Hello everyone! I'm Emilie Guelpa from Paris and I'm one of Holly's brand new columnists on decor8. I work as a freelance stylist, photographer and cookbook author and maintain a blog called Griottes. I love food so it was only natural that I met up with Holly recently at a cafe in Paris. We became fast friends and it was decided then that I would write once monthly on decor8. Today is my debut and I hope what I'm about to share makes you smile big. But first, a bit about my column...

Once a month, around the third week, I'll be popping in to share my column: Playing With Food. I won't be providing recipes or step-by-step instructions on how to make anything because my column isn't about holding your hand and telling you how to do stuff, rather this column is meant to inspire you, to build your color confidence and to show you alternate ways to look at things and how to think of ways to translate the things you see around you into the kitchen or next dinner party and to have some fun while doing it, careful not to take yourself toooooo seriously. I love to laugh and so I wish to inject some of my more quirky thoughts into the mix, too.

Spring has Sprung! In the streets of Paris all of the cherry trees are in bloom and the days have begun to lengthen. I felt inspired by the color of cherry blossoms so I took that inspiration into the kitchen and thought to pull together a quick trio of desserts meant to invite you to embrace spring's arrival. With March being the third month, three seemed like a good number to work from.

First, I made a small pink Bavarian torte with a light meringue on top, as fragile as the petals of flowers.

To invite spring to the table I brought in a few Persian buttercups along with ranunculus, pretty pastel ceramic cups, fresh pink, mint green, and a bit of Liberty fabric which is always inspirational to me. Then I decided to add some element of fun to the table, something with a little humor because this comes each and every Spring - rain! But...

These cloud shaped cookies twirl around the table and the rain is much prettier with blossoms and tiny pompoms.

These cookies landed gracefully upon a soft minty green plate... then chewed and enjoyed. :)

The final dessert in my trio is this grapefruit sherbet which gives a soft and happy ending to this tabletop and adds something refreshing and cool. Cake has a completely different texture than a cookie and sherbet is an entirely different sensation from there.

You can serve sherbet (or sorbet, ice cream, frozen yogurt - whatever makes you happy) in a cone or in a cup topped with pretty sprinkles and mini flower-shaped cookies or serve both ways (in a cone and in a cup) to vary the height of your tabletop arrangement of pretty desserts and to suit the desires of your guests as some prefer being offered a choice.

Have you heard of the poem, Spring has sprung? It is a short English poem that my friend Judikaela sent me. I find it perfectly sums up the return of spring, "Spring has sprung, the grass has ris (risen), I wonder where the birdies is. Some say the bird is on the wing, But that’s absurd, from what I’ve heard...The wing is on the bird." So cute!

Note: If this is all a bit too pastel for you, don't be afraid to work in brighter pinks and greens as shown above! Play with color and play with your food, always!

See you next month! - Emilie.

(photos: Emilie Guelpa text: Holly Becker & Emilie Griottes)