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Reflections of the Dutch town of Edam in gazing balls atop an iron fence. Click photos to view detail.
These balls are updated versions of gazing balls popular in the 19th-century.
I'm busy entertaining a friend from college days. Back soon with a post about our first water lilies of the season. Wherever you are today, hope you're enjoying your weekend!
It started with this feature on photographer Stella Harasek's lovely home that both Igor Josif and I saw - unbeknownst to each other - on a couple of Scandanavian design blogs. When I saw Igor's post, I sent him a message that I was mad about the City Sunday magazine rack and had ordered two from Finland for my home office. Igor responded, "You mean it's possible to buy something like that?" And ten minutes later, he'd ordered one too.
Here are the magazine racks at first blush. No doubt the contents will evolve on a regular basis. And follow Igor's Happy Interior blog for his version of the City Sunday magazine racks. If you fancy your own magazine racks, they're available at Finnish Design Shop.
In my magazine racks: (top) French enamel sign; French francs price tag from a Paris shop; David Burke's Writers in Paris; a photograph of a Paris milliner's salon in 1944 by Lee Miller; the book Thinking in Type and a small poster for Linotype: the Film, for which I am happy to be a backer. (Bottom): Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, one of my all-time favourite books; a photograph of Afghan children given to me by Marianne Elliot; a Christies auction catalogue featuring mementoes of adventurers and explorers, including T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia); the latest issue of News Photographer magazine; Mary Oliver's poetry book Evidence; an art piece by my friend Christine Mason Miller and a notebook.
Tough boys: Looking at the faces and physical characteristics of these little boys in Ghor, Jordan, one can almost envision how they'll age. Life expectancy for males in developing countries is now more than double statistics just 30 years ago (when too many men died young, due to war or socio-economic conditions limiting access to medical care). In Jordan, life expectancy for men is among the highest in the Middle East, according to UN and World Bank statistics.
Click photo to enlarge.
French glass negatives from 1910 and 1914 framed against the window in my home office. Light filters through, illuminating the images. One of the photos shows a French family in formal dress inside a Native American tepee - in France!
Today my favorite item in my typography-mad office - the alphabet chest - is featured in Where Women Create. I've been a fan since getting a signed copy of Where Women Create in Savannah, Ga. in 2005. It's still one of my go-to books for inspiration. So it's an honor to have my office featured on their website.
This weekend we're off to England to see family. Hope you have a wonderful weekend, filled with delights. And to all the moms out there - including my own amazing mother, Cherie - Happy Mother's Day!
Et voila! I have re-opened my etsy shop Paris Parfait to sell some of my way-too-many French treasures collected during ten years in Paris.
These photographs show some of the items currently for sale (19th-century Jugendstil Art Nouveau claret pitcher above and French enamel cafetiere below, in the highly-sought-after stripes and floral pattern). I'm happy to report that I sold a wooden angel to a woman in Japan, while still loading photographs for the shop!
Vintage French perfume bottles. See more antiques and collectibles on offer here. Please check back often for new listings!
Antique prayer necklace from Yemen.
Forgive me for indulging in a little sentimentality. Today marks ten years of marriage: much love, hope, prayers and dreams come true. David and I celebrate our good fortune on a regular basis: we know we are blessed and take nothing for granted. On this special anniversary, we raise our glasses in a toast to the next ten years and beyond...
Boats viewed from a small bridge in Edam, Noord-Holland.
The small bridge...
...with a tall arch.
Another bridge over the same canal.
Bicycles everywhere....
Edam cheese and bottles of wine. All that's missing is the bread!
Living over the shop.
Rustic charm.
A permanent letter box.
A photograph of Volendam's origins as a fishing village on the side of one of the houses in the picture.
A plaque indicating the house was built in 1935 and the family's work involved horses and sheep.
Reflections in a shop window in Volendam. The girl in the striped shirt reminds me of my fearless friend Gillian.
This week I am re-opening my etsy shop to sell many French antique and vintage treasures from my personal collection. Check back soon for the launch and link.
An outdoor display at a store in Delft, Zuid-Holland.
At long last it's Friday! And here are some fun links found while browsing blogs and media:
Marrakesh by Design and a tiny little film
A short film featuring Dior at Versailles
Est magazine's first birthday issue
A Frenchwoman attempts to understand Brooklyn hipsters
Bon weekend, les tous!
Reflections in one of the historic city of Delft's canals. I shot these pictures strolling around the city centre, while our guests visited an exhibition at Vermeer Centrum.
An Italian Fornasetti plate is artfully framed in a private home's window.
Trees reflected in a canal.
Delft blue ceramic messages embedded in the sidewalk.
An original apotheek (apothecary) sign from 1759 opposite the tower of Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in the city's famed market square.
Antique and vintage Delft porcelain in a store vitrine.
Art Nouveau architecture at a Leonidas chocolate shop.
Chinese herbs.
A stack of wooden crates in a bar window.
A patiently-waiting father staring out the window in a children's store.
A mercantile selling molds, fabric, yarn and sewing notions.
A mannequin wearing 1970s thrift-store fashion and vintage scarves tied to a chair.
Miniature windmills at Kinderdijk, Zuid-Holland.
Fresh fruit and vegetables in Delft.
An arrangement of antique glassware on a windowsill in Edam.
It's the merry month of May - hooray! - and I'll be back shortly with more photos and posts.
Meanwhile, if you live in one of the cities in Maryam's book tour - now underway in the US - don't miss a chance to meet her! Maryam is as charming and clever in real life as one might expect from reading her lovely blog My Marrakesh. Feast your eyes on her stylish book Marrakesh by Design, availble from various booksellers.
