To cap off last week's home tour videos, I am sharing one way I display faux flowers to make them look sophisticated and even real. I like to use leaf ribbon on the inside of a clear vase to make the arrangement look like it came from a florists' shop.



Of course there are many ways to display faux flowers. You can use glass pebbles, decorative opaque vases, and even acrylic water (which I have also done), but sometimes it's fun to use leaf ribbon to try to achieve the chic look from a florists' shop. I'm showing you how to use it in today's video with various vase shapes.





I usually get my faux flowers from Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Amazon and AFloral.

I hope you enjoy the tutorial in today's video.

News
I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day celebration. We had such a great day. I wanted to share this quote from Louisa May Alcott's, Little Women:



You have a few days left to enter my Ana Luisa Jewelry Giveaway. 3 lucky winners will receive the beautiful 'Olivia' earrings. Giveaway is for US residents only.

For more of The Daily Connoisseur, take my eCourses, Creating Your Own Ten-Item Wardrobe and Chic Financial Principles for Debt-Free Living.

On Instagram
Polish Your Poise with Madame Chic in Poland...

Dzień dobry w poniedziałek! Mam nadzieję, że udało Wam się zrobić w ten długi weekend tyle ile chcieliście, a jeśli nie wszystko to chociaż większość 😉 Dużo energii na dzisiaj Wam życzę! Pogoda jest piękna! 😍 #flamingo #ksiazka #madamechic #lekturadoherbatki #teatime #herbatkazksiążkąpl #herbatkazrana #notes #piekniejest #milegodnia #taca #bambus #kujonki #minimalizm

A post shared by Minimalistic Girl (@minimalisticgirlblog) on May 6, 2018 at 11:20pm PDT

Comment of the Week
Regarding last week's real and faux indoor plant post, DD writes, "I mix real and faux flowers in arrangements. A bunch of real lilies (inexpensive at the supermarket) in a big vase with several faux long, drooping stems of tiny orchid blossoms gives me an easy, beautiful, impressive arrangement for the entry or dining table. I've seen guests check them out and determine "real" when they see the lilies are real! Economical, beautiful, and easier to arrange and take care of than a big bouquet of varied real cut flowers."

Hi DD, what a great idea to mix real and faux in the same vase. I bet your arrangement looks spectacular!

Today, I would love to know if you use faux flowers when decorating. How do you like to display them in a vase? Let me know and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week on the blog. See you on Thursday for a pregnancy chat video.



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What a fun video I have for you today... a before and after of our master bedroom wallpaper renovation. I have always longed for wallpaper in our master bedroom, but we never wallpapered our old house for various reasons. Now that we are in a new space, I felt it time (and thankfully my husband agreed!) that we add a touch of interest to the interior design of our bedroom with wallpaper.

Our entire home is painted in the color "Silver Tradition" by Behr. This is how the house came. It's a lovely grey color, but it was a bit gloomy for the master bedroom. When we first moved into the house, we installed cream curtains with the plan to put up wallpaper in the future. Cream is the color of our bedroom furniture so we felt with the neutrality of the furniture and the curtains, we could choose a colored wallpaper that would go nicely in the room.

Here are some "before" pictures of our bedroom:



It was peaceful and serene, but a bit bland and gloomy as well.

Here are some "after" pictures:



The wallpaper is by Thibaut, from their Richmond collection. The shade is Cotswold Aqua.

Thank you to Wallpaper City and Flooring in Santa Monica and Sylvan & Phillips for doing our curtains. We like to support local, small businesses and both of these companies did a stellar job.

Be sure to check out my video to see the complete tour. If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

News

This weekend my husband and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. It was such a lovely day in Malibu!




Madame Chic in the News

Thank you to Life with Dee for recommending the Madame Chic books as resources to create a beautiful life.

Photographer Erin Ammons lists Lessons from Madame Chic as one of her current favorite reads. Thank you, Erin!

Letter of the Week
Janet T. writes:
Dear Jennifer,
I must first start off telling you that I am 60 years old, and I have read all of your books! I follow The Daily Connoisseur and I have to tell you, I have learned so much! I find your simple, subtle message appealing. I have made positive changes in my life because of your advice, and I say, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! I think your words encompass multi-generations. It's a way of life we have abandoned since the '60's that I am glad to see coming back.
I was guilty of living in jeans and flannel shirts, with the excuse that we live on a farm. I have since embraced the capsule wardrobe, and I feel so much better about myself, because I look my best, 99 percent of the time.( I do not understand how Madame Chic could stay clean and garden.)
All this to say, thank you, thank you, my dear. You are a blessing! I bet you never imagined that 6 months in France would have such a far-reaching effect!
With Fond Regards,
Janet T

Dear Janet, I loved your letter! Madame Chic has such a universal appeal and can help people of all ages. I am so pleased that the principles found in my books are enriching your life on the farm! Thank you for writing to me and sharing your testimony.

Comment of the Week
On Pregnancy Chat Part 2, Katherine R. writes:

Thank you for being such an inspiring individual. The honest and open dialogue in a poised and elegant manner is incredibly soothing. My husband and I would love a large family one day too. Your discussions remind me to be present with what is so right now. Not getting caught up in the plans of a future life, without taking those necessary actions now that will support a relaxed, chic environment and mindset. Over the past few weeks I've been working from home and my 'to do' list has been getting left to the side with a general disregard for keeping up the structure to support the easy flow of the day, meditating has also not been happening. I'll justify this with the thoughts of when X,Y or Z happens then i'll be up at 6 every day and cleaning, sorting and fully organized. I'm reminded by your video of the notion of Be, Do, Have and not living the other way around! Taking actions to make a mindful approach become second nature now, being powerful, deliberate and active. Thanks for the reminder! Katherine :)

Dear Katherine, Thank you for your lovely comment. It is so important to be present with what is "right now" as you put it. We tend to say "one day" I'll live a certain way, when the reality is we can make those changes right now. Thank you for your lovely reminder.

I love to hear from you! You can always leave me a comment on the blog or send me a letter via email on my author website. Your comment could be chosen as comment of the week!


This week I would love to hear from you. Do you have wallpaper in your home? Have you always longed for wallpaper but have been too intimidated by the process? Send me photos of your wallpapered homes on social media using the hashtag #MADAMECHIC

See you soon!

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We come to the last video of the week. I hope you enjoyed the tidy home theme on The Daily Connoisseur. I sure did have fun sharing the videos with you! We recently rearranged the furniture in our guest bedroom. This week's video is a quick tour of the room and how I got it ready for my cousin's stay. If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel at www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur


Comments of the Week
Polly writes:

You gave great advice on the exhaustion! Cutting way back on activities and expectations, getting tiny little rests (I would rest on the sofa while my children played around me--10-20 minutes of that gave me enough of a second wind for the rest of the day), going to bed *early* (when my daughter was a baby I went to bed at 8pm every night, because she was such a fitful sleeper! and I got up at 8 am when my 3 year old woke up), and thinking through the planning of essentials such as meals and laundry really go a long way. The season doesn't last forever, but it feels endless when you're sleep-deprived!

Choosing a tiny, kind thing to do for yourself each day is also helpful, in my experience. A hot bath, some time to sit and knit, fresh air, 20 minutes to read a book, sketching or writing for a few moments...these were all small refreshers that I took when my children were very tiny. Just a few minutes of some small investment in your own creativity or peace of mind makes you feel so much more human and energetic.

And it does get so much easier! You just cannot do it all when you have young children...and that's okay. Choose the best and the rest will fall into place!

Hi Polly, you give wonderful advice. I agree that investing some time in yourself each day is essential to recharge your battery. Thanks for the great comment!

TheLatonya999 writes on the Quick Morning Makeup Routine video:

Believe it or not, I am 44 years old and you just taught me how to apply makeup. Most videos of this type are just far too complicated and I don't have the attention span nor the time to apply make up in such a complicated fashion. Thank you so much!

Hi Latonya999, I love this! Sometimes you just need to see someone else's routine to get inspired to do your own.

Thank you for joining me this week. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you next time.

Jennifer x



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Thank you for your great response to yesterday's kitchen tidy video. Today is a quick family room tidy. Depending on how much energy I have at the end of the day, I usually tidy up the family room before I go to bed. But we have all had those days when we leave it until the morning. Please note: this is not a deep clean video. In deep cleans, the rug is vacuumed, floor mopped and all surfaces dusted.

Join me as I plump and fluff and dust the family room. And be careful that the paper airplane does not hit you at the end of the video!

If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or check out my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Testimonial
Susan writes:

Jennifer . . . thank you for your books and insights! In today's world of "lewd, crude and rude" your books and videos are a ray of sunshine!

Thank you, Susan! I love having this blog where we like-minded people can gather and sometimes take refuge from our unmannerly world :)

Comment of the Week

Sunisteph writes:

Before retiring, my dad would get up at 5.30AM and prepare breakfast for my sister, my mom and me. I remember entering the kitchen with a table full of "tartines"( bread slices with butter and jam) and "petits pains". Even after retiring, he still has a strong morning routine. So I believe Madame Chic had that morning routine ;) I am bad at it and need to work on my morning routine. Greetings from France

Hi Sunisteph, thank you for sharing your memories of your father. How wonderful that he made you a tartine every day. I love that he has maintained a morning routine even after retirement.

Question of the Week

Regarding yesterday's Kitchen Tidy video, Toinette deBrebis asks:

Glad to see I'm not the only one putting on an apron (yours is a very pretty one I might add) and rubber gloves ! I would like to know what product you are using to spray on your counters.

Thanks for showing that just putting in a few minutes to clean up and put things away keeps things under control at home.

Hi Toinette, I am using the vinegar/ water/ lavender cleaner I provide the recipe for in At Home With Madame Chic. I can do a future video showing this recipe if there is interest. Thank you!

Today I would love to know... how do you tidy your family room? Do you do this on a daily basis? Do you find that toys and other stray objects find their way there regularly like I do? Let us know your story in the comment section and you could be chosen as comment of the week!

See you tomorrow for a guest bedroom tour...

Jennifer x

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I hope you enjoyed yesterday's Make the Bed Inspiration post. In yesterday's comment section, Daily Connoisseur reader, Daesman, shared an article about Admiral McRaven, a retired Navy Seal. Admiral McRaven explains at a University of Texas, Austin commencement speech why it's important to make your bed every day.

"If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.
By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter."

I loved that quote!

Today we are doing a quick tidy of the kitchen. This is not a deep clean video, I am just tidying up after breakfast, so there is much less to do! For every meal, I like to have some warm soapy water in the sink that I can drop the dishes, pots and silverware in. This helps break up any food left on them before I place them in the dishwasher. I find that this actually uses less water than if I ran the sink for each additional item.

So put on your apron, don your gloves and tidy up your kitchen with me, won't you? If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Comments of the Week

Jamie Z writes:

Since reading your books I have been dressing up more and I love it! I feel better. On occasion I would have a nice dress on coming from an event and would stop by the market and actually feel good about it. Now its all the time! (:

Hi Jamie, I'm so glad you are having that great feeling every day now. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm with us!

Kerrie W writes:

My mum always said, "Make the bed, wash the breakfast dishes, sweep the kitchen floor, throw out the papers & straighten the lounge. If you do nothing else, the house will appear in order.

Hi Kerrie, I love your mother's advice! A quick tidy every day does wonders and doesn't take as long as we think it will.


Questions of the Week

Jennifer,
Hello! I was wondering if there was a way to subscribe via email to your blog updates. I only saw a feed but not a subscribe button for email. I am a big fan of your books and would love to get blog updates to my email, if that is possible.

Thank you,
Lori

Hi Lori, Half way down on the right side of the blog, you can subscribe via email. Enter your email address in the space provided and you will be subscribed. I believe you need to also check your email and click confirm to receive the emails. Thank you!

Many people ask where I get the music for my videos. The songs I use are royalty-free and from Epidemic Sounds. When posting videos on YouTube, creators must use royalty-free music for copyright reasons. The music in this week's video is
Beethoven Sonatina in G.


Today I would love to know... how do you tidy your kitchen after breakfast? What is your routine?

See you tomorrow for a family room tidy...

Jennifer x

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