Framed

I finally got around to framing that pretty little painting we bought in Paris last Fall.

Jarvis Hall, a master framer in Calgary, helped me select a beautiful and appropriate French moulding to construct a frame for my small painting.   We decided against using a mat, as it seemed to look too important and overwhelmed the painting's charming simplicity.

I really wanted the new frame to be somewhat consistent with the frame on my other little (favorite) French painting:

Jarvis originally suggested an antique French frame for the new piece (which he can acquire), but we quickly decided that the new moulding was perfect with all the verticals in the painting:

What do you think?

Have a lovely weekend and thank you all for your kind and supportive comments on my last post.  It means the world to me to have such kind people caring for me out in the universe.

xo Terri

A French Painting with a Story

While in gay Paris last fall, I purchased this darling little Impressionistic painting at a flea market:

(I've propped it in this frame to photograph.  I still must have it properly framed)

The painting depicts a street in Montmartre, rue l'Abrevoir.

An abrevoir (a French word with which I was unfamiliar) is a watering trough for animals,  as the vendor explained to me.  

If you look closely, the Sacre-Coeur Basilica is visible in the distance:

I really like the soft, muted colours in the painting, although shades of pink and lavender don't really seem to work in any room right now.

I especially like the butterscotch and teal blue tones on the left side:

The vendor was an elderly man who said the artist, Fremont (he told me the first name which I forgot an hour later), had painted these small paintings in the 1940's and had been a rather prolific local painter.

Two other paintings in the set were also for sale.  The vendor said he had bought them a long time ago and kept them for himself for many years. He was reluctant to break up the trio, but I only wanted the single painting.  

On hindsight, I am also fond of the one below, which depicts the ubiquitous steep Montmartre stairways.  However, since the price was also steep, I only took the one:

The vendor also took pictures of the three paintings before I left, and seemed a bit teary-eyed to part with any of them.  He seemed like a kind fellow and we talked quite a while, as I struggled to cope with his lovely but very quickly spoken French.  He did seem thankful that the painting was going to an interested person with a sympathetic spirit.

When I got home, I was rather curious about rue l'Abrevoir, about whether the scene existed or was a construct of the artist's imagination.

So I Google-mapped it and sure enough, here is the street from the painting:

Note the street lamp on the left, the triangular-roofed building (now painted white) on the left with the dormer windows and chimney, and the stone wall to the right with trees atop it:

Further along the street you can see the pink house in the distance which appears in the painting:

The artist took some license, as the roof of the Sacre Coeur is just barely visible through the trees and not so prominently located as in the painting (unless perhaps the buildings blocking it in the distance were not there in the 1940's).

There is nothing better than owning a thing which has a story reaching back into the past. 

Paris IV

So I'm finally getting around to the final Paris post, if you aren't all sick of me and Paris.  Yes, it is possible to get sick of Paris.  Last time we were there, by Day 10 I was done in.  But this time, I could not get enough!

There was a beautiful flower shop near our apartment.  They had a different small "feature" arrangement every day (for less than $20) and I went in almost every day to see what stunning creations they had wrought (all exquisite):

An artsy shot of detail on the Pont Notre Dame, with the Conciergerie (the prison where Marie Antoinette was locked up before she was guillotined!) in the background:

The bridge has such beautiful decoration:

We always take time to walk along the banks of the Seine.  It is so quiet and removed from the busy streets of Paris (and has wonderful views):

Notre Dame from the Seine

Notre Dame is a stunning Gothic cathedral.  It still shocks me that the Nazis left it standing when they got chased out of Paris... 

We didn't go inside Notre Dame, as I have visited before and didn't feel like standing in line for 2 hours.  But we did go inside many other churches, including St-Paul St-Louis, which was a block from our apartment.  I love this church!

I always light a candle, even if I am not Catholic.  Someone can always use a prayer (me included):

I didn't completely forget about decorating, although I did get absorbed in my photography.  

Here is a pretty antique barometer at the St-Ouen flea market.  I did not ask the price (which in hindsight I should have!):

I liked this little shop (Du Bout du Monde), which had a table setting idea that I really love...a pair of lamps.  I just wish the cords didn't show.  Do you think I need to drill holes in my dining room table to get this look?

I liked the colour of the stormy sky and slate roof here (slate blue is my favorite colour).  The round window in this mansard roof is where Restoration Hardware stole the idea for their mirror of the same name...

We saw some darling, chic little clothes for kids.  French kids are much more chic than North American kids (they wear wool coats!) and start life very fashionably...

I wish I were this cool when I was 3.

And last but not least, here was our kitty friend, saying goodbye on our final day:

Miao!  Don't go...

Farewell Paris.  Parting is such sweet sorrow!

~ Paris: Part I ~

We're finally back from Paris and had a truly wonderful two-week trip.  We are rested and happy and very well-fed. Here's a quick summary of the first few days...

We arrived early in the morning (9am) after sleeping too little on the overnight flight.  We were soooo tired but delighted to arrive at our humble apartment in the Marais (4th arrondisement, central Paris).  The buildings in this area, located a block from Place des Vosges, were originally built to accommodate palace stables almost 400 years ago!

We entered through a giant door on a busy street, passing through a long passageway before entering a charming stone courtyard.  Our apartment was in the back, so we passed through the courtyard and into a second building, climbing four flights to our apartment!

This little kitty wandered in the courtyard every day...

The apartment was a one-bedroom with a good-sized bedroom and kitchen. 

The living room was small but sweet:

The kitchen was spacious and well-appointed (by Paris standards) and the owner left us a bottle of wine (an excellent start!)

The bedroom was spacious and airy, with a third big window and lots of pretty antiques:

We had a great view over the interior courtyard and hardly heard a sound despite being in the heart of Paris:

Another view from our apartment:

The first couple of days we wandered our neighborhood.  We were perfectly located between the Bastille and St-Paul metro stops:

Morning view of the Place de la Bastille monument (the July Column, which celebrates events of the French Revolution)

Our first stop on Saturday was the Vanves flea market (my favorite), which is like a giant yard sale with lots of delightful junk:

I bought a little Impressionist painting at Vanves (I will show it in a future post), from the 1920's.  I also liked these two but only bought one!

The real antiques are at Clignancourt, but Vanves has lots of "old stuff" if you don't mind slumming it a bit:

The next day, we went to the Clignancourt market in St-Ouen, just outside Paris.  This is where the really good antiques are (as well as some mid-priced stuff).  It is divided into many smaller markets, all with different specialties.

At my favorite market (Marche Vernaison), David said I could buy one of these mirrors (he liked them too) but I decided against it.  The smallest one was 250 Euros (~$340) and I didn't love it enough for the price:

We found an amazing booth where I loved everything (porcelain, art) and didn't want to leave:

We had a great lunch near Marche Paul Bert, at our favorite local spot, le Paul Bert in St-Ouen (not to be confused with the famous Bistro Paul Bert in Paris):

We got a seriously huge lunch (see the giant Staub pots it arrives in).  I had boeuf bourguignon and David had Alsatian choucroute (yum!):

On the weekend, we hit some favorite spots.  I like trying to take slightly atypical photos of common monuments.  Here is Notre Dame Cathedral:

One of my favorite blocks in Paris (Ile de la Cite with Notre-Dame's spire):

Eglise (church) St.Paul St. Louis near our apartment:

On the weekend, I visited the first of my favorite department stores, Le Bon Marche.  I loved their unique black & white hand-drawn displays celebrating their 160th Anniversary:

I walked along the rue du Bac, a favorite street, and visited a favorite store Blanc d'Ivoire.  I loved this pillow (and regret I didn't buy it!):

And I also fell in love with this wooden lamp:

After walking along St-Germain, I visited a few shops, including the lovely Flamant, the Belgian retailer.  The shop was busy, so I didn't take any photos in the store (sorry) but I grabbed this graphic, fun shot of their door on the way out:

Stay tuned for Part II and III!

Now...I have lots of blog reading to catch up on!

The Lucite bandwagon

It takes me a while to come 'round to a trend.   I'm not exactly an edgy decorator, mostly because I prefer historical, classic looks - lots of white and ivory, antiques, and old-fashioned objects and art. 

Which brings me to Lucite!  I've admired Lucite lamps for a while and finally jumped on the bandwagon (rather late, I'm afraid).  But it occured to me that this look is pretty classic, and if you choose the right style, it doesn't look too trendy.  

I found this beautiful (affordable) lamp yesterday at Home Sense and put it on my living room console table, along with a large mirror I've had for a while.  The mirror is leaning now, but will eventually be hung!

The lamp arrived with a white shade, which I switched to a chocolate brown shade instead.  I knew the brown would help ground my composition, which is rather light with its shiny, mirrored, and silver elements. 

For your edification, Lucite is a trade name for a plastic called polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), which is the same material used in Plexiglas (also a trade name).  PMMA is an acrylic plastic (there are many different acrylics).  It is a hard, tough plastic known for its excellent clarity (it replaces glass), but it does scratch easily.

P.S.  Did you forget I have a masters degree in polymers and plastics?

While I was shopping, I also picked up frames for three antique etchings I bought at the Paris flea market (St-Ouen).  The etchings were purchased from a veritable art dealer and were not cheap.  They date to the late 1800's and the paper is very fragile.  I plan to have them professionally framed (archival mats and UV glass) when my favorite frame shop has its annual sale.

The first picture shows a palace celebration while the second shows La Bourse, the stock market building in Paris, which has classical Greek architecture.  The third etching (a vertical) is not shown.

The two photos below show the lamp with its original white shade.

I don't mind the white shade but prefer a slightly rounder shape.  What do you think?

Below is another etching in my small collection.  I threw this photo in because it's one of my favorite things and was the inspiration for the other purchases. 

It shows a lady and a suitor and says "A Bientot" ('til we meet again).   

I had it professionally framed, which cost a lot more than the actual etching, which I found in a junk/antique shop in a big pile on the floor!  I rescued it for $10 and regret that I didn't buy more, as it cleaned up very well.  It hangs in our front entrance.