The French Laundry is Open for Business!

My new Etsy shop is now OPEN.  Come on down and check it out when you have a chance.  If you like 1920's antique ribbon work, Victorian and Edwardian perfume bottles, linens, laces, and in general, pretty girlie stuff, you will like what you find there.  I'm tickled PINK!

Until next time,

Happy New Year, a Book Review, and News for the New Year

Happy New Year!  This is a rather random disjointed post, but I hope you'll forgive me.  I've been super busy getting ready to open a second Etsy shop.  I'm very excited about it and I hope you will be as well.  My first shop, Elegant Farmhouse, was opened when I had a plethora of antique grain sack pillows that I made that needed an outlet for sale.  I found that some of the other things I loved, such as white ironstone and zinc items, looked nice with the pillows so a shop was born.  I still love all of those things and have fun hunting and gathering, but something has been missing.  For years, I sold on eBay under the name French Laundry, hence my blog name, and there I had the type of things that probably speak to my heart as much as anything in my many collections...beautiful, feminine boudoir and vanity antiques, fine linens and laces, and pretty china.  I haven't regularly sold on eBay in some years and I have really missed working with the pink girlie stuff.  AND did I mention that I still have a huge backlog of items which were destined for eBay but have just been in a holding pattern since I gave up being a regular seller on that venue?  SO, I hope to be up and running in a week or thereabouts.  You all will be the first to know once that happens.  The shop name is The French Laundry and the picture above and below will give you an idea of the feeling of that shop-fussier than Elegant Farmhouse, but still the same service and variety that you have come to know from me.  If you love 1920's ribbon work, flapper items, and Edwardian perfumes, this is a place you will want to visit often.  Let me clarify, I am NOT closing Elegant Farmhouse, just adding a second shop.

Okay, now that the shameless self promotion is done, I promised you a mini book review of the book "Inspired You", written by Blogland's own Marian Parsons, aka Miss Mustard Seed.  

Let me say that I am an avid reader.  Not like I ALWAYS have my nose in a book, but I do belong to a book club and really enjoy reading.  That being said, I can't remember a time that I've EVER read a design or lifestyle book cover to cover.  Maybe it's shallow, but I buy them for the pretty pictures and while I try to read the content, I generally fall short (read "I lose interest").  This one was the exception.  Perhaps because it is more than just a book about designing a warm and welcoming home.  Perhaps it is Marian's down to earth style and way of writing.  Maybe it is because she spoke to my heart on more than one occasion when she reminds us that our goal isn't to live in a magazine photo shoot but to create a comfortable home for our family and friends and to use our God given talents to make that home truly our own.  Maybe it is because she reminded me to be grateful for what I have and not JUST focus on the things I want to change.  Whatever the reason, I loved the book.  It was an uplifting, REAL book for REAL people.  It has a few easy tutorials for projects, some hints on getting low cost and high style, and lots of pretty pictures of MMS's own home.  It is available from the publisher, Thomas Nelson and can also be found on Amazon.  And did I mention, it is VERY reasonably priced?  Well, now I did, so now you know.  I recently met Marian at a workshop she did here in Colorado and she is just as nice as you might think and then some.  I love that.  I purchased some of her new milk paint in Luckett's Green.  I can't wait to try it.  Her color palate is really beautiful and if you haven't checked it, you should.  There are about 100 retailers carrying the line and, if you are fortunate like me to have an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist who also carries Miss Mustard Seed's products, then you really have it made.

Well, I have only tonight and tomorrow off from work, then it is back to the grind for me.  AND there is a good probability that I will be returning to work full time very soon, so I need to get moving while I have the opportunity and finish some listings for The French Laundry and restock Elegant Farmhouse.  Whew!  This Christmas break has certainly gone by fast!  My kids have off until Monday, so they can enjoy hanging out a while longer-they love that and so do I!

I hope you all had a nice Christmas and a good New Year and that 2013 will be happy and prosperous for all of us!

Until next time,

1920's Bisque Doll for Valentine's Day

Today I am sharing a little 1920's bisque doll that I dressed up with antique silk, lace, and ribbon work.  I have been doing up these dolls for a year or two now and I love how they turn out. 

This sweet gal is all ready for Valentine's Day with her little vintage crochet basket filled with miniature handmade valentines.

She is a real cutie pie and if you love her as much as I do, you can check her out here.  Yes, a little shameless self promotion never hurt anyone, right?  Hope you all have a blessed weekend.  I am linking up with French Cupboard's Handmade Valentine Party and Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday.  Join us for some fun!

Until next time,

You're Never Too Old to Play with Dolls...

I found this sweet little jointed bisque doll in an antique store last week (the same one where I found the pink prize ribbons in my last post). I'm such a sucker for these sweet little dolls. Only problem was, she needed clothes. She had just her little silvery top, but no skirt. What's a girl to do? I had such fun going through my stash and finding a beautiful old piece of 1920's silver metallic lace for a skirt, old silk ribbon for her sash, and a sweet little ribbonwork posy for embellishment. I was really tickled with how she turned out. I just enjoy looking at her with her sweet little face and now, jaunty flapper attire. Isn't it funny how sometimes the simplest things give us the most pleasure?

Just a quick post to say I'm thinking of you all out there in Blogland.

Until next time,

Antique, Vintage, and PINK

Happy Pink Saturday! Hard to believe that Bev has been hostessing this crazy little event for a year now, but "shore 'nuff", that is the case. I must have been feeling the love when I posted my auctions on Ebay this week, because these represent 5 out of the 6 things I have up right now, all PINK. Thought you might enjoy seeing them since they are very fun antique and vintage pretties.

First, a wonderful 1940's or 50's hat that I bought on my recent vacation to Florida. It is covered with pink organdy and velvet rosebuds (on a pink velvet hatstand, of course).


Next, a wonderful pair of 1920's silk shoes with adorable rosettes on the toes...can't you just see a little flapper gal doing the Charleston in these?


Antique English pink lustreware cup and saucer. Makes you want to have a spot of tea, doesn't it?


One of my favorites of all time (why am I selling it???), a 1920's half doll boudoir lamp with the prettiest little half doll perched on a tricked out ribbonwork and lace canopied chair. The light is under her skirt, giving her a soft glow when it is turned on.


Lastly, one of the prettiest handpainted tole trays I've ever come across, in almost mint condition and...PINK with pink roses. Doesn't get any better than that, does it?

Well, I hope you enjoyed my little tour of pink pretties on this lovely spring Pink Saturday. I hope you are having a great weekend with your friends and loved ones. Next week, I hope to take you shopping with me to some of my local haunts.

Until next time,

A Pretty Pink Flapper Gal for Pink Saturday

I thought you might enjoy seeing one of my Ebay listings which happens to be SO very pretty and...PINK! She is from the 1920's and is a powder puff holder. She holds 6 powder puffs in her skirt. Isn't she just adorable? I may have mentioned that I love 1920's flapper boudoir items. Some of them are totally useful, some are totally useless, but most are somewhere in between. I think the thought of the day was that if something held still, you should embellish it! And boy, did they.

I am going to head out to the beach for a family vacation this week, so I must keep this post short and pack my swimsuit and book! When you read this on Pink Saturday, I will be either en route or enjoying the sand and surf. See you all when I get back (or before if I find something interesting...). Until then, pop on over to Bev's and check out the other Pink Saturday participants. It's never boring!

Until next time,

Time for a new collection spotlight...1920's Wedding Toppers

Its been a little while since the rhinestone clock collection post, so I thought today would be a nice time to share one of my sweeter collections with you. I started out just collecting any vintage wedding cake toppers that struck my fancy, however, with Ebay and all of the other online shopping possibilities out there, I could see that this could quickly become an overwhelmingly large collection. Not a problem if you only collect a couple of things...ahem, that would NOT be me though, so I had to reign myself in a bit. I decided that since my most favorite toppers seemed to be of the 1920-1930's era, I would limit myself to just those. I proceeded to sell the ones that didn't meet the criteria and then spread out my remaining little pretties so I could appreciate them fully. Then I put a couple of them under glass cloches which is a way I love to display all sorts of things. Not only does it put them in the spotlight, but it also keeps them from needing to be dusted!

I love the ones that still have their bases and flower arches, but I'm also partial to the little bisque "Kewpie" looking ones. Wedding toppers have become increasingly popular in the collecting circles and the prices have definitely gone up, up, up. Once in a while though, you can still find them at thrift stores or estate sales for a reasonable price. ($10 or less). One of the most striking toppers I've ever seen was offered on Ebay this last September. It featured a very well dressed 1920's couple and the bride's dress went up in the front as was the style back in the day. Even though many flapper brides wore that style of dress, the toppers depicting the dresses that way are very rare and this little treasure brought over $200, if memory serves. OUCH! Needless to say, that one is NOT in my collection, but boy I wish it were. Most of the more "normal" ones can be had well within the $20-50 range. Now these prices I'm spouting off are for the older, say pre-1940 toppers. If you like the toppers from the 1950's on forward, you can probably cut the above prices in half unless there is something particularly rare/unusual about it. I don't personally own any reference books on the subject, but I've just ordered a Schiffer collector book titled, "Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers" by Penny Henderson, so it should be interesting to see if she agrees with me! If you like reference books on collectibles, Schiffer has books on almost any item you can imagine. They are usually fairly well done and have lots of pictures on the subject of interest.

This little couple might just be my favorite. Look how cute they are hugging each other, cheek to cheek! The little girl reminds me of one of the little girls in my baby son's Kindergarten class. I hope you enjoyed this brief little visit into the sentimental and sweet.

Until next time,

A Plethora of Pretty Pink Ribbons

Okay, I admit it. I'm a "hoarder". Have been for years. I hoard vanity pieces from the 1920's, vintage fabric, old rhinestone and glass jewelry, broken antique china, unbroken antique china, shells, chandeliers and sconces, architectural salvage pieces, pretty old papers, silk ribbonwork, old tin cookie cutters, pottery, Victorian rose paintings, all manner of vintage bits and bobs, and ribbon...

I hoard LOTS and lots of ribbon. I have loved ribbon for years and have never quite managed to break that desire to accumulate it. Old, new, doesn't matter, as long as it's pretty. Being Pink Saturday, I thought I'd share a photo of a small amount of my stash that happened to be glorious and pink. Not anywhere near all of it and not even all of it that is pink, but you get the idea.


What do I do with all of that ribbon, you ask? Well, mostly...I look at it. Once in a great while, I make a silk ribbon flower with it or use it in some way, but for the most part, it is one of those collections that brings joy just by its being in proximity to me and I periodically pull it out and touch it and love it for what it is. Okay, now I'm even scaring MYSELF! But, if you share this affliction, known as "Acute Ribbonophilia", you probably totally get what I am talking about. You should know that there is no known cure for this malady, so just embrace it and deal with it as best you can.

Since it is Pink Saturday, I thought I should also share with you one of my favorite pieces of all time, the pink silk box which the ribbon is in. When you are done having a peek, stop by and visit our Pink Saturday host, Bev at How Sweet the Sound for more links to bloggers participating in Pink Saturday.

Until next time,