If someone asked you, “Where is your happy place?”, what would you tell them? Is it a mountain retreat or a seaside escape? Is it a big city or a small town? Or is it simply your own backyard? While I’ll admit to having many happy places (and an affinity for sharing them with you […]
I began this year with a goal of designing my own crochet pieces and today I’m thrilled to unveil my first crochet design, the Tote d’Azur! This is the first crochet design in my Riviera Collection, launching May 2023. It will comprise 6 crochet pieces named after and inspired by the Côte d’Azur! The full […]
My birthday was back in October and Paul definitely pulled out all the stops. It felt like we celebrated all month long between concerts, date nights, and a trip to Paris. He truly made it special for me in so many ways! One of the sweetest things he did for me was to give me […]
Happy New Year! People still say that through the end of January, right? I hope that you had a great holiday season and your new year is off to a good start! I know I savored a lot of down time with family and friends, but now that we’re back in Amsterdam, I am enjoying […]
I have yet to meet a Christmas market I don’t like, and after spending a weekend in Cologne, the Christmas markets there certainly live up to their spectacular reputation. If your idea of a good time is a day filled with shopping, drinking glüwein, ice skating, snacking, drinking more glüwein, more shopping, some more snacking, […]
My latest crochet project is what I’m calling the market essentials crochet tote. Its actual name is the Bermuda tote, but since I made my version using a winter color palette, it didn’t seem right to keep such a tropical moniker. So what should I call my version? The suggestion box is open! This tote […]
Having spent my fair share of time in Paris, I’ve seen a lot of the “french girl style” so many of us like to emulate. It’s that effortlessly chic way of dressing that never goes out of style. Whether it’s a plain white tee, straight-leg jeans, and ballet flats or a pair of chic sneakers […]
Well, today is the day that I let the cat out of the bag. We’re moving! After keeping it a secret for many months, it feels good to finally share such a massive change in our lives. They say moving is one of the most stressful events in a person’s life. I was reading a […]
It’s the coziest time of year for crochet projects and I’ve been busy expanding my repertoire! I wrote about this new hobby of mine in this post, where I crocheted a French market tote and some other fun and cute accessories. Today I’m sharing my most recent piece – this beautiful crochet sweater vest and […]
Living in a warm climate, I’m pretty picky with my outerwear. I usually only go for staple or classic pieces like camel coats, a sturdy rain jacket, or a trench. But this year I’ve been wanting to add a shacket to my wardrobe and I got the opportunity to do so by working with my […]
Over the last year plus, like many of us, I’ve been trying some new things. Ever since the pandemic began, I sort of re-evaluated the things I enjoy doing and also realized just how precious time itself is. I want to spend it with the people I care most about and when I’m not doing […]
I’ve been a little tied to the house lately to take care of our sweet Lola. Long story short, she will be ok, but we are treating an eye infection every two hours. It’s been a little bit worrisome for us, but I think we are headed into a weekend with light at the end […]
It was another month of good reads! I read so much over the last month that I came to a place where I had nothing to read. I flew through my TBR pile and then it was like, oh crap…I’m without a book! In my world that’s kind of a tragedy. I quickly placed an […]
I’ve always felt that even the smallest things become celebrations when you throw champagne into the mix. A beautiful glass of bubbly is almost an instant mood booster. So it’s no surprise that I couldn’t wait to go on a champagne tour in France! We’ve been on wine tours throughout France before (as well as […]
Sometimes a travel souvenir is small and other times it’s…special. 😉 Really special. I’ve written about my favourite souvenirs and tips for shopping them in the past, so today is just a quick post about my latest travel souvenir – the Rive Gauche shopping tote from Saint Laurent. There’s a historical connection between the Rive […]
Even though I love the experience of trying new foods while on vacation (hello chicken gizzards in Paris!) I look forward to coming home and having home cooked meals. As usual, Paul never disappoints! I think he was ready to get back in his own kitchen, too. Paul’s menu of the week vol. 4 has […]
I’ve had lots of time to read lately (check out our recent travels here) but was still surprised when I looked over what I finished this past month. The August 2021 reading list has a total of six books which I enjoyed immensely. As it’s still summer, I’m always looking for the next great pool […]
I had such a positive response from you all with my first post of Paul’s Menu of the Week! I’m so glad so many of you are excited about this new blog series and are finding it helpful and inspiring in your own kitchens! This week has a couple of fun new recipes that turned […]
It feels really good to be traveling again. And I mean like, really traveling (on a plane and everything)! We managed a couple of road trips through Texas last year (read about those here), but I couldn’t wait to feel the excitement that comes with packing a rolling suitcase, hustling through a busy airport, and […]
I’ve always seen these fishnet style market bags when we travel throughout Europe but I never really knew this bag had so much history or even that it had a proper name. The Normandy, France based company, Filt, has been producing these fishnet style bags, called filet, since the 1860s. These lightweight, expandable, and stylish […]