Summer Hat Festival - Caussade France

Chateau Dumas is a wonderful place to get creative in France.  This year I was able to travel to France and participate in a week long millinery workshop.  Just as exciting is the annual Hat Festival.

Each Summer in France in the village of Caussade and Septfond there is a hat festival.  Part of the celebrations include a competition for milliners.  Entries come from all over the world.  I had booked in to do a Bridal Headwear workshop with the wonderful Dillon Wallwork at Chateau Dumas.  I thought it would be fun to enter some hats into the competition - just to see them in amongst all other hats from everywhere.

The celebration includes a fair and street entertaintment.  It creates a real carnival atmosphere.

There were some amazing pieces submitted in each of the competition categories.

 

There it is....



Me and my hat on the other side of the world.



Here's the other one - from Australia to France

Wedding Expo

I recently attended the CQ Bridal Expo here in Rockhampton.   This was my first time exhibiting any of the bridal headpieces I had learnt to make in France earlier this year. I met some wonderful newly engaged gals and their Mums and bridesmaids... there were even a few prospective grooms in the room.

Chateau Dumas - Millinery Workshop in France



Chateau Dumas - so pretty in the July sunshine.



Dillon Wallwork on the left.  Such a great millinery teacher.  I learnt so much during this wonderful week of making Bridal Headwear,

Masterclass on making roses for beautiful bridal headpieces

Such wonderful vintage hat blocks - borrowed for our use from Chapeau Willy's

How can you get sick of this view - lavender was in full bloom

Everywhere you look are georgous treasures found in the local flea markets.

A view from the Chateau across to the Gate House.

Dinner on the final night - such wonderful fun.  Beautiful headpieces made during the week.

We are here in Paris

After 20hrs flying time and an 8 hour stopover in Singapore,  a bus, a train and a metro we are in our spacious Paris hotel. I had quite forgotten how small they really are.  The door just opens enough to let you into the room and bangs against the bed. Yes it is small but it will do the trick for us. Best of all the concierge was able to let us into our room well before 2pm. We will be able to have a shower  stretch out and then we can head out and get familiar with Paris all over again.   We  are in the 6th arrondissement - so within easy walking distance to the Eiffel Tower, Boulevard  St Michel, Montparnasse and lots more.

At the moment it is bliss just being horizontal and stretched out.

Lesson for the day - I am not a 20year old backpacker and I dont have to do things the cheapest we can.  Yes we can use a taxi and no we dont have to handle luggage up and down Metro steps.

Nous somme ici and bonjour Paris.