Things that came home with me

 When I left for France recently I said "I don't need anything, but it is fun to look and take pictures".  I did think it would be fun to find a vintage bed sheet and a few feves (those ceramic King's cake trinkets). But other than those two things I wasn't shopping. Let me back track a bit. About 8 years ago I had visited the south of France and found two bed sheets with my initials on them at a street market in Lourmarin. I loved sleeping under those sheets until they wore out. I saved a piece of the sheet with my initials and made a pillow, which still resides on my bed. So this time around I knew if I found another sheet with my initials I would buy it. Yes, I found it. The initials are small, can you see it? The sheet was the heaviest thing I bought and made of ramie, which is a cheap grade of linen. It is a bit rough and many of you wouldn't like sleeping under it, but I love it. The width was perfect for my bed, but the length was very long; so there is about 2 feet turned over the top of the blankets. The sheet came from a collection the vendor found in an old chateau. His prices were very good and I was thrilled with my sheet purchase.

And then I came across feves in several places. I think I came home with about 2 dozen of them. There is something hypnotizing about digging through a basket of feves.

My collection:

I have given some of them away as small gifts.

Then of course I had to bring home one tea from Mariage Freres, called Eros. It is a bit fruit/florally in flavor and quite fragrant. 

At the airport I grabbed a box of macarons from Laduree. What a treat!

And then there was a few bars of soap.

Oh how I love French soaps!!!

OK, do you see a pattern?

For someone that doesn't need a thing there were indeed more than a few things that jumped into my shopping bag. Here you see a few small pottery pieces.

But I think this picture was the biggest surprise.

I came across a portfolio of pencil sketches that were very old at a street market.

This one just tugged at me. The price was amazing, the paper light to carry, and of course it could fit in my bag. I framed it after I got home.

Here it hangs on my wall with two other small art pieces found in a second hand store in France.

There were a few food items too.

And two hand towels because after all they had teacups and a teapot on them.

And then a girl needs some new things to wear.

 

This one is vintage and the fit is a bit strange, but it will be fun to figure it out.

And a vintage nightie, which I may wear in a different way. The lace detail is lovely.

There were a few gifts, such as comic books for two boys in my life and a few things for family members.

All in all I did shop! More than I planned on, but what fun. I tried to be a bit practical and now I wonder should I have been less practical and spent more or should I have not shopped as much as I did. Since I travel light it was a challenge just to get home what I did purchase.

There was an artist we visited where I purchased a small gift for my daughter, but didn't get anything for myself. Now I wonder, does she ship? Ha!!!

Since I had several curious about what shopping I did, this post is for you.

Maybe others of you can resonate with me in not needing a thing, but shopping anyway.

Sending much love,

Marilyn