Diary of a Châtelaine

Renovating and decorating a French castle

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Ayla - Chatelaine of Pazayac

Bonjour! I'm Ayla and I live in an actual French castle in the Dordogne, SW France.
Next to renovating and decorating the château with my own two hands, I'm a mom of 2 little girls, I try to become more French and love to cook those dreamy French dishes.
Bienvenue, it's lovely you're here!

Recent Posts

How to create the perfect princess room decor
The French striped sweater, a true winter staple
Creating a laundry sorting station in an old wardrobe
Upstairs hallway inspiration and plans
Gilding wax DIY: upcycling old lamps

Je l’adore

KIRUNDO Women's 2024 Fall Winter Long Sleeve Knit Sweater Turtleneck Striped Loose Pullover Tops Deco with Metal Buttons

Amazon

$ 28.40 -27% $ 38.99
Set of 3 Small Blue & White Porcelain Vases, Fambe Glaze Porcelain Vases Set of 3, Classic Ceramic Flower Vases for Home Décor

Amazon

$ 19.98
French Onion Soup Bowl, by Kook, French Onion Soup, Oven Safe Bowls, Soup Crocks, Ceramic, Handles, Stoneware, Dishwasher, Microwave, Oven & Broil Safe 16oz Standard Capacity & 18oz Full Capacity

Amazon

$ 21.56

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Design Inspiration
DIY Projects and Crafts
French Countryside Lifestyle
Interior Design and Decor
Looking French

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The French love cooking with fresh produce! It’

The French love cooking with fresh produce!

It’s one of the things I had to get used to when we moved here from Holland: No more baggies of ready to use ‘Asian mix vegetables’ in the supermarket.

You can get some canned food, but if you want red cabbage with apple pieces (par example), you’re gonna have to make it yourself.

2,5 years in, and I love it. I have much more control over how healthy or unhealthy my food is going to be!

Also: it’s a lot cheaper. Because you have to buy an entire cabbage, you can make sourcrout for many meals to come in just one go.

Happy French cooking!

It’s no joke. This DIY radiator cover has become

It’s no joke. This DIY radiator cover has become my Everest. My nemesis.

No, I haven’t worked full time on it. I try to renovate a château with a 4-year-old and a baby in tow. I have a few hours here and there.

With the first layer of primer on it, it feels like I’m so close to finally finish it, but I know it will take forever still. The top is going to make me question my life choices!

The goal: have it finished in 2023.

Tell me I can do it! Please!

The French are known for their love of farmer’s

The French are known for their love of farmer’s markets, and every day is market day.

The villages around us all have different days of the week to host a weekly market, so if you’d want you could buy fresh produce each day.

The Saturday market in Brive-la-Gaillarde is inarguably the best of the region. It’s absolutely massive, and very social as well. People chatting over coffee everywhere!

Wait, it’s noon. Did I say coffee? I meant wine!

#hellofrance #superfrance #fromfrancewithlove #thegoodlifefrance

#instafrance #charmingfrance #frenchsummer #francelovers #frenchcharm #francophile
#myfrenchcountryhome #myfrenchlife #frenchliving #frenchcountrylife #frenchstyle #campagnefrancaise #countryliving #slowandsimplelife #farmersmarket #frenchmarket #ilovefrance

‘We don’t have money, but boy, do we have stuf

‘We don’t have money, but boy, do we have stuff!’ Something my late grandmother used to say. And I couldn’t agree more!

Since we’ve moved into the château, we’ve bought tons of bedding. Duvets, pillows, blankets, etc.
After all, we often receive friends and family and they need some place to sleep.

So, the walk-in closet off of Milou’s current room, is designated bedding-closet from now on. Took me some elbow grease, but I’m very glad it’s done now!

Thrifting treat! After sitting in a stuffy doctor

Thrifting treat!

After sitting in a stuffy doctor’s office for faaaaar too long, I treated myself to some Thrifting Therapy!

Much to see, much in bad shape, but I did buy three decorative pieces:
- The two golden lamps (€6,- each) - rewired and with new lampshades they will look amazing anywhere in the château.
- A large framed painting (€10,-) - it’s a copy of a Renoir painting and although it’s lovely, maybe not something I want to keep forever. The frame itself however, was worth the money all on its own!

Tiny vacation day! With summer still in full swing

Tiny vacation day!
With summer still in full swing mid-October we felt like going on a holiday. It being a Wednesday in the middle of school season kind of rained on that idea.

So, we took an hours drive into Limoges and had a day trip mini vacation!
Normally we go with a goal in mind, this time we just wandered around a bit. It’s an absolutely lovely city and we came back fully restored.

France has so much to offer 🥰

#frenchlifestyleblogger #frenchlifestyle #frenchlifestyle hellofrance #superfrance #fromfrancewithlove #thegoodlifefrance

#instafrance #charmingfrance #frenchsummer #francelovers #frenchcharm #francophile

#myfrenchcountryhome #myfrenchlife #frenchliving #frenchcountrylife #frenchstyle #campagnefrancaise #countryliving #slowandsimplelife
#hauteviennetourisme #limoges #limogestourisme

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