It's Always Mermaid Season at French Laundry

I know that most people out here in Blogland and everywhere else are showing off their fall decor, but please indulge me with a final summery thing.  It is truly my favorite season and I would love to have an endless summer if I could.  But I digress.  One of the things I do with some regularity is dress these old bisque dolls from the 20's and 30's.  It gives me a chance to use some of my beautiful antique ribbon and flower hoard supplies.  The dolls usually come "nekid", so it is fun to get them all dressed in their finery to once again face the world with beauty and grace.  The dolls inspire me with everything from the color of their eyes to the way their hair is done and usually I take a look at my stash and something jumps out at me as THE theme for a particular doll.  This little gal whispered in my ear that she longed to be a mermaid.  I had the great zig zag lace trim which in my mind translated into the bottom of a mermaid skirt.  Several pretty antique silk ribbons, some fun trim and, of course, seashells and pearls came together to dress my little gal.  She's destined to be listed on Our Cottage Garden in the next few days, but I thought I would take an opportunity to share her with you and with Beverly and her Pink Saturday participants.  There's sure to be a lot of pink yumminess there, so stop on over and have a look.

Love those little shells.  I knew they'd come in handy sometime...

Until next time,

Simple Things

My blogger friend Jermaine at French-Kissed is so inspiring. She's always talking about her beautiful silverplate flatware that she picks up at the flea markets, thrift stores, wherever. I have some of these pieces that I inherited from a great aunt. There were a few forks in the Vintage pattern by Rogers. I'd only used them once. I was out antiquing one day and found a box of flatware priced at $1 a piece. I pawed through them, thinking of how proud Jermaine would be of me when I came across 4 stunning forks that I thought might compliment the pieces I had at home from my great aunt. Imagine my pleasant surprise when I got them home and found out they weren't just complimentary, but an exact match. Not that they needed to be, but I was so excited that they were the same. I polished the new ones and the old ones and my sugar shell and have to tell you that I have been smiling ever since. I can't wait to dine in elegance over some curried chicken and rice salad on the porch. Pretty cheap thrill at $4, don't you think?









Along that same line, this little glass compote holds a few of my favorite seashells from our recent Sanibel Island vacation. The beautiful pink shell cameo is a fairly new purchase from an estate sale. The carving is so lovely and the pink color on the shell is gorgeous. I have this sitting on my dresser where I pass it several times a day and smile, remembering a fun family vacation at the beach and appreciating the beauty of the shells.

Sometimes I have to remind myself that even though there are some phenomenally beautiful (and expensive) antiques out there, it is often these little unexpected and inexpensive treasures that elevate our homes from the mundane to the sublime and are good for a big grin each time we look at them. Can't ask for much more than that, can you?

Until next time,

Back in the saddle again...

Well, after a much needed break from my Ebay auctions, I FINALLY got all of this week's offerings put on. It seems that I'm always in a crunch to get the photos taken, pictures cropped, descriptions written. I know I should be more organized, but the fact of the matter is, I'm just not. I'd like to think that in 2009, the Organization Fairy will suddenly descend upon my life and fix everything that is, shall we say, not working to its optimal capacity. Sigh...a girl can HOPE can't she? One year, I discovered the Fly Lady, http://www.flylady.net/. It was a true revelation. I did, indeed gain a great bit of organization that year, but then the next "thing" came along that derailed me (I don't even remember what) and I scrapped her bits of sage wisdom and fell back into my old bad habits. Do you all have these problems with being overbooked and underdisciplined and overwhelmed with life? I will qualify this question by saying that I am living the life I love for the most part, its just the details that sometimes make me crazy. Please send me a comment and let me know that I'm not alone out here in Disorganizationville! In the meantime, here's a mosaic of this weeks' offerings. There's an antique French net lace collar, a lovely Victorian painting featuring pretty little violets, a neat silk embroidery embellished vintage sewing kit filled with notions, a really cool shell that is decorated with shell roses, a handpainted serving dish featuring beautiful pink roses and dated 1915, and a handpainted brooch featuring gorgeous pink roses and blue forget me nots, circa 1900. You can reach my auctions by clicking the button on the left sidebar of my blog, should you be moved to do so. Otherwise, just enjoy the photos and have a great day! Click anywhere on the mosaic to see a larger version of the pictures.

Until next time,

These are a few of my favorite things...

My mantle used to be one of those always changing vignettes of stuff...fun, but since I started displaying my collection of vintage white matte pottery there, I haven't been inclined to change it much at all. I just love the way the white matte pottery plays off of the stark white paint of the mantle and the old creamy white of the mirrors. All of the different shades of white seem cool in the summer like the cool white of sand dollars and seashells and warm in the winter like a creamy white knit sweater. This little vignette makes me smile every time I come down my stairs and see it. What places do you have in your home that make you smile everytime you look at them? Post a comment and let me know.

Until next time...