macaroons

After visually digesting dozens and dozens of images of glorious Parisian macaroons, I decided to try to make some myself. I've never had one, so I'm not sure what they are supposed to taste like, if I hit the mark. They tasted strange, that is, until I sandwiched them with some freshly whipped up almond buttercream. Then they tasted just right. I'd show pictures, but my camera is in South Africa on safari.

miette

For the French, presentation is as important as the pastry itself and each pastry is entitled to its own special box, wrapped in delicate papers and tied with string.

I ordered this book for the library, but when it finally came in, I knew I had to have it, and so did my sister. Full of delectable cakes and cookie recipes from Meg Ray's charming little bakery in San Fransisco, miette. This book is a joy to all the senses!

If I could wander Paris, this is where'd I go....

 L'Oeil du Pelican
13, rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau 1st
A dainty antique shop on the 'eye' of the street

Au Petit Bonheur la Chance
13, rue Saint-Paul, 4th
Vintage school supplies and children's toys....mmm yes!

Fuchsia
2, rue de l'Ave-Maria, 4th
The owner, Elise Rodolphe, studied art history before she started collecting antique lace and linens. In her shop are some pieces dating from 1850. This shop has beautiful, beautiful linens.

Au Progres
11 bis, rue Faidherbe, 11th
A hardware emporium founded in 1873. Locks, drawer pulls, keys, doorknobs, door fittings, period pieces. I would just love to bring home a sack full to replace the hardware in my house. Every time I pulled open the drawer or turned a knob I'd remember Paris! The register still in use is a Yankee made in 1908...wouldn't you love to hear its bell.

Le Chateau de ma mere
108, avenue Ledru-Rollin, 11th
Named after the nostalgic book written by Marcel Pagnol, which incidentally I won in a contest in my 8th grade French class and read. This shop is a second-hand shop for children's clothes, furniture and toys.

La Maison
3, rue Neuve-Popincourt, 11th
Home furnishings from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

Les Portes du Monde
166, boulevard du Montparnasse, 14th
Doors The shop owner, Croisine Lebas, collects doors from around the world. Painted, carved, exotic doors from India, Pakistan, Morocco and China.

Les Temps Suspendu
103, rue du Theatre, 15th
Packed with interesting objects from times past, dollhouse china, typewriters, old photographs...

Aux Salles de Bains Retro
27, rue Benjamin-Franklin, 16th
Bathtubs, sinks, faucets. Styles range from la Belle Epoque to the Roaring Twenties and beyond. How fun.

L'Objet qui parle
86, rue des Martyrs, 18th
This shop collects items that speak. Mysterious and peculiar, floor to rafters.

Tombees du camion
15-17, rue Joseph-de-Maistre, 18th
The owner, Charles Mas, buys whole series of items when factories close. Curiosities and treasures in bulk. Buttons, doll's eyes, wooden typefaces, perfume-bottle labels. Gotta check out this one's website!

Les Puces de Saint-Ouen
Rues des Rosiers, Jules-Valies, Biron, Paul-Bert
93400 Saint-Ouen
Located in a Protected Urban Architecture Heritage Zone, this flea market spans 20 acres with 2000 dealers. Has both high and low price-ranges. Trendy, strange, unique, all of its here. If I could go to just one of the places on this list, this would be it.

Le Monde du voyage
Alle 3, Marche Serpette
Specializes in antique travel luggage, especially from the twenties.

Nordic Cardamom Cake

Does anything warm up a cold winter afternoon better than a spicy cake? Mmm I think not. The inspiring sewing book, Paris Sweat Shop, also has marvelous recipes. I have been experimenting with the Nordic Cardamom Bread, and after four different alterations, I finally found a truly satisfying cake. Give it a try, you know you want to!

Nordic Cardamom Cake

• 2 1/2 cups
• 1 2/3 cups buttermilk (local Winder Dairy buttermilk makes all the difference!)
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/2 cup crushed almonds (creme brulee almonds are preferable!)
• a dollop of sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 325*
2. Mix the sugar into the buttermilk and add baking soda, stir in sour cream
3. Sift flour and spices together
4. Sprinkle crushed almonds in the cake pan, and butter thoroughly 
5. Pour liquid into the flour mix, stir until just mixed, and pour into cake pan.

pixie corner

When you have a small, old house, you have to get creative with small, old spaces. 

The upstairs closet before:

After. Introducing Pixie Corner!

Removed the sliding doors, too many pinched fingers. Replaced them with this curtain, which is actually a quilt cover I was going to quilt, but I took it with me to the fabric store, and I forgot it in the car...right next to my Diet Coke, which exploded. Never could get the stains out.

So, I covered the Diet Coke disaster with doilies. When Heather Ross came out with her Far Far Away fairy tale fabric, I just had to have some, but I couldn't afford much. So this is what I do with fat quarters! I attached the upcycled stained quilt top to a flowery sheet I found at DI, and made huge button holes for the curtain rod to go through.

I wrapped some rice lights in some gauzy leftover fabric, and bought some pink cherry tree boughs from Hobby Lobby - only cost $2. We painted the walls pink, hung some magical crystals from the clothes pole, which we painted gold.

My little fairies loved it :)! As a special surprise for the twins, I included two fairy books, Alison Jay's ABC's, and Daisy Has a Tea Party.

"Shhh!" Love that she's holding a unicorn and a fairy. I want my girls to have a magical childhood.

I sewed a huge squishy pillow for the girls to snuggle. I used some of a precious yard of fabric I bought from Holland House Fabrics, sewed it to some muslin I bought for $2 a yard, and trimmed it with some of the vintage ribbon my friend Alice gave me. I stuffed it with down from two old pillows I used to sleep with, so its extra soft, and smells like mama.

In the end, it turned out more magical than I thought. I had a budget of $25, and ended up spending about $30. Not too shabby! Is it embarrassing to admit I made a special playlist to play when they play in pixie corner?

livres

The book I recently blogged about, Sweat Shop Paris, has opened a whole new realm of sewing. Not only did I devour each and every page in that book, but it had some great online sewing resources in France. I spent a couple of naptimes exploring them, which lead me to another couture vista. Sewing books - in French! Why have I not looked into this before? I discovered a healthy handful of books I'd just love to own, but I settled on two:

Total Liberty pour Les Petits

by Annabel Bénilan

 

La Couture au Feminin

by Jinko Matsumoto

It might be completely crazy to try to understand sewing instructions in French, but the idea of pulling out my French dictionaire sends tingles down my fingers. What I'm really excited for is to get a real sense of the sewing trends in France. From the twenty or so books and blogs I've been exploring, it looks like it has a lot of influence from Japanese styles and the American DIY movement. I can't wait for these books to come in!

Entrée des Fournisseurs

I'd love to wander these aisles...