French Filles Friday: Alix of The Cherry Blossom Girl

Good morning, Friday!

For the past two (or is it three?) Fridays, I haven't been able to post our vendredi special. So today, I present to you: French fille Alix!

She's a Parisian stylist-slash-fashion blogger-slash-Chanel Cocoon and American Apparel endorser. Her blog, thecherryblossomgirl is overflowing with supergorgeous photos of her and her funky clothes and accessories. Her style is part-classic, part-edgy, part-whimsical, and every bit as French.

But enough talk. I suggest you head on over to her blog, for lots more French fashion goodness!

P.S. I looove these two photos of her (image credit, of course, goes to Alix). First photo is just so... Parisian chic---from the striped shirt, down to the stovepipes and Repetto flats. The second photo is equally good. Those gigantic buttons are cute!

Eiffel Tower Wrap!

Okay, so this isn't really a "French" post.

But it's my friend's birthday, and I wrapped her present in brown paper, with little prints of Eiffel Tower. She isn't as obsessed with France as I am, but she has been lucky enough to have visited Paris with her folks last year. She even gave me a gold pillbox with the Eiffel Tower on its cover. Hehehe.

Anyway, take a look at my mini-project!

I made the wrapper by deconstructing an Eiffel Tower-printed brown bag, which I got at Saizen (a Japanese "dollar" store):

Then, I made the tag (bottom left of the set) with acid-free scrapbooking paper. I forgot to take photos of the process, but all I did was cut the paper into 2 small squares---one bigger than the other. I pasted the small one diagonally on top of the bigger piece. And then, I managed to turn the scrap strip into some sort of paper bow, by twisting the paper then using more glue. I placed a dot right in the middle as a finishing touch.

And the final product, up close:

I love, love the wrapper. If I had to give myself (wrapped) presents, I'd definitely use this. What about you? Do you have French-themed gift wrappers? Share them here!

Paris Stays

As this year's Christmas vacation nears, I find myself dreaming of a ten-day trip to Paris, France (with a side trip to Provence, of course). Oh, it would be fantastic to roam around the arrondissements for ten days. But ten days would also decrease my shopping money significantly, because a huge chunk of it would be going to hotel stays.

So, I researched a bit about Paris accommodations. I learned that, if I stay at an apartment, rather than in a hotel, I'd have more to spend on Free'P'Star, Hermes macarons, Eiffel Tower souvenirs and all that! Yay! Hahaha.

I found the following apartments off of the internet some days ago. The site has a long list of apartment accommodations (which may be sorted by budget, location and capacity).

These are my favorites so far. They are both located near the famous Left Bank, in the 14th arrondissement. Sure, there's no room service in these. But I realized I don't really use room service anyway. Plus, I think they look gorgeous---a lot bigger and better than a generic hotel bedroom!

The Alesia aparment kind of reminds me of Amelie's bedroom. I like that red blanket very, very much.

The Plaisance studio has a lighter atmosphere. I adore the pink + lavender / gray + white combo of the sofa bed. So girly!

If you've tried staying at apartments like these, how did you find it?

Paris Out of Hand

Ah, finally!

Yesterday, Blogger was not displaying the new post page properly. Hence, the lack of Monday post from me. But, it is working just fine today, so yay! I'm posting pictures! Lookie, a red Paris book!

I bought this beautiful red book from Fully Booked some months ago on a whim. It's entitled "Paris Out of Hand {A Wayward Guide}", and it's written by Karen Eliizabeth Gordon. Gotta love the red cloth cover, and that old-style ink illustration of an upside-down Eiffel Tower! Take a closer look:

This seemingly serious book about Paris isn't very serious, actually. This fictional travel guide book, complete with customer reviews and tips, brings the reader to an imagined Paris---a Paris different from what most travel books tell us. In this book, hotels and cafes have strange characteristics; Paris gets a life of its own. Flipping through the book's pages is a feast to the eyes, too, because images and illustrations are plentiful here.

And then, of  course, I find out that the book is gorgeously illustrated by none other than "Ephemera Master", Nick Bantock (of Griffin and Sabine popularity)! So that's why every page of this book is oozing with beautiful, vintage-y goodness!

Anyway, I really enjoyed reading and looking at this book. Go buy!

Lundi and Lunettes

It's the start of the week!

I realized that my past "recent" entries were a bit heavy, so today, we are going to talk about something that's slightly more...trivial. We're going to talk about my eyeglasses. Haha.

So. I really gotta get new glasses. My old pair, which has major scratches and a broken frame, makes me look like some teenage emo girl. Plus, it's starting to make it extremely difficult for me to see things. Which is bad, considering I'm in this industry.

Anyhoo, I've had these thick-framed, plastic glasses for some years already, and replacing them now would be a great idea. Usually, I'd settle for the plastic kind, since my skin doesn't react to the material (unlike with metal ones). But right now, I'm digging those thin frames. I should probably get the titanium ones, though. That is, if I finally make a decision.

I tried to look for nice lunettes on the internet. Alas, I found only a few stylishly worn pairs. See:

This pretty lady's photo was snapped by the fabulous French stylist, Garance Dore, on the streets of Paris. Those big frames are hot!

Another gorgeous pair of glasses, now in white. (Good job, Parisian lady from the 2009 Paris Fashion Week!) Not sure if I could pull those off, but I could try. :p I don't know who to credit for this picture. If you do, please let me know. :)

So, should I get the usual thick, plastic frames, or should I try on those thin metal frames instead? Help me decide!

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Edit: My eyeglasses finally broke. So now I'm on my reserve pair of contacts. Hahah.

Aftermath

I apologize for the lack of posts.