Guest House in France

We are back in Peru after our lovely winter holidays in Argentina. I thought it was going to be freezing cold but we had remarkably good weather.

Lets go on another home tour.

It took six years to restore this guest house called Un Coeur très Nature, and located in the valley of Vidourle, in southern France.





























































Photography by Patrice Binet

All images from here.

Icing on the Courtyard Cake!

Back in April I posted about our Courtyard and that it was in dire need of a makeover, to refresh your memory here is the 'before' of the main wall...

Here's what it looked like in June when I posted the reveal...

In the original courtyard post, I had a wish list of what I would love to have in this space and new furniture was obviously on the short list and on the 'someday' end of that list was a wall fountain.

On a recent trip to East Texas, my Bestie, brought me an old cast iron wall fountain that her parents were no longer using. The fountain's pump was missing, water leaked like a sieve out of the bowl and it was painted beige, but it was FREE!  

Tessa Checking it out

I Googled this type of fish spout and found out it's a Chines Dragon Fish

This beige color had to go! It was too close to the color of our house and would fade out of sight on the Courtyard wall.  I wanted it to look like it was made from bronze, so instead of spray paint, I decided to stain it with plain ol' wood stain. 

After 3 coats of stain and letting it dry over night in between each coat, I highlighted the fish, leaves and the edges of the bowl with Rub n' Buff. 

Then it was ready for the new pump and tubing to be installed and the leak to be fixed. My Man worked his magic on it (magic in the form of Silicone) and the leak problem was solved. 

After searching for wall studs (not easy to find through stucco), lot's of mathematical calculations, really, REALLY big screws, several choice words, and my Man's Hercules strength (this sucker weighs a ton) it was finally placed on the Courtyard wall.

   

Ta dah! 

The wood stain and Rub n' Buff really makes it look like bronze and now it stands out against the wall, where before it would have just disappeared, I love how all the details on the Dragon Fish show up nicely now.

It's the perfect focal point for the main wall and now it looks and feels like a true Courtyard.

Can you believe how much these plants have grown since my last courtyard post in June?

This is what it looks like at night, I love how the spotlight illuminates the gold highlights.

I am so happy with the results, and so thankful to my Bestie for giving it to me, and to my Man for making it work again and wrestling this beast up on the wall...

 It's the icing on the courtyard cake!

I will be joining these fun parties...

Delightful Order for Delightfully Inspiring Thursdays

No Minimalist Here for Open House

A Creative Princess for It's a Party!

Ginger Snap Crafts Wow me Wednesday

DIY by Design Sizzle into Summer

Savvy Southern Style Wow us Wednesday

Debbie Doo's Newbie Party

Interior Designer Ana Ros

Spanish interior designer Ana Ros lets us step into her lovely home in Barcelona. Style and elegance in every room. The last pictures are close ups of the furniture and details.









































Our winter holidays are nearly over :(
Ah well, it's back to Peru tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be back to posting every day as from Monday.
Have a beautiful weekend!

All images from here.

Feta Stuffed Zucchini Boats

I picked up some zucchini squash at our Farmer's Market last Friday and instead of going with my usual way of preparing them, which is either out on the grill or baked in a squash casserole, I decided to make them look a little fancier and stuff them.

This is somewhat like a squash casserole, but using the squash it's self as the dish, and the feta makes it really delicious and the panko crumbs brown nicely giving it a gorgeous color.

Recipe: 


2 zucchini squash, about 7 inches long, halved lengthwise, with the stem end left intact.
1 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
2 eggs 
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon paprika


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray an oven proof dish with cooking spray. 


With a paring knife, cut around the zucchini, leaving a small rim, and cross hatch the center as shown below.

Scoop out the insides with a small spoon or grapefruit knife, leaving the outer skin in tact for the boat.

Chop the scooped out zucchini in smaller pieces. Melt butter in a small skillet and add the chopped zucchini, shallots, and garlic and saute until soft.


In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs, stir in panko crumbs, feta, salt, pepper and the zucchini mixture.


Stuff mixture into the zucchini boats, sprinkle the tops of each with paprika.

Bake for 25 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

Plate and serve hot. Makes 4 side dishes or 2 main courses served with a side salad.


As you can see, the humble zucchini has now become a fancy side dish that is pretty enough for company, and really delicious too!

Enjoy!

 I will be joining... 


Home Savvy A to Z for Savvy for HomeMade Monday


 Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday

 Stone Gable for On the Menu Monday

Artist's Home in France

Sorry I'm not posting as often as I said I would. My holidays are great and I'm not left with much time to sit down and blog.
But today I'm taking you to France, mes amis. Isabelle, a French artist, inherited this country home from her grandmother. Built in 1832, it is located in Uzès, Cévennes in southern France.

















Photography by Christoffer Rouffio