Some DIY from France!

Hello everyone! I arrived back from my trip 2 weeks ago, and it's been a whirlwind of catching up with friends (it's amazing that people can actually miss me after only a month), working 40 hours a week (against my will), and preparing for school (aka figuring out how I'm going to pay for it), as well as sleeping and eating, which I didn't do enough of in Europe. I took an overwhelming number of photos during my month abroad, and I wasn't quite sure how to present my trip on the blog. I'm still not entirely sure. But....I spent almost 2 weeks in France, and while there I realised how much I really do love the culture, the people, and the country. It inspired me to get back into French class and actually devote some time and effort towards it (it's also my minor but yeah, you know...). So when I got back home I went into my DIY box and started on a new project!



I'm sure you've all seen magnetic poetry before. It's basically a box of words that you can stick on your kitchen fridge and arrange into sentences. They make them for a number of different languages, and I've always wanted the French ones, but they run about $30 a box. I won't even bother telling you how many hours I'd have to work in order to pay that off. So I decided to make some myself. Here's what you need:



In my DIY box was a number of magnets that I'd collected for free at parades, fairs, and different businesses. I suppose this isn't just DIY, but also recycling, in a way! If you don't have a substantial collection of free magnets, you can also buy magnetic sheets.



Glue stick & scissors. Pretty easy. Next comes the words. Make a new word document and, in an easy to read, bold font, start making a list of words. Keep it a good mix of articles, verbs, nouns, adverbs, and adjectives. Make sure it's a language you have a firm grasp of. With French, it took some putzing about before I decided how to handle some of the conjugations and fem/masc issues.



After printing out your words, glue them onto the magnets. Make sure that the magnets are thoroughly covered in glue so you won't have any loose corners. When the glue is dry, cut the words out and arrage them on the fridge!



This is me in Pornic, a city in the Bretagne region. It was so chilly out and definitely not swimming weather, but the ocean was beautiful all the same!



We also stayed in Nantes for 3 days. This city stole my heart and I am already yearning to go back.



Here's some poetry for you. This beautiful fountain in Lyon (near the border of Switzerland) reads "Permets m'amour penser quelque folie..." Yeah, the French are pretty good with words. (Also, thanks for the correction on that eabha!)



We also enjoyed the French baking! Fresh baguettes every day, a different pastry for breakfast, and even these adorable little cupcakes!



Hope you enjoyed the mini post. I have so much more to show from my month backpacking across Europe!