A Fairytale Video

This sweet little video from Anthropologie just might inspire you to start some Fall baking. Naturally, I love the fairytale-like setting in beautiful Prague. I've been to Prague once, many years ago. I do believe it's time for another visit.

In the meantime, here's a pumpkin dessert I want to make this week:

Mandarine's pumpkin pie that's like cheesecake

Also, I have an Autumn Love board on Pinterest, if you're in the mood for that. Come visit!

A Quick Trip to Paris

I'm back, at long last! For the first time since moving overseas eleven years ago, we didn't head to the States for the summer. We really needed to save the money we normally spend on trans-Atlantic travel and too-frequent/easy stops at Taco Cabana and Chipotle. But in between family yardwork jobs for some traveling teachers, we managed a few inexpensive European getaways, like this "quick trip to Paris" a few weeks ago.

Even after five years of living in Europe, it's hard to believe such a thing is possible for us. We're four hours away, but it had been four years since we'd made this trip (three for the Girl, who'd been with a friend). The Boy was headed to a four-day teen adventure camp down in Garmisch, so it was a good time for a visit.

We spent a good bit of time in the Marais, one of our favorite neighborhoods. We enjoyed both the European Photography Museum and the Musée Carnavalet, museum of the history of Paris. 

I was super-excited to stumble upon the amazing shop Au Petit Bonheur La Chance, which I'd read about several times in the past. Apparently, it can be difficult to find it open, but we hit it just right, though we were informed about 15 minutes into our frenzied treasure-hunting that the proprietress would be closing up shop "in five minutes." That was probably a good thing, financially-speaking, as I got out with only two purchases. 

After asking another local shopkeeper for a recommendation, we had lunch at Au Bouquet St. Paul, a friendly place with good food and fair prices.

To save money, we stayed outside of Paris in a boho apartment we rented through airbnb. Just a 12-minute walk plus twenty minutes on the Métro, it was perfect for the three of us, plus dog.

We even had a private deck and garden, something you certainly won't find in the center of Paris. See that little table at the bottom of the photo? It was trash-picked by Husband on a street nearby during one of this early-morning walks, and it now sits in our upstairs bathroom. 

The garden was perfect for Yoshi, except that while exploring it, he managed to tip himself backwards right into this ridiculously-tiny pond. He was not amused, though Husband and I, who witnessed the incident, definitely were. Bad dog-parents!

We finally made it to Giverny, to Monet's House and Garden. We'd been telling the Girl we'd take her there someday, ever since she was a tiny thing reading Linnea in Monet's Garden (and watching the video). 

Warm and sunny, it was a perfect day for our visit. Yay!

Back in Paris that evening, we picnicked with the masses next to the Eiffel Tower and watched the sunset. Lovely!

Back soon with more about our summer!

The Aesthetes: Eccentric in Tangier

I've been wanting to visit Morocco for quite a while. Marrakesh has been on my list, but now I know I also really, really want to go to Tangier. 

These people and their houses are nothing short of eccentrically fabulous! If you like the video as much as I do, be sure to read the article it accompanied.

edited to add--apparently the video has been taken down, so you'll have to take a look at the article if you want to know more

Four Tiny French Cookbooks

Aren't these little cookbooks from Marabout just adorable? And they are indeed little--the pages measure about 3" x 3". There are many more in the series, and I've decided to try to pick one up each time we visit the French hypermarché Carrefour.

Each book is centered around the use of one whole food, such as bell peppers, or a branded convenience item popular with French and Belgians. As you can imagine, a number of cheeses are well-represented (note the topic of three out of the four books I've bought thus far). I like that each recipe has an accompanying photo, and the styling is lovely. 

Though I don't bake a lot of sweets these days, I'd like to have the book about Nutella (which comes in a set with silicone molds), as I tend to end up with a lot of half-eaten jars of Nutella due to The Boy's insistence that it gets "old" after being open for just a few days.

In case you're wondering, I've looked through all four of these books and been inspired, but I haven't actually made any of the recipes yet. For one thing, my once-quite-good French is a bit rusty now, so I know I'll have to translate certain things. All of the recipes are uncomplicated, though.

By the way, Marabout has some fun Pinterest boards. And if you're a cheese-freak, you might like to visit my Fondue and Raclette board as well. Bon appétit!

Global Style Love

If you appreciate and embrace global style as much as I do, I think you'll enjoy the first online magazine of Once Upon a Tea Time, a global interiors blog I've been following for several years. Due to great feedback so far, the magazine, which was designed to be a one-off, will become a monthly. Yay! 

Have a look and let me know what you think. If you love it, you may want to add Gypsy, the latest book by Sibella Court to your wish list. I'm such a fan of her styling, and I own two of her previous books.

Have a great day! And seriously, German Christmas markets are indeed on the agenda here!

Two Women Cooking, in France

It's possible that I am ever-so-slightly just a tiny bit obsessed with Paris-based chef Rachel Khoo. This is a trailer for her second cookbook, My Little French Kitchen. Ever since I spotted her first cookbook, The Little Paris Kitchen, in a shop window in Ireland last year, I knew I'd have to buy it and also find out more about this chef, who is clearly vintage-quirky adorable and also really good at making the preparation of French food seem quite accessible, even in the tiniest of kitchens.

Elle a Table, March 2013

 I somehow missed her BBC series named after that first book (sheesh, the names of the two books are awfully similar!), but I was able to catch a couple of episodes during a flight last summer. For twelve video clips from this series, visit YouTube.

Then there's Mimi Thorisson, who writes the blog Manger.

Glow Magazine/ Greece December 2012

She's all glamorous and Gypset, but she lives in the French countryside with a bunch of kids and animals (oh, and her photographer husband). She cooks and eats great food and throws fantastic parties.

Just look at her, making that tarte tatin in those heels! These two women live very different lives, but I'm thinking they both rock the Fairytale lifestyle. I know, I'm sounding all girl-crushy--but these women are just cool! Don't you think so?

**Update: you can now preorder Mimi Thorisson's cookbook A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse!

The Sullivans, and the Soul of a Home

Robert and Suzanne Sullivan (and their kids) are very, very cool people, if this video of them in their home is any indication. And I'm pretty sure it is.

As soon as I watched Our American Revolution, I immediately pinned it, but then I realized I couldn't stop there. I had to share it here as well.

Why am I so taken with it? Well, I love that these creative people seem to be living exactly the way they want, doing what they want to do. They live a home-based life, which I admire, and they appear to get along with each other really well. And I love that they surround themselves with beautiful things--not expensive things, but items that often have great personal meaning to them.

I sometimes like to look around my home--in any particular room, or two--and call up memories of where and when I got many of the things my eye falls upon (there's plenty to see--I could never be a minimalist!). I'm looking at one shelf now, and I see items from South Korea, Malaysia, mainland Japan, Okinawa, Hong Kong, Panama, Germany, England, and Ireland. I have these things because I truly like them, and they remind my of my travels (though a couple of the items were gifts from friends). The only thing there that I could remotely call "expensive" is the lamp from Hong Kong.

But of course, it's not necessary to travel abroad to build your own collection of tangible memories--you'll see this in the Sullivans' video. It's about having things that you love around you--not so you can show them off to others, but because they make you happy. Isn't that the best kind of "decorating"?

Ireland: The Burren Perfumery

While driving around the near-lunar landscape of the area known as The Burren in County Clare, we managed to make our way to a stop recommended in one of my guidebooks. The Burren Perfumery is buried deep within this already-isolated region, so getting there via the tiny back-country roads wasn't exactly easy. We almost turned around in frustration a couple of times, but we ended up being glad we didn't.

We were rewarded with a visit to this lovely place, which became a highlight of our trip.

All of their herbal products, from the soap I bought for the friend watching Yoshi for us, to the calendula balm I bought myself, to the Harvest fragrances I coveted, are truly all-natural and often organic.

It was a beautiful, sunny day. After making my purchases in the shop, I thoroughly enjoyed wandering the award-winning herb garden paths, taking way too many photos of various plantings. Aren't the spiral wire plant markers cute? I think I'll make some of those for my own garden.

We were pretty hungry and thirsty after our meandering drive, so we couldn't resist ordering something from the adorable tearoom.

We saw this guard-kitty and also the Perfumery's owner, Sadie Chowen, with her little daughter in tow.

Let's just say that it was all very much my cup of tea.

The World at Home

I like the idea of things that show your travels around the world--show your life. And I enjoy the idea of all the different cultures meeting here. Japan meets Peru, Peru meets America, America meets England, England meets Denmark, Denmark meets France, you know. Total integration of cultures. I guess it's the future, no?--Mario Testino

Thanks to renegade interior designer Abigail Ahern for bringing this quote to my attention. Mario Testino's self-designed home was recently featured in Vogue US, and I love that it's not the typical Los Angeles "loads of money but little taste" abode, as Abigail says. Testino has chosen to enrich his home with items he's found in many places--not to impress others, but to bring himself joy and give himself a sense of his own personal history.

My own home integrates elements from the USA, Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, the U.K., Germany, France, and other countries.

I love looking around my house and being reminded of the places we've been. Also, I really do like and value each item. 

Edinburgh: Our 'Hood

Happy New Year to you! We're getting back into some semblance of a routine following a delightful winter break, spent half at home and half away--a perfect mix. We enjoyed the first five days of the break in Edinburgh. We'd never been to Scotland, and I'd been wanting to go for several years, so I was pretty excited about this trip.

We stayed in a wonderful furnished apartment on E. London St. This is the view from the apartment's living room--or maybe the master bedroom. It's hard to say what time it was; it got dark around 3:30 each afternoon. Actually, this photo may have been taken early in the  morning. Husband is an early-riser, even on holiday, and he always enjoys going on little jaunts before the rest of us wake up. He might have taken this before setting out.

He always someone/something photogenic on his walks. He usually manages to find some coffee and a newspaper, too.

Look! It's the site of Conan Doyle's birthplace. He led such an interesting life.

Now for the coffee: Artisan Roast on Broughton St.--some of the best coffee in Edinburgh, supposedly. 

Husband certainly liked it--he bought a bag for us and one for a friend.

Cheeky! This is a reference to The Elephant House, the cute Old-Town Edinburgh coffee shop where J.K. Rowling used to write. The Elephant House is featured at least a couple of times in the Sunday Philosophy Club series by Alexander McCall Smith (is it okay to mention that I considered stalking him while in Edinburgh? Just kidding! Sort of.). 

More soon from Edinburgh!

Gypset Style

I've been meaning to blog about this book for ages. I bought the book last year, but somehow I just discovered the blog. Here's what author Julia Chaplin has to say about Gypset Style:

My general approach to life and my writing is to have hi-low grand adventures. During my travels I came up with the word Gypset: (gypsy + jet-set) to describe a new type of travel, and cultural foraging at home, that redefines the optimal adventure as something with the global references and chic speed of the jet-set mixed with the alternative, anti-commercialism and nomadic wile of a gypsy.

Cool, yes? Though I may not have the financial profile (not necessary, supposedly, but...) or street-cred (Devendra Banhart! Jade Jagger!) of the true Gypsetter, I certainly appreciate the mindset and aesthetic. And I certainly don't think I'd mind hanging out for a bit with Damien Hirst and Maia Norman on their Thames-River houseboat.

Note: the book is more about a way of life than a certain "look," so don't expect lots of house photos (I would have liked more). But since it's text-heavy, if you're curious about the Gypset lifestyle, you're likely to learn a lot.

5 Senses Tour, #1

watching: this episode of Wallander (from the subtitled Swedish version, not the Kenneth Branagh series, which I haven't seen yet). Perfectly atmospheric on a foggy, chilly day.

tasting: the hint of balsamic vinegar, which makes such a difference in this wonderful lentil soup.

listening to: Stan Getz and Bill Evans, on Verve in the '60s. Ideal in the evenings.

touching: the silky hair of my adorable canine companion, who loves sitting in my lap when I turn on (and sit under) our Japanese heater table (kotatsu).

smelling: rosemary I dried for a week or so and then stripped off the branches and placed in a small jar. Such an energizing aroma!

Yes, I've finally remembered to participate in Monica's 5 Senses Tour this week!

Real School

As a devoted, ardent Anglophile, I'd love to have slightly easier access to England. Yes, I know I'm comparatively close, but it's no simple thing just to hop over from Germany on a weekend--it's possible, but unlikely for several reasons, financial and otherwise. Anyway, I think it would be pretty cool to be able to attend the occasional workshop at River Cottage (even the males in my family go gaga when they watch Hugh cook).



There are also wonderful-sounding classes at brilliant Alain de Botton's The School of Life, in London. How to Spend Time Alone, Words for Life, Dinner with Virginia Wolfe? Sign me up! Of course, there are many and varied reasons for going to England; these are just two life-skills-related ones that popped into my head this afternoon, when Monica's post touching on the concept of bibliotherapy reminded me that The School of Life actually employs bibliotherapists. Could bibliotherapist just possibly be one of the coolest jobs ever?

Savon de Marseille

I know. I've been away from here for a couple of weeks, and now I'm back with a post about--soap. Not just any soap, though; it's savon from the famous perfume town of Grasse, where we took an excursion on one of our spring break days in Southern France. Notice this soap; it's pastis-scented! What's not to love? I picked up a couple more at the shop, too--in "olive" and "cedre" scents. I got a little overwhelmed by the many choices available on the rack in the front of the shop, but I settled on three that really say "Provence" (and "Riviera") to me. They're from L'Eau de Cassis, and they're delightful.

In non-soapy news, I didn't quite make it into the Top 25 Expat Mom Blogs, but I came pretty close (41st?). Thanks to those of you who voted! It's an honor just to be nominated.

Hovis Soft White

I'm taking a break from sharing France photos to give you a glimpse of this hilarious British advert, which I found via The Blue Hour, via 10 Engines. I love so much about this, especially how the race participants drink cuppas rather than water along the way. I got some additional laughs just thinking about how it would be if the German rapeseed farmers around these parts had a race: all participants dressed in black, wearing glasses, and grabbing Bitburger beers en route.

Modern Vintage Style

I have a new design book to love (sorry about the fuzzy photo--I'm too lazy to take another one). It's the latest offering by Emily Chalmers, the woman behind two other favorites of mine, Table Inspirations and Flea Market Style. Have I mentioned that I made a pilgrimage just over a year ago to her London shop, Caravan, only to find it closed for the winter holidays? Oh, the disappointment! 

I'm such a fan of the eccentric, hodge-podge interiors that catch her eye. Did you read that recent article about the "trend" of undecorating? To me, the lived-in creative world of Emily Chalmers exemplified this kind of style way before it had a name.

It's a look that's quirky and deeply personal. I love that Chalmers encourages us to "clash fabrics." Isn't that fantastic?

She also wants us to "bring back crochet" and "create clusters." Pile on the color and texture, and please do mix vintage items with modern ones. Yay!

all photography by Debi Treloar

The last photo? That's Nathalie Lété's bedroom! I'm so not surprised it appealed to me.

So, yeah--this is a lovely book that exceeded my expectations. Maybe you'll like it, too!