A "French" Fall Wreath

In the summer of 2012,

my husband and I traveled to Europe.

We started in England, crossed the Channel,

and went through Normandy.

Then, we spent six days in Paris.

After Paris, we went down to Provence.

Finally, we spent six days in Rome

before heading back home to the US.

I loved this trip.

It was something I had dreamed about

since I was 5 years old.
(That's when I started ballet lessons.

I learned that French is the language of ballet.)

My love of all things French began.

By the time we had reached the famous

street market and shops in Aix-en-Provence,

my husband was "done" with shopping.

I'll admit it was difficult.

We did not check any baggage,

so we each had a 20" carry-on.

Those small suitcases were packed to the max!

Of course, before I went shopping,
I began my day with the MOST delicious french breakfast.

Then, I went to the famous street market in Aix-en-Provence.
It was remarkable.
I loved it.

The open air market was so pretty,
it was almost like a painting.
(I can understand why the
Impressionists loved this area so much!)

 

I also went around to many of the small shops in town.
The whole time, I had to control my purchases
to small, flat items (or almost flat).
I needed everything to fit in my one, small suitcase
After all, we still had to fly to Rome!

I found the cutest shop in the square in Aix.
I could have easily purchased EVERY item in the shop -
the shop owner liked the same type of items as me.
We were decor *soul mates*.  Haha!

I purchased several items at the shop.
They were all things that were light (in weight) and flat.

One item I purchased was a metal welcome sign.
It says "Bienvenue" - French for "welcome".

I love this sign and it stays on my front door most of the time.

 

For autumn, I paired the sign with a twig wreath 

(from Joann's) and a burlap bow.

 

It looks great against my new red door.
(My dad is building me a Dutch Door).
Please ignore the paint job - it is a work in progress.

I like the way the sign adds to the wreath.
Most of all, I like that the sign reminds me of my wonderful time in Provence!