Bonnes Fetes mes Amis!

Wishing each and every one of you the Happiest of Holidays and a Safe and Successful 2008!

Merci, Lee

Along the Grand Canal - VENICE!

A Gondola ride down the big canal can be one of the most romantic expericences for a heart of any age. For me, it was also an inspiration! The colors, the lighting, a photo at every turn! I was invited to watch artists as they sat and painstakingly created the famous Carnival Papier Mache masks! Watched glass blowers on Murano Island create chandeliers. Had gondolas velvet slippers made for my little sore feet. And eat my weight in yummy pasta, delightful wines, and not to mention the totally to die for geleto! Check back to the website in late July for some of the Italian treasures I brought back just for you! Ciao bella!

SHIPMENTS ARE STARTING TO ARRIVE!!!!

Tres bien!!! The first of the shipments from France and England, from my last buying trip have started to arrive! Check out the latest additions on the website! More will be coming in about 2 weeks, with the largest shipment in early June!
www.myfrenchchateau.com

The Golden Age of Hotel Silver!

Longing for the days of the Golden Age of Travel? Where one dressed up to travel the glamorous ocean liners, air planes and trains. And dining was just as elegant! Not everything has gone the way of high tech and disposable.... and you can easily have it in your own home!
As we move in more fast paced circles, Hotel Silver has also growing in popularity, as a reminder of days gone by. Dinner at the Ritz, sailing on the QEII......
Flatware, platters, bowls, domes and Champagne buckets, just to name a few items used by the famous hotels, trains, ocean liners used what we classify as Hotel Silver. It is the very heavy and highly plated serving items made for elegant but constant use. Most are much simpler in design than the silver plate we use at home. with usually just the insignia stamped on the edges. Heavier too, as it is made from a triple - plated base of nickel rather than copper or brass, so it will stand up to the years of commercial use. Most items date from the early to mid 1900's.
Hotel Silver will have a few nicks or dents from all of the years of use, but will also have a "whiter" look than sterling since it is plated with almost 100% silver. But taking care of it is so much easier....just wash in hot soapy water until the next time it's called into action! So you can use it everyday!
Visit http://www.myfrenchchateau.com/ for a lovely selection of Hotel Silver platters that you can use too. And take back the glamour of days gone by!