Tea Cup Tuesday and a Surprise for me.

Today is Tea Cup Tuesday again....wow, is time flying by for all of you as well? What a gorgeous summer we are entering. There are so many wonderful things to see and do. Out on my walk this morning I couldn't help but be appreciative of the beautiful green colors all around me. Green is such a healing color. Stunning in the early morning sunshine.

The cup I am sharing today I bought last week while in Baltimore. (Yep, I was home for less than 48 hours and then needed to drive to Baltimore...). The best most enjoyable part of this quick trip was stopping by two antique shops. And this cup was waiting for me at one of them.

This cup was my surprise! It has an uncanny similarity to the cups that were on display at Versailles as having been used by Marie Antoinette herself! The reproductions that were available at the shoppe were very expensive, as in $200-500! I did not bring one of those home, although I really wished I could! Instead, waiting for me in this antique shop was this cup above, with the similar cup shape, and boughs of roses! I was delighted to find it.

This cup is from Marie's traveling case (above). And one of the cups they reproduced. There were several styles to choose from and this was the only one I could find an image for.

O.k.... maybe it is not that similar...but it is close enough for me. Lol!

*sigh*

I am in love with the colors and the flowers!

There are only a few little marks on the cup.

And these two gold lines plus an imprinted 1 and a three digit number beginning with 6.
I have been looking for information online as to how to figure out where or when a cup was made when it doesn't have a name or backstamp on it.

Below is a sample of things I brought home from Paris that I am giving away next French Friday. I haven't finished putting it together yet, so this is a little sneak preview.

I am thrilled that you stopped by for Tea Cup Tuesday. Martha at Martha's Favorites and I really enjoy hosting this day of ooogling other's gorgeous china! If you have a tea cup you would like to share with us, create your post and then sign up below by filling in the two blanks. We would love to come over and visit you as well.

Hugs,
Terri

French Friday-Paris Flea Market

Welcome once again to French Friday!!!
During my stay in Paris I visited the top three flea markets. The first one I have already shown you in a previous post. That one was marvelous, but pricey. The one I am showing you today was the last one I went to and it turned out to be my favorite. We traveled on the subway to Porte de Vanves, line 13 to the Puces de Vanves (Puces, meaning "fleas"). This market is not near as huge as the the one at Cligancourt (which has 2,500 stalls), and the prices were better to begin with and negotiating a lower price was more easily accomplished. It ended up not taking that long to get used to bargaining with someone who speaks French! I found the vendors friendly for the most part.

There were about 300 stalls (I am guessing here). I was so excited when I arrived to see so many items I hoped to find. There were post cards galore, sewing notions, lace, material, buttons, millinery.....

ribbons, buttons, gloves, shoes...

paper ephemera, books, boxes....

napkins, tablecloths

All kinds of china, glass, photos, dolls...

textiles

perfume bottles

Boxes of vintage fabric samples....

This was the best stall of all, all kinds of millinery, fabric, ribbons, buttons, boxes....I was so excited to see it all, until I saw that one card of buttons with the word "Paris" on it was 30 Euro!!! I didn't think I could bargain it down enough for me, but they were the most gorgeous button cards!

The back display case was full of labels for bottles and perfume. They were quite pricey as well. But I did manage to bring home a few.

What a lovely vintage dress form!

more and more goodies

One thing we noticed in Paris was that many people smoke. Especially the young people.

Little boxes to poke around in...

And, of course, across the street was a pastry shop! One can't help but slow down and drool over the magnificent creations in the windows!

So, I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favorite flea market. When I go back to Paris I will make a beeline for this one again. I am home now, and absolutely thrilled that we were able to visit such a fascinating city. We miss the smell of buttery bread baking....all the flower stalls, and the cobble stone streets.

This week I begin my giveaway! I am putting together a little package of French ephemera, along with some vintage post cards, a little lace, and some bits and bobs. I will post a photo soon, but go ahead and leave a comment and you will be entered in. The giveaway will take place next Friday. So you have all week to comment.

Hugs,
Terri

Tea Cup Tuesday from Home!

Hello All.
I am home today and excited to share my new Marie Antoinette tea mugs with you. Why tea mugs you say? I did look and look for for a special tea cup to bring home. I ended up with these two that I bought at the Petite Trianon gift shop at Versailles. They are patterned after china of Marie's. They did have replicas that were tea cups, but they were 120 Euros and up.
So, I decided to bring these two lovely ones home.

I think they are adorable. They are new, of course, and made in France. I love the little delicate spray of flowers around the top. Next week I will be back with vintage cups to share with you. The books and postcards in the photo are vintage and from my trip to Paris. I did finally purchase a number of really nice things at some flea markets. This Friday I will be sharing about my favorite flea market and some of the treasures I found there.

I have also made some Blueberry muffins this morning to have with my tea. I drizzled a little lemon sugar frosting on them for extra yumness. These are gluten free muffins, and they are delicious!

I will also be starting my first giveaway for French Friday...so come by for a visit to see what I am gifting to some lucky winner!

Thank you all for your posts while I was away in Paris. I loved reading your comments! Our trip went very well and we truly enjoyed everyday there. We will miss the smell of buttery bread baking...cobblestone streets....old buildings....walking by the Seine....cafes....
Oh well, I will have to wait for French Fridays to relive it as I share more photos with you.

If you want to join us in Tea Cup Tuesday, all you need to do is fill in the two blanks below and we can come see you and your lovely china.
Martha and I love hosting this festivity. We so much enjoy visiting all of you. Make sure you stop by Martha's lovely blog as well.
Hugs to you all,
Terri

French Friday from Paris!

Hello All,
Today is the day I share anything French that I find inspiring. I hope you enjoy what I have for you today.

Just for a moment though, I want to share that I enjoyed all your comments on Tea Cup Tuesday from Paris, I tried to visit everyone, but unfortunately I was unable to leave comments on most blogs! When I return home I will visit all of you. I appreciate your participation so much. And also, I felt so bad that we couldn't get Martha's Mr. Linky working, but I saw that many of you visited her site and left such nice comments, that was fab!


On to French Friday...

Yesterday we took a trip to the outskirts of Paris to see Versailles! I found it so fascinating! The day was overcast and did rain and thunder on and off, but with our umbrellas we were just fine.

A magnificient ceiling!

The Chapel

The Hall Of Mirrors. This was a most difficult room to get a photograph in. Even though it is lined with window and mirrors opposite them, with the stormy day we needed long exposures. This hall is stunningly opulent and beautiful!

I beieve this is a painting of Marie Antoinette. Let me know if I am wrong. These paintings are hung up on the walls in such a way that sometimes you can not read the name plate.

This was Marie's room in Versailles. It is huge, and beautiful. You are not allowed to use a flash in Versailles, so all our photos are a bit dark. The bed is topped with huge plumes of white feathers.

I tried to get a close up of the drapes. The material and pattern is exquisite! The colors so deep and vibrant. There were so many things I would have loved to feel! But touching, of course, would not be good for the preservation of the pieces. Marie must have loved texture, it is everywhere, texture and color.

Many of the original furniture has been lost. But there are pieces that are where they belong, and the French are trying to get back any pieces that they can.

Just one of many gorgeous chairs.

A latch on a door that closes up the long floor to ceiling windows.

A decorative wall panel. GorGeous!!!

The back (or front?) of Versailles. There are sweeping lawns, walkways, and reflecting pools.

There was a Laduree shop there too! So of course, I had to get another box (and such a beautiful box!).

The flavors in this box were Vanilla, Rose, Raspberry and Chocolate! Yum!

It would take days to see everything here. We spent about 8 hours touring it. I was so amazed at all there was to see. I did visit the outer buildings, but that is for another French Friday to share. I loved most visiting Marie's little Hamlet, and smelling all the lilacs that were in bloom everywhere!

Thank you for visiting today. I hope you enjoyed my little account of the first part of my trip to Versailles. Have a fabulous Friday!

Hugs,

Terri

Tea Cup Tuesday From Paris!

How about a little Parisian Tea today? Let's say we go to Laduree, I heard from Tristan that the macaroons there were not to be missed, so lets go there!

Look inside....interesting moitif....lovely classical music playing. Let's get a table in the back corner, it's so cozy there.

How about some chamomile tea?


and some incredibly delicious eggs and bacon!


The tea is fabulous!


Here are some macarooms to try.....hmmmm....they don't look like macaroons from back home. There is one vanilla (heavenly taste!), one rasperry (Mmmmm), one pistachio (aaahhhhh), and one carmel (unbelieveably good!).
I would go back to Paris just for more of these!



Someones front door


Windows on Paris


A lovely flower shop


Aromatic herbs

And on one of many totally quaint cobblestone streets....


more delicious pastries we could try on our walk back home.

I hope you enjoyed Tea in Paris. The china at Ladurees is their own brand.

Thank you for coming along today. I hope you had a good time.

Hugs to you all, or should I say a kiss on each cheek, like they do here!
Terri
I am sorry we were having trouble with Mr. LInky today. He seems to work now. Just fill in the two blanks below so we can come over and visit your tea. It is o.k. if it is Wednesday.

Don't forget to go see Martha at Martha's Favorites. Her and I host this fun tea each week on Tuesday and she always has goodies to see.