Blue Alice Little Pullip

Blue Alice Little Pullip, originally uploaded by confections.

In addition to being obsessed with Blythe dolls (12" and mini 4" ones), Little Pullips have caught my eye lately, too. This Little Pullip, Blue Alice, (about 5" tall) was one of the birthday gifts I gave my sister this year.

We took a trip to Los Angeles in February and found her at The Valley of the Dolls at their old location. She is quite charming. Here she is next to a folk painting that my sister found at a thrift store in July on our Colorado vacation.

My eight-year-old niece is a collector now, too. At last count, she has one 12" Blythe (Lounging Lovely ADG), one Petite Blythe (Little Miss Retro Mama), and at least one Little Pullip (Bohso).

I have a Little Pullip, too (Calfy) and my sister has Froggy. I'll have to organize an official photo shoot with her and her cousins and share them here.

Robin's Egg Blue Manual Typewriter by Remington

Robin's Egg Blue Manual Typewriter by Remington, originally uploaded by confections.

I found this beauty back in March at a local Salvation Army Thrift Store. She needs a bit of work (the platen seems to be stuck), but I'm sure I can get her back into working condition. The base of the typewriter forms the bottom of the carrying case.

There's nothing like an old writing machine like this to motivate me to continue editing my Great American Novel!

Vintage Handpainted Porcelain Salt & Pepper Shakers

Vintage Handpainted Porcelain Salt & Pepper Shakers, originally uploaded by confections.

I have a passion for handpainted porcelain, and these signed thrift-store salt and pepper shakers are bona fide treasures to add to my collection. The gentleman who waited on my sister and me had known the painter, Debbie Shattuck, who passed away a few years ago. These are dated 1952.

Other items painted by her had been donated to the shop, but these were the last of the lot. My sister got a set, too, and we feel lucky to have found them.

Parisian Souvenir

Parisian Souvenir, originally uploaded by confections.

Maybe it's the fact that Bastille Day (July 14th) just passed, or that I have discovered in the last year that I have some French (Mosellan) ancestry, but all things Parisian just keep popping up in my life these days.

I found this lovely Pillivuyt porcelain dish/ashtray in a thrift store a few weeks ago and it has a place of honor on my desk right now. I'm also reading the Memoirs of Madame Vigee Lebrun which is fascinating. You can read it online here. It's a great summer read and transports you to pre- and post-revolutionary France.

The Hotel George V is still operating as a Four Seasons in Paris. As an exchange student/traveler many years ago, I stayed on the Left Bank in the Rue Delambre at the Hotel des Bains. It wasn't the George V, but it had many charms.