My Top 3 Fav Brocantes in Paris!

Dear Diva Readers,

top: 5px; float: left; color: white; background: #781300; border: 1px solid darkkhaki; font-size: 100px; line-height: 90px; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 5px; font-family: times;”>Each fall and spring you hear me wax on about the famed Foire Nationale à la Brocante et au Jambon in the Parisian suburb of ile de Chatou, but I fear I’ve been neglecting my duties.  While I love the National Fair of the Flea Market and Ham, I have 2 other Parisian brocantes – traveling flea markets – that also get my blood pumping with the same degree of diva fever – and you’re in luck, they’re on soon in Paris! 

Top 3 Paris Brocantes:
1) Foire Nationale à la Brocante et aux Jambon (next dates 23 Sep-2 Oct 2011)

2) Antiquities Brocante at Place de Bastille (THIS WEEK May 19-29, 2011 and Nov 4-13, 2011)

3) Antiquities Brocante at St Sulpice (Next Month: June 8-19, 2011)

That’s right – one of my all time favorite markets is on RIGHT NOW in PARIS – The Antiquities Brocante at Place de Bastille is THIS WEEK May 19-29, 2011! If you’re in the city of light, you’d best get shopping!!!  To find out all the diva details read my column “tory/ask-antiques-diva-salon-des-antiquities-de-bastill/” target=”_blank”>Ask The Antiques Diva” in the Bonjour Paris newsletter to find out what sorts of treasures you’ll find at the 480+ vendors selling at this fair!

And should you miss this event, have no fear! Mark your calendar for the fall when the fair is back again this Nov 4-13, 2011! 

And speaking of marking your calendar, next month on one of the chicest squares in town – the Place St Sulpice (of Da Vinci Code fame) –  there will be a smaller but oh-so-lovely flea market fair with about 110 vendors selling perfect pieces from Paris from June 8-19th.  An antique dealer friend (who shall remain nameless lest I give all his secrets away) swears by this fair as his source for the best items in his store – plus, he claims that he’s rubbed shoulders on more than one occasion with the squares most famous resident, Madame Catherine Deneuve, whose penthouse apartment overlooks the fair!
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Now readers, I have one question for you – Do you have any favorite Brocantes in Paris?? If so, share the details!!!

Bonne Shopping!

The Antiques Diva®

Where in the World is The Antiques Diva®?

Dear Diva Readers,

top: 5px; float: left; color: white; background: #781300; border: 1px solid darkkhaki; font-size: 100px; line-height: 90px; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 5px; font-family: times;”>Since returning from my month-long sojourn in America for the Christmas holidays, the New Year has started off with a bang! We’re only into the end of our 2nd month and I’ve already traipsed thrice across Europe, dashing to Amsterdam, Den Haag, Antwerp , Brussels and Paris. Sometimes I don’t know whether I’m coming or going and whether to say Bonjour, Goedemorgen or Guten Tag!


Meanwhile as I’m on the road, The Antiques Diva & Co keeps appearing in different places around the world wide web! First it was a mention in tours-122004 “>Apartment Therapy’s article on French Shopping Vacations and Tours followed shortly thereafter by a few of my articles appearing in the Bonjour Paris newsletter.

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tory/going-going-gone-lhotel-drouot/”>Going Going Gone was about the Paris auction house Hotel Drouot while last month’s Bonjour Paris column tory/ask-antiques-diva-salon-des-antiquities-de-bastill/ “>Ask The Antiques Diva® shared details on the Salon des Antiquities de Bastille in Paris. And while I’m on the subject of Bonjour Paris, I must say I was delighted to be invited recently to attend a champagne cocktail hour chez Karen Fawcett, the Editor of Bonjour Paris. During that event I was delighted to meet Lisa Buros-Hutchins, the effervescent founder of Your Paris Experience!

Saxon Henry - Roaming by Design

Meanwhile, I was honored to spend a weekend in Paris with social media maven and journalist Saxon Henry. While we were out and about in Paris she posted about our wanderings on Roaming by Design, telling details of our meeting with passemeterie-artisan tory/ask-antiques-diva-salon-des-antiquities-de-bastill/”>Remy Lemoine whose work graces the interiors of some of the world’s top designers. When Saxon & I weren’t gallivanting about, we took some much-needed down time in the city of light and one of our favorite nights in Paris occurred when I decided to don an apron and whip us up a 5 course dinner!

On top of all of this, I was delighted that the Italian Luxury Linen company blog Belvivere did a feature on The Antiques Diva & Co! Mrs. Conti had me blushing like a bride over the praise she lavished on our European Shopping Tours and the inventory in our Online Store.

Speaking of online stores, the Belvivere linen shop is divine and a visit to CEO Jay C Conti’s website is a wonderful lesson in linen. Recently I was honored to be asked to write a testimonial for Conti’s upcoming book, “The Luxury Bedding Makeover System -A Step-by-Step Workbook To Dress Up a Beautiful Bed & Revamp Your Bedroom Décor”, which unravels the mystery of thread count, teaches the language of linen & deciphers quality in bedroom decor.

Andrea Martin - Expat Women.com

While that covers Europe, I was surprised to get a note from a contact on LinkedIn who had heard Andrea Martin of Expat Women.com speak on women entrepreneurs. My contact Jeannine wrote,

“I went to a talk in Singapore about owning your own business and the speaker used you – The Antiques Diva – as an example. I was like “Wow!, I know her”…. I’ll never forget going to your beautiful home in Amsterdam. It was so well decorated and all of the food and every detail was just right. I’m sure your business must be great if you put as much love into your business as you do your home.”

Love indeed – my company The Antiques Diva & Co continues to grow out of passion for what I do! If you want to follow my day-to-day, make sure to become a fan on The Antiques Diva & Co Facebook page or follow my tweets on Twitter!

Until next time,

The Antiques Diva®

Photo credit below:  Angelica Arbulu Photography

Antiques Diva Podcast: Parlez-Vous Français? and Other Humilities

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top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>Living life in a foreign language can turn the most articulate in their native tongue into bumbling idiots abroad. In this podcast, originally written tory/parlez-vous-francais-and-other-humilities/”>as an article for Bonjour Paris, I explore a host of humiliations as I confess why I will likely never be fluent in any foreign language.

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To Read the Article, tory/parlez-vous-francais-and-other-humilities/”>visit the Bonjour Paris website!

Until next time,

The Antiques Diva™

Bonjour Paris – Ask The Antiques Diva™

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top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>Planning your next trip to Paris? Want to visit great flea markets while abroad? You can now pose your questions to “Bonjour Paris” with their new feature “tory/ask-antiques-diva/” target=”_blank”>Ask The Antiques Diva™—the Bonjour Paris In-House Antiques Expert”. Read this month’s special feature, where I give advice on attending Maison et Objet, visiting the Grande Braderie de Lille and reveal my secret source for finding flea markets in France!

Read The Article tory/ask-antiques-diva/” target=”_blank”>Here!

Until Next Time,

The Antiques Diva™

Photo Credits:
Photographer: Angelica Arbulu Photography
Location: Neeltje Twiss Art, Antiques and Interiors

Bonjour Paris – The 3 Kings and Their Influence on French Décor

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top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>”If France is the sun, then antique shoppers are the world and our buying patterns revolve around French finery as if one of the Louis cast a spell to magnetically pull all generations towards the treasures of La République! But have you ever wondered how to tell Louis XIV from Louis XVI and why Louis XV is perhaps the most reproduced style in the world? In spite of the fact that these three kings were the ruin of the French monarchy, Louis-cubed did something right. Their pursuit of gracious living and 150-year-long contribution to the arts is the greatest influence ever made on the world of design….”

Read the rest of this article at tory/three-kings-and-their-influence-french-decor/” target=”_blank”>Bonjour Paris Newsletter – The Definitive Guide to Paris!

to 10px; WIDTH: 192px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 128px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S9GQTpzMGhI/AAAAAAAAEoM/9VaBuyNuAYg/s400/BonjourParis+Logo.JPG” border=”0″ />Until Next Time,

The Antiques Diva™

Photo Credits:
Photographer: Angelica Arbulu Photography
Location: Neeltje Twiss Art, Antiques and Interiors