French Inspired Shopping

Gosh....it's been a LONG time since I've posted.  It feels good to get back in the swing of things. My life has continued to remain COLORFUL and I have lots to share with ya'll.  This weekend I'm going to Warrenton with friends and I can't wait.  In the meantime....I've gone to a few local shows here in Houston.  

Metropolitan Houston always has good shopping and this particular day was no different.  A chi-chi kind of French Store had an outdoor market and their stuff left us drooling.  They had lots of outdoor, iron "yard art".

This French Mannequin caught my eye.  Love the way they displayed all the scissors, don't you?

Pretty, old suitcases....Oh, if those cases could talk and tell where they had been?  Maybe across the state to Grandmother's house; perhaps a trip to the Big Apple; or even, Paris!!!

I found this French metal door that SO wanted me to buy it....but alas....it wasn't in my budget.  So...I did the next best thing.....took a picture and blogged about it!

How about this great, upholstered bench?  We saw lots of burlap pillows in France this fall.  I DO believe those are swatches of animal prints pieced onto those pillows.....Ohhh La La!

Check back next week for pictures of Warrenton and Marberger, TX.  Did I mention that I'm on a strict budget, but the Fresh Air, Fun and Fotographs are FREE!  

I WILL be shopping at http://texastrashandtreasures.blogspot.com/ out of Carmine because I have a $50 gift certification I won last year (from taking pictures at Warrenton)!  

Oh La La......I Loved France!

Well, I've been back from Paris for over a month now and I'm still glowing, excited to talk about the trip to anyone that will listen and ready to make plans to go back!  I took over 1,000 pictures so it's hard just to whittle down to a few favorites. 

Every morning we began the day with these WONDERFUL croissants....and Cappuccino.  YUM!

Many of our days were in flea markets and farmers markets and the produce was beautiful and the flea market items were extraordinary. We had a the sweetest guide name Jill who grew up in California but went to university in France and still lives there.  If you are ever in France and are looking for an interesting view of French life, please look her up.  You won't be disappointed. She found out of the way stores, shops, trunk (garage sale type) shows, antique fairs....A DREAM VACATION! 

This cute chest was in a Salvation Army type shop!  Awesome, huh?
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Along the main street in Aix en Provence we found a cool Antique Fair......We got out and about early and beat the crowds!

Vendors hawked all kinds of wares, from old to new.  This pottery reminded me of Fiesta Ware.

I couldn't get enough of the beautiful vegetables.  Total Eye Candy!  The epitome of Organic!

And the SPICES!!!!!  It smelled SO good. 

The French sure do have a way with baked goods.  This whole store sold nothing but small cookie-type treats. Notice their presentation......the store owner obviously had to assist the customer or the whole cookie stack might fall down....giving a whole new meaning to:  You Break...You Buy! 

The first thing I noticed was how cute and small this orange truck was, but then when I grabbed my camera I noticed the bread in the back.  It's NO JOKE....everyone buys their bread daily because it's against French law to put preservatives in their French bread, so it goes stale quickly.  Many times we saw people walking down the street with a baguette under their arm. 

Another fine example of beautiful desserts that the French create and sell.

And....finally, a CHOCOLATE shop! 

I have tons more pictures and haven't begun to scratch the surface.  So, if you are interested in seeing more of Provence and Paris, leave me a comment and I'll post more.  :)

I Heard it Through the "GRAPEVINE", TX that is!

Last week I had the chance to go to Grapevine, TX for 24 hours.  Of course, I like to travel with friends, so you are invited to come along (via the photos). Next time maybe we can meet up there! 

Grapevine is just a little north of the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, but when you are on the main street with all the vintage stores and cute restaurants, you are transported to a simpler place and time.

Can't you just imagine this cute little movie theatre having a line of excited patrons, waiting in line for movies in the 50's and 60's. Young people on first dates, family's waiting to see the newest Disney movie, mature sweethearts slipping out for a fun nite on the town.

Since I'm preparing for an upcoming trip to France (more about THAT exciting news in my next post!) I thought it would be fun to eat somewhere that looked a little "Paris-y". Oh la la!

I ordered the most delicious cranberry/orange scone and a great cup of Italian coffee.  Gotta have some Go-Juice for all the shopping that lay ahead of me. 

C'est Bon is RIGHT!  Maybe I'll find a handsome Frenchman just like this one while in Provence!

All their pastries looked delicious.....but I resisted. (Remember I DID have a scone!)

These little tarts were calling my name  but I resisted, uh....because I saw a cupcake shop that I planned on dropping by after lunch. See....I had a plan!

On the weekends there is a Farmer's Market that had delicious looking produce; including Hatch Chili's and local peaches.  YUMMMM!

I almost passed up this little shop because it was small , but I'm SO glad I didn't.  They had really cute stuff and not too pricey. I even found two cute tops for my France trip. 

I'd heard some good things about this store, Hollyhocks.  The owner is also going on the trip to France and so I was curious to visit her shop.  And I was not disappointed.  http://www.hollyhocksgrapevine.com/
The front porch and lawn are filled with interesting goodies that beckon you in to check it ALL out. 

She has lots of garden and botanical type antiques. There's a fun mix of old and new and the prices are really reasonable.

There are beautiful linens, great shabby chic furniture and fun pillows.

Check out these cute pajamas!  I'm sure they just get softer and softer the more time you wash them.

So.....that's my SUPER quick run through Grapevine.  Be sure and check back soon and I'll tell you all about my exciting, upcoming trip to Provence and Paris! 

The Barn Sale Was a BLAST!

We knew this was gonna be a hum-dinger of a day so we borrowed my friend's husband truck so we could be sure and buy all we saw that we wanted....no matter what size!  How's THIS for a Texas Sized Truck!?!?!?!  The Barn Sale was about a 2.5 hour drive from Houston so it was nice to cruise down the highway in this "Cowboy Limousine." 

It was a beautiful day for a Barn Sale.  It had been raining in Houston when we first started the trip but the weather was moving East and by the time we arrived.......Cool breezes and blue skies!

This is the first booth we  saw and it didn't disappoint.  There were lots of architectural antiques, which I LOVE!!!

I didn't know what these were or what they were made of  (the tall color tube-like things) but when I saw them in last year's  Barn Chicks post I knew I had to have one.  Turns out they are chicken feeders....who knew...well, probably YOU, but I'm a Small Town girl, not a country girl and I didn't know what they were.  I bought the purple one on the very far left (just behind the shopper), and my friend Tyra bought one too!   We wanted a chicken coop too (is that what you call it?) but didn't get one this year. 

And just to PROVE we were at a Barn Sale.....check out these HUMONGOUS cows that were lounging about just next to the sale

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And speaking of lounging....how about this cute little cowpoke!  He was enjoying a bit of sunshine (and Cheeto's) while his family ran the hot chocolate stand.

This booth has beautiful, antique Christmas tree ornaments just like my Grandmother had on their tree.  We loved the way she decorated her booth and marketed her wares with the beautifully, chippy windows!

Suzanne, the Barn Chick who threw this shin-dig introduced me to her sweet husband and told me he cleans out his barn for her once a year so she can have the barn sale.  This is the third year she's done it.  So, just to prove the sale was in a barn, I took a picture of the hay bales. The hay seems to be a good back drop for this vendors rustic Christmas decorations.  Don't you think?

This is precious Savannah.....she's been working for many, many weeks on her pretty beaded jewelry.  She has quite the eye and probably will become a jewelry designer or maybe a cowgirl, and most likely a blogger! 

And this is darling Rachel.  She has the sweetest personality and lots of creative ideas.  No doubt she will be a big success in whatever she does in life. 
Tyra purchased this old washtub made of metal.  We are thinking it's going to be perfect on her back porch as a soft drink/beer/ice holder, especially during the warms months (and in Texas that about 10 months out of the year)!  There are plugs in both sides so it will be easy to drain. 

As we were leaving the Barn Sale and telling the Barn Chicks how much we enjoyed it....I saw this cute little cow-poke walking in with his daddy and just had to get his picture.  Isn't he precious? 

After the barn sale, but before we hit up the local antique shops, we needed to re-fuel.  We were told this was a wonderful local place to get lunch and it was true!  So, we went through the cafeteria type line and ordered up the sampler platter which had a bit of everything.....brisket, chicken, ribs, sausage, potato salad, beans, cole slaw, bread, pickles....but hey, we didn't get dessert.  We are trying to watch our figures...LOL!   

All in all, it was a great day to get out of the city, meet some sweet fellow blogging friends, buy some cool stuff and enjoy the weather!  I am NO LONGER A BARN SALE VIRGIN!

Check in next time to see what else we bought!  

 

Warrenton, TX Wonderland--Part Two

Look what was "Zappenin" in Warrenton a few weeks ago!  It was a great time with friends....wondering in the sunshine, checking out the cool booths, people watching, ohhing and ahhing over beautiful antiques, laughing at fun crafts.  So come along and see what we saw........

Here's Mrs. Magoo....we thought this looked like us after a fun day of shopping.  Exhausted, happy with a bottle of wine beside us.

Isn't this a cute way to decorate an old screen door?

How about a huge metal turtle?

We found the most delicious thirst quenching treat....Ice Tea Slushes!  I'm a fan of the "Arnold Palmer"....a combination of lemonade and Ice Tea.....yummmmmmmmmmmm!!!

If I hadn't recently changed the colors in my house, these cute red containers would have been cute in my kitchen....so I left them for someone else to purchase...But I sure did like them.

This isn't any of the girls in my group but she caught my eye.  She looked totally content to lay in the shade, pop open a cold beer and smoke her cigarette. 

If you know me, you know I love signs.  I can't IMAGINE WHY this one spoke to me....LOL!!! I used to have a bumper sticker on my car, ages ago that said....Good Girls Go To Heaven---Bad Girls Go Everywhere!

This sign booth had the cutest signs....AND the sexiest pumpkin.

This pretty mermaid looked so pretty against the clear blue sky.

We sampled some of the most delicious peaches I've ever tasted at this booth.  He also sold organic tomatoes, okra and new potatoes.

My neighbors and I have been saving beer bottle caps ALL summer.  Look what this clever vendor made with his caps.  This wagon bed was lined with caps and then a thick layer of epoxy was poured in to keep them in place.  Yee Haw!

I'm not sure what these interesting men were looking at but it certainly captivated them! Hope I've captivated you too and hope you'll comment or be back soon to check out more of Susan's Colorful Life!  Happy Fall Ya'll!!!