Friday, March 11, 2011

Grumpy? Don't be! A solution to bad mood problems!

Are you grumpy? Do your husband, wife, partner, kids, pets look like grumposauruses in the morning... or any time really? Fear the grumpiness no more, your problem has a solution: The Bad Mood Monster is for you to adopt!
Miss Tang and Bossy Betsy - Bad Mood Monsters
The Bad Mood Monsters are my contribution to the plush monster world.
They are all different with different colors and personalities but they do have one thing in common: they FEED on people's bad mood!!!! 
Yep, those big white teeth can chew through any of your peeps' worse moods! Now that can come in quite handy in your household.... especially if you have little rugrats running around the house, but it works for the grown ups too... you know, before you get the coffee working in the morning or at the end of a long day... 
I always have a couple at the ready around the house. It definitely helps with my toddler and it is often a life saver for me too ;)
So STOP the GRUMPINESS in your life! Say NO to bad moods! Adopt a Bad Mood Monster now!
Bartholomew and Bertina - Bad Mood Monsters 
(cotton candy by the talented Becky from Scrumptious Delight)
Barnaby and Neon Bob - Bad Mood Monsters
Bad Mood Monsters' union convention

Billy Jr. - Bad Mood Monster (that was my very first one!)

Have a good day now ;)
Hibou

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Les Belles Dentelles! Vintage lace treasure... from Le Bon Marche

As promised here are a few pictures of my box of vintage lace I got from my grandma back in France.
Some still have their tag from the famous department store in Paris called "Le Bon Marche" which has been considered as the world's first department store (started in 1838 in its first state and 1867 in its bigger version) and which was made famous by Emile Zola's 1883 novel "Au Bonheur des Dames".
The lots with the tags date from the 1900/1930's back when the store still had its fabric, ribbon, lace sections for making clothes.
Below are a few old pictures/postcards and advertisement illustrations related to Le Bon Marche.




The tag says: "Au Bon Marche - Comptoir des Dentelles", then you can see the price written in pencil and in French "ancien Francs". You can also see a little red sign in diagonal with the words "Prix Reduits" written, which means reduced prices.
I also have some "ready-made"lace collars that were meant to be attached to dresses. 
All this is pretty amazing and I will probably keep some of it intact and maybe even frame it for keepsake :) I hope you enjoyed my sharing this with you!





I just talked to my grandma (Paulette Montagner) who told me that some of the lace she gave me (among which are the ones with the tags from Le Bon Marche) come from her aunt whom I knew as "tante" Lucienne when I was little (tante = aunt in French). Tante Lucienne was the wife of my great grandma's brother and I was fortunate enough to have been able to see them every once in a while because they both lived to be very old! She was born in 1906 and lived in Paris where her dad, Mr. Cornet, worked at the famous Le Bon Marche, which is where those lace pieces come from.
I'm glad I got to talk to my grandma about this as these treasures take on an even more precious quality for me... it relates to my family's history!

Here is a bobbin that held some ribbon from Le Bon Marche too:


And since we're talking about old stuff here is a picture of my favorite pack of needles! I've been working with one of these since I pretty much started to do what I do :) I think the illustration is so cool.



I hope you enjoyed this!
Cheers,
Hibou