Did you have a dolls house when you were a kid?
I bought this silver tea tray on the Ile Saint-Louis at l’Ile Flottante.
And this doll's tea set I bought at the puce.
Dollhouse memories came flooding back.
A dollhouse can be a refuge - an escape from reality.
If you happen to have an older, bigger sister, who isn't thrilled you showed up, then your dollhouse is a sanctuary.
Inside you can dream up anything you want. Your imagination takes off. Out of adversity comes...creativity.
This tiny shop, L'Ile Flotantte on the Ile Saint-Louis is heaven for former and current dollhouse addicts.
If you can't run over there today, take a look at their wonderous website.
Or take the Metro to the Pont Marie stop and just cross the bridge.
I still have this tiny sewing machine - the last remnant of my dollhouse. It never stitched up anything except the fabric of my dreams. Perhaps I should thank my sister ☺️
hello there. Didn't realise you'd left the beautiful city of Paris. How long before you return?
ReplyDeleteI'm in Brittany but am going to the ballet at the Paris Opera next month and will think of you as I wonder around.
Good luck
Wonderful watercolors. Did you do these in Paris or home? LOVE the blue & white doll set.
ReplyDeleteAlso love the Doll store photo. Good post this morning.
What an exquisite shop, thank you for including the link...I found myself exploring every corner.
ReplyDeleteThey only think we've left Paris...we are still
there (if only in our dreams).
hugs
Barbara
So many brautiful things to linger over! Your painting is so beautiful and witty. Those sunglasses in the wovem basket, were those yours? Very tempting.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I never had a dollhouse. Maybe better so, what with my six brothers. ;-) My 3 girls liked best their OP room from Playmobil (I'm quite fond of it too, so many tiny accessories, all those operating tools!).
Touching post today, Carol. These watercolors are exquisite. I missed your work while you were off bubbling up those creative juices and entertaining us with all your exploits. You've sparked lots of memories from this one...
ReplyDeleteAh bless. I never had a dolls house but I did have an older sister that wasn't so pleased I turned up.
ReplyDeleteLove todays paintings
My older sister was none too fond of my arrival as a child, either.
ReplyDeleteLOVE these watercolors you've
done here...
Now here is a post made just for me! You truly delight us dear friend!
ReplyDeleteI didn't but I always wanted one. And even today I go to dollhouse shops and promise if I ever have a daughter she'll have one, with turrets and wallpaper and the whole shebang!
ReplyDeleteYour watercolours always make me smile!
oh i had that older sister and i also had my dollhouse sanctuary...this was a beautiful look back...and the store...on my next trip...blessings, rebecca
ReplyDeleteOops. I had a doll house AND I was the older sister who was not thrilled when the aliens showed up! ( As I fondly call my younger sister and brother) She is still dealing with that I am sure. What a terrific post. I was just thinking about the adversity/creativity thing this am. And about art as a portal. Beautiful paintings so crisp and clear and a post that is wonderful, so very dear. Lots oh fun this am. All best, Jan
ReplyDeleteI never had a doll house but I used to make one wherever I ended up to play:
ReplyDeleteIn my gran's house staircase, in her miniature Japanese garden, in the slippers displayed in the hall, in my mum's tin of buttons or sewing box... every corner could do !!!
Nice post and nice watercolours !!!
I just loved this post. It brought tears to my eyes is was so sweet. My mother and I have had an unfinished dollhouse for years, and it has taken a back seat to other things in our lives. I'm inspired now to pull it out and finish!
ReplyDeleteI thought I had seen everything on the ile. You found something new.
ReplyDeleteI have a tiny doll's samovar and some small persian glasses with tourquoise inlay. Those would be fun to paint with small pieces of baklava or perhaps an isphahan?
nm
THANK YOU for sharing your stories about your dollhouses,
ReplyDeleteyour sisters,
or the lack of either one!
Carolg :)
Touching post today. :) (To add to the list: I was the méchante older sister.)
ReplyDeleteBIENSUR JE ME SOUVIENS DE TON PETIT PLATEAU ARGENTE
ReplyDeleteCharmante composition avec tour eiffel smiling and the curious photos.
Isn't shop like that in NY with many old things filed by theme ?
Perhaps they are in the same place ?
M.
What a gorgeous place this is!
ReplyDeleteI was searching the net for an English version, although I do read French (studied it 4 years). I love miniatures and dollhouses! Marge:)
what wonderful memories!
ReplyDeleteOf COURSE you should thank your much older, wiser sister.... I say this with authority because I am the much older, wiser sister. My dollhouse was painted tin and very 50's and held surprisingly little atraction for me. However, my tiny Blue Willow tea set.....! I loved it so much that I bought one for my only niece (that pesky younger sister finally did something agreeable!) when she was about four. I'm still receiving abuse from said niece's parents for giving her something breakable! It just goes to show, you can only dream your own dreams.
ReplyDeletethe dolls are beautiful, I enjoyed reading this and your blog is amazing
ReplyDeleteYes, I had a dollhouse...
ReplyDeleteI also, kinda used my neighborhood as my dollhouse.
I was the only girl so I used the boys as my dolls.
Also, the only Catholic, so I got to be the priest!
I played with my brother's toys: cars, soldiers, garage, train, mecanic, etc
ReplyDeleteAnd I played surgeon with my poupées...
Boys were kings in my family.
But I understood that I didn't look like a boy so I accepted being a girl and I 've forgotten this infantile and banal idea for a long time...
La maison de poupée was reserved for rich families then (half a century ago, ma cherie ).
I saw them only in the museum: Royal gifts for princesses
LA MAISON DE POUPEE - a master american pièce de théâtre !!!!
I had a dollhouse made out of wooden crates, a friend made it for me, seven floors high, each crate was a room.
ReplyDeleteYour paintings are delightfully whimiscal, your stay in Paris has added a new sparkle to your brush..Eiffel tower and macarons!
Lovely post.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what you were going to do with the dollhouse tea set? I inherited one and am not sure how to display it. It is so tiny, not sure what would best work for display.
any ideas would be appreciated.
Kristi
I have this wonderful store on the list for my next trip -- read about it somewhere else also. I'm wondering if they also sell the Gault/J. Carlton miniature Parisian buildings. I believe Gault is no longer in business but J. Carlton (a former employee) makes a less expensive version out of resin rather than ceramic/terra cotta.
ReplyDeleteHi, J Carlton was Dominique Gault's brother - they worked at the business together until they split up years ago and then Carlton carried on under his own name - as you say, the original Gault is not resin, it is in fact Limoges clay and these pieces are very valuable now. The vintage resin pieces are also valuable and I am sure you know of the resins you can buy now - still not cheap !
DeleteThanks for sharing wonderful special images. Your toy sewing machine is the exact one that came with my metal dollhouse. It was given away when we moved from Hawaii to California. So thank you for giving back the toy I miss most. Childhood toys are sweet.
ReplyDeleteVicky in Long Beach, CA
I LOVE these paintings! These are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteThis was such a wonderful post and I think these are my favorites of your watercolors so far. I was the big sister and never had a dollhouse but my little sister and I spent many happy hours lying on the floor of our room making cardboard dolls, designing clothes for them out of paper and crayons, dressing them in their clothes and acting out little stories with them and then designing more clothes for the next story.
ReplyDeletewasn't that building where the Lauderee is, once the famous interior decorator, Madame Castaing's antique shop?
ReplyDelete