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My heart and prayers are with you my dear, dear Parisian friends.
There are no words for this horrendous act of terror.
We mourn for the many lives lost and injured.
We must stay strong
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Onion Boards
Onion Board
For those of you who love these onion boards and are always keeping me out of stock on them, I thought I would mention that I now have two in stock.
They are very rare and highly collectible and for you collectors, here is your favorite one. It is vintage and in fabulous condition.
Just click on the blue letters above and it will take you to the page where you can see them.
They are great for serving breakfast and are often called breakfast boards. Just place coffee, a croissant plus a flower or two, and bring to someone you love.
A Bientôt
Audrey
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Paris Flea Markets
The flea market at Chatou
As many of you enjoy going to Paris, I thought I would write about the fabulous flea markets there. Don't miss the opportunity to go and see the lovely treasures they are selling.
I would be happy to let you know my favorites, just drop me an email and I will give you a short list of which I think are the best ones.
I go to flea markets every Sunday, all over France, to stock my web sites. Until you go for yourself, you might want to check out my web sites. www.frenchvintagehome.com and www.etsy.com/shop/frenchvintagehome
You will see what I am up to and how diversified the items are.
About once a month I put out a newsletter showing some of my most recent purchases.
If you are interested, please go to www.frenchvintagehome.com and join our mailing list. You will then automatically get the newsletter. It is chock full of ideas, recipes and flea market purchases. I think you will like it.
A la prochaine fois........
Thursday, August 6, 2015
California dreaming
My fabulous summer vacation is quickly coming to an end. The time was spent with my large and beautiful family at the gorgeous Malibu beach house.
Next stop Dallas and shortly thereafter that I will return to France.
I hope you all had a joyous summer as well.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Most Beautiful Village in France
The city of Colmar in France, considered the most beautiful city in Europe, looks exactly like it was produced in fairy tales. This small town offers colourfulness which dominates the old city. Colmar with its environment is the second driest city in France, making it ideal for growing vines, so the city got the title “Capital of Alsatian wine.”
Since I plan on selling my house in France and only expect to return a few times a year to keep my web sites full, I would like to visit Colmar before I leave.
It is in Alsace located on France's eastern border and on the west bank of the upper Rhine adjacent to Germany and Switzerland.
There will be lots to buy for the web sites as these sheets have come from that region. You can click on the link below to get the details of this sheet.
Monogrammed Linen Sheet
photo thanks to MorBCN via Flickr
Photo by Francisco Antunes
I cannot wait to see this gorgeous place.
More on this after my trip.
Some of the photos were from "Your Amazing Places", worth looking at.
A Bientot
Audrey
Monday, April 27, 2015
Quinconces Antique Fair Bordeaux France
The beautiful fountain at the Place Des Quinconces where the fair is held.
I am in Bordeaux at the moment to shop this amazing antique fair. Hundreds of sellers are here showing their wares. It is a two day shopping trip to see all that there is to see. Day one is finished.
At the moment I am in my room at the beautiful Grand Hotel de Bordeaux. My room is gorgeous and was so welcoming after a day walking in the dust of yet another brocante. The Grand Hotel was designed by the incredible Jacques Garcia who also did the Hotel Costes in Paris.
I cannot recommend highly enough this exceptional hotel. It makes the drudgery of walking and pulling my wheelie something wonderful to look forward to at the end of the day.
Next time you come to Paris you might think about coming to the magnificent and historic city of Bordeaux. I think it is the most elegant city in France...
I know how much you all love Christofle silver so I have been lucky in finding several vintage boxed sets, all in fabulous condition.
I haven't listed anything purchased today on either of my web sites but will shortly.
I am here another day and cannot wait until tomorrow to see the treasures I will be able to buy and bring to you.
It is your support that makes this possible and for this, I thank you so very much. Merci Beaucoup!!!
A Bientôt
Audrey
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Tea in the afternoon
This photo is from Tea at the Ritz in London which is my all time favorite place to go for tea in London. In Paris it is, without a doubt, the Hotel George V. It is simply the best.
Though we all think of teatime being started in England, it's a little known fact, but after its introduction to Europe in the 17th century tea was tremendously popular in France. It first arrived in Paris in 1636 (22 years before it appeared in England!) and quickly became popular among the aristocracy. . .
Wherever it started, it is definitely a lovely addition to the days meals. Most people, here in France, do consider teatime a daily ritual.
Tea was so popular in Paris that Madame de Sévigné, who chronicled the doings of the Sun King and his cronies in a famous series of gossipy letters to her daughter, often found herself mentioning tea. . . . Madame de Sévigné also reported that it was a Frenchwoman, the Marquise de la Sablière, who initiated the fashion of adding milk to tea. "Madame de la Sablière took her tea with milk, as she told me the other day, because it was to her taste." (By the way, the English delighted in this "French touch" and immediately adopted it.)
As a break between lunch and a late dinner, tea is the perfect way to entertain without the daunting experience of a full meal. I recently did just that and added some wonderful champagne to my menu.
What to serve at afternoon tea is up to you. It is normally held between 4-5 in the afternoon.
I like to serve open faced cucumber sandwiches, always with butter, a touch of sea salt on white bread. I cut everything into pieces that can be easily picked up and eaten in one or two bites.
In addition, open faced smoked salmon sandwiches are always popular. I make these on rye or wheat bread ( crusts removed) spread with herbal cream cheese and topped with a small piece of smoked salmon and a dill sprig.
For a nice presentation, garnish the plates with watercress sprigs and some radishes.
Add some sweet tea cakes, scones or whatever you like and you are good to go.
French Vintage Home has several tea sets on it's web site. Here are a couple and if you are interested in them, just click on the blue link or go to www.frenchvintagehome.com.
Limoges Tea Set
French Erquis silverplate tea set
Enjoy!!!!
A Bientot.....
Audrey
Friday, March 27, 2015
Just some pictures I love
Some gorgeous pictures I think you might also love....
I hope I added a bit of beauty to your day today.
A Bientôt
Audrey
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
By Invitation Only
With the topic of the month flower power, I am in the right place. I am on La Côte Fleurie in Normandy France. The floral coast begins in Honfleur one of the most beautiful cities in France.
The name "Côte Fleurie" has become a "tourist concept" propagated with the development of tourism and the need to distinguish the different landscapes of the French coast, while summarizing the main feature that distinguishes it from other Cotes in France.
The term refers to the pleasant countryside and flowers of the hinterland and the many seaside resorts.
There are flowers everywhere, beautiful flowers.
We stayed at the fabulous Normandy hotel in Deauville. The magnificent beauty and luxury of this fabulous hotel prepared us for what was to come.
We went to the Normandy beaches and the American cemetery where the soldiers that gave their lives during the second world war are buried, all 9300 of them. It was a very emotional moment for all of us, hard to believe.
We started at Omaha beach, where the invasion took place, then we went to the cemetery with all the white crosses and star of Davids.
Though I had seen pictures numerous times, seeing it for real was unbelievable. I viewed it through tear filled eyes.
The Normandy landings (codenamed Operation Neptune) were the landing operations on 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day) of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the invasion of German-occupied western Europe, led to the liberation of France from Nazi control, and contributed to an Allied victory in the war.
There are flowers everywhere, here are some pictures of veterans returning to the area.
Roses from the flower shop next to the Hotel Costes.
Wishing you all a beautiful flowery day.
A Bientôt
Audrey
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
A bit of This and a bit of That
As most of you know, I live part time in France and part time in Dallas. I have been in the US for awhile and it is now time to return to my home in the French countryside. I love both places.
I would like to leave you with a new recipe I just tried. It is delicious. It is a Grilled Seafood Salad .
This seafood salad, sizzled on a grill (or in a grill pan or under the broiler), delivers lightly smoky swagger and, thanks to radicchio, a welcome edge of bitterness. A substantial salad, it can be a curtain raiser or part of a buffet for summer dinner at home. It might even be carried to a picnic. But it begs to be served a bit warm.
INGREDIENTS
- 12 large shrimp, peeled
- ½ pound sea scallops, hard tendon removed
- ½ pound swordfish, skinless, in 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 small to medium calamari, cleaned
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 1 small head radicchio, quartered
- 2 slices sourdough bread from the center of a round loaf
- 3 scallions, trimmed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon capers in vinegar, drained
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley leaves
PREPARATION
- Combine shrimp, scallops, swordfish and calamari in a bowl. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Light the grill.
- When hot, use either a grill pan or eight or more thin bamboo skewers, soaked, to cook the seafood. If using a grill pan, heat the pan and brush it with a little oil before adding the shrimp, scallops, calamari and swordfish. Or thread everything but the calamari on the skewers, using 2 skewers at a time so the food will be secure. Sear the seafood, turning it to cook both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a large cutting board as it finishes cooking. Sear the calamari directly on the grill or in the grill pan, about 2 minutes per side. Add to cutting board. Sear the radicchio quarters briefly, turning once, and toast the bread on the grill. Add to the cutting board.
- Cut the shrimp in thirds, the scallops and swordfish in half, and slice the calamari thin. Pile in a bowl with the remaining olive oil, vinegar, the scallions and capers. Coarsely chop the grilled radicchio. Add to the bowl. Rub the toasted bread with the garlic, dice it and add it to the bowl. Toss, season with salt and pepper, fold in the parsley and serve warm.
- To show my appreciation to all of you followers, I am giving you a head start to the yearly French Vintage Home white sale. It will start April 1 but today you can buy this sheet at a vastly reduced price. Just click on the link below for the sheet details....
Thank you all for your loyalty and support.
A Bientôt
Audrey
Thursday, February 12, 2015
House for sale
I am going to sell my house in La Tour Blanche France. No, I am not giving up on France and I will continue my French Vintage Home web sites but I would like to sell my beautiful house in the French countryside. It is located in the Dordogne area of France.
If you would like more information and lots of pictures about this house you can get it by clicking this link.....
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/overseas-property/property-48858278.html
If you have any questions, be sure and contact me at audreyfriedman1@gmail.com
The price is about $240,000 US dollars depending on the fluctuation of the dollar. At the moment the dollar is very strong so it is a very good buy for Americans. If the house interests you, let's talk.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Merci Beaucoup
Audrey
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