I am back home after a whirlwind trip to the Los Angeles area. I have SO much to share that I have decided to spread everything out over a few posts.
We arrived in sunny Hollywood around noon on Friday. Our first stop was a charming little bungalow that houses French General. I just adored the bougainvillea covered entryway.
French General
The main room of the house features beautiful antique textiles, some of which the owner, Kaari Meng, makes into delightful sachets and bags.
The textiles need a bit of TLC when cleaning, so there is a laundry section. This area smelled of lavender and the sea. Too bad, there is not a “scratch and sniff” button on the computer keyboard.
I have never seen such a wonderful vintage and antique millinery collection.
The buttons were oh so lovely. You can find them on her website if they capture your fancy.
There are also row upon row of jars filled with beautiful beads and cabochons of every color of the rainbow. Sweet sigh.
Did I mention the ribbons? A bit of heaven can exist on a spool. Can you guess what my favorite color palette is right now?
I could not resist and selected quite a few lovely things after about two hours of sifting and searching. I made my way to the checkout area where I was assisted by Mrs. Meng’s delightful friend Dawn. She and Kaari have been friends for many years and it was touching to witness their relationship.
You’ll have to wait to see what I bought, as I haven’t decided which lovely things I will set aside for a future giveaway on my Friday Freebie posts.
I found Mrs. Meng to be warm and friendly. She definitely has the je ne sais quoi of French style. She graciously signed my book and was a terrific sport when I asked for a photo.
I wish you could really see how beautifully blue her eyes were.
Thank you for coming along. Au Revoir!
Laura
Okay. Seriously, I want to go there. How beautiful is that place?! WOw! Can’t wait to see where else you went.
I would have spent the same amount of time in there. It looks like eye candy to me. I’ll have to visit her site to see what she has.Ciao
What a wonderful place to spend 2 hours. So much to inspire.Lorrie
That is the most beautiful store ever! My 9 year old daughter happen to be sitting next to me as I read this post and even she wants to go there. She couldn’t believe it was a store.So glad you enjoyed your trip. And again, I am so excited about the ring. Thanks again.*hugs*
How fun! What a great picture of both of you! I love all that blue ribbon!!!
You are welcome 🙂BTW looks like you had fun!
I’m so happy that I didn’t miss the whole tour, since I’ve been away. I must make a trip home to So. Cal. someday soon. There seems to be some great shopping I am missing out on.You’d need two hours to cover every nook and crannie of that lovely shop.I’m still recouping from the whirlwind trip to Seattle….I’ve also got a cat who’s recouping from separation anxiety, by laying across my keyboard!Sweet Wishes,Sara
The flowered archway is beautiful! I loved it! Thank you fo sharing that with us.
Thank you for sharing your lovely pictures. I just got back from California.. so much to see & do.. wish I had more time there… love your blog too.xoxoxo Laura
You look beautiful! Thanks for the sweet comments.
such a cute post!glad you had fun!! I hope you have a great night!!big hugs!!xoxo Britt 🙂
What a pretty place to visit! Kind of dreamy… Oh! That’s just me being all glassy eyed…LOL I would have spent a pretty penny there too! ~liz~
I’m going to CA in Jan. this will be a must see. Thanks Mimi
What a fabulous store!
Laura, looks like your trip started out just wonderful….now this is a place I think would be worth me driving to LA for.Thanks for sharing and can’t wait to see what you post next.Lovely picture of you both!
I have been catching up on all of your posts, but I’m only commenting this once, sorry! I love what you did for Veteran’s Day, so thoughtful and inspiring! I look forward to reading more about your LA trip!