I love eBay and here’s a round about reason of explaining why because I’m feeling rather chatty (or you can say long winded) today. Okay, so I hit the farmers’ market in our square today and grabbed all these flowers for 5- Euros (about $7 USD) and a most beautiful loaf of bio bread for the apple preserves that my cousin handmade for us yesterday, fresh from the tree in her garden. And so, I went home to arrange the flowers and to present this bread to my husband to enjoy the apple preserves with — and what arrived as I was busy preparing lunch?
A box from the Netherlands, from Danielle who recently put a lot of her vintage German vases on eBay. Well this is the vase I won and I absolutely love it. To. Die. For. Right? Thankfully no one had to die for it though so all is well there… Want to see? Sure you do…
I plan to put wooden spoons and kitchen utensils inside of it and place it next to my stove. Won’t it be a nice addition to the kitchen? I think so… Although the intended purpose is most likely for flowers or to display with nothing at all inside, but I see this vase and think of rustic wooden spoons… perhaps Turkish ones?
And this is the next delivery I’m expecting from Danielle, as she just stocked these crocheted pouffes in her shop, Le Souk, and it will go just perfectly in my bedroom. I’ve been having a nice time setting up house, as you can tell.
But back to the vase… I cannot stop looking at it, I love it so! I’m delighted that Miss Danielle put her things on eBay, I’m such a fan of her style and that site but even more when I win things that I really, really want. Have you scored any good finds lately? Tell me about them, I love knowing what you find that makes you giddy and long winded, too. :)
Now I think I’ll go have some of the apple preserves again – this post made me hungry. I’ll warm them up this time and put some on a scoop of vanilla ice cream and then add some cinnamon, walnuts and nutmeg on top. Oh yes, that will make my evening really sweet I think. It’s after 9pm here, so I’m logging off for the night, I have some projects to work on around the house, so I’ll meet you back here tomorrow!
P.S. I picked up a CD today that I’ve been playing over and over again all afternoon, it’s by Berry and it’s called Mademoiselle. You can sample some of it here online. It’s French and just wonderful.
(images: holly becker for decor8, with the exception of the last image taken by danielle de lange.)
October 7th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Lovely vase Holly! So glad you’re so happy after the move! And a little bit jealous of your weight loss :)
.-= Tricia McKellar´s last blog ..Botanical Lily No. 7719. 8×8 Fine Art Photograph by Tricia McKellar. Matte print. =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I’ve been eying up that pouf. I had a quick thought about attempting to make one myself (pickles has a nice pattern) but it will be next year before I would actually finish it.
.-= michelle´s last blog ..Color Lines – A.I.R. Gallery =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
The pouffe ist perfect, I wish I could affort it. :-/
October 7th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
SO lovely!! Sometimes the smallest purchases can make the biggest impact. Enjoy, it is beautiful!
.-= Julieann´s last blog ..Trimming it in Black =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
It’s just gorgeous, Holly – congratulations! Sounds like you’ve had a fabulous day over there…love hearing about your adventures across the pond. You deserve all these good things!!
October 7th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
i LOVE your vase too….i am looking for a few white ones on Ebay to place on my mantle…..i just painted it all white. You make me want to take a trip to GERMANY! :))))
Hope you and your guy are having a blast.
Jen Ramos
.-= jennifer ramos´s last blog ..Thanks Houzz… =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Thank you Paris — I miss you and our times out together, hope you and fam can come over next year. Would LOVE that.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Oh wow what a gorgeous vase! You are indeed living a charmed life, Holly!
.-= natalyn´s last blog ..a little sussy. so excited! =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
gorgeous! love that vase! that texturing is so fabulous!
.-= rikrak´s last blog ..slumber party {part 5} : your top 3 longtime moviestar crushes! =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Oh, I love that album. And your new treasures. And apple preserves. MMM.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
I was just sure those flowers were going in the vase! Both are lovely. :)
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..From the misty haze of Vicodin comes a mostly coherent blog post. =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Love that vase! And the pouf! I want a new place to decorate…
Unfortunately, while I’ve been waiting to sell my house, I’ve gotten a little too into ebay: http://thesubtlerudder.com/?p=806
October 7th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
That loaf of bread looks so good. Love the crocheted pouffes
.-= Petergaye S. Kisielewicz´s last blog ..“Little Old Me” and my first radio interview =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Oh, the vase is gorgeous! But what is bio bread? Is that a brand or a type of bread?
.-= Megan´s last blog ..Shoulder to Shoulder =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
i heart ebay too…. i’m super excited about a vintage suitcase i just stole/won for 99 cents!!! i almost paid over a hundred bucks for it from another seller elsewhere. i bet the seller of mine was none too thrilled about my steal/win :O)
.-= robin´s last blog ..a cozy home =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Megan – It means bio or biological, it’s a term Germans use for products that are organic.
October 7th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Berry? Not Belle du Berry from Paris Combo?! I lo-o-o-ve Paris Combo!
.-= Sprout´s last blog ..Smiled! =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Oh Holly so lovely!
.-= Yoli´s last blog .. =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I’m pretty jealous about that vase. Recently I scored Boodalee duvet covers and shams for both my kids bedrooms for $30 a pop (retail $120) so I felt pretty victorious about that. Currently I’m scouring for nice vintage apothecary jar to store the chestnut collection we are amassing.
.-= Fog and Thistle´s last blog ..Home Improvement Cont’d =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
What a fantastic find! That vase will look so adorable in your kitchen as a utensil holder. I love that feeling when you find that special something for your home. For me it was a little wooden stool I had been on the lookout for. I was so pleased with my find. Absolutely adore your blog by the way. I’ve been following your posts for at least a year now (although this is my first comment). Your posts are always so inspiring.
October 7th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
you’ve gotten me into fresh flowers from the markets, I went last weekend and got a bunch of daffodils for only $2. now I need more pretty vases!!
.-= Liss (daydreamlily)´s last blog ..Vintage Wallpaper Inspiration =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
your choice in the vase is such a great reflection of your incredible taste! Thank you so much for the Berry album suggestion. I just listened to it and the music is so sweet! I would not have known of such an artist.
October 7th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I just love that vase! But can you believe I’ve only ever ordered one thing off ebay?! A vintage typecase that I’m going to fill with pictures and momentos…someday :)
.-= Katie´s last blog ..words of wisdom =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Hi Holly: that bread looks luscious! Just wondering how you get your pix to look so great on the blog? do you use special lighting or is it your camera? you always have wonderful looking pix. Any tips? great CD by the way…
October 7th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
That’s a gorgeous vase! I love the texture. I can totally envision some rustic wooden cooking utensils in it. I recently got this extra large vintage enamel bowl that I’ve instantly fallen head over heels for and send pictures to everyone who can stand it.
.-= Lauryn´s last blog ..Enamelware =-.
October 7th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Hi Holly!!
The flowers are lovely, so is the vase!!!
.-= Dana´s last blog ..A Beautiful House Made By Girl =-.
October 8th, 2009 at 1:44 am
hello
wow your blog is soooo wonderfull and i would like to have such nice flowers to.
but at the moment i am ill and i cant leave the house :(
greets from germany
ina
October 8th, 2009 at 1:55 am
LOVE the vase!!!!! I just went on to Danielle’s ebay, and sadly they have all been auctioned. So I’ll just have to admire yours on here.
I LOVE a win on ebay, it’s so unpredictable that it’s exciting. My latest win was a large old picture frame that I have lined with cork and use as my ‘inspiration board’.
Hope your okay, love the flowers!
Lucy
x
.-= Lucy´s last blog ..Keep in contact.. =-.
October 8th, 2009 at 2:08 am
hey there! love your site! it’s very vibrant and stylish!
singapore reader here! (:
cheers!
October 8th, 2009 at 3:19 am
That’s a beautiful vase, I’m a big fan of West German ceramics myself and ebay, I always feel like a little kid when I get a post packet :)
.-= Carrie @ CarrieCan´s last blog ..Feeling yellow =-.
October 8th, 2009 at 3:37 am
hi Holly!
I love your blog….it soooo inspiring :)
BTW really liked Mademoiselle : le clip, thou i don’t understand much french. Can you please share the name of your most favorite french cd ….I would love to try it too…
cheers!
October 8th, 2009 at 5:00 am
WOW! le souk is a real find. I am ABSOLUTELY loving the vase and the pouffes are great. I just checked out her website and there are some beautiful items on there as well – the stools are fantastic.
October 8th, 2009 at 5:14 am
So pretty!! You seem to be having such a great time in Germany, it’s so lovely to read about your adventures!
.-= a pretty trip´s last blog ..My gingham and jug love =-.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Holly, thanks for the link to Danielle’s Style Files. I love ceramics and am in love with many of those ebay selections!
I wish I had your white vase, though.
.-= Lydia, Clueless Crafter´s last blog ..Love, Loss and What You wore? =-.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Beautiful…..your home always looks so elegant, comfy and beautiful Holly. *sigh* Such a delight to sit down and have some of that yummy bread, and jam and look at the beautiful flowers. I adore that vase and can totally see the wooden spoons in there. Plus, that pouf! *sigh*
xo
Melis
.-= Melissa de la Fuente´s last blog ..The little things: fall =-.
October 8th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Dear Holly! I just wanna talk about the song first! It’s so amazing! You made my day!! Ahh…It gives me hope and made me think that life is so beautiful although there are tough days…I love European songs, they are innocent, dselicate and positive!
Your flowers are so pretty! And what great price! I hope you enjoy them :)
I’m so glad that you won what you loved, that vase is so stylish and unique :) And I adore that crochet pouffes…It’s gorgeous!
.-= Afi´s last blog ..August – Indian elephant =-.
October 8th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
LOVE the vase! The texture & simple white is so nice ;)
October 9th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Hmmm, I haven’t commented on your blog before and maybe I sound a bit harsh or over discerning. I am always a bit weary when I read about handmade crochet items. This one seems like its price is high enough so that the worker could get paid a (for that country) fair amount for all the hours that went into making it. I crochet myself and know how long it would take me with those really big crochet hooks…
Sorry if this comment is out of order.
October 9th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Javede – I see your point. Thank you for commenting! Here’s my thoughts on this. I think here in Europe, if this was made in the EU, the price would certainly be too low for the artist to be fairly paid for their hard work and time involvement. For instance, if you were to sell the same pouffe, it would easily need to sell for several hundred euro in order for you to be compensated fairly for your craft/time/materials/etc. However the ones being sold in the Dutch online shop, Le Souk, are from the Philippines. There, the economy and currency is much different. The makers of these pouffes may earn a very fair price for this work and feel very pleased with earning a living crafting them for export. I think your comment is a great ‘food for thought’ comment as much of what we buy is not made in fair conditions and this is very, very sad. But then there is hand work being made in other countries that is very fair and villages & communities are able to make a living doing something they have passed down to them from generations, something they enjoy doing. Not every village is a sweatshop producing goods under the hand of some dominating boss, there are many that are benefiting from their hard work and efforts in what they’re producing.
Also, knowing Danielle, the owner of Le Souk, I’m guessing she knows the source for these crochet pouffes and so I trust she also knows how and where they are being manufactured as she is quite sensitive to this — I’ve personally traveled with her and know her to be a very sensitive, caring person who also sources her goods expertly — she buys the best and often earns less than a competitor who buys inferior quality, but she’s willing to do this because to her – quality and fairness is highly valued.
October 9th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Hi Holly & decor8 readers,
First of all, Holly, I am glad that you like your eBay items! I think it is a great idea to use that vase for wooden kitchen utensils. For all of those that missed my eBay sale, I wil be having another sale soon (this time with vintage crocheted bed spreads and some other items).
Javede, the crocheted pouffe is sourced from a company that works according the Fair Trade principes (no child labour, and the employees making the products get a fair price). This supplier also delivers to the Fair Trade stores that we have here in The Netherlands (I don’t know if you have them in other countries as well). Their products can also be found on ETFAM (Ethical and Fair Trade Market Place). Thanks for raising this issue! I will include in the product description on my website that the pouffe is made according to the Fair Trade principles. I didn’t think of including this before as to me it is out of the question to sell products that are made in an unfair way. But you are very right that we have to be careful with what we buy so thanks again for raising this issue.
Thanks Holly for saying these kind things about me!
Danielle
October 10th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
That bread looks yummy. Those flowers will look lovely in your new vase! I love those pouffe’s, I’d like to have them all through the house!
.-= Penny Patten´s last blog ..Aprons and Bags =-.
September 12th, 2010 at 9:55 am
Hi Holly and everyone,
Firstly, your house looks sweet, and I love the vase.
Here in New Zealand we have a retail chain called Trade Aid, who also promote fair trade principles. I think ethics in business are essential – it is not worth selling your soul for a few dollars.
Good luck to everyone trying to make a go of it on Ebay :)