Mr. A la parisienne, the carpenter

This post is dedicated to my wonderful, very talented husband {Mr. A la parisienne} who made this very beautiful custom cabinet for our master bathroom.

Five years ago we completed renovations on our 1898 victorian farmhouse.

As I was designing our masterbath, I knew that I wanted real pieces of furniture for storage-no mass-produced cabinets allowed! I had decided that I would search in antique shops and flea markets for a "medicine,towel,toiletry" cabinet.

In the meantime, our bathroom only had two real places for storage-our vanity/sink and a very cheap, diminuitive cabinet I bought at Hobby Lobby (You know, the "furniture" you find in the unfinished wood section???) Yeah, the cheap little cabinet I had in my college apartment!

Let's just say the 1 foot wide by 4 foot tall HobLob cabinet looked quite pitiful standing in our our bathroom with 11'6'' ceiling.

After five years of searching, I still never found what I was looking for....

So, it finally occured to me to ask my husband to make me a cabinet for our bathroom. Within the hour of asking him, he had me draw a rough sketch of what I had in mind, and in a couple of weeks, he was beginning to build.

A little bit about mon mari:

My husband is a contractor, who loves restorating old homes.

My husband loves to build things...anything.

My husband thrives on projects...

After several weekends at his friend's cabinet-making shop, where he (with the help of his friend) were able to use all of the necessary tools for cabinet-making, he brought the cabinet home!

I must say I was so impressed at his work! This cabinet is better than any antique because he made it with his very own hands for our home.

Thank you, babe, for the wonderful job you did, and I must say you did an excellent job...

And did I mention this was his first time to make a piece of furniture?

Parisienne Fashion Plate No. 1- Russet and Denim with a Vintage Twist

I don't know about you, but I always find it interesting to see how women put their outfits together, especially women whom I see often. I am able to see how they reuse various parts of their wardrobe in creative ways. So, I have decided to share with you ensembles from my closet.

I am not sure how often I will be able to post, because:

#1. I am a full-time Mommy, wife, and housecleaner, home maker, cook, you name it.

#2. My husband is the one who photographs me. So, the few times a week I actually wear something decent, he will have to be home to snap a few photos. He must really love me.

#3. I can't seem to find the time to write many blog posts.

#4. And there are also the times when I think an outfit may look good, but when I see it

on the camera, I am made aware that my super chic outfit was, in fact, a "what not to wear."

Nonetheless, I hope that I am able to share with you ways to extend your wardrobe.

Let's face it, we don't always have to buy new clothes to look nice or to be in style. (I am also talking to myself here.) As mentioned in one of my first posts about the meaning behind "à la parisienne" I talked about a Parisienne's state of mind- being selective. I would like to add to that a woman with an incredible look is also resourceful!

How many times do your beautiful scarves, necklaces, and belts remain in the closet while the rest of you goes out???

_{Okay, so the hair style could use some work...}

About the outfit:

1. Dark denim jacket - I purchased this jacket several years ago. I love it's mandarin collar and dark wash.

2. Russet velvet skirt- I purchased this skirt on Ebay of all places and I love it!

3. Vintage russet, floral scarf- I found this scarf at a local flea market in perfect condition.

4. Velvet brooch- A brooch designed by and made by yours truly. This brooch is such a versatile color. It is burgundy & dusty orangy pink. I mostly wear it with browns and denims.

I hope you all have a great weekend. The weather here is so beautiful. It feels like Spring, but as we say in Texas, "Whether you like the weather or not, just wait, it's about to change."

à la prochaine, mes amis!

_{images from à la parisienne}

A Romantic Weekend Wish

I just couldn't help snapping a few shots of a bowl full of wrapped brooches that I was about to send to a sweet Etsy customer today. You know how I am about gray, gold, and blush pink. I thought that I would share with you.

It looks like my husband and I are going to get to go on a date tonight- all alone! I don't know what I will do with myself going to a restaurant without a diaper bag!

I hope you all have a romantic weekend!

Wishing You a Year of Pleasant Surprises!

Many of us have made our list of New Year's resolutions. I have several floating around in my head-perhaps I should share them with you so that I hold myself accountable!
However, none of us knows what 2010 holds for us. With all of our calculating and planning, we just can't predict what's down the road...

In a way that's exciting. What pleasant surprises are we to encoutner this year???


My 2009 brought many pleasant surprises:
(Of course, these "surprises" didn't all just spontaneously happen without some effort!)

*Hearing some of our daughter's first words; learning what toys fascinate her; oh, and I can't forget the pleasant surprise of discovering her drawing on our diningroom door! Yes, in black pen-not in a washable crayon!



*My blog was a HUGE surprise to me last year. I began my blog in February 2009, and I would have never imagined how my blog would add such joy to my life. It has connected me with inspiring, talented, and interesting people everyday. It's crazy how a spontaneous decision made in 5 minutes can explode into an everyday hobby.

Trust me, anyone who knew me before 2009 would have NEVER imagined me using the computer as a hobby. Ask any former student of mine! I can be a little anti-technology, believe it or not.

*My Etsy store is another pleasant surprise. I still don't know how it all came together.
I'm speechless.


I wish you all a joyous and blessed 2010, but let's not forget about the blessings from last year!
I would love to hear about some of your pleasant surprises from 2009.



_{The lovely & romantic gifts above were wrapped by my sister-in-law, Felecia. She is one of the most talented and inspirational women I know. These were my Christmas presents from her. She knows me well, doesn't she?}