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Friday, May 31, 2013

French Poppies

I’m feeling bright and cheerful on this sunny Friday morning in Kentucky and wanted to go into the weekend thinking of summer.

A real treat while in Provence was getting to see the poppies in bloom.  They only bloom for a very short time, so it’s really special to see a field of them.

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They were beautiful in the early morning when I photographed these.  You can see the glow of the dew.

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In French, they are called coquelicots.  I always think of the Wizard of Oz movie when I see poppies.

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As luck would have it, my cousin Bobbi spotted a set of 3 vintage café au lait bowls when we were at the Marche aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves in Paris.

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Guess what the bottom markings said?  There was that beautiful French word for poppies and we thought it was fate to find these.

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We bought the set….one for me, one for her and one for Kit of Chic Provence who made sure we stopped to photograph the poppies.  We already sent Kit hers.

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And if that wasn’t enough this was the view from my bedroom window at the villa.  More poppies.

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I hope this leaves you happy and cheerful for the weekend, too.

Blessings,

Kim

Linking to:

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Be Inspired at Common Ground

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

A Special Paris Flea Market

Hello everyone!  I want to tell you about a very special Paris flea market that I went to at the end of my trip.

Claudia Strasser recommended it in her latest book, “Paris Flea Market Style” and I had written the address in my Iphone notes, hoping I would get a chance to go.  It’s the Marche aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves on Ave. Marc Sangnier & Ave. Georges Lafenestre in the 14th Arrondissement and is only open on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00-1:00.  I’ll give you fair warning there are lots of photos in this post, but I think you’ll enjoy them.

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Do you see the smile on my face?  Do you see the “stuff” in the background?  Only a drop in the bucket I might add as there are around 250 vendors.

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My cousin Bobbi and I got there early in the morning and stayed until the dealers packed up their stuff.  There was everything from artwork, chandeliers, fabric & linens, jewelry, glassware, and furniture. 

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There were plenty of café au lait bowls from a couple dealers, but I thought the price was pretty high so I didn’t come back with too many of them.

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No shortage of bowls here!  Pick your color!

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It’s hard for me to resist a nice vintage Eiffel Tower and this one was quite heavy and large at around 12”.  At 75 euros though I left it in Paris!  Love the little b&w photo of the young boy dressed as a sailor in the background.

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I’m always drawn to clock faces.

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Ooh la la!

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Loved this copper pot clock.  It would look great in a Country French kitchen.

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Baskets for baguettes anyone?

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I fell for the combination of weaves on this basket.

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And this style of basket is so historical and utilitarian.  The dark patina is so charming.

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These miniature baskets were carried on pilgrimages to Vichy and contained a glass for drinking the healing water.  It’s a type of mineral water that is naturally effervescent and comes from the springs at Vichy in central France.

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This dealer had tons of vintage wallpaper samples that would be beautiful framed.

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I spotted some very special seltzer bottles, too.  Could be vaseline glass.

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Copper and sconces with crystals….quintessential French.

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Nice bones on this chair and I liked the base of the iron floor lamp.

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Lots of mid-century modern mixed in.  Très chic!

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Loved the detail on this pair of chairs.

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I saw lots of armoire doors and think they look great installed on built-ins.

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A fancy cartouche on a Louis Philippe mirror.

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I’m always on the lookout for great frames.

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Stacks and stacks of engravings.  You could spend hours going through them.

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There’s always Hermes hiding somewhere….even if it is just the boxes.

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These were the coolest group of fellas.  A bunch of the dealers sitting around playing a card game and not paying much attention to their booths!  Bobbi asked if we could take their picture and they were happy to oblige two giddy American gals.

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A highlight of the day was meeting fellow Etsy sellers…French Vintage Shop.  They are a lovely husband/wife team and it feels so good to meet other kindred spirits and make an immediate connection.  They had wonderful items for sale and I purchased this nice set of enamel canisters.  I actually carried them on the plane!  I’m sure I’ll be doing more business with them in the future.  I regret not getting a photo with them.  I don’t know why I didn’t think about it.

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All in all a lovely typical Parisian flea market on a couple pretty tree-lined streets.

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I had a fun and productive day.  I must admit it’s very difficult to take pictures and try to shop all at the same time.

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At the intersection of the two streets.

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Groovy man!

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Before we left, we stopped for a crepe at the corner food truck and listened to the old-time piano player as Claudia recommended in her book.

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I recently gave a book review about “Paris Flea Market Style” by Claudia Strasser HERE.  I highly recommend her book if you are planning a trip to Paris or if you just want to be virtually whisked away in Frenchland.  It certainly came in handy for me!

Patti and Paula over at Ivy and Elephants are having a great give-away going on now and one lucky recipient will receive a copy of the book “Paris Flea Market Style”.  Patti emailed me to say they had mentioned my book review post.  Thanks so much gals for the mention and link back.  Hop on over to Ivy and Elephants to enter and wish them a Happy Blogiversary!

Blessings,

Kim

Linking up to:

What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants

WOW! Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours

Thursday, May 23, 2013

I’m Back From France!

I returned home from France last week and I must apologize for not posting sooner.  I celebrated my birthday on Monday and I’ve basically been in a whirlwind.  I’m so looking forward to getting back into the swing of blogging and catching up on my reading in blogland to see what all of you have been up to!


I want to take this opportunity to personally thank Pamela over at From My Front Porch To Yours for featuring me in her “How I Found My Style Sundays”.  My post ran on the 12th which was Mother’s Day and I was still in Paris at the time.  If you haven’t had the chance to READ IT or haven’t visited Pamela’s charming blog (she loves French things just like me) please hop on over there for a real treat.


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Now back to France…

The window displays in Paris are pure eye candy.  These were some of the most gorgeous roses I have ever seen.


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I had lots of fun with these gals and made great new friends on the Design Tour.


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Me and the lovely Kit Golson from Chic Provence.  She is such a remarkable and charming lady. We have a lot in common…both being designers and loving all things French…and had several wonderful conversations about décor and interior design.


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Isn’t this magnificent?  This was one of the outdoor dining areas of our villa and we had an incredible candlelight dinner here one evening.  The wisteria at the farmhouse was beautiful.


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I did lots of shopping in Paris and Provence and brought back several goodies.  I’m still trying to get the hang of the shipping thing from France.


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In the next couple weeks I’ll be listing some new items in my Etsy and Ruby Lane shops.


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For now, as I sort through my almost 2,000 photos, I’ll leave you with this sneaky looking photo of me and Kit’s son-in-law Steven poking around in an eerie old antique shop in Tarascon looking for treasures.


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I hope I don’t kill you all with my love affair with France, but my next several posts will be all about the trip and I’ll share lots more photos.

I’m so excited as I’m preparing for my own shopping tour of France this fall with another great group of ladies and Cat at Sunday Brocantes as our provider.  The fall Blogger’s Brocanting Tour 2013 is officially SOLD OUT!

Au revoir for now,
Kim

Linking up to:
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours
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