Jazz in the Streets

With a setting sun as a backdrop...

and in the shadow of the Cathedral of Chartres......

A talented French quartet belts out "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home".  Dancing and swaying in the street.  A deja vu moment of the sounds of New Orleans. 

Let the good times roll!

Lynn

Salut!



Calling My Name

Would this make you come to a screeching halt?

Does it call your name?

Salut!
Lynn

Paris Markets

A beautiful, crisp Fall day spent shopping the markets of Paris.......

inspiring....

breath taking.....

perfectly elegant......

thirst quenching........

entertaining......

Life is good!

Salut!

Lynn



The Good Life

I am here........

Glorious long weekend in the City of Lights.  A few brocantes, a little champagne, long walks with a chill in the air ....

and my own personal delivery service .. via the metro.

Flying to Paris,  do you travel with a portable hand truck  Gotta be love.

Salut! 

Lynn

Sacred Heart

How does one choose amoung the spectactular bounty presented at Marburger? 

One of my personal favorites, Jessica Fairbrother.  Specializing in Religious Art and Artifacts.

Sacred Art Antiques.

Salut!

Lynn

Oops!

How did they they do that!

Extremely large 19th century confit pot with staple repairs.  Ouch!!

Salut!
Lynn

The Stars Shine Bright

This is where I've been ....

Marburger Antique Show

It begins with this, well sort of.  This is step 2.  Walls and "floor" in place.  Step 1 begins well before this.  A cow pasture, long horns to be exact.  Tents erected and the infrastructure in place.

This is Saturday, load in day for me.  Temperature 102. And no internet ... nada ... none.... for a week.

Salut!

Lynn

Load 'em Up

It's Marburger time!  Loading up and heading west.  Texas bound.

What to pack?

Love this door...

Architectural lovely

Just a glimpse of a patiently waiting piece

And we're loaded!  Early morning lift off.  Next stop ... Cajun Country.  Stay tuned, I just LOVE pulling a trailer!  Somehow it always seems to be an unexpected adventure.

16 hour drive.

Salut!

Lynn

Favorite Things from France - July

A few of my favorite things.....

18th century Altar piece ....

would make a stunning headboard

Corner Cabinet from Provence

Original Paint

Beautiful Trumeau



Unusual Curved Top Cupboard

Great Detailing and Beautiful Apron

Early Swedish Desk

Original Paint

Rare French Reliquary

Date 1698 beautifully carved on each side

Exquisite 18th century Madonna and Child

Carved wood, gilt over gesso

Beautiful Painted Bench

19th century

All these lovely beauties purchased in the South of France are currently available in my Atlanta warehouse.

Which is your favorite?

Salut!

Lynn

Excess Baggage

So, you want to buy antiques, perhaps more than a few and not just any antiques - you want the good stuff.  French, Belgium, Italian, Swedish ... you're there and these irresistible morsels are calling your name.  Too big to tuck into that extra suitcase.  You're in France and you're in love.  In love with your treasures, the ones you've discovered at the brocantes, the faires, the antique shops, the vide-greniers.  And they desperately need to go home with you. How do you get them there? Just ship them, of course. I really hope you are truly, desperately in love with, can't live with out them - because when it comes to shipping, you are in for a major sticker shock.

An antique dealer buys in many ways much the same as you would.  We buy what we love.  We buy what we long to keep.  We are passionate about what we do. We hunt.  It sounds romantic and  I guess it is.  Provence in the Spring is wonderful and the brocantes beckon.  Strolling through aisles with anticipation that makes your heart race is intoxicating and addictive. The cost analysis,  ummm...... not so much.  

Do you know how large a 40' container is?  I'm sure you've seen them on the highways.  Instead of a normal semi truck, they are the ones pulling a huge metal container usually marked with a name that conjures up flash backs of Indiana Jones.  A 40' container is 66.8 cubic meters.  It is the size of a large moving van, one that can move the entire household of a family of 5 cross country including everything Grandmama ever accumulated and could never throw out.

So, we shop.  A lot.  Here is your homework.  What does it cost to ship a 26" x 48" Louis Phillipe Mirror from Avignon to your home?

Salut!
Lynn

Container Arrival

I am constantly asked about my shopping forays in France and Belgium.  One of the questions always asked is "How do get your things back?". Do I send them via a shipping service like UPS or FedEx?  How does it work?  Well, I send them back via a container.  A 40 foot container.  It requires hiring packers, brokers, shipping agents, shipping company, trucking company, crews to unload and more.  Cheap, it is not. Easy, it is not.  But, when it arrives ...... like Christmas morning!

Coming 'round the bend!

I live in the South Carolina Low Country right in the center of the "Old Town".  Delivery day requires a fevrent prayer for good weather as there is no warehouse loading dock.  Nope, just a beautiful, sandy dirt street that runs along past my house where the low branches of massive oaks dripping with spanish moss challenge the best.  You try backing a 40 foot container into my "loading dock" area!

It's here, finally!

Bolt cutters are the preferred way to clip the special lock, however I can almost never find mine (who misplaces bolt cutters!!), so its almost always a hack saw to the rescue.

A peek inside and notice the lack of any kind of ramp.  Everything must be unloaded straight from the container down to the ground.  No easy feat when you have awkward pieces weighing hundreds of pounds!

And the doors open!! Let the fun begin!

With a holding area like this, you keep fingers and toes crossed that the weather will be one of those glorious Lowcountry days!

Its all hands on deck, including a little help from my friends!

So, how do you "ship"?

Salut!
Lynn



All I want for Christmas

Now I am sure you're wondering why, after this horrific winter most of you have had (I live in the beautiful Lowcountry of South Carolina and we definitely do not do winter, well, not to the extent that most of you do) and your our buds are finally springing forth, I would talk about what I wanted for Christmas? Well, I am Southern and I do not do snow. Only this past December, I got snowed in. In Belgium, for 2 days. When you're on a buying trip, your time is limited. Very limited, as in I do so NOT have time to be snowed in and I'm Southern. I DO NOT DO SNOW.

I'm snowed in and on the phone with my esteemed friend, the renowned Janet Wiebe from the great northern city of Houston cussing discussing the adorable antics that my current shipping broker is employing. As I think of digging myself out at the lovely crack of dawn and try to figure how I'm going to get where I need to be given the fact that there's 16 inches of snow where I need to be, none of the warehouses I need to visit have one ounce of heat and the anticipated high tomorrow will be a balmy 21 degrees Fahrenheit, my thoughts turn to Lou.

Lou is Janet's right hand. Her marvelous, highly competent, steady in a storm, unbelievable, reliable. take pictures, tag item, log item, eagle eye don't miss this, assistant. In a word - amazing.  I'm thinking about the rest of my week buying in Belgium. Only a few days to find the treasures I need. The end of my conversation with Janet is, "can I please have Lou for Christmas"? She promised to ask. Yeah, right! (who can blame her?)

the famous Lou

Dear Santa,
 I promise to be really, really good this year. May I pretty please have a Lou for Christmas?
xo,
Lynn


p.s.   Ear muffs would also be much appreciated

So, I must have been really good so far this year, because Santa came early and I got the best "Lou" ever!  My friend, Stephanie, came along on the last buying trip (just returned a few weeks ago) and it was without a doubt the most difficult trip ever!  Stephanie not only was a real trooper, but she schlepped, hauled, loaded, loaded and reloaded some more, kept me calm during horrific driving conditions, cooked, was a GPS whiz, ultimate list maker, photographer and so, so much more! And.... she did it with amazing grace, laughter and joie de vie!  After 3 grueling weeks, 5000 kilometers and 1 major robbery, not only were we still speaking, but she said she can't wait to go again!  Merci, merci beaucoup Santa!

 The Amazing Stephanie

Who's your Lou?

Salut!
Lynn

(Obviously this post was started earlier, in March actually and finally finished in June after 3 straights weeks of 90 plus degree weather. Took me that long to thaw out and I guess I just needed to wait until I had the good fortune to find my "Lou".)