What type of camera do you use? My camera is a Canon 7D and I shoot on a a Canon 50mm 1.2L, Canon 50mm 1.8, and Tamron 17 – 50mm 2.8.
Who takes your photos? I take all my own pictures, unless otherwise cited beneath the image. Pictures of me are taken by my friends, family, or lovers who I am always extremely appreciative towards for lending their eye to capture some fun outfit shots.
What filter or program do you use to edit your images? I use Photoshop and an adorable program called ToyCamera Analogcolor. I found it via the lovely Cherry Blossom Girl and it is what gives the antique look with lots of fun different settings. Another great program for making polaroids is Poladroid.
Where should I stay when I come to Paris? The Marais is my favorite neighborhood. I highly recommend staying there as it is central and quaint. There is a cute hotel called Caron de Beaumarchais which is oh so French, fabulous, and fairly affordable. Other than that the site Splendia is great for finding affordable boutique hotels in Paris and all capital european cities for that matter. One of the best ways to experience Paris is to rent an apartment, which can be much more affordable and also allows you to shop the markets and cook at home.Lodgis, airbnb, and Paris Perfect are great sites for booking vacation rentals, but I recommend sticking to locations in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th arrondissements if you are visiting and want to be central.
Where can I buy your Fragonard Paris pillow? I purchased my Paris Pillow by Fragonard at one of their stores here in Paris. I have not found a place where you can purchase it online, however some might become available on Ebay. Unfortunately I cannot purchase it for you here and send it.
Where did you get your bird lamp? My bird lamp comes from a store in the Marais called Fleux. I think at one point it was available at Anthropology in the US.
How did you move to France? I moved to France on a student visa to complete my bachelor’s degree at The American University of Paris. Since I have graduated, I now live and work in France underneath a special status as a freelancer in communications under which I consult in advertising, branding, digital strategy, community management, and produce and license creative content such as photography and film.
I want to move to France. How can I do that? The easiest way is to come as a student. Once you are here then you can visit other options of changing your status to stay and work. If you are no longer a student and don’t want to be again, you can come in on a long term visitors visa so long as you show you have enough money in the bank to support yourself during your time here. In order to work you will need certain types of visas, which you can obtain by being transferred by a foreign company to work in France, finding employment here and then applying for the visa to come and do the job, or opening a business in France. For some of these however you have to prove significant financial backing and for those that you don’t they are more often accepted than not if they feel you are not a specialized case where a foreigner is required to do the job. Moving to France is difficult in terms of immigration paperwork but nevertheless possible if you are determined. There is lots of information available about this on the internet if you just do a google search which will better answer your questions than I can, thus kindly do not contact me with questions about how to find jobs or immigrate to France. There are better resources out there than me and I regret that I do not have the expertise to give advice on this subject.
I want to go to The American University of Paris. What should I do to get in? The American University of Paris is not as academically exclusive as it is about carefully selecting the types of people they think will succeed in a foreign country and a highly international university. The best thing to do is show that you have an interest in other cultures and languages, show them you are a curious person ready to adapt to new places, have multi dynamic interests, and of course are willing to work hard in your studies and challenges you will experience in a foreign country. Having studied French language or culture is an advantage but not at all necessary. You can find out more and apply online on their website.
What’s the best way to learn French? Oh wow! Je ne sais pas. m still learning French everyday I live in France, and will never speak it perfectly no matter how much progress I make. The best way to learn is to live in France, as I didn’t speak any French before I moved here and now I am very confident living my day to day life in French and hanging out with friends in my second language. Take a class at the community college or adult education centers if you can. If you can’t do that get Rosetta Stone and a French dictionary and practice by listening to French music and watching French films. Also if possible watch films in your native language with the subtitles in French, this way you can learn how to translate things from your first language into a more French way of speaking. It takes time, and effort, and is never easy to learn a second language regardless of which one. Just give it your best, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, and fake it till you make it.
How do you do your hair? My hair is naturally very thick and I have grown is very long. After many years of coloring (I am naturally a darker blonde) and styling it is not in the healthiest condition, which actually works okay because it means my hair is easier to style and stays where I put it. I have straight hair so WHEN IT IS DOWN (1) I blow dry it, (2) part it side or middle depends I change! (3) Use a medium sized curling iron and (4) twist medium sized pieces of hair (5) then wrapping the ends of the twisted hair around the curling iron for about 30 seconds (6) repeat until I have gone through all of my hair (7) and then brush it out to loosen the curls (8) spray a bit of light weight hairspray (9) then flip my hair upside down and give it a shake to add the extra volume! WHEN IT IS UP in a bun I just (1) leave it natural (2) put it in a high pony tail then (3) twist the hair long ways (4) then curl it up in to a bun on the top of the head in a wrapping motion and (5) fasten with a pretty clip, bobby pins, or a hair-tie. P.S. I would do anything to easily have my natural hair color back! I have tried to grow the blonder out but just gave up after frustration from having two toned hair..pas si simple. Note to the ladies if you have your natural hair color keep it! The goddesses knew best when they picked you to be born whatever color you are! I am a big fan of Morrocan Oil and Sachajuan hair products!
What type of music do you like? Very generally I really like the indie-electro-pop genre. I also like classic and modern jazz oddly enough, which comes from some in depth classes in jazz I took at university and much time spent working in an antique shop where this was always in the background. You can find a lot of samples of the music I like here on the blog in the tracks I put in each posts. In addition to that I really love the site The Hype Machine for discovering great music blogs and artists.
How tall are you? I am 5ft 3.5in or 160cm small.
Is your purse real? Yes. I do not buy fake bags, and I certainly would never try to pass one off as real if it was fake. I’m a working gal, and a working gal’ deserves a nice purse or five now and then!
Typos! (anything and everything regarding) Yes. I make typos. I am human, not a robot. Please do not leave comments on my posts to correct my grammar or point out typos. I barely have the time to make posts on this blog so please excuse me for not having the time to spell check as I would like. Most mistakes I make, I know better, but at the speed with which I can type one makes typos and grammar mistakes here and there. Thank you for understanding.
If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me.
