DIY Paris Calendar Framing Project

A couple weekends ago, I was hit with a very bad case of "Francophile-itis."  If you are a lover of all things having to do with France, maybe you can relate or understand the condition I found myself in? 

Let me explain my extreme case of sickness.  I couldn't stop day dreaming about France.  (Even more than I usually do.)  I found myself looking at the pictures I took on my trip.  I wanted to pick up the current book I'm reading , My Life in France by Julia Child, but I couldn't make myself focus on reading a book.  I realized my problem was very serious when I admitted the following on Twitter:  "My obsession with France is running high this morning. I think I need to go take a cold shower."  Since I'd already showered for the day, I decided that would be a bit extreme.  But one thing was certain.  I needed to do something productive. 

Suddenly, it came to me!  I had a DIY project that I could tackle and it was even related to my sickness.  While unpacking things at my new house, I came across a couple of desk size calendars that I've been saving.  They were Paris calendars with excellent old-time Paris advertisements and postcard pictures.  My thought when I tucked them away was to clip out the beautiful pictures and turn them into framed artwork to hang up.

So I got busy measuring my favorite pictures and hit the local Hobby Lobby to find frames to hold the pictures.  Here's what I found....three 5 X 7 frames.

These were the perfect size to display my very favorite choices from the two mini calendars.  And I can even switch the pictures out to change them up a bit  The two matching frames are a very light cream color and I found two black and cream color mats that worked perfectly with these two pictures!

The pictures are so detailed and charming.  They are also super small and my photographs hardly do them justice.  Here's a couple close-up shots. 

There's something so romantic about the Arc de Triomphe placed in the middle of all those meeting avenues.  You can't see the details in this picture but there are little people walking and old-fashioned cars driving on the round-about road.

The 2nd picture is of the Place de la République.  (Round-abouts must have been my theme of the day.)  And once again the old-time cars and people walking about is what sold me on using this postcard photograph.

The 3rd picture that I picked from the calendars was an advertisement "Panorama de Paris" via a hot-air balloon ride over Paris.   I picked a antique rubbed brass frame and a light rose-colored mat that was meant for the picture because it matches perfectly with the lettering. 

Would you take a hot-air balloon ride over grand Paris?  I know I would!

This was Saturday afternoon project.  It didn't help me stop day-dreaming about actually being in France but it helped to calm my "Francophile-itis."  Of course I'll never be fully cured.  And I am OK with that.

Do you want to just break out and dance when you think about France?  Unless you are all by yourself in the privacy of your own home, you may want to save yourself the embarrassment and watch someone who does just that....Here's a Davey's Dance Blog video shot at the Arc de Triomphe:



Davey Dance Blog -10- PARIS - Andrew Thompson - "There Must Be Some Misunderstanding" from Pheasant Plucker on Vimeo.





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Being Introduced to Scrapbooking...

I'm excited because today because I'm going to be introduced to a new creative outlet. I have a friend who is very creative and we have a lot in common. We both love to read, write, and she's a consultant for Creative Memories, which is a scrapbooking company. So I'm heading over to her house to see her scrapbooks and what she's got to sell. She's also having a scrap day next Saturday where you can bring your stuff and work on it, and of course you can buy new scrapbooking supplies to use. But from what I understand many tools will be provided to use at this Scrapfest. So I'm gearing up to get my scrap on! Now that I have a new camera, lots of new pictures, lots of old pictures, and a photo printer, I can really dig in and start my own scrapbooks!

A couple of possible projects come to mind. One in particular is to scrapbook my trip to France. I have lots of pictures in an album that I don't really care for. So why not make a new travel scrapbook? This may inspire me to get out of the country again and take another wonderful trip!

More to come on what I discover and what I decide to take on as a project! :)

Here's a picture I took of the Eiffel Tower from ontop of the Arc de Triomphe, a beautiful site!

Happy Scrapping!

Remembering Mont Saint Michel - France

I'm working on putting together a list of my favorite links to blogs and other websites. In the meantime, I've been dreaming a bit about France today and came across this funny video on YouTube. It is just a group of friends dancing around to a song, but they happen to be dancing in front of a magnificent French background - Mont Saint Michel. This was one of my favorite visits when I was in France. And when you watch the video it can't help but make you laugh a little -- the three friends look like they're having a great time enjoying each other and enjoying France! They better dance fast though, it looks as if the tide is beginning to roll in.

Follow this link to Wikipedia.org to learn more about Mont Saint Michel in France. Someday I hope to go back again to visit this beautiful place and definitely recommend a visit for anyone visiting France. At any rate, don't take life so seriously all the time. Remember to let loose, unwind, and dance around a little.

“Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.”
~Mark Twain

Update: After searching around YouTube further, it turns out that David aka Davey, the guy in green, has made dance videos from places all over the world. There are also a few more set in France. Just go to YouTube and search for "Davey Dance Blog." Happy dancing!