Christmas vacation
29 December 2017
It’s been such a long time since I’ve had a proper Christmas break!
We decided to escape to Paris for three days. The bf had booked a special hotel without me knowing about it and he even upgraded our train journey to first class.. lush!
The first day was a bit crappy as I was sick the entire time we were outside. We wandered around the Canal Saint-Martin, Marais, then to the Jardin des Tuileries and the Place Vendôme.
We tried to do a little window shopping in the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps but I was feeling so bad we headed back to our hotel. We watched the Beauty and the Beast wrapped in our big fluffy duvet – I enjoyed the movie so much!
The next day was magical! I had become myself again so we headed out for breakfast at Claus, Saint-Germain. It’s a place made for Instagrammers! Aside from the aestethics, our scrambled eggs with salmon, chestnut parfait and assortment of pastries were a pure delight.
The sun was bright and the air was fresh. We walked the whole morning and early afternoon around Saint-Germain and past the Jardin du Luxembourg. We tremendoulsy enjoyed window shopping at Bon Marché – I wanted to buy all the things!
As we walked, we talked and dreamt about our future, how much we love the Parisian parks… We might inject something from Paris into our dream garden by buying those Luxembourg chairs from Fermob. I always loved those!
Walking past the Invalides (the bf had never been), we stopped for soup and lunch. It was the middle of the afternoon! We stayed there for quite a long time. In the museum shop, we bought birthday presents for my dad who is Napoleon-obsessed. On our way out, we saw the loveliest winter bride as we were headed to see the most famous lady in Paris…
The Eiffel Lady as I like to call her has something special about her I had forgotten about. It had been ages since I had seen her up close!
It wasn’t long enough before it became all dark in Paris. We still had plans to go to the Museum and fortunately, Musée d’Orsay has a late opening on Thursdays. Again, I hadn’t been in there since I was in high school. I had very fond memories of the paintings I saw and enjoyed looking at them for a second time.
Van Gogh, Degas, Monet, Manet, … we saw them all. It was lovely and special to be there at nighttime. We went out for dinner at 10pm which so not our type. We walked along the Seine from the museum to Notre-Dame to have some lovely tapas at Sourire Tapas.
After dinners drinks were magical! We celebrated the bf finally getting a long-term job at Café Laurent. The piano bar wasn’t very far from our restaurant and is actually the bar of a hotel! I know there’s absolutely no link whatsoever between the two, but it reminded me of the New York hotel in Disney. It had the same vibe going on… The live music was wonderful, our cocktails were the best I have ever tasted (probably because I was too excited about everything) and the atmosphere and smell reminded me of my favourite holiday movies…
Don’t those photos coupled together make you dream?
(I had a side-car and the bf drank an old fashioned in case you were wondering…)
Back at the hotel, I slept like a baby. We woke up to rain and cold the next day. We had planned to go to Montmartre so we did. We ate breakfast at Marlette in Pigalle and then proceeded to climb the Butte Chaumont. We entered inside Saint-Pierre and quickly walked around the little streets and Place du Tertre.
It was so cold, we returned for the last time to our hotel to do what we do best.
An hour and a half later, we were already home in our pjs savouring the memories of our days in Paris..
Creative Sundays
10 December 2017
Finally, a well deserved day off. It has been a long week at work so I truly enjoyed waking up to the snow falling gently on this cold day. I had a cup of coffee in front of the telly as I had many vlogmas videos to catch up on Youtube. Laundry couldn’t wait for Monday so I put a few loads in the wash.
My morning routine included a luxurious cold cream that made me look very sticky… I stayed in my pjs all day, wrapped my christmas gifts with red paper and thick ribbon, DIYed a few candles and did a bit of sewing.
I bought this Marimekko ‘kuusikossa’ fabric years ago – remember this post?! – and finally got around to sew some cushion covers with it. After having meticulously pinned everything, I took my time to iron and then assemble all the parts together.
Taking time to do a bit of DIY and crafts is so relaxing. I feel calm and all cozied up. I enjoyed using my sewing machine again – it had been a while. Since we moved to this house, I had completely abandonned it, discouraged by the amount of curtains I need to sew to fit all of our windows!
I scoured Pinterest as usual when I’m in a creative frenzy. It made me want to make all the things for next year. I have been really busy with my new job and everything but I plan on doing things in advance next year!
Here’s what I want to make next year:
- Earlier this autumn, I started to attend knitting classes. I’ve been a bit slow learning because of the working life but lately, my knits started to look decent. I love the idea of exchanging tiny gifts the night before Christmas as the Brits do. I found a pattern that look similar to those hanging stockings.
- I love baking but didn’t do much of it since we moved. I plan on trying this cake design with a caramel and peanut butter filling.
- I’ve always loved this idea for DIY Christmas cards!
- Knitting baby clothes is often what you learn first. Obvioulsy, as I don’t have one of those, I plan on knitting mini Santa’s clothes! Here’s a template to knit mini jumpers.
Find all of those ideas, photos credits and much more on my ‘merry’ Pinterest board!
Things I am loving lately
13 November 2017
Autumn is my favourite season of the year because I celebrate my birthday in October and I get to eat a lot of mushrooms…
Lately, I’ve been enjoying a few things I thought I would share with you.
But first, here’s a little update. It’s Sunday as I’m typing this. I spent all of yesterday at a work conference two hours away from home. I learned a lot but I was a bit sad to miss a day of my beloved weekend. Today started with a lovely breakfast that included homemade pancakes and orange/carrot juice. I put a few loads of laundry in the washing machine and I’m still in my pjs. Life is good. I got the camera out and tried to take a few good shots for this post but the result is not what I expected… I enjoyed it nonetheless and hope that I’ll become a better photographer with practice.
My current favourites include this beautiful candle from Fired Earth. I stopped buying cheap fragranced candles a few years ago and I now enjoy expensive scents from time to time. I don’t have much money to spend on luxurious candles but got this beauty for a less than a tenner on my last trip to England last month. Autumn and winter are the best times to lit up candles and get cosy in front of a good film! Cedar is my favourite scent: it’s a comforting one that reminds me of my childhood when I spent rainy afternoons playing or reading in front of the fire at home…
Before I started my new job, I had big plans of transforming my wardrobe. Unfortunately, my career change cost me a lot as my income has halved. I still managed to buy a new pair of boots that are very versatile – I wear them with dresses and jeans – and got myself a new scarf from Zara. I love the lighter colour as my old one was too dark and made me look depressed…
My skincare regime is pretty much nonexistent after long days in the office. I get very lazy when I get home and often my evening routine consists of cleasing and applying the Sanctuary Spa Reverse Beauty Sleep Face Mask. The next day, I wake up all fresh and bright! I got this at Boots a few years ago and swear it’s a miracle product: I keep purchasing it. It smells divine, has a very luxurious feel and is pretty cheap as well. Finally, it does what it says it does: it gives me a healthy glow in the morning!
I travel a lot for work: going to court hearings, meetings and conferences. I would have photographed my new car (a pure delight) but I couldn’t fit it in my bathroom for this shoot 😉 Now that I can play my iphone on the car sound system via bluetooth, I’ve been listening to podcasts like crazy. My favourites include Young House Love and Cherry Healey but recently I listened to Dirty John and S-Town. Both were a bit weird and disappointing but I was hooked nonetheless.
Dirty John is about this lady who met a man (John) and got stucked into an abusive relationship. It’s based on an article written for the LA Times. I looked at the article for photos – I’m curious! S-Town (or Shit-Town) was recorded by Brian Reed who got an email from a guy called John B Macklemore asking him to come and investigate his town of Woodstock, Alabama (that he refers to as Shit Town) as he thinks a son of a weathly family got away with murder. It was produced by the same guys who created the best podcast I ever listened to. If you haven’t listened to it yet, know that I’m very jealous of you!
Finally, an other car-related favourite is my trusted Bodum Travel Mug. I got it on sale last summer after a friend had recommended it to me – thanks Julie! It keeps my tea or coffee hot for a few hours. Very handy when I’m out and about or when I get called in the meeting room right after I sit down at my desk… I always forget to bring my brew with me and I’m happy to report it’s still hot when I come back… Note that this mug isn’t fully sealed and it can leak if you put it upside down.
What are you current favourite items? Let me know!
Autumn update
30 October 2017
Things changed radically for me over the past few months: I landed myself a new job. Not only my dream job but one that allows me to practise my English skills! Overall 2017 has been really good for me. I expected so much for my career and I got what I thought I deserved. It is not all rainbows and butterflies everyday but it’s challenging enough to keep me satisfied. I had set up a plan: find a job during the first half of the year and concentrate on my creativity during the other half.
The year started with a photography course I attended for a month but I quickly found a position as a legal assistant. With a new routine to get used to, I let the blog down. By summertime, I had set up a new domaine and transfered my content from Blogger to WordPress. I even wrote a couple of posts but I was feeling rather uninspired and I seriously lacked energy. Looking back, my job wasn’t really making me happy. Right at the start of Autumn, I got a call from nowhere and I quit the day after I knew I was hired in a law firm.
I now work longer hours and feel I don’t have enough time anymore. I know it isn’t true and I’m aware I need to create a new routine. Blogging helps me do that so that’s why I managed to sit down and write a few words to help me get back on the blogging wagon.
At this point, I feel like the only thing I did this past year was working… The bf and I went on a few trips this year: Oxford, the New Forest and Versailles – I can’t believe I’ve been to England three times in 2017! We also updated a few rooms in the house and I joined a knitting club! Weird things happened as well: I stopped reading novels and I’m behind at keeping up with my favourite shows!
My next venture is to establish a healthy routine: finding balance between work and home time, get fit, keep the house clean and tidy, eat better, get back to blogging. I want to try doing one of those “I-get-up-at-5am-everyday week” post… We’ll see how it goes!
Being a woman and all
15 August 2017
I’ve just remembered that a few months ago, I attended an old-uncle-that-I-never-see-birthday dinner where I sat across this guy. He’s a bit older than me, sitting next to his wife, his kids running around like crazy. We exchanged mundanities for a bit, fired the usual what-do-you-do-where-do-you-live-do-you-have-children? questions and then switched to politics for a while.
Now I recall when this happened: just before the French elections…
Anyway. At this point, his wife still sitting next to him, he just looks at me, half a piece of bread in his mouth, bewilderment in his eyes and bluntly says: “I don’t know why you wouldn’t have kids already. I’m happy I had mine in my early twenties because I was more energetic back then. I feel that I’m aging and sometimes I can’t keep up“.
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? I asked myself. Silently.
You see, sometimes, I try to be polite and calm. It doesn’t happen very often. Also, I think I was really shocked. Had it be another female telling me this, I would have started yelling and spilled wine everywhere. I also would have finally calmed the fuck down and would have engaged in a very smart -or so I think- and brilliant discussion about this delicate subject. You see, I like to think I’m open to opinions that are different than mine.
However, a random guy telling me that as I’m approaching my thirties, it’s insane I still don’t have any kids yet; it’s making me lose my mind. Everything about it is so wrong, I don’t know where to begin. The major thing being: how a guy could ever have an opinion on something he’ll never have to face? He’s never going to have to choose between education/building a career and putting everything on hold to go and have kids. The thing is, guys can do both at the same time.
Something that I have learned since the 28 years I’ve been living this both nightmare and dreamy life that is mine, it’s that, yes, you can be/have everything you want. Just not at the same time.
It’s something I struggle with all the time. I’m guessing many more women feel the same.
If you wondering what the hell is it with me and this story, it’s because I watched the first episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale yesterday evening. If you feel as much angry as I am right now typing those few lines about this jackass, go and watch it right now. Or better, buy yourself a copy of Margaret Atwood’s novel, you’ll feel empowered and a bit challenged…
photo via lordlykisses.tumblr.com
Kitchen Details
16 July 2017
Home alone on a Sunday afternoon, rays of sunshine peeking through the freshly cleaned windows, that’s when you can fully appreciate the hard work put in the kitchen you stripped and rebuilt from scratch…
Lately, I’ve been buying a few bits and pieces to give the house a little bit more personality. I never really had a budget to buy accessories and I can’t tell you the number of times I left Zara Home or The White Company with tears – slightly exaggerating here but you get the picture! – because I couldn’t really afford to buy that cute little picture frame or that beautiful vase without compromising my budget…
It’s really hard to remember how the room was before. The walls were painted bright yellow and orange, the patterned brown tiles reminded us of poo, and if you added the fifth, the whole space was giving us the chills!
The dresser my parents received as a wedding present got a Farrow & Ball makeover, we installed new lighting – three very inexpensive pendants from Ikea – and built a basic kitchen island that also serves as a breakfast bar.
As you can see, Gaston’s always happy to model when there’s food involved…
There’s another side to that kitchen that I haven’t had the chance to photograph yet. I’m still busy accessorizing it for it to be photo ready… More on another post!
Dresser painted in Brinjal and Charleston Gray, Farrow & Ball
Vinyl flooring, St Maclou
Foto Pendants, Ikea
Croft Collection bar stools, John Lewis
Candle holders, Maisons du Monde
Island Ebacken worktop, Ikea
Mirror found in a charity shop, decorated with silver foil sheets
Vinyl flooring, St Maclou
Foto Pendants, Ikea
Croft Collection bar stools, John Lewis
Candle holders, Maisons du Monde
Island Ebacken worktop, Ikea
Mirror found in a charity shop, decorated with silver foil sheets
Life update and a new blog
1 July 2017
Welcome to my new site! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? For those of you who don’t know anything, I used to be writing a blog called Ravacholle. I started it because I had been reading blogs for ages and was – still am – obsessed with them. From travel posts to weekends recaps, I enjoy reading about renovation stories and interior design. I’m in awe at beautiful photographs – probably because I’m really bad at it – and amazed by some writers’ creativity.
I know that in this day and age – when everyone and their mother writes a blog – I will absolutely not take your breath away with my content. But still. Since my last post was published – ages and ages ago – I did not stop to think about blogging at all. So I figured I should keep going. I once read a quote that said: “If you can’t stop thinking about it, don’t stop working for it“. Inspiring, eh?
Since I’ve found a job – yay me! – I have finally bought my own domain, switched to WordPress and installed a cute but more professional looking theme. I’m still trying to get it to look as I want it. Bear with me as I’m still trying to get the hang of it. It hasn’t been easy as I was so used to Blogger… Many bloggers who made the switch never looked back and I have to agree with them: it’s so easy to use and there are also many more designing options with this platform.
If you wonder what the heck is “Clem en riz”, I’m going to tell you. Basically, it’s my nickname followed by my surname written phonically. In France my name and surname are so very common, I can’t even get a proper gmail address anymore! I also didn’t want my website to be easily associated with me. My day job has nothing to do with blogging, photography or social media which is why I’m not really keen on being too visible to employers or fellow colleagues.
Clem en riz is me – no more childish names like the one on my old site. I wanted to start fresh as I feel I’m changed. I’ve overcome many difficulties those past few years which I’m very proud of. I’m still working on some issues but overall, I feel like I’ve come through the other side. I don’t have to worry as much as I used to: I’ve implemented some strategies regarding my personal wellbeing and also cleared the tables and inspired new dynamics in my relationships. I feel liberated and don’t want to dwell on the past too much.
Welcome to my new online space for personal musings and ramblings… thanks for following along! I promised myself to produce better content, improve my photography skills and inject more creativity into my life in general so watch this space and happy reading!
LaToya Ruby Frazier
24 June 2017 • crush
I discovered LaToya Ruby Frazier in my local museum last month. What a find! Frazier is from Braddock, a city located on the Rust Belt in industrial America. She was born in 1982 and studied photography as a teen. Back then, she was regularly taking photos of herself, her mum and her grandmother. That project turned up to become a series called "The Notion of Family".
LaToya Ruby and her mom (left)
I was so inspired by her work, I visited the exhibition twice! I urge you to see her work for yourself >> her website. I didn't feel like posting her photos on here... Anyway, the reason I was so touched by her work is because Frazier tells us the story of her family through the story of her hometown.
Frazier was inspired by various documentary photographers including Dorothea Lange and Gordon Parks. Braddock's industrial background explains how the factories made most of its citizens sick and led them to poverty when the industry collapsed. Since she didn't have a photo album of her as a baby, Frazier documented her family through the story of her city and vice versa. Without a doubt, this was the best photo exhibition I've been to!
Frazier was inspired by various documentary photographers including Dorothea Lange and Gordon Parks. Braddock's industrial background explains how the factories made most of its citizens sick and led them to poverty when the industry collapsed. Since she didn't have a photo album of her as a baby, Frazier documented her family through the story of her city and vice versa. Without a doubt, this was the best photo exhibition I've been to!
London Calling
15 March 2017 • travel
Every year or so I visit my favourite foggy town. It never stops to amaze me. I never get tired of seeing Big Ben, walking along the Thames or buying some Earl Grey in Harrods... As I exit St Pancras, I foolishly imagine myself meeting Sherlock on his way to Baker St. I think about Paddington (the Bear) rushing through Notting Hill to get his marmalade toast. I dream about all the pretty, fancy, posh houses and how they might be furnished, what books might be sitting on the shelves next to the mantel... It's difficult to explain really why I love London so much but I know lots of people do.
It was a while since I had visited my favourite spots! Marylebone High Street is so much better than Oxford St, it's too bad I don't have much money to spend on luxurious mugs from Emma Bridgewater or on a comfy jumper from The White Company.... Anyway, I re-discovered this fabulous bookshop called Daunt Books. I love browsing British bookshops, there are quite special to me. I got lost in Foyles as well, it never disappoints. On Saturday, I wandered in sunny Notting Hill - I had forgotten how pretty it was!
I was in town for five days. I saw all the must-sees for the umpteenth time : Big Ben, Tower Bridge, St Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the British Museum, the V&A, Regent's Park, Harrod's, Liberty, Carnaby Street, Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Hyde Park, Oxford Street, ... I did all of the walking and eating with a Finnish friend I met in Australia ten years ago. We had spent a gap year as exchange students over there and quickly became friends. Since then, we already have visited Copenhagen and Paris together and I've been to Helsinki twice to see her. She's getting married next year - yay! - so it'll be my third time to Finland!
We stayed at a Premier Inn hotel near Od Street and ate at the coolest spots: Full English Breakfast at Electric House, pancakes at the Breakfast Club, fish and chips (twice!) at The Princess of Shoreditch and at the Lido Bar in Hyde Park.
Une publication partagée par Clémentine 🍊 (@ravacholle) le
The highlight of my trip was definitely meeting Jim Chapman on Regent Street.
As you know, watching TB and her husband on Youtube is my guilty pleasure. I became addicted when I discovered their house in a video and following their decorating and renovating process, I became just a tiny bit obsessed with the couple for a while.
Anyway, earlier that day, I actually thought how it would be fun if I ran into them or just one of them... If you could just have seen me that day, all red with excitement and surprise! I was on my way to Anthropologie - as you do - tired from a whole day of walking in the rain and... I saw an apparition. I don't know anyone in London - maybe three people - and I just screamed "Jim" - as you do - because his face is so familiar to me, it was like I KNEW him in person. Jim is so sweet and nice : he smiled and approached me - he is super tall - and that was at that moment that I probably became red with shame. We exchanged a few words and I got my selfie - if it isn't on Instagram, it didn't happen! - and I tried to say "say hi to Tan for me" but luckily refrained from saying such a stupidity at the last second.
End of story.
Being in the Big Smoke for a few days made me really tired and longing for home. I'm very happy I got to share those few days with my Finnish bestie, we had a good catch up and lots of fun visiting the hot spots of London!
If you enjoyed this post, you might like: On Both Sides of the Thames
Inside my world
23 February 2017 • update
And I'm back. I've been sick and stressed. I've had highs and lows. Life is like that. I've wanted to post something on the blog but was too exhausted to even turn on my laptop. As I've said in my last post, I started a full-time photography course and it has been a bit of a challenge adjusting to a new schedule but eventually, I've managed to start writing something - welcome back to my universe!
I AM TRYING to learn photography. It's super technical, I had no idea it was so complex. We have a mission to photograph workers in a studio for their society's website. It's really interesting and bloody difficult for me as there are so many things to take into consideration and I haven't had much practice yet... I'm loving the new challenge though!
I AM USING essential oils to relax. I am so stressed about job interviews, big life changes, the fact that photography is very technical and complicated that I've locked my jaw. Has it happened to you before? My dentist told me it's due to stress so I've been using this essential oil to relax the nerve. When the body tells you you need to calm the f*ck down...
I AM LOVING celebrating a huge personal milestone with my friends and family. Go me! We had yummy tapas, mojitos and sangrias! I had been to the hairdresser in the morning and
I AM GOING to spend a weekend away to the other side of the country to see my old friend whom I met on my gap year in Australia. I'll also have dinner with my high school buddy on Saturday and meet my uni friends on Sunday for lunch. Gaston is having his own stayover at his cousin's place, I find this hilarious as his cousin is actually my parent's cat. Anyway, he loves it there!
I AM HEARING the La la Land's soundtrack over and over again. I'm addicted to Mia and Sebastian's theme and ordered the easy piano music sheets to play it myself. It will be good to practice piano again as it's something I had wanted to do more this year.
What have you been up to?
loosely inspired by The Pool's column - loving this website so much!
Week Four
30 January 2017 • update
I'm already recapping the last week of January. Time flies! It's Sunday as I'm writing this and I've been really enjoying the downtime after a rather eventful week. On Monday, I dreaded a job related appointment but it turned out pretty well in the end. The next day was spent at my sister's. I had a few old handwritten letters I wanted to copy and we met my dad and other sister for lunch at Ikea. We even saw my mum after lunch, it felt good to have the whole family reunited. In the afternoon, we visited our new little cousin and saw our grandparents. It was a big family oriented day!
I met a few friends over the week: I ate sushi for dinner with my lovely friends and met Mél & Jacques for lunch at a new café in Brussels on Wednesday. I also made a banoffee pie! I got the recipe from Brooklyn Limestone blog and it was delicious!
On Thursday, the bf and I spent a rather beautiful and sunny day in Paris. On Friday, I spent the whole afternoon cooking as I was hosting a Lapin Perdu dinner for our parents later. We had a nice time and enjoyed the food.
Over the weekend I helped a friend move out of her flat, visited the BRAFA Art Fair and went to the movies to see Rogue One with my sisters, bf and uncle. The film was okay and I had a nice time with my family again!
On a productive note, I have been reading an article in my January copy of Red Magazine about the book Get your sh*t together by Sarah Knight and it really inspired me. I had already heard about her first book about how not to give a f*ck so I got both ebooks straight away. I know I still have a lot of work to do on my relationships and not giving a f*ck looks like the answer to all my problems. I know it won't be an overnight result thing but at least I'm considering changing my perspective.
Talking about perspective, I've made up my mind several times this past week about what jobs to look for and I've come to the realisation that I should stop being afraid and go for it.
This week, I've been watching the BBC adaption of the book Apple Tree Yard. I didn't read the novel but I love a good thriller. Some scenes really upset me but I think I need to see more. Have you read it yourself? Also, the bf and I finally saw the last installment of Sherlock and boy! it was good! Really good!
How was your week?
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