French Modern Decor - ohhhhh noooooo!

I don't have the names of the boutiques that had these displays - I forgot to take pix of the signs and tried to snap these on the sly as not to mortify my fellow travelers! A colleague that has been on assignment in France has commented that IKEA modern decor is the norm in the homes that she has been to visit.

NOTICE the hot pink dresser tucked into the corner? The only nod that I've seen towards what I expect of French decor were a few painted pieces of reproduction antiques painted in these hues. And the arrangements were all very, very far from what I want in my home. Statement pieces and clean lines... I'll keep searching for the France we love, maybe next time I'll find the right town with the right stores!

French Meringues! Yummmmeeeeee!

Obviously Bigger is Better - Especially in Meringues! Perched casually atop the pastry case in a tiny little town in Northern France last week. . .

I found these huge meringues - they are about 3 inches tall and 9 or so inches long - all lucious. They were displayed casually in a boulangerie. My co-worker and I had a bit of time to shop before our rail to Paris and luckily, it was before the shops closed at 7pm. We waited patiently with a line of locals picking up their evening bread. They make it fresh for this after evening crowd. Every thing is very civilized and rather slow by our standards. And I will still eat the tiny store version of meringues that I buy at Target...but really... how will they ever compare?

Boulangerie = a bakery shop that specializes in in breads & rolls. Can you imagine how good the pastry was? No picture to share - I gobbled it as I strolled through just like the locals.

Except, let's face it - this middle aged American looks like anything but a local in France! Au revoir!

I'm linking to White Wednesday... check out the cool spring inspiration over there...

Lécher les Vitrines!

translation = licking the windows, or as we like to say WINDOW SHOPPING! Arrived in France on Sunday - sadly the quaint shops are closed... pretty window displays to tease me (no burlap in sight ;) )

so clean and neat and inspiring...

and then we stumbled upon ONE OPEN SHOP. The owner was having work done at her shop and allowed us the chance to come on in! Purses, shoes, boots, killer accessories, a tiny spa... the downstairs is the shoe and boot room - how about the WALLS and decor in dressing rooms!
Everything was so carefully planned and displayed...
the ceiling!
and a pretty pair of fuscia and black suede pumps with killer French heels for ME! Wahoooooooo... because I totally misjudged the spring attire here in northern France...
everyone is still in black and boots. Tomorrow - Thursday is all work, work, work... glad I got this little bit of fun!

Play "Pay it Forward 2011"

Hi there my fellow junque-y friends,

I know you're out there and like me,

rarely have time to comment on each blog that visit,

but this may bring a few of you out...

I'm joining Jeanne from junxtaposition
For a round of

Pay it Forward

(Be sure and check out her site - she does really

cool typewriter stuff, and her tags w/ vintage images

and cute sayings make great gift tags for your gal friends...!)

And I would love to offer a handmade present to the first five people who comment

and agree to play Pay it Forward as described below.

Sooooo...The first five people who comment on this blog post
will receive a handmade gift from me.

(after I return from France on March 25th!)

In return, you must write a blog post explaining
Pay It Forward 2011. Then.... send out a handmade gift
to the first 5 visitors who leave a comment on your post.

Take your time...you don't need to send them all today
or tomorrow. Any time in the next few months.
No pressure.

This is to be a joyful experience.

I had a lot of fun with little blog parties and swaps

when I first started blogging a few years ago and

am happy to participate in another event!

"It's not the size of the gift that matters,
but the spirit of paying it forward."

Not sure who to give credit to for the cool graphic... thanks though!

My Passport(s)

Yep. A week after ransacking my house. Tearing everything apart. And last night I went to put away the sewing machine that's been sitting on the dining room table cause I'm trying to make the house presentable while I'm away. And on the floor in the linen closet where I THOUGHT my passport was hidden on the top shelf - tada... my passport.

It was under the sewing machine vinyl cover.

Did I really not look there?

I went through about

20 tins of beads,

4 suitcases of vintage papers,

supplies,

6 totes of fabric

every pocket on every piece of clothing that I own.

In and on every dish in my kitchen.

and in all my Christmas decoration totes!

And I told my boss that I'd lost it.

Who is a rock I tell ya - he's the last person who would ever lose something valuable.

IN HIS OWN HOUSE

And today my new one came.

What a life.

Drama.

Self supplied.

Always.

Saturday - middle seat, 9 hour flight + Sunday - exploring caves in France = Xanax

Another chapter in my book I suppose...

(WOW - check out this link about caves - hopefully my love of history will outweigh my claustrophobia!!)

I like to sew buttons and beads on stuff

But not if it is necessary for a purpose. You with me? My dad still asks about the pair of jeans that only needed a button sewn on. It seems he gave them to me about 4 years ago in my sewing crazy days. Oops!

I love to take scraps of fabrics and notions and make 'em into something pretty. I'm not an abstract artist - I like my little creations to look like stuff when I'm done. How's that for deep?!

Any how... I am in love with vintage labels and O M G this City Paris new old stock unused labels. Well - as part of a challenge at Karla's I broke in to my besties! The fabric was from an upholsterer that went out of business and I've been treasuring it for 3 years! (that drama can be read about here.)

I have 2 rolls of the vintage City Paris labels... and I still fretted about using this much! My friend, (only follow this link if you like a good laugh and aren't too uptight!) Libby and I are having so much fun and making some pretty pretty stuff at our craft-o-dramas that we're kicking around getting a gig going for other locals and locos ;) . I thought this would be a great class to offer... But who knows? We may just end up drinking margaritas, laughing and treasure hunting.

Speaking of drinking - when I'm in France next weekend I was invited to go wine tasting in a cavern. Doesn't that sound like a CAVE? Sounds divine. I'm really claustrophobic. Really. Like I'm packing Xanax because I have the middle seat on a packed 9 hour flight. Really. I can't make this stuff up. Mind over matter old gal, you can do this... !

where in the *&#@ is

my passport?

I think I HID IT SO IT WOULDN'T GET STOLEN by the nice man who fixed my water heater. Cause I'm sure he was the type to steal a middle-aged woman's passport with my horrid picture. I wish I could add the little thingy for :rolleyes: here!

And I am not just saying that - it was the worst picture I've EVER taken... I'm pale, so pale I look like an Albino, and the employee couldn't get any darker and wasn't sure if it was legal. We joked at work that I'm too white to leave the US! And stern, so stern -I'm used to telling people they can't smile on pictures for Visa applications... I took that to heart. I look like a cross between a nun and a prison guard. And, the well-defined the double chin didn't even alarm me so much cause there are somethings you expect after you've been seeing them a few years.

And I don't want to tell you this, but I may need to go through all my Christmas stuff, cause I pulled it all out right after I returned from France in November. And maybe it got lost in that shuffle. Or the daily shuffle that is ME. Since November just about everything I own has been shifted, swapped, moved around in my creative chaos.

If I don't have it by tomorrow I'm going to have to tell my boss that I'm a flake that I hid my and I can't find it now. Will he authorize me to get a speedy replacement that the company will have to pay for? Safety deposit box anyone? Nah.

And, then I'm not sure maybe this is a BIG SIGN. A red flag. No passport = no travel. What if this is my OMEN? My big red flag?

Help.

If I can find my camera I'll show you my ransacked mess. I thought I may have put in with craft supplies, cause that sounds like something I would do. Cause that's where my diamond engagement ring is - swear to God - it's in a tin of buttons. And it's still there. THAT I know.

Help.

My Dad lit a candle at Mass this morning. And my Mom is praying to a saint. She can't remember which one handles lost stuff/causes... Cause the apple doesn't fall from the tree. Can't remember where the tree is...

Before & After

Before = basic, dated, functional and solid, grungy from my years of kiddo abuse I was inspired by recent all the fearless bloggers - especially MMS - my mouse is broke so I can't figure out how to copy the link to her site, but hopefully the picture below will take you there. The fabric reminded me off a nice soft linen with a burlap weave.
This is now my desk chair. My style is pretty Paris Apt. (did I admit that I'm going back to France this month? Never say never! But that's another post!)
I painted a hodge-podge of layers of paint from different home projects and wall, dry brushed with a drab antique gold metallic. And I added three rows of vintage labels for some whimsy. And I am in LOVE love LOVE with fabric labels. It's my new obsession. Wait 'til you see what I've been up to... but that too is another post, so stop back if you want to see.
After = TaDa I will be the first to admit that this is all hot glue and I have the burned fingers to prove it. I totally winged. I isn't reupholstered, just recovered. The fabric and foam/padding were still so solid... once I get tired of this I'll hopefully be ready to use my big girl staple gun. And I have two French Provincial chairs that I'm working on - rescued from the curb by my STBX. Gotta love that. I told him I'd give him my two wing chairs if he'd go get and let me rip 'em apart in his garage. Now he has the stink bugs. I swear. I'm not admitting nothin! Go check out the fun over at:

Beware the Ides of March!

Just sayin'

I listed this in my etsy shop if you're interested. My keyboard mishap helped me create a few things - go figure! More to come...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69290120/beware-the-ides-of-march-necklace

What Happens When Sweet Tea Meets Your Laptop

You can't blog! You can't comment on blogs without making really strange comments. Who knew CVBNM and the space bar are so vital to communication????

Gave me time to work on a few items... this pretty little rusty concoction is listed on etsy. http://www.etsy.com/listing/69116411/rust-not-my-pretty-necklace

Many more to add later. And I'm getting ready to use my good stuff. Watch out!