Paris Parfait

Christmas tidings

Our fireplace mantel with 19th-century French Madonna crowns, a framed 18th-century page from the Koran (yes, religions can peacefully co-exist) from Sevilla, Spain; 18th-century French books topped with Delft porcelain miniature shoes and a vintage Santa ornament; a hand-carved wooden lamplighter from the Netherlands; an 18th-century wooden angel from an Italian church (wearing a rush crown woven with irridiscent beads from London); Christmas parcels from my daughter in the US and a glass cylinder containing an arrangement of amaryllis, berries, a silvery fern and "snow," a gift from a Dutch friend, who is a talented florist and interior designer. The mercury glass and gilt mirror is French, circa 1830. Click photos to view detail.

Antique porcelain figures at an exhibition of Christmas decorations currently underway inside the city's 15th-century gate tower.

The Virgin Mary.

Baby Jesus in a straw-filled manger. "For unto us, a child is born..."

Joseph.

Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus (and a wood-framed leaded window at the top of the historic town gate).

A handmade nativity scene. This picture is slightly out of focus (taking pictures was frowned upon at the exhibition), but you can see the amazing detail of each cloth figure and the surrounding scene, including a hand-woven tent.

Vintage ornaments on a wire tree.

Gingerbread in a shop window.

Outside our window, bells are ringing, while carpenters build a manger in the 15th-century church courtyard. And a house-drawn carriage is ferrying last-minute shoppers through the cobblestone streets.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas, filled with tidings of comfort and joy!

Pinning Pinterest: Copyright protection for photographers

 

In 2009, I took the above photograph in my Paris apartment, using my Sony A900. I posted the photograph on my blog Paris Parfait. But the image you see on today's post didn't come from my photo files; instead I downloaded it from Pinterest.

How did it get there? Someone "pinned" it, giving another photographer credit. That photographer is Lara Rossignol, who happens to be a brilliant photographer and author of the lovely blog Piewacket. Lara owns a pink Royal typewriter exactly like this one. But she didn't take the photo; I did (and Lara has no direct role in this comedy of errors). Yet on Pinterest, the photo source is listed as "From Google.com" and the credit given to "Lara Rossignol."

This is just one example of erroneous photo credit on Pinterest.com. In a Pinterest search I found hundreds of my photos displayed under Paris Parfait and Tara Bradford. I don't have time to check every photograph; a quick run-through suggests most images have proper photo credit listed. But I noticed a few "pinners" list Google as the source and no direct attribution is provided. Obviously, Google is not a photographer and doesn't take photographs (other than for Google Maps).

Some people argue that having one's photos used on Pinterest is good publicity. Maybe, but only if proper photo accreditation is provided. I found several Pinterest examples where another photographer's work is listed under my name! For instance, photographs from the divine Fifi O'Neill's book Romantic Prairie Style - used in my blog piece, with permission - are wrongly listed on Pinterest as mine. Instead, they should be credited to Mark Lohman, who took all the photographs in Fifi's book.

To report a copyright violation, Pinterest requires filling out a separate form for every single image wrongly attributed or falsely credited. This seems like a lot of paperwork (and time) to safeguard images already protected by copyright law. It's no wonder many photographers are dismayed by having to track their images on Pinterest.

So all you lovely people who see online images that interest you, if you want to use them, make sure you give the photographer proper credit. I have a Creative Commons license, which means my photographs may be used in an attribution share-alike sense, only for non-commercial purposes. You are allowed to share the images in public forums - with attribution - but you can't put my photographs on posters or greeting cards or any other commercial ventures. If you would like to use them for a non-profit campaign flyer or in a theatre production program, etc., kindly email and ask permission.

If you want to "pin" my photographs on Pinterest, please provide proper photo credit! I would never use your work without giving you credit; please show the same respect for mine.

In two extreme cases, I applied for a Google takedown notice. After finding my photographs used without permission or without credit, I emailed the sites in question, politely asking that the photos be removed. The site owners ignored several requests, so I issued takedown notices. They were forced to delete my images.

Read more about copyright protection:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation: Teaching Copyright

The Digital Millenium Act

The No Electronic Theft Act (NET Act)

Creative Commons

Making beautiful books

Rossetti's Collected Works, Volumes I and II, 1870, from my private collection. The books were featured in The Cult of Beauty Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900 exhibition earlier this year at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. I purchased them from Liberty's 2011 Annual Arts & Crafts Selling Exhibition in London. I am mad about Arts & Crafts design and am lucky to own a few original pieces.

A page scanned from Stephen Calloway's book The Cult of Beauty, which accompanied the V&A exhibition. The poet and painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti's books are blocked in gold on blue-green publishers' cloth (pictured upper left). Algernon Swinburne's 1873 Songs before Sunrise (upper right) was also designed by Rossetti. Love Is Enough was written and designed by William Morris in 1873 (bottom left). Architect Philip Webb designed Morris's book Volsunga Saga: The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs, published in 1870 (bottom right).

These books were featured in Liberty's 2011 Arts & Crafts Selling Exhibition. The book at right - The Roots of the Mountains - was written by William Morris and is extremely rare.  It is a first limited edition of 250 copies, printed on Whatman paper and bound in original Merton Abbey block-printed linen “Honeysuckle” designed by William Morris. The book is inscribed ‘with love,’ possibly by Morris. It was printed at the Chiswick Press and published by Reeves & Turner, London, 1890. The book was also exhibited at the 1890 Arts & Crafts Exhibition.

Liberty's Arts & Crafts Yuletide Selling Exhibition is currently underway on the 4th floor through Saturday, December 24th.

The Guardian has a fascinating article about making beautiful books in an era of e-books. When traveling, I read books via Kindle. But in my home, an electronic device never will replace actual books.

I have an antique iron book press from Scotland. Every time I glance at it, I am reminded of the care and attention with which so many beautiful books once were made by hand. It's a part of history I'd like to help preserve.

Merry-go-round

Carousel horse, vitrine, French quarter, New Orleans.

 

Am finding life a bit dizzying at the moment - as though I'm spinning on a never-ending merry-go-round - thanks to a whirl of Dutch house-buying bureaucracy. Hoping the wild ride stops soon and cool heads prevail.

Meanwhile, am honoured to be included in Christine Mason Miller's Five Six Things column today. It was such fun to be part of her Global Inspirations series for Create Mixed Media. Read about Christine's virtual book tour for her latest creation Desire to Inspire here. You can pre-order a copy here.

Other inspirations:

Gaza's little surfer girl

Harrison Solow's The Birthday Present

Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 trilogy

Longing for Paris? See Eugene Atget's iconic photography in Paris: 1898-1924

How exercise benefits the brain

A trio of frosted and mercury glass candles on a windowsill.

'tis the season

Floral displays on a foggy day.

Snow-dusted plants.

Zinc pots of festive berries and pine cones.

An abundance of red in stoneware pots.

A florist's vitrine, with trees made of frosted pine cones.

An interior design firm's display window.

Sinterklaas decorations in a show window.

The entrance hall to the store in the former post office. The building has its original 17th-century tiles and traditional Dutch architecture. It's now been broken up into a store, a house and an apartment, with a huge garden and courtyard.

This moss-covered Buddha reclines in the garden.

Shoppers seeking bargains.

An organ grinder to entertain the children.

A garland of flowers to brighten a bicycle.

A simple and elegant front door.

 

I'm still working on our Christmas decor. I have the fireplace mantel decorated, but much more to be done. Am off to see my favourite local florist for inspiration.

I hope you're taking photos of your holiday decor! It would be nice to see images representing Christmas celebrations around the world.

Of hearth and home

Fireplace mantel in our current 200-year-old maisonette. Click photo to view detail. French gilt and mercury glass mirror circa 1830 (found at Marches aux Puces at Clignacourt, with bits of the frame missing; restored in 2001). From left, 19th-century French beaded handbag; Raku pottery from Northern California; 18th-century Tibetan monk's worn turquoise-lined copper and enamel food bowl and woven carrying basket with leather strap; 18th-century French books; Pomegranate pottery from Whitney Smith, Oakland, CA; small Dutch pottery piece; framed butterfly; pottery bowl handmade by Riley Salyards, Amsterdam; early 20th-century French Art Nouveau iron candlestick; 19th-century French carved wooden easel holding hand-tinted postcard illustration of Reales Alcázares de Sevilla.

 

You may recall we've been searching for a house, as our current abode has been sold. On Wednesday, we met the owners and signed the papers to purchase the lovely house just north of Amsterdam that caught our fancy! The charming owners graciously are donating the rowboat, which they say "belongs with the house."  So barring any unforeseen catastrophe or bureaucratic muddle, we should be moving in late January.

There's no fireplace, but the house has ample room for our global treasures. At last I'll have a proper office, complete with balcony and canal view. We'll make one bedroom a dressing room, so we can find the clothes we need (without searching through suitcases, due to one tiny closet here). We'll also have a guest room with its own balcony, for family and friends!

On Thanksgiving day (!) we'll complete more paperwork to help make the dream a reality. Am hoping and praying all the seeds we've sown come to fruition. My daughter Jordana reminds me to "visualize, visualize."  Meanwhile, your good wishes will be much appreciated!

Classic beauty

"They don't make 'em like they used to..." Classic beauty, New Orleans. Click photo to enlarge.

 

The glitz, the glamour

and plush leather seats for you;

running board for us.

Candlelit elegance

Recently we dined at a 19th-century brownstone restaurant which was so beautiful, I skipped the first course to go home and get my camera. The main dining room is accented with bronze candelabra, gilt mercury-glass mirrors and bronze wall sconces dripping with crystals. As if that's not enough glamour, white roses tumble out of a silver champagne cooler and hand-appliqued gold leaf fleur-de-lis accent the pale gold plastered walls.

White roses fill a black glass urn on a fireplace mantle and a tall iron stand holds a whimsical arrangement of ivy and white flowers. An appliqued chandelier enhances a sliding door, echoing an antique crystal chandelier reflected in the glass.

An 19th-century crystal chandelier and framed tapestry are reflected in the mirror's mercury glass.

A 1940s French crystal chandelier highlights a private dining alcove. I have a pair of 1940s crystal wall sconces from Paris modeled on this same design. It is hoped I'll find space for them in our next abode.

The restaurant's ceilings are centered with a gold leaf-etched Art Nouveau design, next to a moulded wooden cherub. Not only is the interior an aesthetic delight, the food is superb.

Wishing you some candlelit magic of your own this weekend...

On my windowsill

A handmade pottery bowl with tiny aqua-centered mushroom caps sits on a windowsill. The bowl contains Dutch bulbs (autumn crocus is the American equivalent) that bloom without water. Click images to enlarge.

While some bulbs are flowering now, others will take a few weeks to bloom.

News and blooms

Hortensia blooms in muted colours.

 

On today's radar:

Putlizer Prize-winner Jhumpa Lahiri: Trading stories

Inside Libya's notorious Abu Salim prison. Two brave men I knew are believed to have been murdered in the prison massacre. They are mentioned in my 2006 poem Dead or disappeared.

Palestinians say they are victims of collective punishment, as the pro-Israeli US Congress withdraws aid to the West Bank and Gaza. The move follows the Palestinian's president's statehood request to the United Nations.

Labor unions plan to join Occupy Wall Street protests. And you can send pizza to protesters at Liberty Square!

If you're a fan of the late singer Ella Fitzgerald and the Paris-based Hermes, act fast to bid on Miss Fitzgerald's handbag at auction in New Orleans.

The contrarians: 18th-century furnishings in a Chicago apartment.

This video filmed in Paris is achingly beautiful in its wistfulness.

All hands on deck

Vintage glove molds at the Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante et aux Jambons, currently underway at Chatou, France.  

 

"If you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm."- Yiddish proverb

Projects, books and current events

La Giralda, Sevilla, Spain, July, 2010. Photos by Tara Bradford.

 

Have spent much of today preparing for an upcoming photo project in Andalucia, Spain. We also have guests in town this week, so between photo shoots and playing hostess, not much time to blog.

Here are some things that recently have caught my fancy:

Great storytelling via Tahir Shah's Sorcerer's Apprentice and Harrison Solow's The Postmaster's Song.

Does social media mean the writer penning a tome from an ivory tower no longer exists? Ask Paulo Coelho.

Entra magazine - architecture and design in a slick, professional format. Beautiful!

BBC Panorama's searing documentary about the uprising in Syria, where their "weapon is the camera."

Plus I've been reading updates on the timely and important work of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

What's on your radar at the moment? Do tell!

 

An ornate chapel inside La Giralda, with a central red velvet panel depicting La Giralda's tower.

 

Love Paris campaign: Fall brocantes in full swing

Les poupees at the bi-annual brocante and ham fair at Chatou, France.

The 83e Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante et aux Jambons starts at 10 a.m. Friday at Ile de la Chatou. It is filled with antique treasures, unusual collectibles and some real bargains. Read more about it, as well as my other fave brocantes at Any Trip's Love Paris campaign here.

And get your skates on for Chatou! Tickets are available at the gate.

Eclectic style at a London home

The lovely Karine, co-founder of online boutique Bodie & Fou photographed at her West London home for Heart Home magazine. All photos by Tara Bradford.

Karine's stylish and functional kitchen draws influences from industrial furniture. The combination of painted cabinets and bleached wood gives la cuisine a modern edge. Click photos to view detail.

A wooden boulangerie cart stores dishes and favourite cookbooks. Skylights flood the kitchen and dining area with light.

The salon is bathed in soft light, filtered through Brume window stickers. Design books are stacked on a painted palette table that Karine made herself. The rabbit figurine is a lamp.

The fireplace mantle is centered with Jean Baptiste Modino's photograph of French actress Vanessa Paradis. A silver leather pouch and zinc metal initials for "Bodie & Fou" add interest to the mantlepiece.

An evolving assortment of sentimental and family photos are taped to the wall.

Bookshelves interspersed with art and a favourite Paulistano leather chair, available online via Bodie & Fou.

A cluster of alabaster crosses found at a shop in Hertsfordshire accent a vintage wooden mirror frame, a gift from Karine's sister - and her Bodie & Fou partner - Elodie. A plaster foot modeled after Karine's daughter Mila, a "Sweet" shop sign, wooden beads and photos complete the mantle dispay in the master bedroom.  

A vintage mercantile cabinet and wooden stool, with the Bodie & Fou website open on the computer screen.

An impromptu gallery featuring young Mila's artistic talents.

Vintage toys line the mantlepiece in Mila's bedroom.

For more information about Karine's stylish home, see pages 130-135 of the premiere issue of Heart Home magazine.

It's time...

Arts & Crafts oak mantle clock by Liberty & Co., circa 1900 at Liberty, London. The clock is inlaid with pewter depicting the rising sun.

 

Read about Arts & Crafts at Liberty in my article in Heart Home magazine, which launches today! See page 154 to read about the inimitable Patch Rogers and Liberty's annual Arts & Crafts selling exhibition. 

Arthur Lasenby Liberty launched Liberty of London in 1875. In 1924, a new store was built from oak and teak timber taken from two 19^th-century battle ships: the HMS Impregnable and HMS Hindustan. Liberty’s floors were constructed of deck timber from the same ships.

Arthur Liberty’s voyages of discovery took him to Japan, North Africa and beyond. He returned to London with ceramics, prints, wallpaper, silks and fabric that would greatly influence furniture, fabrics and decorative objects produced and sold by Liberty.

Liberty encouraged John Ruskin and William Morris – widely credited for starting the Arts & Crafts movement - in their design and development of well-made furniture, fabric, wallpaper and decorative objects for the home.  From the 1880s onwards, the Arts & Crafts movement sought to celebrate talents of individual craftsmen using quality materials, while reforming manufacturing techniques.

Arts & Crafts is mostly British-based furniture, with Liberty its first port of call. But the Arts & Crafts movement also proved popular in the United States and in the Netherlands. Around 1900, Liberty had an acclaimed Arts & Crafts concession in a Dutch department store. Arts & Crafts also gained admirers in France and Belgium.

Visit Liberty’s Annual Arts & Crafts Selling Exhibition on the 4^th floor at Great Marlborough Street, London W1B 5AH. London Underground stations nearby are Oxford Circus, Central, Bakerloo and Victoria lines and Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly and Bakerloo lines).

An original clock from the Aesthetic Movement at Liberty, London.

Slow Saturday

Favourite things on a slow-down Saturday: hydrangeas and books. A 19th-century English ironstone pitcher holds a bouquet of hortensia (as they're known in Europe). Among the books on my 1930s library table:

Eyewitness: Hungarian Photography in the 20th-Century

The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough

My Heart Wanders by Pia Jane Bijkerk

Le Japon Artistique: Japanese Floral Pattern Designs in the Art Nouveau Era

Aitor Lara's Maestranza

Tim Walker's Pictures

While David is watching rugby games (in the run-up to the Rugby World Cup September in New Zealand), I'm sorting out things around the house, in between long stretches of reading. Time to slow down, before fall kicks into high gear... What's on your weekend agenda?

Play pretties

Dolls and furniture at the Foire Nationale aux Antiquites a la Brocante et aux Jambons, Chatou, France.

 

Today would have been my late grandmother Lucille's birthday. As children, when my brothers and I spent the weekend with our grandparents, Grandmother would bring a wooden table from a carport closet and set it up in the driveway. She also provided us with old enamel and aluminum dishes and utensils for making mud pies and hosting tea parties for dolls. Grandmother referred to our toys as "play pretties." She called little beads of caked dirt on our necks - after a day of playing outdoors in heat and humidity -  "dinah beads."  She made sure we scrubbed ourselves clean in the bath.

I've written previously that she was a talented seamstress and made a wardrobe of beautiful clothes for my Barbies. She also made a dress like one I admired on the cover of Seventeen magazine and later, a dress copied from the pages of Vogue.

She and her friends had occasional "quilting bees" and Grandmother's attention to detail resulted in beautiful and unique quilts. She sewed most of her own clothes, until her eyesight worsened, making sewing difficult. She always took pride in her appearance, visiting the hairdresser once a week. On Sundays, she donned her finest clothes for church.

Grandmother had carpentry skills, making lamps out of unlikely objects and side tables out of stacked wooden cable spools. She filled these tables with her collection of little porcelain figurines. A perfectionist, her home was immaculately kept. She was a good cook, making the best caramel pie ever (no one in our family has been able to duplicate it, using her recipe). Every year at Christmas, I make a "refrigerator roll" dessert using Grandmother's recipe.

Grandmother also had a green thumb: her house was surrounded by gorgeous hydrangeas and rose bushes. And she and Granddaddy planted a huge garden full of vegetables. 

Our grandparents loved me and my brothers (and later my baby sister) unconditionally - but not uncritically. I wonder what Grandmother would make of me living abroad. I know she was proud of me and supportive when I went off to journalism school and later to New York to pursue my dreams. Still she worried that I wouldn't find a good man to take care of me - not understanding I could take care of myself. I think she'd be happy I've accomplished many things on my own, plus I married a good man.

I'm sorry Grandmother didn't live to know my daughter Jordana, who has inherited her amazing abilities with a needle and thread and a sewing machine.* They met briefly, when Jordana was a baby. By this time, Grandmother had suffered a series of debilitating diabetes-related strokes, but she managed to say, "My, doesn't she have such pretty eyelashes!" Just thinking about that episode brings tears to my eyes.

Throughout the years, I've often felt Grandmother's presence, as though she's watching over me. In her memory, I'm off to buy a huge bouquet of hydrangeas (or hortensia, as it is known here).

*Jordana is a young designer for an American fashion house.

Antoni Gaudi: Ahead of the curve in Barcelona

Wherever you look in Antoni Gaudi's architecture, you'll find curves. Tiny Juliet balconies resembling eye masks and egg-shaped window encasements at Casa Batlo in Barcelona are typical of his style.

Carved - and curved - oak frames enhance stained glass windows looking out onto Passeig de Gracia.

Curved stairs leading to the roof at Casa Batlo.

Similar curves are found in this stairwell at la Sagrada de Familia, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A curved oak staircase at Casa Batlo.

An Art Nouveau pewter tea set and mirrored and marble-topped oak dresser at La Pedrera, Barcelona.

Even this vertical design at la Sagrada de Familia features pillowy curves. It is similar to the wall of stained glass windows (below).

Note the curved exterior design and rooftop of this residence, next door to Casa Batlo. Its exterior bears influences like La Pedrera (a miniature model below).

Of course, la Sagrada de Familia  - after more than a century, still under construction - is interwoven with sinuous lines and curves. Its exterior also features curving lines.

See more Barcelona beauty here, here, here and here.

La Fête Nationale: Vive la France!

Scanned image of handwritten 18th-century sheet music and a tattered 19th-century linen flag for national holidays.

Happy Bastille Day to our French friends and neighbours!  

Scroll down the page for another post today.

Bonne fête! Happy Independence Day!

French exposition card from 1881.

 

Wishing my fellow Americans a safe and happy July 4th celebration!

Amidst the celebrations, let's take a few moments to reflect on our heritage and history and the wisdom of Thomas Jefferson (which is appropriate, considering current events):

"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country."

"Experience demands that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the general prey of the rich on the poor."

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

"Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first and then corruption, its necessary consequence."

"All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect and to violate would be oppression.'

Eclectic style

The genius Dutch florist's creation of the day, in a Waterford crystal vase.

 

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

On the 1930s library table, covered with French linen: 18th-century hand-written sheet music; my friend Pia's beautiful new book, "My Heart Wanders," as well as books featuring the work of photographers Tim Walker, Steve McCurry and Reza. In the background, an English Arts & Crafts chair is covered in original William Morris Strawberry Thief fabric and a 19th-century Chinese Buddha head rests on a Napoleon III stand.

Vintage car love

Last weekend a parade of vintage cars drew lots of admirers. This gorgeous roadster once participated in the Paris-Dakkar Rally.

Check back soon for more photos of cars participating in the local "Old Timers" event.

Scroll down the page for another post today.

Queen's Day celebrations

Flying the flags on Queen's Day on an historic church's bell tower. The Dutch flag has an orange strip added for Queen's Day celebrations. Note the early hour; we were out at 5 a.m. to stake our spot to participate in the local jumble sale. It was windy and cold, but fun!

We made about 50 euros and met some lovely people. David was sitting on an original French Tolix stool, when a Dutch guy asked to buy it. David told him it wasn't for sale, as he wouldn't have a place to sit. About ten minutes later, the guy returned with another stool, which he offered to David for free - if he'd sell our stool. Obviously he recognised the Tolix as an original and hoped David wouldn't know its value. Luckily, David suspected it was worth a few euros and declined the offer.

This image was taken while leaning from a second-story window.

People walking around the sidewalk sale, where household items, clothing and toys were going for rock-bottom prices.

Needless to say, orange was the colour of the day.

In case you forgot, orange t-shirts were on sale for half price.

Lots of people had their hair temporarily dyed orange, not dissimilar to this stuffed animal.

Even the bronze horse wore a jaunty orange crown.

An orange - and pink - bicycle, parked in front of a toy shop.

Fruit trees at a local florist's atelier.

Gerberas galore.

Potted plants.

A ceremony at Town Hall bestowing Queen's Honours on some deserving local citizens.

The town's mayor.

A band cheekily performed "YMCA," followed by "In the Navy," as orange balloons danced in the wind. After the awards, the band played the Dutch national anthem, as locals sang along.

Entertainment was also provided by three groups of girls, who performed dance routines to American hip-hop! Some photos are here and more will follow in another post.

The Queen's Day festivities culminated with fireworks above the canals.

Since we may not be living in the same place by next Queen's Day, we decided to skip the more lively festivities in Amsterdam and participate in local events.

A royal wedding

Put aside the media hype and hoopla and speculation and it all comes down to a boy, a girl and love. Wishing Prince William and Kate Middleton much joy in their life together.

19th-century French Madonna crowns from my private collection.

Mixing it up

After browsing decorating books at lunchtime (Emily Chalmers and writer Ali Hanan's Modern Vintage Style and design blogger Holly Becker and writer Joanna Copestick's Decorate; both books feature Debi Treloar's great photography), I was inspired to show some of my own collectibles found at brocantes, flea markets and antique fairs in France, England and Spain.

Pictured is vintage Provencal pottery for sale at a brocante at Chatou, France.

Pieces of Provencal glazed stoneware pottery that I've collected, on top of a vintage French mercantile cabinet at the top of the stairs in our entryway.The smaller Provencal jugs - originally used in every French kitchen to store duck fat - are quite pricey, as they become more difficult to find. The rust-coloured pottery at left is from Bourgogne. The cabinet containing DVDs and CDs faces a door with glass panels leading onto a balcony. The door beyond the cabinet leads to a small bathroom.

Pieces of early 20th-century French luggage, made of woven wicker and trimmed with leather are stacked on top of an old linen cupboard on the second-floor landing. Three vintage wooden hatstands - and a 1940s felt hat - are wedged between the luggage and an architectural beam. I started my quest for luggage after receiving the ladies' overnight bag (top) as a gift from my friend Gabrielle.

This modern 30-drawer chest was handmade by talented craftsman Luke Ellis of Kent & London in Whistable, England. It stores my cameras and photography gear (must get some suitable labels, so I remember what's where). The antique baskets on top are Chinese and the modern lamp is signed by a French artist.

Side view of the chest and lamp tucked under an eave. The small chest at left is vintage French. The wall is more than 200-years-old and slants at an odd angle, making decorating a challenge. The oil painting is by Santa Fe artist Carole Whitmore.

More interior shots to follow.

Of loss and promise

Shrine and altar, Bhaktapur, Nepal.

How strange life is...This week I've been preoccupied with reading and thinking about the tragic loss of two brilliantly-talented photographers: Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, who were killed in Libya.  Each man left an enduring legacy of remarkable images and humanitarian work.

"...Along the rocky path to peace,
tears wash away the blood of innocents
spilled in someone else's cause."

- from the poem "I will remember you"

I've been thinking about how little time we are given to make a positive impact on this world. And time is flying; it's only after a health scare - or turning 50 - that you realise just how fast.

I've been searching through thousands of unpublished photos - some of them quite good - and wondering why I haven't used them; why I haven't sent them to a magazine editor... fear of rejection; of not being perfect? I don't want to be someone who dies with her song unsung; with promise unfulfilled. It's odd that I cultivate imperfection (vintage and antiques, rubbed by the hands of time) in my home, but obsess about it in my work.

I've been despairing over hapless antics of politicians around the world, as suffering intensifies. Then experienced the weird disconnect of being focused on conflict in foreign lands, as decorating and photography books arrive in the mail. And while I'm thinking about senseless wars and the foibles of humanity, I'm posting a cheery photo of my Fiesta collection! But isn't this how we go on... compartmentalising things; refusing to dwell too long on sorrows that are difficult to bear; trying to prioritise demands on our time and snatching fleeting moments of joy whenever possible?

A sad message from a faraway friend - with whom I've been too busy to keep in touch - that her marriage is in trouble. A burly stranger climbing a ladder and suddenly appearing in the open doors of our balcony, seeking access to the house next door.  As I'm typing this, a window washer on a ladder (we're on the second and third floors) has appeared next to me, without warning. The last time that happened, I was in my friend Heidi's 8th-floor studio across the street from the New York Public Library.  I was seven months' pregnant and it gave me a fright, as a window-washer's silhouette appeared. Heidi opened the window and scolded him for scaring a pregnant woman.

Just now outside my Dutch window, five men and a child in Scottish kilts and a woman in a long dress are walking down the street playing bagpipes! Totally unexpected. And isn't that the way we live, never knowing what might happen next?

So this week's lessons and reminders for me? Stop procrastinating and create more opportunities to tell the stories of those who are struggling. Carpe diem!

Fiesta!

I am mad about Fiesta! I started buying the American dinnerware in 1996, while living in San Francisco. Its bright colours cheered me up, after a distressing breakup with a boyfriend. This is just a portion of my collection, stored on a vintage zinc boulangerie cart (next to an American retro refrigerator). My husband constantly tells me I have too much Fiestaware and should get rid of it, but I refuse. It makes me happy and is my only American collectible, after most of my Nelson McCoy pottery vanished in the move from Paris. I have enough plates to invite the entire neighbourhood for dinner!

This photograph was shot with late afternoon sunshine from the French doors to the balcony hitting the scene. The image below was taken in natural light, so the colours are more subtle. The 1930s pitcher was made by Hall Pottery.

Do you collect Fiesta or other kitchenalia?

Now and then

Quite the contrast from a jam-packed office corner in Paris to this spartan space in the Netherlands. Three huge windows provide lots of light. The "Louis Louis" chair was a gift from my friend Di Overton of Ghost Furniture.

My original desk is stored with a friend in France. I bought this French Art Deco table in Holland for a fraction of its value. While not meant for a desk, that's its function at the moment. The usual office supplies are stored in a vintage chest.

Last August I visited a jeweler in Delft, whose elegant studio had Fortuny lamps and an Art Deco table just like this one.  I was thrilled to find this table for such a great price.

The lamp is made from a wooden element of an antique Chinese bed.

Won't you post pictures of your work space/home office on your blog?

The heart of the matter

No matter how you look at it...

...this way or that...

...from left or right...

Peel back the layers...

...and at the heart of the matter is love for one another.

 

My friend Marianne Elliot reminded me today that in the face of fear and hatred, the only way forward is love. So when I read about this tragedy and that one; about hubris and greed; when I see willful ignorance celebrated while freedoms and environmental protections are eroded; when racist morons try to rewrite or reverse history; when it appears that too many people seem to be sleepwalking, rather than taking to the streets in protest, as things fall apart*.. I remind myself that change begins with each of us.

It is up to us to speak out and do whatever we can to effect change and counter manipulation, stupidity and evil. "Every individual has a responsibility to help guide our global family in the right direction. Good wishes are not sufficient; we must become actively engaged." - the Dalai Lama.

Silence is not an option.

 

*"Things fall apart" is from the William Butler Yeats poem The Second Coming 

Pictured: 1940s French coffee table; Dutch roses in Moroccan tea glasses found in London; Louis XVI chair and 1940s French crystal candlesticks; teal pottery bowl by Riley Salyards, Amsterdam and wool rug, handmade by Bedouin women on Bani Hamida Mountain, Jordan.

Fifi O'Neill's Romantic Prairie Style

 

My blogging friend Fifi O'Neill has taken her great style and magazine editor experience and put together a fabulous book, bursting with beauty and design inspiration! Fifi's ideas prove you don't need tons of money to decorate your home. Romantic Prairie Style shows that simplicity, using charming - and often weathered - things at hand and adding elegant little touches of beauty can make all the difference in a relaxed and comfortable personal space.

The book is packed with Mark Lohman's beautiful photographs taken at homes and farms throughout the United States. I could spend hours with this book, reading, daydreaming and plotting subtle changes to my own home's decor.

J'adore this charming farm table, the enamelware coffee pot and the vintage cheese mould.

I have a vintage French linen cupboard in this seafoam green shade. Love these soothing colours!

This comfy, cozy kitchen and the chippy paint pink table make me want to bake sugar cookies.

...or a pie filled with lemony goodness!

Imagine a festive outdoor dinner in the simplest of surroundings. So romantic, especially when lit by candlelight.

A favourite pair of boots filled with flowers...an easy way to add unique style.

Shades of blue and white on this lovely front porch, inviting lazy conversation and iced tea (or perhaps a mint julep or two).

Love this sleeping porch! Before air-conditioning became commonplace, homes in the South often featured beds on their front porch, as it was too hot indoors to sleep.

How adorable is little Amelie??!!

An abundance of beauty, with pillows handmade from vintage fabrics.

Since I now live in Holland, couldn't resist posting this photo, with its Delft blue pottery!

Indulge in homemade treats and fresh iced tea, surrounded by nature's beauty.

The talented author Francoise Fifi O'Neill, former editor of Romantic Country magazine. The Paris-born Fifi is working on a second book, among other exciting projects. She is a force of nature, constantly on-the-go or creating something clever!  You can follow Fifi's adventures on her popular blog Chez Fifi.

Fifi's fabulous new book can be purchased at your favourite book store or online here (US) or here (France) or here (rest of Europe). Fifi's first book-signing will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 9 at Posh on Palm, 33 Palm Avenue, Sarasota, Florida.

All images by Mark Lohman, courtesy of Ryland Peters & Small/Cico.

Merci bien, Fifi! Felicitations!

We are here.

Yes, that's a gondola on the left bank. Usually it's in the canal; now it's out for spring cleaning.

A 17th-century church. Its bells ring every 15 minutes. That can get annoying after hearing "If I Were a Rich Man" several times a day for an entire week (the bells' playlist changes every Monday).

A month ago, I endured the most chaotic and stressful move of my life, thanks to French movers showing up a day early and resulting kerfuffles galore. The movers managed to damage antiques; break rare porcelain and worst of all, lose seven pieces of my beloved Nelson McCoy pottery collection. Currently I'm wading through a maze of French bureaucracy to settle the claim.

Now we live in a 200-year-old maisonette in this charming little village (a city in terms of population, but it feels like a village. It's a brief train ride from Amsterdam). Some highlights:

Fresh stroopwaffels...caramel goodness impossible to resist, made in front of you.

A florist who is a design genius, has impeccable taste and sells exotic blooms I'm seeing for the first time. The entire staff is friendly and helpful (not pictured; will do a photo essay about this third-generation florist soon).

Sunny bay windows filled with orchids: magenta; fuschia; yellow and white - a flower until now I've never successfully grown.

Climbing steep and dangerous stairs 20 times a day (the up side means I have tightened my belt a notch. Hooray!)

Bureaucracy: I was unprepared for bureaucracy that rivals the French (although the Dutch are in a better humour, when administering it)

An award-winning baker, selling a variety of truly delicious breads.

Friendly neighbours and helpful locals.

Possibility.

A simpler, cleaner look...90 percent of my art is NOT on display. Suddenly I don't need all those collectibles that filled our Paris apartment; it feels lighter and freer.

Exquisite light for photography.

Canals. Water, water everywhere.

Bicycles...my bike has been for a tune-up and now sports a basket to carry my camera gear.

Airy, light-filled space - even on grey wintery days (interior photos to follow).

The historic town gate; the River Lek lies less than a mile beyond it.

Inside the city's gates is the Town Hall complex (with a white stork's nest on the roof).

A bronze horse and a box of wooden birdhouses outside one of the town's florists.

The obligatory Dutch cheese shop featuring large wheels of Gouda.

Spring touches on a bicycle.

Flowers in unlikely places.

Wreath of roses.

Serenity in a private garden.

A beautifully-paved brick-and-cobblestone street on a foggy afternoon.

Solidarity with the Egyptian people

Egyptian antiques, Chatou, France.

 

Whether or not you're intrigued by Egyptian politics, I think you will be touched by this heart-felt video interview with Waseem Wagdi filmed during protests at the Egyptian Embassy in London.

Peaceful protesters were chanting anti-Mubarak slogans today at the Egyptian Embassy in Paris. And in the Paris Metro, someone pasted a white piece of paper with the words "Egyptian Revolution!" over a Cairo travel poster.

Hello, hello!

This mural in Centraal Station, Utrecht, Holland roughly translates to "Peace in your heart."

Hello! I've been so busy preparing to move, I keep forgetting to blog!

Am distracted by a million little things requiring my attention, not least dividing my possessions to go to three separate homes: some to my friend Gabrielle's house near Versailles; more to my friend Charlotte's home outside Paris and most of it to our new abode in the Netherlands. Gabrielle and Charlotte will babysit some precious and sentimental things until 1) we move to a larger place or 2) decide to sell the items. I've also had a scary dental appointment, a routine doctor's visit and photo shoots and edits. The hairdresser was a bit too scissors-happy for my liking, cutting off at least four inches and leaving me with an unintentional new look.

All this activity pales in importance with the recent deaths of two friends. Along with the tragedy in Tucson, these losses make worrying about what to do with too many possessions seem a ridiculous enterprise.

Much of this week I'll be in Amsterdam, but will post again soon. Meanwhile, some food for thought:

The bad:

Why you might want to leave your laptop at home when visiting the US.

The good:

The Babylon Lane Tales: without a doubt my blog find of 2010. Elsie Anderton is the English answer to Nora Ephron. Read her hilarious posts and you'll see why.

Barbie on skis at a French hair salon.

Diana Baur writes about the lessons of having more time at her lovely blog A certain simplicity.

A profusion of pink blooms.

Library emptied in bid to fight closure. I love how these Brits are fighting for their local library!

Merci magic

Minimalist pendant lights at Merci's soldes prives last Friday in Paris.

Happy...

Onze (eleven)...

A chandelier fashioned of sleigh bells.

A crystal chandelier influenced by tree branches.

Blue crystals enhance this more traditional chandy.

Modern ball lights.

A new take on chandeliers and bleached wood chairs.

A 1920s zinc dental cabinet with a marble top.

A zinc boulangerie cart.

Red metal chairs.

Pick a colour.

Child-sized wicker garden furniture.

1960s iron mesh patio cart.

Cushy sofa with hand-stitched pillows.

Pillows covered with vintage silk and lace trim. One of these came home with me.

Russell Wright-inspired dinnerware.

Frosted glass carafes.

A wrought-iron frame and wicker-and-straw protective cover over this 19th-century water bottle.

19th-century stoneware pottery jug on a rustic wood coffee table.

Merci cotton t-shirts.

Shoppers browsing sale items. Merci's clothing is also on special offer. The sale continues through February 15th.

Merci, 111 Bd. Beaumarchais, Paris. Métro Line 8 to Saint Sébastien-Froissart.

Searching

A jumble of snow-covered bicycles, Monday night, Amsterdam.

 

David and I have been in the Netherlands, searching for a place to live. We looked at properties as big as Amsterdam canal houses: strange mazes of odd-shaped rooms spread over three floors, accessed by narrow twisting stairways. These curious abodes would hold all our furniture, with an abundance of empty space remaining. We viewed a city loft-type space, with too many large windows overlooking neighbours' windows and backyards. We saw exposed timber beams painted over by clueless developers.

We viewed an apartment with original stained glass windows, but basic modern design and tiny box-like rooms. Its main attraction was its sprawling rooftop terrace. We spent two hours with Samira - our wonderful estate agent - in a massive traffic jam in evening snow, in what should have been a ten-minute drive. In the estate agents' office, we drank tea and laughed ourselves silly over amusing translations from Dutch to English.

The third place we visited was a charming maisonette, in a beautiful location. It had huge windows, with splendid views of a church. It featured fantastic architectural elements that meant probably a third of our furniture would have to remain in France. But I found myself wistfully gazing out those wide windows at the snow falling and passersby laughing - and just for a moment, daring to wish the magic could last.

Spiced mulled wine and Christmas lights, Amsterdam.

Bikes along a canal.

"It's f*cking freezing outside!" The boutique's statement says it all, Tuesday morning, Utrecht. Alas, we left our hats and gloves in Paris.

Christmas carol shop window display with a profusion of French horns, Utrecht.

Adventure-bound

Stacks of vintage leather luggage at a recent brocante at Chatou, France.

Am off to Delhi and Kathmandu (with considerably less luggage than pictured). It's my first trip to Asia, so I'm expecting quite the adventure! All being well, back soon with stories and photos.

Fall brocante at Bastille

Antique chairs at a brocante at Chatou, France in September. If you're a fan of French brocantes, check out the Antiquites Brocante at Bastille, Paris. The event begins at 11 a.m. Thursday and continues until 7 p.m. daily through Sunday, Nov. 16th. Tickets are available at the entrance at Place de la Bastille.

The brocante extends along both sides of the Canal St. Martin. Look for Sophie Pretelat's Anges et Demons at #403, Bd. Bastille; Gunnar Petterssen's stand #514 and Michel Leruez at Stand 13 Chapiteau. And don't forget to visit Cedric Grare's Art Atypique!

Take the Paris Metro Line 1, 5, or 8 to Bastille or Quai de la Rapee or bus lines 76, 86 or 91. Parking is available at Opera Bastille.

Antique linens and modern lampshades.

A French flag and zinc weather vanes from French chateaus.

An 18th-century wooden angel.

A French children's book series.

A wooden table painted with a depiction of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Provencal pottery on a vintage baker's rack.

A vintage Coca-Cola sign and enamel clock.

Cédric Grare's Art Atypique at Bastille

A melange of art and curiosities at Art Atypique, photographed in September at a brocante at Chatou, France. Look for Cedric Grare's Art Atypique next week at the Antiquites Brocante at Place de la Bastille. The brocante begins at 11 a.m. Thursday, November 4th and continues until 7 p.m. daily through Nov. 14th. Tickets are available at the entrance.

Cedric Grare, the handsome proprietor of Art Atypique. He creates unusual art from vintage industrial and found objects. Come to the brocante at Bastille and see for yourself!

Biba

Biba at House of Fraser, Guildford, England.

Remember Biba? In the early '80s, I was a fan of the distinctive logo and the cosmetics line, with the black eyeshadow used as eyeliner. The new Biba line has the flavour of the '60s. And I'm quite taken with the Biba doctor's bag. What do you think of the new Biba?

Les petits poupées et jouets

Vintage dolls, toys, clothing and prams. All images from a recent brocante at Chatou, France.