London & Paris – Stuff I Bought
For those of you just barely suffering through all these Euro blatherings, you will be happy to know we’re almost done!
And so! Shopping abroad. Suffice it to say, I am a fan.
I love to collect mementos that remind me of the places I’ve traveled to, but I have no interest in purchasing the standard-fare types of souvenirs that are sold in travel shops and by hawkers outside popular attractions. Those cheap little tchotzkes and trinkets are just overpriced crap, and if you’re buying a plastic key chain at the Eiffel Tower, then I’m pretty sure you’ve missed the point of shopping abroad.
My favorite things to buy when traveling:
- Jewelry, preferably vintage or locally handmade.
- Artwork – small prints, paintings, and drawings that can easily fit into a suitcase.
- Home Decor – vintage, handmade, or something unique to the region I’m visiting. Though I look for things that will easily fit into a suitcase, I’m not opposed to having a lamp, rug, or piece of furniture shipped home if it’s an amazing and affordable find. (This has never happened to me).
While in Paris, we spent an entire morning at the Antiquite Brocante (antiques fair) in Bastille. Nearly 500 stalls of antique furniture, art, glassware, and various bric-a-brac straddle both sides of the Seine River at the Place de la Bastille twice a year. It’s what dreams are made of, people. Flea markets are always my jam, but I find them especially interesting in other countries. You talk to people from other walks of life, you discover what types of items are ubiquitous in other cultures, what items hold value over others, what locals are most interested in buying, etc. It’s a level of access to local culture that you wouldn’t find in a museum (not that I don’t love museums too).
Most of the vintage jewelry was waaaayy out of my price range, but I came across this gorgeous art deco ball pendant necklace for only €30. And hey! Now I know how to type that little euro symbol.
This large book of sheet music cost only €10 and it says FLIRTING TIME! I mean, come on. No choice.
One of the vendors at the antiques fair had boxes and boxes of these quirky old post cards, priced at ten for €10. When I saw the ones with the babies, I was all “These are the weirdest, creepiest, most bizarre things I’ve ever seen. I’LL TAKE THEM ALL!”
The V&A Museum in London had an entire shop accompanying the David Bowie exhibit. I really wanted this Aladdin Sane Contact Sheet, but alas, at €3,999 it was a leeeetle bit out of my price range. Instead, I bought this paper doll set. If I now own two sets of paper dolls, does this make me a paper doll enthusiast? Or just a weirdo?
This handmade ring came from a tiny clothing & jewelry boutique near our apartment in Le Marais, Paris.
One day I dragged Mike D all over Montmartre into stores that the internet told me were “vintage shops”, but were mostly filled with piles of dirty old women’s clothes. He liked it, or so I told him. At this one particular shop, the owner was VERY friendly and VERY energetic and insisted on playing How Soon is Now by The Smiths over and over (and over). He pulled out things that he thought we would like, including this tin, which he eventually convinced me to buy. I don’t know, it looks cute in my kitchen and I can put crap in it? I’m totally rocking your world right now.
I stumbled into this shop in Montmartre that had the most colorful collection of tea towels, pot holders, aprons, glassware, and other home decor.
I fell in love with the entire Bloomingville collection, and felt like I couldn’t leave the store without buying something, so I grabbed a tea towel to hang above our stove. I love the little neon hook! I also grabbed this Abbey Road street sign at a flea market in London.
We didn’t come across many vintage stores in London, but I did find this sequined beanie at a shop in Covent Garden. I can say with 100% certainty and experience that wearing a sequined beanie to a casual pub serving fish & chips will gain you many a side-eye.
The real winner of the trip was this cardboard cat hanger from a quirky little shop called Rose Bunker in Montmartre. Me.OW.
By the way, if you don’t love sequins you’re wrong.
We also brought home some lovely gifts for our friends and family that watched over our house and took care of our pets, but I didn’t take any pictures of those things because I’m a terrible blogger. Instead, here are some instax minis!
If you’re still here, then hooray for you! You’ve made it to the end.
xoxo
Posted in europe, france, london, paris, shopping, souvenir, UK, vintage // Add a Comment
Deep Thoughts For The Universe – London Edition
It was a cool, drizzly Tuesday afternoon and we were strolling through Central London in search of a suitable pub to have a pint and rest our aching feet. We made our way down a terrifically London alleyway when suddenly the bells tolled, stopping me in my tracks. They weren’t just any bells, they were THE BELLS. The bells that distinctly belong to a particular band, a band that belongs to me. Pink Floyd is mine, you see, and I’m willing to fight you for it. The bells tolled, thunderous and imposing, then the big clock chimed in, “DINNNNNG”, “DONNNNNG”, and the lyrics “Ticking away, the moments that make up a dull day” danced through my head like lightning bugs, electric with color.
Later that evening as we arrived home to our apartment in Covent Garden, tired & worn after a day of wandering, I dropped my bags on the table, my camera making a loud thunk.
I realized in that moment I hadn’t taken a single photograph that day.
When I took my first trip out of the country just after graduating high school, I began a travel journal. I jotted it all down furiously, the play by play of each day, the way each bite of food tasted, how the ocean smelled at precisely 3am. I photographed just as furiously, attempting to freeze every fleeting moment, for fear I would lose them. Those little moments all seemed so important, yet so fragile, and I had to protect them, collect them, to provide proof that they happened. Proof of the beauty.
There was something about London though, that inspired a freedom to just wander and wander with no other reason than to SEE. As the bells chimed and crashed over my head that afternoon, my senses opened up. The damp air smelled vaguely of exhaust, cut grass, and greasy pub food. The cold cobblestones pressed into the soles of my boots as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. My eyes glazed over and I reminisced about that concert, nearly 20 years ago, the t-shirt I bought three sizes too big, and the wristband I wouldn’t take off for a week. I hummed along in my head, and hummed along to my band, while my camera lay abandoned at my side.
Perhaps all moments are not meant to be retold through photographs. Maybe this moment was just for me.
Psst! I also wrote about my time in Paris, here.
Posted in division bell, europe, london, photography, pink floyd, time, travel // 1 Comment
Art Show Tonight!
Hey Friends!
Cancel your plans and clear your schedule! Tonight is the opening reception of my latest art show. I have over 30 original Polaroids on display alongside the artwork of three very lovely and very talented lady friends of mine – Jessica Brown, Kim Hoxworth, and Lisa Marie Krug. All of the artwork is extremely good and very affordable. For real.
And you guys! Detroit’s own rock star treasure broker Cari Cucksey said my Polaroid collage was, and I quote, “very cool”.
Not sure if you noticed, but she also gave me internet hugs & kisses. Pretty sure we’re BFF now?
So come on out, say hello, and pick up some new artwork for your home! And if you still aren’t convinced, then perhaps the delicious snacks provided by Majestic Cafe will entice you? Also, I will be there giving free hugs.
Majestic Cafe
4140 Woodward Avenue, Detroit
Thursday, July 18th 8pm to 11pm.
Posted in art show, cari cucksey, detroit, majestic cafe, polaroid collage, polaroids // Add a Comment
Miscellaneous Notes and Such
Hey Friends!
As I am sure you’ve heard by now, Google Reader is shutting down TODAY. But don’t fret, because you can easily follow me, and all your other favorite blogs, on Bloglovin or Feedly. Both Bloglovin and Feedly are providing super easy one-click transfers to migrate feeds from Google Reader. I have been using Bloglovin for a while now, and personally prefer it over Feedly. It’s easy to use, and has a nice looking interface. You can follow me here.
Secondly.
Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by the Black White & Red Show at Funhouse Gallery on Saturday. It was a great turnout and a lot of fun. The show runs through the end of July and gallery hours are Fridays 5pm to 9pm, Saturdays 2pm to 6pm, and every third Thursday 5pm to 9pm, or by appointment.
Thirdly.
My next art show opens on Thursday July 18th from 8pm to 11pm at Majestic Cafe in Detroit. This show will feature the art & photography from myself and three of my most favorite artists (and hussies). I have been doing a lot of shooting for this show and plan to feature a boatload of original Polaroids. This show is not to be missed! It’s free to attend and light refreshments will be provided. Tell your friends and all your cousins!
Thanks for following along! I love you all to pieces. xoxo
Posted in bloglovin, feedly, funhouse gallery, google reader, majestic cafe, wayward hussies // Add a Comment
Where French People Gave Me The Crepes
Paris.
Where we wandered the crooked cobblestone roads, stole bites of each other’s croque monsieurs, tried on berets in the street, and felt very much like stars of a Woody Allen film. Where we climbed to the top of the Eiffel Tower and watched the sun fall over the city while the wind, bone-piercingly cold, whipped my hair into knots. Where we insisted upon saying each street name aloud, at least twice, as we walked past them. Rue des Francs Bourgeois… Rue..des…Francs…Bour..ge.
And there is that saying… to have another language is to possess another soul. Well I’d like to think that during those ten seconds I possessed the soul of Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Where we roamed flea market stalls and sifted through a myriad of bits and bobbles until I discovered the most beautiful necklace and teacup, both of which left with me, one of which didn’t make it through the day in one piece. Where we fought the crowds and weaved our way through a labyrinth of masterpieces for a glimpse of the Mona Lisa and pinched ourselves afterwards but not before posing for a few wayward photographs. Where Mike D insisted upon acting out the Louvre scene from National Lampoon’s European Vacation, and what is it about museums that makes us so insubordinate? Where in the wee hours of the night, a young drunk fellow stumbled onto the metro, half empty bottle of wine dangling from his hand, and tumbled onto a guy who was just not having it. And how we exited the metro before him and were left wondering – did that girl with the Hitler hairdo ever give him her number?
Where we climbed over tables at Le Refuge des Fondues and cheered with our cohorts while we drank red wine from baby bottles. Where the baguettes were nothing short of a religious experience, and the cheese was sufficiently divine. Where we spent the better part of a morning in Le Marais waiting out the rain, sipping cappuccinos, and feasting on a rainbow of macaroons while the sky opened above us. Where I could never find my way through that dang loop in Bastille, and thank goodness for French Mike D. Where the energy at Champ de Mars, under the sparkling lights of the Eiffel tower, was palpable and where I felt like I was smack in the middle of all the things I could have ever wished for, and well, you know how those moments are.
Where we only barely scratched the surface. Where we left little pieces of ourselves to come back for. Where we will surely, someday return.
Psst! In case you missed my last post, here’s a silly little video I made of our trip.
Posted in amelie, baby bottles, crepes, eiffel tower, jim morrison, le refuge de fondues, mona lisa, montemarte, moulin rouge, notre dame, paris, pere lachaise, wine // 6 Comments
