Paris Parfait

Wicked game

A leather case of vintage Bingo and other board games at a French brocante. Chris Isaak sings about the only Wicked Game worth playing.

Pathetic. Is this what Hillary Clinton considers leadership - twisting and manipulating someone else's words, taken out of context - rather than come up with solutions for those people losing their jobs and homes? The ad - and Clinton's focus in her recent speeches - insults voters' intelligence. Oh and one of the so-called Pennsylvania voters in the ad is actually registered to vote in New Jersey."Bitter?" You betcha! Seriously, who isn't disappointed about what's happened to our country under George W. Bush (other than his rich and getting richer cronies)?

John Baer of The Philadelphia Daily News responds to Clinton's latest campaign tactics:

"Some thoughts on the latest diversion of Campaign '08, a campaign apparently hell-bent on keeping the nation mired in its own stupidity. As a native-born, small-town Pennsylvanian, a son of native-born, small-town Pennsylvania parents - one from the coal region, one from Lancaster County - let me assure you that the so-called offensive, condescending things Barack Obama said about the people I come from are basically right on target.

"Bitter" perhaps best describes my late mother, an angry Irish Catholic who absolutely clung to her religion. Dad, also a journalist, wasn't really bitter as far as I know, but he sure liked to hunt. So, despite carping from Hillary Clinton and annoying yapping from her surrogates (really, it's like turning on the lights at night in a puppy farm), I take no offense. What's offensive to me is suggesting that small-town, working-class, gun-toting and/or religious Pennsylvanians are somehow injured by a politician's words.

"Are you kidding me? They're injured all right, but the injury is long-term and from lots more than "just words." They've been injured from decades of neglect by political cultures in Washington and Harrisburg driven by special interests. They're injured by a system of isolated, insulated political leadership that protects itself and the status quo above all else.

"They've been harmed by a lack of political guts to fix a health-care system that works against the poor and forces middle-class families to pay more for less, while at the same time giving politicians the best coverage taxpayer money can buy.

"They've been taken for granted by political parties and candidates who stay in power by - and this was the apparent gist of Obama's remarks - forcing attention and debate on issues tied to guns, religion and race (precisely because such issues resonate) rather than real problems such as health care and the economy.

"They've been consistently made fools of by their own elected representatives who, year after year, pull fat salaries ($169,000 for every member of Congress; $150,000 in salary, perks and benefits for every state lawmaker) with automatic raises no matter how little gets done.

"A new Associated Press poll shows Congress' approval rating at 23 percent. And don't even get me started on the Pennsylvania Legislature. Insulting? What's insulting are the sizes of salaries and perks of politicians in a state where the median household income is $43,714. What's insulting is the ongoing failure of elected "leaders" to deal with long-term, working-class worries while insuring their own futures with hefty, over-rich pensions...

"...So the question is whether Obama effectively defuses this, as he did the controversy surrounding his former minister. And that remains to be seen. Just don't tell me that he insulted a state or, given his background, that he's an out-of-touch elitist. And I especially don't want to hear such arguments from a candidate who spent decades in the bubble of a governor's mansion, the White House and the U.S. Senate and under the blanket of $109 million income during the last eight years.

Pennsylvanians might cling to religion and guns. I hope they don't cling to stupidity."

Here are some excellent points about the disingenuous actions of both the Clinton and McCain campaigns and the media's unwillingness or inability to cover the stories.

Curiosities at Centre Pompidou

Some curious sculptures and works of art at the Centre Pompidou, Paris.

This made me laugh out loud.

And I find it so refreshing to hear a politician speak the truth.

Taking us for a ride

Pedicab for sale at a brocante at Chatou, France.

At Truthdig Marie Cocco writes about Seven Years of Scandal. Infuriating and mind-boggling.

Nancy Pelosi takes a principled stand. If only more people in government displayed such courage!

On a lighter note, my friend Tangobaby has posted some great photos taken in the Sunset District in San Francisco - which just happens to be my old neighbourhood. Yes, I am homesick!

When traversing the Paris Metro on Tuesday, I learned a little about the plight of an Iraqi refugee and her young daughter. The contrast of the woman's pitiful state with two American women, dressed in furs and Gucci made me want to scream at the far-reaching and terrible implications of George W. Bush's war. Tonight I opened the book Soul Food: Nourishing Poems for Starved Minds to find Naomi Shihab Nye's poem, which struck a chord:

"Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

"Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness,
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

"Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

"Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend."

Vintage dolls and seeds of possibility

Today I have been a busy woman, writing up a storm; chasing away gloom; dispelling doubt and planting magical seeds of possibility. I've also been listening to this song, an old favourite.

Photos of vintage poupees from the recent brocante at Chatou.

Religious icon.

Elfin dolls.

Southern belle.

Two quirky dolls in a wicker wine crate.

Dutch treats in wooden clogs.

Two real live dolls, although one doesn't seem very happy.

Industrial chic at Chatou

A tall chest with original numbers revealed by a paint treatment at Julie Isore's Agape, pictured at the recent brocante at Ile de Chatou, France. (Yes, that tall chest came home with me - and there is no room for it anywhere)!

An industrial steel serving cart and hospital sidetables.

Original Tolix stools and blue bobbin chests.

A vignette of bottles and books at Agape.

A zinc industrial barrel turned into a light fixture. Check out the Hermes-orange numbered lockers in the background.

A zinc patterned l'oeil du boeuf from Geraldine Michaelis's Une Chanson Douce.

Oeil du boeuf zinc window casings that once graced a chateau.

An old stove and a hodgepodge of rusty watering cans and other utilitarian items.

Zinc buckets in an iron daybed frame at Chatou. Another brocante at Chatou is scheduled in September.

Good for what ails you

Vintage French pharmacy bottles at the recent brocante at Chatou, France.

Today I received an anti-Obama email from someone with whom I grew up... It was one of the most racist, right-wing, revisionist pieces of garbage I've ever seen. I know I should consider the source: someone who grew up in a wealthy household with a full-time black maid; who has led a privileged life and was a George W. Bush supporter. But these are the kind of deliberately wrong-headed Republican-fueled attacks we can expect as we move closer to the election in November.

No matter what candidate you support in the presidential election, I urge you to pay attention to the facts, not the rumors and innuendo. If you don't know where a candidate stands on certain issues, go to their official website; read a variety of newspapers, magazines and blogs. Check out the candidates' Senate voting records. Think for yourself! Don't accept as fact a distorted bunch of words combined in mean-spirited and ignorant attacks designed to rip the country apart, rather than bring us together.

If there's anything we've learned in the past seven-plus years of an incompetent Bush administration, it's that we must stand together to combat extremists and special interests. We cannot allow further erosion of our civil liberties and Constitutional freedoms by those who stand to profit from our complacency.

And I'm still so upset by that vile message, am off to listen to Earth Wind & Fire's That's the Way of the World, for many years, my favourite peace of mind song - followed by a lap or two around Longchamp.

Joys of spring

Vintage doll repair shop, 17th arrondissement, Paris.

No matter the every-five-minutes fluctuations of Paris weather, I am smitten with spring fever and its accompanying delights:

Anticipating a long, eventful journey that begins in just 42 days - yes, I am counting the days.

Randall LaGro, one of my favourite artists, offers a peek into his studio, while talking about his work.

Thanks to Sharon for sending news about Lawrence Ferlinghetti, the 88-year-old San Francisco legend and founder of City Lights Bookstore. His new poem -with a nod to Khalil Gibran - mirrors our troubled times:

"Pity the nation whose people are sheep
and whose shepherds mislead them.
Pity the nation whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced
and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.
Pity the nation
who raises not its voice
except to praise conquerors
and acclaim the bully as hero
and aims to rule the world with force
and by torture.
Pity the nation
that knows no other language but its own
and no other culture but its own.
Pity the nation
whose breath is money
and sleeps the sleep of the too well fed.
Pity the nation - oh pity the people who allow
their rights to erode
and their freedoms to wash away.
My country tears of thee, sweet land of liberty."

On a brighter note, my friend Michelle French sent this Leningrad version of Sweet Home Alabama.

And the ever-entertaining Robin Williams gives an impromptu performance on BBC.

Best of the brocante

My Swedish friend G. Pettersson - who has an extraordinary eye for beautiful and unusual objects - at his booth at the brocante at Square des Batignolles, Paris. While Monsieur Pettersson lives in the Southwest of France, you can telephone him if you're interested in purchasing anything you see here: (011) 33.6.11.19.89.86. If your French is a bit shaky, not to worry - he speaks excellent English! And if you're in Paris in May, you can check out his wares at the antiquites brocante at Place de Bastille.

Meanwhile, the brocante at Square des Batignolles continues daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through April 6. Take the Metro Line 13 direction Asniers Gennevilliers to Brochant.

A handsome pair of English Chippendale chairs, recently upholstered in plaid.

Another view of the chairs, as well as a small cabinet, perfect for artist's supplies.

The Napoleon III globe, two petite confits de canard and blue pharmacy jar came home with me. Before I'd even paid for the items, two French women offered to buy the confits de canard from me. I declined, as the small ones are rare and will increase in value.

Monsieur Pettersson shows a hat rack to a customer.

A grouping of unusual frames and objets d'art.

An aqua crystal flower chandelier.

A vitrine filled with beautiful frames and precious decorative objects.

Out and about Paris

News kiosk, Paris, March 29, 2008.

Impromptu performance by an all-girl brass band, Square des Batignolles, 17th arrondissement.

Vintage bicycle hoisted over a wooden fence, alongside paintings and a mirror, antiquites brocante.

Wrought iron baby bed draped with purple tulle and flowers. Check back later for more photos. The brocante continues from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily through April 6th at the Square des Batignolles, Metro line 13 direction Asnieres-Genevilliers to Brochant.

Feeding the ducklings, Square des Batignolles park.

A pigeon in the park.

Sign over a doll repair shop, 17th arrondissement.

Strong women and society's dictates

Perhaps this is some French guy's subversive sense of humour or even a political statement - a naked and battered female doll suspended by her shoulders from bungee cords at the recent brocante at Ile de Chatou, France. Whatever impression the seller was trying to make, the rather disturbing doll certainly attracted attention - most of it negative - from passers-by.

Here's Johann Hari's insightful article in The Independent lamenting the demise of strong women as portrayed by both Hollywood and the media. I agree with the premise that society's dictates, particularly in Hollywood (and in politics) often undermine women and their talents and strengths. What do you think?

Spring fever

Have just come home absolutely drenched from a walk in the rain - the pouring-soak-through-your-shoes kind of rain that leaves puddles of water everywhere - but I am smiling, because it's spring, with all its accompanying joy and possibility.

Flowers are blooming, new chapters are being written and leaps of faith taken. The heady delirium of spring fever can't be diminished by a few rainshowers. And listening to this makes me happy. What is making you smile today? Whatever you're doing, hope you have a lovely weekend ahead!

Chantepleure

Vintage French dress forms at the recent brocante at Chatou.

The French word chantepleure means to sing and weep simultaneously - something most women completely understand. What the article doesn't discuss is how French women often adopt an air of bravado to mask deep insecurities, including uncertain situations in their marriages. French inheritance laws provide for the children, not the wife. In the event of divorce, it usually proves difficult for the wife to assert her rights and achieve any sort of financial parity with her husband. So it would seem that French women can never get too "relaxed" when it comes to their assets, physical or otherwise. They typically have more at stake than their British or North American counterparts.

On a completely unrelated note, watch this very clever video!

And here's a scary video about a serious subject that directly or indirectly affects us all.

The bliss of unexpected finds

Last week when giving blogging friends a brief tour of Ile Saint Louis, we discovered a little antique shop on a side street. My lucky finds included this 1906 Art Nouveau silver-plated claret jug, made by the German company WMF and an 18th-century French beaded bag in near-mint condition. Above is an illustration of the claret jug from the book Art Nouveau Domestic Metalwork. I have a small collection of six WMF-produced Art Nouveau pieces, all but one found in France.

March winds and blogging friends

Flowers at the park at Notre Dame, Paris.

It's not feeling much like spring here, with high winds whipping around corners and chilling us to the bone. Have been busy photographing Paris department store windows, then meeting a blogging friend Beth of The Salvage Studio and her husband Raoul for tea and a brief tour of Ile Saint Louis and environs. I took them to a little antique shop - one I'd never noticed before, on a side street on Ile Saint Louis. And who snapped up two remarkable treasures in five minutes flat? Not Beth. More about all that in an upcoming post.

Beth and her husband Raoul at Notre Dame.

And watching this makes me smile. Hope it brings some cheer to your day as well.

Antiques for an artist's dreams

Imagine the art supplies this early 20th-century printer's cabinet could hold! It was for sale at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante et aux Jambons at Ile de Chatou. If there had been any possibility I could find space for this marvel, it would have come home with me. But I couldn't locate the owner to discuss the price or prospects.

This printer's document block is so heavy, I could barely lift it.

More storage for paints and arts and crafts supplies in these vintage La Poste mailboxes.

A sorter cabinet from an old French post office and a vintage cinematography light.

A large model of the famous Paris landmark, l'Arc de Triomphe!

Last weekend to visit brocante at Chatou

A trio of 19th-century globes at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites, a la Brocante et aux Jambons, underway from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. through Sunday at Ile de Chatou. If you get a chance to go, don't miss it! Tickets are available at the gate.

Today at La Poste, was sending something to Georgia and the clerk next to me overheard and started singing "Georgia." Then these two postal clerks wanted to know who'd made the song famous, so we talked about Ray Charles - all of it in French. Small world, eh? I'd hoped to have the opportunity to post more brocante photos and catch up with other blogs today, but no such luck. Am busy racing around Paris, being tour guide and will be at the brocante again Saturday. Will catch up with all of you soon! Bon weekend, as the French say.

Spoiled for choice at Chatou

An early 19th-century marble statue representing La France is flanked by parts of zinc weathervanes and alphabet letters at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites, a la Brocante et aux Jambons at Ile de Chatou. These photos were taken last Friday, opening day. This morning my Canadian friend Meg and I braved gale force winds, heavy rain and three trains to visit the brocante - only to find it closed, due to gale force winds and heavy rain! Weather allowing, the brocante continues daily through Sunday, March 16th.

A handpainted puppet theatre, with handmade marionettes.

A large marble garden urn surrounded by 19th-century French furniture with modern reupholstery.

An ornate giltwood mirror is accented by handpainted gilt pillars. An 18th-century wooden Baby Jesus figure from a French church is placed on a pedestal on the marble table.

A cane sofa, lace cloth, oval giltwood frame and wooden kitchen utensils at the brocante at Chatou.

This early 19th-century cane sofa has seen better days, but could be easily repaired by a skilled artisan. Check back daily for more brocante photos.

Chatou collectibles

A marble bust, table and assorted beautiful objets d'art at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante, now underway at Ile de Chatou. On opening day on Friday, I shot nearly 200 photos. Check back every day this week for more brocante delights. No time to edit and post more today, as I'm going to a birthday party/early dinner.

My friend Kelly sent me this delightful Open Your Heart video, along with the message, "If Suzi Blu doesn't make you smile, than your smiler mechanism is on the fritz and you should really get that thing fixed!" Thank you, Kelly!

24 hours to love

A 24-hour French clock face from Une Chanson Douce, the lovely Geraldine Michaelis's rue Gaite stand at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites, a la Brocante et aux Jambons. Check back later for more brocante photos.

This poem was inspired by the word "shimmer" glimpsed amidst a jumble of words here. As it developed, the poem became about an unspoken promise unfolding. While written two days before the Writers Island prompt "Rising" was posted, it seems to fit the theme.

Shimmer
like the star that you are:
wrap yourself in the blush of candlelight,
dance through the moonbeams,
soar high above the horizon
in a blaze of shooting stars.

Light twinkles
in your shining eyes
that look at me expectantly
drawing me into the magic,
enveloping me in warmth,
writing a new chapter.

Glimmer
and shine
with dawn's sunrise surprise
as the sun's rays catch fire
while bouncing off the stardust
that still glitters in your hair.

Mystery as day deepens,
unfolding with hope:
tantalising fruits of possibility;
whispered promises
that echo long past starlight
and ripen with the sun.

Moonglow
as twilight falls.
Love breaks free
from our guarded hearts,
sealing our fate:
love grows.

Gone treasure-hunting

A late 19th-century collapsible daybed, sans mattress. I bought it three years ago at Clignacourt; ever since it's been in the cave (wine cellar)!

Today I am treasure-hunting at the 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante et aux Jambons at Ile de Chatou. Want to join me? Better get your skates on - this is opening day, when the best and most unusual items are on offer. Gates open at 10 a.m. and close promptly at 7 p.m. But don't despair - if you can't get there today, the brocante continues daily through March 16th. Tickets are available at the gate.

While you're there, be sure to check out Julie Isore's Agape stand at 1, rue de la Gaite. If you're mad about kitchen collectibles, see Blandine Bavoux at Jolietrouvaille, 10, rue de la Gaite.

To get to Chatou, take a taxi from Paris or the RER A1 train, direction Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Rueil-Malmaison or Chatou-Croissy. Then walk over the bridge to Ile de Chatou. But at the end of the day, don't expect to find a taxi willing to take you back to Paris - you'll need to take the train, no matter how much treasure you're carrying!

Check back this weekend for photos from the brocante.

Sunday sampler

This morning I was struck by the fennel's sculptural symmetry, courtesy of Mother Nature.

The pottery bowl is from Italy, by way of London.

Visit my friend Maddie's Persisting Stars for an uplifting start to your day, "When the world opens up."

Here's one writer's take on why we love vintage. "Retro is about rediscovering an everyday beauty we may have missed first time round. Retro is a loving exhumation, a bringing back to the light, of the world we saw – or fancied we saw – around us, before the modern world kicked in and we had to grow up and take responsibility for something called The Future," John Walsh writes.

Read about the curse of the yummy mummy, that ridiculously unobtainable fiction.

Rarely have stark bare trees, blue sky and hawks looked more appealing than in Stephanie's photographs from Colorado here.

Check out this article about Barack Obama by one of his friends and fellow law professors. (With Super Tuesday Part II coming up, you didn't think I would forget about politics, did you?)

And consider Rumi's words from The Book of Love:

This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture, still,
treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing
and invite them in

be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

Spiritual symbols and religious icons

A tableau of religious icons beneath the apartment's foyer wall of crosses, milagros and prayer ornaments. The pewter tulip tray at right is by Serge Nekrassoff (1895-1985), the Russian-American metalsmith. It serves as a catch-all for mail. A 19th-century French church altarpiece, stitched in gold threads is beneath the trays.

The tray at left with angels at either end is Mexican silver, found in Sevilla, Spain. The tray contains various glass and hammered-silver candleholders, as well as tin milagros from Santa Fe; a 19th-century French silver and gold religious icon; a 19th-century cobalt glass and silver Spanish communion chalice, found in Sevilla and a Spanish crucifix icon of tin and brass, the latter found at the secret brocante in Passy, Paris. The tray also holds an antique French ivory-and-silver rosary and a modern aqua-beaded and silver Spanish rosary from a convent in Sevilla.

A white folk art cross from Guatemala, also found in France is flanked by two silver hearts linked by a chain. One of the hearts still holds a handwritten prayer request. The hearts are from a former convent in Marseilles, France. The wooden monk figure is from a former French monastery. The silver cross draped around his neck was a gift. The framed drawing of a hand holding a pen dripping blood was a gift from Syrian opposition political cartoonist and publisher Ali Ferzat, with an inscription in Arabic.

No, I am not Catholic! As a child, I went to a Baptist church; when I was nine, my mother took us to a Presbyterian church, of which I am still a member. But I am drawn to religious icons and symbols from world religions. One of the things I like about Santa Fe (which of course means Holy Faith) is the little prayer niches or shrines in so many beautiful old adobe houses. Some of these homes even have their own chapels. Two of my favourite books about collecting religious icons are Mary Emmerling's Art of the Cross and Laura Cerwinske's In a Spiritual Style.

P.S. Speaking of religion, John McCain has made a bizarre choice in embracing the endorsement of Rev. John Hagee of Texas. Hagee advocates wars based on Biblical mandates; rants against the Catholic Church, as well as Islam and claims that Hurricane Katrina "was, in fact, the judgment of God against the city of New Orleans." Really, one has to wonder about McCain's judgment in aligning himself with such an extremist.

Steaming through Yorkshire like Harry Potter

A boy watches clouds of steam beneath the undercarriage at England's North Yorkshire Moors Railway train at Pickering Station.

The train conductor kindly agreed to pose for a photograph.

On the return journey, this adorable little boy played "peek-a-boo" with me.

A train arrives at Pickering Station, the hub of the railway. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway first opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway. It was designed by George Stephenson to open trade routes inland from the coastal town of Whitby. Initially, the railway was intended for horse-drawn carriages. In 1845, the railway was acquired by the York and North Midland Railway and the line was re-engineered for steam locomotives. Permanent train stations and other structures along the line were built, which remain operational today.

Hogwart Express scenes from a Harry Potter movie were filmed at Goathland Station. The hills surrounding the station are covered with thick clumps of heather.

A station sign at Pickering, next to the Porter's office.

James David, the author of the children's book Magic beneath the Moors signs books and gives autographs to his young fans. His book is the latest in a series of mysteries that take place on the Yorkshire Moors.

Baskets of flowers hang from iron lanterns at Pickering Station.

Large carts store weather-beaten vintage luggage.

A trio of freshly-painted enamel fire buckets, reminiscent of the 1920s, hang from hooks at the train station.

Vintage enamel advertising signs adorn a station fence at Pickering.

A vintage sign advertising the famous Yorkshire Relish.

Old oak barrels are lined up on a wooden cart at Pickering Station.

The Grosmont train station.

Puffs of smoke escape from a train arriving at Grosmont.

The steam train pulls into the station.

An old train car has been converted into a local railway office, midway along the 18-mile route.

Birthday wishes

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to Kelly at Soul Humming! She and her husband are celebrating with a spa weekend, but won't you stop by her blog to leave a bit of cheer? Kelly and I share an appreciation of religious icons. Photograph of a narrow foyer wall, with a growing collection of crosses, milagros and prayer ornaments from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Spain, France and Italy.

Another brocante at Chatou

Detail of an 18th-century French painting.

The 76th Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante et aux Jambons will kick off at 10 a.m. Friday, March 7 at Chatou. The twice-yearly event is my favourite of all the French brocantes and antique fairs. Among the many exhibitors will be my friends Blandine Bavoux of Jolie Trouvaille and Julie Isore of Agape.

The brocante will continue daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. through March 16. The location near Paris is easily accessible via R.E.R. train A1 Direction Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Exit the train at Rueil-Malmaison or Chatou-Croissy and walk the short distance to the Ile de Chatou. Tickets are available at the gate.

A little indulgence

It had been a long winter and she was longing for a sign of spring. So when she saw the photograph of a beautiful creation featuring robin's egg blue beads - along with the fleur de lys of France - it seemed only natural that a similar necklace might find its way to Paris. After consultations with the designer in Illinois, a necklace was custom-made.

Jena at Little Bird Studio made the silver necklace fashioned of Larimar beads, found only in the Dominican Republic. The necklace is centered by a trio of hand-forged silver charms - including 1800s text, a crown and a fleur de lis. The clasp has a group of freshwater pearls attached.

The necklace is photographed on a 19th-century Paris dress form and on 18th-century French documents.

If you'd like your own custom-made necklace or would prefer to choose from a variety of unqiue necklaces, bracelets, rings or earrings, visit Little Bird Studio's website.

Ready for a party

Each of these five dolls has her own hand-painted bird mask, in anticipation of a grand entrance at a party. The one-of-a-kind clay dolls are created by Christine Alvarado at Du Buh Du Designs.

Hitty: Her First Hundred Years

When I mentioned in a previous post that I was looking for a copy of a favourite book from childhood, readers came to the rescue. Nancy Sotham in Canada and Vida in Australia forwarded links to the same online bookseller, Abe Books.

I ordered a 1929 edition of Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. Rachel Field's classic book was first published in 1929 by MacMillan. It is a library version, with an orange cover with black marks meant to resemble wood and a few torn pages repaired with now-yellowed tape. The lovely illustrations are by Dorothy P. Lathrop. I was thrilled to get it and re-read Hitty's adventures - including long ocean voyages and falling at the feet of Charles Dickens! Thank you, dear readers!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Sorrel, an art doll handmade by Christine at Du Buh Du Designs, wears a cap and silk dress containing words from "On Love" by Lebanese-born poet Khalil Gibran.

"...But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully.

"To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips." - Khalil Gibran

On this day in 2000, David met my plane at Heathrow, London. We had first met at an e-commerce conference the previous November in New York. In the interim, we communicated via telephone and email. Two years later, an excerpt from an essay in Gibran's book The Prophet was part of our wedding ceremony at Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy's private chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Wishing you and yours much love and joy on St. Valentine's Day and every day of the year...

Love after love

Victorian Valentines and romantic tokens from the Castle Museum, York, England.

The time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,

and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you

all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,

the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.

Love after Love by Derek Walcott from the book Soul Food, Nourishing Poems for Starved Minds, edited by Neil Astley and Pamela Robertson-Pearce; published 2007 by Bloodaxe Books.

Wings of hope

Chicago artist Jill Dryer created this poster.

Dryer considers that the three circles are symbols of hope: blue for the Democratic Party, red for the Republican Party and purple, representing the unity of both parties.

The seven doves are signs of peace and hope.

The Obama poster is available at the stand4change Etsy shop here.

Proceeds will go to the Barack Obama presidential campaign.

Reminder of One World One Heart

"Constance" and her seven sisters have taken up residence in Paris. The art dolls are the delightfully-detailed creations of Christine at Du Buh Du Designs. I blame my fanciful friend Vanessa, who first introduced me to Christine's irresistible dolls. The wirework chair was a gift from my friend Gabrielle.

A reminder of the global goodness of One World One Heart hosted at LisaOceandreamer's Heart of the Nest. It's not too late to toss your name into the hats of nearly 300 participants from acround the world. We will be drawing names for our respective giveaways on Valentine's Day, Thursday, Feb. 14th.

To enter the drawing at Paris Parfait, go here and leave a comment. Since so many people have entered, in addition to the main prizes pictured, I will offer second and third prizes of Paris brocante goodies. Good luck!

And if you're in Louisiana, Kansas, Washington or Nebraska, don't forget to cast your vote in the primaries or participate in caucuses this weekend. Rock the vote for a better America!

In danger of collapse

One might think he'd be one apologetic neighbour. But this is the same guy who plays basketball indoors, but denies it, while standing within full view of his basketball net. So last April when a leak in his apartment threatened ours, our plumber informed the neighbour. We submitted necessary paperwork to the building owner and insurance companies etc., etc.

Today - nearly ten months later - an inspector shows up, unannounced to survey the damage to our second bathroom ceiling (see photos of peeling and curling paint and plaster). He finds the leak is not confined to the bathroom. The "Spanish wall" in the hallway next to the bathroom is "full of water" and the hall's ceiling contains several large pockets of water.

What next? Why, more paperwork, naturellement! A "declaration" must be filed before any repair work can commence. Meanwhile, the inspector suggested I move everything out of the unused bathroom (crates of books and extra lamps are stored there), as the ceiling is "in danger of collapse." I'd written to the building owners in July 2007 that immediate action was needed as "the ceiling might collapse!" Ah, the French and their seemingly endless bureaucracy!

A couple of years ago that bathroom was completely retiled and painted, due to another leak in the wall behind the shower. Of course, such problems are inconvenient, but minor compared to what victims of the Tuesday tornadoes are facing.

My friend Pam is a professor at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, which took a big hit. In an email today, she said thankfully, no students were seriously injured. But many of the school's buildings sustained widespread damage.

An excerpt from Pam's email: "... Students are fine . . .1200 on campus at the time of the storm: 51 to the hospital (9 stayed, 3 released); 9 boys trapped, but talking to rescuers the whole time and rescued by 11:30 (storm hit at 7)."

Pam and her dog Molly were at home "in the closet" in Jackson. (Her husband was in Memphis). "Power went out and I had no idea where the storm was; just knew it was headed to us. Home is fine; power back on ... I spent the night with friends with power. No classes until Feb. 18th at the earliest. Major buildings as well as dorms hit."

"In Nov. 2002 straight line winds hit our campus, and our (school) president said this ... was 15 times worse. Miracle that no one was killed. All students are accounted for. We are thankful," Pam said. Yes, much for which to be thankful!

Part of the water-damaged "Spanish wall" featuring art and tiles from Spain. As it is a structural wall, we may have to move out, while repairs are made. Fun times ahead!

Check out these fascinating caricatures about the presidential candidates.

One World, One Heart

A heart-shaped bottle from a Paris brocante and a vintage postcard featuring roses and a lucky horseshoe will be awarded on February 14th as part of LisaOceandreamer's annual One World, One Heart giveaway. An identical bottle is featured in vignettes in the Secrets d' Interieurs (French version) and The New French Decor: Living with Timeless Objects (English version) books by Michele Lalande and Gilles Trillard.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. On February 14th, the winner's name will be drawn from a hat. And stop by Lisa's Heart of the Nest for links to other participants and the chance to win prizes at their websites! One World, One Heart - It's all about spreading the love! Bonne chance!

P.S. Speaking of love, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has married his girlfriend, singer and former model Carla Bruni. The ceremony was performed today at the Elysee Palace.

Kewpie doll by Sandra Evertson.

Opera glasses and a brocante

I found these rare 19th-century French ivory opera glasses - along with a mother-of-pearl pair - Friday at a little antiques shop. Am off to a brocante in search of something special for LisaOceandreamer's One World One Heart giveaway. Will post details later, so you can enter to win a prize!

A red letter day

Here, have some cake. Perhaps some tea, or a glass of champagne? We're celebrating!

For me, it's a red letter day! Paris Parfait turns two: 1,105 posts and more to follow. Thank you - Merci - Gracias for your encouragement and support - and for always coming back for more!

"Cake Girl" art doll by Vanessa Valencia.

Foxed and flocked...

...but still a treasure. This late 18th-century French silk bridal fan was a gift from a dear friend, a former antiques dealer. As the fan's silk has sustained heavy foxing, I took it to a Paris artisan specialising in textile restoration. He advised the fan is "a museum piece" and too fragile for repairs.

But the sentimentality behind the bridal fan makes it special, no matter its damaged condition. The flocked and hand-woven lace is 19th-century. It once was draped over a fireplace mantel in a Loire Valley chateau.

I prefer treasures with little imperfections and the patina of wear. If an antique appears too pristine, one should wonder about its origins and what restoration work may have gone unreported. Rather like aging - one can age gracefully, with the accompanying lines and battle scars or go to the plastic surgeon and have all signs of character and individuality replaced with a bland expressionless stare.

Why do so many Hollywood actresses seem to be resorting to that these days? It seems a sad commentary on Western society that prizes youth and looks above all else, while ignoring substance and wisdom gained with age. Yet another example of the "entertainment lite" celebrity culture dominating the media, with too many people never looking beyond the surface to see what's happening around them.

Using antiques every day

This late 19th-century French piece features a needlework bunch of silk velvet parrot tulips. The background is composed of hundreds of tiny irridescent glass beads, each hand-sewn onto the canvas. The framed piece is so heavy, it's difficult to hang. Currently, it is leaning against the wall in a bedroom. The pleated silk moire fabric on the back of the frame is original to the piece. Click photo to view detail.

At the bookstore Friday, I bought a copy of Vintage Vavoom: Romantic Decorating with One-of-a-Kind Finds and Simply Country. While neither book tells me anything I haven't read before - or discovered for myself - the photos are gorgeous. Vintage Vavoom is produced by the editors of Romantic Homes magazine and features some tips from Elizabeth Maxson, formerly of the St. Louis-based store Elizabeth House, who writes the blog The Adventures of Elizabeth. Carolyn Westbrook as well as Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy also offer ideas.

Simply Country or Easy Cottage Style as it is known in the US - is by British stylist Liz Bauwens and writer Alexandra Campbell. Simon Brown photographed the decors, which depict a faded country grandeur. Nothing - including valuable antiques - is considered too precious and everything is used constantly.

I believe in this philosophy. At our house we live with and use our antiques daily - and that includes fragile crystal glasses and 200-year-old porcelain. What's the point of having lovely things, if not to use and appreciate it?

Years ago someone told me about a young woman who had died quite suddenly. Her husband found a beautiful silk charmeuse gown, wrapped carefully in tissue paper in a dresser drawer, that she had been saving for a special occasion. I found that story deeply upsetting, imagining the young woman's unfulfilled dreams.

I think it is up to us to make each day special. After all, who knows how long we have to enjoy our beautiful things? Someday these antiques that once belonged to others will be owned by someone else. So while they're in my possession, I'm making full use of them!

When I was 13, I took my first plane trip to Chicago, where I was met by Dr. Edward and Ann Pfau, friends of my parents. They lived in an elegant two-story home near Madison, Wisconsin. What most impressed me was at every meal their table was set with silver, including silver goblets, chargers and serving dishes. Each morning they drank their orange juice out of silver cups.

At 13, this seemed to me like unimaginable luxury. How did they find the time to polish all that silver? They explained to me that if you used something all the time, it didn't need quite so much care and polish. Years later Mrs. Pfau gave me an elegant set of silver grapefruit spoons. Although I do not eat grapefruit, those spoons are currently on display in a French stoneware mustard jar in our kitchen.

What about you? Do you keep all your precious things stored away in a cupboard? Or do you make some of them part of your daily routine and rituals?

What is your favourite antique or collectible that was passed down through your family or that you purchased for yourself at an antiques shop or flea market?

The gilt-edged porcelain cup and saucer that once belonged to a man named "Pierre," dates from 1830. The gold gilt decoration is fading, but there are no cracks or damage anywhere to be found. Even the cup handle remains intact.

Antique passementerie adorns pillows made of vintage fabrics, as well as faded mattress ticking (above right).

Art Nouveau exhibition

A trio of Art Nouveau pottery pieces, circa 1898, Belgium.

If, like me, you're mad about Art Nouveau, the Musee d'Orsay is hosting an exhibition through April 13. Tickets for Alexandre Charpentier: Naturalisme et Art Nouveau are available at the museum.

The museum is open daily - except Mondays - from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until 9:45 p.m. on Thursdays.

A doll's life

An early 19th-century French doll's chair with its original needlepoint seat found at a Paris antiques shop. The wide band beneath the needlepoint was added in the 20th-century, perhaps to cover the exposed brass nailheads that attach the needlepoint to the chair. The vintage lace doll's hat was found last year at a brocante at Bastille. All that's missing is a doll!

Do any of you remember the book Hitty: Her First Hundred Years? Rachel Field's tale of a wooden doll and her far-flung adventures was one of my favourite books from childhood. The book apparently was inspired by a real doll, which is displayed in a museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. I am looking for a vintage hardback copy of the book. If you come across one, please email me.

Another childhood book I adored was Betty MacDonald's Nancy and Plum. I read it to my own daughter, along with Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, which was checked out from the school library. But it was Louisa May Alcott's Little Women that really affected me and made me want to be a writer. What were your favourite childhood books?

Dreamcatcher

Native American red suede dreamcatcher from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe Railroad advertisement from 1947 framed in a 19th-century French wooden frame, reminiscent of the "Tramp Art" frames popular in America. Originally, the photo of a French wedding party was in the frame.

Is there a dreamcatcher filtering out your bad dreams and temporary setbacks of your life? Or do you continue to move forward, determined to bring your dream(s) to fruition? Do you have faith in your dream(s), no matter what obstacles are placed in your path? After all, that's what faith is: the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not yet seen.

The dreamcatcher is in our dining room, not hanging over the bed, as tradition would have it. Because I believe waking dreams are the really important ones. As British explorer, adventurer and soldier T.E. Lawrence wrote in The Silver Pillars of Wisdom, "Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible.

What are you doing today, to bring your dream(s) just a little closer to reality?