Being a homebody, it takes me a lot to travel. I love the idea of it, but the reality is
that I adore being in my own surroundings.
Never mind, I can still make myself very happy by carrying Paris around in
my head, always.
We watched the movie Madame
(here: https://amzn.to/2J09IOr) on the weekend and it made my heart so happy.
It was a fun story and had great actors – Harvey Keitel and Toni Colette
– but the street scenes of Paris? Swoon. And the apartment where this well-to-do
couple lived? To die for. Their teal blue-green velvet sofa even
persuaded me away from neutrals for a big piece of furniture. Almost, but not quite :)
The images on this post make me joyful too. They’re just so peaceful and elegant. I am inspired to be my most high-style and
well-turned-out self when I have these images in mind, French music playing and
Parisian thoughts in my head.
Choosing a healthy and stylish lunch is easy when my mind is
in this space. The French me would not eat
tacky foods, ever!
The French me has beautiful posture and is never tempted to
slouch. She enjoys her daily toilette
where she does her hair and puts on an enhancing dash of makeup. She does not fill her home with rubbish, non,
it is a curated affair of objets that
make her feel happiness.
Of course, I know that one day I will actually be walking
the streets of Paris, happily so, but why pin all our happiness on that one
trip? Why not make Paris at home in your
daily life?
For you it might not be Paris, it could be space travel, the
colour pink, Japan or Chanel. One word that
fills your world with magic and elevates the way you do your day. What is that word for you?
For me, here’s how I’m
channelling Paris at the moment:
- With movie soundtracks such as Woody Allen’s 'Midnight in Paris' (here: https://amzn.to/2GxS3Q6)
- By lighting candles with gay abandon
- Dreaming of and researching new shoes for the new season
- Contemplating a bold (for me) red lip
- Taking the time to leaf through my glossy Paris picture books
- Enjoying I Love Paris videos (so good!) (here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9mN7eWaKgWsCOj-Fo9WFXw/videos)
So tell me, what about your one inspiration that you always
go back to, even if you’ve been unfaithful to her over the years. Who is she and how do you like to express
your love for her? I’d love to know.
~Fiona~
All images are from Musée du Louvre’s Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/museedulouvre/
~~
You can find me here too:
You are so right Fiona, I like to take Paris and the memories of my visits there with me wherever I am.
ReplyDeleteI, too, like the ILoveParis YouTube videos. They make you feel like you're there, especially with the audio on. An Instagram I'd like to recommend if you haven't seen it already is L'INSTANTPARISIEN. I look at it almost every day.
Hmm, one inspirational word for me would be either Paris or Kyoto.
P.S. I think a bold red lip would be gorgeous on you, please show us when you've decided on one!
D.
Ooh, thank you for l'instantparisien D :)
DeleteHow did I not know about this movie? Thank you! I just watched the trailer and it looks so good.
ReplyDeleteI know, me too! Paul was saying to me 'how did you not know about this movie, it's so you'. I bought the DVD yesterday so I'm going to view it again soon :)
DeleteNina's Paris Tea L'Original Marie-Antoinette - the most delicious tea ever. When I sit and savor the scent (roses & apples) and taste, I am transported. This tea requires me to dig out beautiful china tea cups/saucers. It makes me want to turn all my rooms into something spectacurally Zen and beautiful. I love Mimi Bleu's Paris pictures and her Belle Inspiration Magazine - she posts amazingly beautiful and natural pictures of Paris. https://www.facebook.com/mimi.bleu.3
ReplyDeleteChanel & Armani makeup do it for me, too. I feel special sitting out here in the boonies with Leland and cattle for company (sigh). Thank goodness he LOVES makeup. And RED lipstick is my new-old love. I've seen enough to know I can pull it off with the right color. Unfortunately my right color has been discontinued by Chanel (Rouge Hydrabase #78 Shanghai Red) eons ago. It's a beautiful blue red. I occasionally find it on ebay, yay! The current Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Color in #99 Pirate is a close match. I look forward to seeing what you find!
Ooh yes, Nan, it's wonderful to have some luxurious brands, just small touches, around to remind us of our happy place :) I will check out Mimi Bleu thank you.
DeleteI, too, am a Francophile, and try to live my life as "Parisian Mimi" would live it. Now, I realize that my idea of what constitutes "Parisian" is undoubtedly stereotypical. But it symbolizes the ideal that I strive to; it doesn't matter whether it is factually true or not. This influences the way I dress, the way I wear my hair, my makeup choices, the way I cook, etc. But it influences them in a good way, and usually helps me to make better choices.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Mimi, the idealistic notion is highly motivating to me too!
DeleteThere is something magical about the name, the idea, of Paris. What a lovely theme, to bring it into your life, Fiona.
ReplyDeleteI agree :) Paris has a magical feeling to it, not only the city, but the concept as well!
DeleteWhat a lovely contemplative question.
ReplyDeleteI love where I live (very far north in the US) but part of my romantic heart is in Savannah, Georgia. I love the cobblestone streets, the live moss hanging from the trees and the gentle southern accents.
We travel there occasionally and it's interesting to think about how I can bring more of that "Savannah feeling" to my snowbound home.
We have a watercolor of one of the squares in Savannah hanging over our fireplace. The watercolor was painted by an artist painting on the square and selling his paintings, and my husband and I bought it on our anniversary one evening while we were strolling at dusk.
I can watch "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" (a great movie set in Savannah), listen to Johnny Mercer music, have candles scented of magnolias and attempt to locate the sadly discontinued Crabtree and Evelyn "Savannah Gardens" perfume, which I wore all through high school (I'm 48 now).
We are headed to Savannah for a long vacation for my 50th birthday!
Hi Amy, another thought I had is that we do things at home that we would normally do on holiday. When we had our retail business, there was a nearby (45 mins drive) beach suburb that we used to stay at on long weekends, but still had to drive into work for the Saturday. It felt so nice being there in our luxury high-rise apartment, and we'd do the kinds of things we did there, at home to bring back that relaxed beach feeling. We'd go for a walk along the beach, so at home we would walk through a big nearby park. We'd buy a barista coffee on holiday so that was another thing we could do. I know those things are kind of generic, but it's along the same lines as the staycation, but tailored to reflect your favourite vacation destination. Maybe even lay a cobblestone path at your place and plant moss growing in hanging baskets (that you can bring indoors in the snowy weather)?
DeleteI am just like you .... I have Paris in my head. A number of years ago I had a stoke and I had to lie flat in the bed in emergency for 24 hours while this medicine had to be given. I was scared and how could I do this for 24 hours- so I thought "when was I so happy?" it was walking the streets of Paris so ... I went there in my mind . I was so happy I had these great memories and it helped! I coped and I still do this even today - especially when nervous or stressed ! :)
ReplyDeleteWow, Lady Jicky, you are so inspiring! Walking the streets of Paris, I love it :)
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