Beyond Excited!!!

Bonjour Friends! I am beyond excited right now! Tomorrow morning I am going to be a vendor at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market!!! I can't contain myself! It is my first time as a vendor and I have been prepping for quite some time now.

I have gone faithfully to the Rose Bowl for years now but only as a consumer, and now I get to see the other side of it all!!

I would LOVE to get a chance to meet some of you if you will be there tomorrow, come on by!

Photos via Flickr

Of course, I may still find some time to do some shopping of my own ;)

Wish me luck! I will post the pics as soon as I get home!

XOXO
~Judith~

A New Friend...

Kelli and I in the Tea Salon

Bonjour Friends! Before I forget; I wish you all a very happy Fete du Muguet and send you sentiments of health and happiness! Happy first of May.

The front window

I am very excited about my post today. I met with Kelli from A Rendez~Vous With Style on Wednesday at a charming little tea salon called Paris In A Cup located in the wonderful and historic Orange Circle in old town Orange. It was so nice to finally meet her in person and get to know her. I was so nervous, I don't know why but I was. I had a delightful afternoon! Kelli is so down to earth and so real. She was exactly as I pictured her to be ( I hope I was too). She drove a very long way to meet up and I appreciate it so much. She is such a sweet and intelligent woman. Being in Orange brought back many fond memories of my Mom and poor Kelli had to endure story after story about her as I reminisced. Thanks for listening Kelli! I really hope I didn't bore her to death!

Inside the boutique

The tea room was fabulous and so charming. We indulged in the most delicious tea, sandwiches, soup, and of course macarons! The decor was so cute with chandeliers (my favorite) sprinkled everywhere and the essence of Paris in every nook and cranny. We had a blast shopping in the boutique afterward, it was so hard to restrain myself from buying up everything. I knew that I was in the heart of antique paradise and wanted to save up for whatever treasures wanted me to take them home!

The boutique hosted a case with the most tempting goodies! These cupcakes are featured in Romantic Homes

After tea Kelli had a long drive home and had to leave. I had some rollover babysitting minutes saved up so I decided to stay and see if I couldn't find some treasures.

Mmmm...mmmm! These look irresistible! The macarons are delish and made by a local French woman with imported ingredients & made exclusively for the tea salon. I just acquired her phone number and I wonder if she will make some for a party!

While I was strolling around the picturesque streets lined with antique stores and old buildings, I realized that after spending the afternoon with Kelli she made me realize a lot of things. After hearing Kelli speak French and talk about old haunts, I realized that I had forgotten so much of that beautiful language. I was totally insecure about even attempting to speak a language I had used exclusively for 3 years (although a very long time ago). I need to start practicing and re-learning my French!

I also realized that the Paris that I know is most likely not the Paris I will visit again. So much has probably changed over the years and I am such a different person now. The things that interested me then are not at all the same as what would interest me now. How did I never think of this before? I would have a much deeper appreciation for the beautiful city now. Well, that's just more motivation to get me to really push hard and try and go to Paris with Claudia in August/September! Now I'm extra determined! It did make me a little bit sad to miss Paris so much and come to the realization that I had forgotten so much. Maybe a trip down memory lane with my old photos will help.

This dress form covered in bows was in front of a shop owned by two fun sisters! I had to post this because it reminded me of Sande from A Gift Wrapped Life! So pretty!

Shopping was great and I found tons of things I wanted to bring home. I was very good and only purchased a pair of....you guessed it...light fixtures! I'll save that pic for last though! :)

I was walking along and saw this plaque on the ground. ??? It made me smile :)

Such pretty buildings and homes where everywhere I turned.

This store had TONS of old windows, doors, and hardware. Dreamy to say the least.

I instantly fell in love with her! She was some sort of mini broom, her skirt was made of the bristles!

This trophy was so pretty in person. It had to be at least four feet tall.

I'm a sucker for feathers

This hat was too cute and in it's original box, never worn! The original receipt was tucked into the tissue paper as well. Darn if I didn't look to see how much it cost back in the day!

This kiosk had tons of sheet music but I just about fell over when I saw this beautiful cover.

She was tucked away in the downstairs portion of a store behind ridiculous amounts of furniture and random stuff. She is so pretty she should be out showing off! :)

It was love at first site for me! I love the Orange sherbet tattered velvet on this settee. I wrestled with the idea of giving a good and loving home for quite some time.

Finally!!! My Chandelier illness made me do it! I got in trouble when I got home from the hubby but I don't care! Feathers, crystal, lighting, and a great memory of a wonderful day and meeting a new friend! How could I resist? I don't know if it was the feathers, an overdose of imported tea, the euphoria of spending a child free day antiquing, or having just met Kelli, but I had to take these home with me! I forgot to pick up some macarons on my to the car so this is a small consolation!

I would love to get together again with Kelli and if anybody else who wants to join us! We can meet here (it's right next to the tea salon). It's called PJ's abbey and it is a wonderful restaurant that used to be a church! They say eating there is "heavenly"! It is so cute inside and it's quite an experience.

Until next time!

xoxo

Judith~

Let There be Light!

All photos via Flickr

If you know me, then you know I am infatuated with chandeliers. I love them in all colors, shapes, and sizes. What better place to get a chandelier fix than Versailles!?! I could write volumes on the history of them, the restoration of the famous chandeliers in the hall of mirrors, the story behind some of the orders for certain chandeliers, and the makers of these beautiful lights, but I figured I would give you a break from my long winded posts and simply leave with the photos. They speak for themselves. If you would like to read my last post on chandeliers here is the link Points de Lumiere.

During the restoration of the Hall of Mirrors

The Queen's bedroom

Restoration

Easily my favorite

What a pretty image

Bisou Mon Amis!

Points de la Lumiere

Bonjour All!
I am in the market for a new Chandelier and thought I would share my obsession for these gorgeous, dripping, glittering, splendors of light with you!

dominomag.com

The word "Chandelier" comes from the French word for candle holder. These Wedding Cakes of light usually only appeared in churches, mosques, or only in the grandest of palaces. Oh to be in Versailles to witness those famous chandeliers flickering & fluttering with diamond droplets of light!

Source Unknown

Dutch traders began to introduce chandeliers to the nouveau riche in the late 16th century. The first crystal chandeliers were made of transparent quartz. Today, to find one of these irregularly shaped crystal stone pieces is a rare find. By the 17th century, artisans learned how to cut this rock crystal but it was very difficult. The French eventually replaced this rock crystal with glass, but the name "crystal" stuck & continues to be used to describe both kinds of chandeliers.

www.theparisapartment.com http://parisapartment.wordpress.com

You MUST check this site out if haven't already! It's the end all~be all!

Murano, the famous Italian glass makers, upped the ante as they were the first to make chandeliers entirely out of glass. A crazy nugget of info~ they used to threaten to send assassins after any artisan who took their glass making secrets abroad! Can you imagine! Also in the 17th century an English glass maker named George Ravenscroft discovered that by adding lead oxide to glass it would make the glass easier to work with & more reflective. This lead to making more ornate and less expensive fixtures. People could now light their home with incredible chandeliers dangling with pendants in the shape of fruits, bells, beads, and flowers!

The likes of Edith Wharton, Henry James, & Baccarat to name a few, helped to create the popular image of fabulous parties illuminated by glittering, sparkling, chandeliers that hung over ballrooms like shimmering diamond earrings!

www.ZGallerie.com

That's all for today! Have a dazzling day!

Bisou Mon Amis!

Portions of this post excerpted from Traditional Home Magazine October 2004