One Minute Diva: Easter Flea Market in Paris

to 10px; width: 277px; cursor: hand; height: 400px; text-align: center;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S55Gu26ww6I/AAAAAAAAEaM/ZWcvMyc8_zY/s400/affiche+aligre.jpg” alt=”Easter Flea Market in Paris” width=”277″ height=”400″ border=”0″ />top: 2px; padding-right: 5px; font-family: times;”>If you’re looking for something to do in Paris on Monday, April 5 when the rest of the city is closed for the Easter holiday, the vendors at the Place d’ Aligre have provided a flea market outing to fill the shopping gap. This is the 4th year running that this brocante has been held on the Place d’Aligre – a square more known for its lively North African-influenced market each weekday (except Monday), selling everything from old gramophone players to odd bits of crockery alongside fromageries and charcuteries.
to 10px; width: 400px; cursor: hand; height: 300px; text-align: center;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kcTb8DnPVW4/S55GvCShk6I/AAAAAAAAEaU/OgjE–rX_xk/s400/2007+03+14+-+Place+d%27Aligre+(12).jpg” alt=”Easter Flea Market in Paris” width=”400″ height=”300″ border=”0″ />As the neighborhood can be a tad rough I wouldn’t recommend wearing your best Easter dress to this locale… instead dress casual and as always when attending flea markets, watch for pick-pockets in the crowds when scoring big-time bargains on bric-a-bracs, antiques and collectibles!

When: Monday, April 5 2010

Time: 8am-6pm

Where: Place d’Aligre near Metro: Ledru-Rollin

What: 100 vendors selling antiques, collectibles and bric-a-brac

Bonne Shopping!

The Antiques Diva ™

One Minute Diva – Del Mar, California

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top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>My friend Kelli at A Rendez Vous with Style wrote a diva-worthy blog this week on shopping at the chic and arty shops in Del Mar, California. My favorite among her selections was a sneak peek into a boutique called Bon Bon. Bon Bon offers an array of delightful comforts for your home including luxurious linens from Bella Notte, House Inc., and My Blankee. They have plump down-filled sofas and chairs, custom draperies and a fabulous selection of vintage chandeliers and custom lighting, not to mention oodles of statuary and iron garden elements! To read more diva-worthy shopping tips on the best boutiques in and around Del Mar, California, visit Kelli’s blog today!

The Antiques Diva™

One Minute Diva – Spiegelkwartier Open House

top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>Antiquing Diva’s with time on their hands this weekend, September 13 & 14, 2008, should head to Amsterdam for the Spiegelkwartier Open House for a fun weekend full of antiques, free drinks and fun, plus opportunities to chat candidly with the dealers.

The antiquairs and galleries show their latest acquisitions and have special exhibitions Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon – 5pm. Jaski Art Gallery at Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 29 will be doing a special exhibition with work of Cole Morgan while the Galerie Lieve Hemel at # 3 is bringing in Paul Pallandt to hammer silver bowls, etc and make excellent decorative creations before your very eyes! Meanwhile, Sculptor Angelo Moyano will be hard at work at tonline.nl/vecht/catalogkeuze.cfm” target=”_blank”>Kunstzalen A. Vecht Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 40. Perhaps one of the more unusal exhibits will be at Thom & Lenny Nelis, Keizersgracht 541, where they are presenting a special exhibit of antique veterinarian objects.

Enjoy!

The Antiques Diva™

One Minute Diva – Winetini

THE ANTIQUES DIVA™ TOURS – CLOSED FOR ANNUAL VACATION DURING AUGUST – REOPENS SEPTEMBER While my tour guides are taking a much needed holiday and I’m away for the month of August sipping champagne at sunset on a Mediterranean Cruise (after taking a driving tour of Italy), I haven’t forgotten you, my loyal readers, in my absence. August 2008 you’ll enjoy a multitude of guest blogs, pre-posted light blogs and miscellaneous reader questions. Don’t worry, I’ll be back with more great addresses and shopping tips this fall! All email inquiries or posted comments will be responded to come September!

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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;”>Leave it to La Reine & Lady Lotus to tell me about a new thing that is all the rage in the
States — Winetini Hors D’oeuvre Plates.

You take your favorite champagne or wine bottle – perhaps a special bottle from your wedding or anniversary – and have it flattened into a fun & functional tray to serve hors d’oeuvres, cheese or petit fours! This is an excellent gift idea or a great way to make a memento of a special occasion. I’m trying to decide which would be more fun — a Winetini Tray with my Riga’s Finest label (from a bottle purchased while on holiday in Latvia a few years ago) or perhaps that fancy gold Bohemian Champagne label stripped off one of the many bottles we lugged home from the Czech Republic last year?

Whichever bottle I choose, it’s certain to be a conversation starter at my next cocktail party.

Bottoms Up!

The Antiques Diva™

One Minute Diva – Puttin’ on the Ritz

Bonjour Mes Amies,

top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>Just back from Paris after a mad overnight dash into the city of light to visit the Sotheby’s Important Meuble sale, and returned home to Holland to discover a wonderful tip on the Chic Shopping Paris blog. For years, I’ve sat in on to.asp?id_target=1911&id_lang=2″ target=”_blank”>cooking classes at The Ritz Escoffier, but I’ve just discovered that The Ritz also offers floral arranging courses!

Rebecca, at Chic Shopping Paris writes:

“If you’ve ever wondered how to make one of the gorgeous floral arrangements that grace the ‘palace’ hotels here in Paris, this is your chance. The Ritz Paris is partnering up with its floral decorator, Djordje Varda, to offer flower arranging lessons. from 11am to 1pm on Saturday, April 12, 26, or May 10, 24, you too can try your hand at l’art florale. 200 euros a course; call +33.1.43.16.30.50 to sign up.”

Bonne Chance!

The Antiques Diva™

One Minute Diva – An Hermès Extra

Extra, Extra! Read all about it!

top:2px;padding-right:5px;font-family:times;”>With all this HermèsTalk in last week’s blog, I couldn’t help but add my 2 cents — although, as we are discussing luxury goods, perhaps I should add a bit of inflation to cover the cost of my ponderings. My personal policy is to never buy new when I can buy vintage. Thus, last weekend in Paris when I was looking for a “new” red scarf, I found myself inside Les 3 Marches de Catherine B – a chic shop in St German des Pres specialising in vintage Hermès & Chanel.

Whether you want a Birkin or a to-buy-an-AUTHENTIC-Hermes-Birkin-or-Kelly-Bag_W0QQugidZ10000000000110367″ target=”_blank”>Kelly, a Coco-suitable suit, gloves straight off Mademoiselle herself or silver champagne cocktail stirring sticks marked with a classic Hermès “H”, these 2 tiny stores located right next door to one another are the place to find exactly what you’re looking for.

While it’s certainly more fun to go to Paris and shop in person, armchair travellers can now become armchair shoppers. Internet shopping with worldwide shipping is available so you won’t have to wait until your next Parisian trip to peruse the French finery at Les 3 Marche de Catherine B. And if you’ve a Chanel or Hermès accessory lingering unworn in your own wardrobe, you can also talk to Catherine B about selling your own high-end inventory. Unlike most sales-room policies, “Les Marche” pays cold hard cash to private clients and vendors – giving her an edge on capturing the best vintage inventory around the globe.

Les Trois Marche de Catherine B
1 & 3 Rue Guisarde
75006 Paris
Metro: Mabillion
Open Monday to Saturday 10am – 7:30pm

From my address book to yours…

The Antiques Diva™