Green Trike Press

2012-02-18T13:29:00.001-08:00

We started out today with a stroll through the Tuileries Garden -

even the giant ferris wheel is still up from the holidays!

We still have to take a spin on it...

It was a bit warmer today - so the grounds were filled with people strolling and sitting and overall enjoying the (slightly warmer) day.

We walked up to our favorite wine bar in the city - "Juveniles". I'm sure that I've written about this place before. It's an extremely tiny wine bar run by a charming and jolly British man - the staff is always sweet and super patient. (And - I think they can speak almost any language!)

The walls are filled from ceiling to floor with wine bottles - the tables are tight but cozy. Oh, and the food is always delicious. Small plates filled with grilled chorizo - round slices of cheese covered potatoes -simple salads - delicious meat plates - creamy tiramisu!

We love this place!

We love it so much - that right after L proposed to me two years ago -

we celebrated at Juveniles!

We also stopped by a little pastry shop called "Berko" that we had stumbled upon once before - and enjoyed the best petite cupcakes ever - EVER! (Well, besides our wedding cupcakes). The wait was almost out to the sidewalk with sweet tooth customers! We waited - then ate a tiny pistachio cupcake and red velvet - both with delicious cream cheese icing.

Sorry no pictures - I was too busy eating.

L went back for some slices of cheesecake which we had tonight for dinner.

(Again, no pictures - sorry!)

If the weather holds out (and no rain) we'll hit the market tomorrow.

2012-02-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

New Books:

These little books have covers that were salvaged from our weekly food market!

They were once tomato crates!

After the market ends...all of the crates are collected and thrown into huge garbage trucks - but - they are so beautiful and colorful - I thought that they would make great covers! So, with our peppers, potatoes and roasted chicken...we also left with some empty crates!

These journals could be used as foodie journals - to keep recipes - to write about your favorite markets - to keep notes of favorite restaurants!

I carefully hand cut and hand sand each board - interior white paper (hand torn and folded) - sewn with linen thread onto leather straps.

The closure is a wood bead that I have sanded and riveted onto the cover. The leather strap loop simply slips around the bead to close the journal.

I am excited to work on more of these journals -

so, it's off to the market tomorrow!

Here is the new finished journal that I posted about yesterday.

The leather is from the very bottom of a leather satchel - I carefully deconstruct each bag - clean all of the leather - and then recreate the pieces into *new* journals.

The interior is white paper - with vintage french map pages at the beginning and end - sewn onto linen tapes - the spine has been rounded - and adhered with pva glue into the leather cover.

The journal closes with thin pale rose leather straps - I have hand sewn the straps into the top and bottom of the journal through existing holes (from the original bag) - then tied a knot at the end of each side and added a brown wood bead - as a closure.

Other than that - we went to "Chez Robert et Louise" to eat today. We found it on Yelp with mostly good reviews - but, some not so good reviews. I guess Anthony Bourdain reviewed it on his television show a while back. Anyhow - we decided to give it a go. And - so glad we did! It was over in the 3rd arrondissement - it was a totally precious restaurant. A tiny little place - but - deceiving because it had an entire downstairs through the narrow stairs in the back! We thought that we were out of luck because the restaurant was full - but the hostess escorted us downstairs to our table! It was simple - stone walls - arched ceiling - a small bar - simple decor - We ordered the Cote de Boeuf for 2 people - that came with a small simple salad and a plate of sautéed potatoes.

It was delicious!

The steak was cooked to perfection - and more than enough food for the both of us. We would definitely recommend the restaurant. We were happy and full when we left! Not even enough room for dessert!

After we left we stopped into a great little book shop called "Bookbinders Design". The place is incredible - the entire store is filled with beautiful handmade books - journals - photo albums. The colors just pop off the walls which surround you! It's just delightful! We didn't get any books this trip - but we did get super cool chunky colored pencils - called "Color Giants" - made in Germany. They had every color in the rainbow plus a few more - I got a bright peachy orange and a sky-like teal. L got simple black! I can't wait to go back for more!

That's it for tonight. I'll fill the store with these new journals soon!

2012-02-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

Back to Books today!

I finished up lots of little projects - with my new anvil!

I'll take the finished pics and post them soon.

Oh, and there is a picture of my big Book Press!

This little journal has covers from the wooden crates from our weekly market!

Sewn onto leather cords with linen thread.

I bound these books with leather from the market -

the bottom part of a leather briefcase.

They are all sewn on tapes with vintage map and music pages.

2012-02-15T06:57:00.000-08:00

Busy working on handmade paper flowers today...

Just a few pics to show the new work...

2012-02-14T13:45:00.000-08:00

Heart Garland

2012-02-13T12:21:00.001-08:00

Market Finds from this past Weekend...

We bundled up and went to the Puces de Vanves market on Saturday - and it was still so cold! The crowds were thin - but, most of the vendors were there and ready to sell!

We found a few small things -

This music journal is just beautiful - about 6 pages are filled with handwritten music - the writing is just amazing.

We also found some great vintage french linen kitchen towels.

I've had my eye out for these for some time - and we finally found some really nice ones in very good condition - no spots or stains.

And - I found this cute little wooden box to fill with my handmade items!

2012-02-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

Best Valentine's Day Gift EVER!

Super Cool Bright Red Anvil!

2012-02-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

It is still super cold here!!

We ventured out to the market today - and found a few good finds!

I'll post them soon - also found a new little bistro by our place.

It was delicious - the raspberry cheesecake was the best! Yum!

I've filled the store with a few new items - all from my vintage atlas pages.

Next week - back to books!

2012-02-10T11:27:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to post a picture of the packaging for the paper flags - I ran up to my favorite supply store in the city (that sounds so crazy...but, I love supply stores - so many bags and boxes and tags....) anyhow, I had these clear pillow boxes in mind for the packaging - and I'm really happy to see how they turned out - and fit perfect in these boxes. I just posted a few over in the store!

2012-02-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

I'm finally going through all of the leather "finds" from the market - carefully taking the seams apart - and cleaning all of the leather - before I recreate them into "new" journals! Lots of prep to do before I can even start making the books. I'm going to clean a few more pieces...then start on these new works!

I am really excited about some of these leather pieces - I'm going to keep that leather pocket on the front (of the piece in the middle) - and it will become the front of the journal..great to fill with pens...pencils...travel papers and souvenirs...ect!

2012-02-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post these three great vintage notebooks...

even though we didn't get to the market this past weekend - we did stumble upon a tiny antique store downtown while shopping for my art paper... and I found these unused notebooks!

I've posted them over in the vintage shop - they are even stitched with a 3-hole binding - so cool and beautifully aged!

2012-02-07T13:13:00.001-08:00

Vintage Atlas Cupcake/ Cake Picks - Decor

What You Will Need:

*Wood Sticks Varying in Size

(I use 6" length)

*Variation of Small Colorful Round Beads

*Vintage Map Pages

*Glue (or Glue Gun)

*Fine Sand Paper

*Pencil

*Exacto Knife

*Ruler

Cut a strip of map paper 3/4" in height.

Fold the strip in half -

Cut the folded strip 2 1/2" wide.

Measure over 2" and make a light mark in pencil.

Using your exacto knife - carefully use the pencil mark as a guide. Cut diagonally starting from the pencil mark to the outer top and bottom edges of the paper.

Carefully glue the paper flag around the wooden stick.

Glue the wooden bead to the top of the stick. (A glue gun will make this process more secure).

If the wood stick protrudes above the bead at the top - simply sand the top with fine sandpaper.

After the glue has dried - use another round wooden stick to carefully curl the ends. This will give the flag movement - and it will look like it is blowing with the wind!

Take time to curl the paper - you will be able to curl and bend it in many different directions! Remember to be gentle with it!

Using the fine sandpaper - carefully and lightly sand the wood stick to ensure a smooth surface.

Voila!

A perfect addition to any party, celebration, wedding or event!

Customize your theme with your favorite places or special trips and destinations.

2012-02-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post these new sketchbooks...I found these vintage encyclopedia covers at a second hand bookshop in Paris. The covers are so vibrant and colorful...(and really large!) I carefully removed the staples and filled the pages with heavy white paper - then stitched each journal using a 9 hole pamphlet stitch - and colored linen thread.

These would be great to use as giant sketchbooks!

2012-02-05T12:47:00.000-08:00

Wow - it is COLD here!

We woke up all ready to head out to the Puces de Vanves market - when we walked downstairs and looked outside - and saw the SNOW all over the cars and ground!

We were shocked!

So, we changed our plans - and went for a walk all over the city today!

Check out all the snow...

When we were finally so cold that our toes hurt - we decided to have brunch at "Le Pub Saint - Germain" in the 6th arrondissement. It was so wonderful. L and I both got about six miniature little plates and bowls each - filled with eggs, fruit, yogurt, risotto, jams, miniature croissants, crepes, tiny brioches, fresh squeezed orange juice and the most delicious hot chocolate ever!

It was really an experience!

We decided to stroll through the Luxembourg Gardens and check out the exhibition

"Cezanne et Paris"

12 october 2011 - 26 février 2012

The exhibition was at the Musee Du Luxembourg and while it was a small show - it was a very enjoyable one.

A few rooms filled with his work of Paris and the surrounding towns - pencil sketches, landscapes and a few portraits.

The colors and brush strokes were so vivid and captivating - the city rooftops - the simple "Le Plat de Pommes"- (the plate of apples) - so lush it seemed as if you could reach in and grab one off the tabletop. I thought the show was short and sweet and of course - I wanted more! But, it was a wonderful collection and simply enjoyable to witness and experience the work of an extremely talented artist.

We finished up the day with a walk through the Luxembourg Gardens ... filled with snow!

2012-02-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

Popelini

www.popelini.com

Paris, France 75003

Check out these Parisian Cream Puffs!

I passed this little shop the other day and peeked into the window. It had an amazing display of these tiny pastries sitting atop these gorgeous boxes. I made a note of it and L and I checked it out today. Well, I'm so glad that we returned! This place is simply amazing...literally the size of a very small closet - one long glass display case with these little delights all lined up. The packaging is superb - once the cream puffs are chosen - they are carefully packaged in these long slim boxes and the cover slides closed.

Outrageous!

We picked: Chocolat Noir

Cafe

Vanille de Madagascar

Caramel Beurre Sale

Praline

Pistache

Oh, and then we tasted them.

They are melt in your mouth delicious.

A wonderful pastry outer shell and filled with smooth and flavorful filling inside.

Almost to pretty to eat....almost.

L and I ran around the city today. It is so very cold out.

We had to go way out and over to the 3rd arrondissement to my paper store so that I could stock up for my books. Anyhow, we decided to make an afternoon out of it - we had lunch at a super cute little bistro called "Cafe Chaplot". We've been wanting to stop for lunch - the place is always packed full and the food looks delicious. We finally got in today - and got a tiny little seat in the corner. I mean - the dining spots are always tight to eat out in Paris - but, this was extremely tight. Somehow I managed to squeeze through the two tables and slide into my chair which was up against the window. I'm talking - I actually bounced my head off the glass window it was so tight! It was totally fun- friendly staff- friendly dining neighbors- warm ambiance - and the simple burger and fries were really delightful. Sorry not to have any pictures - it was too cold to even take my gloves off and get the camera out!

Look how cute the packaging is - even this super cute bag!

I can't wait to go back!

2012-02-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

2nd Chance Heart Garland! DIY

20 Upcycled Hearts

(The paper that just didn't make it to becoming a journal..for one reason or another - a bad print, smudged, sideways, ect...but now - they have a 2nd chance for becoming heart garland!)

The kit comes complete with two miniature clothespins and 9 ft of cream twine.

Simply sew on the hearts and hang!

Here are the cahier journals - all sewn and finished!

2012-02-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

These are my latest mini paper rosette fans!

They are all made out of Monopoly money!

I collect vintage games and use the boards for books...and since I can't throw anything away...I've been wanting to use the money for something - it is just so colorful and fun.

So, the result is lots and lots of fans!

I created them after the paper fans at my own wedding - that my grandmother made for me!

(I'm still working on getting those Wedding photos and ideas up here).

Although, these are all attached to wooden sticks - to be used as decorations...on cakes, cupcakes, in vases ---

They just make me smile.

2012-02-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a few pics of my studio today -

I'm working on these new cahier notebooks.

We found a few really lovely vintage school notebooks at the flea market a few weeks ago...they were all filled with handwriting notes from different lessons, beautiful hand drawn maps and diagrams - they were really amazing.

And - the covers are just so dainty and vintage and gorgeous!

This new collection has been inspired by those journals!

I hope to have them in the shop soon...

2012-01-31T14:03:00.000-08:00

Heart Name Card Tutorial

What you will need:

Cardstock (2 different colors)

Sewing machine and thread

Heart Punch

Ruler

Exacto Knife

Pencil

Cutting Board

Corner Punch (optional)

With your ruler and exacto knife cut the cardstock into a small piece measuring

5" width and 3"height.

With your pencil mark a spot 1" in from the left side (near the bottom left corner). This will be the center mark for the heart punch.

Carefully cut out the heart with your heart punch. The heart punch I use measures about 1 1/2" - they are available at many different craft stores. Use the pencil mark as your guide - it should be in the center of the heart when you are punching it out.

(The picture shows two name cards).

You will need to punch out 2 more colored hearts from another piece of cardstock. These hearts will be the interior of the name cards.

Locate your sewing machine!

Make sure that your thread color is the same color as the name cards - then the stitching will stand out more on the hearts.

Carefully place the name card on the sewing machine - and line up the needle with the center of the heart.

Begin sewing (slowly!) down the card (backstitch at the top)- just before you get to the heart - place the separate heart in the empty heart hole (where you punched it out on the name card) and carefully place the second heart on top. You must hold these two hearts very tight as you continue to sew down the name card.

Back stitch at the bottom.

Voila!

Carefully pull out the name card and cut the thread.

The is how the name card should look.

At this point -

if you want to use the corner punch and round the corners - do that now.

(Do not round the bottom corner that will be folded back - this will make the card unstable.)

Carefully trim a very tiny angled slice from the bottom left. (Or which ever side the heart is sewn into).

Carefully pull up and fold the hearts - and fold back the cardstock on the line that you have sewn.

These name cards would be a wonderful addition to any Wedding Ceremony! You could easily match the paper to your Wedding colors - what a unique and beautiful guest card table!

These name cards would also be great for Holiday Parties,

Birthdays or any kind of Celebration.

Simply print out the names and tables first for the name cards before creating them!

(Remember to center the names while leaving room for the 1" fold over.)

Or simply write on the names of your guests!

Your guests are sure to be impressed! (And inspired!)

2012-01-30T11:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post some of these great vintage postcards that

we bought at the Puces de Vanves market a few weeks ago.

We got a huge stack of really wonderful antique cards -

so, I wanted to post a few of my favorites...

The backs are almost even more interesting than the fronts!

They are really lovely!

They would be wonderful in a simple frame -

ready to hang in your home!

We are always on the lookout for places that

we've visited - instead of the modern postcards -

these have so much more character to them!

2012-01-29T13:49:00.000-08:00

Well, we didn't get to the flea market this week -

L is just starting to feel better -

and I'm not feeling so well this weekend.

So, we just stayed in - rested and relaxed.

But, not to disappoint -

I wanted to include some of the great finds from last week. . .

They are all listed over at the new Vintage shop!

(All, except the glass vases...I'm still working on getting those listed)

And, Rue 15 Vintage just made it's first sale! Yeah!

The petite cardboard projector box!

It's so cool - we actually bought two -

because I wanted to keep one for myself! Ha!

French Wooden Game

Great Antique Photograph - I love this!

Vintage Wooden Ink Blotter

Great array of vintage glassware!

I love the glass stopper.

Of course...the petite binoculars!

They are so beautiful - great for display...or to use!

2012-01-28T10:29:00.000-08:00

I was working on a few new Valentine's Day tags -

simple little hearts at the bottom of these

cream colored tags - that become 3-D when opened!

Bookbinding Kits in Progress . . .

Just wanted to post some pics of work in the studio...

here are a few more Bookbinding Kits that I've been working on.

These are all the small interior colored folders with the binding needle and different colors of linen thread for the journals. Everything is hand cut - hand folded - and even the instruction kits are hand sewn with a 3 & 5 hole pamphlet stitch!

2012-01-27T13:14:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post some new pics of the handmade flowers and flower balls that I've been working on recently. They are all listed in my Etsy shop.

I made very similar flowers for my own wedding this past October - I made 20 flower pomanders total!! They were all created with vintage paper and grey and lime green wooden beads...(our wedding colors).

And, I made over 100 paper flowers! I'll post some pics of all the wedding goodies we made soon!

2012-01-20T08:54:00.000-08:00

Custom Order:

Leather Colors:

Linen Colors:

2012-01-20T00:41:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

I will be updating soon with new pictures and info...

I've also finally opened up my vintage shop on Etsy -

Rue 15 Vintage

Please visit the shop at

www.rue15vintage.etsy.com

All goodies are rescued from the

Puces de Vanves market in Paris!

2011-08-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

Women's Studio Workshop

I've just returned from a fabulous week of

teaching a papermaking class at WSW!

Summer Arts Institute 2011

"Techniques and Possibilities for Sculptural Papermaking".

I really had a wonderful time - it's been 10 years since I'd

been an intern at WSW! Wow - how time flies!

An incredible place to work on printmaking, book arts, letterpress, silkscreen, clay, and of course papermaking!

The studio is run by a group of amazing artists and they have wonderful classes and programs:check them out at: http://www.wsworkshop.org/

Here's a peek at the outdoor cooking area -

those are paper experiments hanging to dry.

With only a week to work - we had to get

the fan out to help dry some things...

Here is some newly pulled paper sheets -

waiting to be adhered to some sculpture forms.

A new sheet of abaca waiting to be pressed.

The new restraint drying system.

There are paper samples all over the press...

Below is some of the class work I'd like to share:

Wonderful (and very hard working!) class that

produced some great work.

They experimented with a wide variety of materials -

as well as fiber-

and had some fabulous results!

I wanted to throw in some pictures of the

Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts!

Once again - it was such a fun show!

I really enjoyed myself ...

and, I'm looking forward to next year already!

2011-05-31T17:39:00.000-07:00

Brown Leather strap with

antique gold metal rivets.

Interior map pages.

Please choose the linen thread color:

Cream

Chocolate Brown

Mustard Yellow

2011-05-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

Samples:

C.

D.

2011-05-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

Maps for Custom Order:

Paper Options:

(From left to right)

Navy Blue, Green, Brown

Italian printed designs -

Purchased in Rome, Italy

(Left to Right)

Brown, Green, Brown

Italian printed designs

from Rome, Italy

Handmade Paper

(Left to Right)

Aqua/Green,

Light Blue with Gold Flower designs,

Lime Green with Gold Flower designs.

Purchased in Paris, France

Handmade Paper

Brown with printed silver floral designs.

Purchased in Paris, France

2011-05-19T12:47:00.001-07:00

Custom Order Info:
Sample Images of Maps -
The World Book Atlas - 1967

These United States - Reader's Digest - 1969

The following sample maps can be used only if the cover size is changed to

8.5" width

11" height

World Atlas - Imperial Edition 1970's

World Atlas - Imperial Edition - 1964

2011-04-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update with the newest album:

Tan Leather -

created as a photo album/ scrapbook.

Interior Black Canson Editions paper -

sewn with "spacers" to allow for additional material to be added.

8 1/2" height : 11" width

40 pages

2011-04-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Finally, I'm back to the blog after many, many months away!

I will be posting many new books and ideas soon...

PLEASE stay tuned!

I did want to list this new journal I've just finished.

The leather has been rescued from the Puces de Vanves market in Paris.

It was sitting on the ground as we were leaving and we spotted it - thread all torn and one side completely ripped away - perfect for a journal!

I've sewn the paper onto three leather cords - the top and botton cord then weave through the cover and tie the book closed at the front.

The buckles were removed - leaving wonderfully worn - slightly lighter square marks on the journal.

The middle leather cord exits the spine at the original slit marks from the buckle - then have been carefully sewn onto the cover with linen thread.

2011-03-10T01:17:00.000-08:00

***NEWS***

I'm finally back to the blog after - as I can see - a bit of time away.
I'll be listing new work soon -
Please Stay Tuned!!

2010-08-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Custom Order:

Burgundy / Navy Blue with Olive Green Linen Thread

2010-08-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Custom Order:

Dark Brown Textured Leather

Lime Green Leather Spine

Longstitch Binding w/ Dark Brown linen thread

Lime Green Leather strap

2010-08-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Custom Order:

Dark Brown Strap with Buckle

2010-08-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

I wanted to include some pictures of the
Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts 2010!

The show was fantastic again this year...

Check out my new booth display:

Amazing old music "roadie" trunks -

transformed into display drawers and shelves.

My dad transformed the yellow trunk into a showcase

with seven pull-out drawers (with the help of L!)- filled with my journals

from the smallest in the top to the largest in the bottom!

The table is the top of the red trunk!

Everything stores inside the trunks for easy clean-up!

This table is the front of the yellow trunk!

Thanks to all of my return customers from last year

- who added to their journal collection!

And all the new ones as well!

What a great show!

2010-08-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

Custom Order:

Background requested tan leather:

Buckle Choice #1

Ornate decorated/pewter color
#2
Simple pewter color buckle

Latching brass colored buckle

Color of leather straps on each side would be determined with the custom order

Example of open latch

2010-07-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

Leather:

(Left to Right)

1. Reddish Brown - heavier, rugged leather

2. Chocolate Brown leather with textured surface

3. Tan leather with textured surface

2010-06-11T07:09:00.000-07:00

New Work:

Felt Journals -

Here are some new designs that I've been working on...

All hand sewn:

The interior has sewn in pockets -
for subway tickets, money....even small pencils!

2010-05-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some new little pamphlet journals:

I just found this wonderful heavy double sided paper at the paper store downtown -

in mango/raspberry color.

5-hole pamphlet stitch in a variety of different linen thread colors.

Here is the work station.

These look so simple - but, are really very time consuming.

I hand cut out each template after deciding the size, ect.

The side tabs fold in for the interior pockets!

The interior paper is a heavy white drawing paper.

These are a great little size to throw in a bag and travel with - great for quick notes.

Finished photos:

Here are a few garden/balcony pics...

The weather was summer-like a week ago - so hot, flowers blooming...

since then, we've gotten this crazy cold spell - and it's been chilly!

This is the baby tree we bought from the weekend market - I love it!

We went to Bricorama and picked up a few more flowers -

it's very similar to a Lowes.

And our bunch of bright yellow flowers.

Oh, here is the brand new rose bush that L just planted.

Hopefully we will get new roses soon....

this is what they are suppose to look like!

Here is a bigger picture of the roses -

in the brand new square vase!

But, on the other side of the balcony...

The very first rose of the season on the other rose bushes!

This was about a week ago -

now there must be a couple dozen roses blooming out there!

yellow, white, red, they are just beautiful...

Oh, and the new herb garden!

Everybody is getting along fine...

well... we're hoping that the mint can pull through!

Porte de Vanves:

Subway stop to the market!

I wanted to include my market finds:

great antique buttons

Check out these leather purses/bags....soon to be journals!

I just cleaned them up with some leather cleaner and they look great.

Here are some wonderful little antique travel postcards in their paper cases.

We really hit the market on a good day - there was an entire box of these cards - and we picked out our favorites. I've already used a few as the cover of some journals.

I love this little accordion postcard book.

It's already an artists' book!

I'll have to keep this one.

I found some antique photos - I'll also use these as covers.

Antique books -

and the "Encyclopedia of Speed" which has great illustrated images of different forms of travel in Paris.

Okay, L and I went to lunch at this place called:

"The American Dream Cafe"

(There business card reads "you love it or leave it"!)

This place was crazy! Check out the size of our milkshakes -

can you see that it almost reaches L's shoulder!?! no kidding!

The milkshake was very good...very large...but, very good.

It was a mix of TGIFridays meets Denny's meets Big Boy meets AppleBee's in a back alley and this is the aftermath!

Check out the checkered tablecloth!

And the size of the sauces!

Gigantic!

Willi's Wine Bar

1st arrondissement

We found this recommendation in the book:

"Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris" - Clotilde Dusoulier

(She is also the author of "Chocolate & Zucchini")

These are wonderful books filled with Parisian life, recipes, and places to eat in Paris.

Really wonderful photos as well.

We stopped in here for an after dinner wine - as it was right around the corner from where we had eaten dinner. The restaurant was just finishing up serving dinner for the night to the last customers eating at the tables. The bar was first as we entered the restaurant with the tables being in the back...so, I didn't really get a chance to see the meals being served. It was a cozy little place and we sat at the oak bar for our wine. The servers were all very pleasant - and it was a charming little place. We enjoyed our wine - the crowd seemed to be of an older generation.

We might return for dinner...

This is where we had dinner:

Juveniles

Bistrot a Vins

We stumbled upon this place as we were wondering around the city on our way to find another restaurant. This place is a totally charming little hole in the wall. With only about 12 tables in the entire place - crammed together- you are sitting very close to your neighbor...and you really don't mind because the place is so inviting! The walls are stocked from ceiling to the floor with hundreds of bottles of wine. We ordered a few appetizers - eggplant spread with toast and a plate of chirizo - all delicious. The wine was fantastic....and dinner was lovely. I ordered the shrimp stir-fry. We really enjoyed this little place.

Buddha-Bar

This place was an experience. It's a super trendy bar/restaurant in the 8th arrondissement.

As soon as you enter - it's like stepping in to a different world. The entire restaurant is downstairs - the bar level first - and the restaurant even farther downstairs. The bar is a gigantic square balcony overlooking the restaurant below...with this gigantic Buddha the centerpiece of the entire place. This picture was taking from our table in the bar looking down into the restaurant - the Buddha is almost two floors tall.

Here is my super fancy drink!

Ice cream!

L and I stopped for ice cream at a little bistro around the corner from his place - after we saw the waiter serving someone else this exact thing. It looked so delicious we stopped on the spot and ordered it!

2010-04-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

Finally....some new work!

Here are the first few in a new series of journals. The covers are pages salvaged from an old Parisian encyclopedia from 1956 - "The Encyclopedia of Speed" - just recently found at the Porte de Portes flea market last week! The pages are full of bright color and illustrations - I absolutely love them.

The interior white drawing paper was all hand torn and hand folded and sewn onto colorful leather straps - using a french link stitch. The straps are then glued and sewn onto the front and back cover. I carved out a recess in the boards for the straps to fit into. The front and back covers are also sewn at the top and bottom for additional support.

Just little - they measure about 3" x 4" and are a perfect fit in your hand!

More on the way...

2010-04-27T02:57:00.000-07:00

Place des Voges

I bought a sandwich at a little boulangerie by the Pompidou Center and enjoyed lunch in the park. It was filled with locals, students, couples, and many, many children enjoying the sandboxes and bouncing up and down on the wooden horses. It's really a delightful little park - with many benches throughout the entire square to enjoy the scenery. The park is surrounded by small art galleries and restaurants.
Bois de Boulogne

This gigantic park is located on the west side of Paris. We have ventured into it a few times, but really have just barely scratched the surface of this park. The last time we visited - we noticed lots of people boating around the lake. We found the rental boutique and decided that we'd have that adventure someday! So, last week we did!

Here are the boats...

The trip around the lake lasted about an hour.

The rental boutique...

Here's a picture of L paddling around the lake. It was such a beautiful day...and not too many other boaters to share the lake with.

This restaurant called Le Chalet des Iles is actually on a separate little island in the middle of the lake. To get to it - you must take a little boat ride across the lake - the ride will literally take about 3 minutes. It's the red shuttle boat pictured in front of the restaurant.

The park is filled with bike trails and walking trails, restaurants and cafes. It's an ideal place for a picnic of wine and panini sandwiches which we also enjoyed!

2010-04-21T01:18:00.000-07:00

A week and three days back in Paris...

The weather is warming - much different then when I stepped off the plane a week and a half ago. I even wore sandals all over the city yesterday.

I'm so glad that I arrived before the ash cloud erupted. I feel so terrible for all of those travelers stuck in airports all over the world....just trying to get back home.

L and I had planned a trip to Ireland - but, decided it might be best for everyone just to reschedule for a later date.

I strolled around the city last week. It was nice to remember streets and places and feel acquainted with the city again. I stopped by the Notre-Dame and was fortunate enough to see a mass taking place. The ceremony seemed to echo throughout the cathedral - and there was a peaceful quiet inside - even with the many visitors pouring through the front doors. The darkness inside made the many stained-glass windows seem all the more brilliant.
In front of the church this boy was attracting the little birds - enticing them with crumbs of bread held in his hands. They would fly right up to him and eat right out of his hand.

The ceremony...

The candles illuminating for prayers

I stumbled upon this wonderful carousel in the square in front of the Hotel de Ville.

Check out this lion!

I absolutely love this giraffe!

Check out this little latter to help get up to the seat.

The cost:

Adults and children cost about $3.50 a ride

Here is my fabulous art store....I thought I'd include a picture!

It's all the way across town and a bit of a haul to get material - but, with four floors of art supplies - it's sure worth the trip!

Just a picture of town during one of my walks...

More bistros....

Oh, the bike rentals! I am so tempted to rent these bikes. I'm actually dying to! But, I'm still too nervous to ride them on any streets around here! I might just have to stick to the parks! The traffic is so intimidating - and fast- and crazy! I even witnessed a taxi accident yesterday - nothing too serious...one slammed into the back of another. It would be terrible to be on vacation and have been in a taxi accident. Ugh.

Anyway, there are lots of bike lanes.

The bikes pictured are the Velib program:

bikes are all over the city just like this to "rent" - you pay and get a card, swipe it, unlock a bike and are off biking! Then return when you are finished - here or at another location!

Sculpture in the park

In the background of this photo - you can just barely see the Eiffel Tower

Oh, on a Rick Steves' recommendation (which, by the way, I love the Rick Steves' series so we are using the Paris 2010 Rick Steves as our guide)

we ventured out to eat here:

L'Enoteca - in the Marais neighborhood

It was such a charming little restaurant! Color splashes everywhere - from the red, blue, yellow plates on the tables - to the hanging modish lights above!

The antipasti bar is what drew me to pick this place - as we had a wonderful experience with an antipasti bar (wine bar) while we visited Rome. And while this couldn't compete with that place - this was still a wonderful little gem! Here is a picture of the antipasti bar:

The waitstaff filled our plate with their choices and here was the final product:

Roasted zucchini, eggplant, peppers, onions, fritatta

L ordered the veal and I got creamy risotto with asparagus - and we both agreed that mine was clear winner!

Delicious! Molto bene!

Speaking of Italian places:

Here is one of our favorites. This place is a local hit - you have to squeeze in through the front door to grab a seat. (Which, is actually how you have to do it at most restaurants!) But, the interior is lively and fun and full of life - the waitstaff are full of cheer, busy, and always smiling. The pizza is gigantic - flowing out over the sides of the plate - and always filled with the best ingredients and so fresh.

"A real delight" as L would say!

A local flower shop - check out these colors!

Oh, and here is another Rick Steves' recommendation:

Le Bistrot Mazarin - near Odeon in the 6th

The books claims that it's "perfectly Parisian" - which seems fitting!

The restaurant was cozy inside - aside from the older drunk gentleman at the bar who was stumbling around when we slipped in - it did have a warm interior. The sidewalk tables were filled with locals - but, we decided to eat inside since it was starting to cool down. The two waiters were flying around the place (that is literally our waiter flying by at the left of the photo) filling orders, delivering food, greeting customers. They were magnificent to watch!

The waiters to the left of the photo!

L ordered the duck which was called "great" in the book. He enjoyed it - thought the menu looked great and is excited to return to try other options - namely the caesar salad. I ordered the pasta salad with grilled vegetables - which I thought was going to be hot...but, was actually a cold salad - although was still very good. All of the salads arriving at the other tables looked delicious. Large, fresh and delicious.

Puces de Vanves

Flea Market at Porte de Vanves

We headed out to the flea market on Sunday morning -

my favorite! It is amazing to see all of the different vendors every week. The items they have range from little trinkets to huge pieces of furniture and fixtures.

Here are some photos I snapped of the market:

It's well organized with vendors on both sides. It was a bit crowded on Sunday - since it turned out to be a wonderfully warm and sunny day.

Discussing the value....

Colorful dishes, plate, bowls...

Lamps, cups and saucers...

Paintings and statues...

Old antique dolls, oversized chairs, vases, desks, clocks...

Records and paintings...

Boxes and boxes of books...

Whatever it is that you are not looking for...

you will find it here!

The vendors back their vehicles up to the sidewalk and unload their goods. At the end of the market - whatever hasn't sold gets loaded back into the vans and trucks for next week.

So, we did have some good finds! I'll take pics and post them later.

A worn leather briefcase, an old book, antique buttons and antique travel postcards from vacation destinations in Europe! Wonderful finds for my books!

Musee Du Louvre

Okay, that's it for now.

I'll try to update more often with more pictures and travel stories!

2010-04-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

Bonjour

I arrived in Paris yesterday morning.

It was wonderful to return -

now I'm catching up on my sleep.

I see I've left lots of goodies for the journals -

maps, leathers, old books, ect...

so, I'll get started right away on new books.

L is doing great and it's

so nice to be back!

I'll update soon with more of our adventures.

We have some exciting things planned....

2010-03-28T04:55:00.000-07:00

Update!

Here's a brief update...since I've been absent from my blog for so long:

Although, I haven't posted lately...I've been busy working on my

inventory - hunting and collecting new material and

creating work...

here's a peek:

I have finally completed my first small leather journal

from leather I collected at the Porte de Vanves flea market in Paris last year.

I found this wonderful leather folder - with hand tooling on the cover and

hand stitched sewing on the sides. I cleaned it with a leather conditioner/cleaner and

it looks brand new! I am going to cut down the leather and make smaller books with it --

this first one is only about 4 1/2" in height.

The closure is an olive green suede strap which pulls

through an antique button.

The leather is machine stitched on the exterior - and

another pieces of dark brown upcycled leather (from a thrift shop coat!) is glued to

the interior of the leather for extra support.

This is what the original leather folder looked like!

NEWS:

A few weeks ago we stumbled upon a little antique store -

in a little town - with a going out of business sign on the front door...

so we went in...

WOW!

What a find!

This place was a magnificent castle (okay, actually an old building) filled with

treasures in every little corner, nook and cranny, back closet space and creaky old attic!

We loved it!

We digged and looked and pulled and lifted and found

lots of amazing things.

So many amazing things that we got this Uhaul to bring them all back!

I picked up tons of art supplies - leather, paper, encyclopedia books,

a crazy binding kit, display items...

here are the bigger things:

Two awesome gigantic crates (on wheels) for storage and art shows!

And, this huge Press!!

It needs a little work - but, hopefully it will be up and running sometime sooner rather

than later!

Very exciting indeed!

Oh, I had to include this wonderful picture of my grandmother's tablecloth!

It's about 40 years old and was handpainted by her friend.

It's so super cool - I just loved it!

I mean....come on....

Veggie People -

with carrot legs and zucchini arms...

it doesn't get much better than that!

How about this one:

She is throwing the baby onion!!

So great!

Okay, back to my recent work:

I found this "velobinder" machine complete with the plastic binding strips.

So, I made an edition of these Vintage Notepads with

covers from 1960 encyclopedias and wonderful images

from "The Golden Book Illustrated Dictionary" books just

recently rescued from the local thrift shop.

The images are really bright and colorful.

The backs are all made with colorful cardstock.

The interior is lined paper, grid paper and upcycled paper...

otherwise headed for the big paper graveyard in the sky.

Some of these images are so funny.

This says "Planning Your Basement"

with family gathered and couples dancing.

It looks like it should say,
"Planning Your Wedding".

I just wanted to include some of these little journals:

2010-03-01T16:50:00.000-08:00

Custom Mini Pocket Notes:

Bird images from

The World Book Encyclopedia

2010-02-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

Bright yellow with burnt orange leather straps -

the interior is strathmore cream colored paper

with the text block sewn directly onto the leather straps....

Successful day at the antique shop and a stop at

my leather store.

Purchased a wonderful burgundy hide...also

a light tan and a wonderful little textured leather piece.

Was surprised by a gift of an antique birdcage I've

been thinking about for weeks (since I saw it....)

and it was still there - waiting for me!

Soon to be filled with flowers for spring.

(No, no birds for this cage!)

2010-02-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

Books #34 - 43

Small Leather Journals

Variety of different colored journals - with sewn straps

across the middle and the tie closure.

Interior:

Paper is hand sewn with a pamphlet stitch into the leather.

Close-Up:

Custom Order:

Just wanted to share this custom order that I just finished.

I love the color choices the client picked -

this is an extra large journal (11" x 8 1/2")

but with the 11" the height instead

of width. I really like the finished look of this journal and I

think I'll do a few more in this size...soon.

2010-02-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

New designs...

Books #30-33

Leather Photo Albums

I've been working on these new designs the past few days.

They have been keeping me very busy...

Custom Leather Journal:

Leather color options:

Navy Blue Journal w/ Grey Leather Spine:

Navy Blue Journal w/ Ocean Blue Leather Spine:

Grey Leather Journal w/ Ocean Blue Leather Spine:

2010-01-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

Books #25-29

Leather bound books-

I styled these journals after a little

journal I picked up from a little tiny shop

on the streets of Venice.

The store was a curiosity shop of sorts -

filled with wax initial stamps, handmade wooden ships,

leather journals, compasses of all sorts, and wonderful

elderly shop owners as ancient and delightful as the shop itself!

The journal is handbound - onto leather cords -

I had it in my head to use a variety of colors for the different pieces.

I have many ideas now about creating journals with sewn cords -

the variety seems endless.

I will post these up to etsy soon.

Thought I would add some studio shots from today:

Here's a large journal that I was binding onto linen cords -

unfortunately when the book is bound, the cords won't be viewed.

(Sad, because it's one of my favorite parts...)

Anyhow, I'm excited to bind this into a neat leather

cover (I found an old leather travel case at an antique store -

it's well worn, but really beautiful - so, I salvaged the leather

and will use it for the cover) I still have to reinforce it yet

before I glue in the text block.

Soon to come...

Here are just some little babies I was working on...

I don't know why - but, I love working small-

Here's my vintage travel case

(this is just one of many that I use to store my supplies)

filled with leather scraps.

Here's my work space - preparing to sew...

That's it for now -

2010-01-29T16:46:00.001-08:00

Custom Datebook:

Mustard yellow, brown strap, teal thread

Interior:

Datebook-

First and last page upcycled atlas pages

Custom Order:

World Book Encyclopedia - Coptic Bound

Strathmore Drawing paper (cream),

upcycled encyclopedia pages,

atlas pages...

top linen thread: dark yellow

bottom linen thread: bright yellow

2010-01-27T17:59:00.001-08:00

I try...

I really do try to keep up this blog!

I'm behind a few books....

which I promise to list tomorrow.

But, I do have a (pretty) good reason as to

why I've been absent:

I am moving into a new (temporary) studio!

YEAH!

It's been just wonderful - it's a beautiful sunny space!

So, I will be producing much more very soon...

Look out for new books...

I have also started making paper flowers again -

though not with my handmade paper this time -

with upcycled atlas and book pages

(I'll have to post some soon...)

But, also these felt flowers that I have been thinking about for

quite some time.

I'm pleased with the way they've turned out -

very minimal...but, bright and engaging!

(And, they are very addicting to create!)

Anyhow, that's the scoop:

went for a nice walk tonight, ordered more supplies

(and a *new* hole punch cutter - I'm so excited about...

if it's great I'll post pics!)

Oh, all the flowers are in vintage vases - rescued from antique shops!

2010-01-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

Book #24:

Upcycled Vintage Boards

Coptic Bound with sewn metal oval frame on cover

(interior picture salvaged from World Book Encyclopedia)

Book #23:

Upcycled Vintage Boards

Cover includes original embossed palm trees

Book #22:

Small lime green leather journal

(Happy Birthday L!)
I'm starting to work on paper flowers which I hope to post soon -
also some very colorful felt flowers as well!
Soon to come...

2010-01-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some colorful extra petite mini journals.

Book #21

Extra petite brown with pink stitching

Here's a sneak peek at my newest display item:

I found this awesome extra large glass candy jar....

and I thought the extra petite journals would look great in it!

Even better than candy...

2010-01-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

Book #20:

The newest in my edition of encyclopedia copic bound journals.

These are the *newest* encyclopedia books that I have -

so, this is the very first one that I turned into a journal.

Book #19:

Upcycled Coptic Bound Rome Journal

I sewed this yellow rectangular metal frame onto the cover -

the inside is part of a vintage map of Rome upcycled

from my wonderful old Atlas.

2010-01-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

Book #18:

3" x 3" small leather journals

Thought I'd take these two little matching pairs together.

2010-01-17T15:33:00.000-08:00

SMILE!

Today was such a gloomy day outside....

I thought I'd post this funny picture taken from the

streets of Venice!

This was a bakery and I spotted these smiling

round faces in the window.

I don't know why - but, they just bring a smile to my face!

Book #16:

Upcycled Plum Vinyl

This vinyl was once a coat - rescued from the local thrift shop.

Now a new little journal -

I found this neat little orange button at the Porte de Vanves flea market in Paris.

Book #17:

Venice Upcycled Coptic Bound Journal

These bookboards were upcycled from a local thrift shop

from an older book that had seen its better days.

I hand sanded the sides and rounded the corners -

bound it with a coptic stitch.

I also sewed in this metal frame onto the cover...

and inside is a wonderful little map of Venice that I found

during a visit to that same flea market.

(Although, I found it on a different visit - I made many trips to

that market and I have lots of material yet to use!)

2010-01-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

Book #15:

Encyclopedia Coptic Bound

2010-01-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

Books 1-13:

Baby Keychain Books

Book 14:
Valentine Heart Journal
Longstitch binding with white linen thread,
hand cut leather heart

I visited the local thrift shop today and picked up lots of

older books that will soon be *new* coptic journals....

I'll post them soon.

I just finished up some encyclopedia coptic bound journals-

I'll take pics tomorrow and post them soon.

I seem to be in a coptic stitching mode lately.

The weather let up a bit today - which was nice for a change.

I'm already ready for summer.

2010-01-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been busy working on some new books.

I also received some great new "bookmaking" books as Christmas presents -

so, I've been busy searching for new ideas and designs.

The month of January is almost half over already!

I feel like this new year is getting off to a quick start.

I have big ideas for this new year and here's my first:

My goal is to post a new book every single day for the entire year.

I guess I've been inspired by these books and movies...

cook this entire cookbook - follow these directions - ect, ect.

But: I am actually very excited to do this!

I knew an artist who would make a postcard every morning

to get her creative juices flowing...and by the end of the year

she had the most amazing collection of art.

(A real visual journey of her past year.)

So: I thought - what a great way to keep me inspired, working,

creating new designs - with the motivation that I must post a new work everyday.

(And with my past posting history - this will certainly be a challenge for me!)

Okay, so, now that we are already into the 13th of January...

here are my first 13!

I will take better individual pictures of them for the next post.

They are all baby keychain books - I love them altogether!

Can't wait to see what the next 352 will bring.....

2010-01-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2010!

Here's a pic from when L and I were in London this past year!

Still trying to get the trip pictures up on the blog -

Thought it was appropriate for ringing in the New Year!

The shop is reopen and I will be relisting new products soon.

Thanks to everyone for such a great response to

Green Trike Press in 2009.

I am excited to see where 2010 leads!

Cheers!

Custom Order - Large Datebook

Grey leather with red stitching and red leather strap:

Interior:

Front and last pages upcycled map pages

2009-12-14T18:25:00.001-08:00

HAPPY HANDMADE HOLIDAYS!

A sneak peak of my boxes before shipment!

Only 2 more days left to shop in my etsy store...

the shop will close December 16, 2009 and reopen on January 5, 2010.

I just finished up the last of my binding that needed to be done today.

Oh - I had to include a picture of this! The right side is my hand carved trike.

I just got this awesome stamp set (on the left)

the other day! It's so cool. It came with tons of little itsy bitsy numbers and letters...

and yes - I handset all of my type into that round plastic holder.

It was great - just like letterpress....setting 10 pt. type.

And, since I haven't set type in forever...it sure made me miss the 'ole letterpress shop!

Someday soon I hope to be printing again....

Here's a close-up....so small...

I lost an "r" somewhere along the line and I'm still looking for it.....

Anyhow - the finished results!

I handstamp the trike and then the round lettering!

No computers here!

I do as much as I can without the computer....

I just love the look of the handmade element in work.

Okay...more later.

2009-12-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

CUSTOM WORK:

Sample of Encyclopedia Journal - Coptic Stitch

Sample Covers to choose from:

A. The Illustrated Home Library Encyclopedia

B. Modern Reference Library

C. The World Book Encyclopedia - (Red) (my *newest* covers!)

D. The World Book Encyclopedia (Blue)

The front and back of each signature (group of folded papers) will have Atlas pages.

Atlas Book of World Maps

Large Journals:

6 1/4" x 8 1/2"

Current Colors Available

I just found this wonderful mustard yellow -

Colors:

(From top to bottom)

mustard yellow, light blue, light ocean blue, grey, plum and red

Extra Large Journals:

8 3/4" x 11 1/2"

Current Colors Available:

(From top to bottom)

Textured Brown, Red, Black with Lime Green spine, Brown with Orange squares on spine

(Top to Bottom)

Grey, Yellow, Light Ocean Blue

2009-12-09T15:26:00.000-08:00

HELLO!

Well, a few months have passed - and I have not blogged. But, I am back!

It's been a busy last few months....I'll post the pictures of our travel adventures soon! I promise!

I've just returned from the One of A Kind Show in Chicago! What an amazing experience!

I was part of the Etsy Pavilion. It was incredible! The Etsy Staff was just great -and it was so fun to finally meet other Etsy Artists in "real life"! My aisle was filled with artists handmaking baby clothes, original drawings, silkscreened cards, linocut prints, jewelry, handbags, soap....it was really a variety of absolutely amazing works! The show was held at the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago - and it literally had thousands of shoppers. It was really exciting to introduce so many people to the world of Etsy! Lots hadn't heard about it - but, were very excited to find out about it!

There were over 500 artists selling works.....all under one roof! It was such a whirlwind experience! The show lasted four days - and they just flew by!

I had a wonderful reception - great customers - it's always so nice to be able to see and meet my customers in person and to be able to see them enjoying the journals! That might be my most favorite part! Watching them pick up the books and peek inside...pick out favorite colors...favorite styles! I really enjoy their excitement!

So, there you have it. I have just been very busy preparing the inventory for that show. Cutting, sewing, tearing, binding....

I'm busy now just reposting journals onto Etsy before the holiday season is over!

I will post pics of the show soon! Really, I promise I will!

2009-10-08T14:26:00.000-07:00

Green Trike Press is a featured artist in

Do It Yourself Magazine (Better Homes and Gardens)

Winter 2009

"DIY Best of Show"

Page 33

Please check out this wonderful article on

many, many amazing artists!

Also check out: www.diyideas.com/bestinshow

My journals are pictured 4th in the slideshow.

2009-09-15T04:11:00.000-07:00

L and I made our way over to the Marais quarter of Paris

this past Sunday. We ate lunch in the Jewish Quarter here

at L'as Du Fallafel.

("The Ace" and recommended by Rick Steve's).

The line was backed up through the cobblestone streets

with hungry guests anxiously awaiting their falafel!

The entire area was just packed with people,

music, locals, tourists!

It was a surprise for a Sunday when we were expecting

shops and restaurants to be closed.

They are handing L his huge falafel sandwich.

Close up shot of the delicious sandwich! Yum!

While we were in the area we popped into some shops that were open.

This shop is called Petit Pan and is a wonderful little childrens shop.

They have wonderful fabric for quilts and clothing - amazing

little mobiles made of paper - and cool retro toys.

See the super cool robots below in their store window:

We stopped here for some gelato:

They scoop it out to make it look like a flower!

Almost too cute to eat.....almost.....

And, we made a visit to Relma!!!

The most amazing leather and paper store ever.

L got me some wonderful, beautiful leather:

Check out these colors:

I also found some vibrant new colors in leather cord:

Oh, and of course I found a new cute orange stapler and hole punch!

So, new books should be arriving soon....

2009-09-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Marche aux puces -Parisian Flea Market!

Puces St. Ouen

L and I finally got to the gigantic flea market...

and much to my surprise it wasn't near as dirty or crowded

as I had anticipated.

(Although, we did get there very early....

even before many shops were open...and the crowd

did pick up as we were leaving).

After navigating between the touristy booths with

shoes, purses, leather coats, and hookah pikes...

we made out way to the beginning of the market.

The entire place was just amazing - a crazy maze of shops twist and turn through tiny little alleyways in every direction possible. Most of the stores are actually storage bins with the doors pulled up. Some of the interiors are decorated like fancy antique shops with wonderful leather couches, ornate wooden furniture, gold covered chandeliers....

Here was one of my favorites shops:

It was filled with wooden bins of everything from miniature wooden tops, buttons, tiny glass bottles, old parisian stickers, baby doll heads, legs, ect.

The entire shop was decorated with bits and pieces of the items for sale in the store.

It was like walking into a curiosity shop!
I loved it!

Here is another view of one of the alleyways...

I'm sad to say that no purchases were made...
but, it was a good warm-up round...
I saw many interesting items....
and, I'll be prepared for the next visit!

Here is a little Canadian Pub that we ate at the other night:

So, L and I did a Seine River Cruise yesterday afternoon.
Here is a view of the Notre-Dame Cathedral from the top level of the boat.

Here I am enjoying the scenery!

More river cruise - it was such a beautiful day for the tour!

Oh, there I am waving to the Eiffel Tower...

And of course, the Carrefour -

only my absolute favorite grocery store in Paris.

I could spend days in here - literally.

There is so much to look at...

think Walmart only with a Parisian flair and cooler stuff:

fresh fruits and veggies, wonderful cookies with chocolate,

fresh bread, interesting office supply section, cheap and lots

of wonderful wine...

I don't know, I can't explain my love of foreign grocery marts!

But, I do love them!!!

2009-09-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

I am in Paris with L!!!!

That's the even more exciting part!

We got here on Tuesday (the flight was actually not so bad)

and I slept for most of the day,

most of yesterday, and a bit more today.

I'm really trying to change my sleeping schedule.

It's so wonderful to be back.

I still can't believe I'm here.

L picked up wonderful pizza from around the corner

on Tuesday evening.

Last night we ate here:

"Le Relais de Venise"

L had been here a few times before.

It's located just north of the Arc de Triomphe

on a little corner. You'll find it by the line that

crowds the entryway. We only had to wait for a few minutes -

but, after we were seated

the line only continued to grow with locals and tourists alike.

The interior is a charming decor and the seating is close to your neighbor.

(And we ended up having a lovely conversation with our neighbors to the left)

The menu is set: (entrecote) steak with french fries

You only need to tell the waitstaff how you would like it cooked.

We picked one of three red wines.

Although, we figured any choice of wines would be a good one.

The meal was served with bread and a small salad.

The main dish was amazing. A plate filled with steak cooked to perfection

and a heaping tower of french fries. (Maybe the best I've ever had).

The steak was covered in a butter sauce which melted in your

mouth around the steak. And, if that wasn't enough, when we finished,

we were served an entire second helping!

The dessert we picked was called a "tulip",

a light pastry shell filled with vanilla ice cream, fruit and whipped cream.

Delightful dessert to finish off the meal.

So, we are gearing up for this weekend with visits to the

local market and visits to the marche aux puces (flea markets)!

I am giddy with anticipation!

We are off to Puces St. Ouen at

Porte de Clingancout. I've never been to this market -

with over 2,000 vendors I can't wait to see what I'll find.

The other flea market Puces de Vanves was great too,

I can't wait to explore!

Anyhow, I'll be busy finding new material for my journals -

I am really excited to start a brand new edition of work.

And, I will be better at updating this blog with lots of pictures!

2009-08-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I wanted to post pictures of a wonderful

Custom Wedding Guestbook that I just finished.

I had a great time working with this client.

The exterior is a 1934 World Book Encyclopedia,

the interior is upcycled encyclopedia pages,

cream colored Strathmore drawing paper,

and maps of place significant to this couple!

Coptic stitched with pale yellow linen thread.

It really was a joy to work on...

and I'm really pleased with the results.

I hope that they enjoy it!

2009-08-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning Farmers Market!

I went a little crazy this morning at the

farmers market. I hadn't been for a few weeks...

and it was packed with goodness.

Yum!

Peppers, potatoes,

big tomatoes, little tomatoes, and more tomatoes,

lettuce,

and the blueberries are delicious...

The bottom right hand

extra large journal

lime green with a

dark green spine and

mint green longstitch binding!