The inspiration for Country French Kitchens, the book, arose from percolating design ideas during the course of several trips to Paris, armchair travel to Provence…and my own frustration at the lack of resources available for developing an American translation of this style. You can view the results of my own country French kitchen installation via video on my amazon.com author’s page. While it doesn’t show you the entire room, it gives you a glimpse into some of the solutions that my renovation offered me and my family for the space.
Since then, I have been looking forward to further travel to France, to scout local markets, explore those rural villages which time constraints had never before allowed, and shop for the Provencal fabrics, pottery and glassware that I currently purchase stateside.
A dream come true, I will be leading a group of students in a sojourn to Southwest France, specifically the Dordogne region, in July-August of next year. As a group, we will hunt for country French treasures, scavenging the countryside in search for all things beautiful and wonderful. I’m teaming up with fellow teacher Diana Gessler, a gallery-represented fine artist and author of five books, four of which are bestselling illustrated travel books. Her latest, Very Washington, DC, earned her a signing at the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History. Diana will be teaching The Art of Illustrated Journaling, as she has found that her students are able to beautifully illustrate their own travel experiences in their own developed style, once techniques in pen and ink drawing, watercolor washes and map-drawing, caricature doodling and fancy lettering are taught. Diana has been illustrating her own world travels in journals for the past 30 years. Her students testify that she has forever changed not only the way they travel and the way that they "see" places, people and experiences; indeed, they claim that she has changed their lives.
We will, together, explore the beautiful Dordogne region of Southwest France, named for the river that runs through it, and have timed the trip to take advantage of the many brocantes (open-air antique fairs) and vide-greniers (open-air flea markets) that the area has to offer during these twelve days of our trip. Hunting for country French treasures for our own homes and for permanent capture into our personal illustrated travel journals, we'll wander quaint villages, scavenge the markets, and explore the true rural countryside, enjoying French food and wine in the process. On-site instruction in The Art of Illustrated Journaling and Country French Design will occur both in the newly-renovated art studio of the 18th-century farmhouse, Petit Rousset, which will be our home for twelve days, as well as during our day trips to these various markets, fairs and other noteworthy excursions.
During a recent corporate breakfast of the global investment bank from which I run my daytime advisory practice, the keynote speaker, Jonathan Clements, co-author of The Little Book of Main Street Money, noted three financial goals that appeal to the cave dweller in each of us. The second goal is to “build a life of thoughtful progress.” He advises us to “spend our money on building life experiences.”
“You’ll always have Paris,” he told the audience. Travel, unlike shopping trips to department stores to buy expensive merchandise which yields temporary pleasure, gives you more and better memories over the years. It helps you build a life of thoughtful progress.
We'd love for you to build memories and make “thoughtful progress” by joining us in France. Please visit our online page for terms and a registration form, as well as our brochure:
http://www.rousset-perigord.org/LPRLibrary/2010/gessler-fernandez.shtml.
Feel free to call me with any questions (203.942.8282). If you are unable to join us but know of a world-traveling or Francophile friend, please ask them to contact me at: emomrx@yahoo.com or to call me to discuss. The trip is limited to 18 guests.
Until next time, sending all my very best!
Carolina
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About Carolina
- Carolina
- Carolina Fernandez is an Author, Artist and Advisor. She is a Registered Investment Advisor and Vice President-Investments with Source Capital Group in Westport, CT. She holds the Series 7, 66 (63 & 65) and Life, Accident and Health Insurance licenses and certifications in Long Term Care, Alternative Investments, Guided Portfolio Management and Financial Planning. She has written more than two hundred original articles, columns and stories which have been published and syndicated by more than 60,000 unique sites, blogs, newsletters and in seven anthologies. She has been quoted or featured in the media including NPR, Martha Stewart Living Radio and the FOX Business News program Your World with Neil Cavuto, and in Parenting, Redbook, Nickelodeon, Good Housekeeping, BottomLine Personal, Advertising Age, NewsDay and in hundreds of online sites. In her upcoming third book, What Color is Your Handbag?, she attempts to creatively communicate the language of finance so that every woman "gets" money.
