It's in my blood...

I have lived in France now for 3 weeks that have completely flown by. French Vanilla (aka my husband) works hard during the week and while I'm on the job hunt myself, I've taken up redecorating the apartment. I like to think it's in my genes, since my mom is a Kitchen/bath designer, and my grandfather and uncle are carpenters.  Additionally, we've always had DIY home-repair projects in our 100+ year-old house in Western NY where I was typically a painter, bucket-emptier, or the one who stood on the roof and "helped" haul the 10-foot pieces of sheetrock up from the ground.  I've been around the drills and the dust for as long as I can remember.

Although FV has a (mostly) good sense of style,  this space still longs for that feminine touch. Thankfully he doesn't mind his posters being exiled to the cave and/or the WC. Besides, who wouldn't want to see Marilyn on a trip to the toilet?

We have had fun searching thrift stores and thIs funKy swEdish plAce for a few pieces of furniture to complete the home. It's also a great way for me to pass the days while I wait for my French classes to start. The thrift stores here remind me of our antique stores across the pond. Sure, some of the pieces may not be in great shape but the prices are right and you may be lucky enough to find something that suits your taste!

This beauty was easy to transport in two round trips (FV's car is Tiny) and besides  the lovely curtains and the red flowered contact paper shelf liner, it is in pretty good condition.


I'm still searching for the right color to paint the inside; the heather grey skies in Paris have me leaning towards a deep blue or light green.  I'm hoping to find some hardware for this and the dresser in our bedroom at a flea market as soon as FV and I get some time to explore together.

I am also repurposing the burlap table runner from the head table at our wedding into a pillow for the living room. I think I'll be making a few more pillows for the room, mixing different textures to fit our style.

This counter/drawer base came from thIs funKy swEdish plAce and had a shelving unit to match, but why not repurpose the old CD corner unit with some paint and metal shelf holders? Me and my blistered hands are also officially requesting a phillips head drill bit for our drill if I'm going to be the handy-woman of the house.

These little projects keep me occupied and it's a blast to beautify this apartment, making it feel more welcoming and cozy.  It's also nice to make it "ours" instead of "his-that-I-moved-into", if you know what I mean.

Speaking of welcoming, we will be welcoming our first US visitor to our newly updated home on Sunday! My dear friend will be here for 6 days, and I will be giving her the grand tour of Paris and surrounding areas! I'm very much looking forward to having her here, especially for Thanksgiving! We'll be attempting a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal with French flare.  This means there will be a few twists on the traditional gluten-full feast, and we might even do a leek/mushroom stuffing! I'll let you know how it turns out! 

Happy Friday!

So The Story goes like this...

I met a French girl while doing an internship in college. We became dear friends, ate a lot of pistachios, drank some margaritas, danced to some oldies, and talked about life until the early hours of the morning. She moved back to Europe and invited me to visit her and her family in France one summer, so I did. We had a blast! She introduced me to some of her friends, and one in particular caught my eye. It might have been his crazy hair, his intelligent conversation, or the vodka caramel that intrigued me…probably the latter. We talked. A lot.

I went back to the US to finish my last year of grad school and we started exchanging emails. Within a few weeks, I was hooked. He was going to be traveling to the US to do some business, so we talked about meeting up. Suddenly, his trip was cancelled and he was asking if he could book a flight to visit me. Um, sure. Why not? I mean, it’s just for a long weekend.

From the moment I saw him in walking down the escalator in the airport, I knew this one was different. By the end of the weekend, we had already planned his next trip, the one where he would be meeting my family and friends. And like they say, the rest is history.

So, 2 years later, here I am. A newlywed. An expat. The spouse of a French citizen. Another American in Paris (or directly outside the city.)

I’m using this space to record my adventure so that I will have it for years to come and so you, my family and friends, can take a look into my new world.