Sarlat Market

My family has been in France for a couple of weeks now and while I've been photographing quite a bit, I've mostly been enjoying our time together and dealing with house-related tasks and projects.  If you've ever owned and/or renovated a very old home, then you know how easy it is to fill your time with an endless to-do list!  This is definitely a working vacation, but we love this little cottage so much that we plow through these issues with gladness (most of the time!).  We keep saying that "next time we will do this {insert fun activity}" and "next time we will resist the temptation to work on this {insert time-consuming house project}", but inevitably we cannot resist.  What can I say?  This sweet maisonnette is our baby. And quite honestly, just being here is vacation enough for us.  We are so grateful to be here. 

One thing we always allow time for is going to the Sarlat market on Saturdays.  I prefer to do all of my produce shopping at the market, so it's easy to justify piling into the van and heading fifteen minutes away to this fantastic outdoor market.  There are parts of the market that feel a bit touristy, but there are enough locals here to make it feel authentic and certainly worthwhile.  My limited French gets me by in simple situations like this, so the market is an experience I can thoroughly enjoy.  I love it.  

Favorites include homemade jam, homemade pressed juices, strawberries, walnuts, mushrooms, cheese, sausages and white asparagus--all local and all delicious.  Also, not-to-be missed are the Sarlandaise potatoes (similar to a gratin, but baked with duck fat) and crepes from a woman I call the Crepe Lady.  She is often near the paella/Sarlandaise potato vendor, which makes her easy to spot. Seeing her dark hair peeking out of her hoodie and cheerful, yellow awning always makes me smile. On our most recent visit yesterday, we stopped by for a savory crepe on the way in to the market and then for a sweet crepe on our way out.  Since I hadn't seen her at the market in almost 2 years, I justified the repeated visit!  Little details like homemade nut spread, fresh berries, and interesting combinations make her crepes my favorite in France.

Here are a few snapshots from our outing...

p.s. more images here and here if you're curious.

images by me

Merci in Paris Goes Online

When lucky enough to be in Paris, my #1 favorite shop is Merci in the Marais.  The large, three-story boutique is full of special things, both high and low.  Meaning, you can spend $1000 or you can spend $10 (not kidding!).  Either way you will come back with something you just love...a little journal, a mug, a set of napkins, pretty pens, etc.  The collections are tasteful, interesting and superbly styled.  But there is more depth to Merci than just a fantastically curated shop--it also serves as a launching pad for young designers.  More importantly,  proceeds from Merci feed into a charity for children in Madagascar.  A perfect meld of finding success and giving back.  If you'd like to read up a little more about these sorts of details, head here and here. 

If you starting reading my blog back in 2009, no doubt you've noticed I post about it just about every time we travel to France to work on our little cottage in the Dordogne.  I am so sorry if you are becoming slightly bored with these posts, but I just had to let you know today that Merci recently announced the opening of their online shop--with international shipping (this is huge!!).   So whether you live in rural Texas or New York City, you too can enjoy a petite slice of Paris with the click of a few buttons. Hopefully that will tide you over until you can visit the brick and mortar space in person :)

more "Merci" blasts from the past: 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  

Searching for Sugar Man, a Documentary

It's been awhile since I watched a documentary that I enjoyed as much as Searching for Sugar Man.  The storyline, the music and the humility of the man portrayed certainly impressed me.  Not in a blown-up, fantastic way; but rather, in a simple and interesting way.  Truly, the mark of a good movie in my book :)

Now, I don't want to give away any details (I prefer to walk into films knowing little about them other than that they are worthwhile), but I do want to encourage you to see it if you have a chance.  In Seattle, it's showing at our international cinema and I imagine a film of this genre will be shown in similar venues in your area.  You can peek at the website for more info!

image still from the movie

24 Hours in Barcelona

Since renovating our French cottage back in 2009, we've discussed how interesting it might be to fly into Barcelona, instead of Paris.  Supposedly the drive was an hour longer from the airport (6.5 v. 5.5 and after 20 hours of traveling ever hour counts), but the allure of the Pyranees lingered.  After seeing that airline tickets were less expensive by a few hundred dollars each, we decided to give it a try.  Oh the thrill of exploring a new place!

The timing on this trip was ideal in so many ways, given the momentous project I'd just completed and the fact that I felt we were due for a vacation with just our family (it had been 2 years).  On Monday and Wednesday of that week, I shipped off my Anthropologie shipments.  On Thursday, I cleaned, did laundry and packed up small suitcases for everyone (since I am traveling home alone with the kids, packing light was the name of the game).  Then, early on Friday morning, we headed to the airport in Seattle and our family adventure began.

This was my second time in Spain, but first time to Barcelona.  My first exposure to Spain was 17 years ago with my AP Spanish class!  I know I am dating myself here, but there you have it.  I vividly remember the hot sun, fantastic art, espadrilles, gazpacho and the thrill of studying a new culture firsthand.  This was my first time abroad without my parents and I can still remember how much I enjoyed my independence as a teenager.



Barcelona is well-known for its incredible architecture and often visitors reminisce that this was their favorite charachteristic about the city.  Gaudi is likely the most famous and recognizable, but he certainly isn't the only big name in town.  Walking, driving and touring around was a feast for the eyes.  How incredible it was to be in a place so incredibly supportive of inventive architecture and design, even when others mocked or discredited the results at times.  I feel this general vibe also relates to the human experience.  Stepping out, working hard, following your passions and not paying too much attention to 'the haters', has the potential to create the best possible results.

We found a great little apartment to rent via AirBnB.  When your family is large enough to require 2 hotel rooms, renting a apartment in Europe is much more cost effective.  Also, the access to a kitchen saves parents from incurring added expense and frustrating dining experiences with overtired chidren :)  The view was incredible and the decor was really fun; but, I think my favorite detail was the black-out shutters.  These made trying to work through our jet-lag so much easier and honestly, we needed all the help we could get that night!  It was crazy.  

We were only there for one day, but we did our darndest to haul our jet-lagged bodies out into the warm sun and see as much as possible of this beautiful city.  It turns out those touristy double decker bus tours are the perfect solution when dealing with a limited time frame and little energy.  Definitely make sure you get a seat up top!

A La Modo + Anthropologie

Hello, hello!  It's been awhile, now hasn't it?  Perhaps some of you wondered if I was returning to my blog! Well, I am definitely still here and have so much to share with you; but first, let me explain why I've been away for a few weeks.

A couple of months ago, a buyer from Anthropologie approached me on Etsy about carrying my deluxe pie box kits and color block utensils online.  Needless to say I was ecstatic!!  I've worked hard to create these pie boxes over the last couple of years and it feels like an absolute dream to have these original packages for sale on one of my favorite sites.  Even if they don't sell well for some reason, I still consider the collaboration a career high.   This opportunity created an increased incentive for me to officially copyright my boxes through a patent attorney (email me if you need a rec), rebrand (new logo designed by Rachel Jones), and increase product offerings.  I've been meaning to tackle these projects for some time now, but this experience gave me the kick in the pants I needed!

When I think about my products joining the ranks of all the other beautiful things on Anthropologie's site in about 3 weeks or so, I feel a combination of emotions--shock, honor, gratitude, disbelief and frankly, a bit of anxiety.  Putting yourself or your work out there can be a bit frightening, although I do believe these types of feelings are indicative of being on a path to grown.  I appreciate Eleanor Roosevelt's advice to, "do one thing every day that scares you".  Wise words indeed.

I shipped the order just last week, so the few weeks prior were pretty intense.  Our family life was turned upside down and we did our best to get through with as little upheaval as possible.  I survived with help from a few good friends, my husband, and divine intervention.  The hardest part was dealing with an increased workload on top of existing family life.  Just because I was dealing with a momentous project didn't mean my children's lives stopped--they still needed to be fed, bathed, dressed, schlepped, tended to, read to, listened to, etc.  Nights became later and later and one by one balls started dropping.  My home fell apart, my time in the kitchen was minimal, routines were neglected and I know my children sensed I was distracted, even if I tried to do all my work while they slept.  I learned many important lessons throughout the experience--one being that no one can do it all.  When you choose to take on a project, albeit worthwhile, something has to give.  In fact, some things have to give.  I am so grateful to have this awareness now.



Now that picnic pie box kits and utensils have arrived to distribution centers, I am appreciative for the sense of normalcy that's already being restored to my life.  It will take a little time to put everything back together, but I don't have any regrets.  I am excited to clear out the bedroom (a.k.a. my warehouse), work on decorating my kids rooms finally, choose a laundry solution (thanks for all the tips!!) and get back into the kitchen.  It turns out, it's the simplest things that bring peace and happiness to my life {note to self}.

Last weekend I mentioned the Anthropologie collaboration on instagram / facebook and I want you to know how much I appreciated all the well wishes.  They truly warmed my heart, so thank you!