Tuesday 28 June 2011

Silver plate and new pieces.....

  

Some new acquisitions for the Fairs this week include..... two good quality silver plated  tea sets,.the one on the left is made for Mappin and Webb with initials RL in a cartouche, the other has lovely relief detail. 
Both need polishing, as I think they have sat unused in a cupboard for years.
 



 A boxed set of fish knives and forks (also to polish ), a length of pretty floral, vintage linen by Warner...


And the cutest print of a child and horse signed and dated 1914....


With the sweetest caption.....


 'OU TAN HAVE A BITE HORSIE

All together now....aaahhh!




 A pretty hand painted teaset with nice big tea cups and a length of floral barkcloth that I will make into cushions.

Finally, two large, satin cushion covers with ruched edge and quilting detail.




Very boudoir..ish don't you think.....?

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the week and a big hello to all my new followers....thank you!

Julie x

Saturday 25 June 2011

Purchases from Paris....


Fleamarket finds from Paris had to be compressed into my hand luggage, but I managed.... with a tin 2CV,


A wooden butter mould, a small box and a large drawstring bag made from floppy linen.


Some embroidery booklets.....one for alphabets for samplers, the other with designs for monograms which include 10 pages of transfers.....all different styles,


Examples of cross stitch designs......


Alphabets.....


Animals.....

Crowns....


And some "real life" monograms from old sheets that I will make into cushions....


Naturally, I also managed to find room for the macaroon essentials.....



Hope you all have a good weekend....I am at New College, Durham on Sunday with some new things,


Silver plate, glass, pretty bits of jewellery...



Decided it is going to be a sparkly, girly theme for Sunday.....plus a bit of boys stuff  too....



Off to pack,
See you soon,

Julie x

Tuesday 21 June 2011

I'm back.....


Two large Vide-Greniers and a Brocante to wander through at the weekend in Paris.



Little cupboards I could have bought.....


Interesting kitchen stuff.....


And banana boxes full of old linen, monogrammed sheets, napkins, pillowcases....


This old mannequin caught my eye propped up behind a junky stall.....a little battered but quite quirky with its strange limb arrangement.


Only to discover after a conversation with the stall holder that it was not for sale at all..... it had been discarded with the rubbish and was free to a good home..... AAAGH!


No way could I have got it home on Easyjet ( hand luggage only) and pleading with my daughter to take it home to her apartment fell on extremely deaf ears.

"You've got to be joking! I'm not carrying that thing back on the Metro"

 Enough said....

So there it had to stay.

A quick whizz round a food market with their lovely fruit and veg displays  (to take my mind off the mannequin)



Even the seafood was fresh....



Flowers purchased for daughter's apartment, ( still thinking that the mannequin would have been far more dramatic... )


Then on for a spot of culture at the Grand Palais for the Monumenta exhibition.....




Anish Kapoor's huge structure filled the vast Nave....


The scale of the thing was enormous....


And stepping inside the structure was a strange, yet contemplative experience....



Quite surreal and eerily silent....no one talked as they gazed up and took photographs in the dark.


Back outside and lots of walking ensued, over the bridge towards Invalides.....



Padlocks on the statues.....


And padlocks on this bridge, are a symbol of a couples attachment to each other...having been "joined together as one" ....apparently.



I presume if it doesn't work out you have to go back with the key and unlock it?

Long way from Taiwan though....

A bit of street art on the way to the Marais ......clever.


To visit a shop that I have heard lots about, yet never visited....MERCI


We were not at all disappointed and the refreshments were superb....


Pistachio cake washed down with citronnade....lime, lemon and ginger with fresh mint.

Delicious...

 Finally in case you were wondering why I was in Paris, it was to attend a farewell party for long standing friends at the British Embassy,


Pimms and Champagne on the Terrace...followed by evening supper in a gorgeous apartment on Boulevard Hausemann.....



Meeting up with old friends I haven't seen for over 30 years....wonderful.

 Thank you Mark and  Jill  for inviting us all to be part of your special day....not even the heavy cloudburst at one stage could spoil the occasion.




Best wishes for your new adventure....

Julie x