Valentine’s Day is just two weeks away. While I find myself thinking about the people I love, I can’t help but think about some of the stuff I love too. These cute socks that I’m wearing today are a great start. They say: "I love bon bons, flowers, jewelry, perfume and you!" The Sound of Music is one of my all-time favorite movies, and I’ve always loved the lyrics to the song "My Favorite Things" since many of the items mentioned also rank high on my list of favorites. Just like Maria, I derive great pleasure from bright copper kettles, warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, and snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. 

Here are a few more of my favorite things (in no particular order):

• Hot chocolate with miniature marshmallows floating on top
• Down-filled duvets
• 600-thread count (or higher) sheets
• French windows and shutters
• My Longaberger baskets
• Good surprises
• Finding money on the sidewalk
• Lemon tarts
• Gingham fabrics
• Turtlenecks
• Tulips
• Great books that I can’t put down
• Long, flowing skirts
• Vintage jewelry
• Argyle socks
• Lemonade
• Cool breezes
• Foreign accents

You never know where the Bon Bon Queen may pop up. My polka-dot-wearing alter ego has appeared at country clubs, restaurants, hair salons, banks, corporate offices, and many other unexpected places. But a couple of weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of making a completely different kind of appearance. One of our best-loved customers (let’s call her Aunt Monkey) asked me to make a surprise appearance at her six-year-old niece’s birthday party – not as myself, not as The Bon Bon Queen, but as the irresistibly charming, French-speaking children’s book character Fancy Nancy! There is a bit of a resemblance, don’t you think?

Now Aunt Monkey and I go way back (all the way back to high school marching band!), so there was no way I could resist her unique offer. As if my Bon Bon Queen suit and hat aren’t fancy enough, I added long strands of pearls; huge rhinestone rings and earrings; an assortment of fancy brooches; and a hot pink feather boa. I carried the fanciest purse I own and brought two pair of super-fancy glasses. I also added a healthy dose of body glitter all over my face. I arrived at the slumber party with bon bon goody bags for each guest (don’t you wish you had an Aunt Monkey?) and a copy of the original Fancy Nancy book.  

Upon my arrival, the very courageous adult hosts ushered me into a room full of pajama-clad six-year-old princesses. Words can not do justice to the energy and joy radiating from those adorable kids! They had their sleeping bags laid out all over the living room floor, where they sat (or rather wriggled and giggled) while I read them the story of Fancy Nancy. Of course, their very first question was: "Is that a real cake on your hat?" I let them try on my crazy-fancy glasses; I painted body glitter on their cheeks (so they could be fancy too); and then I read. 

In Nancy’s world, more is more! She loves everything fancy: lace, ruffles, boas, frills, glitter, feathers, rhinestones, pearls – you name it! Naturally, she is completely enamored with the fanciest language there is: le français. The six-year-olds couldn’t believe that I really do speak French! I wished the birthday girl, Reagan, a "Joyeux Anniversaire" and taught them all that the proper response to tasting a bon bon is "Ooh la la!". The delightful book also introduced the girls to lots of "fancy" vocabulary words like stupendous, posh, chauffeur, limousine, parfaits, and fuschia. As for me, I was thrilled to be introduced to Fancy Nancy. Next time, you’re in a bookstore, make your way over to the children’s section and spend just five minutes reading one of her stories. I guarantee that she’ll bring out your inner princess and inspire you to get "fancy"!

How do we love you? We’re still counting the ways. Here’s another one on our ever-growing list:

#398: You take great vacation photos! 

Our customers are a well-traveled group; we love hearing about your trips to Australia, Italy, Japan, Germany and other fascinating places. What we love even more is that you think of us while you’re traveling the world. We’re especially honored when you see something bon-bon-related and include it in your vacation pics. Last year, Gretchen spotted a Bon Bon Queen imposter on her trip to China.  This year, Emily (who calls herself "one of our loyal party-goers") snapped this great shot. Emily and her family spent a week in Vietnam, where they adopted her son, Kiah. She said that when they spotted Café Bon Bon in the city of Hanoi, we immediately came to mind. She took a few photos from different angles and emailed them to us upon her return. We hope that one day we’ll have an entire ‘bon bon voyage’ photo album, so keep on snapping those cameras while you’re out there traveling!

Thanks, Emily, and congratulations on the newest addition to your beautiful family.

Pascal and I really appreciate food art. In the past, I’ve blogged about food artists Carl Warner and Joost Elffers, author of the Play with Your Food book series.  Recently, we had the pleasure of discovering Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle. Their art gives a whole new meaning to the expression "petits fours"; Akiko is Japanese and Pierre is French; they met studying at the school of "Arts Décoratifs" in Paris. Their shared interests include food, photography, comic books, and art. They combined their passions to create a fabulous collection food art. Their work is showcased on the website Minimiam, a play on words for the French expression "Miam! Miam!" or "Yum! Yum!". They use food to create landscapes in which miniature people live, work, and play. Visit the art gallery, where a close-up photo (left) first appears on the screen. Try to guess which foods are being used as the landscape before the second photo (right) appears onscreen.  We bet you’ll be fooled at least once! I particularly loved the ice skaters and the men on the moon. I never would have thought of making a "moon" out of crème brulée! There is just one problem with food art – every time I visit a site like Minimiam, those gorgeous pastries and colorful vegetables make me hungry!

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