How I Started La Vie On Grand

How I Started La Vie On Grand

One of the questions I am frequently asked is how La Vie On Grand started and when my love for all things French started. I will share my story with you today, which I am very proud of, and hope it inspires you a bit and lets you know more about my love of the French culture.

When I Became A Francophile

Honestly, I think I was French in a previous lifetime. I have loved anything and everything French since I can remember. Growing up, I would design my room with Paris signs and decor. I would watch any movie with Paris as a backdrop (remember Sabrina?), I was obsessed with buying Vogue every month so I could see what they were wearing in Paris (this was obviously before any social media). And I just knew Paris was this magical place I needed to visit (it turns out it was and is just as magical as I envisioned).

I have also been living a French lifestyle all along. I’ve always loved having fresh flowers in the house weekly, having picnics, drinking Rosé, cooking French meals, listening to French music, reading books set in Paris, and visiting every restaurant around me or any city I visited that looked French or served French food.

How Fashion Came Into The Picture

I have always loved fashion. The day I turned 16, instead of getting my license, I went and applied at the GAP. This was back when the GAP was amazing and everyone wanted to work and shop there (Mickey Drexler days). I worked for the GAP all through high school and some college. Then, I transferred to Banana Republic and worked there for another seven years. I also did a small stint at Nordstrom as a personal stylist. But even with this retail experience, I was always looking to see what French women were wearing.

My First Trip To Paris

I didn’t get to Paris for the first time until my mid-30s. And it was because I won a trip from work with all expenses paid. I was given a dollar amount to spend on travel, and the only place I wanted to go was Paris.

Nathan and I spent four magical days in the city, navigating our way through. I remember the first time I saw the Eiffel Tower sparkle; I started crying and couldn’t believe I had made it to the city I had always dreamed about.

I planned the trip from Rick Steve’s and Fodor Books, highlighting every place I wanted to visit, and we managed to make it all happen. And I remember sitting at Les Deux Magots with a glass of champagne and watching all the fabulous ladies walking by in their French fashion. At this point, I had only seen French fashion in magazines. And seeing it in person was one of the most inspiring and life changing experiences.

After those four days in the city, we came home. And I told Nathan I wanted to go back there for two weeks for my 40th birthday. We made the trip happen, and my brother, mom, and dad joined us. It was an incredible two weeks during which I soaked in every detail about the Parisian culture I could. We even had a picnic on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower for my birthday. And it’s still one of my favorite birthdays.

Going To Paris After Covid

Right after Covid was over, I was having coffee with my friend one morning at a local French café. I told her about my desire to get to Paris soon and how I wanted to start a blog about living a French lifestyle and dressing like a French woman.

Within the next month, we had a trip booked to Paris for a week. This was when Paris started to reopen to international travelers. The week before we arrived, they lifted the mask mandate outdoors.

We almost had the entire city to ourselves, and it was incredible. I captured so many photos of French fashion and was so incredibly inspired. That trip set things in motion for La Vie On Grand.

A Blog Is Started Called La Vie On Grand

Once I knew exactly what I wanted to write about and focus on, I designed and created La Vie On Grand. A friend in PR thought up the name. We live on Grand Street in Kansas City, and it was initially going to be Life on Grand, but she suggested La Vie On Grand since it would be French-focused.

This made sense at the time since I was documenting how we live a French lifestyle on Grand. This isn’t the correct way to say it in French, but when I started the blog, it was primarily American women reading, and I thought this would make more sense than how it’s supposed to be written in French.

Never in a million years did I expect the blog to become what it is today, and I am incredibly thankful for all the readers around the globe.

Putting In The Hours

Once I had the blog up and running, I started writing. Every night, after London went to bed, I would spend hours writing different articles. During the weekend, when I had free time, I would work on the blog, researching and trying to understand how it all worked.

I started posting more on Instagram about living a French lifestyle and French fashion. And started meeting new people who shared my passion.

Let Go From My Job

In October 2022, I was caught off guard and let go from my sales job of 16 years due to downsizing. For the first two months after this, I walked around, wondering what I would do with my life. I honestly didn’t know anything else but pharmaceutical sales.

My passion was sharing my love of Paris and French fashion and writing La Vie On Grand. That’s honestly all I wanted to do. After much discussion, my husband and I decided that I should try to make La Vie On Grand a full-time job.

Ironically, a month before I was let go, I hit a blogging milestone that helped me decide. I was accepted into a company to monetize my blog. Those annoying ads you see on blogs (including mine) are a way for me and other creators to make money. However, you can’t just do it that easily. You have to apply and be accepted, and there are specific criteria your blog has to have. The nights and weekends I had spent working on the blog had finally paid off.

The decision to go full-time with La Vie On Grand wasn’t taken lightly. We were used to a steady income, insurance, benefits, and everything else that comes with working for a big company. By working for myself, we would leave all this behind, which was a terrifying thought, especially at age 47.

Plus, the blogging world is very interesting.

There’s no employee handbook to show you how to do the job. I have had to research and figure out everything I have learned. I have spent countless hours googling, watching YouTube, reading, listening to podcasts, and investing in courses to understand and educate myself on how to do this.

In fact, I have never worked more or spent so many hours at a computer. But, it’s the best job I have EVER had. I honestly wake up every day excited to create and share my love of all things French with you.

In the end, losing my job was the best thing that happened because it has given me the opportunity to share my passion with you and connect with so many amazing people. Nothing brings me more joy than receiving messages telling me how much the blog has helped them with their Paris trip or helped them reshape their wardrobe.

Thank you all for continuing to inspire me and allowing me to share my love and passion of living a French lifestyle and French fashion. I have so many ideas and dreams for La Vie On Grand and can’t wait to share them all with you. Thank you for reading my blog posts, commenting on Instagram, buying from my affiliate links, and always being incredibly kind.