Oooh...ahhh...look! What is this assortment of loveliness I see before me? It is an elegantly wrapped packet from Betty and Violet, a vintage sewing and collectibles shop full of irresistible delights, whose exquisite blog I follow.
It is the January edition of Jeanne D'Arc Living magazine and it is the most beautiful magazine I have ever owned - until the other day that spot was saved for the wonderful Selvedge. This just creeps past it on the utterly delectable scale. I was lucky enough to win it in a Betty and Violet giveaway and I am smitten. Actually, to call it a magazine is to do it a disservice; it is more of a softback book, large and thick, simply jam-packed with sumptuous photos and ideas - and stunningly designed.
Danish in origin and with a European country accent, it is over 150 pages of lavish articles of interest - from interiors to cooking, gardening to decorating. Like Selvedge, it has a particular delicious smell which makes one want to bury one's nose in the spine. In this January edition, there is an entire section devoted to flavoured salt. Pure happiness.
The writing style is fresh and original, a pleasure to read and blissfully unpretentious. I am beginning to tire of certain popular *country lifestyle* magazines, whose articles I think are becoming a little formulaic and stylised.
Another refreshing aspect is that there is no advertising in the main magazine - just a couple of tasteful pages at the back. This means you get proper value for money and uninterrupted articles which are not visually disfigured or distracting.
'Jeanne D'Arc Living' is available worldwide through certain sites and distributors and happily for us in the UK, through the Betty and Violet site, who offer yearly subscriptions or single editions. They also have a limited amount of back issues, though you might have to fight me for them.
Snowdrop likes it too. She says she has read all of my Selvedges and that big pile of books.
I am not sure if I entirely believe her.
For the record, I haven't stopped loving Selvedge; I just think I love Jeanne D'Arc Living a tiny bit more.
