Give me liberty at Target

Even before Patrick Robinson's collection for Target has hit the shops (I think they're due out in May), I have discovered the new images for the next Target: Go collection. The new collection is by Libertine. This new collection looks playful and colourful, and while most of the pieces aren't really my style, I really do quite like these 3 looks above.

View the rest of the collection.

Pretty things from Etsy

A tote bag, a goldfish necklace and some buttons, oh my!

I need to interrupt my Ah Pa-ree ramblings to show you some of the pretty things I've found recently on Etsy.

Clockwise from left:

• You can find this pretty floral tote bag with attached flower pin and other lovely flower pins from VeryFairy.
• The cute goldfish necklace is only one among other cool necklaces which feature other fauna, bits of the human anatomy and even dresses. From Paraphernalia.
• These vaguely nostalgic fabric buttons would be great on a bag or jacket! From FluffsStuffs. (I know, it's so close to my blog title!)

Ah Pa-ree: Where to stay

Rue Saint-Anne, where the Hotel Baudelaire-Opera, right in Paris' little Japantown, is located.

My colleagues in the French office recommended this little family-run hotel, mostly because it's walking distance to the office and it quite reasonable (I paid about 110 euro for the double room, breakfast included). Overall, I'd say it wasn't too bad.



It's a little small, but I was perfectly comfortable.

What I liked: convenience to the office, the area it's in (lots of yummy ramen and udon places to try!), the squeaky clean bathroom, the little balcony, the croissants served at breakfast, the lovely detergent used to clean the towels, the cute guy with the English accent at the reception desk. What wasn't so hot: the bed (sunken in the middle, so I had to sleep at the corner), the attitude given by some of the reception staff, and the fact that despite being told there was Internet access, there weren't enough cables to go around for everyone.

But, given a choice between this hotel and the other one I stayed at for the second week (it was cheaper, at only 80 euro for a single bedroom), I'd go back to the Baudelaire. However, the next time I go to Paris, I think I'll try booking a hotel through this website. A lovely English couple I sat next to at dinner on my last night in Paris highly recommended the Tryp hotels and said if you were lucky, you could a room for 40 euro a night!

Back from Paris!

Just a little something to whet your appetite

Bonjour! I'm back from my 2 week jaunt in Paris laden with lots of chocolate, macarons and new clothes, oh my! It would have been nice to do some blogging while there, but the first week was packed with work, and the wifi in my hotel refused to work during the second week. I'll just have to sift through my gazillion photos, edit them and divide them up into posts. Watch out for them soon!

And now it's back to answering all the emails accumulated from a week ago!

Ah Pa-ree!

Bonjour! Second day in Paris, and I still have not seen the Eiffel Tower. Have been holed up in the office attending work sessions and then trying frantically to finish work so it does not eat up into my holiday time next week.

The hotel is in a great location in the Opera quarter, right in little Japantown, and only a few minutes walk to work. The room is a little small, but it's very clean and I have a nice balcony which I can use to admire the view.

Now to hunt for some macarons!

Ximena Maier

All images taken from Ximena's website

While poking around Getty Images, I discovered this delightful Spanish artist, Ximena Maier. Her illustrations are quite fashion-based, but you’ll find she also does other themes, like people eating, shopping and lounging around in various cities around the world, and collages. You can see more of her work at her website. Just looking at her pictures make me smile.

She also has an equally delightful food blog, Lobstersquad, which she fills with cute little drawings and illustrations.