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The Faux French Girl

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Relaxing in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris.
Uncategorised French Favorites, Paris, Travel Planning

French Favorites: Jardin du Luxembourg

9 May 2024

A trip to Paris isn’t complete without visiting at least a few of its gardens, and the Jardin du Luxembourg is my favorite. In a city where space is at a premium and most apartments are fairly compact, Paris’ gardens serve as communal living rooms, places for residents and tourists alike to relax and socialize.…

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observation deck at Galleries Lafayette in Paris, France
Travel French Favorites, Paris, Travel Planning

French Favorites: Galleries Lafayette

22 April 2024

My favorite way to get a peek at the iconic skyline of Paris is completely free – and you can do some shopping at the historic Galleries Lafayette department store while you’re there.  You’ll probably be shocked to hear, but as many times as I’ve been to Paris, I’ve never been up the Eiffel Tower.…

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The Faux French Girl

Rachel Gates is a writer, entrepreneur, and life-long Francophile. She spends her time writing historical fiction set in France and England, planning trips to Europe (both real and aspirational), and curating vintage fashion. Her first novel, a sparkling Regency mystery/romance, will be published in January 2025. She is currently writing a cozy Victorian murder mystery, and lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with her husband, two boys, and Murphy the big red dog.

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Such a lovely autumn afternoon at the apple orchar Such a lovely autumn afternoon at the apple orchard! We got to walk around the apple trees, buy fresh apples and apple treats (caramel apples are my favorite), and go on a hayride! This is the same apple orchard I’ve been visiting since I was a kid, and it’s really special to get to go back. I’m so glad my mom and dad got to join us as well! ❤️ . . #appleorchard #autumnactivities #falltraditions
Colorful Menton, France. ✨ . . . Finally continu Colorful Menton, France. ✨ . . . Finally continuing my Cote d’Azure recap! After arriving in Nice and spending an afternoon wandering there, we took the train to Menton, France, where we would spend the remainder of our week. Menton is a delightful mid-size town on the Mediterranean, the last stop before you get to Italy. . . Known for its lemons and citrus preserves, Menton is a more laid-back alternative to busy Nice or ritsy Villefrance-Sur-Mer. We encountered a few other foreigners, but most of the people we saw were French holidaymakers enjoying the last of their summer vacation. The beaches were rocky, and while they were popular, we didn’t see the wall to wall people we did in Nice. We had a lovely picnic on the Mediterranean the night we arrived, and spent the next day exploring the hilly and colorful streets of Menton. The city was very walkable, it was clean, and it felt very safe and peaceful. I loved our little hotel with a view of the Mediterranean; the very affordable rate included a full breakfast which we took advantage of every morning. I loved Menton and I would definitely go back someday!
One of my very favorite people has a big birthday One of my very favorite people has a big birthday today! @fentzy and I have been taking selfies together since roughly 2003…21 years and counting! (You’re stuck with me forever now! 😘) Scroll for some of my favorites together over the years. 😍 #besties #friendsforkeeps
We kept saying “this is so nice! Wait, it’s Ni We kept saying “this is so nice! Wait, it’s Nice!” while we strolled through Nice, France. 😅 After we landed at the Nice airport, we walked around the city for a few hours and grabbed a much needed meal (the first of many caprese salads) at what would become our favorite Nice restaurant, Cafe Nissa, before catching the train to nearby Menton, which would be our home base for the week. On the last day of our trip, we spent another day in Nice, winding around the tiny streets of the historic district, stumbling across a cathedral and an antique book market, and shopping as much as our already-full backpacks would allow. 😅 Colorful, lively, and somehow feeling like both a resort town and a bustling, workaday city, Nice is a place I’d love to visit again with no time constraints and no agenda. Without any major sites or bucket-list museums, it’s a city that seems made for the wanderer looking for a bit of the soul of this sun-baked region of cultural crossroads. . . . #therachelsturn40 #nice #nicefrance #frenchriviera #cotedazur #vieuxnice #girlstrip
I have so many fun memories to share from our trip I have so many fun memories to share from our trip to the Cote d’Azure last week, but first, I have to share the getting there. It’s rare to find a bestie that you can travel with so easily and effortlessly, and even rarer to find one that makes even the doldrums of basic economy airplane travel enjoyable, but @fentzy does. We enjoyed the shiny new terminal at the #cha airport, dined in style at the Centurion Lounge in Atlanta, and sat in the very last row in the airplane — which I rather enjoyed and would do again. After synchronizing the Barbie movie (first viewing for me — loved it so much), @fentzy held my hand during any turbulence (thanks, friend), and we even managed to get decent naps on the flight. The views coming into the #nicefrance airport are stunning, and we took a short walk on the Promenade d’Anglais before finding food and making our way to Menton, where we would spend the week. Can’t wait to share more of Nice, Menton, Monaco, and Ventimiglia, Italy with you! #cotedazur #girlstrip #therachelsturn40
Somehow I managed to read or listen to 13 books an Somehow I managed to read or listen to 13 books and audiobooks in June! Wanna know what a historical mystery/romance author reads in a month? Check out my June reading round up now at thefauxfrenchgirl.com. . photography by the gorgeous @sarakristenphoto . . #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #bookrecsofinstagram
What I read in June (as a mystery/romance writer). What I read in June (as a mystery/romance writer). Here are all the titles and authors…full reviews are coming up on my website, but the @fortheloveofjaneausten , @emmamelbourneauthor , and @glrobinsonnovelist novels were my favorites! 1: The Regency Goddess series by @fortheloveofjaneausten . Do yourself a favor and just buy all three, but Aurora was my favorite. 2: A Marriage Is Arranged by @glrobinsonnovelist 3: Murder at the Dinner Party by @authorcjarcher. Another excellent installment in the Cleopatra Fox series. 4: The Quit List by Katie Bailey (audiobook). 5: The Charmer by @authorcjarcher (audiobook) 6: Rocky Road by Becky Wade 7: The Misplaced Miss Eloise by Maggie Dallen 8: The Misadventures of Miss Adelaide by Maggie Dallen 9: All three books in the Miss Fleming series by @emmamelbourneauthor. . . . What was the best thing you read last month? What’s on your TBR pile for July? . . #booklover #bookrecommendations #bookreviews #historicalromance
Summer Saturday at @thebookandcover with @fentzy. Summer Saturday at @thebookandcover with @fentzy. I wrote and she read, and we stayed cool with iced tea by the fan. What are you reading this summer? I just finished a trio of Regency Romances by @fortheloveofjaneausten and they’re now some of my all-time favorites! . . #localbookstore #summerreading #favoritebooks . .
A cute outfit and hanging out with @fentzy in my f A cute outfit and hanging out with @fentzy in my favorite bookstore made this sweltering summer Saturday much more fun! This is the best skirt set from the @rouje haul I shopped in Paris last summer. If you like it, it’s currently in their archives sale! I’ll put the link in my stories (not an ad, just sharing one of my favorite French brands). Swipe to see a couple other of my Rouje pieces I also spotted in the sale! . . . What are you doing to survive the summer heat today? . . . #lesfillesenrouje #rouje #summersaturday #bookstoresofinstagram
YOU GUYS!! I just got my headshots back from @sara YOU GUYS!! I just got my headshots back from @sarakristenphoto and she did such a phenomenal job! Not only is she a dear friend, but she is such a talented photographer and really helped me feel at ease during the session (I’ll admit, I was nervous. What if they didn’t turn out? What if I had to use an old iphone photo on my book cover? 😅). Well, I ended up with so many usable shots that these are just a few that probably won’t even make it onto the book or website. . . . Body image is not something I talk about a lot on here, but I’ve really struggled with my weight since being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s (an autoimmune disease that affects your thyroid) a few years ago. Most of the time I look at photos of myself and just wonder, who is that? It’s not that a person can’t be healthy at the size I am currently. It’s just that it’s really hard for me to feel *myself* when I’m 40 lbs heavier than I have been my whole adult life. I still had a moment of that dysmorphia when I first pulled up my photo gallery, but Sara has such a beautiful way of capturing someone’s real expressions and personality. When I look at these photos, I just see, well, me. . . . Walk, don’t run to her if you need headshots or family photography. And you’ll be seeing lots more of her gorgeous work as I start to roll out promotional content for my first novel in a few months. I’m grateful. ❤️ #headshots #whimsicalheadshots #author #historicalfiction
What’s your favorite garden in Paris? What’s your favorite garden in Paris?
What do canal boat rides, Eiffel Tower views, and What do canal boat rides, Eiffel Tower views, and a Tiffany glass dome have in common? They’re all in my new #Frenchfavorites series on my website! After losing all my website content this past year due to a backup glitch (it’s me, I’m the glitch 🤦🏼‍♀️), I’m finally working on getting some new content live. Check out my favorite Paris museum, a town that looks like it came right out of a Disney movie, and why I’ve never been up the Eiffel Tower (it’s true) now at thefauxfrenchgirl.com.
A little snippet from my previous life as a journa A little snippet from my previous life as a journalist. You can still read the article on thebudgetfashionista.com if you search for “My Year of No New Clothes.” But I’ve been thinking, maybe it’s time to do it again? What about you, could you make it a whole year without buying any new clothing, and only shopping secondhand? . . . #nonewclothes #secondhandfirst #secondhandfashion #secondhandshopping #2010s #sustainablefashion #thriftedstyle #thriftedfinds #budgetfashionista
“If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give into it…. Joy is not made to be a crumb.” (A tiny bit of my favorite poem, Don’t Hesitate by Mary Oliver) . . This weekend, I’m grateful for new (to me) coffee shops, sunshine, time with family, and @fentzy. . . #weekendvibes #maryoliverpoetry
Thanks to my iPhone for the memories - just a few Thanks to my iPhone for the memories - just a few of my travels to my favorite place with my favorite people! It’s been more than six months since our last trip and I’m dreaming of springtime in Paris. I’ve now been in all seasons, and while there is truly never a bad time to go, spring and fall are my favorite times to be in the city. . . #parismonamour #springtimeinparis #travelgram
I am certainly not the handy person in the family, I am certainly not the handy person in the family, but watch me try to build a green house! 😅 The instructions weren’t super clear, but thankfully each piece was well-labeled and it was kinda like a giant connector set (do any other 80s kids remember what those toys were called?)🙈 Now I have a nice little place to start my seeds outdoors, and it was less than $40 from @homedepot. All that’s left to do is to stake it down so it doesn’t blow away! What do you think? . . . #gardendesign #beginnergardener
A quick and fun breakfast for your little valentin A quick and fun breakfast for your little valentines! Turn your favorite pancake recipe into pink heart pancakes, without any food dye. Just replace some of the water or milk with the liquid from a can of beets. You can’t taste the beets, it just turns the batter a really fun bright pink! I also added lemon extract, and a few blueberries to some of the pancakes (my little likes to keep his pancakes and blueberries separate). The trickiest part is spooning the batter into heart shapes - some of them turned out better than others. 😅 Would you try coloring your pancakes with beets? 🩷
Need a cheap and easy Valentine’s Day card idea? Need a cheap and easy Valentine’s Day card idea? I saw this cute heart painting method using a toilet paper roll and I had to try it! It was fun and easy, and now I have some cute Valentine’s postcards to send to my besties. I also made a little heart garland out of stickers and twine (see it in my stories), and it felt really good to spend a quiet Sunday afternoon crafting. What did you do to rest today? ❤️ #watercolorvalentine #sundayselfcare #beautyeveryday
After all there’s only one more sleep ‘till Ch After all there’s only one more sleep ‘till Christmas. ✨ . . Had a lovely Christmas Eve with @fentzy and my sweet family. Raising my mug of tea to you and yours and wishing you love and light and peace this Christmas. ❤️
I loved this outfit I wore yesterday, and I feel l I loved this outfit I wore yesterday, and I feel like it really demonstrates the principle of @hilaryrushford ‘s famous “2 part fashion cocktail.” The idea is this: your outfit is a vodka cranberry. The vodka elements are strong, the cranberry elements are basic, boring even. But it’s how you combine the two the make the outfit work. Some days you might want more vodka, some days more cranberry, but together they will help your look feel balanced. . . So here, a white shirt and black trousers are pretty basic, pretty cranberry. But the bow on the blouse, and the fact that the trousers are velvet, adds a bit of vodka. The basic tan coat can be a little boring on its own, but the sparkly Christmas pins liven it up a bit. Accessories like the velvet headband and sparkly crossbody bag can add a bit of “vodka” to an otherwise plain outfit. If you find yourself struggling what to wear in the morning, try the two part fashion cocktail and see if it helps you! . . . BTW, this is just one teensy, tiny nugget of wisdom from Hilary’s “What Makes Women Feel Beautiful” course. She’s having to close her business, so everything is pay what you can until Friday. If you struggle even a little bit with finding your style, body image, or feeling comfortable in your own skin, I recommend hopping over to @hilaryrushford ‘s profile and grabbing it ASAP! . . . #styleover40 #midsizestyle #secondhandfashion #secondhandstyle #festiveoutfit
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  • Book cover of Aurora, a humorous Regency romance by DG RamptonEverything I read in June
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  • Relaxing in the Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris.French Favorites: Jardin du Luxembourg
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