Shabby Chic Clothes Pins by Parlene

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It is a well known fact that most European homes and apartments do not have a clothes dryer. After staying in France for five weeks we found creative methods and places to hang our clothes. Literally, all over the apartment. On the stairs, over chairs, over doors, the bed railings, well you get the idea.

The upside to this experience was that the explosion of clothing in the house challenged my creativity. I began to think that if my unmentionables must be displayed all over the house, why not add some flair?

Decorative clothes pins are the answer! Now, when clothes have to be hung inside the house or apartment, I can enjoy shabby chic decorated clothes pins. Hmmm. Maybe I will look forward to the laundry circus each week after all. But alas, I live in California and I DO have a dryer! C'est magnifique! Even so, I have items that I never put into the dryer.

These cute and practical clothes pins actually have multiple uses.

Just to name a few...

Notes

Photos

Closing treat bags (ie. cookies, coffee, bon bon et cafe etc.)

Hanging lingerie

Seating Card Holders

Party Favors

Save the Date cards

Bridal gifts

File organization

Office Decoration

Hanging my lingerie with shabby chic clothes pins is just another day in my European Style Life.

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Paris Apartment in Los Angeles - Bathroom

One of my favorite styles of decor is Shabby Chic. I am drawn to how it ties together old country with a bit of French elegance and the use of "distressed" items. The soft tones of pastels that are used in Shabby Chic rooms remind me of the days of Versailles when Marie Antoinette herself redecorated her apartments with pastel blues and pinks.

The bathroom is painted "Windwood Spring" (by Behr Premium Plus Paint) with "Shortbread" (from Dunn Edwards) for the trim. I forgot to take "before" pictures of the bathroom, so you will just have to take my word that it is quite an improvement.

We purchased the shower curtain from Bed, Bath and Beyond. Interestingly, Bed, Bath and Beyond has a few choices should you decide to decorate your bathroom with a French theme. I like the shower curtain because it reminds me of something that I would find at my favorite store Anthropologie. At Anthropologie you can find all sorts of cute items to decorate with--that is, if you are not shopping for clothes of course. I further enhanced my bathroom by creating my own French themed ribbon for decorating boxes and hanging pictures.

I was very fortunate when I made a trip to Ross and found the most beautiful Shabby Chic Chandelier wall art. It matches perfect with the bathroom and brought the whole concept together. What are the odds that I would find these pictures with the exact colors that I was looking for? I struck gold!

I am enjoying my new bathroom. It feels very tranquil and fresh. It is soft, pleasant and welcoming. Enjoying my Paris Apartment (sigh, in Los Angeles) is just another day in my European Style Life.

Paris Apartment in Los Angeles - Kitchen

When we went to Europe earlier this year we spent 3 weeks in the South of France. I had visited the south before, but this time we experienced something truly different. We stayed with friends in Bordeaux and were able to experience the daily life of the people. The friends we stayed with lived in houses and apartments that were gorgeous. Not expensive or over done, but simply lovely.

We fell in love with the decor and culture of the south and so it was easy to decide to bring a little of it into our home here in Los Angeles. Again, we used Dunn Edwards paint. The kitchen is painted "Apricot Glow" with "Whisper" for the cabinets and trim.

I am thrilled that while the Eiffel Tower is not outside my window, I can see the Eiffel Tower each time I am washing the dishes. How is that for fantastic?

From our previous trips to Europe we brought back table linens that work well with our new South of France decor. I love mixing the yellow with the different shades of blue and red. We even found a few wall accents that say "Bordeaux"!

Our dishes -a wedding present- match our new decor. In addition, our Eiffel Tower wine glasses -a 1o year anniversary present- bring our French dream to life.

Being surrounded by hues of yellow, blue and red is just another day in my European Style Life.

My Paris Apartment in Los Angeles - Living Room

I may not have an apartment in Paris, but that certainly will not stop me from having a Paris Apartment. Having a Paris apartment is a state of mind in my opinion. And I can tell you that I am definitely in a European frame of mind. I recently redecorated my living room, kitchen and bathroom. Now, my little home reflects my European day dreams.

I love the look of my "new" apartment. My "apartment" actually is not an apartment but more of a back house. I took inspiration from a few of my favorite decorating styles and some helpful hints from my sister's apartment. Selecting colors for paint is nearly half the battle. My brother-in-law helped me pick out some colors via telephone and email. Viola! We were ready to get started.

We used paint by Dunn Edwards. The living room is painted "Teracotta Sand" with "Shortbread" for the trim.

It took 2 days with the help of my mother to paint the living room and kitchen. And then I painted the bathroom on my own on another day. It was an exhausting experience. With a few trips to Home Depot, Target, Marshall's, Ross and Bed, Bath and Beyond I am happy I painted and even happier that it is over!

I simply adore my extra large art work of not only the Eiffel Tower, but of the city of Paris. In this picture you can see the Seine and it's beautiful bridges. I can't tell you how many times I am watching TV and end up drifting off and gazing at my beautiful picture of Paris. Maybe this view of Paris is not right outside my window, but it will have to do for now.

We even added 2 clocks to our wall for a total of 3. We keep track of the time in Paris, Los Angeles and Tokyo. At any given moment we are aware of the time of day for the Parisians.

Gazing into the distance at the lights of Paris is just another day in my European Style Life. In Los Angeles that is.