For the Love of Grass

I feel like I've been in some time warp or something and haven't been doing anything with the scavenger hunters on Online Sellers.  I also haven't been minding my own store. In fact I have almost given up the whole selling/blogging/social networking scene.  Burnout maybe.  I have, however, been busy cleaning out my garage a few mornings a week and had 3 huge pickups from some local charities.  Now you might wonder why I don't list the items on my store, well, the stuff was mostly clothing and I don't really want to deal in clothing.  I still have a ton of electronics, but no time to test them to see if they work, so they'll be going as well. Sure, it would have been great to see if I could make a little money off all this stuff, but I just wanted it gone.  I may still have a garage sale to see if I can get rid of the tons of books, CD's, DVD's I still have. I figure as long as I can get my car back in the garage by winter it's no rush right now.  The Online Sellers scavenger hunter theme this week is grass.  So far the grass here has been staying pretty green with watering help as we've not had much rain.  And it's very lovely to walk in your barefeet.  The days are hot and summer is in full swing.  Le Petit Marche doesn't have any grass or anything to complement grass, but nothing  enhances a nice lush green yard than flowers so in that vein I found this lovely gardening book Designing Beds and Borders at Eccentric Thrifter.





Many of the scavenger hunters have gardening books and perhaps picnic items that would be nice for a picnic on a lovely green grassy lawn.  Some come visit us!

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!

Blooming Flowers

Although it's autumn as the chilly evenings tell me along with all the leaves changing colors and falling from the trees there are still flowers in bloom in some of the gardens around town, even my geraniums on my balcony are holding up pretty well since we still have those warm sunny days.  Today is the last day for the ESN scavenger hunter theme on color and many of the hunters have many colorful items for offer for all the seasons of the year.  I'm still operating in summer time mode though so I chose a floral plate from Katzzs Kloset that is just bursting with colorful blooms. Please stop on by and visit all the fine merchants at Ecrater Stores Network for your fall, winter and holiday shopping needs, there's a bountiful mother lode of merchandise to choose from!

Bakelite Round Serving Tray Vintage Melamine

Fruit, Real or Fake are Lovely in Decorative Bowls

I was pondering fruit bowls and was wondering why everyone all over the world likes them, whether they be filled with real fruit or handcrafted fruit items of many differing materials.  I couldn't find a definitive answer but I'm going to guess it's just like having vases of flowers around the house, to add charm, decoration and ambiance.  Of course, I suppose most of us would only put decorative fruit bowls in kitchens, dining rooms or living rooms.  Flowers of course can go in any room.  I myself, have a lovely handmade plate from Fez, Morocco on my counter in my kitchen that at this moment I have oranges, apples and an avocado in.  And as I look around my condo I realize I have dried lavender bunches hanging in my living room and both bedrooms.  Wrapping up this week's  scavenger hunter's theme of fruit at Ecrater Stores Network I chose a lovely bowl of agate fruit from Sirocco's Curios.  It does have a few eggs in the basket, not sure how eggs correlate to fruit, but I guess you always get a fruit garnish with your scrambled eggs at restaurants. 

So stop on by to check out this lovely assortment and visit all the other fine merchants at ESN who have fruit items that you may fancy.

Wedding Things

Most adults get married at least once (or more) in their lives.  And formal or informal it's still a big deal because you hope it lasts forever so you dress up the affair a bit.  With flowers, nice champagne glasses and maybe a sit down dinner or a buffet.  Whatever you want and whatever your budget can afford you can make a lovely wedding setting.   Le Petit Marché has a cute pair of Charmes de Paris Ceramic Wedding Slippers that would make a lovely gift or a keepsake of the wedding event.  They could also be used as table decorations.  They are beautiful on their own but you could put a bit of flowers or potpourri in them.

And don't forget the cake, what's a wedding without the cake?  I have the perfect cake plate with matching server.   This is a Mikasa Bone China Wedding Set  in a lovely cream color with wedding bells and flowers, it's perfect for the perfect day!

So come on by Le Petit Marché and have a look and visit the other store owners at Ecrater Stores Network for other wedding items that they have.  You just might find exactly what you are looking for, for your wedding!

How and What Does Your Garden Grow?

I tried doing container gardening a few years ago since all I have is a balcony (I live on the 2nd floor). It was quite fun and I had tomatoes, 3 varieties of peppers, strawberries, and the herbs; rosemary, basil, mint and parsley.  And lots of flowers as usual. It was some work and working full time I didn't devote as much time, and although it thrived and I managed to keep those nasty huge green tomato worms at bay I decided last year I'd just do the herbs and flowers.  Now this year, I'm even a year lazier than last, so it will be just flowers.  I hung a few prettily painted and decorative birdfeeders and the finches and sparrows come and visit, but they toss the seeds all over the place. Dirty but delightful little critters! :)

So the ESN blog theme this week is "How does your Garden Grow".  But I have nothing in my store that has to do with gardening, but it got me to thinking, I bet the Boutenko family gardens.  And I have a book about their journey to eating raw foods: Raw Family - A True Story of Awakening.

The front of the book has photos of all kinds of veggies, fruits and even flowers, so all bases covered here!  You can find this book at Le Petit Marche 

 

Spring, A time for Flowers, Weddings and Pedicures....

The blog theme this week for eCrater Stores Network is about spring flowers.  And here in Colorado spring flowers are popping up everywhere, daffodils, tulips, crocuses and bluebells.  I haven't seen any columbines yet (our state flower) but maybe it's a little early for them.  Spring is also a time for weddings, maybe not as many as June or the rest of summer.  But I'm sure lots of people get married between now and June.  And I have just the thing to help make this day a happy one for bride and groom. It's a lovely Mikasa Bone China Wedding Cake Set

It's a lovely cream color with beautiful pink flowers and green foliage and lovely pink ribbons with wedding bells.  A lovely piece!  You can check it out at Le Petit Marche

I also have lots of fun new and used strappy sandals, mules, slide and heels in a variety of styles and fun colors from daffodil yellow to carnation pink and orange bougainvillea along with the ever classic whites and blacks that are perfect for spring, so go get that pedicure and get your naked nails all painted up in a lovely flowery spring color!

Russian Khokhloma

Russian Khokhloma is a style of folk art famous for it's rich colorful designs painted on wooden spoons, plates, cups, bowls and other items then lacquered then fired.  It's thought to date back to around the 17th century and is named after a village that today is known as the Koverninsky District of the Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.  (Now there's a mouthful!)

The craft has undergone little change over time and is so distinct one can hardly confuse it with any other pattern – a rich floral motif mixing red, black and festive gold (the latter being in fact silver before it is given a few coats of special lacquer and put in the furnace); and the distinctive effect it has when applied to cheap and light wooden tableware or furniture, making it look heavier, metal-like, and glamorous

For Russians, golden leaves and flowers symbolize a happy life and are believed to bring light and wealth.

Despite being so very Russian, khokhloma utensils are seldom found in Russian homes - even more seldom are they used for their primary purposes, as spoons, cups, bowls or dishes. They are much more often seen traveling abroad to remind visitors of their trip to Russia. (ref: Wikipedia and Russiapedia).

I, myself, have never been to Russia but I was able to procure a lovely strawberry patterned decorative ladle and a small decorative spoon in a different pattern that I offer in my store.  Below is a photo of the ladle.  Visit us at Le Petit Marche!