French Antiquing and Modern Technology

Because my home design and set design schedules get so crazy at times, I often can't just jump on a plane anymore to attend last-minute alerts of antique fairs/sales popping up throughout France.

But I only take on projects I love with clients I adore, so I have no complaints....(modern technology affords me this attitude, I can not lie!!)

As an antique dealer I'm often invited to "private" estate sales throughout the beautiful French countryside which, to no big surprise, are my most favorite of treasure-hunting expeditions!! Thank goodness for my two trusty ROCKS --one of whom lives in Marseille and another right outside Paris. They are amazing assets to Vintageweave.

With technology the way that it is and my being a gadget freak, it's so easy to get up at 2am...
make a pot of coffee...
light a few candles to set the "tone and mood" (if you've been to the boutique you know I'm all about the ambiance 24/7. I like lit votives even at a breakfast table)...
slip on a pair of comfy slipper socks...
fire up the Mac....
and go shopping! My ROCKS, coupled with their state-of-the-art cell phones, walk the antique sales, snapping, texting, snapping, texting...

Many dealers/business owners have "pickers", those folks who buy on their behalf because they feel they know the preferred style/era etc. This could never be for me. Instead, I have "alerters", dealers/private parties who alert me when they have something they feel I will like, but never ever buy on my behalf.

My needs change, my clients' needs change and let's face it, I'm a self-confessed control freak ---hmm, isn't this a core trait of an entrepreneur???---so I do 100% of my own buying. Yes, that's 100%. (If you've been to the boutique you will know what a job this is) For my business needs, investing in these phones for my ROCKS was a no brainer. It is a way of getting me to these fairs while accomplishing all my other lofty goals in any given week. As much as I love the past, I LOVE MODERN TECHNOLOGY! Juxtaposition: I'm walkin' it, I'm talkin it.



Usually it's big pieces I'm purchasing, but in the wee hours one morning I set the alarm for 1am, got up, made a pot of coffee with warmed vanilla soy milk, spread some fig jam on my toast, lit a Mariage Freres Rouge candle, jumped online and WENT SHOPPING!....Pascale sent photo after photo of delicious finds and I'd give thumbs up or down while he walked the fair. It was an intimate estate sale full of wonderful smalls which left me drooling. His camera phone took some of the photos and others were on his 35mm, and still others of the goods as they were unpacked here in the States...



Some of the items arrived today...So now you can drool, too!


Flower/coal carriers from the early 1900's....Enamel Coffee Biggins....



Lots of mini bibles and books...


And my most favorite....fifty-five antique French lunch pails from the early 1900's!$48/ea


None of these are yet online but contact us via email if interested: vintageweave@aol.com.

Ohhhh, who am I kidding?? Control freak, clients' needs, blah, blah, blah...none of that amounts to the REAL reason I do 100% of the buying: I LOVE SHOPPING.

To quote my dear friend J.....
....... "I LOVE SHOPPING. I WANT TO MARRY SHOPPING".