i want candy
happy halloween everyone~
this mask is about all i can muster today as i’m not feeling it, but i hope you and your fellow goblins have a frightfully fierce day and night! enjoy your kids’ loot!
ps if you’re still looking for a costume tonite, check out these tim butron inspired looks from bazaar via the ginger parasol
i can while away the hours
bon soir everybody, i hope you had a good week and tgif!
i’ve got the apartment to myself for the next month and plan to make the most of it.
it’s weird when you get off track (my bf was here all week) and don’t remember where you quite left off. for that i always turn to the camera card and see where i was last. i forgot about my trip to palm beach the other day.
i’m working with a dealer who’s got fabulous stuff but no tech, so we’re working with my online shop and his great goodies! this is the back room where some pieces need work. he wants to put new mirror on this, says his clients don’t like that ‘old stuff’. i could have cried!
he knows where all the great estate sales and auctions are. i hope no one shines up this patina.
i’m a sucker for black lucite
and slipper chairs but ouch! the 80s upholstery on this 30s frame is so golden girls but i die for the lines!
another vintage mirrored vanity. he wants to change this old mirror too but i say no!
he’s pretty frilly himself. this is behind his desk (above)
and he has a thing for pink chairs. me too.
as you can see this is a fairly girly region of our fair country. sometimes it can even feel a little sunset boulevard and i start to wonder if maybe it’s a bit much. but i do love fun, dramatic furniture. i think about the ladies who used these pieces in the teens, (the flappers) twenties, (the vamps) thirties (glamor girls)!
total non sequitur: the shot below has been on my desktop since last week. it’s madeleine castaing from a new book about her that a friend mentioned. i know i should know her but know tragically little. turns out she loved playful furniture and decor too and is someone i’d love to study.
(NOTE: i just realized this is not madeline! it’s Syrie-Maugham who i know even less about)! oh well it started a roll!
this is the new book out on her: World-Madeleine-Castaing
what a legend
Antique shop of Madeleine Castaing in Paris (7th arr.) at the corner of rue Bonaparte et Jacob
Juin 1960. © Roger-Viollet. Photo by Francis Hammond for The New York Times
now a laudree
enfilade18thc.wordpress.com/category/marketplace-goods-services
apparently everything she touched was magic, her home, her store, interiors, even the shutters. this blue was her favorite.
topsyturvystyle.com/2009/04/magic-of-madeleine-castaing.html
i’ll have to dig into her legacy. she’s completely inspiring me!
littleaugury.blogspot.com/2010/08/emily-in-madeleines-world.html
incredible how everything is so refined
and exquisite
thestylesaloniste.com/2009/06/eternally-chic-french-antiquaire-and.html
Evans Eerdmans, author of Regency Redux, describes the Castaing look as a “unique blend of Neoclassicism, Proustian Romanticism, and pure wit.”
my girlfriends lynn and janet had a brush with greatness when the found a set of 6 of ms. castaing’s chairs at vignettes! but that’s another night. for now bonne nuit et bon weekend!
Don’t be intimidated by audacity. Be audacious — but with taste… Don’t get taken in by fashion. A secret: love your house; love makes miracles. - Madeleine Castaing
our pretty tangled web
hey guys, happy thursday. i’m in a mellow mood and messing around instead of working (aka: blogging). seems like i never get a chance to check out my blog stats lately to see who’s coming and going, linking and and leaving those beautiful comments. tonight i went to see what was up and what i got was pure bliss! below are some who passed thru in the last 24 hours. it’s the ultimate mismash of marvelous magic and infinite inspiration! thank you for coming by, i could do this all night!
some of these are incoming links
or blogs i get via rss
or friends who stopped by
whathappensnext.typepad.com/what_happens_next or started inspiration mondays
beauty-of-decay.com via parishotelboutique.blogspot.com
suffice it to say i lost track. thank you all for flying by and tossing sparkle!
Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be.
~Karen Raven
flickr.com/photos/bodiegroup/4679330623/in/photostream
have a great night and tgif!
not all days are good but there’s good in every day
hi guys, hope you’re having a good week. it seems like i’m always playing catch up and not spending enough time playing! well i did wander around a bit on pinterest, do you know about it? my friend lynn told me about it and it’s beyond addictive but at the same time fills a creative need that i’ve been craving. if you need a little eye candy and some new inspiration, head on over. the quote for my title was one i didn’t ‘pin’ but wish i had so if you come across it, let me know. in the meantime, hope you enjoy the fruits of my hard labor!
thethinkingtank.tumblr.com/post/522432811
architonic.com/ntsht/moderne-parkhaus-architektur/7000515
note: just added-someone sent me this shot of the michigan theater above when it was new:
shelterinteriordesign.blogspot.com/2010/09/in-nut-shell.html#
acreativemint.typepad.com/a_creative_mint/2010/10/blues-lemon-lime-guava.html
flickr.com/photos/lissyl/4539106642/in/faves-youaremyfave
flickr.com/photos/luverne/3333521030/in/set-72157613566321319
have a great night and sweet dreams!
big players playing (doll) house
Lonny Dollhouse: Dorothy Draper With a Modern Twist
happy friday everybody! i’m chillin tonight working and just wanted to stop by for minute and say hello! there’s nothing i’d like more than to finish up and play but a couple hundred unanswered emails are calling so it’s just a brief and shining moment out of the minutia. i did come across something fun and hope you enjoy it as much as i did.
of all things, curbed is having a dollhouse competition! house beautiful, lonny, elle decor!? the voting is over now but i’m glad to see we’re all still kids at heart! check it out:
here are the final designs!
lonny magazine
House Beautiful Dollhouse: Cinematic Moody Blues
Elle Decor Dollhouse: Signature Style Looks Ahead
i love that an uninvited design student threw his hat into the ring:
so of course i had to play along!
the paris apartment!
haha! what about you? do you have a dollhouse?
have a great weekend!
liz daniels style debut
hey guys, happy thursday. i hope your week is going well. i’m back on the east coast till thanksgiving, and loving that there are no airports in the immediate future. i hope to use this time to accomplish some things, including tackling an annoying 5 lbs, finishing the keys to the fleas book and listing new pieces on my site. there are other things too but that would suffice. i figure the only way it will get done is if i tell you!
in the meantime, (like today)! i’m helping liz navigate ebay so she can start selling some of her designer clothes as well as home goods. you may recall she’s usually behind the scenes as a fabulous ny stylist and now she’s breaking out to put pieces together and lighten her load. check out her chanel, bill blass, vera wang and other items here on ebay. if you get a chance, take a look. she’s brand new to ebay so there’s no rating or even profile but you gotta start somewhere!
so for taking the pics and listing the goodies, liz made me dinner. thanks girl, i wish you the best of luck with this cause you’ve got great taste and a spectacular collection!
an affair to remember
where do i begin? this may be my most picturesque post ever. i have a million more photos but i’m cutting it off here so i can at least get to the matter at hand…the party at vignettes was a roaring good time that was beyond my wildest dreams. mere thanks would never cover what lori and her crew did to welcome and host me for what was truly a fairy tale.
walking into the store was like a dream! everyone in the collective is on the same wavelength and each area was decorated to the hilt with glorious french finds.
i guess i took so many photos cause it was a way to have a piece of this place forever. it’s one of the best resources i’ve ever come across either in the us or in paris. the prices, the selection, the sheer creativity in unique design, display and undeniable passion reinvigorated all my senses and sensibilities for all things french.
to be around such wonderful and expressive people was pure bliss. take a look at the spread, this was just the tip of the iceberg! there was champagne, strawberries and so much more!
but the real highlight was having the ladies and gents come from around town, l.a. and even as far phoenix. it was beyond flattering, it was awe inspiring. some ladies had my book for years and to see it in their hand touched me more than i can say. thank you to everyone who came, i hope you keep in touch!
so if you weren’t there, i hope these photos inspire you to check out this one of a kind wonderland. if you live near san diego please go and say hello, you will not leave disappointed or empty handed. if you’re looking for a one of a kind gift then this is one stop shopping for all tastes and ages, men and women. i plan to interview some of the designers and post their goodies so you can get more of an idea of the variety. these are not crafters, they’re artisans.
thank you thank you thank you to everyone and everything that went into making this one of the best days of my life and something treasure forever! i can’t wait to get back to san diego and play and in the meantime i’ll try to get to the individual posts about some of these creative souls. till then have a great week and more soon!
Vignettes
4828 Newport Ave
San Diego, CA 92107-3111
(619) 222-9244
Open Daily 10:30am-5pm
urban archaeology: sleeping beauty’s paris apartment discovered
Photo: GETTY
hi guys! i just had to post this. for me it really stirs the imagination. enjoy!
Parisian flat containing €2.1 million painting lay untouched for 70 years
For 70 years the Parisian apartment had been left uninhabited, under lock and key, the rent faithfully paid but no hint of what was inside
By Henry Samuel in Paris
Published: 7:49PM, 04 Oct 2010
Behind the door, under a thick layer of dusk lay a treasure trove of turn-of-the-century objects including a painting by the 19th century Italian artist Giovanni Boldini.
The woman who owned the flat had left for the south of France before the Second World War and never returned.
But when she died recently aged 91, experts were tasked with drawing up an inventory of her possessions and homed in on the flat near the Trinité church in Paris between the Pigalle red light district and Opera.
Entering the untouched, cobweb-filled flat in Paris’ 9th arrondissement, one expert said it was like stumbling into the castle of Sleeping Beauty, where time had stood still since 1900.
“There was a smell of old dust,” said Olivier Choppin-Janvry, who made the discovery. Walking under high wooden ceilings, past an old wood stove and stone sink in the kitchen, he spotted a stuffed ostrich and a Mickey Mouse toy dating from before the war, as well as an exquisite dressing table.
Photo: GETTY
But he said his heart missed a beat when he caught sight of a stunning tableau of a woman in a pink muslin evening dress.
The painting was by Boldini and the subject a beautiful Frenchwoman who turned out to be the artist’s former muse and whose granddaughter it was who had left the flat uninhabited for more than half a century.
Giovanni Boldini
The muse was Marthe de Florian, an actress with a long list of ardent admirers, whose fervent love letters she kept wrapped neatly in ribbon and were still on the premises. Among the admirers was the 72nd prime minister of France, George Clemenceau, but also Boldini.
The expert had a hunch the painting was by Boldini, but could find no record of the painting. “No reference book dedicated to Boldini mentioned the tableau, which was never exhibited,” said Marc Ottavi, the art specialist he consulted about the work.
When Mr Choppin-Janvry found a visiting card with a scribbled love note from Boldini, he knew he had struck gold. “We had the link and I was sure at that moment that it was indeed a very fine Boldini”.
He finally found a reference to the work in a book by the artist’s widow, which said it was painted in 1898 when Miss de Florian was 24.
The starting price for the painting was €300,000 but it rocketed as ten bidders vyed for the historic work. Finally it went under the hammer for €2.1 million, a world record for the artist.
“It was a magic moment. One could see that the buyer loved the painting; he paid the price of passion,” said Mr Ottavi.
you’re invited to the ball
i don’t think i’ve ever received such a warm and inviting invite to host an event as i did from lori chandler of vignettes in san diego. apparently anyone who’s anyone knows about this treasure trove but it will be my first time visiting. it’s an antiques collective filled to the brim by passionate, creative fairy princesses who let their love fly for all things fabulous, frilly and french!
sweetpeasandsnapshots.typepad.com
as i was getting an image to post tonite for the event on saturday, i googled ‘vignettes’ and came across so many gorgeous pix that i got lost in interviews with lori, past hosts’ ruminations (rachel ashwell)! and the wealth of merchandise in the shop. i know it’s not easy to run a store, much less with a lot of vendors, but lori makes it look like so much fun! i’m sure they have a blast all year long, but this is their anniversary party, 15 years! if you don’t know lori yet, check out her store via her blog and website. from what i can see, it’s an atmosphere of pure joy and i feel like i’m heading to a princess party.
rachelashwellshabbychic.blogspot.com
in the meantime, i spoke to her hubby today who said she’s busy putting quite the soiree together and i’ll be going on the 7th to help set up. we’re going to have a real ball, so if you’re around please come and play! here’s her adorable invite:
‘We hope you’re planning to put on your
Best Party Dress & attend
Vignettes’ Grand Anniversary Event
this upcoming Saturday, October 9th, from Noon to 5:00 pm.
From taking in all the lavish settings & luxe décor, to meeting Miss Claudia Strasser of The Paris Apartment
& all of Vignettes’ dealers who work so hard &
(just added!) the French Tent Brocante in our back lot, to the lavish patisserie & French macaron display (Edible art!) to the French Champagne – pouring all day (Ooh La La!) to having your picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower,
(Say “Cheese”, I mean “Fromage”) you’ll feel like you’ve been wisked away on a tres magnifique French getaway/escapade – with no jet lag, luggage or passport required!
Come Celebrate 15 Fabulous Years With Us!’
——————————————————————————————–
and these are some of the pics i found just surfing about the place.
fabulousfindsandco.blogspot.com
i could go on but it’s midnight, you get the picture tho, it’s going to be singing and dancing and chocolate and champagne and strawberries and just like the movie marie antoinette when they had that decadent party! hope you can make it!
my heart is at home
bon soir guys, hope you’re having a great saturday night. i am happily home alone and can’t tell you how much life has changed because my apartment has. it’s amazing to be living with constant inspiration.
i have to thank you again for pushing and encouraging all this. not sure why i got obsessed with the contest, maybe just wanted to see if i could do it. and apparently needed to.
guess whatever it takes, right? well neither liz or i know how to do anything more than shoot a video, forget editing it with music and story line in 3 minutes. but it just so happened that the guy who came to build the ikea cabinet for the printer (below left corner)! said he could edit if we shot it so we gave it a whirl. but i had it set to high hi res and it can only be 10 mb and it’s 20. if they don’t accept it i’ll post it here cause you’ll get a kick out of it!
anyway i just wanted to share some shots and the couple new additions i got cause of you!
you were so right about the desk. it was basically custom made for the place. and by the by it was a steal at the sugar chest antique mall in pompano.
so now i’m home and for the first time in awhile i don’t have wanderlust. i have the impossible: apartment lust! what a difference to walk through the door now. it’s like an altered universe and didn’t take much. and it was worth it all just to get the wires off the floor. what an aesthetic relief! ok well, it’s that magic hour so i’m off to chill awhile. hope you have a fabulous night where ever you are!
