March Madness of Different Kind

I seem to have created a March Madness of my own, not the one referring to the NCAA men's basketball championship that seems to take over my house the month of March each year! It seems as if spring brings out the shopaholic in me, this year being the lure of French antiques.  I stumbled upon an online French Brocante which for someone working out of her home a great deal of time, and being nearby a computer all day, can be very dangerous. :)

Corey Amaro, of Tongue and Cheek Antiques offers unique pieces each week "with a little bit of everything for those who like it French."
Here are some of the fabulous finds I have purchased from her this month:

 antique French skeleton keys

 silver tarnished calling card trays

 vintage laundry tags (i love things with letters and numbers)

antique bone handled flatware (9 sets) 

French linen dish towels

nineteenth century transferware serving bowl

antique monogrammed linens (doesn't matter that they are not my initials ~ I love monograms!)

This item, I thought about too long and was gone in the blink of an eye...

...an antique French award. I have a fascination of farm animals, even though my husband says I would not last a day on a farm, it is fun to think about living the simple life...or not so simple, as it may be.  I have recently been visiting farms and sketching animals, who do not seem to want to pose for me! .... but that is another story of its own.

 cuties from Asheville Farm

Now that the month is almost over, coming in like a lion and going out like one, it looks as if April is bringing on a new obsession, of another French kind, this being that of Astier de Villate.  Their beautiful ceramic pieces, handmade in Paris, are hand-crafted from black terra cotta with a milky white glaze. I love the imperfection of each piece. I just placed my order for a few new pieces to start my collection. 

I can't wait to add tulips and peonies to this lovely.

And I am sure everything will taste better on these luscious plates.

I still can't decide which style of dinner plate.

and I think this will be my next purchase.  What is better than fresh, spring flowers in a beautiful pitcher? 

I will let you know when I have set my table using all my new finds.

French antique photos by Corey Amaro

Astier de Villate photos by Sue Fisher King
(the wonderful candy box at the top was lost in transit, but Corey graciously refunded my money. Fingers crossed it will show up somewhere, someday!)

Your Presence is Key

I had so much fun designing and constructing this save the date.  The bride and groom were engaged in Europe and wanted the announcement to reflect their style and set the tone for their upcoming wedding.  The bride said her motto was "the harder to read, the better!"

... although I do hope it is somewhat legible since I addressed all the envelopes in the same script!

The save the date is printed on fine Italian paper, with a skelton key from France tied on with a hand-dyed silk ribbon in French Roast.

I love this ribbon and the little hand-dyed cards attached to each roll, showing the color.  These are a few colors I currently have in the shop and seem to be the trend at the moment. Chocolate, eggplant, plum, mossy green and steel blue/grey have been the most requested colors I have had this year.

I am thrilled the bride loved her announcements! She said, "I couldn't have asked for anything better!"  Does that mean I met the requirement of the more unreadable the better? :)

I look forward to working with her to create her formal invitations!