A Quiet Spot with Some Favorite French Pieces.

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A dinner for old friends.

So another post about a dinner…sorry. NOT much going on here.

Every summer there are about ten families that travel to Cape Cod for a week in Provincetown. We stay right on the beach in the harbor. Every family makes one dinner so the burden isn’t on just a few.

We’ve missed a few summers and for the past two summers I haven’t made a main meal. So I had a dinner at my house to say thank you to all my Cape Cod friends for their delicious dinners.

This past Sunday was the evening and there were fourteen of us. At first I was going to have a large table for ten then a smaller table for four. Well, that didn’t feel right so I went for three tables. It looked like a little restaurant. We have a large dining room with an alcove with windows where we keep a daybed…for the dogs to lay on all day so they can view the world go by and bark, bark, bark!

I brought two tables inside that are usually under the pergola. One I trash picked, an iron table that still had the glass top and four chairs. (what a find) I had to scrape off all the flaking paint and clean it up.

Then I brought in seating I bought in France last April that is soooo way cool and I LOVE! They are all cane, backs and seats. I had to vacuum the pieces, spray with alcohol and clean with Murphy’s oil. Much work. So now we’re into day two, 5:30pm. Sigh…I still had to make the food.

You can see the cane settee, arm and side chairs…Fab aren’t they? I bought them to sell but I’m not sure I am or can!!

All the tables are covered with French linen sheets and I use French monogrammed napkins I found at flea markets in France. Some have white embroidery and others have red. They all have a beautiful red border.

After dinner a few of us were in the kitchen when the smoke detector went off. I thought it was from all the candles…it was a napkin on FIRE!! Karen had put it down on the table right over a tea light. Yikes!!

Luckily someone noticed! When I got in there my friend Joan had covered it with another napkin and then I grabbed them and threw them in the sink… This is what was left of that napkin. I only had five of this style, so now I have an even four!

I have more up close pictures I’ll post later.

Enjoy your weekend.

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Traveling France, flea markets and Brimfield, MA

In late March I went on a buying trip to the South of France without my sister Amy. We ALWAYS go TOGETHER twice a year and always find such fabulous treasures. This year, Amy couldn’t go. She was sick or something!! Anyway, our kids babysitter Janet, from ages ago,  joined me in Paris, then headed South with me on my treasure hunting. Another story there!

And last week I went to Brimfield, MA for the week of antique flea markets. I usually go by myself but this trip my friend Diana went with me. She couldn’t believe how much there was to see and buy!!!

On both trips we found so many beautiful kick ass treasures. French antique books, apothecary jars, monogrammed linens, silver knives, many pictures, Old Paris Porcelain, enamelware, and much more. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!

Here are a few pictures of our treasures from both France and Brimfield. I’ll be listing all these items in my Etsy shop in the days to come.

                

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Traveling France…Cowboy boots and medieval doors

Last August, Amala and I went on our buying trip to the South of France. Our wonderful brother-n-law, Jim, went with us on this trip and added such great energy to our trip. He is so easy going…

We were staying in a medieval village and I decided I wanted to take pictures of my boots against all the many wonderful old medieval doors. There were so many doors of different colors, some more weathered than others, and Jim was so patient…we were on a round about walk around the village to get our car. He just waited patiently as I would get myself and my cowboy boots situated to take a picture…

Here are some of the doors…I missed this really fab purple door…I’ll get it this August.

Then I noticed this little look out…love!!!

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French Country Petrin (Dough Box) and the loaf of bread…

Today day at the shop a couple came in to browse. It had been a while since they had been in and our French Country Petrin (dough box) caught their eye. The husband Pete makes bread and was so taken with this piece, especially the feel and look of the wood of the top.

(I neglected to take a picture of the whole box today, this is an older photo) Anyway…

We found it at a flea market near Avignon in the South of France and couldn’t pass it up. We were only buying smalls on this trip…but I just had to bring it home. It’s from the 1700’s and so rustic and beautiful.

My friend Diana was in the shop when they were in and we were all chatting and I noticed Pete had left and had come back in with a loaf of bread. He had made it for someone in town that wasn’t in, so he brought it in. He wanted to see the bread on the wood top.

Of course, I then had to do a bit of staging…couldn’t just have the bread there all by itself.

There is a dove design on the top of the bread with a nice hard crust.

I took it home and had it out on the cutting board and toasted a few pieces, added a bit of butter and it was eaten in no time. As my husband and kids came in, they had to have some too. Mmmmm. It was delicious. Thank you Pete, I’m so glad you and your wife MaryEllen stopped in today and so enjoyed talking with you. And loved your bread too!

Just a few details of the Petrin at the flea market

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Traveling France…a few French Country Canister sets…so cool

I was going through my pictures and came across all these French Country canister sets we’ve found through the years of flea marketing in France. There are so many different designs and I love ALL of them. Here are just a few…

 

This spring when we head back to Southern France to our favorite flea market, I’m hoping to find many more. We only have one set left in the shop at the moment. We need a few more I think.

 

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French Country yellow confit pots with yummy roses

I guess by now you know I love the French yellow confit pots I find on my travels through France. Most of these I found in the Savoie region of France, near the French Alps. Others, at the flea markets in the South of France.

Just a quick share with the yellow pots and roses…

 

    

And that little transferware piece…I ADORE it, chips and all.

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Traveling France…my ideal trip

Recently I was talking with someone about imagining my ideal trip to Paris. It was a put yourself there in your mind kind of thing. So many images came to me.

What stood out in my mind was that I love just walking around Paris. The architecture fills my senses and my soul. Everywhere you look there is some small detail that makes you think…wow, just that little detail is a gem. It could have been so utilitarian. A korbel with winged dragons holding up a balconey…

Looking up on our way to Montmarte after taking the bus, I had never taken a bus, and seeing these beautiful iron railings with incredible flowers, this you see all over.

Finding beautiful cathedrals…one of our favorties is Saint Eustache. It has incredible stained glass and it feels more intimate than Notre Dame. We went to mass there on our last trip and the priest asked when he gave us communion…’American’? haha! I wonder how he new.

Stopping about five times a day for a yummy cafe creme!!! Love, love, love!…and there’s the Amala enjoying hers!

Then I was thinking about my ideal place to stay. You could say the Four Seasons, it’s beautiful, it’s big…but I love the little boutique hotel where we’ve been staying. It’s charming, intimate, friendly, and has crystal chandeliers in every room, (which I LOVE) and a few antiques!

This April we’re heading back to Paris. I so psyched, I can’t wait to discover new places and neighborhoods, AND the cafe cremes of course. And ending our day standing on a bridge looking over the Seine, soaking up all the lights.

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A few things I’m lovin’

There’s so much I love in the shop…here a few pics

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Moving things around again…

I moved the part of the shop that’s in the ‘kitchen’ around. (We’re in a 100 year old house). I love all these pieces, but one of my FAVORITES is the doughtry from the 1700’s.  We were only going for smalls that trip, but found this man selling his mother-n-laws table. I just couldn’t leave it behind. Just TOO wonderful. We found it at a flea market in Carpentras, in the South of France.

All the red earthenware we found in the Savoie region of France, near the French Alps, from Francois, a really cool dealer. I had sent letters to different dealers in the area, telling them what I was looking for and found him. We met up with him before we headed South to Provence for the flea market. (He takes his wares there too, but we met up with him before the market). So now I have another dealer friend, one of a few, that I have a relationship with.

This huge copper pot we found on one of our trips to Paris. It’s really heavy, and wonderfully rustic. The brass/bronze candelabra with the wonderful curves to the arms, we found in a barn in the town of Pezenas, in the South of France….look at that table top.

 

On our latest trip, we found these fabulous white folding concert chairs. They have a porcelain number on the back for seating location. We also found the square iron garden table. Odd, we hadn’t seen any square tables until this trip and found two fab ones. This one and a rusty blue one. The bench in the background is from the same flea market. Love…there’s a 200 year old wood cradle on a stand behind the bench…so cool.

I love ironstone and just can’t resist it whenever I come across it (in the states). These pitchers I found in Pennsylvania. The plates too. We always find a few pieces in France, but I don’t want to pay for the shipping, so I won’t let Amy get it.

The bench and the wood cradle…

Next is the front room. I’m hoping to video myself moving stuff around, Paul bought a video camera you put on your head!!! hah!

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