There's been a murder!

I love reading Agatha Christie books and have done ever since I was young.  I still enjoy reading them to this day and despite reading them several times I never remember who the murderer is!  I also enjoy the Poirot and Miss Marple adaptions on the tv and wouldn't mind starring in one even if it was just as an extra.  I could be one of the old pussies in the tea shop gossiping when Miss Marple overhears and because of my innate ability to understand the human psyche, my gossiping helps solve the case.  I could maybe have a walk on part where I'm in the village doing my daily shopping before stopping in the Post Office and asking for two first class stamps and a packet of envelopes.  The possibilities are endless but because I've never acted before I'm thinking my appearance would be more from the Mrs Overall school of acting rather than RADA.

Being fairly pragmatic, I know that it is highly unlikely I will ever be cast in a Miss Marple adaption so I decided to create my own miniature diorama depicting a scene from one of my favourites, The Body in the Library starring:

Joan Hickson as Miss Marple

                                                 Gwen Watford as Dolly Bantry

                                           and Astra Sheridan as Pamela Reeve

The complete diorama can be seen here:

 

Checking the body for clues before the police arrive.

The scene is my interpretation based on when Miss Marple and Doll Bantry inspect the body in the library before the police officers arrive.

This was so much fun to create and I got the idea when I happened upon a Poirot minikin doll made by Sarah and Elizabeth from the USA.  They create a range of wonderful figures and you can see them here as well as their Etsy shop.  I tried to think how I could use a Miss Marple doll in a scene and as I happened to be flicking through a dollhouse brochure at the time when I saw a library wallpaper the light bulb came on and The Body in the Library diorama was born!  I emailed Sarah and Elizabeth to ask if they could make me a Joan Hickson doll and they came back with all three after I told them what I was planning on doing.  I was blown away by the detail as everything is exactly as it was in the film and considering they are only 4" tall, I think they are fantastic.  The rest of the scene I created using doll house miniatures and found that I became quite obsessive over the smallest detail but those details are the ones that make all the difference!

A really great project for me and I can't wait to start the next one :)

Vintage by nina.com - Among Vintage & Friends book review

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Vintage by Nina - English version now available!

You may remember that I wrote a review of Vintage by nina which you can read here.  Unfortunately the English version hadn't yet reached our shores BUT the wait is over and you can finally get Vintage by nina in English text in the UK!

Ali from Betty & Violet has been selected as the exclusive distributor of Vintage by nina books in the UK and the English version is available to order now for immediate despatch.  Just go to http://www.bettyandviolet.com to order your copy.

Nina's new book, Among Vintage & friends is due to be released in September and you will be able to pre-order shortly.  Just keep an eye on the Betty & Violet blog for details on how to order.

I've already ordered my English version of Vintage by nina and I CANNOT wait to receive it.  If anyone needs me for any reason when I first get it, tough I won't be available!!

PARIS FLEA MARKET STYLE book review and GIVEAWAY!!

Claudia Strasser is an author, furniture designer, interior designer and lover of all things the Paris Flea Markets have to offer.

She started her career in 1993 when she opened a boutique in New York and today she travels to Paris several times a year taking small groups shopping and sharing resources. I have recently been lucky enough to receive a copy of Claudia's new book, Paris Flea Market Style and in even better news, I am offering a copy to one lucky reader of my blog!

If you haven't heard of Claudia then do check out her beautiful blog and website.  She has such exquisite style and years of experience decorating with flea market finds.  I often refer to it and drool.  It is what I aspire my home to look like and one day I'll get there!

Claudia's first book, The Paris Apartment, Romantic Decor on a Flea Market Budget was published in 1998 and was one of the first books I bought when I start collecting seriously.

 It still remains one of my favourite books today and if I have a quiet moment, I like to sit down and absorb all the wonderful rooms decorated with flea market finds and wonder at Claudia's ability to decorate with such finesse and attention to detail.  One of the things in the book I loved most was this photo of a doll.

It is supposed to be Josephine Baker and I LOVED it!  I wanted one and I was going to stop at nothing until I found it.  Well in the end nothing dramatic happened, I just kept looking on eBay until quite by chance I came by one.

 How wonderful not to mention lucky was this find!?  I have never seen one since and I love her pouty lips and fluttery eyelashes, not quite the same but close enough for me!

So back to the present day and Claudia's new book, Paris Flea Market Style.  Its been a long time coming but well worth the wait.  This time Claudia guides us through the mazes of the Paris flea markets and gives hints and tips on how to navigate the markets, what you'll find, how to negotiate prices and also how to get your new items shipped back home.

Claudia has taken all the photos in the book and manages to bring to life the Paris markets with her words and photography and you get a real sense of what they are about.  She finds beauty in the smallest detail and her love and passion of the markets shines through.

Old door hardware

Old mirrors

Old hotel letterbox

Claudia tells you how you could use these old treasures today.  For example the old hotel letterbox could be used as an organiser for an office or kitchen.  This is what I love about this book, it covers so many bases.  Not only is it showing you how to navigate the markets but also gives you ideas on how to re purpose your finds to fit in with modern day living.

Old French love? letters

As Claudia says, the Paris flea markets provide an insight into times gone by and if you love history then the markets offer unique insights into how people lived in a bygone era.  Today its so easy to press delete and erase photos and words but the old letters and photos in the Paris markets allow us a portal into lives gone by.  Who wouldn't like to go back to a time when your beloved sent you a love letter written in the most beautiful script instead of an impersonal text of today.  Claudia brings the romance of the markets alive with her photography, writing and passion for all the things the markets have to offer.

Antique chairs

She takes us on a journey round the markets showing us what we are likely to find including any type of chair you want to imagine...............

Antique pictures

Antique miniatures

.............Old pictures................

Old French linen

.............Old linens, textiles, lace and trims..................

Beautiful old silk lampshades

................Old lights and shades.

There is a separate section for each object making the book easy to dip in and out of.  There are also sections on collectibles, outdoors, architectural elements and hardware.  In fact anything you might find is in this book!

Would I recommend this book?  ABSOLUTELY!  It is well written, informative, personal and the photography is excellent.  As I've already said the passion and love of these markets that Claudia has, shines through making it an enjoyable journey for the reader.  You get sucked into the journey and it leaves you wanting more.  I just want to be absorbed by the markets and all the beautiful objets so if anyone out there feels the urgent need to pay for me to go to Paris to scour the flea markets and also give me an unlimited budget then please do get in touch, I will do my very best to fulfill that need ;)

Now how do you go about WINNING one of these signed beauties?  Well all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post and I will put all the names into a hat and ask my glamorous assistant to pick one at random, its that easy!  There is only one book available and you have to be in it to win it so make sure you leave your comment by 7pm TUESDAY 21st MAY.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!