From the Kitchen Counter…

 * This was written a week ago while I was in Cannon Beach, but wasn’t able to post until now for technical reasons. (read that: operator error.)

A friend of mine recently commented that she missed my blog.  I was heartened and flattered she even still remembered it and admitted that I missed writing it too. I told her the last couple years had left me a bit uninspired – what with the nasty political climate and onset of Covid, it was hard to get motivated to write anything remotely perky much less entertaining.  Swinging a hammer and sawing up ceramic tile seemed better suited to my mood and the resulting design and renovation projects satisfied any creative longing not extinguished entirely by the nightly cable news.

But as with most things in life, things have a way of coming full circle… of settling back into a more stable equilibrium. Like when your pounding heart slows to a normal beat again once an immediate danger has passed. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a grey, rainy day in Paris – the perfect time to sit with a cafe au lait and tell you about my sunny, wonderful week in the south of France on Le Trip- and a fabulous schlepping trek through Provence .  What a terrific time I’ve had with a great and rowdy group of new friends and our fearless leader St. Jill (aka Jill Mitchell – Le Trip-the one in the hat  in photo above). If you ever want to take a Vintage Market Tour through Provence (or Paris, or a wine tour, or historical tour ) Jill is the person you want to become friends with.  She’s knowledgable, speaks fluent French, is fun, vivacious, enthusiastic about all things French and knows all the best little vintage shops and large markets far and wide. ((Very cute too-she reminds me of young Meg Ryan before that awful plastic surgeon got hold of her!) 

Bearing in mind that the above group was not an easy one to corral in one direction  (like herding cats) Jill’s  attempts were only marginally successful.  Half of us were ADD, some were distracted by awesome prices, some by handsome french garçons, some were taking pictures, a few were wanderers, others were sitters, and some, like myself, just wanted to experience any and everything we possibly could… all at one time!  I suspect Jill went back to her apartment at the end of each day and poured a large Provençal Rose before tearing the rest of her hair out!

Not to worry – she greeted us each day for a new adventure and didn’t lose a single one of us the whole week.  (Wait, where did Rosayne get to? And Val? Did we lose Val??)

Here is a pictorial  guide of Le Trip, with some of my (ahem) astute observations and advice for further reference:

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When I received the email back in January promoting a  a trip to France and a week long antiques/vintage market tour in Provence – I thought to myself “if only…..”

If only I had the time, if only my current renovation project house was done, if only I didn’t have a baby shower and political fundraiser to plan at same time, if only the two new design projects I’d taken on were further along, if only this, if only that, if only the moon, stars, and my personal horoscope were perfectly aligned and served up to me on a silver platter…

After reading the email, the practical voice in my head said “Fat chance sister, press delete and get on with reality”.  BUT – the other side of my head, the cheeky one that doesn’t like to be told what to do, quietly filed it in the ‘save for further reference’ folder on the sidebar of my laptop, with nary a utterance to the bossy boots  who usually runs the show.

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So….got up this morning feeling ready for a new adventure…

I finished my last project house a mere 3 weeks ago and literally installed renters and the new drapes simultaneosly. It came out pretty cute I think, so decided to hang on to it (I will be in big trouble if I start collecting my project houses the way I do classically cut blazers–don’t use them anymore  but too well made to part with!).  This one was exceptionally fun but physical. I was able to do a lot of the work myself and certainly have the aches, pains, chewed up nails, and one very moody sciatic nerve to prove it, but in the end it was worth it.

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View of the haul atop my dining room table:

Mood Reading: ZZZ’s (jet lag’s departure is late – I’m getting 8 hours in…only they’re between 8p.m. and 4a.m.)

So thought I should do a “Sip, Ship, and Schlep Tour” roundup as I just arrived back home from 3 weeks in France and Italy. As you can see from the opening picture, “schlepping” outdid the sipping and shipping by a good 3-1 margin! And somehow hauling all the goods (in an extra suitcase) over cobblestones, on and off trains, up flights of stairs, and through little alleyways still didn’t offset the kilos of pasta and liters of vino consumed each day. I am still wandering around somewhat dazed from the jet lag and sorely missing the frothy cappuccinos and morning croissants we’d become accustomed to, but have to admit, it’s a good thing we came home when we did. My jeans are woefully tight and my wallet is empty and we couldn’t have packed in one more flea market, brocante, wine tasting or Basilica if we’d tried! Read the rest of this entry »