It is such a coincidence that Catherine at The Shiny Pebble is having a Link Party today since we are knee-deep in party plans for a very special (soon-to-be!) octogenarian. Walt is a contemporary artist with a life-long passion for Cezanne. As a young man, he fell in love with Provence and Bibemus, the quarry Cezanne painted in the late 1800′s, and when he (Walt, that is) retired to the Berkshires, he named his home after that special place.
Mont Sainte-Victoire seen from Bibemus Quarry - Cezanne, c. 1897
While we would have loved to have thrown our Pink + Orange party for Walt, we decided that a French provincial dinner would be the best way to celebrate the big day. Inspired by Cezanne’s paintings, we will be using French Jacquard and woven plaid tablecloths from Primitive Artisan and decorating the tent with rice paper lanterns.
Tablecloths in Bisque Rust and Sunrise
Rice Paper Lanterns
Sunflowers are a must and we will be creating centerpieces (faux, of course, so that guests have something to take home with them) along with grape leaf garlands for the tent poles.
Carolyn Roehm with Sunflowers
As Walt is quite the chef, we thought some of our favorite Ina Garten recipes would do the trick, especially if they’re from her book inspired by Paris.
Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten
And the piece-de-resistance will be a custom cake made by our local Bedford Bakery (owned by a Frenchman, bien sur!) and decorated with fondant images of Walt’s paintings.
"Nine of Them: Pages from the New York Diary"
Fortunately, this party isn’t a suprise since we totally spilled the beans!
We know you all are dying to read about our trip to the Ocean House and the next post certainly won’t disappoint. Stay tuned!
P.S. Don’t forget to pop on over to The Zhush to read all about our Summer Style Secrets!
Photos from Quarry Scapes, Primitive Artisans, Cultural Intrigue, Veranda, Amazon and Walter Thompson Art
Tags: Bibemus Quarry, Cultural Intrigue, party ideas, Paul Cezanne, Primitive Artisan, sunflowers, The Shiny Pebble, Walter Thompson
Looks like a beautiful party! The sunflowers-centerpiece sounds like a great idea! And I adore Paul Cezanne.
What a lovely and thoughtful party. I am sure the honoree will appreciate the attention to all the detail. An artistic inspiration – of course!
What a wonderful post, love these colors and am sending happy birthday wishes to your friend. Come see what Catherine’s wearing over at my place. Have a lovely day, xx’s
Between the sunflowers, the lanterns and the artwork cake, this looks right up my alley! I think I would get along just fine with the guest of honor!
I love that Cezanne’s paintings are inspiring the decorating/theme! It’s a wonderful way to bring in the passion of the guest, and the atmosphere at that party will be amazing. I clicked over from The Zhush, and enjoyed browsing here …
What a wonderful party, I love the French Provincial theme! Fantastic colors, I feel right at home.
I found you perusing Catherine’s party, so nice to meet you! Please drop my blog anytime
What a lovely party. I adore sunflowers and all the other details as well. It should be a fabulous time. When you get a minute come see what’s happening at the Soire we are having. It’s already started, so come on. You don’t want to miss anything. Mona
I adore what you have done, love seeing this artful party and the great color palette! happy Birthday to your dear friend!!
Come and see my ideas for our party!
Karena
Art by Karena
You are throwing a wonderful party for Walt? Just love the colors, flowers and art A nice way to celebrate. I came by the way of Catherine’s party, so nice to meet you! You are welcome to my blog anytime.
Joanny
Every thing looks great,i love The Zhush,she is very talented
Gorgeous and loving post. Enjoyed this one as I am sure dear Walt did too!
x Charlotta
Thanks a bunch for the nicey you left on my blog, I’d like to invite you to join my *Cupcake Challenge*. I promise it will be loads of fun!!
What a great theme for a summer party.