This Week...

What have I been up to this week? For starters, I got a new pair of shoes at Printemps, which I am very pleased with. I also met up with some friends, did some exploring, and some more "settling in."


Last Friday I met up with a friend from California and her roommate, who are both studying abroad for the semester. We did a little vintage shopping, and I found myself a perfect-fitting tartan mini skirt at Espace Kiliwatch. I love this store. Yes, it's wildly overpriced, BUT it has the best stock, and really is très cool. Rue Tiquetonne has a handful of really unique shops, all with an urban vibe - plus, it's narrow and extremely charming.


After spending far too much time digging through dense racks of vintage goods, we took a (very cold) stroll down Rue Montorgeuil, which is apparently known for it's great food. We decided on a small restaurant, which I don't remember the name of, and I ordered my French favorite: Confit de Canard. It's essentially duck meat marinated in it's own fat, accompanied by garlic potatoes. mmmmmm.


After catching a metro to the Marais, and adding a fourth member to our party, I decided to take us to the only bar I knew of in the area - the bar where Erik and I first met <3. I drank a small Guinness, played a round of pool, then parted ways with my new buddies. I decided to walk about a mile to the train station I needed, so that I could see Notre Dame over the Seine in the night. For me, Notre Dame is one of the few places in the city that won't ever loose its magic.


I've had many lazy days this week. staying in, cleaning, organizing, brainstorming. I made an extremely exhausting trip to ikea, mistakenly thinking that buying about 50 pounds worth of crap without having the convenience of a car to haul it with was a good idea.

While walking around Versailles a bit aimlessly, I came upon a museum I was previously unaware of: Musée Lambinet. It had a nice mix of paintings, decorative objects, and history. Also, most importantly, there was a painting of a wonderfully fluffy white cat.





During my ambles I also happened upon an antique market. However, it's only open on weekends, so I peered into the dark windows around a deserted courtyard. Maybe on Sunday I'll have a real gander at the market, when it's open.



YEsterday, I had a great American-stye breakfast with a French friend and did some shopping at the opulent Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, on Boulevard Haussmann. It was quite overwhelming, all the mirrors and multifaceted architecture, displays, and garments. Most of the things were designer, and far, far, far out of my price range, but I managed to find some shiny black, heeled dress shoes.


Coming this weekend is yet another trip to Montmartre, a visit to Rose Bakery with a new blogger acquaintance, and a birthday party to attend!

I've been taking all my pictures in France so far with my iPod, which is very convenient, but I feel the itch to start using my DSLR again.

All in all, I feel much more relaxed and happy, more settled, and more optimistic. :)


Places Mentioned:
Espace Kiliwatch: 64 Rue Tiquetonne, 75002 Paris
Musée Lambinet: 54 Boulevard de la Reine, 78000 Versailles
Versailles Antique Market: alley/courtyards near 5 Rue du Bailliage
78000 Versailles


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Visual Diary: Exploring Versailles

Today I decided to explore my new town a bit more, get familiar with the streets, scope out restaurants, and make mental notes of essentials like dry cleaners and bakeries. It was quite brisk out, with a freezing wind on the larger boulevards, but as long as I kept a quick pace, it was manageable.

Here is my visual diary of the day, or at least half of it. The remainder I spent watching Kiki's Delivery Service under a blanket.



9am - Boulangerie Run



{I got a croissant, a viennoise au chocolat, a custard-chocolate-filled thing, and a quiche lorraine}


12pm - Aimless Walking

{Went for some purple lipstick today}



1:30pm - Found Antique Market










3pm - Late lunch




And that, my friends, was my day! Tomorrow, I have a vintage shopping binge planned with a fellow Californian!

À toute à l'heure!

PS: Giusy from Lulu's Sister, did a fantastic feature of my blog, which you can read here.


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Flea Market Ephemera

I uncovered these three postcards at the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen in Paris last year, and just now remembered that I had them! They were hiding away in a nondescript white envelope under my bed in a box of memorabilia. (Is it just me who keeps boxes of random sentimental crap under the bed??)

I remember rifling through rows and rows of old postcards, and something about the design or handwritten letters on the back caught my eye. I think what really takes it up a notch is the presence of an actual stamp and a somewhat legible message. I can only read one of these, but isn't vintage cursive handwriting beautiful? It makes me a little bit sad that cursive is on its way out of public school education. Imagine, in 500 years, people might not be able to decipher cursive at all!

Postcards, or even old photographs, are such a budget-friendly souvenir to take home from a flea market. They take up virtually no space in suitcases and the experience of searching for the most beautiful is really satisfying.

{rough translation: "My dear Papa, I am late in writing but it has been beautiful and ... I am happy to see you Saturday at 4 o'clock at Printemps."}




P.S.: I'm going to be writing a post on the Marché at Saint-Ouen sometime soon, complete with photos, directions, and advice.

Do you write in cursive still? and also, let me know if you keep boxes of nostalgia under your bed or in your closet :)


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Cute as a Button

Every time I drive to work, I pass this little antique shop, with sparkling lights in its large windows, through which I see glimpses of the cutest. shop. ever.

FINALLY, after months of driving past, I scavenged a parking space and paid a visit to the store. Boy, had I been missing out on something special. Not only does she have a great selection, but her prices are fantastically affordable. The one thing I like (yet mostly dislike) about antique/vintage stores is the tendency to overstock every square inch of space with stuff, but her shop was refreshingly well-visually displayed. She also runs an Etsy! Rustic and Refined

While there, I bought some milk-glass vases, some decorative glass candle holders that look like curvy test tubes, a beautiful frame that looks like gold lace, some wee little doilies, and a myriad of buttons. All of these things I bought as photo props, to better experiment with Still-Lives (Lifes?), you see.

As of yet, I have only explored the buttons, placed upon the doilies and a few of my favorite dresses with their colorful prints.









These aren't buttons, although they would make any blouse proud, they are in fact earrings, which I bought from Francescas!