Buttons and other Smalls

A button asks little more than to be held, admired and worn close to the heart ... I've always loved this quote that I read in Victoria Magazine a number of years ago.

And I've always loved buttons. As a young girl, I used to get out my mother's button box and put the two prongs of old fashioned bobby pins through the two holes of a button and Voila! instant tutus and lovely skirts on little 'dolls' - (okay, we were kinda poor and I didn't have a lot of toys - lol)

These are some of my pearlies that I move around in jars from room to room in my home. I have piles more and will get them photographed too. In the meantime, here are some other smalls that hang around my home. More favourite things - blue willow pottery and chintz dishes. I have lots more pictures to take and load up. I'm on a roll.

Our Very Curious Cat ...

Here is our very active and curious cat at about 8 months. He is the most entertaining and nosey cat I've ever had the privilege of knowing. No sound, movement, person or thing escapes his scrutiny. The sound of a door or cupboard drawer opening brings him running - he wants to see what's inside. A dripping tap, a rewinding cassette tape, a toaster popping - he's as close as he can get and wants to see what makes the noise. He loves to be where the action is.

A visitor gets an inspection from head to toe - each button on a coat or sleeve gets looked at and sniffed, and even facial features, if the visitor will allow it. Some, who are not cat people, are not happy being so closely perused but it's hard to tell a cat he's being rude. To make it worse, he wants to be petted, admired and chooses to sit or lie as close as possible to the visitor. Definitely not a cat shy cat.

Aside from that, is he not a pretty cat? We love his soft tawny mushroom colour. Okay, enough cat talk; I'll stop here but please indulge me by looking at one more picture.

Old Cookbooks and Kitchen Bowls

After Allison of BrocanteHome posted some photos of Holly Farrell's paintings, I've been wanting to see if I could capture a bit of the beauty and simplicity of everyday objects the way Holly does through her paintings. This morning I had some fun pulling out a few of my old cookbooks, photographing them, then playing around with my photo editor in an attempt to capture something of the feeling of Holly's work. In the end, I've decided it really doesn't matter if I did or not because I like the photos as they are. I just love the vintage wallpaper cover on the top cookbook.

Look at the neat oilcloth cover on this one - it's an early edition of the Fanny Merritt Farmer cookbook.

I like the vintage wallpaper cover on the top cookbook.

One of the things I like doing is making sepia tones in my photo editor.


I think this is my favourite composition, so far. That was a fun exercise. Next, I've got buttons and sewing things on my to-do list.

Evening in Paris

This morning I got around to shooting some photographs of some of my favourite things. My Evening in Paris talc tin that came to us from my in-laws home is perfectly at home in our bathroom cabinet. I thought it deserved a post of its own. My next post will feature old cookbooks. Hopefully, I'll get those up this afternoon.

Prepare to Swoon if you Love Paris

I nearly swooned when I saw the new issue of Romantic Homes which features Paris Style! Luckily I was in the grocery store and I was able to steady myself by leaning on my grocery cart.
Many lovely photos of food, shopping, apartment decorating. flea market finds throughout the issue.

The book shown here Joie de Vivre by Robert Arbor is one of my favourite ones featuring a good glimpse of day to day family life in France with some great recipes and cooking tips. I've been following the method he uses to make himself and his children an afternoon cup of hot cocoa - what a treat!

Paris Flea Marketing - yes, count me in!
Oops, why is this picture tilted - hmm, I need to figure that out in my photo program. - Sandra Evertson shares her ideas for making an original print - just beautiful.

This is truly a wonderful issue of Romantic Homes. I hope my copy survives being droooled on several times a day.

Treasures from my first Vintage Paper Show

Last Sunday, I went to my first Vintage Paper Show. I wanted to look for old French papers, Eiffel Tower postcards, old music scores and vintage wallpaper rolls or pieces. I found everything I wanted but the wallpaper pieces! I met a couple of other friends who were regular attendees of the show and they weren't thrilled with the selection being offered but I was in heaven. Here are some pictures of my new treasures.
This little photo packet with "PARIS" on the cover contains 20 small vintage photos of the city - I was absolutely thrilled to find this. It's exactly what I was hoping to find.Another amazing find! Great condition and beautiful colours. I just love looking at these and marveling at their beauty and I'm so thankful to have them to have. The cover on this booklet of cards is the burgundy one in the first picture with the wonderful gold lettering.These cards are some loose ones I found with French notes on the back. Some even have the original French stamps. My collection of French Ephemera is growing nicely and much more economically too; and that is happy news!
And finally, here are some of the music sheets I got - love the graphics!

I'm planning to start playing around with my vintage buttons next. Stay tuned for that in a couple of days!

Antiques at the St Lawrence

Here are the pictures from my friend, Kelly's store - Antiques at the St Lawrence - located at 92 Front Street East, on the north corner of Jarvis and Front Streets in Toronto, Canada.


In the shop, Kelly has an ever-changing selection of funky and vintage items including quality clothing, handbags, jewellery, china pieces, shabby chic and cottage-y items plus knitting supplies and more. The store is open by chance or appointment on Thursdays and Fridays and both days on the weekend. You can check the store hours by calling 416 350 8865.

You can see more of Kelly's picks on eBay where she sells under the name Black Rose Vintage.