Saturday, May 3, 2014

Paris in a Cup

When I began my blog in January of 2012, I had no idea how blogging would affect my life.


I never dreamed that one day I would be having lunch in California with a blogging friend from Indiana.


I first "met" Patty of Patty's Pretty Things when she signed up for, and won, a giveaway on my blog.''

Patty requested a large black A for her pillow

We were partnered last fall ( she loves green and I love red) in the Chaotic Goddess Color Swap.


And, I was really excited when Patty told me that she was coming to California to participate in An Affaire at Downton in Los Angeles. 

via

She arrived a few days early so on Wednesday, I took a lovely drive along the coast through Malibu and Santa Monica to meet Patty in person.

    vintage shops - Venice Beach                 Old Helms Bakery Shops                     Old Towne Orange

I had given Patty a few choices of places to vist and she chose Old Towne Orange.


Great minds think alike because we both had done our research and picked Paris in a Cup as the place we wanted to eat - so Paris it was.


The environment was lovely,


the presentation was perfect


the food was delicious


and the conversation was non-stop.


With 100's of stores to choose from and a limited amount of time, we walked into Country Roads and spent almost our entire shopping time there.


Numerous vendors have filled their booths with eye catching displays.


We just peeked at the garden displays in the back.


I love the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint booth with the strips of paint colors on the walls.


These beachy pillows were calling my name.


Nearly every booth had a gorgeous quilt or two.


Oh, that ladder vignettte!


I thought of my friend Kathy of Kluless when I saw a booth with steampunk items.


These hearts are going onto my TO DO list - notice the knitted heart in the back.


With all the beautiful eye candy to absorb, I only bought only one thing.


A single little zinc pot was all I purchased at Country Roads.


It is a long drive, but I think I need to go back to buy a door or window, that ladder, definitely the gate and that really cute little zinc banner.


And, I almost forgot to show you the sweet little macaroon box that Patty brought me filled with a little nest pendant she made.


Thanks Patty for a fun day.

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62 comments:

  1. Wonderful post!!! I too have read about but not visited Paris in a Cup... now I know I truly must visit it some day!! Thanks for the fun post and great pics.
    ~Tanya

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  2. What a fun way to spend time with a new blogging friend. Love the restaurant name. So many lovely things in the antique shop.

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  3. That looks like a cute shop! I love the ottoman. I get over whelmed in shops like that, and I can't make a decision. I thought you made out well with the zinc can purchase, until I realized that you had to go back! That's something I would do. xoxo I love that drive up or down the Pacific Coast HW.

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  4. I know the thrill. And it was at Rutabagas where I ate with Ruben and a VERY, VERY dear blogger friend who met us there...we then strolled down to Old Orange, and time was limited, so I almost felt like Cinderella; it was the most magical experience to see HER...this woman with whom I have laughed, cried, correspond with daily, from whom I've received the most beautiful gifts and whose great art I've purchased. There is something about blogging that makes friends: WRITING OUR HEART OUT.

    How lovely are all these images of wonderful memories from vintage items, to your day in Paris....Anita

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  5. Patty lives 50 miles down the road from me. She is a clever person and makes some of the cutest things. How very much fun that must have been meeting in person. So kind of you to show her around some. Paris in a cup...just too cute. The food did look yummy. Blessings to you, xoxo,Susie

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  6. What a fun afternoon and what a great shop!!

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  7. The blogger world is truly amazing...:) I have made so many dear friends (yourself included) since I started blogging. It is sometimes hard to keep up with working every day, but I can't imagine my life without my blog now!So happy you got to meet with your friend and had such a lovely time! What a sweet pendant she made you! Have a blessed weekend...Vicky

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  8. What a fun meeting with a blogging friend. Love that restaurant!!

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  9. Good name for a Paris in a cup but would be hard to live up to, but sounds like they have.
    I saw my name on a antique shop.
    Merle.............

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  10. I love this post! Looks like the best day! My favorite part of blogging is the friends I've made and bloggers I've met...really special!

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  11. It's so great that you two gals got tom meet and it looks like you showed Patty a wonderful time! I think I would have loved the restaurant and had a blast in Country Roads...the zinc pots are cool!

    XO,
    Jane

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  12. wow, that looks like a fun day!! the food looks so yummy. what a ball!! ( :

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  13. Oh my, what a day! Out shopping and having lunch with a blogging friend, now that is just wonderful! Blogging friends are the best, aren't they?
    Great photographs of so many fun treasures! I would have been in deep trouble!
    Nancy
    xo

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  14. What fun! Can't wait to see what you do with your zinc pot.

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  15. I love this story! The relationships you make blogging are my favourite part of blogging.

    So happy you got to meet one of your virtual friends!

    xox

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  16. What FUN! Patty is one of my best blog buddies, too and how neat that you got to meet and spend time together! Oh, I would have loved being right there with you! Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Hugs, Diane

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  17. Triple the fun ~ lunch with a blogging buddy, dining at Paris in a Cup (fabulous name!), and shopping at such a terrific store. Thanks for sharing your day.
    And yes, you definitely need to make a return trip!

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  18. Amazing how blogging creates a circle of friends. What a fun day you had. You have great willpower Carol, out of those beautiful things and shops you only bought a single pot. I wish I'm like that. I'm got problems!
    The food looked yummy and so exquisitely made. Yum!
    I didn't realise I haven't joined your site. But I did now 😊
    Hope you have a good weekend.

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  19. Carol,
    Oh what an enchanting day you experienced. Meeting a blogging friend, having lunch at Paris in a Cup and strolling, telling stories and shopping. 1 vintage zinc pot - wow what will power. Your day together sounds perfectly magical to me.

    It truly is a wonder land in blogger land, bonding through our correspondence, sharing, but best of all caring. Carol I hope one day I too can spend a day with you. I visit your posts and always leave in a better frame of mind then I arrived. Now that's magical.
    XO,
    Vera

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  20. That sounds like so much fun for both of you. I can tell in just those few pictures that Country Roads is a great place to spend some time. I recently met Andrea of Opulent Cottage and Julie of Lilacs and Longhorns in person. We had the best time. We really do connect with each other through blogging, don't we?

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  21. What a great day! That gate....I would no have been able to leave without it. Someday you and I will be doing something exactly like this.

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  22. What a super fun adventure! I love that area! And when I saw the photo of the Helms Bakery, I could almost smell those donuts~the truck/van would come by the house and let us ride down the street with him and eat donuts :) What a happy memory that photo gave me tonight!! Thanks for sharing! Blessings, Cindy

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  23. I am so jealous I can't stand it! lol You girls had so much fun. I love Patty- she is just such a nice person. What a fabulous place for lunch and the shopping? WOW! I would have bought one of those little zinc pots, too. Whoever sees zinc pots anywhere?
    Glad you had so much fun- it was worth the drive!!!! xo Diana

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  24. Hi Carol
    So excited you and Patti met up and had a great day together. I love that shop. I think the best part of blogging is the friends we make. Glad you had a great time.
    Kris

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  25. How lovely to meet up, looks like you both had a great day out and I loved the look of your lunch.

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  26. What a great day you two had. Zinc pots...oh, yes, I would have wanted 4-6 so I could use them in a tablescape. LOL I, too, am looking forward to seeing your new zinc pot in an upcoming post.

    Judith

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  27. First I read you met a blogfriend from India and I thought: Oh, what a long travel from there. And than I read again, from Indiana. What a lovely meeting - so much impressions and for me very interesting, to see shops in America.

    Sigrun

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  28. your latest blogpost made me realise
    how far apart WE are .
    I must admit I have no idea at all how big your country is.
    When my mother still lived it was a one-hour drive to her home ....
    We think that's FAR !
    from the north to the south is 300 km ( 186 miles ?
    from the east to the west is 200 km
    (124 miles ?)
    another country , like Belgium or Germany next to ours is realy another country with another language .
    almost another world to us .
    traveling by plain is not something most people do very often overhere .
    In 2008 I had my first flight and it was to your country . The USA.
    Near Boston in new Hampshire .
    I attended an international conference of Waldorf kindergarten teacher . I met colleagues from China Israel Europe Asia North and South America from all over the
    world.
    By messuring the time in the air I could tell a little bit How far apart your country was.
    Everything was big ..... the highways , the shoppingmalls ....
    Even your BREAKFAST !
    My dream is to visit again .
    Because I blog in english I hardly have dutch blogfriends .
    I think it is wonderful we can connect with inspiring women all over the world .
    Thanks to you and your meeting I could travel with you .
    Thank you Carol .

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  29. SO much eye candy and fun in this post :)

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  30. what a delightful time you must have had. two kindred spirits. fun. fun. fun.

    and who could go wrong, picking a place called "paris in a cup"??? :-)

    tessa~

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  31. It seems to have been a very fun day! I like the little stain glass window in one of the shops!

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  32. Good Afternoon Carol, How lovely that you actually met one of your blogging friends.... and that there was non-stopping chatting..... now that is a friend.
    Paris in a Cup sounds like a wonderful place to visit and the cakes look delightful.
    This was a really lovely and enjoyable post.
    Have a lovely Sunday.
    Best Wishes to you.
    Daphne

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  33. What a wonderful way to spend a day and get to know a blogging buddy!

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  34. Thank you, Carol, for driving 90 miles to pick me up and then driving another hour each way so that we could have such a wonderful place to visit! It was great meeting you in person and I will cherish the memories. I am working on my post too!

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  35. I loved this adventure. Love reading your blog. Glad I'm your sis-in-law! Love, Carrell

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  36. I can imagine you all had the most delightful day!! What a treat to meet a fellow blogger.
    Mary Alice

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  37. That seems like the best kind of way to spend a day. Meeting up with a fellow blogger for a good old natter, eating yummy food made by someone else and then window shopping. Thanks for posting all the photos, lots of lovely eye candy !

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  38. What a wonderful way to spend the day. I have met some of the nicest people blogging.

    Have a lovely weekend!

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  39. I love a lunch and shopping in Old Town Orange! My favorite restaurant there is the old house made into Rutabegorz Restaurant--delicious food! And we usually just go to Country Roads too, instead of traipsing all over town. It has a lot of inspiration and a bit of everything in it's shops. Glad you had a nice visit to Orange County!

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  40. What a fun time to be able to meet up with Patty and share a beautiful day together. I don't know how you controlled yourself in that shop, eye candy everywhere.

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  41. It looks like you had a fantastic time. I can't believe you could get out of that store with only buying one thing--but, then that IS my problem!!How nice to meet up with a blogger friend.Happy Sunday..Judy

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  42. I am soooooo jealous! I would have *loved* to have spent the day with you two, and it looks like y'all had a blast~!!!! How much *fun*

    Two sweet ladies, y'all are!

    xo,
    RJ

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  43. I love those zinc pots, I would have bought them too! You and Patty looked like you had a great time, Country Roads would have been one store I wouldn't have like to leave!

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  44. Hi Carol, I just left a comment, but I got an error report, so I don't think it went through. So, I'll try one more time :)
    This post is amazing. I think that it was wonderful that you could spend the day with a blogging sister,and that the two of you had so much fun together. Your photos are incredible. I took my time and went through each photo with a fine tooth comb . . . so much eye candy. The beachy pillows look like you and something that you would have made; the hearts, too. I can't wait to see your take on them :)
    Have a lovely week.
    Connie :)

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  45. How absolutely cool is this! Isn't blogging just amazing! The great people we get to meet that enjoy the same things that we do!!! And I just chuckled when you said that you picked up one of those zinc pots because that is exactly what I was thinking I would grab! They are too cool and what a great price! SO neat that you were able to connect with her for such a lovely day! Life is good! Happy week to you! Nicole xoxo

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  46. What a beautiful shop, and it sounds like you and Patty had a lovely day. What could be better than meeting a blog buddy and touring awesome shops with such treasures? Sounds like my cup of tea ;)

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  47. Isn't it fun to meet a blogger friend in person? It sounds like you two had a wonderful meal and great shopping! (I'm drooling over the Country Roads eye candy )
    Susan

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  48. How great to meet a blogging friend.
    I live very close to Orange, in fact I went by Country Roads today. Toured three homes on a Garden Tour.
    Don't you just love Paris in a Cup.

    So glad that you got to meet each other. Country Roads is very pricey, so you did good only spending $5.00.
    Mary

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  49. Good morning beautiful artist! Thank you Carol, for coming by to visit. It truly is a wonderful life to CREATE, is it not? Whether with music and images, home décor or paints, we all add to the canvas of living, and it is so splendid. Dance my dear....ON THE BEACH, for me? HUGS! Anita

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  50. Hello Carol, what a lovely get together you and Patty had. Neat store, thanks for sharing all the wonderful photos. I like those hearts too. Hugs Judy

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  51. Gosh, you're so lucky to live where you do. To be able to drive along that beautiful stretch of highway next to the coast is like something out of a movie to me! I can only imagine how hard it is to only shop at one shop. I'm sure you have so many to choose from. Glad to hear that you had a great time. Wish I didn't live on the opposite coast so I could visit you too!

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  52. Love your post. Isn't it great meeting on-line friends. I have met several friends from an on-line book site. And many years ago I started writing a pen pal in Canaday (my daughter was 5 months old) we have met in real-life and are still friends.

    Love the pictures of the shop and Paris in a Cup. Lovely places. So happy you had such a great day with a friend.

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  53. Love your post today.
    I met two blog friends since I started to blog. It is so special.
    I am so happy for your special day, it sounded and looked like a wonderful time. :-)

    xx oo

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  54. It is so awesome to meet blogging friends in person! Looks like you two had a wonderful day. That restaurant and the types of shops you went into would both be right up my alley.

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  55. What a wonderful day out you had with Patty and it was fun for us to tag along too! The food in Paris in a teacup looks amazing and Country Roads looks a great place to shop. I could see you were gathering inspiration as you walked around! Sarah x

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  56. Oh what a lovely way to spend with a dear friend! I am loving this adorable shop...filled with gorgeous eye candy, wish I could go with you:)Must feel wonderful to meet a bloggy friend~hugs, Poppy

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  57. Fun, fun, fun...friends and food! Add a bit of shopping in an interesting place and you have a lovely day! Thanks for sharing...Susan

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  58. Sounds like a fantastic day, Carol. What a treat to meet a blogging friend in person! Can you believe growing up in SoCal that I've never been to Old Towne Orange? It's definitely going on my "list" for the next time I'm in L.A. Thanks for taking us along on a fun outing!

    Jeanette

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  59. I WANT the gate too and some quilts. Thanks for making me drool with the photos of the beautiful coastal drive and the presentation of food! What a special, fun day!

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  60. I so happy you met Patty and had such a beautiful day together. I live the next state from her and I haven't met her, or knew about her so I will head over to visit. Oh my I'm pea green with envy, I would go cray cray if I could shop at this great store. So many beautiful items I want. Oh, let's be honest I could buy all of it!!! Mr. C is ever so grateful we don't live in CA. Oh but if I do, let's me for lunch at Paris in a Cup. So cool! Have a great week!

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  61. Its really something how you get to know someone through blogging! I'm glad you had such a good time together,

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  62. How exciting to meet your friend and be able to spend the entire day together. Both the Paris in A Cup and the Country roads were wonderful
    eye candy.

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