My Big Free Vintage Paris Giveaway!

My HUGE PARIS GIVEAWAY!

Vintage French Papers and Beads Goodie Packs

I visit Paris every April and have had the opportunity to shop in the two biggest out door markets. To celebrate the launch of my book and this new blog I am starting my giveaway program.

I have ten sets similar to the picture you see posted here. Every set is different.

Each package has two French magazines dedicated to "woman's arts and crafts." They are full of patterns and ads.

I am also including two vintage velvet leaves, a small container of rhinestones and a sampling of beads from the oldest bead seller at the huge outdoor market known as the Les Puces de Saint-Ouen. You can read about these finds in my book: “Art Girl’s Guide to Paris.”

Who Can Win?

Anyone in Canada or the USA. Sorry, it would be too expensive for me to ship overseas.

How Can You win?

Just leave a comment here! I’ll be drawing names in a week!

Easy To Win!

This blog is so new, hardly anyone knows about it, so your chances of winning are excellent! Tell your friends!

Paris Silver Fabric Obsession

These two little wallets (which I will never use) lead me to the silver fabric obsession.

The first year I bought this pretty pretty wallet. I was dying to know what type of fabric the artist was working with. The silver was so soft. I could only describe it as "parachute" type fabric. Not that I have ever used a parachute. I looked for it in my travels everywhere I went in North America.

The next year I went back to the store with my friend Shoshana who knows fabric. She too loved the little wallets and I bought my second piece. The store manager told us that the artist was a sweet girl who traveled the world taking photos which she then used on these tiny bags.

Where in the world did she get this fabric?
I loved the stitching and how it popped against the fabric.

Now I had been buying silver fabric ever since I bought the first wallet.
But it was never the same.
I didn't even know what I wanted to make, but I just had to have that fabric.
Shoshana said "maybe we'll see it when we go to the fabric district." Now I cover the fabric district in my guidebook. It is huge. But we had a goal. We went to the stores that have pre-cut fabrics. You dig and dig. Looking for silver was easy though. Then Shoshana gave me the signal! She had observed a young woman in the corner with a piece of silver fabric. She was trying to get the price lowered...but there was no more discounting to be had!
So she left the fabric and we swooped upon it.
It was pricey!
But it was what I had been searching for!
We have a feeling our wallet designer was that young woman...we were not able to catch up with her, she left so quickly.

I have had that fabric in my stash now for almost four years. It was time to finally use it.
Can I just say VERY DIFFICULT!!! I have never had a worse experience trying to get my machine to sew through something. In the end I had to do some layering which allowed me to make a new piece of fabric to create these beads. I am in an online class with a great bead creator Alma Stoller, so my Paris fabrics are finally being used. My silver obsession has come full circle. Perhaps now I can do something with the gold collection......

Door Knocker Envy

Living in North America I rarely see a door knocker.
Let me re phrase.
I rarely see an interesting door knocker.
Everyone has an electric door bell so all you see by a front door is a little button. And really, I think I would jump out of my skin if someone pounded on a door knocker at my front door.
But in Paris you see door knockers everywhere and they are usually attached to thick wooden doors. Those doors do not have windows. Occasionally they have a sliding mechanism or mini window that a person on the inside of to the door could open to see who was knocking.
This door had three of my favorite things.
One. Amazing green paint.
Two. Door knocker.
Three. Spider web cover on tiny window.

It was all I could do not to knock on this door. I was dying to see who would peer out from behind the spider web!

The Blues

When I review my thousands of photos from Paris I am often struck by my colour influences.

In this file of photos I found these beautiful blue chairs and then moments later I took a photo of these blue beads. Both photos were taken at the big Antique market north of Paris. I spend a lot of time explaining this market in my Art Girl's Guide to Paris. Taking photos at this market is almost as good as shopping at it.

Cemetary Visit - Looking for Modigliani

There are not many cities in the world where a visit to the cemetery is on the "must do" list.
Paris has such a cemetery. The Père Lachaise Cemetery is something you should not miss if you love history. It is absolutely huge and trust me when I say, you need the map. Buy it as soon as you arrive.

Even with the map we had a really hard time finding this grave.
Modigliani is one of the painters I love the most. I really, really wanted to pay my respects. I was so mad at myself for not bringing flowers.

And then I noticed someone brought something more appropriate.
Next time I will be prepared.

A Teal Door

I can never walk by a painted door in Paris. Really. I just love them.

I always wondered why my own front door was white when there are so many interesting paint options. After one trip I got home and had our door painted a deep forest green.
I want a teal door, but it wouldn't look right on my ranch style home.
So for now, I collect pictures of doors. One day I'll have the right type of home that will allow me to paint doors in many many different colours.

Paris Windows - Marilyn Monroe Collage

I saw this fabulous Marilyn collaged art piece in a window in the 6th district. I knew it would be hard to photograph because the sun was shining. So I stood a little off to the side and did not realize that the central part of the canvas was a mirror. You can see the building from across the street very clearly. I could not have positioned the building better. Classic black railing and shutters.

The Decay Is So Gorgeous

This is just an everyday window I passed in Paris.
I love the stone and grill and how the plants seem to be caring for themselves. One shutter is gone but the other hangs off to the side with the lovely peeling paint technique which is virtually impossible to replicate. In Paris, I see the beauty of the window.
Here in Toronto I think differently.
I would immediately be concerned about the stone work. I would only see the weather damage. The windows would all need replacing. The shutter would come down immediately. I would imagine the cracks were contributing to inside water damage. In other words, this is not a fixer upper. This is probably going to need rebuilding. In North America we don't tolerate shabby. Even if it is beautiful.

Fresh Gardening Ideas

This is my idea of a fabulous French entry way. And well. It is a fabulous French entry way!

The plants in the metal planters just bounce against the white washed shutters. It's a look a long to achieve and there are days when I just want to look for a stone cottage somewhere.
For now though, I'll admire this one.

Creative Carrots in Paris

Just when you think you have seen it all.....
You pass by someone begging for change who is probably yet another "down on their luck" artist.
I have a feeling this person may have been a sculptor. Paris is not an easy place to come to if you don't have the means, connections or backing.

So he sat down on the street and carved these amazing birds. The flowers were carved from beets. I had no problem giving him a Euro or two. Then I politely asked if I could take a picture. I only snapped the one. It was a little out of focus but I didn't wish to embarrass him. These birds were truly beautiful.

Even The Pollution is Artistic in Paris

I hope when you saw this little image that you thought I was showing off a night time painting of a forest.

You are in fact looking at some evidence of the effects of pollution in Paris. Many of the walls in the big European cities are being damaged by all the car exhaust. I know this is an issue, but I can't help but love some of the details it creates.

When I tweak this image digitally I see a forest.

It strikes me as yet another reason why I love Paris. Even their pollution creates art.

The Metro to Porte De Clignancourt

There are more than a few Sundays when I wake up here in Canada and just sigh.
I am grateful for my home, family and friends. Extra grateful. Love my country.
But if I was in Paris this morning I would be getting a coffee to go sorted.
I would be checking to see if I had an extra shopping bag or two to bring...just in case..
I would be sorting my Euros and seeing if there was anything extra in my purse that might weigh me down during the day. My camera battery and back up battery would be located.
Then I would be out the door and heading to the nearest Metro which would take me all the way north of the city to the huge antique market.
Sundays in Paris means hunting for treasures.
Today, someone else is buying that extra special button that I am certain would have changed my life.

What to do with a bad photo?

Ordinarily, I am a viscous photo editor.
When I load the pictures onto my computer I immediately scan and delete.
Out of focus - delete.
Sun glare - delete.
Accidental photo - delete.
But some of the pictures I take at an important location I have a hard time culling.
That's why this slightly out of focus tulip is still on my hard drive.
It isn't an ordinary tulip.
It's a tulip in Monet's Garden. I tried to delete it but decided to save it instead.

Here it is redone in Photoshop! Now I have a "Warhol style" tulip to use in my art card productions.
Monet's Garden and Museum is about an hour outside of Paris. It really is a lovely day trip.

Spending Too Much Time Staring Through The Camera Lens

Every now and then I have looked at someone snapping away with their camera and thought they are missing everything. Get out from behind the lens and be in the moment.
Then I see I do the same thing.
Clearly I was anxious to take this picture of this great box of paper ephemera I spotted at the big antique market. Well, had I stopped to actually rummage through the box I would have seen this great photo..........

Look at her. What an outfit! She would have made a great addition to my postcard and french picture collection. I saw her today when I was looking at this photo on my big screen IMAC. Why why why didn't I rummage through this box?
I had to spot her in my photo....three months later.
Bet she's still in that box.

Shopping Regrets

I am utterly amazed that I did not buy this chocolate bar.
It would have been a grand edition to my "fun ways of re-using Mona" collection.
But I don't like dark chocolate. Why I didn't just buy it for the packaging I do not know.
Next time.

Store Fronts of Paris

This is the reason I walk 10-15 kilometers a day in Paris. I just never know what will be around the corner. This is a classic photo in my collection. I love the old windows upstairs. I love that the store front is painted black. I love the simple yet oh so effective sign. There is a lighting fixture blocking our complete view of the orange square.

But what I love the most is the banner! Can you just imagine having these in your home? I would smile all day! We need BIG, HUGE foam stamps to make these curtains! I might give this a whirl!