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I could just cry. My newest post disappeared in all the blogger madness. Friday the 13th... go figure!! So for those that left me comments thank you! I really appreciated them. Did any of you lose posts also?
Well here goes again...
I wanted to share some of my dream sofas with you. There are LOTS of pictures because I have LOTS of favorite sofas and these barely scratch the surface. Won't you join me for a minute (or ten *winks*) and dream along with me?
Warning in advance... I don't like much that's shiny bright. I really prefer a time worn well loved patina. So if modern and sleek is your thing? This isn't for you... Just sayin'
OK let me start with this piece of deliciousness! Part chaise part sofa. Can't you imagine this with some large down aubusson pillows? I think I could lounge here all day! Maybe I could get my hubby to feed me some grapes? LOL!

This is my own living room sofa and I really do love it. It has its original silk upholstery from the 1920's and the cushions are pure down. It looks great until you sit on it and then it looks a flat mess.

I'd trade it in a red hot minute for this one from Rubylane (11k on sale HERE) *gulps and *drools*... Not a pretty sight! LOL! Me not the sofa!

Or this wonderful corbeille style. Corbeille translates to basket in French.

Isn't this one gorgeous?

This one has room for lots of friends!

I love the grand decay of this one

I really love high backed sofas and the enclosed safe feeling they provide. One of the sofa styles that lends itself to this wonderfully is the knole sofa or settee. The knole dates from 17th century England as is named for Knole House in Kent. It was originally used as a type of throne. Both the sides and back are equal in height and each end is tied on the top with ropes which fold down to create a lounge of sorts. Honestly I'm not sure what this is all about? But it is cool don'tcha think?

Many years ago I fell in love with the knole sofa in Rose Tarlow's living room. It had the perfect patina. Just the right amount of wear and tear and it didn't hurt that it was chinoiserie in style either *winks*

Weeeellll eventually Ms. Tarlow decided to let it go and it turned up on 1st dibbs. Alas it was not to be in my home because at 13k (If I remember correctly) it wasn't in my price point *sighs* Isn't it fab? Maybe a little too shabby for some, but I LOVE it!!

This one would make a nice alternative.

I love the antique 17th century tapestry on this one.

This is a set of knole sofas in Sidney Poitier's living room. Just gorgeous!

And this one in pink is adorable!

I finally managed after years of searching to find my own lil' pink knole sofa. It's from the 1920's and also has down filled cushions. I found it in a local antique store for $300. I'm thinking of adding some fringe to the bottom. Do you think I should? This one is a keeper!

Here's where it ties at the top.

And changing direction a little I'm also wild for french daybeds! Are you? I immediately fell in love with this smooshy wooshy perfect daybed that belongs to Joni's (Cote de Texas) sister in law's sister (Did you catch that? LOL!) I don't usually love blue but I'd redecorate my entire living room for this one!

Love this Louis XVI style.

And this one.Those little bolster pillows make me weak in the knees every time!

And I also love this Louis XV style...

This is my own antique Louis XV daybed. I purchased it without really thinking about where it might go in my house? I had visions of lounging upon it in front of a sunny window with a good book. Usually this devil may care strategy works for me but not this time *sighs* There just isn't room (Or enough sunny windows!) So off to etsy it will go. An expensive mistake.

Hand carved details.

I found this similar one in gray at the Paris Apartment Boutique that I love!

I'm also mad for the smaller corbeille settees! Each one wraps itself around you like a nice hug!

Tatty but darling.

Beautiful in aubusson.

Lovely in salmon.

Luscious in silk.

I'll just have to be happy for now with my little $60ish funky green velvet settee (in my home gym) from craigslist. At least until that money tree in my backyard starts to grow. *winks*

I'm also crazy for the English chesterfield. This one is my dream come true! Perfectly aged and worn leather from the 19th century.

And this one is mine. In this delusion *winks* I had an English library with a roaring fire and floor to ceiling leather books... But again in reality not the space *sighs* And the scale was all wrong for what I actually DO have. So off to craigslist it goes.

And yet another dream piece run amok. I love this french iron crib/daybed! Don't the textiles just make it in this shot?

And my own very similar iron daybed. I bought it as an outdoor sofa for my side deck but it really isn't sturdy enough for multiple people to sit on. Especially in my family where some people tend to be + sized *winks* So off to etsy it goes.

So some of the dream pieces I've managed to aquire turned out to be lifelong keepers and others not quite so dreamy after all. Have you experienced this? Longing for a certain piece for years and years only to find that the reality didn't meet your expectations? Or surpassed them? I'd love to hear your stories! Meanwhile I'm going to keep on dreaming... You never know what you'll find at the next garage sale *winks* Vanna
I'm joining my friend Courtney at French Country Cottage for:

And Cindy at My Romantic Home for:

Sherry at No Minimalist Here for:

Jill at The French Country Cupboard for:

And my dear friend Laurie at Bargain Hunting And Chatting With Laurie for:

I'm joining Chari for her Sunday favorites.
This was a post from Feb 8th 2009.
My love for Louis Vuitton hasn't lessened one bit! But my buying of cases has certainly slowed down *winks* I hope you enjoy this encore.

Louis XV... Louis XVI... and of course Louis V!!... As in Vuitton of course!
As a lover of all things french and antique *winks* Louis Vuitton is a perfect fit for me!
Louis Vuitton was a hardworking thrifty young man from Anchay (a hamlet in the Jura, a region of mountains and forests) He left his home and job at his family's mill at the early age of 13.
In 1854 he opened his own trunk making business at 4 Rue Neuve-des-capucines near the Place Vendome. Louis claim to fame was in the creation of the flat topped trunk which made them easy to stack. Up until then, trunks had been dome topped and extremely heavy. Louis created his trunks using poplar (a much lighter wood) and enforced them with metal banding. Making them far superior in strength, and a much more luxurious way to travel.
He was a hit pretty much from the beginning. The empress Eugenie was his first royal customer and put him nicely on the map. Other wealthy people of the day followed suit and the rest as they say is history!
I have been a lover and collector of Vuitton for over 20 years. I must admit this is the least "affordable" of my collections, requiring lots of searching for items that I COULD afford. Nearly all of my LV was purchased on the secondary market, helping my pocketbook greatly! And lots of trading with friends helped a lot as well. And lucky me, my DH is nearly as vuitton crazy as I am! *winks* So he understands that sometimes in order to afford a new (old) piece, we might have to eat peanut butter and jelly sammies for a month... or ten lol!
The older trunks and traveling cases are really my passion! I can only dream of all the fabulous places they must have visited! And they work wonderfully *IMHO* as home decor... another real passion!
Here is a picture of the Eiffel tower recreated using Louis Vuitton trunks and cases.
I always dreamed of having enough pieces to do one of my own *winks*

This is my attempt so far. Maybe in another 20 years I'll have enough to finish it off!

I found this cool article in Traditional Home magazine featuring a designer in Arizona who has quite an extensive collection of LV and has used it beautifully in the decor of his amazing condo. Do you see the stack of suitcases tucked under his sofa table? Well I loved the look of this so much, I tried it in my own home. I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures. I don't have a scanner so they are just pictures of pictures *sighs*

Here's my interpretation found in my master bedroom. I hide all the wonderful cards and sweet little notes from my hubby in them *winks*

Back to the designers residence in Arizona. Here in his family room is a dream piece of mine. It's a LV suitcase that belonged to John F Kennedy. He's re purposed it as a coffee table. I'd be afraid to ever put anything on it!! But he seems to have no qualms whatsoever placing heavy objects on top. Which I must say, do look great! I love the pop of orange in his pillows also!

And here is a shot of part of his closet. Oh boy! If only my closet looked like this!! And all those orange hermes boxes add another wonderful pop of color!... *sigh* I can dream...

This room belongs to Tommy Hilfigger. Can you spot the louis ? He has some hermes going on here as well. See the cute little suitcase under Uncle Sam?

I used a beauty case on top of a buffet cabinet in my bedroom. Maybe not the best place for it but it'll do for now. Can you see it? Lol!

Here it is!

And here I've used some LV in hubby's office. The desk set was part of an exclusive from Neiman Marcus in the 80's. It's extremely rare, and finding as many pieces as I have has been a real adventure. Do you see the small waste basket at the end of my hubby's desk?

This one here! It's my "claim to fame" as they say in vuitton circles. This paper waste basket is the only one I or many of my fellow LV collectors have ever seen. Because of it's rarity I needed to take it to Louis Vuitton to have it authenticated. I tell ya it was the closest thing to a celebrity I've ever been! All the sales associates walked quickly away from their customers to converge on my waste basket!! I felt so sorry for everyone! Now I'm tellin ' ya LV sales associates can be notoriously snooty... and to have them gush all over a darn waste can??!! I'd a never thunk!! The manager even asked me if he could take some pictures of it!

Here is a shot to make any LV lovers heart go pitter pat! All those fabulous old trunks!! All the history!! All the MONEY!! YIKES!!! Do you see the trophy cups used for display in the center?

Well some of you might remember my "Craigslist do you love it?" post here where I found some old equestrian trophy/loving/cups? A few days ago I saw them listed again on craigslist, 5 for $50 and this time I jumped on them! Two of them are sterling! Here I was playing around in hubbys man cave *winks* and I created a tiny vignette (very tiny lol !) of the shot above. What do y'all think?

And if you are a serious lover of Vuitton you MUST have this book! Louis Vuitton The Birth Of Modern Luxury by Paul-Gerard Pasols It is the best ever! It tells the entire history of LV as well as showing incredible shots of extremely rare custom pieces...

Like this one! A custom traveling case in crocodile outfitted for all your perfumes colognes and beautifying essentials! *winks* I'll bet this one cost about half the price of an average house! But it certainly is wonderful!

And of course I love their handbags also!*winks* Here are most of mine displayed in one of my french armoires.

Well I hope you enjoyed my little tour de Vuitton. While they can be quite expensive, it's still possible to find them at antique stores, auctions and estate sales for fairly reasonable... and if you're really lucky, VERY reasonable prices, like the large trunk that I have featured in my Eiffel tower shot? Well my hubby (eagle eyed man that I love!) spotted it at a garage sale marked $60!! He asked if they could do a little better? And we took it home for $50!! I really had no idea what it was worth, and when I took a peek on ebay to see what it might possibly be worth? I nearly peed myself!!... Sorry to be crude... But I DID!! So if you're out there garage saleing keep your eyes and ears open... ya just never know!! *winks* Vanna

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll also stop by Chari's place and check out all the other Sunday Favorites.

Louis XV... Louis XVI... and of course Louis V!!... As in Vuitton of course! As a lover of all things french and antique *winks* Louis Vuitton is a perfect fit for me! Louis Vuitton was a hardworking thrifty young man from Anchay (a hamlet in the Jura, a region of mountains and forests) He left his home and job at his family's mill at the early age of 13. In 1854 he opened his own trunk making business at 4 Rue Neuve -des -capucines near the Place Vendome. Louis claim to fame was in the creation of the flat topped trunk which made them easy to stack. Up until then, trunks had been dome topped and extremely heavy. Louis created his trunks using poplar (a much lighter wood) and enforced them with metal banding. Making them far superior in strength, and a much more luxurious way to travel. He was a hit pretty much from the beginning. The empress Eugenie was his first royal customer and put him nicely on the map. Other wealthy people of the day followed suit and the rest as they say is history! I have been a lover and collector of Vuitton for over 20 years. I must admit this is the least "affordable" of my collections, requiring lots of searching for items that I COULD afford. Nearly all of my LV was purchased on the secondary market, helping my pocketbook greatly! And lots of trading with friends helped a lot as well. And lucky me, my DH is nearly as vuitton crazy as I am! *winks* So he understands that sometimes in order to afford a new (old) piece, we might have to eat peanut butter and jelly sammies for a month... or ten lol ! The older trunks and traveling cases are really my passion! I can only dream of all the fabulous places they must have visited! And they work wonderfully *IMHO* as home decor... another real passion! Here is a picture of the Eiffel tower recreated using Louis Vuitton trunks and cases. I always dreamed of having enough pieces to do one of my own *winks*

This is my attempt so far. Maybe in another 20 years I'll have enough to finish it off!

I found this cool article in Traditional Home magazine featuring a designer in Arizona who has quite an extensive collection of LV and has used it beautifully in the decor of his amazing condo. Do you see the stack of suitcases tucked under his sofa table? Well I loved the look of this so much, I tried it in my own home. I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures. I don't have a scanner so they are just pictures of pictures *sighs*

Here's my interpretation found in my master bedroom. I hide all the wonderful cards and sweet little notes from my hubby in them *winks*

Back to the designers residence in Arizona. Here in his family room is a dream piece of mine. It's a LV suitcase that belonged to John F Kennedy. He's re purposed it as a coffee table. I'd be afraid to ever put anything on it!! But he seems to have no qualms whatsoever placing heavy objects on top. Which I must say, do look great! I love the pop of orange in his pillows also!

And here is a shot of part of his closet. Oh boy! If only my closet looked like this!! And all those orange hermes boxes add another wonderful pop of color!... *sigh* I can dream...

This room belongs to Tommy Hilfigger. Can you spot the louis ? He has some hermes going on here as well. See the cute little suitcase under Uncle Sam?

I used a beauty case on top of a china cabinet in my bedroom. Maybe not the best place for it but it'll do for now. Can you see it? Lol !

Here it is!!

And here I've used some LV in hubby's office. The desk set was part of an exclusive from Neiman Marcus in the 80's. It's extremely rare, and finding as many pieces as I have has been a real adventure. Do you see the small waste basket at the end of my hubby's desk?

This one here! It's my "claim to fame" as they say in vuitton circles. This paper waste basket is the only one I or many of my fellow LV collectors have ever seen. Because of it's rarity I needed to take it to Louis Vuitton to have it authenticated. I tell ya it was the closest thing to a celebrity I've ever been! All the sales associates walked quickly away from their customers to converge on my waste basket!! I felt so sorry for everyone! Now I'm tellin ' ya LV sales associates can be notoriously snooty... and to have them gush all over a darn waste can??!! I'd a never thunk!! The manager even asked me if he could take some pictures of it!

Here is a shot to make any LV lovers heart go pitter pat! All those fabulous old trunks!! All the history!! All the MONEY!! YIKES!!! Do you see the trophy cups used for display in the center?

Well some of you might remember my "Craigslist do you love it?" post here where I found some old equestrian trophy/loving/cups? A few days ago I saw them listed again on craigslist, 5 for $50 and this time I jumped on them! Two of them are sterling! Here I was playing around in hubbys man cave *winks* and I created a tiny vignette (very tiny lol !) of the shot above. What do y'all think?

And if you are a serious lover of Vuitton you MUST have this book! Louis Vuitton The Birth Of Modern Luxury by Paul-Gerard Pasols It is the best ever! It tells the entire history of LV as well as showing incredible shots of extremely rare custom pieces...

Like this one! A custom traveling case in crocodile outfitted for all your perfumes colognes and beautifying essentials! *winks* I'll bet this one cost about half the price of an average house! But it certainly is wonderful!

And of course I love their handbags also!*winks* Here are most of mine displayed in one of my french armoires.

Well I hope you enjoyed my little tour de Vuitton. While they can be quite expensive, it's still possible to find them at antique stores, auctions and estate sales for fairly reasonable... and if you're really lucky, VERY reasonable prices, like the large trunk that I have featured in my Eiffel tower shot? Well my hubby (eagle eyed man that I love!) spotted it at a garage sale marked $60!! He asked if they could do a little better? And we took it home for $50!! I really had no idea what it was worth, and when I took a peek on ebay to see what it might possibly be worth? I nearly peed myself!!... Sorry to be crude... But I DID!! So if you're out there garage saleing keep your eyes and ears open... ya just never know!! *winks* Vanna

Flipping through the Dictionary the other day, I discovered something about myself.

-ist a suffix of nouns, often corresponding to verbs ending in -ize or nouns ending in -ism, that denote a person who practices or is concerned with something, or holds certain principles, doctrines, etc. Origin: Middle English -iste < Latin -ista < Greek -istēs; in some words, representing French -iste, German -ist, Italian -ista, etc.,A lyricist is one who writes words to a song.

A perfectionist is one who wants things to be perfect.

A terrorist is one who causes terror.

An herbalist is one who specializes in herbs.

A feminist, in the truest sense of the word, is one who is concerned with femininity. And so it is that I am a feminist.

Logically, the only One authorized to define femininity is the Creator of females. That means God (not Marie Stopes, Coco Chanel, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, or culture), gets to describe - no, order -what a true feminist ought to look like. He does so in Proverbs 31:

• She is pure (v. 10).
• She is a trustworthy treasure to her husband (v. 10,11, 12, 23, 28b, 29).
• She is concerned for the well-being of her family (v. 13, 14, 15, 18b, 19, 22, 27).
• She is hard-working and industrious (v. 13-22, 24, 27, 31).
• She is clothed with strength and dignity (v. 17, 25).
• She is skilled in managing finances (v. 14, 16).
• She is courageous in character (v. 25, 29).
• She is kind and compassionate (v. 20, 26).
• She is wise (v. 26).
• She is praised by her children and husband (v. 28, 29).
• She is holy (v. 30).
• She is blessed (v. 31).

Biblical femininity says men and women are equal in importance, status, honor, and dignity (Genesis 3:18). Both men and women are equally fallen (Romans 2:23), and equally able to be rescued from their sin and condemnation through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

However equal, their roles are different. God’s purpose for humanity includes complementary relationships between men and women so that a lost and dying world can be confronted with the Gospel through living portraits of God's love for His Bride, the Church.

Husbands are to picture Christ by loving their wives (Ephesians 5: 25-33; 1 Peter 3:7), and wives are to be submissive to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24; 1 Timothy 2:12). Men are responsible for leading their families spiritually and supporting them financially (1 Timothy 3:4; 5:8). Wives, in addition to the duties outlined in Proverbs 31, are exhorted to love their husbands, love their children (which assumes desiring them), keep a home, and live in obedience, meekness, and a quiet spirit which is very precious in the sight of both God and her husband (Titus 2:3-5; 1 Peter 3:1-6).
"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Genesis 3:16 (emphasis mine)Sin oppresses women. Sin from within ourselves, and sin that comes at us through other men and women. Sin makes us desire roles we were not created to fulfill. Sin makes us reject authority rather than be submissive to it. Sin glorifies climbing a corporate ladder over serving "the least of these" at home. Sin calls meekness "weakness," and favors boldness over quietness in a woman. Sin puts me first and my family last. Sin blurs scripturally distinctive gender roles and makes the opposite of God's design seem more attractive.

Jesus came to set us free from the sin that holds us in bondage. Freedom and liberation are not found in departing from God's design, but submitting to it out of obedience and love to the One who bought our salvation, purpose, status, dignity, and value with His blood (John 14:15; 1 Corinthians 7:23; Romans 6:22)."Feminism" doesn't liberate women; Jesus does.
"Feminism" isn't feminine at all. "Feminists" are really masculinists: people who are concerned with becoming masculine. Until females become feminine and males become masculine as God created them to be, relying on His forgiveness and grace for freedom and fulfillment within their roles, they will continue to feel oppressed, confused, shackled, afflicted, and demand their "rights" to positions God did not give them.

Let women be feminists: those who are concerned with femininity.

Let men be masculinists: those who are concerned with masculinity.

Let us all be concerned with the chief end of man: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (The Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q & A 1; Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; I Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev. 4:11; Ps. 16:5-11; 144:15; Isa. 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil. 4:4; Rev. 21:3-4).

Are you a true feminist? One who is concerned with biblical femininity? Then you'll love our new, 153-page eBook, The Pursuit of Motherhood! You can read more about it and view the Table of Contents here.

The Pursuit of Motherhood
153 pages $7.99

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