Flea markets of Paris...

When we visited Paris last month our goal, aside from eating and drinking everything in site was to shop.  I know it is terrible right!  We were in the process of trying to fill our first container to ship back to the States.  We started out in Paris at the flea markets and could have shopped there for days but as you know travel does not always allow for days and days of endless browsing and then going back to make final purchases and decisions.  Things move so fast it can be hard to know if you have made the right choices for weeks to come.  I know I should have bought the chairs that are shown below, I am kicking myself now for doubting my first inclination.  I love these chairs and I hope that they find a wonderful home somewhere in the world.. they are so amazing! 

Aside from that I tried not to pass up anything that spoke to me.   I finally had to realize that anything is possible with the right amount of determination and dare I say money behind it.  We did end up dragging dress forms and multiple goodies back with us on the metro, yep they looked at us like we were crazy but whatever, they did that every time we spoke to them in English after starting with "bonjour".  It was amazing to buy furnishings and accessories with the idea that we would be having them here in such a short time.  I am looking forward to getting all of our goodies and setting up for our first container sale!

 

 

We loved all of the displays, the talent in these flea markets blows away what we see here at home.  Although I must say that we have to remember these are permanent spaces not pop ups.

 

This space was amazing, I wanted every book!  I love the green blue!

 

This big guy was so cool and calm, he just wanted to chill not shop.

 

These two I did not manage to leave.  They are perfect and I love them.  I will also love them when they get home to me in my living room thank you very much!

 

I did pass this sweet little thing up.. I was tired and did not even ask the price - a mistake I know!

 

Gorgeous!

 

This vendor said this was a painting of his mother in law.  His booth was super cool!

 

(This picture is for Loi)

 

images by christina for greige

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Recovery...

 Just wanted to share a few of my favorite instagram pictures from the trip.  I promise to go through my photos over the holiday weekend and share a bit with you next week.  Every time I visit Paris I fall for it all over again even though she really makes you work for it!  I am exhausted when I return from these trips both physically and mentally!   This weekend I will do my best to fully recover!

I also want to extend a huge THANK YOU to the girls that were nice enough to guest post for us while I was away!  I could not have done it without you!  Thank you to Andrea, Si, and Shari!

 

 

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Weekend Wishes..

 

I hope you are enjoying the start to the weekend!!  We will be shopping the Paris flea markets all weekend in search of treasure.  Don't forget your Mom's this weekend!

Also, this coming week we have some great guest posts while I am traveling, please join these lovely ladies as they become part of the Design Traveler Series.

Here is a little of what inspired me this week...

I so cannot wait to make these amazing grilled cheese sandwiches for pool side evenings. Perfection.

I love the fashion inspiration here.

I am dying because now this clutch is now available in grey!

Where oh where can we put one of these?? Any takers?

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Off...

 

I am off today, bound for Paris.. I am looking forward to sharing our adventures with you.  We are so excited to be going and bringing treasures back this time.  Keep your fingers crossed for us in hopes  that we find wonderful things!  

Follow along with me -

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Paris bound..

I am spending most of this week wrapping up projects here, shipping and packing for our trip to Paris. I will be posting prep and travel photos on instagram if you want to follow along or you can check out the facebook page too.  Our pool project should be finishing up too... so exciting!  Wishing you a wonderful Monday!

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greige and gold...

I know we have all seen this beautiful Parisian apartment by Gilles et Boissier over and over... but when I saw this image in isolation I fell in love all over again!  I love the simple clean lines mixed with the details of the doors, walls and the mirrors.  The dark wood.  The white sofa.  The greige rug.

Love. Love. Love.
 


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Design Traveler: Trip planning

I don't know about you but I am a total trip planner..  I like to have an itinerary that notes just about everything (there is always a section for free time-but it is noted!)  I was at dinner with my Mom and Sister last week and my Sister said to me- "I don't like to travel with anyone else, you always have everything planned.  I don't have to worry about anything, I know our next move and what I am supposed to be doing when I get there."  Some people love this and let's face it some do not love it.  I am a planner, I have to have all of this in one place or I will never find it when I need it most, because on top of being a planner I am always a little bit late and a little bit frazzled!  This type of pre planning keeps the vacation moving for me and those with me or we would never make a decision. 

So I have been planning our trip for the past few weeks and I keep finding more things I would like to do.  I have been to Paris several times and there are so many wonderful parts, I want to see something new each and every time but I still want to visit my favorites for a second, third, fourth.. well you get the idea.  I have been stalking Paris blogs and I have fallen deeply for this one.. Paris in Four Months, mostly because she is living a dream and because her images are beautiful, but also because she is posting about sweets around Paris a lot!!! 

So now I have too many things on our list and I think we will be running from one musee to the next or I might have to eliminate something somewhere.. so sad! (But so exciting at the same time!) 

I would love to hear how you plan for your trips?  Do you make a list and do what you feel like when you arrive?  Do you plan every outfit for every occassion including accessories, like one of my best friends?  Do you fly by the seat of your pants?

image via (another group of beautiful paris pics)
 


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France once again...

 

It is official... I am getting ready for another trip to Paris in a few weeks and we are bringing back our first container.  I am a little nervous I will admit but excited at the same time.  We will stay in Paris and shop the flea markets there for the first week mixed with much site seeing and relaxing around the city, then it is off to Normandy to shop with Sharon from My French Country Home.  I am so excited to see her again and experience a bit more of her amazing everyday life!

These are just a few of the photos that we snapped on our last trip, some you may have seen and some are new.  I was just going through them and thought I would share some of my current favorites with you.  I have a few more posts lined up from our last adventure to share before we leave too!

 

 


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taking notes..

 

We all know I am a list maker, and I have a deep affection for paper products!  I have stacks of books and journals some full, some not so full but I fell in love with these little notebooks and had to have them.  I have started making notes for our trip to Paris in one that I keep with me at all times.  Things I want to buy when I am there and places I want to stop.  I am trying so hard to create a new list of must sees while I am visiting and shopping this time.  Do you have any suggestions?   

I plan on taking this little book with me to sketch little things, gather cards in and to tuck mementos in between the pages so that on my next next visit I know what I want to do again or what to avoid (which is rarely the case).

 

 

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