Art de la table or table decorating

Has anybody noticed that many things in France become an art form?  I mean we have 'art de vivre', 'l'art d'´écrire' and now 'art de la table'.  Any dinner party in France will be an excuse to pull out all the stops as far as table decorating goes. So besides china, silverware and flowers you can pick a theme and  rush to one of my favorite places in Paris:  Point à la Ligne, where you will find the most fabulous and tasteful choice of candles and table decorations from classical to the most original.  I've added a picture from their catalogue along with some photos of beautiful crystal and silver swan salt cellars and 18th century style blue glass and silver salt cellars.  Get into party mode everyone!

Penmanship or l'art d'écrire

Trust me, I 'm the first person to advocate the speed, efficiency, immediate satisfaction of e-mailing, texting, messaging, in-boxing and so forth,   however there are moments when nothing beats writing with a  fountain pen in richly colored ink on smooth as satin paper (personally, my "lefty" handwriting takes on a more sophisticated appearance !).  One such occasion is the writing of what the French call the "lettre de château", this is a thank you letter you send to your hosts after a week-end in their country home (even when it is not a château!).   And, though I don't yet qualify as an antique,  I remember writing such letters when I was a teen!