Le Jardin Ephémère à l'Hôtel de Ville

So, since arriving in Paris January 21st, I had seen the square in front of the Hotel de Ville turned into an ice skating rink and a tennis court/arena. So, truth be told, I shouldn't have been surprised to walk out of the Metro and see this:

The Ephemeral Gardens at Town Hall

Featuring...

Scarecrows

Grass you can actually sit on!!

Planter "boxes" that I wanted to steal (along with so many of the other things I'm going to show you. It made me want to garden).

This took my breath away. Clever and beautiful. Art made out of terra cotta pots drilled to a wall. Who'dathunk?

And the ever-present statues keeping tabs on everything...

I like to call these "succulent paintings." They are hanging on a wall, just so we're clear. This isn't just a really awkward shot of succulents in planter boxes on the ground.

Close up succulent painting. Nice, right? Is it weird that I think I might want succulents to be included in my wedding flowers? Maybe? At least they're hardy and would last through all of the festivities...

Because grass is often off-limits in Paris, even in public parks, there were signs posted on the patches of sod that had been lain for the exposition. "Pelouse Accessible" let everyone know that they could kick back and enjoy...

This was another display that just took my breath away. Who comes UP with this stuff?

More plant artwork. I absolutely love this idea.

And they covered an entire wall with it!

Wide shot

Hotel de Ville

Whoever originially had the idea to bring all of these different things to the Town Hall square is brilliant. Brilliant, I tell you.

Pretty Pedi

Heather gave me a pedicure gift certificate for Christmas, and I used it today.

This sassy color is now gracing my perfectly groomed toenails.

It's called "A Oui Bit of Red." How perfect is that?

There are a few things I really love about pedicures:

1) No awkward bending trying to reach my toes (I'm not the most flexible person on the planet).

2) I don't have to touch my feet. Not that they're gross or infected with anything, but... you know. They're FEET.

3) The pedicures at Bonny Nails in Orem come with a parrafin wax dip and a nice foot and calf massage. Don't know if that's normal for pedicures or if these guys just go above and beyond, but I'm a fan.

If you have never had a pedicure, I highly recommend treating yourself to one.

Friday Faves - Elemis Devil's Mint Body Scrub

I know Friday Faves is usually more of a list of favorite _____. But I honestly don't have anything to compare this to.

I've always had little bumps on the skin on my upper arms (Keratosis pilaris... so annoying), and this summer I finally discovered something that got rid of them altogether. (Moisturizing wasn't the key, after all!!)


Devil's Mint Body Scrub from Elemis is a wonderful exfoliator. It exfoliates without being harsh--in fact, it's really soothing (and I love the smell). It is $50.00 a pop, but using it only on my upper arms and not as an all over body polish, it lasted me a good two or two and a half months. (And no, I didn't spend $50 on it--it was a gift.)

I've been out for over a month and I want more, but I just don't have the $50 to spare for body scrub at the moment. I'm currently testing a couple of scrubs I found at Target. I'm hoping they'll work just as well, since they were only $10 each. Soon, though, I hope to have more of this in my shower, miracle worker that it is (maybe I'll buy myself some as a congratulatory gift if I ever sell m house). Click on the photo to get some for yourself, should you feel so inclined. Or, let me know in the comments if you want a review of the other scrubs I'm trying... everyone can use a good exfoliant every now and again. :)