagram to date, not to mention that she now has her dedicated website. And can you believe that she has a book in the offing, due for release 1st April 2016 (no joke!), to be published by ABC Books! Book photography by Penguin's dad, Cameron Bloom, and narrative by New York Times best-selling author Bradley Trevor Greive. Now Penguin, all these grand achievements of yours make up what we call 'Girl Power'! Read Penguin's story here and pre-order her book here.

(22-Jul-2015)