Shopping the Paris Flea Markets: Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

Hello there. How was your week? I hope it was lovely! So, I promised I would share some shots from my shopping experience at the famous Les Puces de Saint-Ouen – so here you go…

Oh, but first a little background. This expansive market is actually an entire area made up of several markets – each one, having its own personality and specialties. The entire area encompasses over 3000 vendors, so to say it’s large is an understatement. I recommend picking out a few of the markets within to focus on rather than trying to do the whole thing at once. We visited Marché Vernaison, Marché Paul Bert and Marché Biron. We may have stumbled into a few of the other areas too…but at least we tried to stay focused. One could truly get blissfully lost, meandering the alleyways and admiring the sheer variety and beauty of all the treasures to be found. A big tip…get this book!

It was a wonderful help planning this trip.

Okay on to the photos…

Almost every vendor had a little scruffy dog. Most of them had as much personality as their owners and it was quite impossible not to smile when we got the pleasure to meet these beloved French pooches.  This guy was perfectly content perched up on his antique chair!

Here are some of the amazing treasures I unearthed on that day…

All in all, it was another amazing shopping day! I have to thank my friend, Annie again for documenting our adventure with her trusty camera!

Have a fantastic weekend!

xo,

Travel Visions

Hi there.

Well…unfortunately, I don’t have a Friday Escape for you today. My little Grace is home sick with an ear infection so my attention needs to be on her. But…I didn’t want to leave you with nothing, so I’m sharing some of the beautiful travel images I’ve collected for my Pinterest Travel board.

A majestic landscape in Val di Funes, Italy.

The gorgeous city of Prague.

Colorful hot air balloon over Paris.

Simply charming tea houses in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

Last but certainly not least, my beautiful home town, Sydney, Australia.

Hope you enjoy these. I want to hear from you – where would you like us to explore on our Friday Escapes? Any ideas? I’m making a list.

Hope you have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

 

Escape to : Provence

As promised, I’ve got a little Friday escape for us. Ready?

So, I’ve always wanted to go to the south of France…I mean, who doesn’t?  Rolling fields of lavender, fabulous French cuisine, fantastic wine and the warm, golden light of the countryside. Sounds pretty perfect to me.

So today, that’s where we are headed. I found us a tranquil estate just outside the little town of Cucuron.

Welcome to  the Le Pavillon de Galon -  a beautifully restored 18th century hunting pavilion, turned B & B, surrounded by vines, orchards, cherry and olive trees. Ahhh…do you smell all that lavender?

The gardens are simply superb…look at this field of irises!

Let’s head inside and check out our room…there are only two guest rooms on the property so you feel like you own the place!

Lovely…let’s go check out the kitchen!

You know very, very good things come out of a kitchen like this! The owners have regular cooking and wine tasting classes held here. Let’s grab some fresh, warm bread, a platter of cheese and a bottle of wine and dine al fresco…

Ahh…the perfect spot. Let’s picnic under these beautiful trees and enjoy the fragrant breeze. Oh. That rhymes…hee hee.

After our tummies are full we can take a little stroll into Cucuron to explore…. (click on photos for their links)

How charming is this blue door? So pretty!

In the center of town there is this pond (Bassin de l’etang) that dates back to the 14th century. It was used to supply water to a mill but now is the backdrop for many of the villages’ events including a regular Market held every Tuesday morning.

Okay, well…we better head back for some R & R before dinner…I think a nap by the pool would do nicely. Yes, there’s even an infinity pool at this place.

That concludes our little Friday escape to Provence. Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for coming along.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xo,

A New Series: Vicarious Vacations

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to travel and as a kid, my family and I were lucky enough to travel abroad many times. Those days are long gone but a girl can still dream…

For example, mention Italy and I deeply sigh and slightly swoon. I even burst into tears during the first Italian scenes of Under the Tuscan Sun! It’s kinda pathetic – especially since I’ve never been there. Yet, I dream of Italy….I long for it…

Okay, reality check – I’m a mother to a four year old, a domestic engineer (aka homemaker) and we aren’t exactly loaded, so my sappy little self isn’t going to be getting to Europe anytime soon. Fact.

Soooo…I’m going to have my own little Vicarious Vacation series and I want you to come with me!! Game?

Here’s the plan. Over the next four weeks, I will be posting a Vicarious Vacation on Fridays. Seems appropriate right?

Researching is kinda my thing, so I will be hunting down some fabulous places for us to explore. Tantalizing all your senses with wonderful imagery, recipes, local hang outs and even sounds – I hope to provide a mini getaway via my blog.

Excited? I am! If we can’t travel in real life…let’s play pretend. My four year old is a pro at it, so let’s pull out our imaginations and do a little sight seeing.

Pack your proverbial bags because this Friday we are headed to – you guessed it – Italy! It’s not the big cities that everyone talks about but I promise it will be a unique little adventure. I can’t wait!

Here are a few images to get you in the mood…

If anyone has any thoughts of where we should go the other three weeks I am open to suggestion! If not, I have my own growing list…

Can’t wait for Friday!

xo,

Images: 1. toprural 2. chinita_jill 3. ascord04

Birthday Trip

Instead of a big party for my b’day, I decided a trip was a far better idea. A trip alone – a rare and sacred occurrence for a stay at home mom. I booked myself a red eye flight to Florida to visit one of my dearest friends. She just moved into a lovely house complete with pool and guest room…how perfect is that? I feel so lucky! The heat will be ridiculous and the humidity…ugh…my hair is going to hate me, but who cares.

J is an outstanding friend. Her warmth, loyalty, constant support, artistic flair and brilliant mind add up to one pretty amazing woman. She’s a real blessing in my life and I can’t wait to catch up with her. We’re actually going to try and make this a bit of an artists retreat. She’s getting all her paints, brushes and canvases ready in case we feel inspired to create. I’m also hoping to journal, read and do some collage work too.

A few of the other things on the agenda…

Of course, it is completely necessary to have at least one…
The end result…

And a healthy dose of…

I will be back on Aug. 31st! Have a fantastic week!

xo,

All images via weheartit