Needle Felted Snail

Its been a nice summer. I took some time off creatively and spent the days enjoying the weather walking and biking. I finally reached a personal goal of losing 25 pounds and I got to visit Paris which I thought was only a dream that could never happen. Now I'm ready to hunker down and get back to work making some new items. Here is the first. Inspired by the snail that lived in the topiary tree in Versailles, I needle felted this sweet snail. A kawaii playset of Alice in Wonderland is next and hopefully I'll roll out some new Christmas paper crafts in a few months. Stay in touch!

Paris Carousels

Carousels are plentiful in Paris. In fact there are two located right across the street from the Eiffel Tower. This one happened to be my favorite, a beautiful two story deluxe carousel. Check out the stairs going to the second level! Just like everything else in Paris, so much to dazzle your eyes. It made for a great photo op with the Eiffel Tower behind it. Check out the video I filmed of the Paris Carousel in motion.

This is the Montmartre carousel that was featured in the movie Amelie. Its located in front of the Sacre Coeur. If you look closely you can spot the overnight guest located in one of the carriages.

L' Orangerie ~ My Happy Place!

When times are tough and I'm stressed out, sometimes I would try to imagine a place where everything is calm, relaxed, lovely. Typically it is some kind of garden but I didn't really know what it looked like. I tried to imagine something beautiful but it could never measure up to something as sublime as this.

As I'm rushing to see everything on my tour of Versailles Garden before the bus leaves, I discovered this beautiful garden. I don't know what it is about topiary trees but I 've always found them fascinating. L'Orangerie was by far one of the highlights of my trip to Paris. The garden featured hundreds of petite orange trees and ornamental topiaries. As I was leaving I noticed a lovely pale yellow snail gliding along the leaves of one of the sculptured topiary trees. It was a sight to behold and one I'll never forget. This is my happy place!

Fabric Shopping in Paris!

At the base of the Sacre Coeur east of the Carousel I wandered into Montmartre's fabric district. As with all shopping in Paris, items spill into the sidewalks including the fabric shops enticing you into the shop. There are no big box chain stores, only individual tissus/mercerie (fabric/notions) shops lining the streets. This particular area seemed to go on for at least a few blocks. If I lived in Paris I'm sure this is an area I would frequently visit.

My favorite was a charming shop called Moline, 1 place St Pierre established in 1879. Yes thats right 1879! The Mercerie had everything you needed to create your craft items.The store was arranged with different areas. The photos below depict entry into the shop, the calico print fabric room and a wall of buttons.

Paris 2011 Vacation Highlights

What can I say that hasn't been said before, Paris is the most beautiful city in the world! I wish I were a writer that could express it better but its truly sublime. I miss it so much! Here are some highlights of the trip put together in a short video.