My new French items for Etsy......

It's been a fun day adding some items to my Etsy shop for the Francophiles out there (you know who you are!!!!)
Why is it that the French do everything with so much panache and style? ~sigh~
I die for the vintage (1900 publication) of the famous Baedeker's Paris travel guide...who wouldn't? It's filled with interesting information and maps for the traveler....even has some stains on the front of it that I've convinced myself are wine stains while it was resting on a bistro table during a leisurely lunch one Spring in Paris......!

A lovely map...one of many.

And my last french dictionary...am I crazy? Perhaps...but there are always more out there, right?
~Sold~

And I just know that someone out there will adore this dictionary filled with illustrations! It's an old one for sure!
I'm glad I only had to go out for a short time today (for more mailing supplies) because it's darn cold here today...a good day to be inside working on my shop. I've never had a happier "job"!
Hope you're all staying warm......:)

~~~~~Happy First Day of Advent~~~~~~

Since the message of Advent is to be "constantly on the watch" I thought this pretty card would be appropriate today....and we are blessed every year at this time with our lovely camellia...aren't it's blooms pretty?
I do hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and/or friends! Ours couldn't have been nicer. We traveled up north to be with family for the day and it was wonderful.
The only down side was that the drive home was a white-knuckler....so much rain we could barely see through most of the trip home. But we made it safe and sound.

I hope this peaceful Sunday finds you all content and ready for this wonderful new season.....!!

~~~~~~GRATEFUL~~~~~~

To be grateful is not something I take lightly...it's a gift to be nurtured each and every day. If we somehow "get out of the practice" of feeling grateful I think it becomes apparent in so many ways......to not appreciate what He has given us is a sin.
I appreciate so much about my life right now...here are few things I'd like to share.

My faith in Him (Seems whenever I pray, He listens, I'm fortunate that way!)

My Family ~ They love me, even when I don't deserve it...:)      

My home ~ With so many losing theirs right now it makes me all the more grateful to have ours.

My health ~ You should never underestimate the importance of  this one! Without it perspective can fly right out the window.

My creative abilities ~ I say this not to toot my own horn but to admit that without my creative outlet I'd be somewhat lost. I think we all need our own "thing" that we adore doing.

My good friends who "get" me, we all need those so badly!  

I'm wishing all of you the happiest Thanksgiving! Make sure you take some time for yourself and think about what you're grateful for......He's always listening.....:).  

Why details matter......the beauty of old things

So a delivery was made this a.m., and I couldn't be more thrilled! In a previous post I had mentioned my search for a hat case, not to be confused with a hat box....got plenty of those!
Well, it came today and it's simply stunning. I've been pouring over it's details this morning.
The leather outside, the incomparable fabric lining (wish I had a never-ending bolt of this fabric, it's the prettiest I've ever seen!), the rusty latches, and the center part that snaps off to keep your hats in place.

It really is the details that set these old things apart, and the beauty. Can you imagine walking into a store these days and finding an item for sale like this hat case?
I'll have fun finding room for it in my studio (wish me luck, hahaha!) so it can house some special linens and lace

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, Thanksgiving is almost here and I can't wait!

Never say never!!!!!!!

Hello my friends!

Two new listings today in my shop, items I vowed never to get rid of....what's up with that?
Why am I changing my mind? Don't really know, other than the fact that I always see "new" old things I have to have and still need to be able to have a path to walk through my house, ya know?

Actually, I'm proud of myself for opening my Etsy and selling my items that I no longer feel the need to hang onto. It helps to de-clutter, while at the same time giving me a good excuse to buy more!
Hahahaha, sounds like I have a problem, right? Please tell me you have the same one....:).
I'd hate to feel all alone in my addiction!

Festive new cuties......and a purchase I can't wait to get...:)

So I've added a couple more holiday items to my shop. While cleaning my studio I came across these items that I purchased last year....ever do that? Forget that you bought something because you had tucked it away? Of course you have, that's why we're friends! We so "get" that behavior, don't we?

In other news I've been looking for awhile now for one of those awesome old hat train cases...you know the ones, they have a buckle, not a zipper! To me that was one of my criteria in looking for one of these cases, I wanted one that had a latch, not a zipper. To me, having a zipper automatically dates it to the 60's......so NOT the era I was looking for!
So I was on ebay the other day and saw one that made me gasp out loud....it was black...check!
It had a buckle...check! Oh, and my other requirement? It had to have an awesome lining! I know, I don't want much, do I?
So anyway, I came across on on ebay, and she was selling 4 hats along with the case. I wrote her and asked (and remember, you don't get much if you don't ask!) if she would be willing to sell just the case, not the hats. They were o.k., but just o.k.
I told her that I REALLY wanted the case and if she would do a Buy It Now option that I would, well, buy it now!
And she did, and can I just say that when you see the fabric lining inside this case, well, I'm not sure what you're gonna do except beg me to sell it to you, it's that good!

So stay tuned, as soon as I get it, I'll be posting it in all it's glory right here on this blog!

Until then.........

New in my Etsy.......

It's really hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit this early in the season, but being in retail for as many years as I was.....I understand the importance. So here I go, listing Christmas items in my Etsy for those early buyers? Are you an early buyer or do you wait?
Some lament the "forgotten" holiday, Thanksgiving.
I'm not doing that this year, I love Thanksgiving and all it stands for. But I'll also try to please those who love to buy early for Christmas....and for a lot of people this isn't even early! They've been buying gifts for awhile now. Suffice it to say, I'm not one of those people!
And that's o.k., to each his own.....for me I'm going to try to have a very relaxing holiday season......
How about you?

This is fascinating to me....

I saw this on an email and can't wait to read this book! I've long been fascinated by old ruins, truly old ruins of ancient European homes and castles that have been abandoned. How interesting would it be to go to Europe and explore some of these old abandoned homes....?
Some might find strange, this pull towards the old, tattered, and decrepit. I find it interesting.
Have any of you read this book, did you know about it? I can't wait to get it.

It's called "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"....great name, no?
Written by Ransom Riggs.....

A beautiful gift from a friend....and what's on my work table...

So today was a very happy "mail" day...my dd came running in telling me there was a package for me....a few days ago Rhonda, from the blog "A Little Bit French", posted on some wonderful gem tintypes that she had fallen in love with, and got creative and decided to make her own. I told her how I loved them and she sent me some. Look at the cute burlap bag that she stamped with a crown....and she wrapped them in tissue and taped them with a piece of french script tape.

Look how cute these are! Don't they look just like the real thing?
They're really tiny with the cutest jump rings to attach them to whatever you like! Thanks so much Rhonda, I'll treasure these and can't wait to use them around my studio....:). Do yourself a favor and go check out her blog (she's currently having a beautiful giveaway) and also check out her Etsy and her online shop, both which are super easy to find on her blog...:).

And this banner is almost ready to be shipped to England for a wonderful customer....I just need to add some extravagant ribbons to hang it and it's all ready to go along with some other goods she's ordering from my shop.
I've had a great week creating some special items for my lovely customers in the U.K. One of them even told me that one of my ribbons will be in a BBC magazine (the Christmas edition) so I was so happy to hear that. I hope you've all had time to create some lovely things this week!