A Few of Our Favorite Things

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A Few of Our Favorite Things

Isabelle

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Here's Isabelle, popping out of her favorite suitcase after a long voyage, ready for work. And already on the phone with her travel agent for another trip! This chic and spunky Paris Marketeer is always teaching me new French, and as you can see from this shot, always up for new fun! Here are a few of her favorite things:

1. Plush Cotton and Terry Spa Robe 2. Louis Vuitton Suitcase 3. Fig Apricot Soap 4. Sugar Plum Lip Treatment 5. Sugar Lip Polish 6. Nautilus Shell 7. Brass Bird Cage with Ceramic Bird 8. Vintage Telephone 9. The Luxury Bathroom 10. Glamourous Rooms

Back to School, Back in the the Day

Going back to school every September involved a special and dedicated perusal of the JC Penney Catalog which arrived sometime in May, but which my sister and I hadn’t the inclination for until August.

Then it was my Mom ordering a few things from the pages and going to Macy’s for new outfits and shoes. Before the trip to Macy’s, though, my sister, at my mother’s request, emptied out her drawers of anything that didn’t fit her anymore or was merely unwanted. It was then unceremoniously handed to me or thrown in my general direction. Unfortunately, most everything always fit. However, my sister was a terrible slob as a child, and anything stained I didn’t have to accept. “Oh Tamara, I could have ‘shouted’ this out.” Mom would say with a sour Irish expression as she tossed it into the “going out” pile. How many stains went unnoticed and unreported, we’ll never know.

I know it wasn’t supposed to be, but it was kind of humiliating being asked to wear all my sister’s old stuff, and even though I got new things too, it put me in a bad mood for the upcoming shopping trip. I was once more at the start of the endless hand-me-down cycle and I’d cry for the future when I saw some of the stuff she picked out.

From there it was shoes, and I remember being very sad the day I learned that Velcro was no longer available in my size. Ah Velcro, two straps you pulled tight and you were ready for action. It was so fast! And made noise! And I was small and built for speed. Losing Velcro to tie laces was an unexpected reversal.

Then it was a new haircut. The home haircuts usually came out okay. But the modified mullet I received for my First Holy Communion brought me to such a personal low, that Mom started taking us to Sal’s on the corner and we listened to lite rock and the two of us swung in the big chairs gratefully waiting our turn.

The only part I truly enjoyed was the actual school supply shopping part, which I found completely fantastic. Fresh paper and notebooks! Fresh pencils that you could sharpen to a fine point and glue you could peel from your fingers! Craypas you could smash into new colors! This, this was my pie in the sky that descended for me every September.

Do I miss the Back to School buildup? Yes, oh yes.

But do I miss being a child? No, no. Not at all, Not ever. No.

 Me, my sister Tamara, our cabbage patch dolls, and the blue shirt I'd be wearing next year.

Our back to school shopping list:

1. Great Women Rulers of Literature Ruler, 2. Composition Book, 3. Chalkboards from India, 4. Letterpress Note Papers, 5. Elephant Backpack, 6. John Derian Glass Notes Tray, 7. Yellow Euro Cases, 8. Colored Tape, 9. Living Architecture book, 10. Linen & Leather Recess Tote

Book Report: Le Petit Prince

I first read The Little Prince in French class when I was in high school, or I tried to. Some of the philosophical gems were lost on me due to a still poor understanding of the French Language. So this Sunday I got out my English version and gave it another go.

The story opens up with a stranded pilot, (the narrator) meeting The Little Prince who asks him to draw him a sheep.

From here we are sucked into a world of whimisical charm. The Little Prince cleans out the volcanoes on his planet like chimneys, is concerned with unruly baobabs and falls in love with a fussy flower (don't we all?) Traveling the solar system he meets many incarnations of our human craziness, our shallow love of money, of power, of security, our resistance to change - even if it's the best option, and our amazing ability to remain stuck and cling to fuzzy thinking. The Prince just sighs, many times stupefied, and other times angry. But although others have things to learn from the Little Prince, he ALSO has things to learn. He's not just a little Buddha wandering around tossing out pearls, for a darling little fox tells him one day:

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." 

And as with most great classics, love becomes the story; brightly, not sappily, hitting the right pitch of bittersweet.

The Little Prince thinks again of his rose that he loves:

"...But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen, because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose..."

And the fox reminds him "...you are responsible for your rose."

Don't worry, I haven't given it all away, there are many gems (with many facets) to mine in this story, and its messages will never leave you!

Some little sheep we have here at The Paris Market:

  

And the Little Prince, at times lonely and melancholic throughout his journey,

made me think of this card we have - a nice smattering of pearls

for a good-feeling community of friends

I'm not the only one in love with the Little Prince, check out Reba's musings on it here

A bird in the hand

 

I was on my way to the work yesterday, when in my usual path there was construction, so I walked up a block and went down Bryan St instead, and just as I was passing Abe’s on Lincoln, I saw a little lump of yellow on the sidewalk. It was a little bird, lying on his side with his beak gaping and his pearl black eyes wide open. He looked just like this:

I scooped him up because it wouldn’t be right to leave him there whatever his situation and if he was dying I didn't want him doing it all alone in the hot hot sun, on the cruel pavement. Birds are sweet things and deserve the best. There was no struggle when I picked him up, but he wasn’t cold either and he fit perfectly in the palm of my hand. Not knowing what to do with him I just continued on my way, and then I felt his heartbeat in my hand; sputtering a few beats, then getting into a steady rhythm. He rested comfortably in my hand as if we had been buddies forever and we made our way into Reynolds Square where we sat for a bit on a marble bench in the shadow of John Wesley.

I was able to collect some beads of water on my fingertips from rain puddled on a grate and he was able to drink it. Then he closed his eyes slightly as if to say, “Och, that really hurt.” We sat for a little bit, as I didn’t know if his revival was temporary or lasting. I was thinking I should get to work when I felt an ant biting my foot and when I looked down, I felt the bird taking off from my hand. He flew up and away from me, and settled up in the crook of a big oak tree. His wings looked good, his flight flawless and I walked over to look at him one more time before heading to work.

I can’t walk through Reynolds Square now without thinking of my little birdie.

When I experience the thin line between life and death, a full cup versus an empty one, joy versus suffering, even happy endings make me sad. And birds, whether you believe they are the souls of the departed or not, hold special sway over me. So spirited and gracious and seemingly fragile, and so beautiful flying through the ether where we are just heavy clumps in comparison, and so brave when windows look like extended sky, and it’s so easy to get stunned.

 A bird in the hand
is worth the whole world.

A Few of Our Favorite Things

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A Few of Our Favorite Things

Michele Bryant

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This is one Paris Marketeer whose dry sense of humor is shaken not stirred. You know that chandelier you're shipping from here to Kalamazoo? Or the ETA on more Pearl Letters, Stars and Hearts? Yeah, all that behind the scenes, nitty-gritty, down to brass tacks, ordering, purchasing, shipping, room-making, check-cutting, bottom line kind of stuff...that's Michele! She juggles a lot here and I am just a little in love with all of her favorite things:

1. For the Love of Old,(very cool book) 2. White Forest Mocha and Biscotti (served daily at our coffee bar!),  3. oversized ceramic white cup and saucer, 4. Print of the Louvre in Paris (gorgeous!) 5. Sugar Honey Lip Treatment, 6. Savon de Marseille in Honey, 7. Another Day Cloudy Memory Journal, 8. Nice Daddy card (told you she was funny!) 9.Tocca Mini-Perfume Gift Set (adorable and affordable!) 10. Silver rectangle bracelet.

What are a few of your favorite things?

Shades of Shelby

When I first came to The Paris Market, I was blown away by all the creative energy rolling, bouncing, and tumbling joyfully from one project to the next. Everyone here has things they do extremely well, and our talents and abilities complement each other's rather marvelously. The result is a werkbund of creative spirits spinning their magic daily. So the next time you love our windows, or you think we have really cool displays, YEAH! we did that!

Shelby Massey is one such player on the creative team who does some really impressive work. She says the fun part is figuring out how to make it all happen:

"I enjoy the challenge of figuring out the best way to do things, and what material will work best for each part of a piece."

Here she is on one of her most recent projects - (just yesterday actually) 

making Ice Cream Cones that look good enough to eat:

And some of her gorgeous tissue paper flowers:

 The diabolical marionette she created last Halloween:

The dancing elf she made last Christmas, and an emerging moth she created just last spring:

Thanks Shelby! Go Paris Market Go! 

Seeing Spots Sale All Week!

20%-75% OFF ALL WEEK!

Come on down and get a great deal on a piece of furniture you've been craving, 

stock up on favorites, or just stash away some goodies for the holidays...

New Arrivals: Bottled Charm

I’m really charmed by this glass bottle and its little cups.

Taking the form of the plastic water bottles you buy and toss, this one is way more high functioning than the throw-away kind and a real keeper-literally. Topping off its cuteness is a glass stopper with a little gasket to keep all those droplets securely inside. And those little tumblers that look like plastic to-go cups are glass as well!

This set also makes a great little gift to welcome your guests. Put them in a welcome bag for those out-of-towners, or leave one with its accompanying glass on the bedside table with a little bow and note tied around it. C'est Simple!

Postcards from Paris: {HIGH Museum and Home Settings}

I look at Atlanta in comparison to Savannah, as the tragic sister city. The grander one in size which was burned down by Sherman.
It lacked the aesthetic Savannah had. The grid-planned city lined with pretty oak trees and palms carrying armloads of Spanish moss. Presented as a gift to Lincoln, Savannah was preserved, while Atlanta fell tragically to fumes. There are plenty of changes that have occurred since. Atlanta rebuilt itself. Georgia's capital, home of the 1996 Summer Olympics, and of course Coca-Cola.
Throughout high school, I loved going to the HIGH Museum. There was some cultural power in saying that I would be spending my Saturday afternoon in Midtown and going to the HIGH museum to see whichever new temporary exhibition was up. Even after spending time in some of the most well-known museums in the world, I still find satisfaction in each floor that Richard Meier has designed, hosting such pieces from Andy Warhol, Chuck Close, Monet, and Rothko.
This recent trip I felt particulary drawn to the furniture set-ups. Sometimes a simply designed chair with a complimentary painting hanging off to the side makes the perfect artistic statement.

Bisous,
Reba

A Few of Our Favorite Things

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A Few of Our Favorite Things:

Susie Brown

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Susie is The Paris Market Chef, The Paris Market Barista, The Paris Market Birthday Cake Maker and the Paris Market Wisecracker here. And we wouldn't have it any other way! You can check out her cooking class here, and dip into her times on the high seas as a chef here. Apparently, Susie thought my job was getting a little too easy, so for her favorite things she chose the largest items that little half pint over here could carry up the stairs. Its good though, we have lots more than little things here at The Paris Market and these larger statement pieces deserve a little face time - we threw out the grid format, moved the couch to be in front of the mirror and just piled things up around her -and on her actually, if you look closely, her favorite teacup is balancing on her head--> scroll down for a closer look. Here's Susie with a few of her favorite things:

1. Green Velvet Couch (that everyone wants), 2. Hand Carved Art Nouveau Mirror from Budapest, 3&4. Sea Salt Caramels in vintage demi-tasse teacup and saucer, 5. Metal Lyre lamp with charcoal drum shade, 6. Paris Market Signature Candles "St. Germain-des-Pres", 7. One Kilo of Cafe La Semeuse (very good coffee!) 8. Large Dough Bowl, 9. Belgian Laundry Baskets, 10. White Metal Planter Bowl

 

a closer look at #3(gorgeous!)

a closer look at #6

Pure Idolatry: American Idol comes to town.

“American Idol” will be filming in Savannah over the next few days. Competitors were selected from hundreds who auditioned for the show earlier in Charleston. Now they're here in Savannah to sing for the judges before the cameras. And although the judges for the 2011 season haven’t been formally announced, Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are expected to return. So, if you see Jenny on the block, (or Randy or Steven) tell them  to come over to The Paris Market and say hello! I'm not sure why the producers chose Savannah during the absolute height of heat and humidity, but hey, we're glad y'all are here to rock out in our fair city regardless. Good Luck!

A lucky few will be given a golden ticket,

and along with a heap of other competitors, 

sing their hearts out for these guys again,

 

 

in an attempt to climb to the top and become a star!

Well, fellow talented dreamers and believers, good luck and give us your best!

Tartine: A Passion for Craft & Taste

Man cannot live on bread alone...well, actually.... 

The fact that Alice Waters wrote the introduction to Tartine was pretty much all I needed to know that Tartine, a bakery located in San Francisco was the real deal, worth my time, and worth diving into further. We have a great selection of cooking books and its hard to know where to start. You can start with Tartine.

We carry both of their cookbooks here at The Paris Market, the self titled, Tartine and Tartine Bread

Tartine, the first book from Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson includes all the basic recipes from their renowned Tartine Bakery which the couple founded in 2002. Both ex-CIA (Culinery Institute of America) operatives, the two spent time traveling, training and cooking in France. They first opened up a bakery called Bay Village Bakery in Point Reyes Station, CA and after six years of that they popped into SF and opened up Tartine in 2002.  Their first book Tartine, with selections for breakfast pastries, cakes, tarts, cookies, and savory items as well, came out in 2006 and was chosen for The New York Times list of selected top ten cookbooks for that year.

The great thing about this cookbook is that its not just a recipe book with cute little anecdotes about somebody's grandmother, or great Uncle Harry; (no offense) its chock full of fabulous recipes with words explaining to you how its done, and those little details you need to know for each recipe. I think that's what bogs a lot of us down on new recipes. We aren't thrown that necessary bone of information, and we come out with way more of a learning experience than we had really wanted.  For instance in the recipe for Blackberry Tart with Rose Geranium Cream, they note the following: Make sure that the saucepan you use for making the cream is not unlined aluminum, as it will turn the cream gray. You can use rosewater in place of the rose geranium leaves, but wait to flavor the cream until after it has cooled and use the rosewater sparingly..." see? now that is a real good bone of information that another cookbook would have left out. The book has this throughout, so your not yelling midday "agh! the cream is freaking gray! How did that happen!?!"

When you ready to move back from the sweet to savory sustenance, check out Chad Robertson's Tartine Bread, which opens up with a basic recipe for the acclaimed Tartine Country bread. After the basic recipe is explained, (nice! we like explanations!) Chad then shows how variations from this master recipe lead to wonderfully diverse breads. You can see Mr. Robertson's passion for bread here: and that when it comes to bread, all good things come to those who wait...for it.

Tartine Bread from 4SP Films on Vimeo.

Check out Tartine here: YUM

 

Postcards from Paris: {At the Market: familiarity in faces}

Portraits are my favorite. I suppose they can be placed under the activity category of people-watching.
Except I don't feel rude about staring.

So much can be assumed about a person just by looking at their face, and looking at a face who lived a completely different life than mine, during a period before the means of internet acces is all the more intriguing. Being back I felt comfort in seeing the faces who have remained since I left, more notably, the portraits hanging in the glass-paned dividers sectioning off the coffee bar. The familiarity found in their unknown faces was almost as comforting as seeing the regulars coming in to order their usuals.
I've taken many breaks sitting at that cafe table. Sometimes sipping on a rose seltzer or a coconut-spiked hot cocoa, whatever the weather permitted, I often found myself amused by the untouched expressions and up-kept apparel considering all the time that has past.
Along with the old, I've been getting to know some new faces around the shop that offer a similar sense from a time past. The collection of black and white photographs downstairs have a vague eeriness. Their faces seem slightly uncomfortable as they wait for the picture to be processed. There's more mystery in some photographs than in others. Some a bit more stoic, and some have managed to capture a smile.
All the same, they convey a curiosity that never ceases to fascinate me.

Bisous,
Reba