{paris flea market find}

Leaving the famous Marche Aux Puces french flea market empty-handed last month didn't discourage me from staying on the hunt for a fabulous flea market find to bring home with us.  A couple weekends ago, my girlfriend invited me to go check out the smaller street flea market in the south of Paris called Puces de Vanves.  This little outdoor flea is much smaller with temporary stalls set up early in the morning.  Most of the stalls here sell small house wares or artwork and the prices were much more in line with what I am used to from trips to the Rose Bowl or Long Beach flea markets back in California.  

I spotted the lighter of these two floral oil paintings sitting in the back of a stall and when I asked the owner if I could get a closer look he pulled out both the light and the more vibrant painting for me as they were to be sold as a pair.  I hesitantly asked for the price and was pleasantly surprised when he told me 42Euro for both!!  Some quick and friendly haggling had me walking away with both of these floral oil paintings for 30Euro total!  A total steal if you ask me since I would probably be willing to spend that much for just the gorgeous gold frames alone.  Each oil painting is about 16" by 20" contained in a thick wood frame and appears to be in great condition.  I cannot wait to get these home to find the perfect place for them to live in our home. 

   

{paris: week seven}

This past week in Paris was filled with some of my favorite activities.  In addition to feeling like I have totally mastered the art of baking french macarons, we also got a once in a lifetime chance to celebrate Valentine's Day in one of the most romantic cities in the world!  Up until this week, I had never taken a cooking class in my life (I always though they were cheesy and that you don't really learn anything) and was pleasantly surprised by what a fun and informative experience it proved to be.  Three girlfriends and myself attended the "Macaron Intensive" class at La Cuisine de Paris and after 3 hours of baking, laughing and eating more macarons than I care to admit, I can honestly say that I could successfully recreate the recipe all by myself.  The classes are pricey, but worth every single penny!

Chris and I usually opt for an intimate evening in our home for Valentine's, but given that we are Paris (and our kitchen is comically tiny), we planned out an entire day of activities.  Starting off with this french toast for breakfast we then headed out to the Pont de l'Archeveche to place our own love lock on the bridge- read all about that tradition here.  Placing a lock on the bridge and subsequently throwing away the key into the Seine river was equal parts cheesy and incredibly romantic.  Afterwards we walked over to the Grand Palais to catch the Cartier exhibit before it left the city this past Sunday.  That evening we dined on a decadent menu comprised of all different types of souffles here and then sipped on late night drinks at our favorite Paris cocktail bar, Curio.

 {insane tiaras at Cartier's exhibit}

{we are currently in Florence, Italy staying in this adorable hotel room.  Tomorrow we head out to Amsterdam and I can't wait to give you full recaps and recommendations for both cities soon!}