things that are warm+toasty

some pretty things that are warm, or make you warm, or make warm things to make you warm… you get the idea

1. lambswool blanket
2. bathrobe
3. round cocotte pot
4. slippers
5. hot water bottle

back to school shopping

so it seems as if the last vestiges of summer are slipping away, making room for apple picking, sharpened pencils and crunching leaves.

…and making a list of what i would want as my back to school wardrobe.

images from canadian elle, zara, filippa k, jcrew

what pack to put on your back?

seeing as summer is almost over, the tingle of back-to-school shopping is creeping in….

….check out my backpack picks over on natural history blog.

black canvas bag from Makr Carry Goods

“eddie beale goes to girl scout camp”

i would really like to not love everything that jcrew does…  my wallet would be a lot happier… but upon seeing their fall 2010 collection, i don’t think it’s going to happen anytime soon.

via new york magazine.

thanksgiving

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happy

thanksgiving

everyone

what are you thankful for?

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image via polly wreford

père lachaise

so since i was in charge of making my own halloween entertainment this year, i decided to visit père lachaise cemetary, the largest in paris and perhaps the most famous in the world.  this is the grave site of the likes of molière, honoré de balzac, abelard and hèloïse, marcel marceau, max ernst, oscar wilde, gertrude stein, chopin, edith piaf, jim morrison, arnedeo modigliani, marcel proust, jean de brunhoff (author of babar the elephant)… and so on and so forth.

where halloween is rarely celebrated in france, all saints day is.   so on november first, it is customary to place flowers on the graves of loved ones, and it seems more appropriate that this post celebrates that.  it is a very interesting place to wander around, and is perhaps the most beautiful cemetary i have ever seen (yes, i understand just how weird it is to say that).

history and virtual tour.

happy halloween

happy

halloween

everyone!

although halloween isn’t a parisian holiday, over the past couple of years it has slowly been catching on.  it won’t be the same as walking in the new york halloween parade donned with feathers and face paint, but i am excited to dress up with friends and celebrate.

oh, and it helps that i received a package of halloween decorations and goodies which now adorn my apartment. (a halloween mr. potato head included!)

a little halloween magic.

the sweet life…in paris

in a nutshell my day yesterday revolved mainly around food.  not by choice, more of just a coincidence (well, maybe a little by choice, i mean, let’s be honest).

things i did:

1. get a croissant from poilâne (you would understand if you’ve ever had one)

2. drop my shoes off at the cordonnier (the cobbler- 4 rue du regard, 6th arrondissement… recommended by the ladies at repetto)

3. try on hats at le bon marché.

4. get tasty treats at l’etoile d’or (see previous post) as per the recommendation of american-expat-pastry-chef david leibovitz, who writes an amazing blog of places to eat in paris and just wrote a new book, the sweet life in paris.

5. make a stop over at delmontel boulangerie.
voted best baguette in 2007, how could i not?

6. go to the american library in paris for a few books to read on the metro.

**lo and behold, i notice that the aforementioned david leibovitz is doing a talk and book signing at the very-one-and-only american library that very night**

7. bank, blah, rent, blah

8. dinner consisting of oozey italian burrata cheese and tangy marinated artichoke hearts from the italian market down the street (but more on that some other time)

9. back to the library for the nights festivities of three paris food writers talking about dessert in paris!

dorie greenspan, david leibovitz and alexander lobrano are all very accomplished expat food writers who have specialized in the ‘sweeter side of life’ in paris.  the three writers all hail from the states, which gives them the great ability to appreciate french dessert and pastries from an outside perspective, all while adding various nuances about the difficulty of actually being a foreigner in paris, and the things you miss.  at one point, i believe david leibovitz joked that you better be comfortable being an american in paris, or else the french will walk all over you (he was kidding, kind of).  all in all, it was a delightful evening, i got great pastry tips, got my books signed, and got my face painted.  only two of those things are true…  i’ll let you decide.

cold weather

paris has definitely seen a shift in weather the past couple of weeks.

its time for blankets and sweaters and scarves.

(and rain boots, umbrellas and jackets)

school supplies

i love school supply shopping.  i always have.

i love buying art supplies.  i always have.

add the two together and you get me walking out of the art store with bags (plural) filled not only with supplies for school, but countless other projects that i want to do, create.

four floors of art supplies, rougier & plé