Mon Petit Violon designs

Mon Petit Violon new website...

2013-06-29T22:48:00.001+02:00

Hello my friends!

As we all know google reader is shutting down on Monday July 1st, and I just wanted to use the last occasion to invite you all to follow MonPetitViolon blog on our new website www.monpetitviolon.com .
I am planning many interesting things and some big events are coming soon. You shouldn't miss them!
If you switched to Bloglovin you can follow new MonPetitViolon blog here: http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/4425699

Best wishes,
Vita

New website and DIY Tutorial!

2012-12-20T16:00:00.000+01:00

I am soooooo excited to present you the new Mon Petit Violon website www.monpetitviolon.com! I just love how it turned out! It is just a first step, but I have big dreams about how to make it better and more interesting and easy to use. For now I am just happy how clean, simple and elegant it is! :-)
And so, it means that I am moving away from Blogger. I moved all my previous posts to the new address, but I can't move the followers as well. So, you are very, very welcome the check it out and renew your subscription! I am planing many exciting things in the new year and don't miss them! :-)
Already today there is new tutorial waiting for you - tutorial how to make a pompom wrapping paper! I hope you will enjoy it!
Thank you for being with me here on blogger and hope to see you in my "new home" as well!
Merry Christmas!!!

Favorite time of the year…

2012-12-17T18:14:00.000+01:00

I saved these photos from our trip to Switzerland. It was at the beginning of November but they were already totally ready for Christmas! I guess they really love it!

Speaking about Christmas - I prepared one fun tutorial for you and will post it tomorrow (hopefully...) :-)

P.S. Wishing you a good week, though even on another side of the world we are all heartbroken after what happened in Connecticut... Be safe and love your loved ones even more than ever!

12 on 12…

2012-12-13T16:00:00.000+01:00

It’s been a long time I am following Elizabeth Kartchner’s blog and I just loved her idea of a challenge to take 12 photos on the 12 of the month. Especially as this 12 was quite special – I mean 12.12.12! And so I decided to participate.

After my little boy has gone to kindergarten (usually it’s daddy who is bringing him there) we have breakfast with Sophie. The breakfast is my favorite meal of the day! Just simply because of cup of cappuccino it could be the favorite one. Quite often for breakfast I prepare pancakes as we both love them. To make them healthier I use whole grain flour or barley flour, I add some fruits, like apples or bananas and instead of sugar I use honey or agave syrup.

Usually after the breakfast I get busy with my shop, as I have to send out all the patterns which were sold during the night and answer the emails. Meantime Sophie still finishes her breakfast, or I try to get her busy in some way.

After I finish my work usually we get out for a walk. Today we did it later as on the way back we had to pick up Alex from the kindergarten. And it means Sophie could watch some cartoons while I was getting ready and prepared her quick lunch.

For self portraits I almost always use remote control. For me it works much better than self timer. But every time I take my remote control Sophie starts the fight to get it in her little hands as soon as possible…

And here she goes… she couldn’t stop for a while…

When I got back my remote control I tried to make some photos of my Striped Mittens for a feature in one magazine…

… but my little helper didn’t want to give up and soon the remote control was in her hands again!

This is probably my favorite plant in our house right now. I just can’t wait to see it in all its beauty!

When Alex is at home we have Lego invasion here! He can play with it for hours and can make incredible constructions, but he can also create incredible mess. I can find his Lego everywhere and the worst part of all is to walk on it… especially during the night…

Some treats…

Our Christmas tree… well, just some bokeh of our Christmas tree…

For dinner I tried new recipe for Focaccia… It was good, but still has to be improved…
Well, that was our 12.12.12! :-)

Garage sale…

2012-12-11T15:57:00.000+01:00

I was always giving away all our clothes for charity, but through the years I kept the favorite pieces from my children wardrobe.
Finally I decided to give them away and thought maybe you will be interested in some of them.
All the money from these sales will be donated for children in need.
For Europe shipping is FREE, if you are interested to buy them from oversea I will have to add additional charge for shipping.
So, if you want to buy something, please write me to vita_apala@yahoo.com . Let me know which piece or pieces you are interested about and write me your PayPal address. I will send the invoice to your email and first who pays – get’s it! :-) If you buy several pieces I will make you 10% discount as I will save on shipping. Happy shopping! :-)

1. ZARA, size 18-24 months, 86cm. Condition – like new!
Price – 12 euros!

2. Absorba, size – 9months. Color – pink. Condition – from outside it looks like new, though on inner side on the left front there are some light yellowish spots. I tried to capture them with camera, but they didn’t show up. So, they are really light and the coat is really lovely. The sleeves are made with gloves, so it is just perfect for a baby girl to keep her warm and comfy!
Price: 15 euros

3.Tweedy trench, size – 9 months, 74cm. Color – light beige. Condition – like new!
Price – 15 euros.

4.Boboli, size 3 months, but it is quite big (I would say it would fit up to 9 months). Condition – like new! It is really warm and well made!
Price – 20 euros.

5. 3 Pommes, size 9 months, but it is quite narrow in shoulders. Condition – like new!
Price – 15 euros.

6.Agatha Ruiz della Prada, size 36 months, but also quite narrow in shoulders, I would say that it’s great for 2 years old! Condition – like new!
price – 15 euros

SOLD! 7.This coat is made by me! The material is lovely and it is almost like new. Size 12-18 months.
Price – 9 euros (mainly just to cover shipping expenses :-) )

8.ZARA, size 12-18 months. Condition – like new!
price – 10 euros

9.ZARA, 6-9 months, 74cm. Condition – like new.
Price – 9 euros.

10.ZARA, 12-18 months. Condition – good. I can’t say that it really looks like new, but there are no spots or something. Just that it was worn a little bit more than other pieces I am selling.
Price – 10 euros.

11.PETIT BATEAU, size 12 months, 74cm, but it’s really big. I am sure it fits up to 18 months, or till the moment the baby is not walking (as feet are covered and that part is not removable the baby who already walks will not like it ! :-) ).
Condition – good! It is has small spots on the front of the inner side. From outside it is like new. It is very warm and comfortable for baby.
Price - 30 euros. (New it costed around 80 or 90 euros)

12.Chicco, size – 3 months, 56cm. Color – light grey. Condition – like new! It is just perfect for a baby who is born in winter months. All you need is included – gloves, hoodie and kind of warm boots. Its made with special Thermore system. In other words – when it is really cold – it protects the baby more than other clothes, but when it is warm, it doesn’t warm up the baby too much.
Price – 35 euros. (New costs around 90 euros)

13.Sweet Heart Rose, size 12 months. Color – lilac with white, striped. Condition – good! There are small spots on the hem of the dress. Otherwise it’s still looking great.
price – 10 euros.

14.Millie and Boris (from Mamas&Papas). There is no tag with the size, but it is pretty big. I think it fits up to 2 years. This is a great thing for safe sleeping. You don’t need to worry that baby could cover his face with the blanket, or that he will sleep uncovered.
It is not very warm though, made from cotton and linen. So, I would say it is perfect for summer months, or if at home where you live it is really warm during the winter months.
Condition – like new!
Price – 15 euros.

Rhomb patterned Hat

2012-12-03T21:16:00.000+01:00

If you remember my post about Parma, for sure you noticed my little boy’s hat. Though I designed it quite long time ago, only now I finished to write the pattern. It is now available on Etsy, Craftsy and Ravelry.
The pattern includes sizes baby to adult, and it means you can make great hats for all men in your family! Made with worsted weight yarn and works up quickly! :-)

On a rainy day…

2012-11-30T15:38:00.000+01:00

… we burned some candles…

made some whoopie pies and cupcakes…

and dreamed about seeing snow outside the windows…

Have a great weekend!

New patterns!

2012-11-29T20:55:00.000+01:00

Just a quick note about my recently released patterns.
The first one is for Solomon’s knot scarf. This scarf is made using solomon's knot stitch but not in it's traditional way. It works up so quickly and I am sure you will want to make more than one in different colors.
The pattern is available on Etsy, on Ravelry and on Craftsy!
Another pattern is for Pom-Pom Scarf with Hoodie!

The pattern is available on Etsy, on Ravelry and on Craftsy.
And the last pattern is for Sweet Little Cardigan!

You can buy the pattern on Etsy, Ravelry and Craftsy.
What I really love about all these patterns – they are made using worsted weight yarn and it means they work up pretty quickly! In this busy holiday season it is just what we all need! :-)
Have a great weekend!

Thank you and the winners…

2012-11-23T13:01:00.000+01:00

I hope everyone had wonderful Thanksgiving day with their beloved ones.
There are so many things I am thankful for… and one of them is you! Yes, all of you who are supporting and inspiring me again and again. Big thank you!!!
And so here are the winners of the giveaway. First set of yarn goes to:

And second one goes to:

please email me your contact info to monpetitviolondesigns@yahoo.com
Congrats! :-)

Home sweet home…

2012-11-19T23:31:00.002+01:00

And so here is the last post about our autumn trip. Riga. My home town. I am always happy to come back. Happy to see my family, my friends, to visit my favorite places and hear my native language. Oh, language… I have so many languages around everyday that very often I have feeling I am not able anymore to speak decently even one… English, Italian, French, Russian, Latvian…

This time children really enjoyed to stay in Riga, to play with our neighbor children, to visit some special places in the town. On the first day we even got some snow but then it melted… and came back beautiful autumn weather with golden trees and foggy air.

Probably the best part of the week in Riga was a date night with my husband! As we don’t have any helpers here in Italy we are always surrounded by children and we go everywhere with them. But in Riga finally we could have a real date night and we went to see ballet Anna Karenina in Riga’s Opera House. It was BEAUTIFUL! Sad, but so beautiful. Riga’s ballet is still really great! It is sad to admit but many talented people are going away, they find much better positions, well paid, somewhere in Europe or elsewhere and abandon Riga. (By the way, did you know Mikhail Baryshnikov was born in Riga? :-) Yes, the one who played Aleksandr Petrovsky in Sex and the City…) Well, the fact is that the ballet in Riga is still really strong and really great! The main dancers were just fantastic and the performance was so well made… I even shed a few tears at the end…

P.S. Later this week I will announce the winner for the giveaway (you still can enter!) and I hope to release new patterns soon as well!

Giveaway… CLOSED

2012-11-16T13:29:00.000+01:00

As promised here is a giveaway! It was a wonderful week and thank you every one who participated in MonPetitViolon’s birthday SALE (if you missed it – hurry on, still two days left!) ! Now you can win this beautiful yarn. I will choose two winners – one will receive the first set and second one – the second. It is all DK weight yarn (LIGHT 3). In the first set two skeins (green and light beige yarn) are 100% merino wool, but all the rest is merino wool and acrylic (or polyamide) blend yarn. Trust me – it is beautiful and it’s a pleasure to work with it!

So, all you need to do – write a comment below this post and next week I will choose 2 winners! Good luck! :-)

Parma…

2012-11-15T15:25:00.001+01:00

Though my previous post was about Lugano we started our Autumn trip with Parma.

It is a really beautiful place and oh, they know how to prepare delicious food! Parma is famous for prosciutto di Parma, parmigiano and tortellini. People say if you never ate tortellini in Parma you never ate real tortellini. And though in general I am not a very big fan of them – I LOVED their tortellini! I guess it is good I am not living in Parma, because I think it would easily become my favorite food…

Yes, that’s a pink marble! It is so unique!

Next stop was Riga! My home town…
P.S. Patterns coming soon for pom-pom scarf with hoodie and boy hat set!

4 years (and one month) ago…

2012-11-13T16:00:00.000+01:00

… I was sitting on my couch and thinking about the name I should give to the shop I was just about to open. At that moment I didn’t know how much this little space on net will change my life. 4 years later I am extremely grateful for everything what happened, for everything I learned in these 4 years, people I met, possibilities I got… I can say that it was just God’s blessing. So, thank you everyone who was with me in these 4 years, who was supporting and inspiring me! I hope years to come will be even more exciting and full of interesting events.

I was planning to celebrate Mon Petit Violon’s birthday last month, but as we were traveling I decided to postpone it.

So, let’s start this celebration with BIG SALE (coupon is valid in my Etsy shop: www.monpetitviolon.etsy.com AND in my Ravelry store as well: http://www.ravelry.com/stores/mon-petit-violon-designs )

Please note - if you make a purchase in my Ravelry store you will be able to download the patterns at once! :-)

Later this week I am also planning to make one giveaway, not for the patterns, but for some yarn I love!

Wishing you a wonderful week! :-)

I am still here…

2012-11-08T19:35:00.000+01:00

I can’t believe more than one month passed since my last post… Time flies…
It’s been very busy and interesting Autumn here. We traveled quite a lot, I crocheted like crazy before our trips as it was getting cold and we all needed cozy things to keep us warm and comfy. Now we are back home safe and sound with many impressions, memories and beautiful photos…
These photos are from Lugano (Switzerland). It is such a beautiful place (but SOOOO expensive). I think it is the most expensive town I ever visited… Though it was worth it!

More to come! And soon I will share new patterns as well!

New Inside Crochet issue and my pattern for Mary Janes!

2012-10-04T16:30:00.000+02:00

My UK friends, you should check out the newest issue of Inside Crochet magazine! It is BEAUTIFUL!
So many cute ideas and great patterns! I am so happy to be a part of it!

In this issue you will find my pattern for Mary Janes! Those little shoes will be just perfect for the fall! :-)

New patterns!

2012-10-03T17:03:00.000+02:00

It is been a while since I posted here.... well, life is quite busy right now.

I finally finished to write a pattern for Ladies Lace Socks. I hope you like them! I just love crocheted socks - so simple to make and they look wonderful. We still have quite hot days here, but the fall is just around the corner also for us and I am trying to get ready - comfy (and beautiful) socks are the first thing you need in the Autumn! :-) At least for me! I always feel cold! :-)

The pattern is available on Etsy, Craftsy and Ravelry!

I also realized that I never posted here about my Fringe Baby Booties! :-) So here they are!

The pattern is availabe on Etsy, Craftsy and Ravelry!

Crochet tips - extended single crochet (esc)

2012-09-14T14:30:00.001+02:00

Have you ever tried it? I am sure when you try you get addicted! :-) With extended single crochet you get very unique texture. It looks almost as knitted and is not-see-through. It works faster than normal single crochet and it is so easy to work it.

Ok, so let's start!

Work chain and start with 3rd ch from hook.

Step 1: insert the hook in specified stitch, yarn over and pull it through the stitch

Step 2: yarn over and pull it through the first loop only, now you have two loops on hook

Step 3: yarn over and pull it through both loops. 1 esc made.

Repeat steps 1-3 in each ch.

Wasn't it easy?!
For the moment I have only one pattern where I used this stitch - it is a pattern for A-line dress.
But I am sure it is not the last one! :-) This stitch is wonderful!

Wishing you a great weekend! :-)

A-line Dress Pattern is available:

On Etsy: here

On Craftsy: here

On Ravelry: here

Inside Crochet...

2012-09-04T17:02:00.001+02:00

My new sock pattern is now available in UK crochet magazine INSIDE CROCHET (September issue)! Check it out! It has many beautiful and inspiring patterns! :-)

How to be successful on Etsy?

2012-08-27T16:00:00.000+02:00

source: pinterest

Lately very, very often I receive questions about how to be successful on Etsy. I wish I had a magic answer which would fit everybody, but I don't. During these years I learned many things but I still can't say where exactly is the key of success and I am still learning how to keep going and be successful myself. But there are some points which I am confident about and here they are:

1. Do what you are good at and what you love!

"Find a job you love and

you'll never work a day

in your life"

Yes, that's so true! Especially when you are running your own business, and especially the one which requires your creativity. If you love doing something you will make such an effort to be good at it that success for sure will come your way, sooner or later. It is not enough to copy someone, just because it sells and works for him. You must find your own niche. And do your best to be good at it. You should also think that there are people who are not made to have their own business. If you want a job where you can shut the door and don't think about it after 17:00 the business is not for you. If you take it seriously (and to be successful you must take it seriously) it is like having a child. You will always feel responsible for it, worried about it and thinking how to do things better.

2. Always learn something new!
Having your own business and be successful will require many, many skills. It is good if you can get a good team - personal assistant, good photographer, accountant. But it is not always possible. I do not have an assistant, or photographer, or accountant... I do everything by myself. That's why in my opinion it is essential to learn as many things as possible.
It is not enough just to make something nice. You must present it well, make it attractive so that people just can't resist. For online business the photos are essential. Take some photo lessons. You can find many online classes. Some for free, some not. Start with basics - learn about using the right light, composition. I am still not a professional photographer, but I learned many things. I also had to invest in a good equipment, but equipment can wait. I don't suggest to make big investments before you are sure you can do it and it will work! If you are ready for an investment I suggest to buy DSLR camera. You will have to learn how to work with it, but it is so worth it!

3. Be patient!
Success doesn't come in one day. The first year will be the hardest one. The shop will take all your time, but things can go quite slow. You need to be patient. It happens very rarely (but it does happen) that from the first day you have many clients and everything goes smoothly. But often you will have to adapt, to make some changes. Be flexible, if you see that something is not working - change it! Don't be afraid. Maybe your photos are not attractive, maybe your tags are not working and people just can't find your items. Maybe there are already too many similar things and you should think about making something else, something more particular. Maybe your pricing is wrong.

4. Observe what others are doing... but don't copy!
It is good to see successful shops and analyze why they are so successful, why people are buying from them. If you work in the same field pay attention (if it is possible) where they promote their shops, how they describe their items, why their photos are so attractive. But do not copy! It is so sad to see that someone copied each word you wrote in your descriptions even without making any effort to make it less obvious. Same if you try to create something very similar to what already has been created. I don't speak about some very classical things, which everyone is making just with some variations. I mean details. If you try to make it look similar to something which is already made and is selling well, it will not work. People are not fool! They will rather go to buy the "original one" and you will loose kind of respect in their eyes. I saw many such examples. People were trying to copy my patterns (and they still do it), they were even using similar yarn and colors and selling them cheaper. But they were not selling them at all or very little. You will not go far if you do that. You should develop your own style, be honest and creative. You will see that in this way your creativity will grow every day and you won't need to copy anybody. And your own style will attract people much more than you think!

5. Look for new ways how to promote your business!
This is probably the most important and the most difficult part. Promote, promote, promote. There are so many places and ways and you just need to find the right one which will work for you (even better if you find a few). Start your own blog, make a Facebook fan page, be on Twitter, on Flickr and other similar websites. Now on Etsy in Shop Stats you can see from where people are coming to your shop! Analyze it! Check all those websites and see how you can make them work for you even better. I don't suggest to promote on Etsy (for me it just doesn't work). You must find good ways to promote outside the Etsy and attract more people to your shop.

6. Be positive!
Even if things are going slower than you expected - stay positive! It can take time till you get everything right, but it can change one day to another! You can just get on the right wave, or be featured somewhere and more and more people will know about your shop. Work hard, do your best, everyday learn something new and success will come to you! :-)

Good luck! :-)

Crochet tips - hdc around previous hdc!

2012-08-24T15:42:00.000+02:00

I love this stitch and use it quite often. It is such a simple way to get interesting texture and different look of usual crochet stitches. But I know that quite many of you had a problem to make it. So here we go!

First make one hdc...

...yarn over and insert hook in the space behind the previous hdc...

...yarn over and pull it through...

...yarn over and pull it through all three loops you have on hook.

That's all! Isn't it simple?! Only don't forget to skip one stitch when you start next two hdc.

Here are some my patterns where I used this stitch:

Sophie's Cardigan

Ladies Milky Slippers

Thinking of Autumn Hat

Baby Milky Booties

Back from Holidays!

2012-08-19T23:00:00.000+02:00

Did you notice I was away?! :-) Well, we were on our summer holidays and this is how we mainly spent our time!

It was paradise!
We went to our favorite places in Tuscany - for the beach to Viareggio, for living and eating (really well!) to Lucca and for shopping to Florence! :-) What can be better?!

In Florence we could also visit some museums we never visited before. It is fantastic about Florence that there are so many things to see and to do, that even if you come quite often every time you discover something new. Every time we go to Florence I feel like it Christmas time! :-) I don't know why it makes me feel so, but I just love this place so much. I do not like that during the summer there are too many tourists and it is extremely hot there (it is one of the hottest towns in Italy). It is also a paradise for someone who loves shopping. And who doesn't?! :-) With two kids it is never easy to make shopping, so I just made quick visits to my favorite shops. It is still SALE time here!

Lucca. When we come to Lucca (and we do it quite often) I feel like I am at home! Though I like very much Florence I would never like to live there. But Lucca is a perfect place where to live. It is small and beautiful. It is surrounded by mountains and beautiful landscapes. Around the old town there is "mura" - the wall - perfect place for riding a bicycle, for jogging or for a walk.

The food is delicious as well. If you have a chance to visit Lucca I can suggest you two places where to eat. The first one is Trattoria Da Leo! It is always full, so I would suggest you to reserve a table one day before. Their vegetable soup is my favorite! It is different from traditional Ribollita, but sooo good! If you are meat lover you should try coniglio or faraona! Funghi with polenta are amazing too! Another place is Osteria Baralla! Here you should try zuppa di farro! Sooo good! Sophie just loved it! And you should try trippa, it is a bit heavy, but delicious! For desert we usually take cantucci with Vin Santo (it is a desert vine).
The good thing about Lucca is that the beach is very close too. It is about 20min to go to Viareggio. It is one of our favorite beaches in Italy (though I never visited Sardinia, but people say the best beaches are there).

In Viareggio you should try insalata di mare! We were buying it almost everyday, also as take away to make a picnic on the beach.

From Lucca it is also very easy to go to Pisa. By train it is only 20 minutes.

Well, I always like to come back home from our trips, but I always feel sad to leave Tuscany. We really feel like at home there.

An interview and a new pattern for socks...

2012-08-02T16:30:00.000+02:00

I already mentioned that I have some exciting news to share! :-) Here we go!
I was recently interviewed by one UK crochet magazine - Inside Crochet! It was wonderful experience! We spoke about how it all started, where I find my inspiration and which advices I could give for someone who is starting similar business. If you are in UK look for Inside Crochet magazine, issue 32, August.

In the next issue of this magazine there will be my pattern for socks! Here you can see preview of next issue! I hope you like it! :-)

Thank you, Claire, for this opportunity! :-)

Paris... travel tips!

2012-07-27T17:24:00.000+02:00

I am not a very good writer, but about Paris I wanted to say something more than a few sentences. I did my best and hope something from what I wrote will be useful. :-)

You know what was my first reaction when we started to plan our trip to Paris - "oh, what should I wear?!" Really!!! :-) It is not that I am very fashionable person, or that here in Italy people are dressed very differently, but Paris is that very special place where you are supposed to be dressed well. It is a place where you don't really want to look like tourist... you just want to be a part of the city, be in harmony with it and enjoy it as much as possible. In my case I went on the safe side (also because of the weather) wearing most of the time jeans, trench and ballet flats. But here are some tips if you want to look a little bit like parisienne:

you are always safe wearing black and neutrals; somehow they don't wear bright colors that much, but they like to add some brigth pieces to their outfits - like jewels or scarf! Yes, scarf is must have in Paris! :-)

you can't go wrong wearing ballet flats; everyone wears them, they are just the right thing to feel comfortable and well dressed at the same time!

if you really don't want to look like tourist and want to hide your camera when you don't use it, instead of carrying it around your neck put it in a messenger bag (the one which is just in the right size for your camera). It will be still very easy accessible but it will be hidden as well.

if you make a small research on google what people wear and don't wear in Paris you will find quite long list what you shouldn't wear, like - no shorts (don't agree), no capris (cropped trousers are allowed :-))) ), no tennis shoes or flip flops and so on! I don't agree that there is a real dress code in Paris and for sure nobody will say anything. I also don't agree that you can seriously say what you should and what you shouldn't wear. It doesn't seem right. But I think the key to look good in Paris is simply to dress yourself not too casual (at the end it works for any other big city as well). For example, if you wear shorts with ballet flats you are ok; with tennis shoes - not so much... it will look like you are going to make jogging. If you wear capris with wedges - it is ok, with flip flops - not so much... It is all about styling things in the right way. I am not a fashion expert though... haha... I just tell you my observations... :-)

I will skip the part about what to see in Paris, because there are just too many things to mention. Of course Eifel Tower is the first must see, as well as Notre Dame de Paris, Champs Elysees, Montmartre, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre and so on... but the best part of visiting Paris is just getting lost in all those beautiful streets and walk and walk... having a cup of coffee (though the coffee in Paris is not that as good as in Italy, I know what I am saying! :-) ) in some small café, with croissant or pain au chocolat, or pain aux raisin (my favorite by the way).

What to eat in Paris? Oh, there are so many delicouse things that I would gain some kilos at once if I would stay there for longer time. If you are cheese lover, it is just the right place for you. I am not, so I wasn't very interested in that part. I was much more interested to try fishes and other sea foods. They are so good at preparing them! Confit de canard is also very traditional dish made from duck. It is quite heavy but you usually it with salad so it gets more balanced. :-) All soups are worth to try! And crêpes! I came to conclusion that in general French cuisine is not very healthy :-) - too much fat, too much sugar, too many delicious things which you can't stop to eat, like macarons or pain aux raisin ... but ok... for a few days you can eat what you want, right? :-)

Where to make shopping? It is sale time in France as well as here. And of course I wanted to make some shopping in Paris. Usually I like to shop in known places and I have my favorite shops, like this I know the price range, what and where to find. And lately anyway most of the time I shop online (it is not easy to make shopping with two little children). But in Paris... oh, I just had to go to some shops, but as we were traveling with both kids I was quite limited in time. While Sophie was having a nap and Alex was busy with his new LEGO I went to Galeries Lafayette. And it was the right choice! There is everything and it is really huge! Great selection of children shops (for both - toys and clothes). There is huge amount of women's fashion shops. You can just get lost there for hours and hours...

And we also visited our favorite tea shop. It such an interesting place. You can have cup of tea there as well. And then handsome French young man will explain you everything about the tea, and he will be so nice and the tea will be so good that you will be ready to buy everything he offers you! :-) If you are tea lover you must visit it! In Italy people almost don't drink tea and such places don't exist and I am so sorry about it... I would go there everyday if I could... and not because of handsome young French man, but because the tea is soooo good! :-)

Well, there are so many other things to tell... but I think it is already the longest post I ever wrote and if you arrived till the end - thank you for your patience! :-)

I think I should make a separate post about traveling with two small kids, but as I said I am not a very good writer... we will see. At the end just some more pics of Paris. Have a good day! And go to Paris!!! :-)

P.S. Some very exciting news coming on Monday! :-)

Oh, Paris... I will miss you...

2012-07-16T17:04:00.002+02:00

We are back! We had marvelous time in Paris. In spite of the weather. It was quite cold and rainy, but it didn't matter. Paris was beautiful as always. After Italian heat it was also quite refreshing and we were happy about it.
Here are some pics from our stay in Paris. Later this week I will make longer post about our trip. I didn't make that many photos as I always do when we go somewhere. I had to force myself to take the camera, because all I wanted to do was to enjoy the moment... every single moment we spent in this beautiful city. But I am glad I forced myself as almost all photos we made are so beautiful (usually at least one third is going to be deleted, but not this time). Paris is so photogenic that you can't make bad photos there! :-)
Well, it was so sad to leave and I already want to go back there. :-)

On Holidays!

2012-07-11T16:00:00.000+02:00

My Etsy shop is closed for a few days. I will be away till 14th of July.

In the meantime you can purchase my patterns here: MonPetitViolon on Ravelry or here: MonPetitViolon on Craftsy In both shops you will be able to download the patterns immediately after the purchase.

I will answer all emails when I am back.

Guess where we are? :-)))

photo via Pinterest