All kinds of Grasses for all kinds of uses

I'm wrapping up the Online Sellers scavenger hunters theme for last week (always behind I know...) which was grass.  My last post I could only think of grass, as green grass, in parks on lawns and walking on it.  I hadn't even thought to explore the larger picture of different grass types and purposes of said grasses. Did you know there's 37 types of ornamental grasses alone?  And dried grasses are soft and pliable and are easily woven into soft baskets, hats and handbags?  And one of the most commonly used grasses to make wicker is sea grass, which is especially durable.  I had no idea so I went on a scavenger hunt to see if any of my fellow Online Seller scavenger hunters had any of these sorts of items.  And look what I found at KatzzsKloset.  Not one, but two delightful wicker baskets.  So stop on by Online Sellers and visit all of us to see what treasures you can find!

Small Round Mini Kitty Wicker Basket              Vintage Chicken Woven Wicker Basket

                                         

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!

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!

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 

                           

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!

Girls Who Love Horses Wear Horse Dresses!

Horses, that's the theme for the scavenger hunters at ESN this week and it ended Friday, and the new theme will be announced tomorrow, but sometimes some of us are a bit late in keeping up.  I have noticed however, that many scavenger hunters wrote about the "horse" theme this last week, wonderful takes on the theme and the items featured, wonderful!  And in that vein I have found the most lovely dress at Nancy's Doll Closet for the American Girl 18" doll that is just about horses!

American Girl 18 Inch Doll Horses Dress 

Isn't this the cutest horse dress?  It shows running horses and has a ruffled hem.  Your girl would love to have this dress for her American Girl doll especially when watching the wonderful film "Secretariat" running and winning the most important horse races of all time!

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

Flutes and Little Arrows

I've been so busy this week I am lax in my scavenger hunters theme at ESN for this week.  The theme is "Arrow".  I don't have anything at Le Petit Marché that has to do with arrows, but I do have a Kokopelli metal figurine. Kokopelli is known among the Native Americans in the southwest cultures for being a fertility deity.  He also represents the spirit of music, that is why he is depicted in many sculptures playing a flute.  I believe he was a playful spirit as well, so no arrows for this guy!

Kokopelli Metal Figurine 

I then continued my search for arrows at my fellow scavenger hunters stores and when I came to Bargain Express I found an old vinyl record (remember those?!)  from the 1960's by a guy named Leapy Lee.  His record was titled "Little Arrows".  He was born Graham Pulleyblank in Britain but changed his name to Lee Graham (good move Leapy!).  Little Arrows became a big hit in the UK in 1968 and was a chart topper.  It came in 16th in the US.  He never reached the pop charts here again, but I guess he did okay back home for awhile.  So if you're looking for a little nostalgia stop on by Bargain Express and check Leapy Lee and "Little Arrows" out.  And visit all of us at Ecrater Stores Network!

Little Arrows Leapy Lee Vinyl Record

Wind Damage, Protect Yourself

The east coast is suffering so much damage and strife, it's really quite sad and I can't seem to really grasp it all.  I can't believe the Atlantic City boardwalk is gone....an American icon since around 1887,  I spent so much of my adolescent life there (no, of course not in 1887, I'm not THAT old!)  Plus, I still haven't been able to reach my mother in PA.  I did google a map of her area and as of last night there were still over 9,000 people in her county without power.  I suppose if things were worse someone would have called me.  She is elderly, but has a great network of younger friends who look after her, I am confident all of them are fine. But, I am human and I love my mom, so,  I still worry....

To keep my mind focused on day to day life I am finishing up on the ESN scavenger hunters of the week theme of "wind".   Well.... that theme was very well timed, if unintentional.  So no matter where you are it is November now, starting to get cold and windy (of course!), maybe snow, maybe rain but I found a nice set of hat and scarf from Eccentric Thrifter.  She also has many other designs of scarves, hats, caps,etc.  And while shopping, visit the other fine merchants at ESN, maybe you'll find something to soothe a soul for any family you may have on the east coast. 

Handmade Hat Scarf Set Orange Brown

Twinkle, Glitter and Sparkle Oh My!

The theme this week for the scavenger hunters at ESN is "twinkle".  What a great word!  I love things that twinkle, glitter or sparkle!  And all the synoyms associated with those words. Some of my fellow scavenger hunters have already published great posts about things that twinkle from their stores.  And Le Petit Marché has a lot of "twinkly" items as well, mostly shoes.  So I have chosen the following items from my store that twinkle, glitter and sparkle and are also in rich autumn tones. So stop on by and see what  might put a twinkle in your eye!

Nina Glittery Chocolate Brown Slingbacks

Nina Brown & Gold Dressy Slingbacks

Polka Dots

Today is the last day of the dots theme at ESN scavenger hunters.  We all had great takes on the dots theme, but I noticed no one said anything about polka dots, so that got me to thinking (I do that a lot don't I??) where did the term "polka dots" come from.  What a fascinating ride I had through the internet on that googled term! I didn't do extensive research (hey, I'm a busy unemployed person at the moment!) But most sites I visited seemed to agree that it came about around the 1840's when the dance the "polka" was all the rage, which started in Britain. Clothing manufacturers were creating all kinds of dresses, hats, scarves, etc. with dots on them and somehow because of the popularity of the dance "polka dots" was coined and stays with us to this day.  I absolutely love what Christian Dior had to say about dots back in the 1950's; you can read it for yourself here:  Story Behind Polka Dots

So, in my quest for a scavenger hunter with "polka dots" I came across the exact thing I'm talking about.  Here is a lovely polka dot and stripe (somehow, stripes and dots ALWAYS go together) American Girl Doll outfit from Nancy's Doll Closet.  Nancy makes all these cool clothes herself!

American Girl Pink Stripe/Polka Dots Sundress Set

Audiobooks are Great!

Today is the last day of the ESN scavenger hunters theme on books.  There is nothing more rewarding than reading a good book.  And although today we have kindles, nooks, ipads and other e-readers out there, for me there is nothing like the feel of a book with actual paper pages that you can turn, there's just something about the feel of a "real" book that is comforting.  But audiobooks have their place too.  Especially for a road trip.  I remember some years ago a few friends and myself took a road trip up to Grand Forks, North Dakota to visit some friends.  We decided a good audiobook would help pass the time so we decided to listen to "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris, and actually he read it himself.  It is so hilarious, especially since he is reading it himself.  Reading the book yourself pales in comparison to him reading it on audiotape.  I can't remember how many CD's are in it now, but it sure helped to pass the time laughing hysterically all the way north! But if comedy is not for you, you might enjoy a mystery thriller audiobook from Sirocco's Curios.

Chasing Darkness by Robert Crais

Great to listen to while making dinner, doing laundry, or just relaxing.   For other fine books from cooking to crafting and everything in between come visit all the booksellers at Ecrater Stores Network to see what book might grab your imagination.

Set a Lovely Table for Dining

My grandmother always set a lovely table for the holidays, and it was so much fun to have the family gather around the table for conversation and fantastic food.  Things sure have changed over time and I wonder if people still have family meals, maybe on week-ends and holidays.  We are such a rushed society anymore and running all over the place taking kids here and there and attending all kinds of events.  So while I was looking for "dining" items (ESN's theme this week), I came across these lovely salt and pepper shakers that got me all nostalgic for the "old days" of sit down meals.   This beautiful pair is from Eccentric Thrifter and would be a lovely addition to any table setting.  So stop on by and see what she and the other scavenger hunters have to help you with your dining needs.

Salt and Pepper Shakers England Apple Design