I have made many photo books in the past, often as gifts for friends.  I have always made the hard bound leather cover books and they are indeed quite nice, however, not as ‘book’ like, or real photo book like as the soft covered photo book I recently saw my friend David had made.

I believe he used the Lulu software to make his, but for the book I wanted to make of my Paris trip, I opted for simply using the soft cover version by mac photo book creator within my iPhoto software.

It was really easy to do and I just received it in the mail 5 days and $30 later.  I am So happy with how it turned out and am now going to make a point to make these books more regularly, as it seems all of my memories just live in a computer these days.

HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE 30 PAGES OF THE BOOK I MADE OF MY TRIP TO PARIS:

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Ok, so I know I have shown you my pics from Paris in nearly every capacity possible!  (here, here and here and here, for sure but oh yeah!, here too!)… BUT not quite EVERY capacity, because i have not yet shown you my Paris trip pics in…MINIATURE have i?!?!?!

Thru the program Tilt Shift, I have turned some of my favortie pics of my trip into little dollhouse versions of themselves:

I first discovered Tilt shift at Cherry coloured blog and here is the Tilt Shift site for you to try it to!

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So, I first learned of Poladroid over at Pia Jane Bijkerks perfect blog, which you can see here  and here…But have only just now taken it for a test drive myself, and it is, in fact, quite addictive.  

here is a new way of looking at my photos from my recent trip to Paris…isn’t it remarkable what an entirely different feel it is in this format?!  Personally, I think Paris is better viewed through this format!  check out poladroid yourself here.

I think people look a bit jaundiced in polaDroid.

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This sweet French line, that, if I am not mistaken has been around for over a century, is a great stop for sweet, well-made, cotton baby clothes….and as it turns out, some things for adults as well!

I have several friends’ baby showers’ this month and so while in Paris, I was on the lookout for baby gifts. I stopped into Petite Bateau and found a few great items, including a striped cotton scarf for myself!

I have, since returning to Cleveland, discovered their US website and will be sure to stop here for upcoming baby shower gifts.

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One of my favorite exhibits at Centre Pompidou, was the brilliant and beautiful installation by Damain ortega of Mexico.

Photos were not allowed, so these were taken off of other people’s Flickr sites, and each photo links to that person’s photo collection so that they should get credit, I was following the rules and put my camera away while at this exhibit!

The entire white room is filled by a series of meticulously constructed curtains of little primary-colored spheres made up of plastic discs.  The size, color and placement of each sphere is absolutely intentional as the end result of your walk through the row of curtains, is to get to a wall, in which you walk around behind the wall, leaving the room with the curtains, and back there you will find, a very small hole in the wall, like the kind in your door at home, and when you look through it, into the curtain filled room, the perspective and placement of all those spheres through that little hole forms the very clear image of an EYE.  It is remarkable in person.

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play o-o-h-child to accompany your reading of this post…OR watch the video below:

I neglected to mention in any of my Paris posts, that I had been fortunate in that going to and returning from Paris, were only half-filled planes, so I was able to move to a row all alone to stretch out and sleep and it was great, it was like a hotel on air.  But on the way back for the first little bit, sitting in my row with me was a lovely older gentleman, with the kindest demeanor and most pleasant and genuine smiles, we chatted a little and he gave me some good travel advice and then I left to stretch out in the row behind us.  Once we landed, we reconnected on the way to customs and then again later at baggage claim.  We chatted quite a bit, and it turns out that the man was Stan Vincent, who has been made famous in the music industry by the song, he wrote, Ooh Child, originally performed by the Five Stairsteps….he has done many things over a long and illustrious career, but remains a very sweet and down to earth man….and his daughter’s name is Danielle, so we had that bond as well!  Anyhow…he left an impression on me and so I came home and listed to his most famous song and honestly, I think it’s like I serendipitously met this man and his song is very comforting to me now.

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So, I am now at the airport, and it’s a good thing because with the International Herald Tribune and French Magazine with Barack Obama on the cover, that I just purchased, I am officially out of euros!

So, I had planned on finishing all of my boutique shopping on Sunday, but as I had not considered the fact that many would be closed on Sunday, I did not get to see many of the boutiques I had planned to, for example upon my arrival to COLETTE I was received by this:

I did manage to get a good amount of browsing boutiques in though.  I was able to buy some presents for some unborn babies in the bellies of some of my friends, a little something for the wedding of a friend and for me, I bought a full length wool coat, but the best part of it, is the fact that the bottom half of the coat zips off to make a waste length jacket, so it was like a 2 for 1 kind of deal!  and speaking of deals, if shopping is something your interested in doing in France, I am told that they really only have sales twice a year and now is one of the two times, virtually every single store, including the flea markets, had signs that read SOLDES (sale)…and that is how I was able to get my coat, which was marked down 60%!  Amazing!

SOME MORE TID BITS ON PARIS:

I had very hastily put some music on my iPhone before leaving, I brought my ipod, which has all of my music on it, but in an effort to streamline, I figured, I am already going to have my phone on me and it operates as an iPod too, so why carry both?  Problem was, for some reason, long story really, so to cut short, essentially my itunes is kind of screwed up, the syncing of my phone did something weird and It either was going to have to erase and resync my entire music library which would have taken longer and I was to leave for the airport within 10 minutes, so I HASTILY picked some random things put them in a file and only synced that file to the phone as that method would be much faster…I have to say, for having done it all without much thought to what would be an APPROPRIATE soundtrack for walking around Paris, I managed to put an eclectic and fitting selection together, that ultimately proved to be a great companion to Paris…after a particularly fun evening, I remember emerging fro the subway right when the Black Keys kicked in and I had that perfect experience of a particular piece of music being perfectly to matched to your experience and mood in that very moment…that is so much bigger and grander than just listening to a song you enjoy, and I had that experience at least a couple times throughout the week.  On Shuffle this was my soundtrack to Paris:

• Lykke Li
• bright eyes (wide awake its morning)
• carla bruni
• the black keys
• spoon
• raly la montagne
• feist
• siouxie and the banshees
• bob dylan
• the stereo workers union
• the doves
• amelie soundtrack
• santogold
• mirah
• ladytron
• bon iver
• pinback
• stars
• cocteau twins (for sleeping on the plain, very effective, like a lullaby!)
• elliot smith
• air
• beulah
• grizzly bear
• the national
• citizen cope

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I can’t think of a better way to have capped off an utterly perfect week; A dinner amongst all strangers at the Parisian home of American Ex-pat Jim Haynes.  I first heard about his weekly dinners through NPR (and posted about it here), and apparently, so did a lot of people because there were many American’s in the crowd tonight who also heard of it on NPR.  This night was sheer perfection in its balance of great food, casual atmosphere & people from all over the world(Americans, British, Australians, Germans, Swedes, & Parisians, that I met anyway)  gathered for good food and conversation.  The easiest conversations I have ever had in my life…you just walk past Jim and he grabs you and (remembering your name even though he hosts 50-60 people weekly) then grabs the nearest person to you and says…”danielle, do you know Daisy?” …”Why, no Jim, I do not.  Daisy, I am Danielle, nice to meet you…”  LOVELY!  

This wonderful evening started at 8pm, and ended officially at 11pm, but, after buying a book and having him sign in and hanging out with my new friends (2 lovely gals from the NY times, and an Expat from NY living in Paris now), we finally left, nearing midnight.

Please enjoy a few pics from the evening here, or go to the full Paris collection at my FLICKR site here.  Also, if you are going to be in Paris on a Sunday, YOU MUST go to a dinner at Jim’s, it is an essential…check out his website here.

jim.  wonderful.

Jim & I

Michel & I

The American contigency…me, a lovely student from Boston by way of Seattle on her way to Jordon (i think jordon), and two lovelies that work for the New York Times, among other pursuits (such as a one-woman performance artist and writer/computer saavy lovely)

Phil, a lovely Parisian

CLaude

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After a long respite, I stayed in last night to nurse my knee which has been killing me something aweful, I have emerged and finally made it to the Center Pompidou.  I first came here Tuesday, but did not realize that was the one day a week in which it was closed, so I am happy to have made time today, on my last morning in Paris for it, and oh how wonderful it is!  Enjoy a synopsis in photos here or visit the entirety of my Paris trip here.

yes, there is art here, but this photo is more about the cutest little Parisian that ever was…she kept talking to me in French without ever realizing that A) i was wearing earphones and perhaps someone a little older would have never approached me in the first place, assuming i could not hear them, and B) She never realized that even with the headphones in, (i took one out to listen to her) I could not understand her, as even with what french i knew, it was not the kind she spoke, YET!  she just kept smiling and talking to me and i just said..”oui!  Oui!”  

I love this sculpture more than words can possibly convey.

bottle caps…amazing

the spectacular exhibit of Ron Arad

The installation above, i could have admired for quite some time, but there was a bit of a line to view it.  there was also a spectacular exhibit i was not allowed to photograph that i will write about separately as it was one of the most incredible things my eyes have ever feasted upon.

I will elaborate at a later time on some of my favorite artists at the pompidou and who these works are done by, for now, i just wanted to give you a visual of my day.

below are a few misc. pics from around Paris today:

I tried to go to the shop COLETTE today, and this is what I encountered…CLOSED.  

a favorite cafe I dined at twice, Cafe Parigot

And please feel free to view the entirety of my Paris pictures here.

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I have now been in nearly every inch of Paris, except for Montparnasse, which I will go to tomorrow before my big dinner with 50-60 strangers over at Jim Haynes (which I previously told you about here.) So, today after going to the flea market, My friend and I decided to go back to Montmartre, since Iast time I had been there it was the crack of dawn and while beautiful it was not quite awake yet, and I wanted to see more of what I have come to realize is perhaps my favorite area in all of Paris…I am now back at hotel for a long nap.  I am so exhausted and my knee is throbbing, but I shall press on!  In the meantime enjoy these pics from todays adventure and if you want to see the unedited group of Paris pics they can be viewed here.

I think if I lived in Paris, I would come here quite often.  If not even to buy, but for inpspiration.

Back in Montmartre, do you recognize this from Amelie? 

It is not just the stunning views of Montmartre that I love, but also the charming little back streets winding all around in it.

Oh how i love the doors here.  Unfortunatley I have a bad habit of taking pictures while I am still walking so they end up a little blurry.

I am running out of time here.  I have tonight, all day tomorrow and tomorrow evening before I head out.  I will leave here with very little remaining use of either of my feet nor one of my knees but it will all have been worth it!  hell, i don’t care if my other knee goes too!  it will have been for Paris!  

OH WAIT….and for mandy who asked what my hotel room looks like:

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