Anticipation

 Hello Ooh La Frou Frou girls!

~ There's a special treat in this post ~

our new boxed holiday card design!

For the last two weeks, we've been peeking in at

 illustrated Ooh La Frou Frou girl Sunny

and her very romantic "meet cute."

If you missed Grand Flirt and its sequel Grand Flirt II

slip over for a little grand romantic escapism!

Sunny's romantic adventure will continue later,
when Sunny is again featured!

~ Now For This Week ~

Let's walk just a few blocks over from

Sunny's apartment at The Mark Hotel and

look in on Hope at her
luxe fantasy apartment building called

~ "The City Girl." ~

Early on this November morning,

the sun is awakening the city

with the promise of a
delectable and glamourous
 day to come ...

As Hope opens her eyes to the sun sparkling

on the chandelier drops above her bed ...

... she looks forward to the day stretching before her ...
as Kathryn Hepburn said ...
"Never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun."

And if ever there was a girl
that enjoyed "just being"
{in the city, in particular}
it is Hope!

She throws handfuls of fun
into each day in every way she can ...
Autumn, with its crisp leaves and burnished color,
simply adds to the glamour of her days ...


And today is the kind of day that 

Hope adores ...
one without obligations ...
a day that's an empty giftbox
 to fill up as she pleases ...

What better way to start the day than by walking ...


 ... straight to her favorite upper east side cappuccino ...
at a charming place that's even a
 favorite on Gossip Girl ...
Via Quadronno

Soon
Via Quadronno
 will be dressed like this ...


The mere thought of the holidays
fills Hope with a sense of
~ anticipation. ~

If you've been with Ooh La Frou Frou for a while,
you know that Hope loves nothing more than shopping ...


And as the holidays approach,
she loves leisurely browsing the stores of the city
when its early enough to take her time
and gather ideas for things that are
~ just right. ~

On this Autumn day as she's shopping,
 Hope finds a little present for herself ...
Paris Hangover by Kirsten Lobe ...
a book about a girl from New York
that finds herself in Paris dating handsome frenchmen ..
an ooh la la perfect book to read
since she just came back from a Grande Paris Adventure
with fellow illustrated girls Aimee, Belle & Alex!
{If you missed the posts of the fantasy trip,
here are links to Paris I, II, III.)

With that first purchase,
Hope feels she's seriously begun her holiday shopping
~ even if it is for herself ~
and she begins to feel a little like Christmas
truly is right around the corner ...
~ oh, the anticipation ~

So, to help you feel the anticipation also,
 she thought she'd share
just a couple of items that will
definitely be wrapped up
for gift-giving under her tree ...

She starts with a little something for your stylish friends
that love fashion, entertaining and design ...
a wonderful coffee-table book ...
Rebecca Moses ... A Life of Style ...

All of your friends will say,

 "divine, darling!"

when they unwrap this book with its fun illustrations ...

We think you'll love this Rebecca Moses

illustrated video ... it will give you an idea of
what the illustrations in the book are like ...

it's almost as much fun as a hot fudge sundae ...

 well, almost ...

Normally, silk scarves are pricey,
but these adorable scarves called
"So Many Shoes"
are only $24.95!
Hope thinks they have "glamorous stocking stuffer"
written all over them!
They come in green (below) and grey ...

You'll probably have as hard a time as Hope would in ordering this

personalized zebra-print tray to give away as a gift
 instead of for yourself ...
it's $55 by Lovey Dovey Creations ...
isn't it an oh-so-chic way to keep your
goodies in one place? ...

This bangle is oh-so-made-for a girl like Hope that's
uptown, downtown, all around the town ...
from Kate Spade ...

If you'd like to feel as if you've begun your holiday shopping too ...
and perhaps even feel as if you've hung out with Hope in the city today,
here are links to some of the stores in her playground ...
via this season's
on-line holiday catalogues ...
Kate Spade
Bergdorf-Goodman
Bloomingdales

Henri Bendel

~ Now For Our Holiday Card Introduction ~

I'm happy to introduce:
"Christmas in the City."
Perfect for girls that love to shop
as much as Hope does!
Hope is starring on this card doing her favorite thing ...
 shopping!
Holding her cappuccino to go,
she stands before a scene in a holiday store window ...
giant ornaments depicting Christmas in the City.
The ornament in the widow on the top right
is embellished with a townhouse illustration,
the ornament in the lower left shows
 city buildings and taxis
and the one in the lower right is filled covered with
taxis with Christmas trees on top!

"Christmas in the City"
is sold by the box of eight blank cards.
Embellished with clear glittery snow,
the card is lined with pink paper,
and its white envelope
is lined in with a glossy deep pink metallic liner.

To purchase a box of these holiday cards, simply go here.



If you are looking for an individual holiday card,
Ooh La Frou Frou girl Cherie stars in our individual card
entitled
"Santa Baby."

To purchase this individual card, simply go here.
 

Thanks so much for joining us this week everyone!
And from Hope ...
Happy Holiday Anticipation, Darlings!




Illustration of Ooh La Frou Frou girl Hope
 and her "City Girl" apartment
in the post above by the artist and creator of
Ooh La Frou Frou
(c) Sandra Shelton Markwalder ~ All Rights Reserved.

All illustrations on
Ooh La Frou Frou Collection cards by
Ooh La Frou Frou creator:
(c) Sandra Shelton markwayder ~ All Rights Reserved.

TO PURCHASE OOH LA FROU FROU COLLECTION CARDS:
http://www.oohlafroufrou.com

Sources for Photos Used in Above Post:
1. City with Golden Light
2. Bridge in Central Park
3. Chandelier
4. Iron Fence Photo in Autumn by Raceytay on Etsy
5. NYC Townhouses and Vintage Taxi
6. Images of Via Quadronno
7. Hermes Scarf and Pearls
8. Paris Hangover from Amazon (linked above)
9. Townhouses in Snow
10. Rebecca Moses A Life of Style from Amazon (linked above)
11. Inside Shot of A Life of Style
12. Rebecca Moses Video
13. So Many Shoes Scarves green and grey (linked above)
14. Zebra Tray from Lovey Dovey Creations (linked above)
15. Go The Extra Mile Bangle from Kate Spade (linked above)
16. Be Merry

A Glamorous Bedroom for Apartment 1204

Last week on Ooh La Frou Frou,
we tuned in to see four of our illustrated girls,
Tiffany, Violet, Alex and Hope
sipping cappuccinos and discussing a very fun project ...

and it's a project that I think
we all fantasize about at times ...
Hope has emptied her bedroom in her city apartment
and is completely redecorating it
from head-to-toe!

She has been shopping for weeks in design stores all over the city ...
and you know what happens when you shop that much ...
after a while, you just have to find a soft place to lie down
~ even if it's in the furniture store ~
and schedule an appointment
for a fabulous foot massage from
Angel Feet
in Greenwich Village.


Hope didn't let a little foot fatigue slow down her
decorating plans ...
while enjoying that glorious foot massage,
Hope made good use of the time
by doing some serious research in
her new favorite design book:
Mary McDonald Interiors
The Allure of Style

Mary McDonald is one of the mega-talented designers
starring in the hilariously-over-the-top television show
"Million Dollar Decorators,"
which premiered on Bravo this season.
Mary's thing is ... GLAMOUR
and some of her decorating quotes in her book
are as deliciously glamorous as her rooms ...


As Hope leafed through Mary McDonald's book,
she realized she was sure about one thing ...
she wanted her bedroom to remind her of
a glamorous boutique.
Then when Hope turned the page,
she found a room that spoke to her and
told her which boutique it would be:
Christian Dior!

Christian Dior ~ New York

Earlier this year,
we saw how Hope turned a
second bedroom in her apartment into a dressing room.
It just so happens the built-ins in her dressing room
 were designed to look like a boutique, as well ...

This is the room in Mary McDonald's book
that was inspired by Dior ...


Before we see a rough sketch of Hope's room,
let's take a virtual trip to Paris and look in at Dior ...
Christian Dior in Paris has beautiful pale grey carpets,
fabulous architectural detail and touches of antique gold ...

It has luxurious, beautifully-lit built-ins (above).
Don't you think the display cases in Paris Dior above
look very much like Hope's dressing room built-ins?

Did you know that for the Paris Dior boutique, they used
57 shades of grey?

The 57th Street Manhattan store
has classic Dior details
with an added contemporary flair.

The same head-to-toe grey and lots of mirror ...

Ready to look at Hope's fantasy bedroom design?
Last week when the girls stopped by
Hope's apartment, it was empty ...

Below, we're revealing for the first time
the floor plan of Hope's luxury apartment
on the twelfth floor
 of the elegant fictional apartment building
called "The City Girl"
{if you'd like to see the exterior of her
apartment building, just check the previous post} ...

You can see the master bedroom below
and the position of its arched window on the right side
and you can see why Hope turned the second bedroom
into a dressing room ... it's perfect with the master bath in between ...
notice there's also a window by the oval tub!
The dining room and kitchen both have
floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, as well!


Last week we showed you five beds that
we were considering for Hope and asked for your votes ...


Thanks to all of you Glamorous Girlfriends
for your help!
The votes from the blog comments and Twitter
have now been counted!
AND THE WINNER IS:
The Haute House
Platinum Tufted Bed
Bed Number 3

The results of the remainder of the votes were:
A very close second: Bed Number 2
Third place: Bed Number 5
Fourth place: Bed Number 4
Fifth place: Bed Number 1

Now ...
as we promised,

following is the first rough sketch of Hope's bedroom design!
You'll see more finished illustrations in the future ...
this sketch has many of her first pieces in place,
including her new bed!


Design Details:
~ Paint ~

We chose paint colors by Benjamin Moore.

The doors in Hope's apartment are all

 the darker color below in gloss:

~ "Dior Grey" ~

The walls are the lighter color:

~ "Silver Lake" ~

~ Furniture and Accessory Details ~

A luxurious pale grey rug sits atop Hope's hardwood floor.

We designed a bed canopy that is attached at the ceiling.
The colors were chosen to resemble
the bed in the Mary McDonald Dior-inspired room:
Outside of canopy: white fabric;
Inside of canopy is lined with fabric matching the Dior Grey
of the doors and the Dior Grey fabric is gathered at the back..
We thought that having a canopy such as this
may give a sense of privacy while still enjoying the view ...
like a room within a room.

Curtain panels on either side of the window
are white with a Dior Grey inner stripe
and can be drawn across the glass if desired for privacy.
The rod is a beautiful antique gold color.

Her bedding is all white, to give the feel of a luxury hotel.

The mirrors chosen to reflect the sparkle of city lights
above the nightstands are these.

The nightstands combine the antique gold color of Dior Paris details
and black wrought iron to reflect the Dior stair railing ...
and these would be custom made.
A glimmer of crystal comes from these lamps on the nightstands.

There stands a mirrored parsons table at the window.
And a grey upholstered chair is reminiscent of the
grey upholstered chairs at Dior.

Hope has a large grouping of
black and white photographs matted and framed in white
on a wall that you cannot see in the sketch.
These black and white photos are of ...
boutiques, of course!

Thanks so much for joining us today, lovelies!
You can see that we're laying the groundwork
little by little ... setting the stage for
all of the adventures to come
for these illustrated girls!

Delightful Mornings and Glamorous Nights

Our story begins today
not too far from Central Park,
at the lovely Le Parker Meridien Hotel
on West 56th Street.

On any given morning,
while some enjoy the view from high above
the city streets in their Le Parker Meridien suite ...

...  others are walking by at street level.
If this should be you,
if you listen very closely,
you may just hear a certain
"Chocolate Decadence French Toast"
whispering your name and beckoning you
to enter the Le Parker Meredien
and make your way to a restaurant
called Norma's.

Should you choose to enter the hotel,
 you'd be greeted by a

white marble hotel lobby

that would usher you up the few stairs to Norma's ...

the place that makes little bits of heaven for brunch ...

Norma's brunch experience is a well-known delight.

Pricey?  Ahhhhhh, yes.

But, this is Ooh La Frou Frou, darling,

where we always take you away to a world of luxurious fun!

The wait for such a delicious beginning to your day

can be an hour or more, but the Le Parker Meridien
has the perfect solution to the problem of such a wait ...

in the lobby, if you follow the scent of heavenly coffee,
you'll wind up at the Knave Espresso Bar ...

... during the evening, this Espresso Bar is about cocktails

and a little sultry bossa nova ... a fabulous backdrop

to that slinky little dress you bought.

But, in the morning, with the sun streaming in a lobby entrance ...

... you can sit and enjoy a delicious
hot chocolate made from ganache
(oh yes, I did say ganache)

or perhaps a delicate croissant and cappuccino

with a foamy elaborate latte art on top

while you wait for that divine breakfast at Norma's ...

This luxurious little introduction to Norma's and Knave
in the Le Parker Meridien,
brings us to our glamorous
Ooh La Frou Frou story for this week ...

Let's start, shall we? ....

If you were seated in a chair close to the girls,

you just might hear this snippet of conversation ...

Hope is explaining something excitedly to Violet and Alex
as Tiffany walks up ...
 "... sophisticated and gorgeous ...

 with a shot of glamorous fun ... "

Tiffany joins the group, stirring sugar into her cappuccino ..
"Is that the description of your perfect guy, Hope?"

Hope answers with a wry smile ...
 "Not a bad idea, Tiff, darling.  I'll make a note

to keep an eye out for someone of that description!"

Violet is enjoying keeping Tiffany guessing ...
"Any other guesses what she was talking about, Tiff?

"Hmmmmm, Tiffany says ...
sophisticated and gorgeous and glamorous fun ...
is it a new dress? Knowing you, Hope,
it must involve shopping ..."

Alex couldn't contain a laugh ....
"Actually, Tiff, you're sort of right ... "

The girls are finally called in to their
luxurious brunch at Norma's.

While their tall, slim glasses of fresh-squeezed orange juice

are refreshed repeatedly by elegant waiters all around,
Hope fills Tiffany in on her little comment.

It seems Hope was talking about a fun new little project ...
and it's a project that's a fantasy for many of us!
Hope has sold all of her previous
bedroom furniture and accessories
and is starting over from scratch ...
she wants her new bedroom to be
sophisticated and gorgeous ...
with a shot of glamorous fun ...
and , of course, she'd like decorating suggestions from the girls ...

So, with her decorating notes in hand,
Hope and her poodle Olive head out for some
serious shopping in the city ...
she's looking for paint, a rug, a bed, nightstands,
a desk, a chair, accessories ... well, everything!
And, of course, if she finds some earrings along the way ...

Several shopping trips later,
Hope has found some fabulous things.
But ... she has one dilemma.

she can't decide on which bed she loves most.

She's narrowed it down to five...

any suggestions, Glamorous Girlfriends?

Let Hope know whether you love "1 "2" "3" "4" or "5" the most!

Bed Number 1: The Arhaus Barrister Bed
Bed Number 2: The Bristol Tufted Headboard from Horchow
Bed Number 3: The Platinum Tufted Bed from Horchow
Bed Number 4: The Silver Metal Portico Bed from Room and Board
Bed Number 5: The Warner Bed from Restoration Hardware

Thanks, lovelies, for joining us
this week on Ooh La Frou Frou
for Hope's "Day and Night" post.

We've seen a decadent way to start the "Day" ...
and as for those glamorous New York nights ...

via

we learned of Hope's glamorous "Nights" dream
of a bedroom that's sophisticated and gorgeous
with a touch of fun!

Come back next week to see a sketch of
Hope's decorated bedroom

and the bed that she has chosen, with your help!
Don't forget to leave us a comment
and tell us which bed you like best!
We can't wait to hear!
Have a lovely week!