Hello! I hope you're having a wonderful summer. I am officially back to the blog on Monday with a post and video on great books I read this summer (along with a giveaway for the exciting new book, Queen's Gambit!) but before jumping back in, I wanted to show you my summer in pictures.

It's been an interesting summer...

I turned another year older...


I got to meet principal ballerina Allyssa Bross of the Los Angeles Ballet* ...


I baked a blueberry cake**


I broke my toe***


I attended the theatre on crutches. (Nothing could keep me from the arts!)****


I did my very first book signing at Anthropologie in Rancho Cucamonga and got to meet so many lovely readers (some who drove all the way from Barstow and San Diego!)*****



Here I am with the amazing and welcoming staff at Anthropologie Victoria Gardens, who hosted a first-class book signing from start to finish.


So, all in all, the summer has been fabulous. Broken toe and all :)

I'm looking forward to seeing you on Monday as I share my favorite books of the summer with you.

See you then! x


*Allyssa and I are at London Sole for Art Walk.

**Yes, I will share the recipe with you soon.

***Boo!

****A very worthy cause, Dizzy Feet Foundation's celebration of dance provides dance education to underprivileged youths.

*****The next book signing is August 29th at Anthropologie Santa Monica from 1pm - 3pm, RSVP HERE! And in this picture I am wearing Anthropologie. A lovely wine lace dress to add to my cocktail dress 'extras'.



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Bonjour Everyone,

I hope you are all having a delightful summer. I'll be taking some time off from the blog. Taking care of a toddler and a baby is fun and rewarding but it's also exhausting and I need a break to refresh my little grey cells (as Poirot would say :) ).

Summer Ten-Item Wardrobe

Many of you have asked about my summer ten-item wardrobe. I've only purchased one dress to update my wardrobe (the full story is explained in my video). But this dress, from Anthropologie, is the dress of the summer for me. I love it! And it's machine washable too. Who could ask for more?

Book Signings

I have two book signings coming up in August:

Saturday, August 10th 11am at Anthropologie Rancho Cucamonga
7812 Victoria Gardens Ln
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
RSVP HERE

Thursday, August 29th from 1pm to 3pm at Anthropologie Santa Monica
1402 3rd Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
RSVP (coming soon)

I hope to see you there!

Check out my summer dress and more in this week's video. 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

Even though I won't be blogging for a few weeks I still look forward to connecting with you on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a wonderful summer...

See you soon! x


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Happy Independence Day American readers!

I always get a bit emotional on the 4th of July, especially when watching the fireworks in the evening. They are just such a perfect and joyous expression of our love for this country... I hope you had a wonderful celebration yesterday, and that it continues on throughout the weekend!

Madame Chic in Poland

Lessons from Madame Chic was released in Poland yesterday by acclaimed Polish publishing house, Wydawnictwo Literackie.


To promote the book, this beautiful series of watercolors have been released by artist, Tomek Minkiewicz.


Also, check out Make Life Easier, Poland's most popular fashion blog, who has featured our book this week, along with a series of fabulous pictures with Kasia Tusk. (Thank you to our facebook friend, Prozak, for sharing this article.)

I look forward to connecting with my chic Polish readers! x

Anthropologie Book Signings

I will be doing two book signings in August at Anthropologie stores in Southern California:

Saturday, August 10th at 11am Anthropologie Rancho Cucamonga (where I grew up!)
7812 Victoria Gardens Ln
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
RSVP HERE

Thursday, August 29th from 1pm to 3pm at Anthropologie Santa Monica
1402 3rd Street Promenade
Santa Monica, CA 90401
RSVP (coming soon)

I hope to see you there!

Don't forget to enter the Belvada giveaway. The winner will be announced on the rafflecopter widget as well as contacted directly.

Have a wonderful weekend x

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I loved watching Old Hollywood movies when I was a kid. The 30s and 40s seemed like more than a different era, but a different world. A world where people dressed up, wore hats and gloves and had a natural air of elegance about them. Times have clearly changed and now fashion has become much more casual. So casual, in fact, that women can sometimes feel overdressed when they are simply dressed nicely.

Reader Janki sent me a question about how to overcome feeling like you are overdressed. My answer is in this week's video. 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

Madame Chic in China


Lessons from Madame Chic debuts in simplified Chinese this week. I just love the cover, so feminine and exotic. I'm looking forward to connecting with my Chinese readers!

Testimonials

I love to hear how Lessons from Madame Chic has inspired you. This testimonial comes from Geramyum, who writes:

Your book has lead me to really analyze so much more than my wardrobe. Just in the last few weeks I've gone over my kitchen and bathrooms as well. I have to say I'm starting to feel freed up. Why do I keep all these towels that I cringe when I look at them? Why do I have three jars of pickles? Why do I keep these socks I haven't worn in five years? WHY!? I can't even come up with an answer except that I feel guilty getting rid of stuff. But the "stuff" is making me crazy. I'm thinking and taking my time with purchases and waiting to make sure of what I want and NEED. I'm being mindful. Mindfulness is not natural state for me, but everyday I try. Please continue on your crusade.

Thank you Geramyum!

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In this installment of reader questions answered, I'm addressing a question that I get all the time: Jennifer, don't you get bored with your capsule wardrobe?

The short answer is no.

And the long answer... well it has a lot to do with our constant need for variety in our modern society. If you find yourself constantly feeling 'bored' with your clothes, it might be time to question your thought process and revive appreciation for what you already have.

Curious to hear more? Check out this week's video. 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

What are your thoughts on this subject? I would love to know...

Testimonials

I love getting messages from readers who tell me how Lessons from Madame Chic has helped them. I think you'll get a kick out of this one from Emily M. who wrote to me on Facebook:

Good Morning! I have a story for you that shows how your book is influencing complete strangers' lives...My aunt gave me your book for Christmas, because she knows how I love the French and their way of life and thought this would be a fun read. I took a lot from it, reminisced about my own time in Paris, but the one that hit me the hardest was the china! The more I thought about it, the sillier I felt...only using it on special occasions and for company, but not my own children/husband who are the most important people to me in the world! Anyway, I started Sunday night dinners for us (my kids are ages 8, 7,4, 10 months) in the dining room, (French food of course) china and all. We are having so much fun and the kids really look forward to their fancy Sunday dinner with French BREAD (a must). If that weren't enough, I saw a contest for "The Family that Breaks Bread Together, Stays Together...Tell us your Story" sponsored by a regional bakery here on the East Coast. So, I entered our Sunday night story which we have done consistently for six months and we won! I now get free weekly bread deliveries and they are filming us for a commercial! I'll send it to you after they film it in July. I thought you should know how you have inspired my family and to say quite simply, thank you!

Congratulations Emily! We are so happy for you and your family!

If you would like to share how Lessons from Madame Chic has inspired you, please send me your testimonial. I'd love to share your story on the Daily Connoisseur...

Next week Reader Questions Answered continues as I discuss 'feeling overdressed' and more. See you then! x

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Thank you for your great response to last week's video, What's in my Fridge? I really enjoyed reading what food you keep in your home. I'm going through a whole reinvention process with how I cook, feed my family and organize the kitchen (which, of course, I'll share with you in the future) and it was fun for me to do the video.

To continue the theme of home tours, today's video shows you my patio garden. I keep container plants: roses (Mr. Lincoln and Double Delight— my two favorite!), camelia, jasmine, geranium and vines. I find with container plants that frequent fertilizer is necessary for them to thrive. I use an organic plant food from my local garden center.

Our patio space is compact but we get a lot of enjoyment from it. The scent from the jasmine and roses is quite strong this time of year and wafts into our bedroom like perfume— it's really lovely.

If you are unable to see the above video, which includes an appearance from Gatsby, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

Have a wonderful week x


♥ Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families affected by the shootings in Santa Monica last week. Santa Monica is a beautiful place to live and we feel devastated that these horrible acts of violence have touched us here. We won't let it get us down, however. We will rise above it and continue to thrive in our beloved little seaside town ♥

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Going into the weekend, I wanted to share some exciting book news with you...

Ciao Italia



Le Lezioni di Madame Chic was published in Italy last week by Piemme. Ciao Italia! I'm enjoying hearing from my chic Italian readers and look forward to connecting with you more in the future!

Anthropologie


Walking into my local Anthropologie yesterday, I was so proud to see Lessons from Madame Chic displayed on their front table alongside Ines de la Fressange's Parisian Chic. Back in the beginning when I was trying to get my book published, a literary agent told me it would never happen because Ines' book had just been published. So glad I didn't listen to that advice... there is clearly room for both. Please let this be a reminder to all of us to follow our dreams— no matter how many people try to dissuade you. Thanks to my facebook friends for all of your encouraging feedback and support!

Vanity Fair

Lessons from Madame Chic is described as teaching 'subtle panache' in July's issue of Vanity Fair in an article that discusses the French woman genre phenomenon. It's an interesting article and a great mention. On newsstands now!

Have a wonderful weekend... See you next week! x

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In this week's video I show you the contents of our refrigerator on a typical weeknight. We are a family of four with my husband, my toddler, my baby and me (oh yes, and Gatsby!), so the contents of the fridge reflect all of our likes. For example, my husband loves the Skippy smooth peanut butter and won't have anything else. Same with the Yoplait yogurt... I have a few musts as well.

You'll also notice the Bio-K probiotics I have. I find that since I started drinking this friendly bacteria my digestive health has seriously improved. Also worth noting are our two drawers of vegetables. We receive a vegetable box once a week delivered fresh from our local farm (Farm Fresh To You for those of you in Los Angeles). I love getting creative with ways to cook the seasonal veggies.

At the time of shooting this video there is no meat in the fridge. We usually eat meat (fish, chicken or a roast- a must for my husband!) around three times a week and I try to buy it as fresh as possible.

Another thing to note is I usually prefer to make my own pie crusts but on busy weeknights it is nice to have a pre-prepared one handy for making savory tarts or that strawberry pie...

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

This week I would love to know... What's in your fridge?

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