Version Scrap - Sugar Paris - Pari Fermier

Early last Friday I trouped out to Parc Floral for a trifecta of salons.

Parc Floral is a smaller convention center than Porte de Versailles at Metro Chateau de Vincennes. This serene setting is in sharp contrast.

To the mad mayhem inside the Salon Scrap show and that's an understatement.

Who knew at 10 am the first day would be so crowded?

Jeanne was our girl guide since she has all manner of crafting equipment at home like digital cutters etc.

I resisted this rubber stamp/tampon and have been regretting at leisure but the lines were so long to buy anything.

All kinds of demo classes were going on.

Who knows what they were making but they seemed to be having a ball cutting and pasting. 

I liked this sign - 100% Française.

At a rubber stamp stand there was a box labled, "Italian Stamps"

I asked the woman,"Where are the FRENCH rubber stamps?"

She gestured to all the other rubber stamps in the stand.

Knock, knock!

Anyone home Carol?

You're at a FRENCH scrap show. HELLO?

Oh well live and learn as they say...

I completely lost it at the ribbon man's stand. He let me in the back to tear through his wired 'Easter' ribbons !! I found loads of pretty patterns to put inside the April sketch letter going put today. Hooray! (See above)

Meanwhile other crazies were tearing through his buttons...

I've no idea how you use buttons in a scrapbook but then I'm probably not the one to ask since I completely forgot I was at a French show...ahem

Next on to Sugar Paris - a cake supply show for home bakers.

This was a much calmer, better behaved crowd. Bakers need their wits about them if a cake is going to come out of the oven standing upright. Probably why I can't bake...

Lovely carrot cookies...

I did go nuts for this pretty fem china from Pip/in France called, Le Panier d'Eglantine.
 

I had instant fantasies of giving up my 17th century decor for a pink floral look. I planned to return for the makeover but this never happened. The Paris Marathon got in the way.

Speaking of plates, I suggested we hop into the Pari Fermier expo for snacks and lunch. I worry about lunch a lot. I started worrying as soon as we met up and headed towards the Metro.

"Shouldn't we take a sandwich to the show?" I suggested.

"Oh there will be something in Chatelet Metro" they reassured me. There wasn't of course. Eating at these shows can be a nightmare - long lines, lousy food and high $$$. But at Pari Fermier we got a terrific plate of Perrigord products for a mere 10€

Meanwhile back at the ranch/studio I've been knee deep in French Easter chocolate working round the clock on your April Paris letter.

Ahh...the smell of it. Quite intoxicating and trés irresistible.

More Paris Easter chocolates coming tomorrow but you can get a sneak peek at the April Paris Letter going out today, if you check Etsy. 

Cheers Carolg and Bear

Talking about Teal

Not just Easter bunnies are fond of Teal blue this season. For the past year I've been bumping into Teal all over Paris.

The name of the color comes from the Common Teal duck

With it's patch of true blue placed uniquely by it's eye.

The French are following suit with patches of blue.

Let the blue stay on the parrot says AirFrance...and patch your eyes with a dash of red shadow...

RIO 2 is about to open. Plenty of Teal blues on show.

Teal blue must be good for selling movies. Granted Noah is about the deep blue sea..

French banks love blue - the color of stability.

Teal Bleu is taking years off Johnny Hallyday in this movie poster...

Metro Miromesnil has a thing for Teal bleu chaise

Nothing to do with blue but FYI, when you check these maps for the correct exit to take, DO notice which way the little arrow of the stairway is pointing. I can't count how many times I've taken the right exit but walked the wrong direction down the wrong street.

Confisier Boissier has had an ongoing love affair with Teal even though they say blue food is a no-no.

Looks fine to me.

Bunny in a blue chemise/shirt dressed to deliver those oeufs/eggs.

My favorite chocolate shop in Paris A La Mere du Famille has teal tiles on the floor-miam

My last sublet was so full of Teal blue I was spinning. Surely R. loved blue or so I thought...

Blue bed spread, blue flower, blue towels, blue phone, you name it. The blue trash bag was my contribution.

When the time came for the handover of the keys, I thought it would be amusing to give her a little bottle of Teal blue nail polish to use wherever.

Evidently she did not think so...

She told me, "Blue is not my color".

 

More blue food - crocs(jelly candy from Haribo) across the street at the bus station.

Blue pools at the gardens of Versailles with AirFrance wheels taking off just above in the other bus station. 

Monday was the BIG day for my visa appointment at the Prefecture. I first chose Teal blue folders for my papers. Then decided it would be safer to use the staid, numbered divders from last year's visa presentation. I've been going through all kinds of self-inflicted Medieval tortures here while gathering these official documents. I am not good with lots of pieces of paper covered with numbers and in a foreign language. Who is? 

But I had a stroke of luck at the appointment. The first person was checking my papers to see if all was in order before she could send me on to the next checker, all the while conversing with my lawyer totally in French, I happened to hear the word 'marriée?'

For some unknown reason I piped up, 

"JAMAIS!" (NEVER!)

The officials thought this was hysterical and immediately gave me a new appointment two weeks later with a 'Prioritée' classification at an earlier time (9:30 am so I might not have to wait 5 hours to be seen.)

Go figure.

Poisson d'avril

April 1 is the French equivalent of April's Fools day with an emphasis on fish jokes of all sorts.
 

I was on my way to swim with the fishes this morning when I took a spill on the cobblestones.
 

I turned around and came home, but the only thing I had to put on my sore knee and lower lip was a piece of frozen fish from Picard. Once it was defrosted I ate it for lunch. You're supposed to eat fish on Poisson d'avril.
 

Teal blue seems to be the color many fish prefer this Spring.
 

Jeff de Bruges has a witty concept at play in their windows for April 1.

 

Chocolate fish filled with ganache is traditionally the seasonal candy of choice but these are sushi instead of the usual sardines in a half-opened tin.

 

The happy cat green bowl was very tempting.
 

I brought my Happy cat from New York to Paris though I left behind an awful lot of other things I wish I'd taken. We all had a fishy dinner tonight.
 

Sushi pens at Gilbert Joseph.

Jean-Paul Hévin always comes up with innovative ideas for Easter. Here the fish is on the outside of the bowl.n

La Mere de Famille orange ribbons are very becoming on their chocolate fish. Orange is a classic color in the French chocolate world.

I popped in just as they were unpacking chocolate critters from the box.
 

All of these large animal shapes are hollow and filled inside/garnis with the little fish or friture as they're called.
 

When you find a mixed bag or box of chocolate fish/friture grab it. Usually the dark, milk and white chocolate fish are sold separately. After the salade de crevette Happy cat polished off a good number of milk chocolate poisson/fish. The Easter season of excess chocolate has begun. Spring is here!