OH LAND OH MY

New musical discovery: Oh Land

Nanna (that's her name) says "In my music, I try to create an environment wherein my voice is a dancer and the production is the scenography."

I read in an article she used to be a dancer until sustaining a career-ending back injury and as a result turned to music as an outlet and channelled her feelings into songs. Other tracks of hers I'm loving are 'Son of a Gun' & 'Wolf & I'.


* The beginning of this video clip is so cute and I love the set of her bedroom *

TAX·I·DER·MY

tax·i·der·my/ˈtaksəˌdərmē/

Noun:

The art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals with lifelike effect.

Taxidermy is fascinating to me. I recall my first encounter as very unimpressed and disgusted, however I've come to love the idea of displaying what was once a wild, living thing and purely admiring it for its beauty. Never before have I seen so many taxidermy animals and species than in Paris. From visits to Museums & Galleries, flea markets, shops and even cafes. I had the opportunity to buy many furry friends and bring them home with me but I highly doubt the Australian Customs Officers would have had the same affection for them as I!

I have to mention one place with a large collection of this stuffed kind on display. Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Museum of Hunting and Nature). The interior is lavishly decorated and filled with taxidermy animals of all shapes and sizes. Also on show is ornate weaponry, paintings and other 'curiosities' dating back to the 14th century. It really is an incredible space with amazing Visual Merchandising and Set Design / Interior Design. I highly recommend a visit if you are in Paris.

Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature 62, Rue des Archives, Le Marais 3eme.

MARCHÉ AUX PUCES

SNAPSHOTS:

This place is Vintage Heaven!

You could stroll through the many markets all day and still not have covered it all.

AMAZING.  

FLOWERS & PAGES

A little collage I made today which is filling the empty space I had above my Bed.

Really am loving floral details at the moment.. 

Must be the Spring air!

LES JARDINS DE PARIS

Flowers in every imaginable colour, lush green grass & white pebble paths with scattered iron chairs. Paris has the best kept gardens and Parks I've ever seen.

All Photos taken by me

From Top: Les Invalides, Square Des Batignolles, Jardin Des Plantes and Luxembourg Gardens

FLORAL INSPIRATION

Coveting this book.

I am so inspired by Saskia Havekes, her floral creations are incredible.

MOISSONNIER

All Photos taken by me

Let me introduce you to Moissonnier...

From their Website: "Born of a union of historical styles and the aesthetic avant-garde, Moissonnier works a strange alchemy in its creations: updating styles… bringing the past to life with light touches… suggesting without imposing… breathing new life into traditions to make the present feel magical again.

Creating jewellery for the home while cultivating an offbeat style, paradox with a dash of insolence, such is the dandy spirit of Moissonnier."

I was completely smitten with everything in this place. I had stumbled across their showroom during Paris Design Week on one of my many lost routes. I think every time that there was a wrong turn taken, it would lead to finding incredible places and this was definitely one of the top finds in St Germain
(one of my favourite areas in Paris)

The pieces really are 'jewellery' for the home. Such beautiful detail & craftsmanship and the colours & fabrics used really make them that more interesting. The style actually reminds me a lot of the furniture in Château de Versailles. 

J ' A D O R E

L A D U R E E

Instagram for Iphone

Yum   yum YUM !

I visited Ladurée 3 or 4 times during my stay (I don't know whether this is something to brag about?) My first visit was to the Bonaparte location on a Sunday morning for 'Petite Dejeuner'. This was more on the grand side as I indulged in an assortment of french pastries. I left with 15 Macaroons although this particular day reached 31 degrees and in an attempt to save them from the heat, I decided to walk 30 minutes back to my apartment before returning to the Luxembourg Gardens where I had originally planned to sit down and enjoy a couple as I read my book. Luckily they were worth the effort!

Another visit was with a friend for afternoon tea where we both enjoyed a Tarte Passion Framboise (Passionfruit Raspberry Tart) while I sipped on a Vanilla, Cinnamon, Citrus and Strawberry infused cup of tea. Both were at high levels of deliciousness.

My favourite Macaroon flavours: Caramel, Cassis (Blackcurrant) and Reglisse (Licorice)

PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA

All Photos taken by me

What an incredible couple of months I have just had.

Paris is just as you hear everyone speak of it to be and I completely fell under its spell. If you don't mind, I am going to share a few (or a bit more than a few) places I saw, visited and noticed during my month long stay. So bare with me while I go a little Paris 'crazy' for a while here.

If anyone has been or wishes to go some day, I would love to share with you memories and dreams of this gorgeous city.

 Jessica x