Golden Bengal with the Moore's

We spotted this Indian restaurant from the Metro on our walk to Versailles early in the day.  Good thing too because at the end of our tour, we were all tired and VERY hungry! And then we remembered the restaurant and it's convenient location on our return trip to the Metro. Kimberly and I were excited that Catherine and Dale were open to new cuisine experiences. It was such a lovely dinner with the Moore's and the perfect ending to a glorious day after exploring Marie Antoinette's Petit Trianon.

Kimberly and I will never forget how funny our Metro experience was with Catherine and Dale too!  We literally pooled all our Euros after digging through our handbags and pockets to obtain return tickets...... and we had EXACTLY the correct amount!  It truly was such a delicious time spent with the Moore's!

Paris Bistro

You can't experience Paris without experiencing their numerous outdoor cafes. And apparently Parisians smoke a lot because on every table at every outdoor cafe were ashtrays.  We were fortunate that we didn't have to endure someone else's guilty pleasure of cigarette/cigar smoke!

Part of our fun group..... Lana and Steve always ordered fries for sharing. I still think the world's best potatoes are in Ireland but Paris had American fries beat for yummy goodness.

This is the view of what we saw sitting at the tables.

Aux Crus de Bourgogne Restaurant - Paris

This restaurant is ranked #77 out of 7413 restaurants in Paris! How in the world does Catherine and Dale find these delightful places?!

This restaurant was packed full of patrons and yet we had our own wonderful "quiet" room..... all to ourselves!

I was so taken away by the simple beauty of the window and balcony that I wasn't aware of the artwork that completed our dining space. There were others that muttered "oh my" but I just thought they were kindred spirits with me enjoying the view. Oh, there was a view but it was the artwork that hung above our table and let's just say.....it was very French. No, I didn't take a photo because what's the point if you never want to share it! Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything here except after the trip to the ladies' room and returning to the room that I saw the picture and I too gasped "Oh, MY"!

I am a sucker for vintage hardware and lace....I love this photo!

This is the view outside our balcony window.

Our dining room also came with a velvet curtain that could be pulled for privacy... perhaps for lovers dining in the evening!

Lana is an adventuresome foodie and she has so much pleasure in experiencing in ordering specialty dishes.  On my next Paris trip, I may do the same!

This is the dessert that Kimberly and I shared! Yummy!  If you are in Paris and want reservations, here is the link: Aux Crus de Bourgogne

Butterfly for Barb

Another butterfly for Barb!

I hope Barb doesn't grow tired of receiving butterfly artwork......as I enjoy the butterfly theme so very much. This is a hard plastic material that I purchased from a stamp store already cut into the butterfly shape. Using a heat tool allows you to manipulate the shape of the butterfly. After coloring the one side with alcohol inks, I then collaged a dictionary page with the word butterfly.

I added a very lightweight mulberry paper to the backside of the butterfly and then misted it with a light wash of yellow which added to the transparency of the paper. You can see some of the dictionary paper behind it....love that!

A nice view!

This is my view from the kitchen's back door. I love this huge deck that wraps around the entire back of the house. I should measure this deck....... seriously because you could possibly host around twenty people and no one would bump into each other!  There is another level of deck that has a hot tub too!  I don't think the tub would hold 20 though......it's the usual hot tub size.  The backyard view is very nice indeed!

Just for Bill

Who would imagine that in the middle of Paris would be the Irish?!!  I had to take these photos to share with my husband.....proof!

I have to say that if we hadn't already had dinner plans with the group......I would have definitely stopped here for a Boxty!

Charm for Jan B.

When I received Jan B's necklace, there were so many ideas swirling around in my head for a charm that I could make. I found wooden letter tiles that I had purchased a long ago that were made to be as place-cards for dinner parties. The letters have been used in a variety of art projects, including this one! I don't think I have enough letters now to spell anyone's name but what's remaining in my collection is perfect when you only need one letter!

First, I colored the white tile with a soft ochre color and then stamped a flourish design in black archival ink. Burnt brown was applied as a border. A dimensional bubble tile on top of the "J" was added after everything was heat set.

The other artists added charms that were a bird theme, so I played along. After I adhered the image, I applied a gel medium on top for sealing. When this was dry, I added Rock Candy crackle paint by Ranger. A small smidgen ochre was applied on top.

After drilling the hole, my favorite part about the charm is the embossing powder that I used on the edge. I tried thinking about copper tape, maybe coloring the edges with gold leaf pen but that just seem didn't exciting to me....then the idea came to use embossing powder that I have owned for eons. And that was a good thing! I love the result!

Le Moulin de la Galette

This restaurant was located in a delightful neighborhood and conveniently located for all the exploring and shopping that our group planned for the day.

Again, Catherine and Dale Moore took care of all the arrangements and our table and service was very nice.

If you want to make reservations when you are in Paris, here is the link: Le Moulin de la Galette

Charming

I've decided not to wait until the end of the year to post what I've made for the other artists but instead post more frequently throughout the year. The art group I am part of are doing a round robin necklace where each participant is making a charm for each artist's necklace. This idea was inspired by an amazing artist that I met in Paris with Catherine Moore's art group. She goes by the name "Z" and her necklace inspired all of us! So thanks Z!

I decided to use my antique white button collection to make a chain for my necklace.  I added a silver jump ring to each buttonhole to connect to the next button.  For a few buttons that had four holes instead of two, I added an extra jump ring so one could add additional charms.  I made two charms for my necklace before sending it on to the first round robin player.  I stamped my image onto shrink plastic and then coated it with clear UTEE.  I embedded a tiny fleur de lis and then applied another coat of UTEE.

I used a Tim Holtz glass vial to hold an antique calligraphy nib.  I wrapped the glass vial with small strips of Washi paper and then sealed using Claudine Hellmuth's gel medium.  I melted beeswax and painted around the cork.  I use a designated paint brush for my beeswax applications.

This view shows my necklace with only my charm.  After the round robin, I will attach the other artists charms for the best balance taking in consideration the weight and size.  I can hardly wait....

The above charm is for Jan's necklace and it is an antique poker chip.  I added a Paris theme and sealed it with Diamond Glaze.  A few sprinkles of micro beads were added to the top.

 This is the back of the chip which I colored with brown ink and then heat sealed.  I applied gesso to the charm and then wiped some of it away to create a worn look.  Of course I had to add a French message for Jan which is embossed in gold ink.

 Marsha's necklace was my first package received in the round robin group.  I used an antique crystal from a dismantled light fixture for my image.  I used Glossy Accents to adhere the image to the crystal using all the Tim Holtz tips.  The image came from ARTchix Studio.

This is a terrible camera photo!!! I didn't realize the details do not show until the necklace was sent off to the next artist.  The backing is a paper towel that had so many layers of blues and purples inks...really.....I think is rather stunning.  The Viva paper towel was used to clean my craft sheet of extra inks from previous projects.  The colors looked so wonderful when dried and the texture of Viva looks like linen when the ink dries on it.  The remaining napkin was used in Marsha's birthday project.  Yummmm....I should figure out why I can't throw anything out!

The final thing was sealing the paper towel with Claudine Hellmuth's gel medium so that the colors wouldn't bleed onto clothing or skin.

Butterflies for Barb

My apologies for not scanning this piece and using my digital camera!  I have yet to get all my familiar equipment playing nice with my home computer....soon....I promised myself!

This is my second mail art mailing.  I am really trying to stay within the suggested theme of the alphabet.  An earlier post shows my letter "P" which went to Pat and was decorated Parisan since she has such a strong love of Paris.

I remembered that Barb loves butterflies and in the past I made her a zentangle butterfly (older post).

This time I made a heavy duty tag from a recycled watercolor tablet back cover and applied black card stock as my base.  I then used a permanent black Sharpie marker to color the edges of the card.  I embossed "Le Papillons" in detailed gold embossing powder.  I stamped a flourished background using Ranger's Gold Dapper color directly onto my rubber stamp.  It's best to clean your stamp immediately when using paint instead of ink!  I then applied my images from Graphics 45 and other specialty papers.  I fussy cut a butterfly and adhered it to the top of the tag.

I added the scrabble tile letters last with E-6000 glue.  The US Post Office clerk asked me what I used to adhere the letters and when I told him that it was an industrial strength glue which I allowed to dry long enough to cure, he accepted the postcard.  When sending mail art, it is important that any embellishments you use will never come off during the processing of the mail.  I have had tremendous good luck in mailing the oddest things but always within the postal regulations guidelines.

This view is the back of the tag which has my return and send to addresses.  I wanted to use the butterfly postal stamp to complete my theme.

Tim Holtz tissue tape was applied on the left edge as a balance.  I applied gel medium on top to make sure that it would be permanent.

I absolutely love the Graphic 45 tag image!  I added tiny black silk ribbons and anchored this tag and it was the last thing I added before the postal stamps.

Paris Parking

Okay... it's not a pretty picture but I couldn't help but notice the beating this car has taken. It has to be Paris driving and parking ....oops, perhaps the driver.

You don't have to read and speak French to know that you can not park here.... and that's exactly where the above car is parked. Yes, in front of the sign!

Just exactly how does one leave their parking space? All the cars along this street were "bumper to bumper"...literally!

Happy Birthday Marsha!

I have a goal this year to send a birthday message to each artist in my art group. So far, so good!  Marsha loves antiques as I do so I wanted to add special touches to her birthday greeting. The background ledger paper is very brittle with the entries written during the 1920's.  I used a stencil sprayed with Blue Denim from Ranger.  The Tulsa Bus Token dangles from the safety pin at the top.  And if I remembered correctly, Marsha enjoys Chinese food too so I added a fortune that I thought was funny.  I mounted my greeting on heavy card stock so that it could be hung if she wished. I misted a "copper/coffee" color onto the bright yellow measuring ribbon to give it an aged look. I really like using the Birthday Girl ATC that I purchased from Red Lead a few years ago.  I layered the stamped image on top of a paper towel that I used to clean the extra ink from my craft sheet.  Viva paper towels look like linen fabric when dried...very cool. The ball trim at the bottom was purchased from Rock Paper Scissors in St. Charles, Missouri.

FYI: You can have a closer view by double clicking on the photo.

One explanation

This could be one of the many reasons those living in Paris seem very trim and fit. There is a lot of walking and climbing steps.....a built in StairMaster along your travel to work, home, or shopping!

You can see that I am standing at one street level and below me are about twenty steps to the next level.

Paris seems to have lots of different levels of streets and sidewalks and STEPS!!! If I had another few weeks to visit, I am most certain that my legs would be looking pretty good. In the meantime though....I'll stick to wearing pants! By the way, these photos were all taken at different locations while we were exploring Paris.

I'll be sharing about my Paris adventures thoughout 2012.  I hope you'll be inspired to experience Paris up close and personal!

Bateaux Mouches

Our first night in Paris was the Bateaux-Mouches dinner cruise which was simply amazing.....great food and great company. Catherine and Dale Moore choose so wisely with this cruise and made all the arrangements. All we had to do was dress in party clothes and be ready for some fun!

The sun is setting on Paris and the Eiffel Tower in the background made it even more special. I took this photo on the top deck of our cruise ship.

Our reservations were for the perfect night as our party pretty much had the cruise ship to ourselves.....AND we had our own violinist for much of the evening. There were photo memories for sure but not to be published.....protecting the innocent!

After I took many photos on the top deck, our salads arrived! Don't they look yummy?!

Dishes are cleared for another course so up to the top deck for more photos. I couldn't resist taking a photo of the Statue of Liberty. I thought she was beautiful in NYC and now to see her in Paris!

I am thrilled that this photo turned out so well. My inexpensive digital camera really took some very nice photos.

The bridges have so many wonderful details.

Can you believe how gorgeous this is....it's breathtaking.

Dinner has arrived and Kimberly's vegetarian choice was delicious.

Obviously, my dish was not vegetarian! Then we had more courses to come. I think I was so full that I forgot to take photos of our desserts! If you are visiting Paris and would like to take a cruise around the Seine....here is the link: http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en