Marie Antoinette books and trinkets

Two new to me books  both in French 

Snow scene I love it. How I would love to glide on the snow in a swan shaped sleigh!

More typical courting scene on this fan from early 1900s

Another favorite MA book by Boyer. Lovely and informative.

 Trinkets a la Marie Antoinette a monocular for bird watching and a seal for her monogram for sealing letters.The monogram is on the book. 

She had her monogram on some of her furniture as well.

It is also on the wrought iron balcony at Petit Trianon.

Please humor me and my on-going fantasy of living in France in 18th Century. 

I try and find things that would be around at that time. 
My latest find is a monocular for bird watching(something that I do) painted with blue birds. I got it on Ruby Lane from a shop called World Rarities.

She has a lot of lovely French antiques and small items. Very rococo selection in her shop.

The two books are not new but I just bought them. 
One is about what she would have eaten called A la Table and the large one was published in 2012 Marie-Antoinette la vie a Versailles

Both are in French but I can muddle through and the photos are so lovely they are worth it as "looking at books". 
I have many books on MA and 18th Century and Madam de Pompadour also. 

 The two fans are new and addition to my small collection. I will have them framed at some point.The one even had original case. 

Do you pretend to be in another time or place?
 It is great free fun!

Have a Pink day!

Monogram fun continued...

This type of stuff just thrills me! I love finding new ways to use my monogram. I love to seal letters with sealing wax and I also use the sealing wax seal on packages.

 I sent a vector of my MA monogram to a shop in Hong Kong and they made the seal! It is so pretty and exact copy. It took about a month and was about $65.00 but you have it forever. 

It would be nice to use on wedding invitations inside the envelope in a creative way. 

I put it on some Easter cards I sent and will be curious to see if it arrives unbroken.

 I also bought sealing wax that you put into a special sealing wax glue gun (Michael's has this) so much neater than using matches.

Have a Pink day!

Marie Antoinette tea pot

This tea pot was on EBay recently it is Dresden and from time to time the Carl Thieme Dresden shows up with her MA monogram on it. Usually plates but this time a tea pot! So cute would love to have it but bids go so high on this type of china. 

I think she would approve if she were still around. Lovely pieces well made.

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A monogrammed tea caddy

Marie Antoinette tea caddy in silver !

I will reuse this for a long long time. I am crazy about my  monogram. I bought the tea on Amazon. I can't tell you how much I shop on Amazon and Ebay.

The tea is wonderful (I did a previous post on it) and the silver caddy is cute. I love having a cup of tea in the afternoon when I feel I am drooping a bit! It does cause you to pause a bit and relax a little. Nothing picks me up like a warm tea and a small treat of snack.

Have a Pink day!

Laduree bubble bath powder and Marie Antoinette tea

 On the bag of powder is a pink ribbon saying Paris Beauty-so chic

 Comes with a little book in several languages explaining the products

 The powder is pink!

I save the Laduree ribbons

My Laduree hatbox gift from Valentine's Day is still proving so useful. I have enjoyed using the bubble bath liquid and have now opened the rose bubble bath powder.

Tonight we may have a freeze here and it is chilly A perfect night for a cozy rose scented bubble bath with thoughts of Paris filling my head! I do some of my best day dreaming in the bath tub.
I bought this Marie Antoinette tea on Amazon not only is it delightful and a bit fruity it also has my MA monogram on the top! Itis 25.00 link to buy is below

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Monogram of Marie Antoinette and her birthday

Happy Birthday Marie Antoinette

My new bed linens from Number 411 in Savannah

November 2,1755 is the birthday of Marie Antoinette rather than focus on her sad fate today I would rather look at something fun and beautiful about her life.

Marie Antoinette had such a pretty monogram I had to "borrow" it for myself. I have so many things with this monogram but oddly enough I had not done the most common or traditional thing-- add it to my bed linens! Monograms, I understand, were a way of marking who owned what linen and silver and other items. They were a practical thing that became artwork. In  the case of royality like Marie Antoinette she really had fun with her monogram, it is on the stairway in the Petit Trianon,

On books in her library

    Her headboard

 and on pieces of her furniture, on flower pots at the Petit Hameau

on a key

                                                        Gift tags from Paper Nosh

Ornament from Paper Nosh

You can order her monogram on gift tags and ornaments from Paulette at Paper Nosh to have a touch of the monogram in your life!

I have several other ideas for using the monogram and will share those soon.

Have a Pink day!

Tea Caddy a la Marie Antoinette

If Marie Antoinette were taking tea this is what the tea would be stored in! This is a Dresden porcelain tea caddy up for auction on Ebay. I want this but will probably be outbid as I am every time I try for one of these MA monogrammed pieces. I love tea caddies and actually use them.

Carl Thieme was a Dresden porcelain maker and sometimes his pieces show up on Ebay. This one actually had MT as monogram for her mother Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. No one bid on this I guess because of a high starting price and a crack in the top. Still pretty.

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MA Monogram china

My birthday gift to myself is this tray with my monogram

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I love collecting these things with my monogram( MA) on them. They are hard to come by and often out of my price range. I lucked out on the little tray I found that in a Japanese store on line. The top cup and saucer is a dream one that I will bid on but probably not be able to buy. The prices tend to go up up up.

All these years later we still love the monogram of Marie Antoinette!! She still intrigues us.

Have a Pink day!

Show and Tell Friday and asking for help

Help!!

I have fallen in love with this compote or tea cookie tray. I have seen a few photos of it over the years and have never seen it in person. Replacements china and silver matching service is not sure of the name of the pattern and they do not have it.

Post Script
A lovely Japanese blogger has come to my rescue and told me the plate is Dresden by Carl Thieme. I will search for it on the internet. It was made for Marie Antoinette she says

Merci Pink Rose!

If anyone knows what pattern this is and if you ever see one please email me through this blog. It has my MA initials in the center of the piece so I think maybe originally it was made for Marie Antoinette's table. I also read awhile ago it may be Dresden and it may be by Carl Thieme that is all I have found out.

I saw it on a Japanese blog but I don't have any way of reading Japanese so I don't even know if the blogger knew what it was or if she owns it. I love my MA monogram and would love to buy this piece. I think it is tiny only 5 inches or so tall.

I leave it to you pink lovers

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Have a Pink day!

Writing letters a la Marie Antoinette

One pot held ink one held sand to blot the ink

I love to write on my monogramed letter paper.

The details and the hand painting are wonderful. This was well cared for in the past

My passions are so much a part of my life. I love to write letters to friends, I love my monogram, I love the style of the decorative arts in the era of Madame de Pompadour and Marie Antoinette and I try and incorporate this style into my life.

I recently became aware of the inkwell-- a necessary implement in times past and one that could be so beautiful and so functional. I knew they existed but had never looked at them as decorative objects until I was reading about the decorative arts of that romantic era.

I am now collecting them in a small way some are more expensive than others but all are lovely.

Leah Fuller has a number of her antiques on Ruby Lane antiques site and I just purchased this charming 19th century Dresden hand painted inkwell by the studio of Helena Wolfsohn from Ms Fuller..It is perfection! You can reach her at Nobili Antiques 949 642-8402 or Here is her link:

http://www.rubylane.com/shop/nobiliantiques

I take such pleasure in using these old items and wondering who had them before they came to me and if previous owners enjoyed it and treasured it as I do now. I have my photos of Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour there to inspire me. I just wish I could write in calligraphy ( I took a class I was awful ) like they did so long ago.

It is fun to sit in my boudoir and write to loved ones and look at the garden through the French doors. Usually one of my cats sits in the chair next to the desk and advises me as I write.

Tabletop Tuesday at:

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Monogram madness has overtaken me!

MA hand towels for my bath

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I have done many things with my monogram this past year- rubber stamps, a letter seal for sealing wax, tiles to use as trivets, an embosser, a needle pointed pillow you get the idea. And I'm still coming up with ideas.

Perhaps the most obvious is to use the monogram on china or linens or silver flatware. I am working on those things as well. My first venture into monogramming on linens turned out so well. They have made a linen die for me from my monogram and later on when I purchase more guest towels, or bed linens I can monogram those as well.

Shh... I am going to share my monogram source for linens-- it is in Savannah-- a most gracious and feminine city. I did this all via email. Number Four Eleven is the name of the shop on Whitaker Street in Savannah's historic area.

It was not very pricey to do the die it varies by monogram and size etc so each one is priced as they create them. If you need these services you can contact them at 912 443-0065 ask for Courtland Smith Stevens or email them : info@NumberFourEleven,com
Have a Pink day!