Why We Love Our Stuff, Part II

I happen to just about LOVE everything in our shop. If I don't believe in it, we don't offer it to you. If my mom and I don't both love it, we're not convinced you'll love it. When you purchase something from our shop, I guess I feel the way a giver feels on Christmas morning, watching her recipient open her lovingly selected gift. Sounds corny, I know, but it's true. I'm that crazy about our merch.

But there's crazy, and then there's CRAZY. There are a few things we've found that I've really got to have for myself at some point. Allow me to indulge myself and give you a mini tour of some of my favorite things.

ABOVE, LEFT. Feast your eyes upon our Old Garden Shelf, which currently holds our mercury glass collection. Mercury glass may be a bit trendy right now, but thankfully it's also timeless. From urns to apothecary jars to candlesticks to tealight holders and petite ornaments (not just for the Christmas tree, folks), we've got it several ways. You may have noticed that we're never too fancy OR too low-country around here. We like to mix the rustic and the comfortable with the fabulously chic and elegant. It's unexpectedly special.

TO THE LEFT. We've paired a great bottle of white wine by Red Bicyclette (sorry, we don't sell the spirits!) with our 23F wine glasses. In the old days, you could get a glass of wine on the Rue du Bac for only 23 francs. Those days are long gone, but the wine is still there, and so are our cafe wine glasses. I would rather use these petite glasses--which fit so snugly in your hand--than balance a top-heavy wine glass, all the while trying to look correct and hold it only by its stem. [sigh] Something so nice as wine shouldn't be complicated.




ABOVE, TOP. J'adore these candles. This is a new collection for us that just arrived the other day. We're carrying both the Arboretum (seen here) and the Filigree styles. I'm over the moon about the fragrances (Wild Phlox Essence, in pink; White Tea & Thyme, in the cappuccino color; and Sweet Pea & Vanilla, in green. The Filigree collection has other fragrances, equally enchanting.). The printed glasses are adorably hip and get this: once the candle has run out, you can scrub out the glass with really hot water, run it through the dishwasher, and--voila!--you've got a drinking glass!

ABOVE, BOTTOM. You know how no parent wants to admit they have a favorite child? It's hard for me to choose an ultimate favorite item, but I have to put my money on this Petite Fleur Candlestick. Colorful and shyly retro, I would expect to see this kind of thing at a really great White Elephant sale. But here ours is, flanking our body care collection by Mistral.




BELOW. Apparently deer heads are the new chickens and roosters. So say our industry insider magazines. We hate the word 'trendy' and aren't overly concerned with such things, but in any case, we find this particular Indian Stag delightful. Looks great with our French Garden Wreath (metal flowers, people!) 'round his neck. Not so scary for the kids, either.

BELOW, LEFT. Bella Notte Linens really are the softest things you will ever touch. I swear. Come in and touch them. My favorites from their line currently in our shop are these Satin Velvet Throws. A luxury gift to be sure, these come in almost every color of the rainbow. We've chosen light, bright hues for impending Spring, but we can order yours in whatever color you'd like, from Forest to Chocolate to Champagne and many, many more.

BELOW, RIGHT: We sold out of these glittery little Tour Eiffels in about two minutes when we first opened. Planning ahead, we tried to order sixty more to get us through the Spring. They sent us ten. Hurry!!!!!!!

TO THE LEFT: Who doesn't need our Bluebird Salt & Pepper shakers? Had I a kitchen at the moment, these would SO be in there. (More about my temporarily vagabond-ish lifestyle in a later blog. Maybe.) They are tiny and ceramic and smooth, and they are the perfect color of robin's egg blue. Except they are bluebirds. In any case, they should be mine. But they can be yours.

By the way, at this point we are not equipped to do online selling, but if you ever see something on this blog that you think would make the perfect gift for your hard-to-buy-for friend or sister or daughter (or for yourself!), don't hesitate to give us a call. We'll happily put one back for you or you can purchase over the phone and we'd be glad to ship.

Thanks for indulging me.