Paris, Part 2: Shopping

Last week I showed you photos from our trip to Paris, but what did I bring with med home, you ask? Normally, I never buy souvenirs, but in Paris I went all-in on souvenirs.

Of course I bought jewellery:

Two pairs of Eiffel tower earrings, a charm bracelet, a small silver charm for my travel bracelet, and a key ring DH gave me, while we stood under the Eiffel tower.

At home, I had already planned on finding a beautiful snow globe and an old fashioned souvenir scarf. Good old fashioned souvenirs, the way I like them. Here is the snow globe, which plays La Vie En Rose:

It looks lovely in my new room.

I ended up buying two scarfs:

First the black and white one, which I used in Paris, because the first two days were very cold. Later I found the perfect souvenir scarf in true fifties style. They only cost about 2 dollars each.

I also bought this lovely "pashmina" for only 8 dollars:

Nice quality and lovely woven pictures:

I have already enjoyed wearing it a few times. I just adore shawls, and have quite a collection.

And I simply had to buy a little box of Macarons with me home:

A few mixed souvenirs: a contour cut of myself, which I didn't even noticed the artist made, since I was looking at the mouse having her portrait cut. A small practical purse, nice to have in my pocket, and a funny, vintage, naked lade who dances hula, when you turn the knob under her feet.

DH found these lovely table mats, which have other pictures at the reverse side, so we have eight different motifs to enjoy:

We visited a wonderful luxury candy shop, where I bought a little, expensive box with French nougat:

But, we were in France! ;)

And I looked over the shoulders of all the artists everywhere, and ended up buying these two beautiful paintings:

In Shakespeare & Company I bought this lovely bag, which I think my needlework will live in, and two small books:

A reproduction of Make Do and Mend from 1943 and love poems. The books were also very espensive, so I had to behave.

A funny black and white watch in early sixties style:

A black and white hand bag, which I got for about 20 dollars:

It matches the black and white shoes I bought in Germany perfectly.

I bought an expensive newspare umbrella in La Fayette:

I had one about 30 years ago, and have missed it since.

I also visited an artist shop near our hotel. I looked around alone for a long time. It was lovely, and I "talked" with the sweetest elderly ladies, although they only spoke French and I don't. I bought a really nice sketch book and a watercolour palette with 18 different colours, which I look very much forward to trying:

And strangely enough, neither of the two were expensive.

And I bought dull, ugly shoes:

Because my feet hurt so much, so I had to buy myself a new pair. I first bought the beige pair for only about 13 dollars, and when I found out how comfy they were, I bought myself two more pairs. So now I am ready for walking on our future holidays.

Perhaps not the most exciting shopping, but then different, I suppose.

Next week I end my Paris theme with Nice and Mixed, so look forward. :)

Marilyn Monroe for Beginners

I pay a tribute to my idol, Marilyn Monroe (MM) in my Monroe Mondays, where I post a photo that is not so common every Monday. Several has commented that they liked it, and therefore I thought about writing a post about "MM for Beginners". There are a  lot of books about MM on sale, but what to choose? I have many, not all of them of course, but I can say that not all of them are equally good, many of them is waste of money. So here are my suggestions if you also think MM is wonderful.

MM The Complete Biography, is really good to read if you want to know about her life. I have no idea if all of it is really true, but the author has investigated a lot and also interviewed many and most of it sounds true:

The second book I want to recommend is Metamorphosis. It is a photo book and it is fabulous! The photos are of the best quality and they are listed cronologically, which I think is brilliant - buy it! I bought mine at Amazon UK:

My third recommendation is Fragments. It is Marilyn's own scriblings, notes, poems, lists, etc. It really takes you to her world and tells a lot about what she thought about and her problems. I read it a little at a time, since I got a bit depressed reading it:

One of the more expensive and rare books, but an absolute must have for your collection is The Personal Property of MM:

It is big boy, the same size as an ordinary garden flagstone, that lists all her private belongings as Christie's put for auction in 1999. It also gives a unique insight into her personality, when you flip through it and see her few and very unflashy things. But it is not easy to find, now you're warned.

The last I want to recommend for your collection of MM books is of course My Story, that is her own story told to a journalist and it was intended to be published in a magazine in several chapters. It never happened and now the heirs of Milton Greene have published it as a book with Milton's lovely photos of her:

But please don't believe all of it. It was well known that MM often told a lie or exaggerated about her awful childhood and other things she thought should be more interesting.

Well, that was books - but how about movies? Which ones can I recommend? I have several MM movies I love, but my absolute favourite is Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I've seen it many times and I never go stale on it. I love both MM and Jane Russel (she is really wonderful in her role) and I love the clothes, the costumes, the dancing, and the songs - watch it:

Another MM classic is Some Like It Hot, where the boys, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, are absolutely fabulous:

Do listen carefully, because there are some really great remarks and a brilliant humour.

And lastly I will recommend to see My Week with Marilyn:

Michelle Williams is doing a fantastic job making a portrait of of MM.

If you have any recommendations for me, do write me a comment.

Beauty(ful) Book

I've bought a really beauty(ful) book - unfortunately in Danish, so this post is not very interesting if you don't understand Danish, I'm sorry:

It is written by Anette from BeautySpace.dk, so I had to buy it, since I love her writing. It reveals all the secrets to beautiful skin. I hope to age beautifully and naturally, since I would be sad if we all became Cher-like clones.

Anette was so extremely kind to sign the book for me, which I brag about to all my guests:

The text says:
Dear Sanne, thank you for you and your lovely involvement

Luxury?

What is luxury? To me it is time and silence, both are things I don't have much, and I truly enjoy having time for my projects or to just sit and read a good book. Last summer I almost bought another vintage car, but DH became seriously mad at me. Well, I have always wanted a library with a vintage armchair, a footstool, a nice vintage floor lamp, and a small table with space for a cup of tea and a book. So Princess sour as I was, I demanded an armchair. DH is not as much in love with vintage things as I am, so I ended up with an Ikea solution and it is also very nice:
And the footstool matches the chair, you say. I'm so glad you noticed. :) I ordered fabric like the chair and have sewn the upholstery myself with skirt and shanks and everything. I am very proud of myself. I also managed to make a pillow case and applications for a blanket out of the fabric:So now it is officially the new favourite spot of the house, approved by DH and my very choosy teenage boy with an unsual demanding taste.

What I read? A Marilyn book of course: MM Personal.

Buy of the Year 2011

Previously, I have elected the Buy of the Year. In 2009 it was my little travel immersion heater that I bring with me on all my holidays, so I can enjoy a mug of tea. In 2011 it was my Pyrex measuring cup which I almost use daily, it is especially good when making latte. Previously the elections have been flea market finds, but since I haven’t defined the nomination precisely (and since I’m the one who determines the election) I thought that it could as well be something handmade. Anyhow it has to be something you cannot just run to the nearest supermarket and buy, and it has to be something that has made me especially happy and also made a difference. E.g. I have bought many beautiful nail polishes, but I don’t think I can say that they have made a difference. ;)

During Spring and early Summer I went down with stress twice and lost most of my memory. It is not much fun, especially not when you’re used to have everything in control and being able to remember everything. So I bought a beautiful, handmade note book at Etsy:
It is leather bound and the paper is handmade luxury paper, and taking this into consideration, the price was a bargain. I love note books, but when I sit with a brand new unused book, I always make silly rules about what to write and that it has to look nice and tidy. But with this one I promised myself to write whatever I felt for or needed. I have written lists, quotes, poems, ideas, thoughts – just what comes to my mind. And it helped! It did not remove my stress, but it has been and still is a great help in my weekday. It lies on my living room table because it is decorative, but also because I quickly can look up things or write down something. At Etsy you can find lots of beautiful handmade note books, so if you are tempted I sincerely recommend it. There should be something for everybody and every purse.

Cruel Books

I’ve read some cruel books lately. I read a lot of different books – thrillers, fiction, I love non-fiction books and I read books with subjects I don’t understand, because I’m curious. Once I read a book about anorexia and another about a man who had a sex change operation, because I don’t understand it. I am and will always be interested in Holocaust, because it is so cruel and the strangest thing that has ever happened and it must NEVER happen again. Therefore, we have to read books about it and therefore I recommend two books (one of them unfortunately only in Danish), because we must NEVER forget:

“The Last Jew of Treblinka: A Memoir” is written by Chil Rajchman, who as a 29 year old was sent to the extermination camp Treblinka. He has never told his family about it, but after his death some years ago, the successors found a manuscript with his memories. Rajchman survived gassing by pretending he was a “hair dresser”, he cut off the hair of the women before they were gassed. Later he pretended he was a “dentist”, he pulled out artificial teeth from the dead. Rajchman survived ten month in the camp and escaped after a revolt where only 57 out of 300 survived. An expert has judged that approximately 900,000 died in Treblinka, but today that number is judged to be way too low. About 1,500,000 is judged to be much more realistic.
This book is very different from other Holocaust books, because it is the captive’s own words and not an interview book written by a journalist. Chil has written his memories right after his escape and I guess it was his way to get rid of the horrible memories. I can promise you that this is the most cruel, horrible and disgusting book you have ever read and will ever read. It is so incredible horrible that I did not get any pictures in my head. It is so surreal that I cannot imagine anything - my luck, because I don’t think I would have slept for 14 days after.

The other book is an interview book about Arlette Levy Andersen’s year (yes, a year) I Auschwitz. It is only in Danish and is titled “The Girl from Auschwitz”. By coincidence I saw her on TV and was immediately sold, I simply had to read that book. Arlette is French, a lovely elderly lady, who finally tells about her past.
Arlette Levy Andersen lived a year in the extermination camps Birkenau and Auschwitz at the end of WWII. For 40 years she did not tell even her own Jewish family what happened from she was arrested by Gestapo at a French university till she in May 1945 came home by train to Paris, where her parents picked her up.

In the book she opens up to the cruel experiences, because she feels she has to. “Soon there will not be anymore left to tell what happened.” as she says. It was that sentence I heard on TV and was sold. In the book Arlette tells about her childhood in Paris, the arrest, the deportation in cattle truck, and her stay in the extermination camps. After the liberation, Arlette travels to Denmark to study and falls in love with a Danish man, whom she later marries and thereby becomes Danish herself.

It is also very worth reading. It is much more quiet than Chil’s book, but it is still cruel. Since it is written by a journalist it includes are much more facts. I would love to hear her speech about her past.

But now I really need to read some superficial chicklit.

Baking Recipes

I love to bake, but I don’t do it very often. Either I haven’t time, nor energy or both at the same time. Usually we also agree that it is not good for us, since we always have to drop a few kilos, sigh. But although I decorated for Halloween last Sunday, I already look so much forward to Christmas. In December it is legal to decorate all over the house, eat lovely dinners and surround you with family and good friends – but it is also BAKING TIME! And I have just invested approx. 3 dollars in this great recipe book (unfortunately only in Danish):
Yes, only 3 dollars, for a nice hardback book, filled with lovely photos and classic as well as new recipes. And what can you get for 3 dollars – almost nothing. Here are some references:
I have the complete series of baking books, it was a colleague who recommended them to me and gave me my first. What I especially like is the concept “one dough – 7 cookies” or “one dough – 3 breads, buns and Danish”, you get the picture. Genius!

I know it’s not fair recommending a Danish baking book, and I do hope you have something like it abroad.

My Most Expensive Book

I have bought my most expensive book ever! I love books, and I also love jewellery and glamorous stars from the fifties. So I have for very long wanted Elizabeth Taylor’s book ”My Love Affair with Jewelry”.
She had an incredible collection of jewellery, and was a great lover of diamonds. She was married to Richard Burton twice and he gave her, a.o., a huge diamond of 69.42 carats, which he bought for 1.1 million dollars! Oh boy, what a gift! Well, back to the book. It is large, well-written, beautiful – and EXPENSIVE! And it did not get cheaper after her death in March this year. I have wanted it for a couple of years, but thought 130 dollars was too expensive. When the lady died I thought 130 dollars was cheap, ahem. And getting caught in customs and having to pay additional 90 dollars in total for tax, VAT and customs fee didn’t make it cheaper. But now it’s mine and I will enjoy it many years ahead.

My New Library

I have invested some of my bonus in an e-book reader:
Nope, not a Kindle. This was inexpensive and according to the technical specifications it can what I need. I have wanted an e-book reader for long, but they have been too expensive and I also had to have some extra money to spend. I LOVE books so it will never replace my real library, but it is a great alternative. Especially when reading so many English books as I do, and I also have lots of old classics to look forward to – they are often free due to their age.

It has 4 Gb internal memory which is about 4,000 books – so I think that’ll do for a couple of days.

Marilyn Monroe

Do I need more books about Marilyn Monroe?

No, I don't think so. Anyway, two more books about her ended in the Amazon basket a few days ago. I got money for books from my mum as a birthday gift, she is as crazy about books as I am, but not familiar with the internet.

The first one is new:
"Fragments" are all her own notes, poems, and scribblings in various notebooks and on small pieces of notes. I look very much forward to reading it, since I think it will show me who she really was.

The other is with a rarely seen serie of photos from Canada:

It is with photos from 1953, where she looked incredibly lovely. To me she has always been the most beautiful woman in the world - and she had figure, something I truly love.

I will end with a topical photo from the book:

Right before the photo session she hurt her leg, and despite a leg bandage she carried through the session and looked fabulous as always.

I've also broken my leg! Last Wednedsday. I slipped on all that damn ice, so now I'm doomed to stay calm for the coming weeks. But I did not need to have an operation - which I'm NOT ready for yet. So watch out in the Winter weather!

Lost in a Book

I am completely lost in a book! I gave myself "Extraordinary Records" as a birthday present, but received it some days ago due to some problems. I found it at Amazon, of course

I have to admit that I'm a vinyl freak, I just LOVE old LP's, EP's and singles, so this book is truly candy for me. It is about special vinyl, it might be coloured (opaque, semi-transparent or crystal, it might be picture discs or it might be shaped discs. I have a feeling that this book is going to ruin my 2010 Challenge.

I alreday own some of the vinyl mentioned in the book, let me start with my favourite: A crystal clear blue edition of Elvis Presley's "Moody Blue" LP, the last one he made:

I also have the white edition of Madonna's "Like a Virgin":

I have a pink double LP with bombshells from the fifties:

Lovely colour on the record player:

I have several picture discs with both Elvis, Twisted Sisters and this great old Christmas LP with Bing Crosby:

I only have one, so far, shaped disc - a green punkrock Christmas EP - you simply cannot live without it:

Vintage Books Hidden in the Roof

Two weeks ago we took down the roof of our house which is from 1930. Hidden in the roof was many strange things: lots of clay, old carpets, newspapers and books. I have scanned the frontpages of these three books, which of course are in Danish, but the illustrations says it all. I cannot find any publishing year, but since the house is from 1930, I believe the books to be so too or perhaps from the very late 20's.

The books are film novels, they are novels made from famous movies. I have translated the titles, I don't know the correct English title, sorry. I think the novels are quite "juicy", considering their age. I find them very charming and will read them soon.

Here we go - the first one is "The Merry Widow":

The second is "The White Slave Girl":

And the third is "The Court of Love":