My French Life.

Hi friends happy Monday! How was your weekend? Did you do something inspiring? I have had a busy weekend, but it's been great! As well as preparing for my overseas adventure to Canada and Alaska (15 sleeps to go!) I have reeeeally been praying for fresh, new and exciting ideas for the blog. And guess what...?

Today I have some exciting news to announce! I am launching a brand new series called 'Inspired By...' where I will be interviewing some of my favourite writers and bloggers, and featuring them right here on The Writer's Ink. And I am super excited to announce that to launch the series, I will be chatting to one of my favourite writers, Vicki Archer. Vicki is the author of My French Life and French Essence, as well as the fabulously popular blog, French Essence.

I was given her first book, My French Life, a couple years ago for my birthday by a beautiful friend of mine. I still remember sitting there, flicking through the pages with such inspiration and delight! (Seriously, if you do not have this book, do yourself a favour, and  get yourself a copy... it is stunning).

Her home (above), in Saint Remy de Provence, is like something out of a fairytale, and both her story and her stunning eye for beauty have inspired me for years now.

Well.. what do you think?

Would you like to know more?

I have been in communication with Vicki over the weekend, confirming the interview, so stay tuned to hear from her in the coming weeks.. :)

I will be preparing my interview questions shortly, so if there is anything you would like to know about Vicki, her home, her journey, or anything else, please let me know in the comment section below and I will see what I can do!

Have a beautiful day everyone, and stir up the creativity ;)

Nat x

Image 1 - Etsy, 

Image 2 - Art, 

All other images - vickiarcher.com

Friday Fashionista :: Paris street style.

Hi hi ma lovelies! It's Friiiiidayyyyy woo hoo! What have you got planned for this weekend? I am celebrating my nanny's 91st birthday on Sunday.. what an achievement! So excited to honour and spoil her. :) So today, I thought we'd take a trip to Paris for some fabulous European fashion inspiration. I hope you enjoy! xx PS.. don't you LOVE the gold embellishments on this jacket above? Yes please.

The epitome of cute.

I am really loving grey coats this season.. I think they are much softer than black don't you think?

And here's grey again.. charcoal with denim and tan for the boys..

French stripes, dangling beauties and a pop of red.

Love everything about this. Grey, faded denim, green and more grey. Excellent.

Black leather with skinnies and pointies - chic and slick.

And two outfits for the boys -- gone are the days of full length pants!

The daily catwalk strut through Jardin du Luxembourg.  

Silk shirt, grey skinnies, snakeskin purse + hair in a bun. Winning combo.

Doesn't this jacket just ooze glam? And these shoes. Stun-ning. Well friends, I hope these pics have inspired you! Have a happy Friday, and enjoy yourselves whatever you have planned :) I am having dinner with my school friends tonight (one of whom I went to kindergarten with!) ~ can't wait to see them all and catch up on all the news! So thankful for beautiful friendships (30+ years is pretty special I think!) Anyway, I hope your long weekend is full of lots and lots of fun. Much love!

nat x

Images - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 

5 Minute Vacation :: 12 Things to Do in Paris.

Welcome to Monday morning ma' friends! How was your weekend?! Well, I continued my lovely packing journey, and still managed to play the "let's hide all the boxes by shoving them in the laundry and garage" game so I could have people over Friday and Saturday night! (And hey, let me say it was well worth it!) So, anyway.. here we are at the beginning of another week, and what better time than a Monday morning to head to Paris, don't you agree? How beautiful is the above pic.. this is where you will be staying for the first half of your stay, complete with a scrumptious breaky on the balcony overlooking the Tour de Eiffel. Perfect. :)

Here is your stunning Parisian apartment.. and below, the view from another balcony. Hello!

Rather than doing the 'touristy things',
here are a few fab "off the beaten track" things you can do on your trip to Paris:

1. First up.... shopping.. House of Chanel on Rue Cambon of course. 

(Well, maybe a few others will be doing this, but hey.. it's simply a must in my books).

2. Followed by a wander to check out this city's fabulous street fashion. 

Ain't nothin' like it.

3. Stroll through the 4th arrondissement and check out the stunning flowers at Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux. 

4. Visit Fontaine de Médicis, the stunning water feature in the Jardin du Luxembourg in the 6th arrondissement.

5. Upgrade yourselves to the luxurious 5 star Hotel Le Meurice, located in the 1st arrondissement between Place de la Concorde and Musée du Louvre. 

6. Meander through the backstreets and admire the spectacular architecture. 

Ivy + planter boxes + open windows = a wonderful sight.

7. Ok back to shopping.. we are in Paris after all.. ;)

8. Stroll through Gallerie Vivienne and discover the many other undercover shopping passages hidden in the 2nd arrondissement. 

9. Throw the map away, get lost, and take lots of artistic photographs.

(I never knew a row of lamp posts could be so beautiful!)

10. Grab a coffee and chocolate croissant in Le Marais.. 

Located in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. 

11. Bask in the afternoon sun somewhere.. if it's raining, all the better :)

12. Head to Restaurant Le Dali for dinner!

Have any of you guys ever eaten here?!?! Oh my goodness, I can imagine the food would be food is truly divine. So there it is guys.. a fabulous Paris list. Happy Monday and happy daydreaming! 

nat x

Images: 1. Lovely Eiffel, 2. houseandhome.com, 3. Paris Balcony, 4. House of Chanel, 5. b4.bp.blogspot.com,  6. lovetaza.com, 7. Shopping Love, 8. Gallerie Vivienne, 9. Lampposts, 10, Paris Sunshower, 11. siennacharles.com, 12 Le Marais, 13, lemeurice.com

5 Minute Vacation :: Aix-en-Provence, France.

Hi dear friends.. happy Monday to you! For your 5 Minute Vacation today, you are journeying to the lovely town of Aix-en-Provence, around 25 kilometres north of Marseille in the south of France. Ah.. Don't you just love these coloured window shutters? They are so stunning against terracotta walls.. and of course leafy green branches line every street and square.. 

..decorating the town beautifully.

Here is where breakfast will be served each morning.

Pretty little bunches all lined up in a row.

Feel free to relax by the pool..

Or wander through the garden..

Or create your own garden with a collection of these beauties.

Or why not venture out of town and stroll through the lavender fields..

Then end your day with a stunning alfresco sinner at La Villa Gallici. Tell me, have you been to the south of France? Where have you been? And if you haven't, where would you go first?

Happy Monday friends :)

nat x

Images - Blue Windows, Street, Dining Room, Flower Boxes, Garden, Roses, Twisted Sifter, La Villa Gallici.

5 Minute Vacation :: J'aime Paris

Now I know I have done some posts on Paris in the past, but come ON.. can we really ever have enough of Paris? No way. Today I am dedicating this blog to a very dear friend of mine who is about to embark on an exciting new journey and I am thrilled to celebrate her today (I hope she knows who she is). She did request a few weeks a go that I write a blog on Paris, so here you go beauty.. off we go!!

In my next house I would like a Mansard roof just like these ones in Paris.

One little birdie sitting pretty.. and one little birdie soaring in the air.. 

Here's where you will be staying during your time in Paris.

Looking out from this balcony..

You'll wander through the markets and pick out a few of these lovelies for your hotel room..

Sit down and enjoy a coffee (no takeaways in Paris!).. and of course a chocolate croissant..

Head back to your hotel room for lunch on the balcony..
before afternoon tea at the Ritz Carlton!

Pure decadence. And look at that garden in the background.. Stunning.

Then you'll grab another late afternoon coffee on the terrace of your hotel..

Before heading out for an extravagant dinner at the gorgeous Le Petit Châtelet.

Have a beautiful day and see you in Paris!

nat x 

Images - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.