More Paris, More Coughing, More Naps

I know you are growing weary of seeing pictures of Paris, but I'm still only part way through processing my copious amounts of images, and I just can't get enough of seeing the sites again.

Each time I work on one, I'm immediately transported back there, and during the holidays I found myself gushing about the French and everything pertaining to Paris or France in general.  I'm sure it was a little like someone with their first grandchild breaking out the brag book every time someone new...or old, stops by!

So I'm afraid you will either have to turn away, or bear with me as I work through my francophone'itis.  And the other reason I'm still showing pictures of Paris is the fact that I really haven't picked up my camera much since I've been back.

Along with francophone'itis, I'm also apparently sporting bronchitis, which I found out by visiting the doctor this morning.  So I haven't been doing much of anything except cough a lot since our company left and the holidays have come to a close!

Not doing much includes not returning emails, cleaning, and a whole host of other things I "should" be doing but just don't feel like doing.  The doctor assured me that a round of antibiotics and some days of real rest, where I'm not worrying about everything I'm not doing, is what I need to be back in fighting form again.

So for once I'm listening and I'm actually heading to take a nap as soon as I post this.  What a good girl I am...sometimes! ;-)

Though out of sequence, all of the pics in this post were taken on our last full day in Paris.  The weather was less than ideal, cold, windy, and at times very rainy, but we decided to do something we hardly ever do...play tourist, and we opted for a Seine River cruise.

We were the first in line, only because we didn't feel like packing ourselves onto a very crowded boat we could have taken, and just hung out on the dock and waited for the next boat.  It was a wise choice in that we were not packed like sardines, but the down side was that about 5 minutes into our trip it began to rain...not spitting rain, but lots of the wet stuff.

Rain in and of itself isn't a bad thing, but expensive cameras and rain are not friends, so we moved from our prime upper deck seats to the glassed in bottom deck...also not a friend of cameras since glass distorts your images and makes it hard to focus.  So in the end we braved the cold and the rain and hung out by ourselves under the metal structure of the upper deck so that I could get a few shots.

I have to say that I'm glad we decided to take the cruise because the highlight for me was being able to photograph Paris and its many gorgeous bridges from a totally different perspective.  So if you are ever in Paris, be sure to take a cruise down the Seine...just check the weather forecast first! 

I hope everyone's new year is off to a good start!

Vintage Christmas

After being away much of December and returning home with a bug of some sort, Christmas decor at my house is at an all time low.  Surprisingly, this is what I was hoping to do even if I had been home and hadn't gotten sick, so I'm loving it all the same...but it is a bit of a change for me.

While in Paris, I visited a few flea markets and hoped I would find some vintage items along with some ephemera.  I found plenty of ephemera, and the day before we left we visited one more flea market and scored some wonderful finds, like the vintage bottle above, which holds my rustic version of a Christmas tree.

I decided to place some of my wonderful finds in the windowsill above my sink this year for a simple and vintage inspired theme.

I also found 2 crocks...this one which would have originally held flour is perfect for holding holiday greens.

And a visit to Bon Marche, a lovely old department store in Paris, yielded some gorgeous star trimmed ribbon.  It wasn't cheap, well nothing really is at Bon Marche, but Mr. Tide convinced me that buying it was cheaper than a plane ticket back to France once I got home and couldn't get that ribbon out of my head...the man knows me well! :)

Of course he was right, and I love how it added the perfect touch of shimmer to my simple window vignette.

The other crock I found in my travels was from the same dealer as the flour crock shown above, and I wasn't sure I should get both, but was convinced that you can never have too many vintage crocks.  The dealer was very sweet and wrapped them beautifully knowing they would be traveling a long way before finding their new home.

After paying him, he bid us farewell and said, "now it is your turn to keep them safe."  Mr. Tide said it was as though he was parting with a couple of his children...and maybe for him he was!  They appear to be old, but who really knows how old they are, and really who cares...they make me happy and that's what matters!

Buying these things (and I have more to show you soon) was like having an early Christmas.  And as if that wasn't enough, yesterday I received another beautiful and skillfully wrapped present from England.  One of the guys I play an online game with lives in Northern England and he knows my affinity for vintage wares, so he gifted me with the most lovely blue and white creamer he found at a boot sale!  What a treat to receive such a lovely and thoughtful gift from across the pond...thank you PP!

And because I seem to be in a vintage mood, I thought I would share a few images of Paris I processed with old vintage postcards in mind.  I may have to think about creating a set of note cards or postcards using these, and other images that lend themselves to that vintage look...hmm.

I am off to finish up cleaning and shopping...how is it that those 2 things are never ever truly done?!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each and every one of you! xoxo