Traveling Is An Adventure

The theme last week (falling behind I know!) for the scavenger hunters at ESN is travel.  I love to travel although it's getting tougher these days what with all the lines, security and scary stuff going on.  I think I'd still rather fly though than take a cruise, those cruise lines are having a heck of a time recently!  I like to think I spend my money on experiences; so worth it when you think of the cuisine, rich cultures, scenery and people you get to experience.  Even traveling around the USA you can experience such things, although not as drastically as visiting another country.   I've had my fair share of visiting other countries and experiences, still lots I want to visit but not so sure I'll get the chance.  Scotland is at the top of my list (Hi Colin!) :)  and there's a slew of other places too.  But if I don't get those chances I guess I will content myself with being an "armchair traveler". If you're planning a trip Le Petit Marché has this cool Travelon Travel Easier Wallet that has many compartments for tickets (or your self printed tickets), ID/Passport, currency, etc. with a long cord to wear around your neck.



 Maybe you are an armchair traveler, or there are certain places you would like to see and visit.  Sirocco's Curios has this lovely book of 100 of the Worlds Most Beautiful Paintings that could help you in planning your next trip. Or if you're not going anywhere you may just enjoy looking at all the lovely paintings.                                         

Movies on a Snowy Day

There is nothing more fun than hunkering down on a snowy day to watch movies.  With popcorn and hot chocolate and a warm blanket.  We had such a day here yesterday, but not nearly the storm we were informed we were getting.  But still, an excuse (since I did my food/wine shopping after work on Friday in anticipation of the "snowstorm of the  year").  I didn't really watch a movie as I was busy here on the computer with stuff, but I did have a movie on in the background on a cable channel that I had seen before.  A bit sappy I suppose, but "The Wedding Planner" is a fun movie with the lovely Jennifer Lopez and hunky cute Matthew McConaughey and the gorgeous doe-eyed Bridgette Wilson-Sampras.  You guessed that the theme for the scavenger hunters at ESN this past week was movies.  Le Petit Marché doesn't sell movies, but lots of folks do at Ecrater Stores Network, many of them have quite a variety of VHS tapes if you still have a player (I don't!) and others have DVD as well, like this classic film from Siroccos' Curios.  I love Alfred Hitchcock stuff, they are always nailbiters!

                                   Alfred Hitchcock "The Lady Vanishes"  

So head on over and visit us for your movie needs.  Everyone is also preparing for the spring and Easter holiday so you never know what you may find that you just have to have!

Sometimes Your Office is Your Home

An odd title for a blog post I suppose, but "office" is the scavenger hunters' theme this week at ESN and it occurred to me that back in spring of 2002 I spent more time at my office than I did at home.  Not because I was so busy with work, but my house was on the market and there were so many showings and week-end open houses that I pretty much took up residence in the "shop".  You see, my office was in a large area of the interior walls of a college football stadium, in the "PC Repair Shop".  I was the only woman in a shop of about 8 guys and my office was in the back, and they all worked at the repair benches that ran along the walls.  While their areas looked very much like work areas, mine looked like an apartment, small fridge, clothes hanging from the pipes overhead and my dogs beds and food dishes, with wooden pallets as doors on my modular unit to keep the dogs with me, as the rest of the area was wide open space with shelves and tools of the computer repair trade. So, if your office is going to become your home for awhile you may as well be comfortable right?  Decorate!
Le Petit Marché has some really nice collectible knick knack sorts of things if you should ever find yourself living in your office for awhile  Here is but a few examples to liven up your "office apartment".  These are geared towards guys, but girls love motorcycles and boats too!

Hand Crafted Motorcycle Replica Model   

                Handmade Metal Model Sail Boat

Even Dolls Need a Nice Jacket for Snow

Well, finally Valentine's day is over and it seems no one is worse for the wear.  My boss forgot to make reservations at a nice place so he and his wife had pizza at Old Chicago's, nothing says I love you baby like a pizza I guess.  I was home alone and had a petite steak with butter and red wine mushrooms and sweet potato fries, NOW that was a dinner! :) And we had snow, which is the theme for the scavenger hunters at ESN this week.  We only had about an inch down here but it flurried for some hours and was quite nice to be inside so I had time to look for wintery, snowy type items to finish up this weeks theme.  I found this really nice item at Nancy's Doll Closet, it's for the American Girl Doll or any other 18 inch doll.  Perfect for snowy, cold wintery weather!

Pink Toggle Jacket for American Girl Doll

Nancy also has some really cool winter boots that would go nice with this little winter jacket, come visit her store and all the other great merchants at Ecrater Stores Network for all kinds of goods that will delight you all year long not matter what the weather!

Let It Snow... Somewhere Else!

I have a great sweatshirt with a picture of a grumpy old chickadee or sparrow or some kind of angry looking bird with a pile of snow on his head with swirling snowflakes around, and the caption is "Let it Snow  Somewhere Else".  I'd say; my sentiments exactly except I can't complain much, we don't have any snow down here and the northeast is getting hammered along with parts of Minnesota and South Dakota and probably lots of other places I didn't see on the news.  It's just bitter cold here, around 22F at the moment.  The scavenger hunter theme this week at ESN is "snow", very appropriate for many areas in the nation right now.  I myself was finished with winter after our first snow back in umm, well, whenever it was.  It's time to start thinking of retiring to a warmer climate....I know Christmas is over but Le Petit Marché has the cutest little snow globe, and Christmas is just 10 months away already.  So have a look, it might just be something you'll need for next Christmas.  It's from "Things Remembered" and it plays "Jingle Bells".  And who knows, in the dead heat of summer, you might like a little Christmas snow to look at and enjoy!

Things Remembered Musical Snow Globe

The Love Just Never Stops....

I for one am just about all out of love and hearts for this month of February, and it's still a week before Valentine's day, which February is all about; love, hearts, cards, flowers, candies and a whole lot more.  But at least today is the last day of the scavenger hunter theme of "love" at Ecrater Stores Network.  And one of my esteemed fellow store owners is all about love, I mean it really.  She is Embroidery Fashions Boutique.  She embroiders love all over her tee shirts, aprons, caps, cotton canvas bags, you name it.  Her items love fishing, love pasta, love my big sister, love daddy, love bingo, love hunting.  I bet she can embroider love on just about anything!  Here are a few of my very favorite items that she carries.  And if you still need a Valentine's day gift for someone visit the rest of the merchants at ESN, many of them have great gifts for this special day.

Duck Hunters Love Redheads and a Good Blow     Cotton Canvas Love the Beach Bag 

                           

Get Your Love On!

Hey everybody, it's February the month of "love", which is also the scavenger hunter theme this week at ESN.  I personally can't speak much to love, oh sure, I've been in love, I've even been married thinking that being married meant love.  Well, I'm good at getting married, staying married proved to be a far more daunting task than what I seemed to be able to deal with.  But I love a lot, things like flowers, and freshly mown grass, a blue sky that never seems to end, animals of all kinds, especially puppies!  Love is an excellent wine, an exquisite meal of your favorite dishes (or comfort food!) Love is the perfect set of kitchen knives! Really, to make the perfect meal you have to have, and to love, the perfect set of kitchen knives.  Honestly.  Le Petit Marché doesn't have any knives or love to sell, but I do have some lovely fashion/costume jewelry that can help you love the way you look for a night on the town in this month of love and hearts.  Put a couple of these lovely cloisonne bangle bracelets to accent any outfit.  I have many color schemes and you can wear one, two, three or more and make a bold statement.  Come on get your love on!

Cloisonne White, Red and Green                         Cloisonne Red, Green and White

                                                              

 

Hearts in February, but Lavender is Nice Too!

Well, February is here already and this weeks theme (I missed Monday) at ESN is "hearts".  Plural.  Go figure.  I've a bad cold at the moment so I'm a bit of a cranky pants, but I'll give this hearts thing a shot.  As everyone in the world knows (whether celebrated or not) St. Valentine's day is February 14th.  A big deal for the merchants here in the US.  Flowers, chocolates (in heart shaped boxes of course), stuffed animals of every sort and color holding a plush heart saying silly things like "Monkey Love", "Bee Mine" (on a pink and black bumblebee of course).  Lacy red and white, pink and white, black, red and white, the color scheme is endless; lingerie in heart shaped patches where the sun don't shine.  Then there is the "greeting card" aisle in the grocery (or anywhere you shop for cards) where it looks like the "Saint Valentine's Day Massacre" took place.  It drips in reds, pinks, whites and tons of humans pouring over cards to find the perfect one for their valentine.  I don't "do" Valentine's day, as I don't have anyone to get all silly over or he me.  Maybe I'm jealous.... ahh, nope!  The Farmer's Almanac suggests giving your sweetheart a lavender plant, that way she can enjoy it indoors then when the weather warms she can move it outdoors and enjoy it there too.  Now, that's for me! But for those who are in search of something "hearts" for your Valentine, Le Petit Marché has this adorable

Heart Shaped Glass Crystal Dish With Lid

You can fill it with those cute little heart shaped candies with the silly sayings on them.   Many of the ESN sellers have a lot of heart stuff in their stores, but if your Valentine is a crafter, she may very well enjoy this lovely crafters book from Bargain Express.

Great Works of Heart Craft Book Hardcover Leisure Arts Memories

I bet it's got some stuff you can make with lavender in there too!  Check out all the ESN merchants for your Valentine's day shopping, never know what you might come across!

All That Sparkles Isn't Gold

To finish up this week scavenger hunter theme at ESN I have chosen this lovely dish from Sirocco's Curios.  It is a shimmering amber marigold color with a slight green tint.  And as you can see it has hues of pink and a light gold, but look how it sparkles and shines! A lovely Fenton piece to add to any room's decor.  Sirocco's has many fine dishes and other collectibles so be sure to visit his store and all the other great sellers at ESN. 

Fenton Carnival Glass Bon Bon Dish

A Little Sparkle for Drab January

Although we've had as dry a January as possible doesn't mean outdoors is pretty!  Brown, gray, bare trees, kind of gloomy I'd say, except for when the sun shines which today it has, but we've had this huge band of hanging low gray cloud cover most of the week.  But I shouldn't complain, there's parts of the US that are getting the weather we're used to.  Although we need the moisture badly I'm really glad we've no majorly huge storms... yet...!

With that said, the scanvenger hunter theme this week at ESN is "sparkle".  I think a while back we had "twinkle" and at that time I gave a bit of a grammar English lesson on synonyms etc. , so I will spare you the repetition and just launch into what Le Peit Marché has that sparkles in the store.  One item is this lovely The Sak Black Shoulder Bag, the perfect bag for an evening out at a club, or fancy dinner as it is adorned with sparkly, shiny spangles.

Le Petit Marché also has some sparkly, glittery and twinkly heels, mules, slingbacks, so stop on by if you're looking for something to make your drab January sparkle!

Git Along Little Dogies....

After suffering the horrible blow of the Bronco's losing to the Ravens I am back on track to concentrate on more important things than football, as if there is anything more important than football!  But with my dignity intact and my sorrow for Peyton Manning and all the other guys (I'm still really mad at Champ Bailey though....) I am moving on.  And the theme this week on scavenger hunters' is "Horse".   I love horses!  As a young teenager I took riding lessons on a beautiful palomino named "Barney Britches" and rode him in horse shows.  I was taught proper english riding, not western, so no barrel races for me.... I remember one show there were 34 competitors and I was chosen as one of the top 8!  I didn't win anything but I was competing with adults and a lot of them couldn't believe I made it that far.  It was very cool!  Unfortunately, eventually boys took my interest away from riding horses and it's now been a very long time since I've been on a horse.  With my track record with men, I should have stuck with horses, I'm sure the love affair would have lasted much longer! :)

I'm silly I know at my age, but I still love the film "The Black Stallion", and "Hildago" is also a favorite. 

Le Petit Marché doesn't have any horse items in our store, but I do have some cowgirl boots that are pretty cool and colorful.  A young girl would need these if she participates in cow herding, a busy and arduous task. Young orphaned calves were referred to as "dogies" back in the 1800's. There are songs and films depicting "Git Along Little Dogies" from as far back as about 1937 with the likes of the great Roy Rogers, Smiley Burnett, Gene Autry, Gabby Hayes and others.  The song is a balled with a shrill: "Whoopie Ti Yi Yo".  Check one of the cool videos out on youtube: Git Along Little Dogies
And this one from the Kingston Trio,  Kingston Trio cool pics and the song... Nice of you to visit "pardner". :)

Cimarron Cowgirl Boots in Black, Purple, Lime Green

Go Broncos!

Tomorrow the Denver Broncos will be playing the Baltimore Ravens in a playoff for the Superbowl.   In the last game with the Ravens, Broncos won 34 - 17, in Baltimore.  I must say, we are all quite happy what Peyton Manning finally accomplished after his first 3 disastrous games.  But hey, the guys got to know each other, made nice, and actually figured out what to do about the plays and before you knew it none of us here in Colorado could miss a game, and the Bronco's were on their way.  The playoff game is at the Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver tomorrow, 1/12/13 at 2:30 p.m. MST. 

I saw on the news that the Ravens were going to come a day earlier so they could "acclimate", okay, but just a day??  Good luck guys!  We don't have any air here, at all!  Bring those oxygen tanks! Perhaps I am being a bit smug, but geez, we need this so bad, and if we can take advantage of sea level persons, uh, well, why not?

So tomorrow, since it will only be about 15F in Denver, with wind chill about "who knows what", players on both teams will be freezing their "everythings" off (I know it gets bitter in Baltimore too, but at least they have air and humidity...) I will be an ardent fan in my sweats and no makeup (oh God no!) with my low class box wine and nachos (and a veggie tray, for health reasons of course)  watching the game from start to finish, lying on the couch without any multitasking in between!  A true, blissful, and yes, GUILT FREE day indeed.  Go Broncos!! 

Baby Bath Set

I'm going to wrap up the scavenger hunters theme at ESN of "baby" with this fun little American Girl Dolls-Baby Bath set from Nancy's Doll Closet.

American Girl 18 inch Dolls-Baby Bath Set 

The doll and tub itself are very cute and pink, my favorite color!  The tub holds water too.  Any little girl would love playing with her "baby" in this tub and perhaps along with "big sister" American Girl doll.  All the other scavenger hunters on Ecrater Stores Network have pretty much taken care of all the "onesies" and other baby clothes out there so I was lucky to nab this adorable item to feature! 

It would make a great birthday present for your daughter, granddaughter, niece or any other little girl needing a gift of a "baby".  Visit Nancy, she's got the most awesome collection of American Girl stuff, and so much of it.  And be sure to visit the rest of us and see all the magnificent items we carry.

2013 Babies

The theme this week at ESN "Scavenger hunters" is Baby.  I suppose one could take the word and use it in many ways like "hey baby" or in the song "Santa Baby" (I love Madonna's version, sexy!), "that's my baby", "there goes my baby" and then compound words like "babysitter", and "crybaby". 

And then there's the noun "Baby", meaning one newly or recently born, and that goes for any species.  In the human realm I just happen to know 3 women  that are pregnant at this very moment.  And interestingly enough, I work or did work with all three of them, and their due date months are Jan., Feb., and March.   Two of them know they will have boys, the third did not want to know and she has also chosen to have a "water birth".  Perhaps she's chosen that because she's beginning to feel as large as a whale..... okay, that was a bad joke, but I chuckled anyway... :)  All I know is she is doing it in the hospital in a warm water bath.  I've heard of it before, and I wish her luck.  It will be the first child for all 3 of these women.  So with babies of 2013 on their way  Le Petit Marché has  this lovely little bear should the 3rd woman have a girl or if any of your friends have a baby girl this is the perfect gift.   Come on by Ecrater Stores Network and checkout all the other fine baby items all the store merchants carry, there's some really cute stuff!

Adorable Plush 4 Play Stuffed Bear

Another Year, Another Chance....

I hope everyone had a great holiday whatever you celebrate, Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanzaa or whatever it may be.  I'm grateful to be here for this new year, I look at it as another chance to get myself all sorted out, restart, recharge and get moving more, learning more and being more engaged in my dealings with others.  I started out 2012 pretty good I thought, I quit my one job last January that got to be very demanding and unrewarding and I suffered major burnout.  I did, however, worry that one part time income along with my pension would be enough so I learned to live simply as possible and be frugal.  Then I got a sweet job for the summer in a real estate office, so I learned some real estate stuff, helped with small projects and had the time to read 6 books to boot!  I went back to university in October to work my 6 month temp job that I've done since 2004 and I'll be there until April, then...!  Look for some other fun job for summer.  The possibilities are endless!  And I do enjoy keeping busy and I do enjoy being with other people. So I'll see what 2013 holds for me, can't wait to get it going.  Happy New Year everyone!  Let's hope for some world peace, and pray for non violence in our communities.  I don't know how much more of this we can all take before we destroy ourselves!  Stay positive and be kind to one another! :)  Please enjoy these lovely Peace Lily flower photos.

Are Angels Among Us?

This weeks theme for the scavenger hunters at ESN is Angels.  I pondered on this subject thinking about angels, are they history or mystery?  Do they really have wings?  After all, none of the angels in the film "City of Angels" (Nicholas Cage, Meg Ryan), had wings.  The angels kind of just appeared; invisibly of course; everywhere they were needed.  And in "It's a Wonderful Life", (James Stewart, Donna Reed) at the end of the film a bell rings on the Christmas tree and Zuzu announces "everytime a bell rings an angel gets its' wings", and James Stewart announces "atta boy Clarence" referring to Clarence earning his wings.  And in "The Preachers Wife" (Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston" (remake of the 1948 film titled "The Bishops Wife"  with Cary Grant and Loretta Young) the angel "Dudley" is a human.  Anyway, the whole history of angels is quite fascinating and frankly, I believe in them.  And I personally have no reason not to believe they are hanging around down here  helping us out when it's warranted. The very idea (or some sort of discovery??)  of angels goes back BC, or your religious deity of choice. Ah, but I've gotten off the track.   Le Petit Marché has a few lovely angels, with wings, as that apparently is how the artist felt they should be made.  This one is:

Hand Painted Resin 14"Angel

She is playing a harp, but I bet angels can play anything they desire!  Come visit all the fine merchants at Ecrater Stores Network to see what angelic items you can discover! 

What do you wear when you go to bed?

The theme this week at ESN is "sleepy time" and I thought I'd finish it up with "what do you wear when you go to bed"?  ( I mean, after all, it can come off for... and then put back on, what's the big deal?)  I think this is actually an interesting question.  My ex-husband always wanted me to sleep naked, all the time.  I countered, "what if there's a fire or something?"  I have all my life felt comfortable wearing "something" when I go to bed.  Before knowing it was very near the end of our marriage, we sought marriage counseling, he told  the therapist that I slept in flannel pajamas and he didn't like it.  There were other issues of course, not just about what we wear or didn't wear to bed.  But I was insulted that even the therapist looked disturbed that one would wear "flannel" to bed.  Hey, it's cold here in Colorado in the winter and I love my winter warm flannel jammies.  So... I told the therapist what I thought of him, and my husband, divorced "jammie hating guy" and sleep blissfully in any garment that suits the seasonal situation.  But, NO, I do not sleep naked, what if there is a fire or other catastrophe?? Something to think about people, if you sleep naked! .. ;)  In that vein, I have found T-shirts that are for guys but would suit as well for a women's "nightshirt" at

Embroidery Fashions Boutique

And she has lots of other T-shirts and sweatshirts  that would work great for "sleeping", so check her out and all of us at Ecrater Stores Network

Sleepy Time

Tis the season to be tired, we all have a lot of stuff going on so no wonder we're tired at this time of year.  I, myself, have just worked 8 days in a row with no end in sight until about December 14th.  It's not  your typical 8 hour day, but usually 6 with no break and eating lunch at my desk.  I have been so busy putting together files for the faculty and sending audition requests to the right place and answering about 200 emails and phone calls a day I just can't keep up!  That's my life as a graduate program assistant in the graduate music office at University of Colorado - Boulder!  So it is no wonder that the scavenger hunters theme this week at ESN is "sleepy time".  I fell asleep last night watching some Christmas movie, woke up at 1:00am, went to bed (after washing my face and flossing and brushing, of course!) then forgot to set my alarm and woke up at 7:45.... sleepy time indeed.  Already, I am in my sleepy time "jammies" and it's only 6:40pm, and I've still dinner to fix for myself, mac & cheese I think tonight, with a glass (or 2) of wine...  Le Petit Marché doesn't have any sleepy time items but as you all know, Santa doesn't come if you aren't sleeping so I thought this cute little Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Woodland Friends would be fun as Santa frolics with his friends waiting for you to go to sleep!  Oh, and take a whiff of peppermint essential oil every morning during this sleepy, busy, stressful time of year, it will revive you!

Orange Is Such A Lovely Color

Orange is a lovely color.  Think of a bright orange sun rising in the morning, and even a more vibrant orange at sunset.  And orange groves, and orange juice and yams, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, lava, carrots, cheese, marigolds, Irish Setter dogs, orange sherbet (oh, how I love this!) cheetohs and doritos, cheez-its,  and well, all things orange, quite simply, beautiful, and in a lot of cases yummy!  Finishing up the scavenger hunters theme at ESN of "orange" this week, I have chosen Nancy's Doll Closet.  She makes all the American Doll clothing that she has in her store.  And any little girl would love to own any one of these outfits or accessories that Nancy offers.  I chose this lovely dress.

American Girl 18" Doll - Julie - Orange Dress

Those beautiful orange barrettes really sets the whole dress off don't you think?  And the nice lace ruffle around the bottom of the dress is so delicate looking and is just lovely, a very nice touch.  If you are in need for American Girl doll clothes for your girl, visit Nancy, I'm sure you'll find something that she will adore. Visit all of us at Ecrater Stores Network for your Christmas shopping! 

Orange Longhair Cats

I seem to have a small theme of cats going on in my store recently.  I found about 5 cat figurines in a cupboard in the spare bedroom/warehouse/office/storage, well whatever I can get to fit in there!  But NO, I am NOT a hoarder! It is inventory! :)  I don't know anything about Orange Longhair Cats.  I do love cats, but I haven't had one in years.  But the scavenger hunter's theme this week is "orange", so since I have this cat figurine I thought I might blog about it.  Well, I had no idea the history of the longhair cat was so involved!  I, myself, am not fond of cats with the mushed in faces (no offense to those that adore them, just a personal preference!) although I do think pugs and bulldogs are adorable.  Oh, I'm getting off track (dog lover, can you tell?) ... anyway, it appears the domestic longhair hails from the Persian and/or Angora or actually any mixed ancestry, you can check it all out at Wikipedia.  But the pictures of them on  are quite awesome, except for the scary little guy with the "lion cut" near the bottom of the page on the Persian longhair page.  Le Petit Marché's little orange longhair cat figurine is pretty cute, with piercing bright orange eyes.  If you have a cat lover in your family, or a lover of this breed and color then this is the item for their collection.  Christmas is sooner than you think, so start shopping now at Ecrater Stores Network ! 

Orange Longhair Cat Figurine