I had the best time during my spring break this week! It was filled with...
(From left to right)
- Going to brunch with my family.
- Painting my nails.
- Working on my "fawn-cho". I've definitely recovered from my mistake and I will share some progress pictures this week! I love this project so much.
- Baking homemade granola.
- Baking homemade rosemary crackers. So random, but they were extremely easy and tasty too!
- Snapping more Instax pictures around my neighborhood.
- I finally had time to update my blog banner for spring! It is always hard for me to change anything on my blog, but I really like it. It reflects what I think the inside of my brain looks like during 99.9% of the day. :)
- I did a little shopping yesterday and found that cute sweater and dress.
Throughout the week, I honestly felt really lame at certain times. I didn't go spring break crazy or anything, unless you consider baking homeade granola and crackers crazy. Actually...don't answer that. Haha. Anyway, I realized it's ok that my definition of "fun" mostly consists of baking, knitting, and other crafty things. I enjoyed my vacation so that's all the matters! Also, my time away from school gave me a chance to plot, plan, and dream about....
...my trip to London and Paris in May!! I won't feel lame on that trip for one second, I can tell you that right now. I am getting so excited it is ridiculous. It's kind of a dream come true. I'm almost more excited about that trip than some other big event in May...what's that again? Oh yeah. Graduation. Haha. I will probably ask you all for travel tips when May gets closer, but I would love to hear all about your favorite places to visit in both cities. This will be my first trip to Europe so please fill me in on your travel wisdom if you can!
Also, the giveaway winner of the Chocolate Mints in a Jar pattern giveaway is...
Congratulations Megan! Jessyz will be contacting you soon. Thanks for entering everyone.
Now it's time for me to get back to a schedule even though my "senioritis" is going crazy. I hope you all had a great weekend!
i loooooove the curls in the wool in the new banner. your details are so precious.
ReplyDeleteit sounds like a fun spring break to me! baking and knitting are the best! And it's so exciting that you're going to london and paris in may, I went last year and it was so much fun. I'm dying to go back asap!
ReplyDeleteI think that sounds like an awesome spring break, but I spent mine writing a knitting pattern and watching movies so I might be a bit biased. =)
ReplyDeleteAnd be sure to go to the V&A when you're in London! It's one of my favorite museums.
Your spring break sounds just perfect. ;)
DeleteThanks for the museum tip too!
I love London, such a great city! Check out Shoreditch for great vintage clothing and yummy curry, and camden has fantastic deals on all sorts of things, and also great food all around.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love your new banner!
Thanks for the tips and the banner love! I can't wait to discover some pretty vintage finds in London.
DeleteThat all sounds like fun to me. I like the new banner, I have the same style shoes but with a map print fabric. You have to go to Brick Lane in London. That was my favourite part when I was there.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I need to make a list of these great places!
DeleteSounds like you had my kind of spring break =) I just came back from Paris a month ago, please feel free to email me if you have any questions or would like some recommendations (misstinyt@gmail.com)!
ReplyDeletexoxo
Terri
I love your definition of fun. Sometimes I check up on my Facebook and I see all these pictures of my friends at parties or clubs and I wonder if I'm missing out or if I'm a loser because I wouldn't have a good time doing that sort of thing even if I did get invited. I'd rather stay home with a good book and a cup of tea and work on a fawncho, too. Minus the baking, though. I'm a disaster in the kitchen!
ReplyDeletePs, lovin the new banner.
Exactly! We have fun in our own fun ways. :)
Deletep.s. - thank you!
Don't ever feel lame! Knitting, baking, photo taking, those are the best things in life! If someone can't have without being intoxicated, then they're not a very fun person, but you are! Can't wait to see more of the fawn-cho!
ReplyDeleteThanks Noelle!
DeleteI love your new banner. Especcialy the socks! Wow!
ReplyDeleteI visited Paris last year. I'm in love with Paris. My boyfriend and I did the Amelie Poulain walk in Montmartre. I don't know if you've seen the movie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Am%C3%A9lie)? If not, you should! I think it is something that you would like.
Montmartre is my favorite place in Paris.
http://couvreur.home.xs4all.nl/engl/travel/paris/amelie/intro.htm
I can't believe I've never seen Amelie. I need to watch it as soon as possible!
DeleteThanks for the tips!
I love your new header. :) And that's so neat that you're going to London and Paris! I'd love to be able to visit both of those cities someday.
ReplyDelete~Kristin
I'm so happy to read this! Sometimes I worry that I should like te things that other people like.. Like drinking and partying. Like you I find the most enjoyment in life from crafting! I'm so happy to meet someone else that's the same as me!xxx
ReplyDeleteI'm with you guys! I didn't do anything crazy partying over break either, and generally don't anyway...
DeleteYou two are awesome! I agree with you La, it is so great to meet other crafty young people! :)
DeleteHopefully after i graduate college i'll be going somewhere abroad like your trips! they sound like they will be prime trips to take :)
ReplyDeletei'm also working on a sweater and hoping i didnt screw up the neckline cause the instructions made absolutely no sense!
London is wonderful! So many sweet nooks and crannies to explore in such a great big city...One of my favorite hidden treasures is the John Soane's Museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields; John Soane was an incredible architect and collector of art, historical artifacts, and all sorts of things! The museum is actually his house, which has been preserved to be almost exactly as he left it in 1837 - incredible. Also the Tower of London is a must-see; you can actually stand in the exact spot that Anne Boleyn was beheaded! My favorite place of all is Greenwich; you have to take a ferry to get there, but it's amazing because you get to see all of London from the Thames! And the tour guides know the best fun facts and sights along the way (where the Mayflower set sail from, where Charles Dickens lived, etc.). Once you actually get there, there's all kinds of shops and a market with the most amazing food and handmade things for sale. Also the Maritime Museum is super interesting, and if you climb all the way up to the top of a big hill you can see where they keep "Greenwich Time", and straddle the Prime Meridian! ...I literally just wrote you a book, I'm so sorry, but I've lived there for the past few summers with my family, so I've seen a lot! Definitely go check some of those places out, you won't regret it :)
ReplyDeleteOh I do love Grenwich also. The view is amazing!
DeleteSo many great tips! Thank you Taylor!
DeleteI echo Taylor's recommendation of the John Soane's museum. A veritable gem.
DeleteDon't EVER feel bad for not going "crazy." Trust me - I'm the same way, as is Jen! We prefer being home, gaming, crafting, etc. I don't mind people who do go crazy/drink/etc. but... It's just not our style! YOUR Spring break sounds perfect. :D
ReplyDeleteThose are pretty good things to dream about :)
ReplyDeleteI loooove the new banner.
ReplyDeleteIt's very spring-y (:
Also, I'm so excited for you and your trip!
I've gone twice and the last time I went because my brother was studying there for a year:)
ReplyDeleteYou love books so go here! : Shakespeare bookstore in Paris http://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/
I know that this may seem touristy but it is so beautiful and wonderful to bike in the city! http://fattirebiketours.com/paris ( I recommend the night tour! to bike by the Louvre is so dreamlike! (also! if you go to the Louvre don't wait in the line outside-enter from the shopping area (where the apple store is) and the line is way faster.
Did you ever see Paris je t'aime? The mosque scene is one of my faves and we went there to eat-so much fun! Le Mosquee de paris
I love neighborhoods and how people live! So these walking tours are fab. I've only been on the Montmartre one, which i loved but I know there is one where you can go underground near the sewers haha:
http://www.paris-walks.com/
I think the Love wall is in this neighborhood and it's always a fun photo opportunity!
http://www.lesjetaime.com/english/lemur.html
Ok...sorry I went a little crazy:) If you need any help my brother knows all and it was nice to do touristy and untouritsy things. We also rented an apartment which was much cheaper than a hotel (but hostels are a good way to go too!)
Kat
p.s I'm on spring break now and I'm going to follow you and have a relaxing one:)
oh! I recommend renting a bicycle in Versailles ( I felt like I was Amelie) and the podcasts: coffee break French on Itunes...
ReplyDeleteok. I'm done with my paris rant.
I just love it there so much:)
kat
Haha! Thank you for all of this great information Kat! I am so excited about Paris! I did see the movie Paris Je t'aime and loved it. :)
DeleteMy employer closes the office for Spring Break, so I was off all week, too. I enjoyed seeing your updates. Posts like the one about the fawncho are what make your blog one that I follow regularly-- you seem so much more authentic than some (you know, bloggers who appear to do everything perfectly the first time around). I think it was pre-Spring Break, but I especially enjoyed the Bishop Arts post, too. (I live in Fort Worth in Fairmount, and I think that the "Near Southside", espcially Magnolia Ave, is getting to be quite similar).
ReplyDeleteLOVE your new banner! It's pretty awesome. :)
ReplyDeleteEveryting is so nice and beautiful, looks like the perfect weekend! + I love your new banner!
ReplyDeleteloving your new banner!!
ReplyDeleteHi Meredith, my first time comment here but with your London trip coming up I thought I'd give it a go. I live in Belgium, so I'm in the lucky position of being able to take a (very fast) train and be and London two hours later. (Sorry for bragging.) Not that I'm doing it all of the time because it not that cheap of course. Anyway! I really like Somerset House, with Courtauld Gallery in it with a lot of impressionist and post-impressionist works. V&A is a great museum too, free of charge, of lot of nice 'things' there. Harrod's is nearby, so if you're planning on going there maybe... I think it's probably most worth it for the foodsection and other than that it is mainly very expensive things :)
ReplyDeleteThe Shoreditch/Spitalfields area is very fun too, kind of alternative, I like it much better than Camden actually. Covent Garden area is good for shopping too, mostly chains, but nicer to walk around than Oxford Street. Less busy.
Of course the parks, they are huge and fun to wander around in. I recently went to Hampstead Heath and I really loved it there too. It's a very natural kind of park, I mean there hasn't been done much to it, or it seems that way (if you know what I mean). And Hampstead itself is nice too, it feels like a little village, so a nice getaway from the big city without it being really far away from the centre.
Then this tumblr is great for food/coffee tips: http://londontastin.com/
Of course there are a lot of chains where you can get coffee too, like Starbucks but I prefer Costa or Caffé Nero. I would recommend the triple chocolate cookie from Caffé Nero. So good!
In the end I would suggest just walking around a lot, let it al sink in.
And this became a really long comment. That is what London does to me. I hope you'll love it as much as I do. And I would love to help you out some more if you have any more questions, or whatever!
Oh and while I am at it: I love your blog and your attitude. You're a real person and I like that. If that makes sense...
Woah thank you so much for the wealth of information! I will definitely keep you in mind when the travel date gets closer.
DeleteThank you for your kind words. :)
I was supposed to take a trip around Europe this May with People to People, but I have to post-pone it for next year so I can save up enough money...it's so darn expensive! Going to London and Paris has always been my #1 dream.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to visit soon! This trip is definitely a dream come true.
DeleteWOW, I follow you on bloglovin. I LOVE your new header. So beautiful. You take great blog pictures!
ReplyDeleteI'm from London and I've just returned from our annual trip to Paris, so yes, I have a few thoughts, but it all depends on what you're into... One word, though - museums. The Louvre in Paris (don't worry too much about the Mona Lisa, but the building alone is worth the trip), and pretty much all of them in London - V&A for fashion/fibre stuff, the British Museum just because it's amazing, and go and say hi to the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum. In Paris, both the Left Bank/St Germain-de-Pres areas and the Marais on the Right Bank are great to hang out in. Knitting-wise, I made my first trip to La Drougurie in Paris on this trip, and it was fabulous (and several of the staff speak English - Paris can get a bit sniffy if you just start off in English, so I don't know if you speak French, but brush up a few phrases to get the best out of it). Oh, the Musee d'Orsay in Paris too, apparently newly done up, and drinking by the river in London in springtime...ok, I'm going to stop now. Ravmail me (libbythomas) if you want any more thoughts!
ReplyDeleteI studied french for a few semesters in college so I hope that will come in handy! I definitely need to brush up before we leave. Thanks so much for the tips! I just want to get on the plane right now! :)
DeleteI think your Spring Spreak sounds amazing! If I still studied, my vacation would look exactly like yours! Minus the knitting, because I never learned it :( I only have half a day off work today and I started the morning with baking chocolate chip cookies, haha. I am not a partier/drinker at all, but also because of my personal standards. Anyway, enjoy your time off!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy London and Paris! I have never been to Paris, sadly. I want to go someday. Well, it's only a 6 hour drive from the Netherlands, so actually I have no reason not to go. London is awesome, I am pretty sure you'll enjoy it! If you ever get to go to Europe again, you should make time to go to Berlin and Amsterdam :)
I would love to visit Berlin and Amsterdam!! I hope to visit Europe a lot in the future. :)
DeleteLondon and Paris are great cities but as a londoner I guess I'm a little biased :) In Paris definitely have a wonder around montmarte - the view from outside the sacre coeur is beautiful! Some of my favourite things about london that I'd recommend - V&A museum, natural history museum, the london observatory at Greenwich, Spitalfields market, UP market which I think is just on Sundays near brick lane, Brixton Village and Richmond Park if you fancy a bike ride amongst the deer!
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly new to your blog but I love reading your posts and updates! you take lovely pics too!
Thank you so much for the tips Annie!
Deleteloop in london (http://www.loopknitting.com/) beautiful store and yarn, lovely staff! also try hummus bros for food. it's absolutely divine!!! would you be interested in a potential meet up when you're in london?! x
ReplyDeleteyes, i agree, rosie! loop is definitely a must! and the rest of camden passage is pretty darn cool too!
DeleteOoh that yarn store looks lovely!
DeleteI would love to do plan a meet up for the British readers! I'll start thinking of something. :-)
I too am a London reader, I recommend Loop too but I also love Liberty's haberdashery section (plus Liberty is a complete luxury treasure trove well worth a wander) and I think you'd really like All the Fun of the Fair just 5 mins stroll away from Liberty in Kingly Court on Carnaby Street. I would also highly recommend Drink Shop Do in Kings Cross, a gorgeous cafe that will fill you with beautiful teas and cakes in china cups and saucers and they are a craft centred mecca, everything is available to buy from the wall art to the tables and chairs, they host crafty tea parties. It's my favourite place to knit inbetween auditions, a retreat for knitters and stitchers from the hustle and bustle. If you want more recommendations just hit me up - Borough Market is a foodie must in London Bridge as is Portobello Road market. And you have to go to Camden Passage in Islington on a Sunday for the cutest little vintage/treasure street market, clothes, jewellery, knick knacks and so close to Loop so it'd be rude not to have a lickle look. Should you find yourself there on a Sunday I also recommend Elk in the Woods for breakfast...hmmm mega-yums!
ReplyDeleteI love London, can you tell? ;)
I've only been to Paris once but loved it!
Oh my gosh I love drink shop do you have to go there!!
DeleteThanks so much for the tips! I just looked at the Drink Shop Do website. It looks AMAZING. I can't wait to go!
DeleteYes. Yes. Yes. Drink Shop n Do. Best shop/bar/tea rooms/craft den ever, one of a kind. Being a Londoner who moved a long long way away (Australia) a few months back ... I miss it so much!
DeleteP.S Love the banner, I have official blog envy over your gorgeous banners! Knitting, drinking tea, eating cake and watching Vivienne Leigh/Natalie Wood/James Dean movies are my idea of heaven, all day every day so I totally agree with how you spent your break!
ReplyDeleteAww thank you so much! :-)
Deletei'm going to both of those places in july! ah!
ReplyDeleteSo exciting! Have fun!
DeleteI think you should meet some of your British readers when you are in London <3
ReplyDeleteI think so too! I will have to figure out when and where we can all meet up. :-)
DeleteYou should definitely visit Greenwich while you are in London. It has a wonderful market full of beautiful handmade things that you will just love! You get beautiful biews over London from the park, and there are plenty of free museums there too. It's my home town so I would be happy to show you around if you need a guide?
ReplyDeleteAmy x
I used to live in London and have visited Paris on several occasions and I can assure you, as if you needed it, that you are in for a double treat. You've already had enough recommendations to keep you well entertained. All I would add is that both cities are best appreciated on foot - along the Thames/Seine, across the bridges, through the parks and up and down the streets. You'll want to take in as many of the famous sights as time allows but it's the fleeting glimpses of everyday life that will make your visit special.
ReplyDeleteI'm a knitter too so it's great to stumble across your blog recently. This is a a little knitting shop in Waterloo http://www.iknit.org.uk/
ReplyDeleteJust a little practical info to save money, Transport in london is very expensive, for best value:
• Travel 'Off Peak' (after 9.30am)
• But 'Oyster card' (ex:TUBE: CASH price single ride : £4.30 with Oyster Card £2.00.)
• Or Buy a daily 'Travel Card' (again 'Off Peak' card is cheaper)
INFO here: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
• If you use National Rail Trains you can get good discounts here http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attraction-types
• Major tourist attractions are close together so if you plan your day well you can see many sites with ease, Example London eye, Big Ben(parliament Sq, house of commons) , Buckingham Palace (st James Park), Trafalgar Sq (National Gallery, Portrait gallery) can be seen in one (long??) walk... Keep walking for Covent Garden, SoHo....
• Walk along the South Bank (Love!), Royal festival hall, Shakespeare Globe Theater, Tate modern, if you keep walking you will eventually (quite far??) get to Tower bridge and Tower of London!
• Hangout with the grimy cool Kids in Hoxton and Shoreditch (very different from West London and the tourist areas)
• V&A one of my favorite places. Next door is Natural History and Science museum and Harrods is about a 10-15 min walk from V&A.
• Borough market, is great for food (only open 3 days a week)
• Greenwich, Walk up the hill there is a great view and the Meridian Line. In the main town there is a market different stalls depending which day you go. On a nice day grab some lunch sit by the river near the 'Cutty Sark'
• East London on Sundays is nice, Columbia Road Flower Market and Spitalfields market. Stop at a pub for a drink or lunch.
PARIS
• Angelina for there famous hot Chocolate which is like drinking melted chocolate it is so thick, or a glass of Champagne!
• Take the stairs to Sacre Coeur, beautiful view from the top.
• The marais district!!
Have an amazing time! m