I heart Betty the blogger

Hello my friends!!! I know you’re not so many (yet) but I’m a believer!!! Today was a normal day. I just had to delete all playlists on my phone to have some “insane abs” videos (another long story). So I had music on my headphones until 4G started to fall down (stupid metro signal). The good news is that thanks to that I stopped at a Relay and I found what I was looking for so many days: Paulette magazine!!! With Betty Autier on the cover. I knew about it because she posted it on her facebook site. I knew I had to have that number!!!

I found Betty’s blog in 2008 and since then I follow her. Because she’s natural, she’s fresh, and damn we like same stuff!!! She just can get it first!!! Lol. I’m glad she makes tones of money with her blog because it’s a truth source of inspiration. I’m just quite sad ‘cas she’s moving to L.A. And that means less chances for me to see her on the street now that I live Paris.

If you are a cute and good girl and you didn’t know about Betty’s blog until this moment, don’t miss any other minute:

http://www.leblogdebetty.com

“Do It Yourself” Fever in Paris

This morning I openned the newspaper and I saw that Marie Claire magazine organises a Salon “Do It Yourself” (Logo above) in Paris. I just know I don’t want to miss it. I know it’s not the first one, but I’m “almost” new in the town so I can’t help to be excited about it. For me this is THE discovery of the month!!!

This obsession started almost three years ago when I moved from my old flat. Back then, I asked my ex-boss (now a very close friend) if she knew somebody available to help me to paint my new appartment’s walls. She openned a whole new World when she told me I could do it by myself. She just told me how to… and that’s how everything started. She created a monster!!! After walls, drills, lamps… I decided to purchase a sewing machine to make my own curtains, What an investment! Then I found a patchwork quilt project in an old Marie Claire magazine. I showed my friend the article and We both decided we had to have that quilt!!! I started it in Barcelona with her and I finished it alone in Paris. She was my guide but my obsession helped me to finish.

My obsession is also making me read plenty of books I hope to use as inspiration for new creations very soon…

Also in the kitchen…

So I hope to be ready for this Salon 🙂

Here’s a picture of my quilt finished!!! it’s not that great for patchwork profesionals but I’m so proud of it!!!

I know, It’s a fever!!!

More info about this Salon at:

http://www.creations-savoir-faire.com

Alone in Clignancourt Market

I know title doesn’t match at all with the photo… but I’m posting this ‘cas that day was a great day and I didn’t plan it.

First I woke up with a plan: “Going with a friend to Clinangcourt Market” (I go everytime I have a chance). For people who does not know what it is, I’m talking about a mine of treasures!!! A huge flea market!!! So, back to my story… I had a plan. That morning I called her and she didn’t feel like going so I was nice and I told her not to worry about it… I was hopeful… I knew I was going to find somebody else to go with. Basically because going alone to a dangerous flea market wasn’t in my plans. I called and messeged people but nobody was available… BIG SH*** After that “lose of control” moment I decided to go by myself… Yes alone. My founds: a strips french navy tshirt and a fake Monet for 5€. I was very proud of this last found ‘cas only golden wood frames cost 15€ in flea markets. After many hours in the market I could contact some friends who told me that going to Rosa Bonheur (in Buttes Chaumont park) was a good sunday plan. I’d never heard of it. Maybe because I’m not gay. So I went there with my fake Monet and we had the time of our lives!!! We ate a great spanish ham for 6€, we drunk funny beers for 5.50€ (6€ later, don’t ask me when… I simply don’t remember), and we danced Ace of Base and Spice Girls like FOLLES!!!

That’s what I call a good Parisian deal!!!

My recommendations:

1. If you plan to go to Clinangcourt Market, try to go as confy as you can. Tennis shoes are a must, as much as a very discreet purse (big enough to carry money and phone). And the most important: PRACTICE YOUR BADASS FACE in front of a mirror before to leave your house. That’s the face you’re going to need when people trying to sell you stolen phones start trying to steal yours under the bridge. Be very careful

2. If you plan to go to Rosa Bonheur on sundays grab a gay mate. On saturdays you can be more flexible with the gay requirement 😉

What a World Cup!!!

Hello everybody!!! Today it rains in Paris, and tonight is the FIFA World Cup final between Germany and Argentina.

This World Cup started weird to me… Spain (my beloved team) lost 5-1 against my other beloved, the Netherlands. Then we lost against Chile, then I didn’t want to watch the match against Australia.

Then I focused watching other teams like Costa Rica, USA and Colombia which made me beat until the last minute before losing their chance to continue 😦

My fave: James from Colombia 🙂

Then the unbelievable happened:

Brazil lost (7-1) against Germany, and it seems the World will never be the same…

This just confirm my theory: We never know in football!!! That’s why even Germany scored 7 goals to Brazil, I think Argentina has a chance to win this 2014 World Cup. Personally I never support Argentina in World Cups but I think this time Messi deserves this Cup more than anybody later on that field…

That’s why all my support goes for Argentina tonight!!!

Happy World Cup Final to all football/soccer fans!!!

Cebiche in Paris

Hello everybody! Today is the day when sales start in Paris and that it is exhausting for me ‘cas I work in a retail store. So after this long day I went to eat my favorite dish ever: CEBICHE (If you read other posts you will see how devoted I am). Even I think I haven’t tasted enough yet, I will try to give you my options (already tested) for when you are having a cebiche crisis in Paris!!!

This time I went to a restaurant recommeded by a friend, Its name is Mi Peru. It’s not really far from work so it’s perfect for a recovery after a day dealing with crazy shoppers. Their Cebiche looks like this: Traditional fish or mixed cebiche cost 18€ which sounds expensive, but if you are a normal person you won’t need more to fill you’re starve. Trust me. Even we suspect cebiche is already made, flavour is good enough to go back. First picture is from La Cebicheria, which is very nice and much more refined than traditional restaurants. Even we can see there are some ingredients missing… The concept is creating new flavours all the time, but the must on their menu is the traditional peruvian cebiche (picture above) and tiraditos… Owners are french, one of them nicely introduces you to the fabulous world of cebiche. Then she admits cheff is peruvian. The rest of the menu are creative cebiches. Plates are mini (tapa style) which means you will have to order at least two and a side if you’re in hunger. Each mini cebiche cost around 10€ and 13€. Pisco sour coktail cost 10€.

Another cebiche I had tasted in Paris is in Picaflor (cozy peruvian restaurant very close from the Jardin des Plantes). Cebiche there is good in flavour and amount 🙂 I didn’t take a picture of it because I finished before to even think about it. But here you have one of their tiradito: Both cost 18€ each. Last but not least, is the Roger and Maritha’s cebiche and Roger’s tiradito. These cebiche and tiradito were tremendous and only costed 10€ + some organization + work + laughs. We really had fun 🙂 So my moral today is: if you live in Paris and you want to taste a good cebiche is not a bad idea to start by meeting some peruvians, we simply know how a good cebiche must taste like ;p

Mi Peru

7 Rue Rondelet

75012 Paris M: Reuilly Diderot

La Cebicheria (Bar à Cebiche)

16 Rue Marie Stuart

M: Etienne Marcel

El Picaflor

9 rue Lacépède

75005 Paris

M: Place Monge

Living in Paris is €xp€n$iv€

Hello everybody!!! On this post I would like to talk about the hardest thing when you live in Paris: find a home sweet home!

The other day I was waiting for a friend to join me in St Michel, thanks God you have something to look at when you are waiting at that metro station: Gibert Jaune book store!!! Most of the books are in french but you can find really good stuff if you are a crafty maniac like me 😉 I found sewing and brodery books I could not buy at that moment because I didn’t want to walk all over the city with 10kilos in my hand bag, even that I could find a lovely (and useful) guide book at the offers section (cover picture). I payed 3€ for it but it’s full of ideas for independent girls who are planning to stay still 🙂

It’s a 2011 edition, that’s the reason of the price.

Personally I haven’t had the “searching parisian flat experience”, I have the luck of paying very little for my studio which has a decent space but it is really far away from Paris… Another con of my studio is that it’s already furnished… Which means I don’t feel it mine yet… Even that when I was reading this little guide I started to dream like a little girl…

I don’t have many friends in Paris, but people I know use to say: “in Paris is easier to find a job than to find where to live”. So if you are planning to come here you better be ready for anything (people renting kitchens as a room or rooms with no shower, as I already said on a previous post) or simply pay an agency, which are quite expensive (mostly 10% of a year rent amount for not furnished flats or a month of rent for a furnished one). 20m2 Studios in Paris cost 800€ aprox. Depending on the area. An aprox total amount when moving in Paris is 3200€.

Other than that Paris is a great city!!! Once you find where to stock your treasures when shopping books, deco stuff, antiques, etc etc etc trust me those are many future posts!!!

Moral of the present post: Find a home in Paris is hard but it worths every of the many €€€ you will expend 😉 no matter what, don’t give up!!! This guide says it’s possible!!!

Keep dreaming 🙂

Fête de la Musique in Paris

Fête de la Musique means literally Party of Music and it happens once a year in many French cities and probably somewhere else… they just play live music on every corner… Masses attend to big shows (a friend told me one year they had U2 playing for free in Palais Royal), and yesterday there was Lana de Rey playing somewhere else as well. So there’s always a big fish playing. But if you ever thought Paris is quite crowdy, wait to see Paris a day like yesterday…

If you have the chance to be here next year I would recommend you to pick a program (which are everywhere a week before) and check best options at the closest  “arrondissements”, just in case there something you don’t want to miss… but if you have tendence to stress yourself when there are many shows to choose, or you’re simply too lazy to decide you can do as I did. Join to a group next to the river, drink, talk, decide later…

If you just want to run away from crowds, good luck to find a room for a nice and quite picnic… hard but possible at the 16eme arrondissement.

I hope my little experience about this big day in Paris helps you a little for next editions.

Big Kisses!!!

 

I heart Testino

My brother (who lives in Barcelona) told me the other day about an exhibition in Paris. I thought “how can he knows more about Paris than me?” But that’s my brother. He knows everything you have to know…

The exhibition is Alta Moda by My beloved Mario Testino. It’s already out until july 24th.

This exhibition shows part of his already known work (published in Vogue and other magazines) but also a series of portraits of peruvian traditional and festive attires from the region of Cusco (I love Cusco). If you’re interested to go let me know 🙂

Yvon Lambert Galerie
108, rue Vieille du Temple
75003 Paris

It’s been a while I know…

but I’ve been doing many things this last year!!! I finished my first patchwork quilt (I really can’t wait to start a new project), I started to watch Game of Thrones and Vikings, I read many books, I discovered many shops, teas, flavours… I made some new friends and I lost some others but it’s alright… life can’t be pink all the time, even if you’re living at Piaf’s “belle ville”… La vie n’est pas rose…

I remember first time I visited Paris in 2006 I said “I would never live in Paris” specially after seeing my friend’s tiny room (no shower included)… She just said “life in Paris is very expensive”… “and weather is shitty” I thought. So what two great reasons to NEVER live in it.

This is me “à l’époque” (2006)

Then in 2013 I said “I go to Paris to learn french”… only. Now in 2014 I think I’m losing my english!!!

At the beginning I used to hate Paris (specially its weather) and little by little I learnt to like it, so maybe by sharing some stuff I do here I’ll help you to love it too… Who knows??? (I promise I used to be a big hater).

I actually have a 1000 things to write and I don’t even know where to start. I just hope my experience (now in the City of Light) will help you to choose better when coming for visit or longer…

like I say now: NEVER SAY NEVER!!!

Hike where?

I wasn’t a coach surfing fan, but now I’ll become one. We walked a lot, and met some people… We walked a lot and finally found the Chateau we were supposed to visit closed (LoL)… Even that nobody lost the smile… After all, our prize was around the corner: a Very Cold Beer!!!

If you’re ever intested on meeting people, breath trully fresh air, do some exercise… do not hesitate to contact this guy!!! You can find him first on “Paris”, then “Hike” then “Nicolas”. I will try to go to the next hike ‘cas It felt really good 😉