Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paris. Show all posts

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Win a $25 Gift Certificate to the Travel and Toile Store!

YES, IT IS TRUE.  

I'm doing a giveaway!  
You can win a $25 gift certificate to the brand new Travel and Toile Store on Zazzle! (http://www.zazzle.com/travelandtoile)

How do you win?  It's pretty simple.  I'm attempting to decide what photographs to use on my merchandise.  I could just choose the ones that I like best, and trust me, I will do that too, but I also want your opinion.  After all, if you are reading this, you must like something about what I'm doing, and my hope is that, perhaps, you might even want to spend a little cash to own some of it for yourself one day.  Maybe.  So, the way you enter is by giving me feedback.

Leave a comment (of at least four words) on ANY post, here on Travel and Toile, or on any photograph on the Travel and Toile Facebook Page.
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Travel-and-Toile/171433242888354)

Or, you can leave comments on the Travel and Toile Flickr Page.
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/travelandtoile)

The comment can be positive or negative- just let me know if you like the photograph, or photographs in the post, what you like (or don't like) about it, or, if you would like (or decidedly not like) to see it on a product, or if it reminds you of something spectacular from your childhood (or doesn't), or if you like my composition (or you hate it).  Basically, just leave me at least four words about what you think about my work.  This will help me create products you will like, give me valuable feedback on how I'm doing artistically, and give you a chance to win some free stuff.  It sounds good to me!  

The more comments you leave, the better your chances to win!  There is no cap on the number of comments other than time, and number of posts/ photographs that happen to exist.  And, of course, the size of your sit-at-computer-and-chill-out stash of snacks.  That's important. 

This contest begins at 11:00pm EST on Sunday, June 12, 2011, and will end at 11:59pm EST on June 19, 2011.  All comments posted before that time were definitely appreciated, but will not count for this contest.

While you are debating... check out some of the super-nifty merchandise already available in the store! 



More fine print type things- 

You DO NOT need to have a Google ID to leave comments here.  Just click on  "# comments" at the end of any post, and choose the Name/URL option in the drop down menu.  You don't actually have to put a URL.  However, if you don't leave a name, I can't enter you in the contest.  It doesn't have to be your real name, if you don't want it to be.  It merely has to be consistent.  If you win, I will need your actual email address in order to send you your fantastic $25 gift certificate!  

Unfortunately, you do need to be registered with Facebook in order to leave comments there.  Sorry about this, if you aren't a Facebook user...  I just wanted to broaden the options for entry.  Same thing goes for Flickr, actually. 

Why four words?  It's an arbitrary number, yes, but I don't want people just writing "awesome!" or "this sux!" or "comment..." on a post.  That's not helpful to you, or to me.  Not that, "Wow, that was awesome!" is all that much more helpful, but at least it looks like you made an effort... right?

Why are there so few items in the shop at the moment?  Well, I just opened it yesterday, and I'm working on it.  There will be many, many more items very soon.  Don't you worry.  That $25 worth of free stuff will be very worth your time, I promise.  If I didn't think it would be, I wouldn't be offering this awesome opportunity to you!

Didn't you have a store on Etsy?  I've been wanting to do a giveaway for awhile now, and this seems to be the perfect opportunity.  As many of you know, I used to host my shop on Etsy.  This proved to be extremely unsuccessful.  I dumped a lot of money into the store, and basically didn't get any back.  It was an essentially failed venture, but I learned a lot, and have lots of printed notecards to send to relatives, and magnets of my own work on my metallic front door, so I wouldn't say that it wasn't pointless.  Zazzle offers a wider range of products with smaller monetary gain on my part per item, in theory, but there are no costs up front.  I'm giving it a go!  

As more questions come up, I'll edit them here, on this post.

Thanks for your support, everyone!  
BEST OF LUCK!!
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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Paris, Je T'aime!

Over the past few weeks, I have noticed a huge spike in readers from French-speaking countries on this blog.  I credit this mostly to Hello It's Valentine!  A beautiful blog by a lovely girl who chose to put my link in her sidebar.  In any case, I am so glad to have all of you!  I actually speak a little bit of French, and would love to get better.  While I was living in London last year, I had the privilege of traveling to France, Belgium and Switzerland, where I actually got to use it a little. 
Now, I live in an area of Brooklyn with a lot of French speakers!  Many people in my building are from Haiti and Martinique, and sometimes greet people in French before they really think about it.  They are generally shocked when I can actually say something back to them.  We get menus and church advertisements underneath our door that are entirely in French, and even if they are something in which I am totally uninterested, I try to read them.  Because there are so many users of French, I hear it a lot, and it's made me quite a bit better, and very motivated to become fluent!  (And to possibly visit more French-speaking countries!)  Sometimes, I'll hear people in the grocery store, or wherever,  having a conversation, and start giggling.  Danny then turns to me all confused, but he speaks a good amount of Spanish, so I am in the same situation when that language is involved.  We're even.

In any case, to honor all my French speaking readers, I have compiled a group of photographs from our trip to Paris last spring that I would love to share!  I know that lots of other countries besides France use French, but it seems fitting.

Also- please see on the sidebar, I included a little poll, asking whether I should start posting my text in French as well as English.  If you have an opinion, please let me know.

Pour voir ce même texte en français, s'il vous plaît regard au dessous des photographies. 



Au cours de ces dernières semaines, j'ai remarqué une grande quantité dans les lecteurs des pays français-Parlant sur ce blog. Je crédite ceci surtout à Hello It's Valentine ! Elle est belle, et a un blog magnifique. Elle a mis mon lien dans son encadré ! Je suis très content que vous êtes ici !

Je parle francais un petit peu, mais aimerait parler français mieux.  Pendant que j'habitais en Londres l'an dernier, j'ai eu le privilège de voyager en France, Belgique et Suisse, où je l'ai parlé un peu. Maintenant, j'habite en un secteur de Brooklyn avec beaucoup de haut-parleurs français ! Beaucoup de personnes dans mon bâtiment sont d'Haïti et de Martinique, et quelquefois ils saluent des gens en français au lieu d'anglais. Ils sont généralement choqués quand je peux dire quelque chose à eux en français.  Nous obtenons de menus et des annonces d'une église au-dessous de notre porte qui est entièrement en français, et même s'ils sont quelque chose dans laquelle je suis totalement indifférent, j'essaie de les lire. Parce que tant de gens parlent français, je l'entends beaucoup, et je suis motivé pour apprendre à parler français mieux !  (Et je veux visiter de pays plus de-français parlant) ! Quelquefois, j'écoute des gens qui parlent français dans le supermarché, et je ris à leur conversation drôle.  Quand je ris, Danny devient confondu. Mais, il parle l'espagnol assez bien, et quand nous entendons quelqu'un parle espagnol, il peut les comprendre, et je ne peux pas. Nous sommes égaux.

En tout cas, j'aimerais honorer tous mes lecteurs qui français-Parlant ! J'ai compilé un groupe de photographies de notre voyage au printemps dernier de Paris. J'aimerais les partager avec vous. Je sais que beaucoup de pays autrement que français d'usage de France, mais cette poste est pour tout le monde ! 

Aussi- s'il vous plaît voir sur l'encadré, j'ai inclus un petit sondage, demandant si je devrais commencer à poster mon texte en français de même qu'anglais. Si vous avez une opinion, s'il vous plaît me permettre de savoir.

Je m'excuse de ma grammaire terrible!!!  Je ne suis pas aisé en francais...

Merci beaucoup mes amis!  
Thank you very much my friends!

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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Photographer Feature: Mariana Vily

My name is Mariana, and I'm an actress born and bred in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I met Emily on a short trip to New York I made this year. 

I take lots of photographs, so picking just 3 was complicated. I'm always thinking of creating an album on Flickr, but then for some reason I never do. 

So, sorry, no website :S.


The Beach
 This is in Montevideo, Uruguay. This specific neighbourhood is called Pocitos. The city is on the coast of the river diving Argentina and Uruguay.


 Flatiron
 This is the reflection of the buildings surrounding Madison Square Park on the fountain. I took this one this year, I think in early July.


 Ville Lumiere
 I took this one on my first trip to Paris. I'd walked all the way from the courtyard of the Louvre through the Tuileries gardens till I got there. Along the way you see way too many statues, the 2 triumph archs, the Eiffel tower and Cleopatra's needle. So the whole effect, to me at least, was pretty moving and overwhelming.


Montevideo, Uruguay
Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Paris, France

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Blossom

 
No, not the Powerpuff girl, but a flowering tree.  These are such a perfect indication that spring has sprung, and this tree in Paris proved no exception.  The pink was such a delicate shade, and the ground below was covered in petals.  Ah, delight.

Paris, France

Like this?  Take a look at some Dutch cherry blossoms in Spring.

Je Chuchote Votre Nom

I loved this statue in the Jardin du Luxembourg.  It was so evocative to me, I just kept thinking about what on earth the sculptor was trying to say, and came up with a million different answers and interpretations, which made me know that it was a good statue.  The woman could be asking for anything- life, love, a helping hand... it doesn't really matter.  I imagined the response to come out in a whisper.  Je chuchote votre nom, I whisper your name.

Paris, France

Like this?  Try taking a look at Contemplation.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Le Tour Eiffel

My night photography skills, at their best, would be graciously described as dodgy.  So, when this photograph turned out as well as it did, I was incredibly pleased.  The Eiffel Tower must be one of the most frequently photographed structures in the world.  I've seen images of it everywhere.  It's just so distinctive, and so indicative of France, and Paris specifically, that everyone who wants to appear classy by allying themselves with French culture seems to have images of it all over their home.  I am one of those people who loves the Eiffel Tower for everything it is, and stands for.  Je l'adore.

Paris, France

Like this?  Take a look at another famous Paris sight in Love is Just a Game.

Make a Wish

I realized that, given the number of photographs I had taken in Paris... I had posted very few.  So, I invite you to enjoy a couple more photos from my trip to good old Paris!  This one enchanted me so very much.  This little girl in the Jardin du Luxembourg was just gazing into the water, for a couple of minutes.  She seemed entranced by the subtle movements of the koi in the pond.  It's so easy to forget how fascinating the world was to us when we were children.  This is why, every once in a while, we must take a step back and remember that our world is lovely.  Lovelier than we think it is.

Paris, France

Like this?  Take a look at another little French girl in Le Fille et Son Scooter.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

On Film

A digital shot taken of my darling film camera, given to me by my wonderful friend Kacie.  It was sitting in my room, on my side table, on top of a scarf I have, that I bought in Paris about three years ago.  The scarf is covered in different Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec lithographs, so it's mosty shades, of green, mustard yellow, peacock blue, and red.  I loved how this offset the camera.

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Like this?  Take a gander at Photobook.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Volcanic Sunset: Part 3

A statue, bathed in the glow of the sunset.

The Tuileries Gardens
Paris, France

If you like this photograph, you should like Form as well.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Volcanic Sunset: Part 2

Another lovely view of a red-orange sky. Thanks to the volcano.

The Tuileries Gardens
Paris, France

If you enjoyed this, make sure to take a look at Le Fille et Son Scooter.

Volcanic Sunset: Part 1

Eyjafjallajökul sure was annoying, wasn't it?  Travel plans were spoiled, people were stranded for weeks in countries where they didn't speak the language, or have enough money to buy a hotel room, or even food.  Air traffic basically halted.  It was a total disaster.  However.... the sunsets in Europe, while it was erupting?  
They. Were. GORGEOUS.
Stunningly pretty.
So, I tried to capture a few of them on film.
Enjoy!

The Tuileries Gardens
Paris, France

Like this?  Then check out Landscape.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

What a Quack

A duck in the fountain at Palais Royal
I thought it was cute, so my boyfriend lured it towards me by feeding it peanuts.

Paris, France

Was this picture your new favourite?  Take a look at another critter up close and personal in Why, Thank You!

Medieval

The Sainte-Chappelle
Isn't this just divinely cool?  Crumbling Medieval pillars.

Paris, France

If you enjoyed this photograph, I have a sneaking suspicion that you might Fancy a Game?

Spray Paint

A man doing spray paint art outside of the Centre Pompidou.
Probably one of the coolest things that I have ever seen.

Paris, France

Like this?  Then check out another photograph of an artist, called... The Artist.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Contemplation

A Statue in the Jardin du Luxembourg
Which reminds me a little bit of Doctor Who.  In a scary way.

Paris, France

Enjoy this?  Well then, you must face the Lion!!

La Fille et Son Scooter

A little girl with her scooter at the Centre Pompidou.
She actually ran over my foot a few minutes before I took this picture...

Paris, France.
Like this?  The Performance shows some other really cute children.

Lovebirds

Two pigeons sharing an intimate moment, caught on film by moi.
I guess it really is the city of love!
Paris, France

Like this?  Three's Company might be your cup of Tea?

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Saturday, June 5, 2010

The Little Ship

A Toy Sailboat on the Pond
Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris, France

Like this?  Take a look at Grazing.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Stretch

A Statue in the Jardin du Luxembourg
Paris, France

Like this?  I'd suggest looking at Form and Grazing.