30 Day White Space Gratitude Challenge

Take our Gratitude Challenge and bring more joy and peace in your life. 

5 Steps to Getting Started:

• Morning Gratitude: Tie your morning gratitude session into something that you do everyday such as commuting to work (notice the sunrise, the crisp autumn weather and the leaves changing colors) or having a morning cup of coffee (enjoy the wonderful aroma of the warm coffee, the quiet before the day officially starts).

 

• Gratitude Letter: Take a few minutes to sit down and write a letter to someone that has made a positive influence in your life. It can be a family member, a teacher, a doctor or even someone that works at the local market. It is a simple gesture that you are letting them know that they are appreciated. It can make someone’s day and yours too.

 

• Gratitude Stroll: This can done anywhere at anytime as long as you are looking around and being aware of all of the things that you appreciate. You may notice the blue sky without a single cloud, the chirping of the finches that sit in the neighbor’s tree, or even the smell of freshly baked bread as you walk by the local bakery.

 

• Gratitude as a Life Lesson: There is always a silver lining in every cloud and the way you choose to look at an event or experience can be life changing. When faced with a difficult situation, see if you can learn something from the experience, benefit from the experience or find something to be grateful for in the experience. Turn bad into good!

 

• Sunset Gratitude: A great way to end your day may be to take a few minutes to reflect upon the good from the day. You can think of something or someone that made you smile, someone that inspired you or reflect upon the best part of the day.  

After 30 days, you should feel a positive shift in the way that you look at the people and the world around you.  Challenge yourself and start TODAY.

Healthiest Leek and Mushroom Soup Ever

 

Serves 6-8
White Space Inspiration: Lazy Sundays Cooking with the Kids

Build some white space into your weekend to cook this healthiest soup ever.  Enjoy with a baguette and good book.  Bon Appétit!

 

Ingredients

 

1 T of Olive Oil

1 1/2 cups of chopped leeks (2 small stalks- white/pale green parts only)

2 garlic cloves pressed

Fresh ginger (pinky sized piece cut in two)

2 t of minced fresh rosemary (optional)

1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes in juice

5-6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

1 large portobello mushroom diced into bite sized pieces

3 medium sized carrots peeled and cut 

2 stalks of celery cut

2C of diced green cabbage

1 C of corn

1 14.5 ounce can of black beans (rinsed and drained) *optional

1 bunch of kale (about 8 ounces), trimmed, center stalks removed, leaves coursely chopped

Preparation

 

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat

Add leeks, salt and pepper until leeks soften (about 5 minutes)

Add diced mushrooms, garlic, ginger, and rosemary (optional). Increase heat to medium high and saute until mushrooms soften and begin to brown, stirring often (about 7 minutes)

Add carrots, celery, cabbage, corn and continue to stir (about 5 minutes)

Add canned tomatoes with juice and stir for a minute

Add rinsed and drained can of black beans

Add 5-6 cups of chicken or veggie broth (can be more or less broth as preferred) and cook for 25-30 minutes at medium low temperature

 

5 minutes before serving, add the diced kale until wilted (about 1 minute)

Add salt and pepper as needed

 

Chef Ideas

*For veggies to still be somewhat crunchy cook for 25 minutes and longer for softer veggies

*Rice, barley or pasta can also be added if desired

*Other fresh and seasonal vegetables may also be substituted other than the leeks and mushrooms

10 Day Countdown to Thanksgiving

With the holidays approaching, its time to White Space the kitchen so we have peace of mind while whipping up those amazing feasts! 

Our 10 Day Countdown to Thanksgiving is the perfect way to get this done.  Tackle only one area below every day and apply our 10 simple steps to create more White Space.

 

Day 1: Fridge and Freezer  

Day 2: Silverware Drawer

Day 3: Tupperware

Day 4: Pots and Pans

Day 5: Food Pantry

Day 6: Spice Cabinet

Day 7: Appliances

Day 8: Trash/Recycling

Day 9: Counters

Day 10: Any Remaining Area

 

 

10 Steps to White Spacing Your Kitchen:

1. Remove all items from area
2. Discard expired items
3. Match items together (e.g. lids to pots) and discard or donate unmatched, unused or damaged items
4. Wash shelves and drawers
5. Designate certain areas for each category of food or cooking appliances
6. Adjust height of shelves if needed (e.g: I lowered my drink shelf, so my kids could reach the milk)
7. If you have children under 4, label each shelf with pictures
8. Put items back on shelves (nest pots and pans)
9. Place commonly used items in most accessible area
10. Make sure when cleaning counter only to put items absolutely necessary. Be ruthless here as living in White Space is about keeping things peaceful on your eye and creating space that's more efficient to do the job.

I am starting today by cleaning out the fridge.  Join the countdown with me and feel energized every time you walk into your kitchen! 

Locavore

In 2005, Jessica Prentice coined the term “locavore” to promote organic local eating and local consumption of foods that are grown within a one hundred mile radius. It is a farm to table approach that is exciting and easy to try at home.
 

With the knowledge of where and how our food is grown and appreciating the harvest in season, we are able to maximize the nutritional value of the food that we eat every day.  

To find a farmers market in Northern California go to  Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association.  If you live anywhere in the country, you have to check out this wonderful Epicurious tool to learning what is fresh each month in your area.  My kids love to then hunt for these items at our local farmers market or grocery store!

5 Summer Sea-inspired Party Ideas.

With the America's Cup hosted right now in San Francisco, I am inspired everyday when I see the big catamaran boats go by to throw a Summer Sea-inspired Party.  Here are 5 fun items for your beach or sailing gathering this summer.

Decorate your table with sea coral, beach stones or shells found during a White Space walk on the beach.

Vintage boats, anchors or sailing block and tackles as centerpieces. Found in Shop.

Rowing oars laid flat on picnic tables with mason jars of mint flavored ice water or cold beer on top.

Splash kids art to add summer fun like my son Finnegan's colorful sea anemone made of clay. 
Your child will feel like a true artist!

Bright orange and pink dahlia blooms in sea glass bottles lined down your farm table. $20 in Shop.

Now time to invite the friends, put on some Beach Boys or Eagles music and have a fun summer bash!

Children Inspire White Space Living

Just last year I closed the doors on our brick and mortar Maison Reve store in Mill Valley. My reasons were two-fold - I wanted to grow my business online and I realized I really wanted to enjoy more of everyday life with my two young children - Delphine and Finnegan.  They have inspired me to live more in what I call White Space -- living fully in the moment.  Just the other day I was watching them enjoy some popsicles on the front porch that we had made. They were giggling infectiously and so immersed in every minute of the experience that it clearly gave them (and me) such simple, authentic pleasure. It inspired me to run back in and grab my camera to try and capture the essence of this moment.  And then enjoy my own raspberry mint flavored pop!

Urban Farmhouse Holiday Warmth

We just started decorating our home for the holidays. Opening boxes of our home made ornaments, table runners, grain sack stockings, and holiday napkins with the kids makes me feel like a kid again!  One of the things I do each year to bring some winter warmth to our living room and my children, Finnegan and Delphine's, bedrooms is add a red pillow or classic ivory throw.  So simple but always brings holiday cheer to the room.  Here are a few of my favorites that might work in your home. 

 

Bholu dharti wool pillow from New Zealand. 18 x 18 inch. $160

Cloud pillow from Argentina. Hand knit. 27 x 18 inch.  $265

French sack pillow. 24 x 2 inch. $285

Cloud pouf from Argentina. Hand kint by artisans. Was $585, now $385

Vintage French grain seed sack pillow. 21 x 21 inch. $185

Rouge et blanc stripe grain sack pillow. 18 x 18 inch. $180

Cozy cable knit pillow. 16 x 16 inch. $120

Grain seed sack pillow case.  Great table runner or tree skirt during holidays! $110

 

Corriedale wool stripe throw from Argentina. Hand woven.  $265

Classic corriedale wool throw in ivory from Argentina.  Hand woven.  $265

All pillows and poufs have removable covers for easy washing and the best quality down inserts. I like to keep the items we sell special so we only carry a limited number of each one.  Email us to purchase.

I hope you have as much fun as we are decorating your home for the holidays! Yasmine

A Month in a French Farmhouse.

If you really want to sever ties with the way you live now - the environment, the technology, the language, the food, the way of living - then one of the first things you have to do is give up your smartphone. With that in mind, I'll be switching mine off this Sunday for four whole weeks. It's part of a commitment to totally immerse ourselves in another culture. My husband, two kids and I are packing our bags and winging our way to France to immerse in simple French living. 

I've always wanted to show our children this lifestyle. One that I learned as a child from my French mother. And there's no better time than the present. We found this great 18th century French farmhouse in Provence.

Our gîte (an independent house typically an old farmworkers' cottage or converted barn) is on working French farm perfect for the kids. It's only a short walk into the charming town of Vaison-la-Romaine in Provence. The town is well known for having one of the best organic weekly food markets in France. 

I will be capturing the inside stories of simple French living....from life at the cafés, decorating ideas inspired by restaurants, ateliers and farmhouses we visit, recipes from the locals and much more. All will be shared here upon our return. So share with me which culture you would like to immerse yourself in and why. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Chapter Deux

This posting gives me a chance to share more details about the next Chapter of Maison Rêve. As I mentioned in a recent newsletter, our mission has always been simple -- to inspire you to create a home you love to live in.

Not a house but a home. Filled with memories and treasures that reflects your unique personality. A place where you enjoy the simple moments of life. Casual dinner parties with friends where they stop over on a Friday afternoon with a bottle of wine and you have the baguette and cheese. Cooking with your kids so they grow up loving all kinds of cuisines and become little gourmet chefs. Reading a book (with real pages!) on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Stopping to savor lunch rather than eating at your desk. Living with vintage, organic, fair trade, and locally crafted products to stay in harmony with your environment and give back to communities. 

This vision has always been a personal one. I learned this simpler lifestyle from my Suisse French mother as a child growing up in Montréal. So it has been a pleasure not only inspiring you with our products but also, hopefully, with a bit of this simpler lifestyle too. I am so grateful to each of you for being loyal to Maison Rêve these past 9 years. It has enabled us to significantly grow and expand each year - ending with our best holiday season ever. 

So with a New Year brings new change. This change has been evolving in me for more than a year now. I am a big believer in listening to our whispers. My whisper has been telling me to grow my own creativity and impact with Maison Rêve. I have learned personally the challenge of “doing it all at the same time” while still trying to enjoy the simple joyful moments of life. Really tough. So to enable true authenticity into my life, I want to announce some personal growth of my own with what might be called the next chapter for Maison Rêve. It involves closing the store on January 31st -- with many exciting new things to come in Chapter Two. 

The next year will be a real experiment of authentically living the Maison Rêve lifestyle. I will be growing our own garden. Taking cooking classes and teaching those tips to my two young children (Finnegan 5 and Delphine 2.5). I will also be looking to share these experiences with you.  Online.  Writing for a magazine. Creating a lifestyle book. And so much more. Should you want to join in and live this simpler lifestyle with me, we’ll be sharing these experiences and tips on this blog for the sheer pleasure of inspiring one another. 

And don't worry about products. We will have plenty of our signature vintage and organic products on www.maisonreve.com to purchase. Remember we ship everywhere! For our local San Francisco Bay area customers, we will be hosting Maison Rêve Living events that combine our popular workshops and flea market finds at inspiring locations each season. My husband and I recently restored our 1893 Victorian home in Old Town Sausalito and that will be one of the venues for our Maison Rêve Living weekend events. Imagine experiencing urban farmhouse workshops throughout the property – organic gardening, simple French cooking, urban farmhouse decorating, feng shui, life coaching and more taught by local experts all while buying one-of-a-kind French flea market items right off the walls. Then maybe another event will be at a restored barn in Point Reyes. Who knows!  

If you want to keep up with these events, sign our guest book at the store this month or online at www.maisonreve.com.

If you want to benefit from our Moving On Sale come by the store soon or shop online.  Everything is 30% off! Includes: Vintage Flea Market Finds. Sofas and Rugs. Lovely Throws and Pillows. Libeco and Coyuchi Bed Sheets. Coyuchi Organic Towels. Hunter Boots. Locally Hand-made Jewelry.  Reclaimed Barn Wood Shelving. Store Fixtures and MUCH more! Sale starts January 3rd at 10 am.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me.

Thank you very much for your support. It has given me the courage to take my dream to the next level.

Yasmine
Inspirer and Founder
Maison Rêve

because some people dream in french

108 Throckmorton Avenue

Mill Valley, CA  94941

415.383.9700

www.maisonreve.com

Flea Market this Saturday, November 5 at 8AM

Text your friends.  Call your neighbors.  The truck of goodies have arrived. It's time for our once-a-season Maison Reve Flea Market. This Saturday, November 5, 8am to 5pm in the back garden of our store.

Come early.  There is usually a line outside our front door at 8am!  And this market has a twist.  We will have racks of women's clothes, shoes, purses, and accessories donated by the fashionista Moms of Sausalito Nursery School (where our owner Yasmine's children attend).  All these items are just $5 dollars each with the money going directly to support the school.  So get ready to shop until you drop.  See you at the Flea!