This week was long! I was all over California and back gathering venue information for the wedding. I will report in soon on the progress but in the meantime I wanted to share this beautiful photo above at B.R. Cohn Winery & Olive Oil Company.
Also, Little Maison has been undergoing some blog maintenance, please forgive the lack of writing! All should be settled soon. Enjoy the weekend!
For my third installment of the My Little Maison series, I am happy to introduce Kate Senkow of Things I’m Loving. Kate’s blog is a visual feast of her favorite interiors, food, books and travel destinations, infused with quotes that will make you ponder. Her posts fair toward a feminine aesthetic and are as light and lovely as lace. I’ve come to think of Things I’m Loving as a chic older sister adorned with pearl earrings resting in a glamorous boudoir. I think you’ll agree.
Tell us about yourself and your inspiration behind starting the blog?
I’ve always had a love for and appreciation of life’s little luxuries. I am passionate about home decor and design, cooking, baking and travel. I am especially inspired by all things London and Paris. I love sharing my latest discoveries with friends and family – whether it be a restaurant, a type of loose leaf tea, a new recipe, or a travel gem. I started my blog in hopes of sharing my latest discoveries with anyone who cared to listen. The response has been wonderful and humbling.
How often do you post and what is the majority of your content about?
I post, on average, once or twice a week, depending on what’s happening in my life. Juggling a full time job with part-time studies and renovating means I don’t post as often as I’d like to!
Having purchased a home, the majority of my posts have recently been decor & design related. The close runner up is Food & Beverage, followed by Fashion.
What are your future plans for the blog?
I would love to see the blog’s audience continue to grow. I hope my posts inspire others to experience life and savor those little moments in the everyday.
I asked Kate to share 3 of her favorite things from her home. The first one, makes my heart melt!
Favorite Item #1: My antique Underwood typewriter. A birthday gift from my husband. He was so excited that I ended up receiving it two months early! The typed note in the photo is the original birthday message from him.Favorite Item #2: This is my Tocca Colette perfume bottle. I purchased it at Anthropologie after falling in love with the scent and the beauty of the bottle design. The lid is so ornate and gorgeous.Favorite Item #3: I guess this collection of picture frames count as multiple items. Is that allowed? =) They’re my favorite pieces in our home. Over a period of months I searched for just the right combination of frames to display photos of our wedding day and those I took on our travels. Starting at 12 o’clock and moving clockwise – 1) Cherry blossoms and Notre Dame. 2) Wedding photo of us and our parents. 3) Guard at London Tower. 4) The last winery in Paris, located in Montmartre. 5) Our bridal party. 6) An interior courtyard at a museum in Le Marais. 6) The center photo is of Sacre Coeur.
Finally, I asked Kate to share a favorite spot in her Little Maison. The one word she used to describe it: GLAMOUR. I agree!
My favorite spot in our home is the only room we’ve completed renovation and decoration of thus far – the front entry. I love the clean white walls, custom paneling, the crystal chandelier and the accents of black – our umbrella in the corner and the fleur-de-lis sculpture.
I was reading Pocketful of Dreams recently and the author Michelle requested some recommendations for her upcoming trip to Paris . It got me thinking of my own trip a few years back and inspired me to share some of my favorites! It was a wonderful experience and I recommend doing it once if you can. If you don’t think you’ll find yourself there soon, grab a warm cup of tea or a glass of red wine and enjoy the photos below! Bonne Journé!
1. Take to the Water. Do this early in the trip to get a better idea of how the city is laid out. The views of the Eiffel tower are amazing but I was particularly fond of seeing the many bridges around the city.
2. Indulge! There are endless bakeries and pastry shops in Paris, go in all of them and snag a little treat! Keep your intake moderate and take solace in the fact that you will be burning calories walking the beautiful streets of Paris. I do highly recommend spending an afternoon at Angelina’s for a hot chocolate. It’s worth taking time to sit in their formal dining area to thoroughly enjoy.
3. Act like a local. While there, we discovered on Wednesday evenings Parisians gather at the Pont des Arts with wine, cheese and circles of friends. It was a lovely way to spend time and I just adore the thousands of locks attached to the gates on the bridge. Next time I go back, I will be married and would love to leave a lock behind for me and George!
4. Get lost, literally. I can’t stress enough how some of the best sights I saw were by accident. This particular photo below is from a small street behind Sacré Cœur but there are hundreds of little gems hidden behind the tourist attractions. Schedule time not only to see the big sights but to explore the surrounding area as well.
5. Spend a full day at a Flea market. There are plenty to choose from but I’d highly recommend Marché aux Puces de Paris Saint-ouen. I spent a full day and couldn’t get enough of the endless treasures. Even if you’re not a vintage lover like me, I think it’s the best place to pick up an authentic souvenir from your trip. Safe Travels!
Learn a little bit more about me and my love for all things French HERE.
On a quiet Saturday a few weeks ago, I spent the afternoon in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. You might remember my store tour of Shabby Foo Foo; it was just one of the quaint shops we stumbled into. The town was just waking up from a sleepy Winter, but it left the antique shops uncrowded and easy to enjoy.
The photo above is of the “east side of Jim Thorpe”, as I learned from one of my helpful readers! The sunset was casting such a glow on the town, I literally took the photo through the trees. Check out some of my favorite photos of Jim Thorpe below, the architecture alone will steal your heart.The shop I loved the most was Trappe Alley Ltd., a used bookstore filled to the brim with beautiful books and trinkets. (see below) The shop owner told us that his family had been in the the town for centuries and his relatives were coal miners. He definitely had an appreciation for ‘good old stuff’ and the books, they were endless!
I can’t wait to stop by this little town again when the greenery returns to the trees. I am sure it’ll be picture perfect!
I wrote a guest blog post today for the lovely online boutique, Frock Stock!
In celebration, they are offering my readers a 15% discount until March 31, 2012. Stop in their shop HERE and use code LILMAISN to get the discount. Enjoy my guest post below and happy shopping!
Whenever I return home from a vacation I get the traveling blues; happy to have gone away, but sad that it’s over! I reminisce fondly of blue skies and fresh air to keep the feeling of vacation alive.
This past September my boyfriend and I set out on a mini road trip through Portland (Oregon) and Northern California. It was a trip filled with my favorite combination of nature and city. I captured the sights along the way and have paired them up with a few of Frock Stock’s Spring finds below. I hope this inspires you to set out on your own adventure and keep those traveling blues away!
Featured above is the breathtaking Ocean Beach in San Francisco. The air is so crisp, can’t you just see this polka dot scarf blowing in the breeze!
Below, we stopped in Sausalito, California to enjoy the view of San Francisco from the water’s edge. This little sun dress is perfect for a stroll along the bay.
This photo below was taken as we rolled by on the streetcar in San Francisco. This breezy top is ready for running errands around town.
Below, bright doorways on the small streets of Portland Oregon were picture perfect. I can just see this gathered skirt with flats walking through the city. (above) Finally below, what California trip would be complete without a little wine! The wineries in Sonoma were superb. This peplum dress can go from day to night with ease.
Don’t forget to check out their shop HERE and use code LILMAISN to get the 15% discount up until 3/31/12
I love flowers. Perhaps it started with my time in a textile design program at FIT where we painted florals for 2 full years! It was relentless but I have a huge appreciation for flowers, textiles and art in general because of it.
These photos of little flower carts from my travels make me smile. I hope they brighten your weekend too! If you need some other calming visuals I highly suggest checking out my past post, White Out HERE.
I loved Paris and I could have walked around the city for months. My friend Annette and I must have taken 2,000 pictures between us. Every so often I notice new things about the collection I snapped while I was there. Today I was particularity liking the window shots. I hope you enjoy them too. Vive la France!
