To My Sweetheart
Happy Valentine’s Day to my sweetheart, Ben Blair. I can’t imagine anyone I would rather move to France with.
P.S. — Last fall, Justin Hackworth came to our home to shoot a photograph of Ben Blair and me to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I thought Valentine’s Day was an appropriate opportunity to share the photos. I’m so pleased with how they turned out.
La Cressonnière: Halfbath
I want to share more of the details that make this house so interesting. But there are so many! Too many to share all at once, so I’ll start small. With the tiniest room in the house. A little halfbath on the main floor located under the staircase.
The first thing I noticed was a row of little metal plates nailed to the door. I’m not sure what these plates were originally used for, but I think they’re so pretty. Do you know? I’m guessing some kind of printing.
… Financing a Move Abroad
Here’s another practical post. Many readers have written in asking what the real costs of moving abroad are. It’s a great question. So let’s do it. Let’s talk about the nitty gritty of how much money it took the Blairs to move to another country. Spoiler: it wasn’t free, but it likely wasn’t as much as you’d guess.
Also, I’m going to write this using a tone that assumes you’re interested in moving abroad. If you’re not, no stress. Feel free to skip this post.
Our rent for La Cressonnierre is almost exactly the same as the rent we paid on our modest home in Denver (around $1500/mo). It’s actually slightly less or slightly more depending on the Euro exchange rate. If the house was closer to Paris, I’m sure it would be much more expensive, but because it’s almost 2 hours away, the price is very reasonable. After some research, we can see that our daily expenses and utilities in France will be quite similar to what they were in Denver. Which means that really, our monthly family budget won’t change much at all. So the good news is: if you can afford to live wherever you’re living right now, you can probably also afford to live abroad — assuming you’re flexible about location. In fact, if you move to a country with a lower cost of living, your monthly budget costs could even go down.
But, there are real costs leading up to the move.
… The Treehouse at La Cressonnière
Luggage & Travel Day
Another practical post to start off the week. Today, I’ll be sharing the luggage we chose and reporting on our travel day.
Our luggage search was fairly extensive. First we window-shopped, just to get a sense of what was out there and what might work for our family. We started at TJ Maxx, which is my favorite spot to find great individual pieces at bargain prices. Next, we checked out the Army Navy Surplus store to see their enormous, sturdy duffel bags. I even approached Lands’ End about a possible luggage sponsorship because I love their totes and figured their luggage would be excellent as well — but during discussions, we figured out they didn’t have quite the sizes we needed for this particular voyage. So we kept searching.
What I found out in my research: luggage can be really expensive, but there are true bargains to be found. We eventually happened upon the brand fūl (pronounced ‘fuel’) during a Costco trip. It gets great reviews and is very reasonably priced. We ended up buying 7 duffel bags (they were $40 in store), and then bought 7 carryon/backpacks online. That’s 3 pieces for $90. Not bad! Especially considering most of the carryons we looked at were around $200 each.
… Knitted Jewelry from Rachel Faucett
Note from Design Mom: While I’m busy with the move to France, I’ve got a crew of talented Guest Moms filling in for me.Rachel is back with another great find for us today. This one would make a sweet Valentine gift. Enjoy!
As knitting and crocheting fill the fashion world with new twists on centuries-old crafts, Tanya Aguiniga takes it a step further and adds knotted rope to the mix with her Unraveled Cotton Rope Necklace line.
… Abstract Art For Kids from Dani Henriksen
Note from Design Mom: While I’m busy with the move to France, I’ve got a crew of talented Guest Moms filling in for me. Today Dani is sharing three terrific painting projects with you. Enjoy!
This is such a thrill for me to step out of my life as a full-time mom for a moment and share some painting ideas here on one of my favorite sites! I hope that these art projects inspire you to go out and buy your children some paints and canvas and encourage them to express their own unique creativity. Since my first son was born almost 6 years ago I have looked forward to providing each of my children with opportunities to create through art. You will see that these projects are not complicated (or expensive) and only require a few simple materials.
My sons Liam (5) and Lance (3 ½) created 3 simple Abstract paintings to share.
… Taking Off
Phew, I can hardly believe we made it. Today we’re boarding the plane (all 8 of us!) and embarking on our adventure to France. Send happy thoughts our way for our kids to survive the entire flight. Hopefully the iPad doesn’t get old. : )
The pretty photo is from Cori Kindred, the plane just needs to be directed slightly south.
And don’t worry, I have a lot more great guest posts lined up so there won’t be any radio silence. Accordion Folder, Movers & Storage
Here’s another one of those practical posts about France. It’s features the accordion folder above (which has lately become a beloved object of mine) and how we are moving and storing our belongings while out of the country.
But before I tell you about all of that, I must show you these post-it notes I’ve been using with the accordion folder. They’re part of the organization system designed by Peter Walsh. They come with tapered corners(!) and I think they are much prettier than the typical post-it colors.
… Countdown to France
We fly away a week from tomorrow. The Countdown to France has begun!
I am back from Alt Summit. (Yes, it was totally amazing.) I can’t wait to tell you all about it, but my report will have to wait a bit, because it’s time to get packed up for France!
The whole adventure seems entirely pretend and all-too-real at the same time. I’m excited and enthusiastic, plus overwhelmed and terrified. Mostly, I’m just working through my to-do list as efficiently as possible. This morning, I’ve been scanning in essential documents (like passports and birth certificates). Later today, I’ll go through my clothes and sort them into piles for France, Goodwill and Storage.
Because life is particularly hectic at the moment, I’ve recruited some talented Guest Moms to join me for the next two weeks. They’ll be writing up all sorts of great posts, and I’ll (hopefully) be adding in my own posts about how-t0-move-to-France. Plus, there will be two fun Giveaways on Thursday. Watch for the first guest post shortly.
Let me also say, that I can’t thank you enough for your encouraging words, kind emails and thoughtful advice. I truly do not know what I would do without you!
P.S. — I am in love with these map pillows by My Bearded Pigeon. They scan in actual maps and then have them printed as textiles. Thanks for the link, Emma. Passports & Visas
Here’s another post filled with some of the practical bits of moving to another country. Today I thought it would be fun to chat passports and visas.
Our long-stay visas were approved last week!! They are an addition to our passport that allows us to stay in France as visitors for an entire year. Hooray!
A word about visas: these aren’t visas as in credit-cards. These visas are a document issued by governments, allowing a non-citizen to live or work in their country. In France, you can automatically receive a 3 month visitor visa without having to apply for anything. But if you’d like to stay longer than 3 months, you need to apply for a long-stay visa.
I found the visa process to be a bit grueling. If you’re interested, I’ll tell you more about it below.
… Ask Design Mom: Vacuums
Question:
Dear Gabrielle, I am shopping for a new vacuum. Is it worth splurging on an expensive one? Or are they just a lot of hype? I’d love your opinion or recommendation. Thanks! — Sara
Answer:
Great question, Sara. I made do with a $40 vacuum I picked up at Costco for like 6 years or something. It wasn’t great, but it was fine. I only had a couple of area rugs that needed vacuuming. So the short answer is, if you’re not doing much vacuuming, a budget option is probably fine.
But my real answer is: I adore Dyson vacuums. (This is not a shocking statement, I’m sure. Design-centric people have long loved the Dyson.) We finally splurged on one when we moved here to Denver because we have mucho wall-to-wall carpeting. My sister advised me to buy it at Bed Bath & Beyond with one of their 20% coupons to help take the edge off the high price. It helped, but it’s still a big purchase. Like you’re buying a major appliance.
But man oh man, it’s such a great vacuum! It picks up so much more than any other vacuum I’ve tried. It’s built well and it’s easy to empty and maneuver. We chose the DC24, because it’s a manageable size for both the kids and the grownups to handle. If you’re in an apartment or other small space, my assistant Melanie swears by the new Dyson City. It’s super compact and made for all floor types.
What about you, Dear Readers? Any favorite vacuums you want to recommend to Sara? Christmas Card Basket
What do you do with all your Christmas cards after Christmas has come and gone?
We’ve tried a few different things. Before the days of photocards, I would save the pretty paper and use it to make gift tags for next Christmas — and I would save any enclosed photos in an album, but those days are (mostly) gone.
This is what we do now. About 3 years ago, as Christmas mail arrived, I started putting it in a little basket so I could attend to it when I had a calm moment. Turns out, I liked keeping them in the basket, so I kept doing it. The basket has turned into a sort of Guest Book of Our Lives.
The basket stays out year round. Sometimes it lives in the family room or office. Once it even lived on the mantel because it looked good in the display I had put together. And through the year, I add graduation announcements, wedding invitations and baby notices. Because they’re stacked flat against each other, the cards don’t take up much space at all, and our basket can hold several years worth easily. If envelopes indicate a new address, I keep the envelope at the back of the basket until we’ve updated our records. Occasionally, I’ll clear out any cards we no longer need to keep, but mostly it just keeps filling up, up, up.
I love sitting with the basket every month or so to look through the familiar faces. It always makes me emotional — so many people that I love!
What about you? Do you keep holiday cards? Or do they hit the recycle pile with the Christmas tree? Ask Design Mom: Putting Christmas Away
Question:
Dear Gabrielle, how long do you let your Christmas decorations stay up? Just curious. — Janice
Answer:
Fun question, Janice! I don’t have a hard and fast rule, but if possible, I do like to have everything put away before the kids start back to school. It makes me feel like we’re getting a fresh start. This year, I packed up everything on Saturday (New Year’s Day). Packing happened lazily in the morning, then we shifted into a celebratory mode and went to the King Tut exhibit in the afternoon.
I took extra special care putting things away this year because they need to stay neat and secure while they live in storage for the next couple of years. Although I did set aside a few of our Christmas Essentials (some books, a handful of decorations) that we’ll pack up and bring to France — to help us feel less homesick next December. But the kids were shocked to hear we wouldn’t be bringing any ornaments. I’m hoping to come up with something cool we can make for ornaments while we’re in France — and then surprise them with the awesomeness. : )
Last to leave the house was our tree. It did a great job staying fresh and green this year — hooray! I followed Jordan’s pro-tip and stopped at the hardware store to pick up a $1 plastic drop cloth. Very helpful.
What about you? Do you put away holiday decorations right away? Or do you let them linger through January?
P.S. — I took these images of our ornaments sitting on the sofa as they came off the tree. So many great memories attached to each of these! Made me happy.
Plane Tickets & Books
I’ve decided Thursdays will be my days to write about our France preparations and share anything practical we’ve learned. Updates this week: We bought our plane tickets — whoo hoo! And we’ve been piling up a stack of books about France and French culture.
One thing I’ve read is that snacking is not really done in France, and that meals are a bigger deal than they are here — at some fast-food restaurants there are even cloth napkins! Also, apparently it’s custom to eat with a knife in your right hand and a fork in your left. I tried it tonight and I need practice. : )
photo via The Nature of Order
… La Cressonnière
Would you like to know about the house we are renting in France? It’s a house with a name instead of an address — which makes me smile every time I think of it. I’ve never lived in a house with a name! It’s called La Cressonnière and it means “watercress”. (Incidentally, to honor the name of the house, I have been looking up watercress recipes — if you have a good one, please let me know.)
The house is in the Normandy region, about 1/2 hour from Caen. (In Caen, you can catch a ferry to the UK.) It’s big enough to fit our family, it has an artist’s studio and a beautiful garden. There’s even a piano — so my kids can continue their music studies while we’re there. There’s an older part and a newer part of the house. The older part is 17th century. The newer part is 18th century. : )
Ben Blair visited the home a few weeks ago to check it out in person, see what the countryside is like and how easy it is to access Paris. He loved the house and brought us lots of video so we could get to know it too.
… Passport Covers
We know that this move to France is going to be really stretching, and overwhelming in lots of ways for all of us, but especially for our kids. So to help get them thinking about it in a positive way, we’re putting together little France kits for each them to open on Christmas Day. I’m thinking we’ll bring these out later in the day, when everyone is feeling mellow and the Christmas morning rush is over. I’m hoping the kits will get some good conversation happening and that the kids will be able to share any hopes, concerns or worries they might be having about the move.
Each kit has:
– a passport cover — and their passports, which (hooray!) arrived two days ago
– a book about France, or a familiar book in French like Goodnight Moon/Bonsoir Lune
– French candy
– and a black wool beret — of course!
Isn’t that fun? I can’t wait to see the kids in their berets.
Shopping for passport covers has been delightful. I don’t actually like using a cover myself, but I feel like I’ll need to be able to pass out specific passports quickly (among the stack of 8) while we’re traveling, so I thought it would be fun to assign out a color or pattern for each child. Here’s what I’ve found:
– Pastel colors with little airplanes. Adorable!
– Simple paper/vinyl covers for $5 each.
– I also talked with Susan of Freshly Picked about having some made in pretty metallic leathers.
Or. Maybe I should just use washi tape to customize the passport spines instead. DIY: Photo Snow Globes
Here it is. Our fifth sibling gift project for Christmas 2010. And I think it turned out charming. Oscar made photo snow globes for each of his siblings (and one for himself too).
We had every thing we needed for this project right in our house, expect white PVC pipe. So we stopped at the hardware store and picked up a 1 foot length of pipe for .33 cents, then we were ready to go.
DIY MAGICAL PHOTO SNOW GLOBES
If you’re looking for an easy last-minute gift your kids can make, this is a great one. A fun project for big kids or little kids.
… Vive la France!
Oh my goodness. We’re really doing it. We found a house and sent off our contract and security deposit last night.
So. It’s now officially official.
WE’RE MOVING TO FRANCE!
Next up: shopping for plane tickets. We’re aiming to move on February 1st. Which is just 6 short weeks away.
I’m so excited I can hardly stand it.
… DIY: Custom Leather Patches
For Christmas, Olive has been working on custom leather patches for her siblings. She’s adding the patches to hats. She is halfway done with the project and I think they’re turning out really, really great! It’s been fun to see how easy it is to burn the leather. I can imagine making all sort of designs — initials, silhouettes or patterns — to create cool leather patches. Fun to embellish a wooly scarf or a totebag or even a baseball cap.
[ UPDATE: Olive has finished the project, so I’ve added in more photos to this post. ]
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