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Friday 21 September 2012

A Touch Of Paris For Fall

One of the best things about having parents with an antique store was doing vignettes for them.  Dad would ask me to style a desk and I would make up a person that the desk belonged to.  Then, I'd dance around the store gathering items my character would have, placing them as if he/she had just stepped away from their desk for a moment.  I'd been making up stories in my head since I read my first book and it came so naturally to me to imagine the people who once touched and treasured these things.

As I started to decorate my dining room table, I thought of an elegant woman (of a certain age), living in Paris.  A party has ended and she's alone. ~


As the clock ticks away the last minutes of the night, she pours herself a brandy from the pristine William IV decanter. ~


She takes off the pearls, Art Nouveau ring and enamel butterfly hair clip and tosses them into the silver oyster shell dish.  Perhaps she glances at the sterling, pedestal trophy dish that a long ago lover  won at the S. California men's tennis tournament.  The rose from tonight's suitor is already beginning to fade. ~


She slips a cigarette from the enamelled case and glides her fingers across the silver inlay of the Brit Zone.  Another lover?  Her eyes turn to the photos on the wall, of her brief sojourn on the sun soaked streets of Greece. ~


She sips the brandy and sighs as she looks at the postcard her own mother framed when she was this age.  The inscription says, "I wonder where I'll be a year hence". ~


Now, what was it I wanted to show you?  Ah, yes.  I took a couple of very ugly orange pumpkins and painted them white last fall.  This year, I sprayed them with adhesive glue and covered them in glitter.  I glued some felt rickrack on them and added a crystal prism for dramatic detail. ~




I just thought the story was so much more interesting.  Every woman wants a little romance! ~


Have a day full of imagination!

I'm sharing this with:



41 comments:

  1. I love your imagination...and the pumpkins are pretty darn beautiful too! xo wendy

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  2. Ha ha,..I'm all giddy over here reading this. Fabulous!! Love the pumpkin with the crystal prism especially.

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  3. I loved this. Your photos are gorgeous and I just may wear my pearls today. :) :) Now, where are they? AUDREY!!!!!!!

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  4. I love these. I like all the bling and great pictures. I saw you on Homespum I am the first entry.

    Cynthia

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  5. Beautiful! What fun, I could totally get into this mode. Love the creative story, the excellent photos, the pumpkins and joining you each time you post.

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  6. This post made me smile all the way through it. I'm jealous of your imagination. Thanks for taking us along on your journey. The vignette looks amazing. I would not think that a glittered, rick-racked pumpkin would sit well with all the classy stuff, but you made it work!

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  7. Pretty, pretty, pretty!!! You put my table to shame.

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  8. My parents used to own a antique shop too, but way back in the 70's, just a few light years ago! Your vignette looks wonderful!

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  9. Lovely vignette and lovely story! Thank you for sharing. Visiting from The Picket Fence. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/09/make-it-pretty-monday-week-15.html Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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  10. Lovely story! You got such great imagination! The vignette looks fantastic and the pumpkins add the perfect glomour!

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  11. Well you've been creating vignettes longer than any of us I suppose! Love the pumpkins.
    Brenda

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  12. Fun, fun, fun! Pretty pumpkins, too!

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  13. I really believe you should graduate to writing books. You have the imagination, the skill and I don't believe I've ever encountered anyone else with such a vivid imagination and creativity to match. I'm serious. You could do it! I feel I already know your lady in Paris.

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  14. You transported me with your story - I could imagine everything. Love, love your vignette. And your pumpkins - the whole thing is lovely.

    Thanks so much for joining in this week!

    xo
    Claudia

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  15. I think I got lost in the story :)Love the pumpkins, by the way.
    Balisha

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  16. I loved your story and all your pretty things.
    Smiles. Dottie

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  17. Oh, so pretty! Elegant and whimsical.

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  18. Maureen, I was totally there, picturing this woman taking off her pearls, her hair clip, thinking her thoughts about her night, her past, her future. Your imagination is incredibly detailed and well written, I loved it. Oh, and I love your pumpkins, what a unique idea, I am not into decorating with pumpkins, maybe because I live in the city, but I could totally see me doing this. Thoroughly enjoyed this, as always great post.

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  19. Oh, my, you do seem to have a flair for this sort of thing. It looks very personal. Thanks for sharing at Favorite Things Party. I'm co-host this week and having a ball. Take care, Linda

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  20. You know I agree don't you, every woman needs a little romance.
    Lovely story and table setting Maureen.

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  21. Wow, the pumpkins look great. That is neat that you got to decorate for your parent's antique shop--what fun! Thank you for linking this up to Rustic Restorations Weekend.

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  22. I love the pumpkins and the BIG glass of brandy! And the story, too, it is so romantic :)
    Saying 'hello' from my Riesling / Alphabe- Thursday @ ImagesByCW

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  23. Wow Maureen - I want this to be a mini series - seriously - you should be in Television, wink wink nudge nudge
    And those pumpkins?
    Well let's just say you could stage the mini series as well
    Hugs,
    Suzan

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  24. Wow! I want to read the rest of that story! You so had me wrapped up in that little drama so quickly! You have a flair for drama and a great writers skill! Oh and the pumpkins are cute too! Seriously cute!

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  25. Oh, how beautiful! I could have had a lot of fun styling an antique store too! :)
    Sherry

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  26. That's a great story and the whole vignette is so pretty. Love those pretty glittered pumpkins.

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  27. I love your story! I was there after the party, smelling the fragrance of the rose and feeling the pearls slip off my neck. Love it! I may be pumpkin shopping this week . . . yours are beautiful. Now following you - well, as soon as I can get home to MY computer! Love, Linda

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  28. Okay, I fell into that story completely.... I had to stop myself at the brandy though given that it is 11 am!!

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  29. I can do with some Brandy anytime of day lol! Love the glittery pumpkin... Halloween a la classy :)

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  30. I love your imaginings--and the scene you've set! such fun!
    The white pumpkins are lovely!
    I'm really liking that postcard. It would make a great birthday card!

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  31. I loved this. Each and every word. You have a beautiful imagination. And, I am totally jealous you grew up with parents that owned an antique shop and that they encouraged you to help do vignettes.

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  32. lovely story! it's certainly true that a little romance is always appreciated. and lovely photos too :)

    Zia
    singing-blue.blogspot.ca

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  33. Pearls and roses and silver....everything is just beautiful and so romantic! What a lovely post!

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  34. Love your story, Audrey! Thank you for sharing your creative touch with Potpourri Friday!

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  35. Love your pumpkins--and especially the story!

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  36. What an elegant display full of ooh la la! :)

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  37. What a lovely idyll, Maureen. So evocative! Where would we be without our imaginations, and our beautiful favorite things? Thank you so much for this bewitching post!

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  38. Hi! You are featured this week at Potpourri Friday!

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  39. You make creating vignettes look ridiculously easy.

    I know it's not!

    What lovely things to play with and share.

    Thank you for linking.

    A+

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