Today............................

What are you doing this morning?
I was thinking of spending an hour here in the gazebo..........

.........reading a good book while enjoying my morning coffee and watching the birds.

Instead I think I'll get myself together, head out to the farmers' market and perhaps even do a little antiques/vintage browsing at some favorite places.

It feels good to feel good again! I have banished the beastly bug from my lungs.......I want fresh air. I want to see my friends........I've missed taking pictures to share with you.


The angels await new gardens. Treasures are waiting in little shops...calling out "take me home with you".


Enjoy your weekend, whatever you decide to do..............but please do something you love, it's good for your soul.

French Treasure

I've had several requests to show what I brought back from my October visit to France. Because we traveled with just one suitcase each, so much easier in this age of complicated overseas travel, and the poor exchange rate, we didn't buy too much. I mailed back two parcels at an exorbitant postal rate ~ apparently everything goes airmail now, fast but so expensive.

So a few gifts for family and friends, and some little treasures for the cottage were all I could manage.

The two tall silver capped perfume bottles look great with my silver lidded powder bowls ~ the one on the right was my mother's and given to her on her 21st birthday. I discovered the bottles in a brocante in the Minervois near my family's home - great stuff at good prices.

La Rotonde - Aix-en-Provence

See those little silver cups, second shelf up on the right? I brought them back across the pond!

During my fabulous afternoon with Corey Amaro in Aix-en-Provence, I purchased the set of six silver monogrammed liqueur cups and tray from a charming antiques dealer on a market stall with a generous 'Corey discount'. The other small items, which I now realize were all used for drinking French liquids, were from a huge brocante in an Aix backstreet directly behind our hotel. I would have missed it but of course Corey, who knows all the treasure troves in Provence, took me there!

High on my wish list were old French books, preferably yellowed with age, even water damaged! I love the look of them stacked so the wrinkled pages show.
In the world famous antiques shops of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue they had bundles of half a dozen old books tied together and were selling them for 150 euros!!!!!

These were my finds..............bargains at just a euro or two each from a rickety stall set outside a used bookshop in a little cobbled alley.

In our beautiful apartment at La Madone in Apt in the Luberon, I longed for these monogrammed heavy linen flax cushion covers on the daybed.

The owner sold them to me! As soon as I buy pillow forms to fit they will be on the bed in the guest room.

No, couldn't quite squeeze this elegant chair into either the suitcase or a mailing box, but did buy the huge antique linen tablecloth. It has two lovely monograms, and one tiny hole ~ for just 10 euros, from the brocante in Carcassonne shown in a recent post.

Just love this linen laundry bag even though it's not antique or even vintage ~ but easy to pack in the suitcase.

A couple more new items include a wooden Gros Sel (coarse salt) box ~ great to have nearby when cooking.....................

.........traditional wooden clothes pegs ~ love the label "25 Pinces a Linge a L'Ancienne".

............and a metal Liste des Courses (shopping list) to hang in the kitchen ~ what fun to flip those pointers to French words!

The antique, hand stitched, cream and red monogrammed kitchen towels I also purchased from La Madone. In this image you can just see the monogram on that large tablecloth.

...........and next time.................I'm definitely taking that extra suitcase!!!

SIMPLIFY ~~~~ if only

Visiting SuzAnna's here this past week was, once again, like a day in the Sahara Desert.........no oasis in sight but chilled bottles of water on hand - thanks girls! Worth it - oh yes. These fabulous women shop owners and their marvelous helper, Linda, were hard at it restyling the shop, in 95 degrees no less, following installation of an additional window (vintage of course) in the side of the building, thanks to their handy dh's. This newly illuminated space will be exciting - a gorgeous bed to display linens and many other treasures I'm sure..............I'll be back there soon to report on this. They are now opening 7 days a week instead of 4 - whooppee!

Another sign to add to my collection. This one is irresistible because I wish this could be my life ~ SIMPLE. But, how can one enjoy the hunt for treasure and keep it simple, impossible!

I've been eyeing this very old cobbler's wooden shoe last for several weeks. After seeing one "altered" in an art publication, I've decided to try my hand at that too - I'm thinking Renaissance or Bohemian. Have you seen Sandra Evertson's here fabulous altered wire shoe - it's amazing what she creates.

Still hunting down old buttons to fill my bookend jar - and wooden thread spools for the other one. These however will remain on their old illustrated shirt cards awaiting an art project - imagine, originally just 10 cents each.

Another corner at SuzAnna's - notice I was into photographing white treasures in an effort to beat the heat!

Old cotton petticoat - dangling crystals - pewter candlestick - COOL...........

.......................and though not vintage, this set of vegetable bowls, just $5 total at TJMaxx, this week, made it onto my cool list. One can never have too many bowls.