The traditional translation of the infamous French phrase supposedly spoken by a great princess upon learning that the peasants had no bread is commonly attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette, however, there is no record of her ever uttering the callous and ignorant remark. Despite her own undeniably lavish lifestyle, she was an intelligent woman who donated generously to charitable causes and displayed sensitivity towards the poor population of France. I recently purchased a piece for the entry way of my nest eager in creating another vignette but also in anticipation of good cheer to come and to organize the agonizing shoe and backpack issues of our foyer. My inspiration was sweet, rosy faced Marie Antoinette, a tenderhearted grande dame. To add a bit of glam that she adored, I capped the weathered piece 
I scooped up at the flea for $30 with gold leaf and also gilded the legs with more crowned indulgence. 
(I ended up spending a bit more for the redux supplies) Historically, I’m not sure of the hue of the era, however, I picture this blue when I think of opulence. 
It was certainly a time of trial and error for me working with a different medium like the sensitive-to-touch gilding sleeves. After three different brands I am recommending another grande dame of crafting that is…Martha Stewart. 
Her gold leaf sheets were more manageable to apply and I preferred her interpretation of the 18K gild (Can’t you picture her in control of every step of the process.) For the paint I used Chalkboard Paint and mixed their blue and grey paints. I followed instructions and used a foam roller for the first two coats, however, I ended up brushing on the third and final coat. I love brushing! The repetition of the soft, light and swift strokes drew me into a meditative trance and turned my experience from the trials and tribulations of gilding to a pleasingly ephemeral one. While I am on the rant of debunking, let’s clear the air that “cake” was lost in translation as well, the sniffed word was brioche, a more luxe loaf…a decadent bun if you will. In honor of my latest pièce de résistance in my nest and with my insatiable craving for chai, I prepared these jewels, Chocolate Dirty Chai Mini Bundts. 
Recipe is adapted from Bubble Girl Bakes. Oh yes, and the details of the giveaway…It’s an area rug from World Market and is gently used. 
I can’t seem to find an apropos place for it in my current nest so if you leave a comment about where you would enjoy it in your nest it just may fly your way for the holidays. You must be a subscriber of thefolia as well, simply scroll down on my home page to follow blog via email, type in your email and click follow. Already a follower—thank you, then your next step would be to like thefolia on Facebook. Winner will be randomly selected on December 19th. This giveaway is for subscribers in the United States. Bonne chance mes amis!
thefolia.com 
The table looks wonderful. I think you captured the era beautifully. The area rug is very pretty, too. Sadly, I don’t really have a place for it. But I’m sure it will be a wonderful addition to someone’s home. What a great idea for a giveaway. Now if we can just figure out how to keep those endless shoes and backpacks in the areas we’ve created for them…
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Thank you! So far so good with the packs, the shoes manage to find their way about 50% in the bin, so it’s a start.
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You did a great job Cristina. I love your aesthetic.
Alyssa would love the rug in her newly decorated room. She’s changing it from pink princess to white walls and bold accents, like her dark blue bedding.
Hope to see you soon. Xoxo
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Thank you for your encouragement and participation! Wow how we are growing up, non? Best of luck with the room transformation and with the rite of passage age!
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Congratulations you are the lucky winner of my giveaway! I will be in contact with you so that you may see it for Christmas in your nest. Is anyone in your nest allergic to cashews or sumac? I would like to send you some of my Brazilian peppercorns as well!
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I’d put it across my couch, which is locus of everything in my house. It’s the first thing I see. It’s also where I prepare my “nest” where I literally have a hand-knit blanket, a giant hand made floor pillow. I take all these together and wrap them around me, while I work on art and sip tea at my coffee table. It’ll become part of my comforting zone 🙂
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What a fantastic idea! I want the same kind of material for reupholstering a chair, however, I wanted black and white colors…another project on my list of things to do. Best of luck!
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I love what you did with the gold on your table! Beautiful!
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Thank you…it was in need of something new, fresh and glitzy.
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Wow – very impressed with the way you transformed that table!
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Thank you…I am planning an even more ambitious project next without paint, however, with more patience and time I imagine.
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looks fabulous!
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Thank you for stopping by!
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At the moment…we are piling things up to bring to Prague in 2 days, all over the living room, on the sofa, chairs…so crazy around here!
And then I see your post and pictures and ah…what serenity!
Take care till we see you next time. Say hi to boys.
Happy holidays!!!
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Ahhh the excitement of preparing for a trip, always a little bit of disarray but worth it when you arrive to your destination. May you have a peaceful holiday in Prague! Kisses to all.
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Well, I’m truly sorry to be late to read this beautiful post, but as much as i love the rug–and I DO!–I probably don’t have a good place for it either so I’m glad someone else will be the proud recipient. I’m sorry you weren’t able to use it. Your nest and the furnishings are so serene and beautiful, Cristine. The mini bundts really turn my head. I must try that recipe. 🙂
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No worries Debra…there will be more giveaways don’t worry! Thank you as always for your supportive words. Enjoy the mini bundts!
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