Welcome to TSLL’s week of celebrating all things French, and as I type, I am enjoying a pot of French thé after having been outside this morning in mon jardin, my gradually maturing potager, nibbled on some fresh strawberries that were just asking to be plucked, and now am listening to the birds twitter about in the cherry tree just outside my window.

France tickles my everyday life, and especially so when I step into my kitchen, my pace through the day and my décor. No doubt, if you are stopping by today, France and its culture has tickled something in you as well, and keeps drawing you back. Whether it is the food, the pace of life, the beauty, the art, the wine, the fromage (I guess technically fromage is food, but really, we all know its its own category ☺️?), there is just something about France that speaks to you which means you are in very good company and have stopped by TSLL blog during the best week of the year.

TSLL’s 7th Annual French Week begins today and runs through next Sunday, August 21st.

With at least two posts being shared each day (there will be three shared today, including this one), stop by every 12 hours for a new post, and intermixed among these posts will be the six giveaways. The first giveaway has already been posted, and I will link to that at the end of this post.

Enjoy all of the posts at an easy to find location on TSLL blog, reading at your leisure.

~Simply click on “French-Inspired” on the Menu bar just below the header, and then a drop-down menu will appear. Then click “French Weeks“, and it will take you to the page you see below. Catch up on past French Weeks, or check in on the latest post shared during this year’s festivities.

Earlier this year, my latest book, The Road to Le Papillon: Daily Meditations on True Contentment was released, and with the support and interest of TSLL community, became not only a #1 New Release in France Travel, but a #1 Bestseller for the week in early March it became available for purchase. The book is part-memoir and part daily meditation, sharing an entry for each day of the year to inspire you to cultivate your own unique life grounded in true contentment by way of sharing how I discovered to do so with stories from my own journey (learn more here).

I share this about the book because, while many of you already know, the 7th chapter which is the July chapter, is all about France, and August (the 8th chapter) shares many ideas and stories drawn from the French culture as well. Really, throughout the entire book, France and my love for a culture that has been the leading catalyst in the trajectory of my life journey, is included here and there and everywhere, evidenced by the name I gave my home – Le Papillon (the butterfly).

The illustrator I had the good fortune to work with on all of the 14 illustrations you see in the book, and now some have been included in TSLL’s new blog design were created by Sarah Loēcker (read this detailed post about Sarah and each of the illustrations and their inspiration), and it was this spring, upon my return from Paris and England, that Sarah began to create a new illustration for TSLL’s French Week.

Drawn from specific photographs I captured while walking about and returning to the City of Light this past April, a trip my mother joined me on – her first visit to Paris, my sixth – I would love to share with you the locations and moments that inspired the images you see in the illustrations above and below. But first, I have a feeling many of you recognize most, if not all, of the items and can recall where they are located. Go ahead and grab a croissant and perhaps a café au lait, and take a moment to pondering each one.

~Just below: A photograph Sarah captured in Austria before shipping the illustration to Oregon this past July (follow her IG account @tea_in_the_studio for more pics just like this one, beautiful composed capturing vignettes of moments with tea in her everyday life and studio).

• glass of rosé wine
• flat scallop shells
• croissant
• green Fermob chair
• cheese rounds
• painting
• tree in blossom
• ironwork and arches
• garden urn

I want to thank Sarah again for spearheading this idea for an illustration. The moment I returned to the states, she sent me what she had come up, which I was delighted to see. A memory of this trip captured in an illustration (she can create one for you as well! learn more about her work and commission via her website). You can see all of my IG Stories images and pics in the Highlights under FR Trip ’22.

Here is the list of answers/items depicted in the new illustration for TSLL’s Annual British Week:

• glass of rosé wine —let’s begin with a glass of wine, a very good idea indeed ?. This crisp glass of rosé was sipped and savored (I may have ordered a second glass) whilst enjoying the plat du jour at Café Lignac in the 7th arrondissement just a block away from our Paris Perfect vacation rental. I will be sharing a detailed post about this new restaurant which just opened this past October, and as well, watch Season 5 of The Simply Luxurious Kitchen cooking show where I recreated the plat du jour that knocked my socks off.
• fan scallop shells —seen at the Marché de Saxe-Breteuil in the 7th arrondissement, open on Thursday and Saturday. Enjoy a view of the Eiffel Tower as you pick up fresh, seasonal market fare.
• croissant —the illustration could not have been complete without a croissant, something we enjoyed each morning, and seems synonymous with any trip to France. I popped into four different boulangeries in the 7th during our stay just to taste test, and while all amazing, my favorite was the one picked up on the corner of the Marché de Sax-Breteuil before wandering about the market.
• green Fermob chair — nothing more clearly identifies that you are in Paris than the Fermob green jardin chairs, and these were found at Les Jardin des Tuileries on a spring morning.
• cheese rounds — found at the ever-popular, and frequented by the locals as much as tourists, La Fromagerie (31 rue Cler), on the famous street in the 7th Rue Cler. I will be writing a detailed post including many of the shops worth visiting on this street in Paris later this week.
• painting — Monet’s panels of his waterlilies seen in Musée de L’Orangerie located on the right-side as you enter Les Jardin des Tuileries. I will be sharing a detailed post and video of my visit later today here on the blog. If you are a TOP Tier Member, you can see this video and many more videos of my visit to Paris in May’s (2022) A Cuppa Moments.
• tree in blossom — the cherry trees were in full fuchsia pink blossom show-time splendor when we arrived (mid-April), and I couldn’t capture enough photos and videos (watch a video of our visit to the park in May’s A Cuppa Moments for TOP Tier Members).
• ironwork and arches — the Gare du Nord in the heart of Paris where we boarded the EuroStar
• garden urn — found in the Tuilieries

Take a look at all of the images that inspired the illustration. Each shared below:

Beginning in 2016, TSLL’s French Week continues to be readers’ favorite week of the year (and I too look forward to it very much as well). Each year around the commencement of this week’s events, I tend to be inspired to plan my next trip or sign up for a French language class. In fact, I just signed up for my fall language course yesterday with Washington D.C.’s Alliance de Française which comes highly recommended from fellow TSLL readers. I am determined to improve! ☺️

What to Look Forward to This Week During TSLL’s French Week

• Six giveaways with nine winners with the Grand and final Giveaway being announced on Friday August 19th with only a 24-hour window to enter, so do be sure to stop by throughout the week to enter.
• Two posts every day this week, running through Saturday August 20th, and all of the winners will be announced in the final post on Sunday August 21st. 
• Two Podcast episodes, French-inspired theme (Monday and Thursday)
• Detailed posts of recommended places to visit, dine and explore in Paris from my most recent trip this past April.
• Engagement, ideas and memories shared from all TSLL readers regarding their affection for the French culture in the comments section of each post.
• Be sure to explore becoming a TOP Tier Member (monthly, quarterly or yearly options available) — ad-free reading AND exclusive ability to enter all of British and French Week’s giveaways, unlimited reading of all TSLL’s content. Yep, even the exclusive content which includes TSLL home tours and Shannon’s Journey posts (what made me smile, Saturday Ponderings and the monthly A Cuppa Moments video chat).
• And the first giveaway is live now on the blog – be sure to log in if you are a TOP Tier Member, or become one so you can enter.

Speaking of giveaways, there will be nine lucky winners this week, and if you are a TOP Tier Member of TSLL blog you will have the opportunity to enter to win each one. (Learn more about the many benefits, along with being able to have exclusive giveaway access here when you explore the TOP Tier Member options. And do keep in mind, the prices you see today will go up on January 2023, so if you sign up prior to that date, your price is grandfather/mothered in and will never change so long as you remain an Active member).

And as it has become a custom, the first post of French Week begins with a giveaway!

The First Giveaway:

One reader will win their own Trudon candle. Handmade in Normandy from a company that was founded in 1643. These are candles of luxury, and one candle from the Classics collection of $135 value will be given to a lucky TOP Tier Member.

Learn more about exactly what is being given away in this post where you will also be able to enter. (If you leave a comment here, you will not be entered in the giveaway – be sure to leave a comment on the Giveaway post – linked below.)

Click here to enter the Trudon Candle Giveaway

Thank you for stopping by to begin this festive week of all things French! Be sure to stop by later today as I have a third post to share with you. Bonne journée!