Diva-scovery: Rugen Island

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnXrsx7XhI/AAAAAAAAE-s/s_U7ps6epWI/s400/Sellin+Sea+Bridge.JPG” border=”0″ />Dear Diva Readers,

top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>For my husband’s birthday in May we decided we needed to “get away from it all” but unfortunately we were both swamped with work at the time, barely having time to breath, and we simply couldn’t manage more than a weekend away. Looking for someplace nearby our home in Germany we googled the phrase “2 ½ hours from Berlin” and were intrigued by Rugen Island! Friday evening we hopped in the car and began driving north to our destination and by the time we returned home Sunday we felt we’d been gone a week. Two days on Rugen Island was just what the doctor ordered!

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVnuGbcGI/AAAAAAAAE-U/bHzjXwD30Ks/s400/The+Wine+Guy.JPG” border=”0″ />to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVn81oOwI/AAAAAAAAE-c/8BCAt2jGcZU/s400/Toma+Haines.JPG” border=”0″ />I must confess that though I’ve visited the beaches in Poland, Latvia and Estonia and been pleasantly surprised by the Baltic Beaches, I still had low expectations of the German Islands. Somehow Germany doesn’t make one think of Caribbean getaways, but we were swept away by a gorgeous weekend away in what is now our favorite place in Germany outside of Berlin! And with the sand in our toes we decided we actually liked Rugen better than the Caribbean because their boardwalks bore European shopping!

to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVLGN5GNI/AAAAAAAAE9U/IeY1SFxUkuY/s400/132.JPG” border=”0″ />Naturally, with my nose for scouting out antique shops, I found a little shop not far from the beach!

In Germany, the beaches are beautifully maintained. Part of local beach culture involves renting not a lawn-chair and umbrella nor simply bringing your own towel to lay on, but instead renting a seat for the day in a “Strandkorb” – a roofed wicker beach chair.

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVL4dz4pI/AAAAAAAAE9k/E8YQR1TAxMs/s400/Rugen+Island.JPG” border=”0″ />The Strandkorbs were gorgeous as they lined the beach and I’ve started trying to determine if I could fit one of these on my balcony! At the very least, I think I must buy one as my souvenir before we move from Germany to our next home abroad!

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVnM_4hUI/AAAAAAAAE-E/dXdX06zcaHI/s400/Rugen+Island+Antiques+Diva.JPG” border=”0″ />In addition to the German beach chairs, I loved the Life Guard Stands which looked like something out of a science fiction movie!

to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVMQqtI0I/AAAAAAAAE90/48JX1LBXxeM/s400/Rugen+Island+4.JPG” border=”0″ />to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVLrQeQWI/AAAAAAAAE9c/0dXzscssnDY/s400/176.JPG” border=”0″ />Dining in Rugen Island was a fish revelation! We walked to the port and bought our lunch straight from the boat.

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVMGhNSmI/AAAAAAAAE9s/3Exa8UdlsvQ/s400/Rugen+Island+3.JPG” border=”0″ />In addition to a sensational beach, the architecture was intriguing.

to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVnHo771I/AAAAAAAAE-M/S3weWSRKASE/s400/Rugen+Island+Germany.JPG” border=”0″ />This building reminded me of the German-equivalent to South Beach, but most of the architecture had a more German feel.

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TDnVmUtEVWI/AAAAAAAAE98/Hf8TKZ3bAjU/s400/Rugen+Island+(2).JPG” border=”0″ />All in all, it was the perfect weekend away, warranting this secluded spot in the Baltics as my Diva-scovery de Jour!

Until Next Time, Happy Reading!

The Antiques Diva™

Makeshift Headboards

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House Beautiful July/August 2010
Photograph by Roger Davies

Dear Diva Readers,

top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>In the July/August 2010 House Beautiful I was absolutely smitten with the Baroque Cartouche Repurposed Head Board used by interior designers Marshall Watson & Jeffrey Kilmer in their client’s Salt Lake City guest house. Smitten with the idea of repurposing items for headboards, I had two items found recently on Antiques Diva Tours in Amsterdam and Antwerp spring to mind.

to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TE5_BB9BETI/AAAAAAAAFAk/e-JteZ9vYpY/s400/061.JPG” border=”0″ />In Amsterdam’s Spiegelkwartier, this wooden embellishment from a ship in Holland would be positively dreamy. My husband and I have this metaphor for our marriage saying he is the captain of our ship – getting us where we want to go – but I’m the cruise director – ensuring that we stop and take plenty of excursions so it seems the ideal headboard for our master bedroom! When I first saw this piece I thought it was the back of a carriage like the piece we found in Antwerp on a Diva Tour.

to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TE5_rDmsvTI/AAAAAAAAFBU/GIS-AmKVS9U/s400/124.JPG” border=”0″ />I’ve had my eye on this piece in the International Antiques Centre in Antwerp for months… This shop ran by an American living abroad is positively palatial, containing over 4000 square feet of international antiques in a 16th C converted warehouse.

to 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TE6A7Ras4lI/AAAAAAAAFBc/ajUwNsejwhg/s400/Picture1.jpg” border=”0″ />For years I’ve been smitten by the idea of repurposing headboards, and have often thought a garden gate would be ideal. In this Chicago Home and Garden magazines spread, the interior designer Kramer Design used a 75 year old balcony railing to accomplish the desired mood.

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/TE5_CZTN25I/AAAAAAAAFA8/WeHLmUtpNeM/s400/Diva_Bedroom.JPG” border=”0″ />In my own bedroom, I’ve recovered a folding screen and antiqued the paper using a paint-technique and use it as my make-shift headboard. With all this bedroom talk, I’m feeling a little sleepy. So for now, it’s off to bed!

The Antiques Diva™
(Seen Right at Le Grand Hotel Intercontinental Paris)

50 Best Blogs for the Avid Antiquer

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top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>If you enjoy my blog, then you need to know about this great list of “tography-colleges.org/50-best-blogs-for-the-avid-antiquer/”>50 Best Blogs for the Avid Antiquer” In addition to featuring The Antiques Diva™ blog, the list includes some of my favorite sources including The Elegant Thrifter and Pamela’s Antiques Blog. The list starts out with an explanation, “Whether you’re hunting for a killer mid-century lamp, Victorian knick knacks or old photographs, antiquing can be a fun and often inexpensive way to build a collection and spend an afternoon. For those looking to do a little research before they head out, blogs can be a great resource for learning about new ways to use items, what’s valuable and what’s not and discover the tricks the pros use. Here are 50 blogs to help you build your antiquing knowledge.”

Check out “tography-colleges.org/50-best-blogs-for-the-avid-antiquer/”>50 Best Blogs for the Avid Antiquer”!

Happy Reading,

The Antiques Diva™

Ask The Antiques Diva™ – Bonjour Paris

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top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>Each month I write a column for Bonjour Paris Newsletter titled “Ask The Antiques Diva™”. In this month’s column a Parisian party planner takes time off from the hectic world of weddings to plan her own vacation in the Paris of the East. I dish out advice, giving her best bets for buying antiques in Budapest. From the Ecseri Flea Market to Falk Miksa utca, I explain why I think Budapest is called the Paris of the East!

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Until next time, Happy Reading!

The Antiques Diva™

In The Press and Around the Blogosphere

Dear Diva Readers,

top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>I feel like bursting into song, “Thanks for the memories….” Wait – make that “Thanks for the mentions…”! I’ve been overwhelmed these last 2 weeks by mentions In the Press and Around the Blogosphere! It started a few weekends ago when I was floating thru Rugen Island with my husband and felt a little vibration in my pocket. Google alert was buzzing on my Blackberry to let me know that I’d been featured in the quarterly print and digital magazine Fearless Woman Magazine – a publication committed to spotlighting successful women and giving valuable learning lessons to women currently defining and exploring their career paths.

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 84px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S_FA92AZ7RI/AAAAAAAAEw4/VNAVL3wI_y8/s400/fearless+woman.png” border=”0″ />The article – titled “Be A Reinvention Queen” – shared some background on how I shed my traditional career in advertising when I moved overseas and used my time abroad as the perfect opportunity to pursue my ideas and passions – even though it took me a while to decipher what these really were! Special thanks to author Andrea Martin of Expat Women.com for including me in her article for this new publication! In fact, I need to give Andrea Martin a round of applause and a huge Merci for she also included me this week in a series of 7 articles written for Expatica on 10 Tips for Expat Women in Switzerland!

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 99px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S_FA-Uq4PkI/AAAAAAAAExI/DVcJd6D5Odo/s400/lisa+porter+colelction.jpg” border=”0″ />As if that doesn’t have me smiling from ear to ear, I must tell you I was delighted that Lisa Porter of The Lisa Porter Collection was the very first blogger to include my new online brocante “Treasures” by The Antiques Diva™ as a link on her site in the section: “Inspiring New Places to Land.” Lisa must quite possibly be the most popular blogger in the blogosphere for I have so many hits coming from her site that I thought perhaps my stat-counter had gone haywire! Ms Lisa Porter is a lady to know and be known by. Huge thanks for sharing the info on my new venture, Lisa! For those of you who are not familiar with Lisa’s blog, you must add it to your Must Read List!

to 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 115px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S_FBPkqY3sI/AAAAAAAAExY/M7p79KP6yH8/s400/shes+shopping+now+2.png” border=”0″ />to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 83px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S_FA-sByRZI/AAAAAAAAExQ/Nk-RCHbgwZs/s400/shes+shopping+now.jpg” border=”0″ />Speaking of special thanks, I was delighted that She’s Shopping Now featured my online brocante “Treasures” by The Antiques Diva™ in her recent Places to Shop for Mother’s Day Presents! Hint, hint people – our Mantique Collection (perfect for Father’s Day) is current being uploaded four times a week so keep popping over to the “Treasures” site for more online antique and vintage shopping opportunities! The author of the sensational blog She’s Shopping Now has been an off-and-on-long-term guest blogger here at The Antiques Diva site and is a bonne amie. I’m certain she gives quite possibly the best shopping advice world-wide!

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 208px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S_FA-Ex_IMI/AAAAAAAAExA/s7Xb7OJju7w/s400/la+mom+blog.jpg” border=”0″ />Also, while I’m dolling out the thanks, I want to say Merci to La Mom blog – Tales of an American Mom Living in Paris – for including my online brocante in a recent blog post as well! Have you ever wondered what living in Paris is really like? What the tourists don’t see? Through La Mom’s blog you can get a glimpse into life in the most beautiful city on earth! See Paris like you’ve never seen it before!

Add these great bloggers and this new magazine to you reading list!!!

Thanks for the Memories!

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

The March Inspirer

to 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 230px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S5zCsgTa_NI/AAAAAAAAEZE/Vlv8CsNGmYo/s400/extra-extra-paper.jpg” border=”0″ />Dear Diva Readers,

top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>Just last week, Creative Consultant Jo Parfitt mentioned me in her Newsletter – The Inspirer – where she writes about making your “writing dreams come true”. In an article titled “to-avoid-them/” target=”_blank”>Rocky Roads and How to Avoid Them”, Jo shares how following your intuition will lead to achieving your goals.

Jo Parfitt and her team of Book Cooks help new and established writers make their writing dreams come true. Their services begin with home study programs and/or live workshops and move on to editing, proof reading, mentoring, design and publishing. If you want to create a compelling blog or newsletter, write a better diary, turn your memories into a memoir, or write a book, see it published and for sale worldwide, with Jo right by your side you can make it happen. With 26 books beneath her belt, hundreds of articles, many hundreds of inspired students and tens of published authors to her credit, Jo’s talent for seeing the big picture and inspiring and empowering all those who meet her means that she can help you, too, make your writing dreams come true.

Special Thank You to Jo for mentioning The Antiques Diva™ in The March Inspirer!

Are you interested in writing your memoir? Watch this video clip of one of Jo’s workshops!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDQAWjVWB24]

Be Inspired,

The Antiques Diva™
(seen right drinking liquid inspiration. Photo credit: Cristina Stoian – Criss Pix)

New York City Edition – “Dutch Art Now”

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top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>When I received the following email from tographs/Home.html” target=”_blank”>Eduard Planting Fine Art Photography in Amsterdam, I knew I had to share the details with NYC area readers – Dutch Art Now is taking a bite out of the Big Apple!

to 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center” alt=”” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S4kS0mO1UDI/AAAAAAAAESA/YW7HCWhf5Hs/s320/eduard+planting.gif” border=”0″ />Eduard Planting writes:

If you happen to be in New York between 2 and 14 March, then please feel free to visit us at The National Arts Club and see the work of:

  • Reinier Gerritsen, from the “Wallstreet Subway” series
  • Diana Blok, from the “See through us” series
  • Igor Kruter, from the “Karakal Girls” series
  • Christopher Regis-Gludd, from the “Amsterdam” series
Dutch Art Now is an official concurrent art fair during the Armory Arts Week. An art show with a carefully chosen selection of art from either renowned or upcoming Dutch artists. For the second time this show is hosted in the distinguished National Arts Club. There will be 9 other galleries exhibiting as well.

The show will be opened officially by the Dutch Consul-General on Tuesday night, 2nd March – Please let Eduard Planting Fine Arts know if you’d like to be invited for that occasion!

For more information read: Going Dutch!

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Dutch Art Now:
Opening times & address:
March 3 – 14, 2010: 11AM – 5PM
National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park South
New York City

Tot Straks!

The Antiques Diva™

Open Door Days – Amsterdam – Johan de Feijter

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top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>Long-term Diva Readers will have heard me dish time and time again about the incredible “Secret Sale” – The Open Door Days at Johan de Feijter’s Amsterdam antiques shop! You’ll want to drop what you’re doing and clear your agenda to make this December’s sale in the Jordaan!

Sensational finds can be found two weekends this December 2009!
11 – 13 December, 2009
18 – 20 December, 2009

Where?
Johan de Feijter
Bloemgracht 58
Amsterdam

For a sneak peak at the fabulous French inventory available during these Open Door dates, check out these gorgeous pictures of Johan’s shop!

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While at Johan’s make sure when paying for your many purchases that you ask for directions to the nearby shops participating in the Open Door Days. Johan has some sensational addresses up his sleeve and he’s always happy to share his secrets!
As always, Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

The Antiques Diva™