From the category archives:

Travel

Paris: Made By Hand ~ A Lovingly Crafted Book

July 20, 2009

Good morning! What did you do this weekend? I hope you were able to relax and enjoy the summer weather :) Over the weekend as I was browsing my local bookshop, I was so excited to find this book by Pia Jane Bijkerk, which I have been looking for since it came out. And let me tell you – Paris: Made By Hand is a treasure. If you haven’t heard of interior stylist Pia Jane Bijkerk, you are in for a real treat – and if you have already been thinking of getting Pia’s book, I can assure you it’s worth every penny! Arranged into nine wanders through Paris neighborhoods, Pia describes her favorite ateliers and fait main (made by hand) boutiques in loving detail. I sat down this morning by the window with a mug of tea and took some time to dip into the book, savoring each page.

Isn’t the cover adorable? You can read a fantastic interview with Pia and see a behind-the-scenes look at the styling that went into the cover design right here. I love that the book is perfectly sized for tucking into your bag – whether you are wandering through Parisian neighborhoods, or dreaming of Paris during your commute back home :) Let’s open it up…

As a stylist, Pia has searched Paris high and low over the years for gorgeous and unique little treasures to use in photo shoots, so this book is the culmination of those treasure hunts: her little black book of stylish resources. The photo above is from Galerie Végétale, an amazing shop that combines art with unique plants and breathtaking floral arrangements. From wander #6, the Tenth Arrondissement.

I have only been to Paris once, and just for two nights; but it was enough to thoroughly enchant me. I would love to go back, and when I do I plan on keeping Paris: Made By Hand close by my side. Above, we have a photo from Le Petit Atelier de Paris, which is the peaceful workshop/boutique of two ceramicists. From wander #2, the Third & Eleventh Arrondissements.

This is a very different sort of travel guide (the sort I wish there were more of!), because it is also an ode to the unique and richly varied world of handmade. Check your local independent bookshops (in the travel section) to get your hands on a copy, or you can order it online.

{images: Laura Gaskill}

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Home Exchange ~ Your Thoughts?

July 13, 2009

in Travel

I have been dreaming of traveling lately…okay, actually I am always dreaming of traveling :) Some of my most treasured memories are travel experiences that have been indelibly printed in my mind – swimming with wild dolphins in the Caribbean, riding horses bareback in secret at night with my best friend on a Colorado ranch, burying my nose in heavenly hundred year old roses in Florence, hiking in the Swiss Alps in the spring with my husband and eating delicious meals with my Mom and sister overlooking the sea in Amalfi.

Travel can be an extraordinary, unpredictable experience. It can also be expensive. But what if you didn’t have to pay for a hotel or apartment rental? And you could still stay in a gorgeous, private space (not a shared bunk-room hostel!), for free? That is the purpose behind HomeExchange.com, a website devoted to connecting home-owning travelers from around the world; and after browsing through some of their listings, I must say I am intrigued:

With over 28,000 listings (the most listings are in the United States, France, Italy, Canada & Australia), there are an enormous range of travel possibilities. Of course, you must agree to participate in a swap (listing your own house or apartment on the site costs about $100 per year), so you would need to be comfortable with the idea of people you’ve never met staying in your home while you’re gone! I think I would give it a shot – the savings alone seems to make it well worth it, and there are some gorgeous properties listed – but I’m not sure how much international interest there would be in my home in Providence, Rhode Island!

What do you think? Would you ever try this? What’s on your list of destinations you would love to visit?

{images: HomeExchange}

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Juicy Read: La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales

June 24, 2009

in The Sweet Life,Travel

La Bella Lingua: My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language by Dianne Hales is the kind of book you want to savor slowly, like a small piece of fine chocolate melting on your tongue; which is why I am writing this review before I have finished the book. I can’t bear to let it end! Dianne has studied the Italian language, both at home in the San Francisco Bay Area and through countless trips to Italy, for more than 25 years. By digging deeply into the secrets of the language, she has amassed a wealth of knowledge about the Italian people and culture, and her passion is infectious.

The luscious sounds of the Italian language (I couldn’t help but try pronouncing the words aloud as I read) and the stories behind them have me hooked. After the first chapter, I ran right over to my computer to look up Italian classes nearby – no joke! I am one quarter Italian, and I have traveled to Italy twice without being able to say more than Ciao and Grazie; it may be about time I learn. Even if you do have experience with Italian, there will doubtless be a few new words and concepts from La Bella Lingua to add to your arsenal. Take, for instance, this tidbit on flirting, Italian style:

“Only Italian distinguishes between a civettino, a precocious boy flattering a pretty woman; a civettone, a boorish lout doing the same; a civettina, an innocent coquette; and a civettuola, a brazen hussy. A giovanotto di prima barba (a boy who starts flirting even before growing a beard) may turn out to be a damerino (dandy), a zerbino (doormat), a zerbinetto (lady-killer), or a zerbinotto (a fop too old for such foolishness). If he becomes a cicisbeo, he joins the long line of Italian men who flagrantly courted married women. I’ve met every one of these varieties over the years.”

In Dianne’s expert hands a grammar lesson becomes an ambrosial experience, and by drawing on the riches of Italian art, history, cooking, literature, film, customs and romance (as well as countless anecdotes from her travels and research), Hales tempts us to fall as madly and deeply in love with Italian as she has.

But what delights me most of all is the sense that Dianne is a woman following her dreams, and that is always a beautiful thing to behold. I will leave you with one last quote, this time from the introduction:

“Somewhere en route to fluency, I turned into Diana, pronounced Dee-anh-aah, and entered a parallel universe where I wear my heels higher and my necklines lower, dance barefoot under the Tuscan moon, and swim in island coves so blue that the Italians say the color twice: azzurro-azzurro.”

You can read an excerpt of La Bella Lingua in this guest post by Dianne Hales on Bleeding Espresso. For more information about Dianne and her work, please visit her website or her fabulous blog.

{images: Dianne Hales}

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Ace Hotel ~ Hip Rooms Under $100 {NYC, Palm Springs, Seattle, Portland}

June 16, 2009

in Travel

Why let being on a budget cramp your style? Ace Hotel, which started in Seattle and has expanded to include Portland, Palm Springs and NYC, offers a lively alternative to the typical budget chain – with turntables and vintage records in the rooms, indie artwork adorning the walls, and industrial-chic fittings, it makes me want to plan a cross-country road trip just so I can hit each one!

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I love the laid-back bohemian vibe of the Palm Springs location (pictured above and below), where you can have a massage in a yurt, lounge in a hammock, or slurp a “booze sno cone” by the saline pool and hot tub. Some of the pricier rooms include private patios and outdoor fireplaces, but a simple king room is just $99 bucks – or $89 on a weeknight.

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Ace Hotel Palm Springs

I am crazy about the idea of chic-and-cheap hotels, and I would love to see more open up around the country. As far as I can tell, there is no reason this couldn’t become a growing trend – there are so many talented, creative people out there doing amazing things on tight budgets, why not? Imagine being able to drive cross-country and stay each night in a completely unique little hotel with a real sense of place – I mean, how cool would that be?

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Ace Hotel Portland

The thing that excites me the most about Ace Hotel is the sense of place. Just look at the photos of Ace Hotel Portland (above): everything from the local art and eclectic furniture to the concert posters in the bathroom supports the handmade-indie-rock vibe that Portland is known for. If I am going to the trouble of visiting a place, I want to feel that I’ve really been there – and it’s hard for that to happen in a cookie-cutter hotel room that looks identical to five million others around the world, know what I mean? Whenever I do make it to Portland to visit the family and friends I have out there, Ace Hotel will be right at the top of my list. Well, that is, if there’s no room for me on the couch :)

Ace Hotel Website

{images: Ace Hotel}

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Block Island ~ Simple Summer Pleasures

June 9, 2009

in The Sweet Life,Travel

I’ve made a fun goal for myself: I want to do at least one thing each weekend that is classic summer. You know – beach days and baseball games, picnics and antique fairs, sweet tea and cut-offs – that kind of thing. Just thinking about it makes me happy :) Well, I’m off to a good start because over the weekend, my husband and I went to Block Island, which is a teensy little place off the coast of Rhode Island. I had never been there before, and I was so impressed with its laid-back charm that I just had to share a few photos with you:

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As soon as we stepped foot off the ferry, the most heavenly scent wafted toward us – the fragrance of the beach rose was so heavy we literally smelled them before we could locate them! I buried my nose inside one of the luscious pink flowers – it was like fresh honey and cotton candy.

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The first shop we stopped in also ended up being one of my favorites. The Glass Onion (241 Water St.) looks like a ramshackle beach hut, but is packed to the rafters with all sorts of treasures like hand-blocked cushions, French market baskets, local honey, gorgeous jewelry, fun printed sundresses and art.

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The weather was glorious. We took a nice long walk up and around the hills, passing small family farms with goats and llamas, adorable beach cottages, and cute little inns. Meandering is one of those special summer arts that I plan to practice more often – a wide open day, a new place, all the time in the world.

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