{STIR UP ANGELIC TEA FOR TWO}

May I invite you for a TEA FOR TWO? Just thought you would like that... For the occasion I made some special handmade chocolates in the shape of an angel and a rose. Stirring up an angelic tea party!

Also I would like to show you this very special high end solid silver spoon by Giovanni Raspini, Italy. A very unique solid silver spoon with two angels, I want to share with you today. It would become a lovely heirloom piece for your family, if this spoon, with twin angels, is given in honor of a new born baby or any occasion involving LOVE. Like I said before, Giovanni Raspini makes High End Silver Gift items that are equal to the Tiffany & Co quality and style. I feel fortunate for being able to bring their unique boutique style items to the American, Canadian and world-wide public. See my Zen Cart powered Mariette's Back to Basics Boutique link, below this post.

From France I have this heavenly angelic tea doily. A vintage treasure done in filet lace needle embroidery on handmade netting.

Sold out...

The silver twin angels do have company... Filet lace doily with angels and roses and a beautiful French cross stitch embroidery on pure unbleached linen in tone-on-tone and framed by my most favorite home town Gallery +IROK galerie lijsten kunstuitleen FOTO ALBUM , in Horst aan de Maas, The Netherlands. They do a museum quality job and I will get back on that in a later blog, with more of their exceptional work. We're loyal customers for about three decades; even from the USA!

French Country

The Giovanni Raspini silver spoon is showcased together with my first wedding china from Germany, Mirabell White by Seltmann Weiden. 
Of course, even Replacements Ltd. does have some of its discontinued pieces!
The paper doilies are from Europe as you cannot find the 4" (10 cm) size pieces here... Everything is bigger in the USA.
Well, I must admit that we do live the Going GREEN way as those smaller pieces of China fit more items inside our dishwasher... great for the environment.

More angels on the solid silver napkin holder. 

You can also use it on a desk, for holding cards and letters! 

My passions are angels and roses and this is a nice way of showing that.

Sorry Sold out...

I TOLD you I love angels and roses and I even do EAT them alive... 

Are these hand made chocolates not divine? It is so much fun making them and even more fun to eat, as I use the 70% and higher special dark chocolate for making those. That is supposed to be good for your health as well! Will write more about that later... So much to do still! Subjects will be endless. But bit by bit you get to know what I'm doing...

French Country

Of course, I did search for the book with the beautiful TOI & MOI Angel embroidery. It is in French, but languages are no barrier for me, so I found it on the German Amazon and ordered it from there. 

As said before, this is the Museum Quality Gallery of Irok that does all our framing for three decades already. You can visit Ingrid's Irok Gallery blog below, she  also has a translator.

I like to make a mention here as to the fact that Irok also provides art work for the Hospice facility near our former home town. In that facility on July 22nd of 2010, Mrs. Dora Van den Bekerom passed away. She used to be the secretary of my husband Pieter, at the world's first and only Practical Training College about Mushroom Growing; the one he founded.

Therefore I like to name this blog in honor of her. She was a dear colleague to both of us, very loyal and she not once forgot a birthday. Since she went to heaven to re-unite with her husband who passed away of cancer in 1967 and is now living amongst angels; this will be quite appropriate for ending this blog...
Republished today.

Are you stirring up things with angels at your home?
Would love to know about it.

Related links:

+IROK galerie lijsten kunstuitleen FOTO ALBUM  IROK Gallery in HORST, The Netherlands

Mirabell White by Seltmann Weiden, Germany

{Victoria Magazine Sept - Oct 2012 and Toile DE JOUY}

Victoria Magazine, September/October 2012 arrived this week in the mail. I was delighted to discover some EXCELLENT writing about my FAVORITE FRENCH cotton and linen Toile DE JOUY. 

Several of my French Country Style Totes, Sachets and Bags, are made out of upscale French Toile  de Jouy. Either in all Cotton, or all Linen and some Vintage Toile. It is a rather complex procedure to create this stylish fabric. You will see below. First I like to show you some of my own collection that I do sell from my Zen Cart powered on line Boutique 'Mariette's Back to Basics'. Below this post you will find some links, also a link for the REAL French Toile de Jouy fabric per meter for € 88.00. YES, it is very expensive but you will learn why.

This is just part of the blue Toile de Jouy collection in an upscale decorator fabric. 

Available at my Zen Cart powered online Boutique: Mariette's Back to Basics

Angels and Roses...

Toile de Jouy originated from India. An exotic fabric...

That's right: once banned by King Louis XIV to protect the French fabric trade...

Lovely red Toile de Jouy...

THE HISTORY of TOILE

Retyped text on behalf of those other countries (from total 209) that can't read English, so they can use the translator.

Pardon my PASSION for Toile de Jouy...

Captivating storytellers, toile patterns have been adored the world over for their romantic imagery featuring flowers, fauna, and idyllic scenes of genteel country life. (Hence my French Country Style collection at my Boutique). 

The craze began quickly when the first printed cottons were imported from India to France in the sixteenth century. Lightweight and washable, these wildly colorful block-printed indiennes were met with an exuberant fervor that virtually paralyzed the French fabric industry. So imminent was this threat of competition that, in 1686, King Louis XIV commanded an embargo on the importation of all cottons and issued a decree to arrest anyone who violated the ban. Despite these deterrents, the quest continued to flourish in secret.

When the ban was lifted in 1759, the coveted printed cottons eventually rebounded from their scandalous beginnings, and French factories regrouped in hopes of fulfilling the demand themselves. Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf was one of the first to manufacture block-printed textiles in France alongside the crystalline river Bièvre in the town of Jouy-en-Josas; hence the expression toile de Jouy. It was only a matter of time before the industrious Oberkampf adapted the faster and more precise copperplate printing method, a technique already implemented  in both England and Ireland that produced sharper engravings with expertly rendered variations of shading and light. This process paved the way for commissioned artists to design extensive patterns depicting elaborate themes and historical events with detailed human subjects and complex scenery.

Not surprisingly, toile motifs continue to proliferate in the modern age with playful compositions such as the comic-strip-like Marquis de la Paillette. Created by fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, it portrays a cultural time line with jet planes, skyscrapers, and scenes from the eighteenth century. 

Hope you enjoyed this piece of history on the special Toile de Jouy fabric!

Below in my former post about {Angels and Seraphims - French Country Style} you also find lots of information and other links.

Do you own something made of authentic French cotton or linnen Toile de Jouy?

L'Arrêt Déco Toile de Jouy Fabric per meter at € 96.97

Victoria Magazine  showing Toile de Jouy

{Angels and Seraphims - French Country Style} items in Toile de Jouy

{French Country Style Toile de Jouy Seraphim Tote}

Just want to show you this special French Country Style Toile de Jouy Seraphim Tote. As usual, it is available at Spectrenoir on line ←click it. Have a look. Angels, Cherubs or Seraphim, whatever you want to call this.

Have a Great Day!

{Composition of pink roses and hydrangea on cloth}

A perfect French Country Style Composition Painting on Cloth. Lovely tableau with pink roses and hydrangea. This will adorn any room and create a French Basics Romantic Look. This is available at Spectrenoir on line.

{Romantic French Rose Wall Hanging}

Very beautiful small composition in collage and painting technique; unique romantic French rose wall hanging with a classical frame. Signed creation of a pink rose on foliage with little golden brush strokes that are not visible in this photo. On my Spectrenoir on line you can find this little treasure. 

Unique French Country Style gifts!

French Basics...

Sorry Sold Out...

~~0~~
Don't forget my Worldwide GIVEAWAY of Giovanni Raspini silver angel charm.
See details to the right of my blog, at the top!
GOOD LUCK ♥


Also I'd like to welcome all my new followers!

{7 More Romantic French Rose Boxes}

Okay, here comes the remainder of the romantic French Country Style Rose Art by Françoise Kiéné from France.

Soon it will be Valentine again and the Rose is the utmost symbol for pure ROMANCE...

These special French Rose items are available at Spectrenoir on line.

Don't forget my GIVEAWAY - that will be posted tomorrow!

Beautiful painted composition on wooden pencil box with sliding top. Done with touches of gold.

Signed by artist Françoise Kíéné.

See it on line at Spectrenoir, again for more info.

Sorry, Sold Out...

Wooden box with romantic roses by French artist Françoise Kiéné.

Look at Spectenoir on line for sizing and more.

Wooden Box with pink Roses on a pale blue background, done by French artist Françoise Kiéné.

See at Spectrenoir on line for more about it.

Dark wooden box with roses composition painted by French artist Françoise Kiéné. Some woodcarving on the lid and on outsides.

See it on line at Spectrenoir for full info.

Round wooden box with rose and violets by French artist Françoise.

View my on line Spectrenoir page for further info.

Hexagonal wooden box with roses on a pale blue background by French artist Françoise Kiéné.

See my on line Spectrenoir page for more info.

Three adorable wooden boxes with rose(s) composition painted on the lid by French artist Françoise Kiéné. For further information please see them on line at Spectrenoir.

The photos are made by Françoise and by me in our gazebo without a flash as the sun is providing already plenty of light.

{Romantic French Rose Boxes}

To my many loyal readers I finally want to introduce some very special and rare French Country Style gems, that I have put on my Spectrenoir for sale. Hope you will like them and the images that I will post here are to explain in more detail the beauty of those pieces. First of all let me introduce this artist friend to you. She is a lady about my age, who lives just outside of Paris in France. Her name is Françoise Kiéné and she does sign all of her work with her initials FK in a very discrete way. You almost have to look for it with a magnifier!

But she does a quite remarkable job; judge for yourself!

Don't forget my GIVEAWAY that is coming soon...

This is a lovely, larger box made out of wood with boiled carton in a rich burgundy color. An exceptional old box and you can see it here at Spectrenoir.

Great French Country Style Gifts!

Sorry, SOLD OUT...

Unique painted composition of roses on raw wood; LIME. See it on line at Spectrenoir for description of the piece.

Sorry, SOLD OUT...

Wooden Box with Yellow Roses 6½" in diameter. See the description again at Spectrenoir by scrolling down.

Romantic Arched Wooden Chest with Roses. Read for more info on line at Spectrenoir.

Sorry Sold Out...

Shown here is a lovely Round Wooden Box with Pink Roses Painted Composition on lid and also on the sides. See my corresponding info from link above, for details.

Wooden Box with Roses and Forget-me-nots composition, also painted on all four sides. See it in detail at Spectrenoir.

Sorry Sold out...

See my on line info from link above...

This is a lovely round Chocolate or Bon-bon tin that Françoise neatly painted over with a roses composition. For more detail see my Spectrenoir listings.

This is a Jewelry box made of small bamboo and composition painted by Françoise. See it on line at Spectrenoir for more detail.

Great French Basics Gifts!

My GIVEAWAY is soon to follow...