the art of the heirloom
Bonjour and happy holidays! It’s officially deep December and I’m sure we’re all in the middle of holiday preparations of baking and wrapping (or we’ll be starting any minute now…)
Over here it’s been a busy few months getting everything back in order after a small hiatus. We’ve restructured with the help of great friends and family, and are back up after a lot of hard work. truth is it’s a lot more fun to work with people and letting that happen has been the ultimate blessing. the best part is that we’ve got a sweet collection from the paris on the website and for the moment, i get to enjoy these little gems in my home. i guess the major shift has been that our focus has shifted from just buying little do-dads to honing in on the real treasure hunting that can done at the Paris flea markets. Now i’m looking for pieces that are part of history. i was asked to write an article about it for a good friend and colleague, Mimi Bleu who lives in paris and has created an online magazine, Belle Inspiration which is a beautiful venue for all things authentically french. she let me share the full article below so i’ll stop writing and you’ll see what i mean…
well… there’s a lot more to say on the subject but that will have to be another article i suppose…
thank you again, mimi for letting me share this! if you’re interested in checking out the entire magazine or subscribing, take a look at her site, www.belleinspiration.com.
and now, maybe i’ll try my hand at baking some cookies! a tout alors!
a french tradition: the gingerbread & ham antique fair
bonjour from paree~coming to you from a day of shopping on the outskirts of paris to visit a fair that happened to be happenning while we’re here. i’ve always wanted to check out the foire de chatou which is held on what’s affectionately known as ‘the island of the impressionists’ from a time when painters like monet and renoir created some of their most famous works here.
today chatou hosts a fair that’s been a tradtion since the middle ages, having moved around a lot and finally finding its home twice a year in this idyllic spot. it’s definitely worth a trip if you’re here at the right time of year.
how it became known as the fair of ham and gingerbread is another story and you can read all about it on the fair’s website linked above.
like all things in paris it’s taken on an air of a pleasant afternoon strolling through chic stands and trying to decide what to get when you want it all. well, almost all.
there was a mix of furniture, lighting and linens
with the displays full of smalls including glass, paintings and statuary
i guess i was a little obsessed with this vendor but there was so much creativity in his tiny space
i had an urge to leave with garden goodies, and maybe cause i just got a dog, fell in love with these.
but i had to be realistic about shipping this time, and sneaking these in with my carry-on was not gonna work
so instead we enjoyed the weather and ate like kings and queens
the food and desserts were gorgeous, but i was so busy eating that i didn’t get too many photos of the food
when we were fully nourished i vowed to stick with paper and ephemera starting with this old portable writing set, aka early laptop
these engravings were hand tinted, matted in gray and hung in coral frames
we found some of our own and decided to frame them at home
as both a book and handwriting lover i’m always looking for journals and ledgers. under a table was one from a boulangerie
and i couldn’t resist these artist sketchbooks from the 1800s
suffice it to say i wanted it all
puppet theater
i have a weakness for what the french call all things ‘gallant’, aka erotica to us, basically all things ‘boudoir’
even the silly postcards
but as scarlet said, ‘tomorrow is another day’ and iit’s getting late. but before signing off, as promised, have hit the RaNdOm NuMbER Generator to give away the books from the last post. and the winners are Deborah McReynolds and Catherine.
if you can send me your addresses the books can go out next week when i get back. but if you didn’t win that one, we do have another, brought to you by richard nahem of i prefer paris. he’s a friend of mine living in paris and has started a monthly subscription of postcards featuring his beautiful shots around the city. the first month’s set is up for today’s giveaway so if you’re interested just say the word and we’ll do another drawing tomorrow. et alors, it’s time to shut it down, good night!
ipreferparis.net/2015/09/eye-prefer-paris-postcards-official-launch-.html
around the world 80 days
bonjour tout le monde, coming to you from gay paree! i spent the last few days at the flea market with clients from perth, australia who are buying for their antique business which will be set in a gorgeous church they’re converting into a store.
i promised to keep it hush hush for now and will be blogging more about it when it’s ready to go. but i couldn’t resist sharing a little of our time together. they asked me to help them find a lamp post to hang their shingle and i knew just where to go to look, but what we found surprised even me. next to an everyday light that had been removed from a paris street were three magnificent lamposts that had come directly from the Champs-Élysées!
hard to believe this magnificent piece of history was available for purchase but then again, that’s the beauty of the french flea market; it’s a place where you can take piece of history home with you, even if that means all the way around the world to australia.
the details were beautiful and on one hand i can’t understand how they could have been slated for removal after all these years, but on the other, i’m grateful that they’re there for the taking for someone who truly appreciates them.
the plan is to get them to their new home within the next 80 days for the grand opening, so they’ll be packed up and shipped on monday.
i can’t wait to see them in their new home! we’re finishing up tomorrow, so for now, it’s lights out!
ps i’m in paris for the next couple weeks so if you’re interested in shopping the markets together email me at theparisapartment@gmail.com. bonne nuit!
the paris apartment 