Vintage French Treasures, A New Blog and More!

 I’ve been exploring uncharted territory...for me, at least! My neighbors and I decided to check out the flea/antique shops in another section of Atlanta and…I hit the jackpot with some fabulous vintage frenchy finds…and more!

We started out at Kudzu in Decatur where I found myself drawn to the things I love…a fabulous bouillotte lamp for $49 (Mine is similar and was $15) and a Victorian castor set for $90 (Mine is nowhere near as elegant, but was only $20). But I wanted to cry when I saw the Victorian ink well painted white! Why? You may remember my post about the one I found that had no lid and my search for something that would work. And this one has a lid! Waaaah!

There were also a few interesting vintage-ish pieces that I checked out and filed away under possible ideas to copy! lol

My visit there netted me this little stool for $13. It tugged at my heartstrings and had to come home with me. I had a stool just like this as a little girl and it somehow got lost in the shuffle when I moved to France. Now I have its twin for my grandsons to use!

But it wasn’t until we hit Avondale Antiques in Avondale Estates that I found true frenchiness! There was a small collection of vintage French postcards, including this little booklet of 24 cards from  Carcassonne…a place I had visited as a college student. And best of all…it was only $5.00! Woo hoo!

It is filled with delicately colored cards in pristine condition depicting the medieval walled city…beautiful! There was still tissue paper between some of the cards. The owner told us that it had come from the estate of a couple who had traveled to Europe in the 1920s…interesting! I will add these to the Parisian postcards I found a few weeks ago. It seems that I am beginning to collect vintage French postcards!

But my absolute favorite frenchy find is this fabulous vintage Henriot Quimper candle holder! It's in the shape of a leaf and is trimmed with those famous stylized Quimper flowers and the little Breton man...and it was very reasonably priced! I don't have anything like it in my collection.

Of course, the staff had to check it out...up close and personal!

Hmmm...it seems that Baby Kitty has deemed it bor-ing! lol It's easy to get over Quimper-ized at my house! But that's OK with me...I love it!

I added the postcards to my  bundle of books from the Yale Shakespeare series and created a little vignette with my Quimper candle holder. As usual, our co-host Baby Kitty had to oversee the shot. Can you see his reflection in the silver tray?

And a special frenchy find…a gargoyle (although I am told this is actually a grotesque since it doesn’t serve as a water spout) for my 10 year old grandson’s little collection of mini monuments and buildings! They hang out around his computer along with the snake he made, which you see lurking in the background! I am always on the lookout for more monuments to add to his collection while I am thrifting.

The gargoyle is actually a replica of one at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris! It is very accessible from the cathedral’s towers and is on his must see list for our trip this summer! (Click here for a panoramic view of Paris from the bell towers plus a close-up look at some of the gargoyles. Just drag your mouse and look around. Be sure to go to full screen!) We are so excited! It won’t be too much longer now until we will be standing there!

And finally, I’d like to invite you to visit the home of my friend Babs through her new blog Upstairs Downstairs! She lives in a beautiful split level home…thus the title…decorated in her lovely English country style! I met her through blogging and discovered that she lives just around the corner! Isn’t Blogland wonderful?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my frenchy treasures!  Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Frenchy at Le Château des Fleurs for the French Obsession Party the first of each month
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday
Jill at French Cupboard for French Inspiratin on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Linda at A la Carte for Junkin' Finds on Fridays
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Vintage Silver with Provençal Lemons...and Nothing Over $5.00!

Once again, my Goodwill hunting trophies seem to have a theme! This time, it’s lots of wonderful vintage silver plus some sunny oh-so-sunny provençal lemons! Don’t they make a pretty little dessert tablescape?

However, it all started from some very anything-but-pretty beginnings! I was GW hunting with my thrifting buddy, Linda at Nina’s Nest when I came upon this mass of…what? Metal cups? I’m picturing cowboys drinking coffee out of tin cups around the camp fire! lol But the price…$4.54 for twelve…intrigued me, so I took a closer look...

…and found a dozen silverplate punch cups! Woo hoo!

Several episodes of House Hunters, some Wright's Silver Creme and plenty of elbow grease later and…voilà! Aren’t they lovely? I searched the place over but there was no punch bowl. It had either already gone home with someone or was never given away. :-(

But this gave our co-host Baby Kitty an idea! So we pulled together some recent Goodwill finds…

…such as this vintage coffee carafe and warmer…only $3.93! Can you believe it? That’s the best price I have ever seen on one of these!

…and these fabulous faux lemons at eight for only $3.93! And I couldn’t leave without that little footed silver tray for just $2.00 on senior day! Woot woot!

I don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to pass up anything with feet…so elegant!

And from the same Goodwill hunting trip on senior day…this silverplate tray edged with grapes…my favorite motif…for only $5.00! There were two of them and I got them both. My friend Linda tells me I seem to have a thing about buying in pairs and I’m beginning to think she’s right.

Next, I pulled out these wonderful French dessert plates that I found at TJ Maxx about 10 years ago..still some of my favorites! They were made in Limoges, France…famous for its china. Can you see what’s represented on the plates?

It’s a lemon…citron…and as it is being peeled, the word citron is getting shorter until all that is left is the seeds…pépins! Clever, huh?

Now here is where Baby Kitty’s inspiration came in. No punch bowl? No problem! Who says a coffee carafe has to serve hot coffee? How about using it without the warming stand as a pretty pitcher? Love it! And I now have two of them…note the urge to buy pairs…so I can use one for coffee and one for punch with my new silverplate cups!

I simply added some Battenberg lace napkins and a few dessert forks from my mom’s Towle Silver Flutes flatware…

…and there you have it…a little dessert tablescape with vintage silver and lemons! And nothing cost over $5.00! Love it!
Cheryl at Jojo's Joys says she thinks I am celebrating the Fête du Citron (Lemon Festival) in Menton, France...which is going on right now! Hmmm...I think she might be right!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my Goodwill hunting finds!  Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Linda at A la Carte for Junkin' Finds on Fridays
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap Up Party
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal for Silver Sunday (second Sunday of the month)
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Blue and White Are Back...or...Pierre Deux, Monet and...Me?

OK…I stood it as long as I could! I tried doing neutrals and actually have not had my favorite colors on my mantel since September. But now…it’s time for a change! Yes, my blue and white are back!

And at the center of it all..this great wreath topiary that I found in a consignment shop for $7.00! I love the shabby white container! I placed it on a couple of vintage books that came from Goodwill to give it a little more presence.

When I found it, it was looking a little Christmasy…with a red bow and berries…so with the help of our co-host Baby Kitty, I removed all evidence of that and added an oh-so-frenchy Provençal fabric bow!

I also added two double happiness jars from my growing collection and topped them off with identical plates (what else?) from the Spode Blue Room Collection called Caramanian.

Flanking the topiary, a pair of candlesticks…also GW finds at $2.72 for the pair. What a bargain…and they match the plates in my header! 

The trio of white plates on the fireplace has been there for a while. I think they help to dress things up. And here’s the final look! What do you think? I have been having so much fun with my mantel since I added the mirror! It has opened up a whole new world of possibilities!

But I have to say…I am not the only fan of blue and white! Have you seen the new Pierre Deux online catalog for Spring? Does that caption say it all? There’s a nod to the chippy look plus lots and lots of the more traditional Provençal style that I love! Check it out! It takes a moment to load, but it is so worth it!

However, it’s not a new color combination. In fact, it’s an old one! Take a look at the fabulous blue and white pots at the entrance of the home of my old friend…impressionist painter Claude Monet in Giverny, France! Come on in!

Don’t you love his  yellow dining room…so warm and welcoming! And look at the tablescape...a fabulous collection of classic blue and white plates!  This photo and many more, plus recipes written in Monet’s own hand can be found in one of my favorite books…Monet's Table : The Cooking Journals of Claude Monetby Claire Jones. Monet believed that a successful meal was dependant upon a beautiful dinner service and even designed a personal set of china!

But my absolute favorite…the wonderful mismatched tiles in his blue and white kitchen! Now this is real French country decor! You can explore more of his home in Monet's House: An Impressionist Interiorby Heide Michels. And look...there's even a pot filler!

And finally, just in case you don’t believe we are old friends, here we are at the water lily garden during one of my visits. lol Don’t I  look young for my age? So I must say that, as much as I have enjoyed doing a little experimentation with neutrals, I feel like I have come home, surrounded by my favorite color combination.  After all, if Monet chose those colors for his house, Pierre Deux and I must be on to something! lol
(Antique photo look achieved using combine, clone stamp and antique photo features of Photoscape.)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my mantel!  Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Linda at A la Carte for Junkin' Finds on Fridays
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

A Vintage Book Bundle with Antique Paris Postcards for You!

I am really excited about my latest project! I have had it stewing around in my brain for quite a while but couldn’t find exactly what I had in mind…until yesterday! Woo hoo! 

I am probably the last one in Blogland to try my hand at these vintage book bundles featured at Restoration Hardware. I have seen so many examples of them on your lovely blogs, but it wasn’t until I wandered into one of my favorite antique stores that I found what I had been looking for…

…some really old books at a very reasonable price! I paid about $4 for the three books, one of which dates back to 1910. I am thrilled! However, our co-host Baby Kitty seems more interested in my neighbor and her oh-so-frenchy standard poodle who are out for a walk!

Now I have to preface this by saying that 34 years of teaching school and constantly telling my students to take care of their books made this part a little difficult for me! However, I purposely chose books that were already in really bad shape. And…gasp!…you can see that one of them was an old library book...but I pressed on anyway!

I simply ripped the (already dangling) covers off to expose the spine, then I added some jute twine and tucked in a wonderful antique Paris postcard and voilà! Which brings me to another subject…

Just look at what else I found waiting for me in a dark little back room…five antique Paris postcards in pristine condition for…get ready for it…$5.00! That's $1.00 each! Oh, jubilation! These are the real deal dating from around 1900! I found one of them listed on eBay with a postmark of 1908 and priced at about $10. Woo hoo! I think they may have still been there because they do not depict the more widely known Parisian monuments, but my absolute favorite was among them, so I jumped at the chance to buy them!

I scanned them in so you could get a better look. Isn’t this fabulous? Warning, warning…I feel the French teacher in me coming out! lol This one is of La Madeleine, a Neo-classical style church commissioned by Napoleon in 1806. Look at the wonderful wide street…and not a car in sight!

I love this one! Do you see the couple in the little boat? Can you say Renoir? She has a parasol and I am willing to bet he is wearing a straw boating hat! How romantic! This is the lake at the Bois de Boulogne.

The church of Saint Etienne-du-Mont  houses the remains of Saint Geneviève, whose prayers saved Paris from an attack by Attila the Hun in 451. Amazing, huh? Love that unusual façade!

This postcard depicts the Place de la Bastille where the infamous Bastille prison of French Revolution fame once stood. It's no longer there, its destruction beginning the day after it was stormed! This column was eventually built in its place, commemorating another revolution…the Revolution of 1830. I love seeing the Parisians in their turn-of-the century garb!

  And finally, my favorite…la Sainte-Chapelle…the chapel in the palace of Louis IX who built it to house the sacred relics he brought back from the Holy Land during the Crusades! If I could only take you to see ONE place in Paris, this would be it! There you will find the most breathtaking stained glass windows I have ever seen in a little jewel of gothic architecture! Sigh!  (Click here for virtual tour. Be sure to click on full screen! Amazing!)  And…look at that fancy carriage and the little dog out for a stroll!

And…here is how the back of each of the cards looks. None of them have ever been used. Cool, huh? I have not put watermarks on any of these photos in case you want to copy them and find some crafty use for them! If you do, please come back and tell me so I can come see!

And finally, here is the result! Taaa daaa! I call this one…Vignette with Cat! I hope you like it!

 Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project!  Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Tam at The Gypsy's Corner for Three or More Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Linda at A la Carte for Junkin' Finds on Fridays
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!