All things... red

September 1st... and sure enough: it rained today! The official end of summer? I hope not!

But, if it were, we're ready to face those first gray days ... with these:



Red polka dotted lunch bags and fun bento lunch boxes, for both of my girls, ready to be taken to school on Thursday. We had the hardest time finding isotherm lunch bags - most French kids eat at "la cantine", the school restaurant, where they get a warm meal. Luckily, we found those and the bento boxes at "Les Fleurs"! And to avoid confusion, I made a small tag for each one of them, after my girls' own designs. Problem solved!




Isn't September traditionally the month of all things stationery? Not that I need an excuse to buy office supplies. I got this cute little calendar tin last July, while in Leuven. Pins, paper clips and rubber bands are hiding inside.

Along the same line, how about a red tin pencil case (mine! - the girls have one too!) featuring "Le Petit Nicolas". For those of you who don't know "Le Petit Nicolas", he's the main character in a series of bundled short, absolutely hilarious, stories written by Goscinny and illustrated by Sempé. Everything with "Le Petit Nicolas" on it, is a hype right now. Smart merchandising for the 50th anniversary with a new book release with unpublished stories earlier this year, a movie at the end of this month, and plenty of stationery items. I learned French through those books a long time ago and, now, I passed them on to my girls who love them too. A bit outdated maybe but still perfect bedtime stories! We've already marked our calendars for the movie!




Next, something more grown up - hmm, or maybe not? I'm not quite sure, since I got this red leather jacket at a store where the average customer could be my daughter age-wise. I couldn't resist, though, at the bargain price of just 89 euros...




The kitchen is next, with this cutting board, found today at our local supermarket. I haven't tried it yet, but I hope it works. If it doesn't: at least the color will cheer me up while cutting those onions...



And whether you like Coca Cola or not: don't you think this bottle is too darn cute to get recycled. I usually don't drink regular coke, only Zero (not that it is any healthier...), so I bought just one bottle because of how it looks...


Now, that will do on those first gray days of autumn, don't you think?!

Anything red (or any other color) in your life that cheers you up? Just wondering...

Diptych Me Week

Hey, // Between the Lines // has a face!! - I shot this self-portrait at the "Parc de la Vilette", last September. Huge mirrors were posted at intervals in between trees and I couldn't resist taking this picture, a one-shot diptych me, while the girls were running up and down the hill behind me. Next time, I might take a bottle of vinegar and a squeegee to have those mirrors cleaned first...

We had a fun and relaxing weekend - the perfect start to our Fall break.
Fall break, already?! I can't believe the girls have been in school for about two months now. It feels like yesterday, that first day of school, the getting the school supplies ready in time...

To kick off our Fall break, we went to see "Le Petit Nicolas" on Sunday, a second viewing for M., who already saw it with a friend. And she liked it even better the second time, she told me. I was a bit hesitant. Isn't the book usually better than the movie? Would it hold for this one too? But the truth needs to be said: this movie is a little gem, really! An absolutely great cast - especially the kids are wonderful - filmed with a great feel for detail (if you like anything from the 50's and 60's you'll just love it), faithful to the spirit of the books, funny, sweet, charming... Everything was just perfect! I don't know if the movie will be released overseas, but if so, I highly recommend it. I wouldn't mind to go see it a second time myself, to be honest.

So, what else is up for Fall break? We plan on leaving to the coast somewhere this week. Getting some fresh air. I really long for the beach, the wind, the long walks - with our jackets on most likely, and our boots - the red cheeks and hot chocolate when we get back.
Besides all of the above, the seaside also means... no computer! No distracted mom, for a change! But, this time not having an internet connection, won't mean I'm leaving this place behind not being taken care of. I made my homework, that is! As you might remember, I got myself a macro lens some time ago. The lens that kept me home for about a week, just to get it delivered. Due to circumstances, I didn't get to really test it, however, except for that one time. But I did test it last weekend. I didn't limit myself to its macro use. It's a perfect prime lens as well. I took pictures of lots and lots of things. Things that I had laying around the house. Little treasures as it turns out. And while I was shooting most of my Saturday afternoon away, sitting on my knees in our bedroom with just a piece of white paper and the natural light falling through the window, I came up with a plan for the week to come. A "Diptych Me Week"! Turns out that everything I was taking pictures of could be matched up with something else (and as I went on and on, I made sure it could, somehow).
And that's what I'm having ready for you this week, 12 diptychs spread out over six posts, starting on Wednesday. So, stay tuned for this one!
I really had fun doing it and I hope you'll enjoy these sets as much as I do...

So for now, I'm wishing you all a wonderful week and an absolutely fun and happy Halloween!!

Cheers!

P.