Paris Trip Book - Finally

I can't believe our Paris trip was five years ago.   Or that making a book of that trip would take five years!     In going though my stash of journals and notebooks, I came across a notebook with pages, tags and embellishments that would work with my Paris pictures.

I needed more pages , so I raided my stash and found paper and stamps that worked with the pages in the notebook.  I already had a candelabra  and a harlequin stamp,  lots of vintage- looking and French-inspired papers.

My goal was to get this book put together with stuff I already have - no new supplies.   I've been following a group on Facebook called Shop Your Stash - it's all about using all the stuff we have instead of buying more.   Lots of FB groups are full of enablers - always enticing us that we need, NEED every new supply out there.   I don't need more stuff - I hardly have room for what I have.  It was fun to challenge myself to do this project with what I have.  In fact, it's a bit frightening that I can put together a book - covers, pages, embellishments just by rummaging around in my own "shop"!

I actually started this book while we were in Paris, so I have some small pages from that book, too.  I toyed with the idea of re-writing the journalling on to bigger pages, but left that crazy idea behind.  This is the first book I've made with different sized pages and I love the mixed-up look of it.   I had this flour de lis paper and stamp and repeated it throughout the book .   Talented Boston Daughter made the card announcing my birthday gift - tickets to Paris!

Another look at all those mis-matched pages.    It goes without saying that I'm not a scrap-booker.  While I love the perfectly planned and coordinated pages I've seen others do, it's just not my style.

The notebook pages also included several tags.   I attached this one with some washi tape so it can be flipped to read both sides.

I added some scrapbook paper to the edges of some of the small pages to avoid having to punch holes through the journalling I did in Paris.  Again, I repeated pieces of the same paper throughout the book to tie it all together.

I glued the envelope that came with the kit to the inside of the back cover to hold extra photos.

I used the covers from an old book to make covers for the new one..   First I cut the pages out , making a cut along the spine and then cut the covers off the spine.

Then drilled holes for the rings.    Turns out the covers were too thick to actually set the grommets, so I banged the little points flat and glued the grommets (front and back) to finish off the drill holes.  Thanks to DC son for the new craft knife- much nicer than my old cheap-o one and to Boston Daughter for some of the French-inspired ephemera.

   Next up,  Scotland!

Le Road Trip - A Book Review

" Every road trip has its ups and downs, just like a love affair, or the stock market".

 

 

I just want to gush on and on about how much I loved this book.  What's not to like - a travel book about France, complete with whimsical illustrations and laugh-out-loud tales of the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of travel.  

 

This is not your usual travel book - no hotel or restaurant recommendations ("What, do I look like Rick Steves"?) and  no list of  must-see attractions.  It's about life, relationships (this was a honeymoon trip after all) and  being a traveler instead of just being a tourist.

 

Really,this isn't your usual anything book. It's a book with some serious eye-candy, written by someone who pays careful attention to every detail, starting with the hand-written font that she designed herself to the illustrations that complements her  journal-style writing.

 



 

Wine dribbles, font and cork art love

 

 

 

I'd love to be able to do watercolor sketches like this. (Who am I kidding - I'd just like to be able to sketch something recognizable).  Sketches this good mean that  I can look at this illustration of the Arc de Triomphe and remember standing in the middle of this busy street looking at this very view and it makes me  wish I were there again. 

 

 

 

I have so many pictures of doors and windows in Paris.  Just look at the details in this sketch.  This is why I'm drawn to these illustrated journal-type books; I love the intimacy of hand-drawn illustrations.

 

This is a fun book, with advice about how to pack ("packing light isn't cramming as much stuff as possible into a small bag"), what to wear ("Pack for the person you are on Saturday morning"),  and  how to make a traveler's scrapbook and a Band-Aid box boudoir. It's also a  laugh-out-loud account of travelling, full of funny bits that beg to be read out loud.

 

Now that I've discovered Vivian Swift, I'll be reading her other books, When Wanderers Cease to Roam and  A Traveler's Journal of Staying Put and following her blog.

 

What a find- a writer who shares my obsessions and can execute them in such grand style.



My Coffee Obsession

I love my coffee. I love lots of coffee in the morning and made a frightening discovery in Paris- Parisians don't have the same obsession about morning coffee that I do, or at least the same requirement for a large quantity of coffee to start the day. We were on the Metro early one morning with all the work commuters and I did not see one person with a mug of coffee. I did not see anyone walking the streets with a cup of coffee. How do these people function??

The Captain went out to find coffee for me one morning and came back with two tiny plastic cups (like those tiny little disposable bathroom cups) of espresso - from the 27/7 Internet cafe. No to-go coffee anywhere . It was Sunday and even Starbucks wasn't open until 9 a.m. This is the Starbucks near our hotel - very swanky!

Ah, but then we discovered our cafe tucked into a market square. It had wonderful wooden tables with inlaid numbers, fantastic breads and pastries and coffee - the wonderful double grand creme pictured above. All that plus a wonderful white chocolate spread for flaky croissants -yummy!!

Paris Lessons

We spent a fantastic ten days in Paris . I really never expected to see Paris and it was more amazing than I imagined. It's hard to take in buildings so old and so beautiful and so full of history. One of the wonderful things were the unexpected lovelies - beautiful doors that opened into secret courtyards with pots of flowers on old stone steps, ceramic street number tiles embedded into old plaster, old couples walking hand-in-hand down tree lined streets, wonderful outdoor markets with every vegetable and fruit artfully presented, and perfect bowls of coffee swirled into foamed milk.

I learned a few things about Paris and unlearned some things as well:

First , contrary to the opinion we often hear, Parisians are friendly, and everyone we met went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Several times our puzzling over the Metro map led to a helpful person stopping to ask if we needed help.

Paris does have a litter problem - probably the six million tourists a year contribute their share. It's not for lack of clean-up - there are crews out from morning to evening sweeping, picking up litter, washing streets, but the input is overwhelming.

Parisians smoke. They smoke a lot.

Parisians take road signs as mere suggestions, drive very fast, even on little side streets, motorcycles and bicycles weave in and out of traffic, and the motorcycles drive and park on the streets- all of which means being a pedestrian requires constant attention!

We decided that there is something to learn from Parisians. Little things can make a big difference in the rituals of the day - making the fabric of our day nicer by not saving up the good stuff for company or some future "special" event. A nice cloth napkin, a flower in an old bottle, a pot of flowers on the deck remind us that it's the little things that matter.