licking the windows | where to shop in Paris

Before I dive into my few favorite shops in Paris, let me say that I am loving this fall weather! New England is cool and crisp today, but the sun is shining which makes it even more perfect. I feel like wearing boots and drinking apple cider. Maybe we'll head to the farm this weekend to pick up a gallon. Anyway, I titled this post 'licking the windows' because that's what the French call 'window shopping.' Well, really they call it faire du lèche-vitrine, but I can't pronounce that. When we arrived in Paris I had a list of shops to visit as long as my arm. Sadly, some of them were closed for vacation (August is typically when Parisians go on holiday) and others had funky hours so we missed out on a few, but there was still plenty of shopping to do! Here are some shops I could have browsed in for hours - 
MUSKHANE, 3 rue du Pastourelle - felted wool everything. I especially liked the little mice and the polka dot balls.
the Collection, 33 rue de Poitou - pretty little ceramic pieces for the home, gorgeous wallpaper selection, modern children's furniture and home accessories
ie boutique, 128 rue Vieille du Temple - beautiful fabric sold by the meter, handmade children's clothing
Chou Fleur,  21 rue Monge - they sell children's accessories, toys, and clothing and host craft workshops for kids, too. A lot like kreatelier, for those of you who are local.

L'Autre The, 40 rue Mouffetard - huge selection of teas and little tea room all in one, they even serve fresh juice!
Le 4, 4 rue Mouffetard - gourmet foods (think oil, vinegar, spices, tea, and chocolate), candles, vases, and funky children's items

Then for open air shopping, you have to visit Les Puces, the biggest flea market in the world. Jordan has a great map of how to get there right here. Now I feel in the mood for some online shopping...

a peek into Ezra's digs

Once more, I'm only now getting to show you Ezra's nursery and although I've made a few changes since the day he came home last year, it looks the same for the most part.

We decided to use the Full Circle crib bedding from the Land of Nod, but I've since taken out the bumper, and the quilt I made for Ezra with swatches from the fabric has been folded and put on a shelf.

The quilt my mom made for Ezra (see my post on it here) was a source of inspiration as well. I decided to use the shades of orange from the goldfish fabric and went crazy when Target debuted their college dorm decor last summer.

I filled a couple of cheap frames with black and white images of me and Matt holding Ezra in the first few days. 

Aardvark and gorilla keep watch over Ezra when he's sleeping in his crib.

Ugly Doll gets cozy.

Lots of pom poms were left over from my shower so I repurposed them by making a window treatment of sorts.

Ezra helping me style the shoot.

 My mom made this pillow to match the quilt she made for Ezra.

 

I bought these mice when PB Kids was going out of business at the Providence Place Mall possibly before I was even married. They lived in my craft room for a while before being transplanted to Ezra's bookshelf.

 

  

Now if only Ezra could stay little forever... then I might never have to redecorate.

furniture & decor

crib - Target
glider - Sam Moore from Jordan's

crib bedding (not shown) - Land of Nod

expedit storage unit - IKEA
itso storage bins - Target
white side table - 
ceiling lamp - IKEA

carpet - by Mohawk, beach basics in early fog

throw rug - IKEA
nightlight - IKEA

dresser/changing table - IKEA
gorilla - by Jellycat from anthropologie
aardvark - by Jellycat from Amazon
Ugly Doll (Big Toe) - gift from our friend Tracy
patchwork elephant - Coldwater Creek
Johnny - by blabla from 77 kids
orange mirror, lamp, and ottoman/storage cube - Target

blue 4" x 6" frames - Target
vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figurine - gift from our friends Jared & Amanda (Ezra's middle name is Raphael)

globe - Target
A to Z bookends - IKEA
clock - Pottery Barn
trio of mice - Pottery Barn Kids
silver E - DIY, cardboard letter from Joann spray painted silver
pillow - handmade by my mom
pom pom window treatment - handmade by me

art
giraffes - designed and illustrated by our friend Matt
orange robot - painted by our friend Tracy
alphabet print - free printable from kind over matter
blue robot - gift from our friend Ashley

wall additions

The bare wall dilemma is slowly becoming less of one.  I made my own chevron canvases, albeit not as neatly as Jess's.

Matt bought three canvases at Job Lot for $4.99 each and I spent $0.88 each (and about twenty-five minutes standing in front of the acrylic paint display at Michaels trying to choose a color only to ultimately decide on using a very similar shade of bronze) for three bottles of acrylic paint.  We already had the painters tape.

I won't bother with a tutorial since this isn't my invention, but I will share one tip that Matt thought of.  In order to cut a zillion segments of painters tape I stuck strips of it to my cutting mat and used a little Fiskars rotary cutter and my ruler to cut two inch pieces.  Visit make under my life for detailed instructions.

bare walls

'Bare' is the only way to describe nearly every wall in our house.  I've talked about this before but still really haven't done anything to remedy the problem.  Here are some ideas from around the internet that I'm thinking of replicating for our home... 

punch collage via Ali Edwards.  maybe stars for Ezra's room.

log cabins via martha. for the living room, over our couch.

alphabet print via kind over matter.  for Ezra.

message board via moxie home. for the craft room.

portraits via Eden Lang. for the living room.

chevron on canvas via decor8. for the dining room.

Recommendations for affordable wall art, either DIY ideas or for purchase, are welcome!

let them eat cake

(image via 20x200)

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and we ate cake.  Specifically, this cake.  Delicious.  In honor of my mom I searched high and low for a cake image and I found this beauty.  Artist Martha Rich says, "Painting cakes and food are a means of comfort to me. Cakes represent hope. They are baked for celebrations and for good times. Everyone likes cakes. If someone bakes you a cake you know you are cared for, but real cakes are temporary and if you eat too much you may feel sick. These cakes care forever and won’t make you sick."  I love it.  Perfect for my imaginary dining room wall gallery.  See more of Martha's work here.  Happy birthday, Mom!  I love you.

inspired

(image of stylist Sabrina Linn's entryway)

I'm loving this entryway inspiration board that was featured online at Canadian House & Home in September.  What a great idea to fill the space that welcomes you and your guests into your home with pretty things.  

(image of designer Joel Bray's DIY inspiration board )

Since Matt and I revamped the blue room I've been meaning to put up an inspiration board similar to the one above - something framed with ribbons and pins to hold all my treasured magazine clippings, photos, and bits of ephemera in place.  I think Joel Bray's how-to video is just the thing I need to get me started.  Anyone else planning on tackling a project this weekend?  

via Black Eiffel via oh happy day

tied & true

Denyse Schmidt was the first modern quilter I had ever heard of.  I borrowed her book from my local library when I wanted to make my second quilt, the one I made for my cousin's sweet little girl, Leah.  Pretty soon I noticed Denyse Schmidt popping up all over the place - here at Burke Decor, here, here, and here at The Land of Nod - and now I've found her at Pottery Barn, too.  It is my belief that one can never have too many quilts... I only wish there were more seasons in the year to require so many sets of bedding.  If you're in the market for a new spread, consider this pretty quilt which showcases Denyse's trademark style, a blend of the eclectic and the traditional. 

Matt, you said you wanted a new quilt, right?

rock-a-bye

What do you get when you combine a hand-me-down cradle, a gigantic piece of leftover fabric from Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley collection, and a scrap of minky dot?   

A beautiful place for baby to sleep while he's teeny tiny!  My cousin Shannon and her husband Matthew very kindly gave us the cradle that they used for each of their three kids, but along with it came outdated tan and blue teddy bear bedding.  I decided to remedy that wee problem by going through my stash and was lucky enough to find some fabrics that I knew would work for a baby boy and a girl, too, if one ever comes along.

I recovered the bumper and made new ties for it with the help of my friend and teacher, Lorraine.  

She also showed me how to make a simple cradle/crib/bed sheet so now I can whip them up quite easily.  I plan on making a few more for the cradle so we can mix it up a bit.  Also in case of accidents (*wink).

Now all we need is the baby!

Stacked Coins Baby Quilt

My cousin Shannon and her husband Matthew welcomed their third child, Matthew Jr., into their family in late March and it took me until last Thursday to visit.  I had made Matthew's cousin Leah a quilt when she was born last October and I heard through the family grapevine (OK, so my aunt told me) that Shannon would love a quilt for Matthew.  Well, I love making quilts and it's even better when I have an excuse to make one so I got right to work.  I used some fabrics from a jelly roll that I bought at Joann's, but some of the prints were too girly so I had to buy some coordinating fabrics.  I used three different Stonehill Collection fabrics, including this stripe, this polka dot, and this geometric pattern.  This was only the fourth quilt I've ever made so I used a fairly simple pattern, stacked coins found at the moda bake shop, and completed it entirely on my own!  Lorraine, my teacher, would be proud.  I did, however, have to walk down the street (luckily Blaine's is only a two minute walk!) to buy a new needle when I was mere inches away from finishing the binding.  What kind of quilter only has one needle?  Apparently that would be me.  Fortunately, there was a sale going on and I bought three packs of needles for the price of two.  I should be all set for a while, especially since I don't change my needle nearly as often as I should.  That might explain the broken needle...  Anyway, I hope Matthew enjoys his quilt!  I enjoyed making it and am looking forward to beginning a new project soon.  

a fresh start

After removing gallons and gallons of water from our basement yesterday and the day before, I decided it was time to brighten things up around here.  Switching our bedding from winter to spring always puts a smile on my face because I LOVE this quilt.  It's so bright and cheerful!  I spent part of the afternoon sprawled across it in the sun with a good book.  How do you make your house say "spring?"

from across the pond

(image via Holly's article for Real Simple)

As you've probably heard, Liberty of London is teaming up with Target and debuting their line of clothing, accessories, and home goods on March 14th.  I couldn't be more excited, especially since my one Liberty print article of clothing slipped through my fingers due to fitting issues.  Anyway, I'm dying to get my hands on those teacups!  It is my firm belief that one can never have too many pretty teacups.      

(image via The Recessionista)

Learn more about the collaboration at here at refinery 29, here at J.Crew Aficionada, here at decor8, and here at Real Simple.  You can also visit Target for a preview of the patterns you'll see in the store.  You can even download them for use on your computer!  My advice is to get to Target bright and early on March 14th... I definitely will!    

(image via zimbio)