Hello dear friends! I'm happy to be back on decor8 today because I've missed you very much this week. I love working on projects outside of my blog but I always find myself missing the exercise of blogging daily and connecting with all of you. The consistency energizes me - it's like I've pulled the plug whenever I walk away from my blog for more than a day or two and it bothers me so much. Much of this has to do with being so regular as a blogger for so many years, it's like a good eating or exercise program -- once you stray you just don't feel as good, do you? Blogging is such a creative endeavor but also makes me feel better emotionally. I can pour out my passions and in return, you share with me, and this symbiosis keeps me going.

Today I thought that since I've been working in Paris this week that you may enjoy some of my inspirations from the road consisting of mini travel notes and little snaps that I took on my iPhone along the way. I am back home now, but leave again tomorrow morning to work in London so I'll be there blogging as well... but mostly working along with some shopping and girl time with the very dear Sania Pell. For now, let's talk about Paris though...

While there, we shot four locations and I was able to meet some very creative people who had spaces that reflected their rich inner world. I spent time with photographer Debi Treloar and book publisher Jacqui Small and we had such a nice time. It's always such a pleasure to be with them but also to meet homeowners and have a chat about their space and inspirations but more than that, to become completely immersed in their world playing with their things and setting up the shots - it's very creative hands-on work and I find a lot of pleasure in it. I cannot reveal the homeowners just yet but I can reveal little notes along the way which I will below. All of these thoughts will carry with me for years to come and I thought to record them here publicly may be nice as I won't be writing these into my book.

I notice, no matter where we shoot, that every home has it's own scent - mostly good! In one location I fell in love with the most wonderful candle by Christian Dior called 30 Montaigne. The scent was in every room and was quite warm and masculine, spicy, calming and exotic. I think this scent would be perfect at a home party with great cocktails, good music and 30 Montaigne burning in a nearby room. Funny enough, as I thought about how great his flat would be for a party, I discovered his wonderful little DJ nook tucked away in a hidden corner with tons of great music and that he had a disco ball laying nearby so I think my instinct was on target. This guy can throw down when it comes to doing a great home party. All of these things came from a scented candle but it's true, the way a home smells can be so closely tied to what the homeowner loves or loves to do most at home. His Parisian flat had the best light by day, the natural light was so pretty streaming through the vintage glass windows.

I also spotted and sampled a room fragrance spray in another home that we photographed, this one was by Diptyque called Feu de Bois which smelled exactly like burning firewood. It was remarkable and is now on my wishlist. In that home, which had a lot of texture and was very, very French I think the scent matched perfectly to the interior.

While in Paris we had lunch at Merci with American stylist and editor James Leland Day whom I've long admired (some of his work is shown below). I had heard that he lived in Paris so I looked him up and I'm so glad that I did. We had a nice time chatting over lunch.

While at Merci I was able to see new installations for Spring going in but was too busy to walk around the store so I missed the whole retail experience of being there - I didn't even see the interiors floor (shame!). The dresses that were being installed in the main entry were stunning though and made from tissue paper, can you see them below? So lovely! Also at Merci I had to snap a photo of their famous book cafe and a random pic of the floor in their ladies fashion section. I know it's an odd photo but I love the mix of pastels with copper at the moment and this smattering of paint on the floor was so random and beautiful that I had to snap it. The shoes are cute too.

If you'd like to see a full tour of Merci as shown on decor8 previously shot by Australian photographer Jillian Leiboff, please click here.

In Paris I had breakfast with French stylist and author Emilie Griottes, a lovely lady who is barely 30 years old and has already authored two cookbooks, styled some craft books and she produces a gorgeous blog. She just started styling and taking photographs one year ago and already has so much solid work to show for it. It's unbelievable really, but so inspiring and encouraging. This is her immediately after we had breakfast shown below. She was a cheerful and enthusiastic as she looks - I really enjoyed our time together. She will be a columnist on decor8 beginning in March, too! I'm very honored to have her on board, here are the details in case you missed my earlier announcement.

Another friend that I was able to see again in Paris was Nichole Robertson from Little Brown Pen. We've hung out before - the first time we met was when she visited me in New Hampshire at my home in 2009 and then the following year I saw her in New York City working on Decorate, then last year she came to visit me while I was signing my book at Anthropologie in SoHo and later that night, we all got together for drinks and eats. This time around, I got to see her in Paris which seemed so appropriate as she is about to see the release of her first book, Paris in Color, also published by Chronicle Books (my publisher in the US as well). We shared an evening of food, wine and a stroll around Rue Montorgueil then over to the Notre Dame Cathedral to snap photos and enjoy some girl talk. Nichole is refreshingly honest and positive while still being realistic with both feet firmly planted on the group. She's whip smart, funny and truly an inspirational modern mom and woman in general. I admire what she has done to grow her business online.

Now back to some notes from the locations. In one home I found the word TRUST on a window in small lucite letters. I love understated things in a home like this that are random but meaningful. Seeing that word daily must be a great reminder -- to just TRUST things in life - trust others, trust the process, trust your vision, trust your faith, trust that things will work out, trust that if they don't that it may have been for a good reason, just TRUST. As I was working in Paris and putting together ideas for my next book, the message of TRUST displayed on the window rang very loudly when I saw it. I spotted it immediately following a moment when I was starting not to trust. Let me explain... I was there working quietly while Debi and Jacqui were chatting in the adjacent room and while they were talking, I blocked out their conversation to have a bit of a think. You know those moments when you go inward and just sort through ideas and feelings? That was what I was doing. I was processing stuff. I had this feeling wash over me as I was doing it that felt very unsure. Suddenly, something invisible seemed to direct me over to the window to look out upon the beautiful homes across the street. As I approached the window to think further, I suddenly saw these letters stuck to it spelling out TRUST and felt this amazing calm wash over me combined with a renewed confidence in myself. It was as if this message had been delivered on a swirling, sparkling breeze carried in from a faraway land, meant entirely for me at the very moment when I needed to be reminded to TRUST the most. As I looked at it feeling almost shocked by it, I imagined that it may have been carried upon the air falling upon that window only seconds earlier, quickly arranging themselves to say what they needed to say and viola! TRUST was the message. I needed that reassuring message so badly at that moment. Perhaps I heard them gently land (tap, tap, tappity tap tap) which is why I looked over to the window in the first place? I often have these magical thoughts as I go about my day and wonder  if they are just whimsical, imaginative ways in which I cope with very real adult problems or if some of these magical things really do happen and that the world isn't so boring after all with things always needing to make sense and be practical.

After spotting TRUST, later that same day I came upon another word in the same home - SLOW. When I saw it, white blown glass that was once part of a sign, I took it from the pile of artwork it was placed upon and brought it in the living room to style it into a shot as I was trying to communicate a message through the arrangement of things I was putting together. In the book you will see how I used this word SLOW and perhaps you will remember this little story as to why I worked it into the shot. After seeing the word TRUST, I was fiddling around moving things and thinking about how I needed to trust my gut more and to stick to my vision and to really OWN certain things in my life because every human being, no matter how confident or successful, has doubts. And as I was fiddling about, I found SLOW laying around and thought of the messages that were being sent to me that day and perhaps SLOW was really important somehow and so then I started to consider why this word was important, what did it mean to me? What was it trying to teach me? I instantly remembered the story of the tortoise and the hare and how the slow win the race. In the world of interiors people can be so nice but also so competitive, often at any cost, and the same is true in any "world" really... whether it be blogging, decorating, crafts, the film industry... you name it, competition just exists. I view most of it as a very good thing because it drives the talented forward and pushes the creative out of their comfort zone so progress and movement can be made within the field.  Things would quickly stagnant without a healthy dose of competition, right? However, often this race to be on top or stay fresh can also be a monkey on your back. We naturally need to evolve without always feeling pushed to do so. Often periods of hibernation can give birth to evolution and a creative soul may find enormous bursts of fresh ideas and a renewed, contagious enthusiasm during those slow moments.

While considering all of this, I also thought about the Slow Living movement. Have you heard of this way of thinking before? Here is the definition according to Wikipedia,

"Slow Living is the choice to live consciously with the goal of enhancing personal, community and environmental well being. Slow Living recognizes the role that time plays in shaping the quality of our lives. By slowing down we make time to savor our experiences and to connect more fully with others. The process of slowing down involves simplifying our lives and minimizing distractions so that we have more time and more energy to focus on what is meaningful and fulfilling. By consciously choosing to do less, we contribute to reducing some of the negative social and environmental impacts of our actions."

In my opinion, those who don't take a creative time out risk watering down their ideas or worse, start imitating what they see versus what is coming from deep down inside. I think SLOW applied to me as I was working in Paris because I'm on very strict deadlines at the moment to finish my book  and things are feeling very, very fast. The idea that perhaps thinking too quickly and being too spontaneous may not be best, that to slow down at night and on the weekends immersing myself in activities that I love so that I can pour all of that good stuff into my project is better. I don't need to think about my book 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I'm hoping the message of SLOW will allow me to savor the experience of pulling my book together in the first place. The journey is as meaningful as the destination, often more-so upon completion. While I'll still deliver on deadline, perhaps my SLOW approach as well as the message of TRUST, when combined, will make for a nice second book and an enhanced experience of creating. I guess we shall see.

I wonder how you can apply TRUST and SLOW to your life somehow? Perhaps you can take a moment to consider this and how these words, if applied to something in your life, could add value somehow... Maybe a way of thinking about something, the way of doing or being or believing... perhaps SLOW or TRUST can carry over as meaningful to you today as though they were carried by a soft breeze landing upon your computer screen to give you a little message, too.

So those are some notes from Paris. Perhaps not the typical notes - I saw the Eiffel Tower! I shopped at the best stores! I ate tons of macaroons! No, not the typical travel notes I'm sure but they are mine and I hope that you've enjoyed reading them. Through the ramblings of others we often find pieces of ourselves along the way...

xo, Holly