Pandemonium

Farm Chicks Early Admission Tickets for Sale - SOLD***

*** Tickets have been sold.

Last year Layle, Paula, Nancy and I went to Farm Chicks and had a fabulous time. Last Fall when the early admission tickets went on sale for 2012 we bought 4 more intending to go this year. Well, planning a whole year in advance is always tricky.

So Farm Chicks is this coming weekend, June 2nd and 3rd and we aren't going to make it. I've already sold 2 of the Early Admission tickets and I have 2 more that I'm selling. They are $26.50 each. The early admission tickets were all sold out last fall. They get you into the show at 8:30AM on Saturday, June 2nd which is 1.5 hours earlier than the general population. That means you get first dibs on all the good stuff! 

The tickets are in PDF format so I will e-mail them to you so you can print them out. You can pay me via PayPal, so please make sure you have a Paypal account. Leave me a post if you want them. It will be on a first come, first serve basis. 

Here are some photos from our trip last year.

Paris Journal - part 3

This in only about 1/2 of the pages of the entire journal but I'm going to have to make a 2nd cover to hold it all. 

The rest of the story - Paris Journal from Inspired Journey Retreat

One of the things i love to do when traveling is to pick up business cards from restaurants we eat at as well as business cards from stores that I love. I incorporate those into my journals along with pieces of packaging from things I buy, clothing tags, tickets and brochures. It gives my book pages some color & variety.

Here's the front and back cover of the journal.

Sometimes I like to cut my photos into pennant or half circle shapes and punch holes in them and add them to the journal.

This page with the 7Gypsies elastics is where you slip in the petit carnet (little notebook).

There are still 10+ pages in the journal. I'll post the rest of them tomorrow.

Paris Journal

Here is the first half of my Gypsy Journal filled with photos/journaling & ephemera from my recent Paris trip. Several people at IJ asked me how I get the metallic sheen on my photos. I have them printed at MPIX. After I upload them and add them to my cart, there is a drop down box (next to each photo in your cart) that asks if you want them printed on E-Surface paper (highlighted in blue) If you click on it you can change it to Metallic paper. The metallic prints cost .29 cents each. I think they are cheaper if you order a certain amount. Black and white photos look amazing on the metallic paper too. I have quite a few 11x14 black and white metallic prints in my house.

After you click on E-Surface paper you'll get this dialog box where you can change it to metallic.

The polaroid photos in the journal are taken on a Fuji Instax camera that I bought off Amazon before we left. Perfect size photos for putting in a journal. I'll post the other half of the journal tomorrow along with the cover. 

Pictures of Inspired Journey Project

Hi Inspired Journey Alum!

As promised, here are some photos of what you can do with the Petit Carnet (little notebook) that is inside your journal.

The products that I used on this notebook that you don't have in your kits are:

• 7 Gypsies Postale stamps (Priority, arrow, calendar, star in circle, swiss cross, arrowheads in circles
• 7 Gypsies Disclaimer stamps (FRAGILE)
• 7 Gypsies Postale tape (pointing finger and black dots)
• 7 Gypsies Numero stamps (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, numbers in circles)

To make this pocket page:

1. Fold the outside corners of two facing pages towards the center of notebook like you are folding a paper airplane.

Then put them together so they make a pocket and staple the page on the outside edge.

Fold a 1 x 4 inch piece of paper in half lengthwise so that it fits on the bottom of the pages and adhere and trim off the excess.

Then decorate with stickers, stamps and rubbings. Add a tag or tickets you saved from your trip into the pocket.

This is a side pocket. To make it fold one page in half lengthwise so that the outside of the page is folded in towards the center of notebook.

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Turn the folded page so that it up against the next page and put a piece of decorative tape over the top and bottom of the folded page so that it makes a side pocket.

You can also use a 1 inch punch to punch a notch in the flap.

For the page above I used an exacto knife to cut down 1/3 of the way on one page and then I folded that top 1/3 of the page over on itself and put some staples around the outside of it and the next page to form another pocket. Then I added some decorative tape and stickers.

I hope you all got a chance to finish your carnets. I still need to add my journaling so I will post pictures when I'm finished. I'll also post some photos of the finished Gypsy Journal I brought to class (my Paris journal) with pictures and journaling tomorrow.

Some one asked me what I was going to do now that I wasn't kitting the journal for class 10 hours a day. Here is your answer.

10 Tips if you're supporting someone in the Paris Marathon

This is the 2nd time that Mike has run the Paris Marathon. The first time it was his very first marathon and he had a stress fracture of his tibia that happened 4 weeks prior to the marathon so he had to run it in a brace. His time that year was a great starting point so he was really looking forward to this year and his goal was to break 4 hours.  Mike, Kelly & Brad (shown below) 
had all run it 3 years ago and this year one of the BYU study abroad students, Maddie was running it too. Her sister Mary Claire, had also signed up to run it but couldn't because of an injury so one of the other students, Hillary, was going to run the first half with Maddie. As part of the support group, I've learned a few things the hard way, so I thought I'd share some tips:

1. Go early and get your photos in front of the Arc de Triomphe because it's only blocked to traffic before the race, and even then there are still a few cars and buses coming through.
2. You won't want to wear your good shoes. With 42,000 runners and 220,000 spectators, the streets of Paris will sink to an all time low of cleanliness.  You'll be walking or standing for at least 4 hours unless you're supporting an elite runner so choose comfy footwear that if splashed by a questionable substance won't ruin your day.
3. Bring gloves and hand warmers. The wind this year was brutal. I could have made a lot of money selling handwarmers to spectators.
4. Set up on the inside track of the marathon course at the 5 mile mark and you'll be able to see your runner again at the 13 mile mark by only hoofing it about 3 blocks.
5. Take water and a snack. Since the marathon is on a Sunday most grocery stores are closed and even a lot of the cafes were closed. It's nice to have something to get you through the morning. Also bring along some money for a chocolat chaud and a croissant when you do find an open cafe. We ducked into a cafe after our guys and Maddie went by the 5 mile mark. It was nice to get out of the wind and cold for 40 minutes and fuel up a bit. 
6. Use the restroom at the cafe before you leave because there aren't a lot of places for spectators to go. 
7. If you plan on using the metro buy ALL your tickets the day before as the lines to buy them in the middle of the race and at the end are VERY long.
8. Don't stand near a tree in the park. I don't really want to go into detail on this one so just trust me.
9. Tell your runner to stay on the right side when running and then you'll most likely be able to spot them at all the places you've set up to cheer them on. Decide before the race where that will be so they can be watching out for you.
10. This is the most important tip of all - have a plan to meet up after. As a spectator you won't be able to go onto Avenue Foch where the runners get their medals, t-shirts, post-race food and other things. It's all fenced off. So choose a meeting location outside of that and scout it out before the race if you aren't familiar with Paris. With 280,000 people all crammed into the same 1/2 mile strip of land it's nearly impossible to find your runner after they've finished if you don't have a meeting location. 

Mike didn't get his sub 4:00 time but he did finish in 4:05 which was a new personal best for him so he was happy.

Paris flea market - Trudane

Something you're sure to see in Paris when the weather starts turning warm in March/April are the cherry blossoms and "Antiquites-Brocante" banners hanging over the streets announcing a weekend flea/antiques market. They stuff flyers in the window screens of the parked cars with the dates, locations and closest metro stop of all the brocantes in March, April & May. This is in addition to the flea markets at Porte de Clingacourt and Porte de Vanves. Today's flea market was up by Sacre Coeur just off the #3 Anvers metro stop and it was big and beautiful. Tomorrow is the Paris marathon and there are 40,000 runners and 220,000 spectators in town. I felt like all of them were on the same metro train as I was. I now know how a sardine feels.

I wasn't too far into it when I spotted these 2 french globes. It was already afternoon when I arrived as I had gone to a weekend flea near St. Pauls cathedral first and it had been somewhat of a disappointment as there were not very many vendors. So, I made an impulse purchase of the larger globe first only to have buyers remorse when I saw a very unusual one a little farther into the market. I should know better. I should have scouted the entire market first and then gone back to this vendor. Hauling it around the rest of the day let that lesson sink in a little more. 

I would have bought this fan if I knew I could fit it in my suitcase.

And this too. I'm not sure what it even is.

I loved this ornate scale too.

I did manage to talk myself out of the deer head though.

There was lots of variety in booths and I was there for several hours wandering and gazing.

These old metal lockers would have looked great in my house. I need a bigger suitcase.

I did spot these old french classroom maps at the beginning and employed the "wait for it" lecture that I'd given myself after buying the globe. I walked through the entire market, sat down at a cafe and had lunch then went back and talked to the vendor.

I ended up buying two. One of Asia/Europe and one World map. Getting them back to the apartment on the crowded metro took a bit of finesse. When Mike saw them he said that my shopping eyes were bigger than my suitcase stomach so now I have to find a box or duffle bag that I can put them in so I can bring them back as a piece of checked luggage. They will look amazing in Ski's room if I can get them home in one piece.

Versailles

If your "to do" list in Paris includes visiting a palace, drinking the thick, rich & dark chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) that Angelina's is famous for, riding a bike, eating some LaDuree macaroons, rowing a boat and learning about French History then jump on a train and head out to Versailles. I highly recommend the audio guide here. It's packed with wonderful information which allows you to take a tour at your own pace. Wear comfy shoes and go early in the am or the lines will seem very daunting. We moved through the palace pretty quickly as most of our party had seen it before with the exception of the Hall of Mirrors which had been closed last time we were there. It is my favorite room. We had saved our euro cents so we could indulge in a lovely lunch at Angelina's. The clue sandwiches were delish as were the pastries and chocolat chaud. 

Refreshed, we trotted off to the gardens and took the long stroll down to the boats on the canal. Jenny, Morgan, Breanne & I all took turns rowing but I was the least coordinated of the bunch. It was pretty obvious that I have not spent much time behind a set of oars but I did not run into any other boats so I considered it a triumph. 

We wanted to venture up to see Marie Antoinette's hamlet so we rented some bikes which gave me a bit of apprehension given my lack or coordination and the fact that I haven't been on a bike in a very long time. It proved to be a very fun experience zooming around the dirt and cobblestone paths. We all wished that we had had more time to ride them but it was evening by the time we finished touring the hamlet and time to head back to Paris. 

Paris - Vivaldi & Pastry Class

We arrived in Paris and hit the ground running after staying up all night on the plane watching all the episodes of North and South. If you are a fan of Pride and Prejudice, you will love North and South which is set in the same era in England. We found our way to the apartment that we rented with the help of Blue Van (I highly recommend them - around 20 euro per person - which is cheaper than a taxi and far less stressful than taking the RER train and transferring to the metro). We had an hour before the manager could bring us a key so we went to the cafe on the corner and ordered some much needed Coca Light and frites. 

While the girls and Jenny took a cat nap in the apartment (I'll post pictures later 'cause it's got this fabulous spiral staircase that goes up to the Rapunzel tower where I slept) I went over the our friends, The Pattersons, who have an apartment about a 10 minute walk away - right towards the Eiffel tower. Ours is just a couple blocks from Invalides golden dome. I stopped  to pick up some pastries from our favorite bakery and a few groceries and our metro passes (Navigos). By the time I finished just in time to head to a Vivaldi Concert at the incredible Saint Chapelle Cathedral. This cathedral has some of the most beautiful stained glass windows in Paris. Jeanene had managed to get seats on the 2nd row.Even though this collection of music (Vivaldi's Four Seasons & Pachabel's Canon in D) is some of my very favorite classical pieces my only goal was to just stay awake during the concert. It far exceeded my expectations. It was vibrant and engaging and I didn't want it to end. I even met David Bracchini, the lead violinist, after the show and he signed a CD for me. I highly recommend this concert if you're in the Paris area.  Here are a few pictures and a little video clip. 

 Vivaldi Concert, Bree & Mo were so patient considering how sleep deprived they were. Morgan even said that she liked it. i'm hoping to get tickets to another performance before we go home.

The next morning we had booked a Croissant and Pastry making class for Jenny, the girls and I. After a bit of an adventure getting lost near Notre Dame (because of the construction),  we showed up on the doorstep of LaCuisine Paris. We had a ball here. Morgan is an avid baker and came ready to learn. Our darling chef, who is a native of Texas but has been living and cooking in France for so many years that he no longer had any texas accent,taught us from start to finish how to make our butter filled dough and sweet fillings. 

We made Pain au Chocolats, Croissants & an Amande (almond) pastry. As the class is only 3 hours long, you have to make the dough 1st then use dough made the day before by another class to actually cut out and bake your pastries in time to eat them. Our class had 3 other Americans and 2 Canadians in it. It was a delightful experience and one I highly recommend.

This company also will take you on foodie walks if you like to eat but not cook. There are several more cooking classes that we are thinking of taking while we are here. If Morgan was here longer, we would have signed up for all of them. 

Paris Flea Market - week 1

I have the good fortune to be in Paris this spring. Our very dear friends, the Patterson's, have been over here since December hosting a study abroad for BYU and as I have some fond memories of previous visits to Paris when they've hosted before it was an easy decision to return and create some new ones.

A trip to Paris would not be complete if it didn't include a flea market - or two or three. Here are a some photos from the flea I have gone to the most times thus far. It is held every weekend from 8-1 pm and is just off the Porte de Vanves metro stop.

I wish I had a suitcase big enough to fit this in.

I would love to line these up on my shelf. They are bottles of food coloring. Below - these are thermometers.

People watching is almost as fun as shopping.

Something that you're sure to see at a Paris flea are a couple of mink stoles much to the dismay of PETA.

And of course, who can pass up a couple of furry saddlebags.

This was my big splurge at this flea. I have a mild (okay so it's big) obsession with vintage cameras. This was one I hadn't ever seen before.