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