Simple pleasures ~

I don't care how many blogs you visited...

or how many pins you have seen and pinned...

there's just nothing like having a beautiful

book in your hands and it crackling as you open

the cover for the very first time!

I love sharing books that I love with you here and

have found a wonderful one!

You may remember Claudia Strasser from her first book

The Paris Apartment: Romantic Decor on a Flea-Market Budget

Well...she has a new book out and I LOVE IT!

The new book is
Paris Flea Market Style
and I just have to share a little sneak peek with you.

I'm about 99.9% sure that I will never make it to Paris
so simply enjoying this beautiful book and
the gorgeous French treasures
gives me such pleasure!

See what I mean??
And this is just a fraction of the gorgeousness...
Have I read one word of it?
No, not yet.
I was too mesmerized by the photographs!


Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday sweet friends,
hugs and love,
Dawn

Beautiful French postcards for you!

Tuesday was a busy day ~ I gathered my goods from Antique Griffin and moved out of my tiny space. Sales are off terribly and I find that I would rather work on my artwork than hunt for antiques that may or may not sell.

After I left Antique Griffin I headed to another wonderful antique store down the road, From Out of the Past Antiques. Come to find out, they are closing their doors in a few weeks. The economy is hurting these small stores so much. Plus the big box stores have such a draw for everyone's money. Please remember to stop in your small local shops when you need a gift or something special for that empty spot in your home. If we don't shop them, they will surely vanish!!

I bought these beautiful French postcards at From Out of the Past today and just love them. I wanted to share them with you as well. Just click to enlarge, right click, slide down to "save picture as" and left click to save to your computer.

Thank you so very much for all of the wonderful comments on my giveaway ~ I just wish I could hug each and every one of you!! xxoo, Dawn

Thank you so much sweet friends ~

What precious comments I have received from so many of you dear friends. If my artwork does not even get on the cover ~ it's really OK, just to know how wonderful you all are and what sweet friends I have here in the Land of Blog is gift enough!!! A poem for you:

True Friendship


True friendship isn't seen with the eyes, it is felt with the heart.

When there is trust, understanding, loyalty, and sharing.

True friendship is a rare feeling, but when it is found

It has profound impact on our well-being, strength, and character.

True friendship does not need elaborate gifts

Or spectacular events in order to be valuable or valued.

To ensure long-lasting quality and satisfaction,

True friendship only needs a few key ingredients:

Undying loyalty, unmatched understanding, unsurpassed trust,

Deep and soulful secrets, and endless sharing.

These ingredients, mixed with personality and a sense of humor,

Can make a friendship last a lifetime!

This is just a thank you, my friend, for all the wonderful and colorful

Special ingredients You've brought to my life!

Pass this on to such a friend!


Author Unknown

*********************************************

For those who love all things French!!! A new piece of artwork created on the prettiest silver dish ~ hanger is included, too. Soon to be in my Etsy store!!

xxoo, Dawn

More altered goodness ~

I love boxes. This particular one has been floating around my art room for a while now and tonight I decided to alter it a bit. It really is nice and has hinges and a closure on the front. Inside it has little elastic pieces in the lid to insert treasures.

I loved the text on the sides and inside but I altered the top by adding sheet music, vintage lace, trim and skinny brown ribbon. Plus a beautiful sepia toned picture of the Eiffel Tower and now it seems to have been transformed into a French treasure box! It's about the size of a skinny shoe box.

I think I'm going to clean out my Etsy store and add this as something new and fresh!

I just can't get enough of birds. I love creating with their images and always will. This is an old drawer from a buffet or piece of furniture as it has a piece of felt on the back. I'm always hunting for drawers to build my assemblages in.

I've collaged the inside back and sides with pages from an old bird book and just placed an antique photo album frame (Thank you so much, Cindy) and print inside to see how I like it ~ it's not finished yet, I'm just trying different prints to see what I love best ~ but I think this is the one to go with!

Another peek at your Junque Trunk, Alice!!