a fine frenzy

How did I not know about this tumblr sooner!? Aptly named "vintage gal," it is just as it sounds: hundreds of beautiful photos of ladies from the past; a perfect mixture of photos and art, celebrities and no-names, weird and not-so-weird.

Have fun looking!

xo, Amanda

something about nuns

This is my favorite moment from my whole trip. I was so lucky to be able to capture part of it on film. Adam and I wandered into an incredibly beautiful church in Madrid and found a room where some nuns were praying. There were only a few other people sitting in the room. We sat down for a few minutes, and were about to leave when, all of a sudden, the nuns stood up and began to sing.

They had some of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard.

xoxo

Amanda

midnight in paris

 Tonight I saw Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen's new film, at the Coolidge Corner Theater.

The Coolidge is an amazing theater that's been open since 1933. Midnight was played in the "movie house," which is the largest screening room in the building with beautiful art deco features.

It seemed like the perfect place to see this movie.

 I actually didn't know much about the movie before seeing it. While in Paris, I saw an American movie with French subtitles and one of the previews was for this film. I just remember seeing Marion Cotillard in a room of taxidermy animals and falling in love immediately, naturally. Paris also had posters for this movie absolutely everywhere; they were rightfully proud!

 I won't say much about the movie, except that it was everything that I, personally, could ever dream a movie to be, and that you should see it. :)

I've been SO busy lately, but I promise that so many more Europe photos are coming, plus drawings, plus new paintings!!

xoxo

Amanda

first loves are hard to shake

I really love Boston, but it wouldn't be honest of me to say that it doesn't feel different being here after seeing three gorgeous European cities.

As Kate put it the other night, the first city you fall in love with is a big deal. 

Boston happens to be the first city I ever fell in love with, and I feel really lucky to live in it. So I'd like to use this summer to fall in love with Boston all over again. 

What do you love about where you live?

I fell in love with chimney stacks.

If I had to tell you just one thing about Paris, it would be that I fell madly, passionately in love with the rooftops. 

My favorite thing to do every night was get gelato at Amorino (the best gelato on the face of the earth, I promise) and go for long walks just staring at the roofs.

(view from my bedroom window)

The roofs are covered in chimney stacks, pipes, dormer windows, and other oddly shaped things (some of which seem to have no purpose other than to be there, looking mysterious and beautiful) mixed with more modern silhouettes like satellites and antennas which somehow only add to the charm. There are so many layers.

They look especially incredible in the dark. It seemed like a whole other world existed on top of these roofs, like a secret side of Paris that would come alive at night or something.

(view from my bathroom window. I spent a lot of time staring out these windows.)

Out of everything that seemed different from home, it was the roofs in Paris that struck me as being the most different, that made me feel like I was somewhere else. Isn't it interesting how something so simple as a roof can do that?

The detailing of them was just incredible. I did a few drawings that I'll post soon. I hope you're all having a beautiful week! It's been raining here but I kind of like it.

xoxo

Amanda

french books

While in Paris, I couldn't resist buying a few books. A little bookshop near my hotel was selling old french pulp novels for 0.20 euro! I found a copy of an old Anais Nin edition (she's one of my favorites) and "la communale," which has the cutest cover and science/math diagrams scattered throughout the pages.

 I also found a Polish bookshop called Librairie Polonaise A Paris, on the corner of Rue de Seine and St. Germaine Blvd. This was exciting because I am nearly half Polish, and my grandfather can speak and read Polish. I got a book of poems for children that has THE most beautiful illustrations (pictured above and in the two photos below): "Brzechwa Dzieciom" illustrated by Jan Marcin Szancer (the above illustration is an amazing self portrait of him).

 Anais in her native language 

 "la communale" by Jean L'Hote

a cute Polish children's book, "Parvel i Garvel" by Aleksander Fredro, published by Dwie Siostry. This illustrator had a series of cute little books written by different authors. 

I love my French books! It was hard to shove them all into my tightly packed suitcase but I managed. It was worth it. :) 

I hope you're all having a beautiful week!

xoxo

Amanda

fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars.

Hi, everyone!! How have you all been?!

I am back from my trip. There's so much to share that it's overwhelming, so I thought I'd start with plane rides, seeing as I took 5 of them over the course of two weeks (and prior to them I had an enormous fear of flying). I hadn't flown in such a long time, and forgot how insanely beautiful and sort of magical it is to be that high up in the air. I took so many photos through the plane window.

NYC to London:

 (the last nighttime glimpses of new york city after takeoff)

London to Madrid:

patchwork Spain

Madrid to Paris:

the earliest morning flight. we watched the sunrise from the plane window.

I had aisle seats on my last two flights (paris to iceland, iceland to boston), so no pictures from those. It seems that flying itself has cured my fear of flying. I never imagined that would happen. 

What have you all been up to? I have some blog catching up to do.

I hope you've all had a lovely start to May!

xoxo

Amanda

p.s. - shop is officially re-opened!