My Life :: Parisian Treasures

I hope all of you have enjoyed this week's posts on all things Parisian.  Personally, I have loved being able to reminisce on the time I have spent in my favorite city in the world.  Traveling is my absolute favorite way to pick-up special treasures for my closet or the home.  I love seeing a piece and being reminded of the memory associated with it...I still sigh every time I spray my Diptyque and Le Labo perfumes as they bring back the magical experiences of buying them in Paris.  Today I wanted to share with you four of my most treasured goodies from my Parisian travels.

The first is my beloved Chanel brooch.  I have always loved Chanel and have thought about buying a brooch for years.  Last time I was in Paris I was at Le Bon Marché wandering through the Chanel boutique and came across a beautiful stone-encrusted brooch.  I tried it on and contemplated buying it for nearly an hour, but ultimately could not justify the purchase.  The whole day I thought about the brooch and how it would be something I could keep forever and even someday perhaps pass down to my daughter.  I contemplated walking back to the store at least five times but decided because I had over a month more of travel planned I just could not afford it.  Later that night in my flat while Skyping with Ryan I mentioned how much I loved the brooch.  He called me back the next morning and told me that since he was not able to be in Paris with me he wanted to buy it for me.  It was such a thoughtful gesture, and I feel so much joy every time I wear it on the collar of my coat, pinned to a tweed jacket, or fastened to a cashmere sweater...as looking at it always brings me right back to that magical fall day in Paris.  Thank you Ryan!

The last three were all flea market treasures I found with my mom.  The first are a set of four little purple glasses I got for an absolute steal {I believe they were less than $20 total}.  Although one is smaller than the rest, I think it makes them that much more charming.  They typically sit on our bar cart, but two weeks ago at Ryan's birthday party I found a friend using them as shot glasses.  Needless to say they were quickly washed out and stored for safe keeping :)

The next is a green glass bottle hand painted with tiny gold stars.  The seller told me it was used as a bedside water pitcher in the mid 1800's.  Typically I have this stored on my bookshelf amongst a jumble of books and treasures, but I'm always rearranging my odds and ends so who knows where it will end up next.

Lastly is another treasure that is very close to my heart...an antique barometer that my mom and I found together.  I remember we came across it and both thought it was one of the most interesting things we had seen.  The glass was shattered and we had no idea how we would fix it, but we loved it anyways.  The market was actually closing and the seller was packing up her booth so we had to decide which of us {if either} wanted to buy it.  It was very heavy and fairly expensive {especially considering that it was broken}, so neither of us could make up our minds, but at the last minute my mom decided to go ahead and buy it.  Of course, I spent the whole week regretting that I hadn't bought it and lamenting how perfect it would look at my house.  My only consolation was that it was really, really heavy and I wouldn't have to lug it around Europe with me.  So imagine my surprise when on Christmas morning I opened up a box with the exact same barometer, except with a brand new piece of glass, staring straight at me.  My sweet mom once again surprised me {and I must add, somehow managed to bring all of our heavy and incredibly fragile flea market finds home without a scratch} and to this day the barometer sits front and center in our living room. 

I know that wherever I go, my treasures from Paris will come with me, and I hope that one day I will have a home filled with meaningful pieces such as these that bring me so much happiness and joy.  Have a great weekend!