Joyeux Noel from the South of France - Part 4, Isle Le Sorge

My next day in France I headed out to see some of the antique markets Provence is known for. First stop, a small market in Avignon.  There was a small market that was just a short walk from my hotel so.....it sounded perfect to me.  I headed out with walking directions in hand - no GPS since I had not had the foresight to enable my cellphone with international service before I left the states.  I really didn't think I would need it, and I really didn't necessarily need it...but it sure would have come in handy in several instances.

Well, the walk over turned out to be such a pleasant way to start a day.  It was early, so quiet and really gave me some time to appreciate my surroundings and the just utter beauty in the architectural detail of even the most ordinary of buildings 

Given this is not tourist season in Avignon the market definitely reflected that.  It was small and more of a flea market than an "antiques" market.  

Avignon Sunday Market

So after a quick perusal, I headed to what I was told was one of the more beautiful towns in the area that was supposed to have a spectacular market - Isle le Sorge.  Ok, riding through the beautiful French countryside to get to this market..not a bad gig at all.   I think there were a few Frenchmen cursing the Sunday driver though.

Isle le Sorge is built on a river so the market follows the path of the river with stalls along its length.  It was a spectacularly beautiful day and I don't think I could have planned for a better way to spend it.  

Isle Le Sorge France

There was everything from rotisserie chicken to French linen & pottery to antique silver and furniture at this market.

Lesson learned from this vendor...you can charge a whole lot more when your silver is nicely polished :)

This man was making basket bags while folks watched.  Just beautiful.

Not a disappointment...

My final day in France I traveled back to Nice returned my rental car and hopped a train to Eze.  Several of my friends had rave reviews about Eze and it really was spectacular.

Eze France

I had such a wonderful visit.  Now I just need to learn to speak a little French before my next visit.  

sharing this week on:

Between Naps on the Porch, The Dedicated House, Savvy Southern Style, Coastal Charm, Cozy Little House, The Cottage Market, The Charm of Home, French Country Cottage, Mod Vintage Life, Jennifer Rizzo, Artsy Chicks Rule, Elizabeth & Co, Our Home Away From Home, TheShabbyCreekCottage

Wandering in Charlotte....Again

You all know by now if you’ve followed along for very long that I travel a bit for my job.  It’s not always to great places but I always try to see something local where I am heading.  It’s generally varied and often in places where conferences are held…Phoenix, Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, etc….what is unusual however is travel to the same city multiple times a year…that being said It’s been a very unusual year already.  I was back in Charlotte this week for a very quick meeting (and will be heading back again in May).

It was very quick…flight landed Tuesday at 5 pm and I left to return back to Boston Wednesday at 6 pm with a dinner and full day meeting between.

This was the dessert for my lunch meeting...oh my so amazing...and no I couldn't eat all of the frosting (it is a triple
decker after all)

Who has time for anything else when booking it that close?  Well, much to my surprise (and pleasure) my meeting broke a couple of hours before expected and luckily I had brought my handy little “shop hit list” with me.  Perfect!

My NC shop list.  I keep a separate worksheet for restaurants & sites as well

Since I travel a bit I keep a handy dandy excel spreadsheet with info on all the places I read about on other blogs, magazines, Yelp, or my good friend Google.  It really comes in handy when I have an impromptu trip and don’t have time to do digging to see what I want to do.

Well, after going down the list I picked Century Vintage and headed that way.  Since my “hit list” is gathered over time often I don’t really remember the details of the shop I put on the list so sometimes I’m never entirely sure what I am going to find…it’s like its own little adventure.

Central Ave....surprise, surprise there were several shops in this little neighborhood

Century Vintage is what I would categorize as a “junk shop” (in the best absolute possible way) not really antiques but lots and lots of really funky interesting vintage things.  With my limited (as usual…insert scoff here) suitcase space I was very selective and didn’t end up buying anything.  Fun looking though.

Some of the fun I found at Century Vintage on Central Ave in Charlotte

Right next door is Ten Fifteen Antiques, much more of a hybrid of a traditional antique shop and a junk (ie thrift) shop.  If you are looking for a huge selection of plates for the ubiquitous decorative plate wall Ten Fifteen is the place to go…they had an absolute TON of dishes.  Now you know me….it took everything in my being but I stood strong and left with just the money in my pocket and headed toward the airport to catch my flight (she says optimistically since ANOTHER storm was due to hit Boston).

China, Blue Transferware, Milk Glass and a fun gumball machine display at Ten Fifteen on Century Ave in Charlotte

One of my little tricks in cities where I am not entirely familiar but want to explore is to set my Garmin to avoid highways.  This keeps me on the side roads and usually I get to see something of the city and you never know what you are going to find along the way.  This is how I stumbled into Clearing House.

I was driving down the road and spotted this sign and slammed on my brakes (note to fellow drivers, I might not be the best candidate to tailgate :-).

And oh my gosh I’m so glad I did…beautiful, beautiful, beautiful things and really fair prices.  Clearing House is a consignment shop so they have a little bit of everything decorative but all of it really great.

This little beauty did come home with me....I have been struggling with an arrangement of pin trays and this one
I think will add just the right color/balance to the collection I have...stay tuned for pics when I get them all hung

Funny thing, there was a lovely older lady dropping some small items off to consign and chatting with the shop manager while I was lurking around sneaking photos.  She was inquiring to whether or not they were accepting china or if they were over stock (is there really such a thing?) she thought that with all of the “old ladies” passing on there must be an over-abundance of inventory because the “younger generation doesn’t really buy as much china do they?”  I assured her that there really is a market of china addicts out there in the “younger set”.

Oh my this was just magnificent in person...the prettiest shade of pink!

No question I am heading back to Clearing House on my next Charlotte trip...maybe I should just bring an empty suitcase next time.

I am still kicking myself for not bringing one of these repurposed
vintage jewel cuffs home with me!  I guess it's something to
look forward to for my next visit.

sharing this week on:
Between Naps on the Porch
The Dedicated House
Savvy Southern Style
Coastal Charm
Cozy Little House
The Cottage Market
The Charm of Home
French Country Cottage

A Brief Winter Break in Charlotte

As you may have seen on the news here in Boston we have been directly in the path of a “weather event” over the last couple of days…wow did we ever get hit!  We got walloped with a massive 2 feet of snow overnight on Friday and are still trying to dig out.  Luckily we did not lose power at my house though so no complaints here.

My driveway seemed to be perfect for catching the drifts...the snow was well over 3 feet...My front doorsteps
were also buried beyond recognition.  It sure is pretty though...

This was definitely a wake up snow after my week last week where I was not unhappy to leave the very cold temperatures of Boston for the much more temperate climate of Charlotte for a couple of days.  Two days of over 60 degree temperatures was very welcome plus I love Charlotte…it really is such a wonderful city and the people are so darn nice.

The majority of my first day was spent in meetings but I did manage a couple of hours to do some exploring.  There were a couple of places I had discovered on my last Charlotte visit I wanted to refresh my memory on.

The first one is Classic Attic and is well worth the time to pop by.  This is kind of a cross between an antique store and a consignment store…some old, some new, all pretty.

This tole chandelier is almost worth adding a new ceiling light to somewhere in my home..if
I only knew where...

They have a back room FULL of custom drapes.  I’m not sure but they look like they are custom made for sale at this store.  I also didn’t really check prices but judging from everything else at Classic Attic I would guess that they are fairly priced.

Custom curtain room...so many choices...all lovely and beautifully made

I ended up toting this lovely back to Boston.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a piece of pink depression glass that called to me and was priced reasonably.  Sometimes I can’t believe how much this stuff goes for!

My second stop of the day was the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall and let me tell you I could spend hours in here…and probably would have if my feet were not rebelling from being in heels all day (cement+heels = NO).

This tin cabinet is so cool...I love the nautical look

This place has EVERYTHING you can imagine both newer and old and very old.  Full disclosure here though, I personally think some of their pricing leans on the high side…but that being said there are bargains everywhere and I fully believe pay what you think something is worth to you and you will never feel like you overpaid.

Just imagine all of the fun things you could display in this...would be just beautiful with sparkly lights inside

In any case, Sleepy Poet is a great place to spend some time and see every kind of thing you could ever want.

The before to the left and the after to the right....looks very similar to my bedside cabinet facelift

Oh my, I love this!  I don't know what it is about orange it's just such a fun pop of color.

Just one of several walls of antlers...kind of cool

Day 2 was totally full of work but was fun none-the-less.   I was lucky enough to tour a coffee plant and learn all about roasting, packaging & shipping coffee.  It was interesting and wow did it smell awesome!  Kind of like Hersheytown for adults (the aroma of coffee permeated the neighborhood in a very awesome way).

The coffee cupping...they do this several times a day on many, many lots to ensure consistency in taste & quality

Sharing this week at Cozy Little House, Elizabeth & Co, Savvy Southern Style, Primp

Local DC Goodness - Miss Pixie

Ok, so with all of the wonderful pics I’m seeing on everyone else’s blogs in the last couple of weeks I am feeling extremely negligent in my Christmas decorating this year so far.  And since I’m such a slacker I’ll share a little more of my DC adventures today.

While looking for some local DC Christmas shopping opportunities I came upon a vintage shop called Miss Pixie (thanks to my good friend Yelp)…well with that name you know I had to put it on my must see list!
The pictures on Yelp show a pink storefront with black & white awnings…oh yeah….but, not exactly what I found when I arrived.

Miss Pixies
1626 14th St NW, Washington DC

 

Other than a drastically different exterior I was so not disappointed by what I found on the interior.  Such cool things!

How fab are these lanterns!

This was cast iron so was heavier than it looks...would look
so nice in my front entry....

And I came at just the right time of year.  Miss Pixie does Christmas right!  I have absolutely never seen such a collection of vintage Christmas bulbs (aka Shiny Brites).

Biggest regret of my DC trip...not buying up all of these!

And where else are you going to see a blue feathered tree on one side of the store and a pink balsam tree on the other side?

This brings Dr Seuss to mind for some reason :)

I've been looking for one of these this year...a bit
tacky but tacky in a chic kind of way

Did you check out the dresser I painted for my office/project room (if not you can see it here)?  Well, I am super proud of it now…Miss Pixie had this one exactly like it (different color paint) with a $150 price tag on it.  How cool is that…mine cost less than $20 (for paint)!

I love that this was priced at $150 and my exact duplicate cost me $20
in paint & materials.  

No question I picked wisely for my local DC stop…there was so much inspiration here.

Farm table perfection!

I walked away with so many ideas…and a list of other cool shops in the area that Miss Pixie generously shares with any customer with a keen eye to the stack sitting on the counter.  I'm all ready for my next DC adventure!

Local Goodness - Grace Sales Co

So, today Christmas shopping begins for me.  Small Business Saturday is so much more my pace than the craziness of Black Friday…and I get to support my local communities businesses as a bonus.

I have decided that this year I am going to do my best to do at least 80% of my gift buying from small businesses (Etsy & Ebay count as small businesses since the transactions are from individual sellersJ).  Wouldn’t it be great for all of our communities if you all could join me in this mission?

So in honor of Small Business Saturday I thought I would share this post that I wrote a few months ago and never actually got it posted. Grace Sales Co has such wonderful quirky things I often wander in when I am in the neighborhood and today this will be my first stop.

Grace Sales Co
185 Pleasant St., Marblehead MA

Sometimes in the place & time you least expect it, you meet the nicest people.  This was the case when after a lovely day of meandering through Marblehead with a wonderful friend I decided on one more stop before heading home. 

My wonderful friend Leslie had mentioned she had missed out on a fab bookcase from Harvard University that was for sale at a fun little antique shop called Grace Sales Co just down the street.  She contemplated just a little too long and someone scooped it up just before her….I call that “just not meant to be”.

Love, love, love these orange wood stools!  They look like something
my friend Leslie would also love.

I have been to Grace Sales Co several times and this is another one of those places where I always see something unusual that I (or one of my friends) just have to have. 

Isn't this blue tufted sofa from Grace Sales window just fab?
Looks very Doris Day in Pillow Talk.
photo source

When I first moved to Marblehead this shop was an interior design shop that had just the most fabulous windows.  I had never visited the shop when the decorator had it but did make regular drive-by’s just to see the windows – they were always so colorful with lots of classic pattern fabrics and chic furniture pieces displayed.  Loved them!

This was one of a pair...wouldn't these just be magnificent in grey?

I’m not exactly sure when the decorator vacated and Grace Sales Co. moved in but I do know Grace hadn’t been open very long the first time I went in.  She has such great things that I have returned many times and usually with friends and we’ve all purchased something.  

photo source

I find this isn’t a shop where I just can’t live without everything in it but there are always a few really cool things I lust over.  And really isn’t that all it takes?

photo source

So on this particular Saturday I stopped in with very little on my list of wants/needs but was in need of seeing what new items were in the shop. 

What a great way to bring a pop of color to a room

While browsing in the back room I happened to strike up a conversation with a woman who was in the middle of checking out a vanity that her teenage daughter was admiring.  Her daughter really, really wanted it but she couldn’t figure out exactly how she wanted to update it.  I suggested Annie Sloan chalk paint and perhaps doing an accent color on some of the edges to make it pop as well as some new hardware (or painting the existing in a fun color).

Some teenage girl in Marblehead has fab taste...this is now a part
of her bedroom.  She loved the lines.

We ended up having so much fun imagining what this piece could be she bought it and was heading out to get some paint to start her project.

Sure hope it looks as fabulous in pink as it does in this original form.

I purchased these a bit ago and love everything about them!

This will soon be hung in my dining room.  I love both transfer ware
and commemorative plates so this just had to come home with me!

So today, I head back to Grace Sales Co to see what interesting finds she has for Small Business Saturday.  Wish me luck on my quest to find all of the goodies my family & friends desire at all of the lovely shops locally owned & operated.