Framed!

Last weekend I had a wonderful visit from my parents, which afforded me the opportunity to play tourist and go to a few museums- something I don't do often enough, despite the fact that Washington is a museum mecca! I have visited the National Gallery of Art on numerous occasions and find it spellbinding whether it is your first visit or your five hundredth.

This time, what struck me (in addition to the paintings themselves, obviously) were the equally breathtaking frames. Though they varied wildly from plain to terrifically ornate, all had one thing in common- they were perfectly and expertly selected to compliment the painting which they accompany. Many of them looked as old as the artwork itself. I'd love to know more about framing practices in the world of fine art; something tells me some of these frames have been paired with their respective works of art for decades, if not longer.

A few highlights are below. My apologies for my lack of art history expertise- there are a few paintings that, for the life of me, I cannot seem to identify now! If you know what they are please leave a comment!

Claude Monet, The Japanese Footbridge, 1899

Incidentally, after I took this picture, I saw a little boy go up to a neighboring Monet, lay his hand squarely on the middle of the painting for a good five seconds, and then give it a decisive push! The painting swung a bit on the wall. My jaw dropped....and worst of all, no security guard even noticed. Can you believe that???

Moving on...

Paul Guigou, Washerwomen on the Banks of the Durance, 1866

Vincent Van Gogh, The Baby Marcelle Roulin, 1888

Vincent Van Gogh, Girl in White, 1890

[I cannot identify the painting below, but had to include it because the frame is so over the top!]

Camille Pissarro, Place du Carrousel, Paris, 1900

Edouard Manet, The Tragic Actor (Rouviere as Hamlet), 1866

[I cannot identify this painting- please let me know if you can- but I loved the wide frame]

Coming back to earth for a moment- while we don't have the burden of worrying about what frame will best compliment our new Van Gogh, looking at these pictures definitely makes the case that a fab frame is worth pursuing! Sure, the sleek, basic gallery frames most of us are used to are affordable and modern, but if you have a special painting, why not spring for a grand frame to help it reach its fullest potential?

For purchasing reasonably priced frames online, check out pictureframes.com.

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Out & About at the Georgetown Flea Market

Ever since I first lived in Washington one summer as an intern, I've been fascinated by the Sunday Georgetown Flea Market. Maybe it's the juxtaposition of the words "Georgetown" and "flea market"(two terms you never expect to hear in the same sentence), or, most likely, it's the bargain hunter in me just hoping to make that one great find. This weekend I dragged my visiting younger brother to check things out, and I have concluded that there are three types of flea-marketers:

1) People like my brother, who after 10 minutes of browsing, deadpanned "it's really fun being at this festival of useless things." Um, ok.

2) People like me, who envision that one day when Elle Decor is photographing my house (this is a dream, remember), the interviewer will ask about the origins of a striking piece in the room, to which I'll casually reply "Oh that? Well, I found it at a flea market ages ago!" People like me love the idea of a flea market, show up with plenty of optimism, but get a little overwhelmed when faced with all....that....stuff!

3) People like Eddie Ross, who are geniuses that can, say, zero in on a single plate or platter amongst heaps of cast-offs and transform it into the focal point of their collection.

As I work on sharpening my skills to Eddie Ross-like proportions, let's take a tour of the Georgetown Flea Market!

Lots and lots of art- some great, some not so great. However, if you're looking for interesting pieces to add to a focal wall, a flea market is a perfect place to add to your collection.

There is a silver seller- above- that has the most fabulous wares- everything from little trays and coasters, salt and pepper shakers, flasks, cigarette cases, vintage cocktail rings, etc.

A close up of sterling odds and ends.

The large items here are boxes engraved with various signatures. I'm sure they have quite a backstory.

More and more silver- I cannot even begin to know what some of these items are for!

Tons of silverplate cutlery for bargain basement prices.

Vintage linens.

If I had a lake house, I'd love this antique decoy.

Flea markets are a great source for vintage maps, which I cannot resist. For cities, states, or countries you know particularly well, it's interesting to look at a 18th or 19th century map and see that some of your favorite streets and cities didn't even exist yet.

I bought some prints very similar to this at the Georgetown Flea Market years and years ago- they're from a book of patterns with different themes- Chinese, Indian, etc. Glad to see I could still find more!

I really, really wanted to take these ram horn candlesticks home. The woman was asking $80 for them (which I thought was pretty reasonable to begin with), and I didn't even try to bargain because I knew I had no place to put them. In comparison to these ram horn candlesticks on 1st dibs, they're a total steal!

More antique prints- my favorite things! I love the lizard, bugs and other creepie crawlies! How perfect would those be for a little boy's room?

What kind of flea marketer are you? A little brother, and ambitious dreamer, or an old pro? What's your favorite flea market find you're particularly proud of? Share with us!

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Thank you to the Washington Post!

We are so honored to be mentioned in the Blog Watch column of today's Washington Post home section for our recent post about Ruff & Ready, a furniture store that is one part adventure and one part treasure hunt. Thank you for the mention, Terri and Jura!

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It's Ruff...Are You Ready?

If you are a fan of "the hunt" when it comes to scoring bargain furniture and home accessories that might need a little TLC to bring them to their full glory, then Ruff & Ready on 14th Street here in Washington DC is the place for you. If you like browsing a well-edited, nicely styled selection of furniture while sipping on a complimentary cappuccino and leaving with your purchases in a cute little bag stuffed with coordinating tissue paper...well, this might not be the store you're looking for.



Ruff & Ready is located on an "up and coming" part of 14th Street near Logan Circle. While some fun secondhand furniture stores (Miss Pixie, Good Wood) and fab home stores (Garden District, Home Rule, Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams) call this area home, and there's a Whole Foods just a couple blocks away, you'll probably still encounter some interesting people watching, like the lady who was yelling and talking to herself while walking down 14th Street a few months ago when I was in the area.



Ruff & Ready looks kind of like a haunted house on the outside...and a hoarder's house on the inside. Let's take a peek!

Image Courtesy of Fabulous 15th & U because of course I forgot to take a picture of the outside!



The store has a bargain basement full of sale items, a first floor packed to the gills with furniture and home accessories, an outdoor patio area piled with stuff, and a back warehouse that is also piled with stuff, mostly furniture.



I love heading to the basement first. You can really score some fab deals. The only problem is seeing those deals. I'd estimate that at Ruff & Ready I can only lay eyes on about 60% of the merchandise. Furniture is stacked so precariously and the store is navigated by such narrow little pathways that you literally cannot see or access entire sections of the store. It's sort of bizarre. I have no idea how they meet the fire code!

Loved these French-style tables in the basement...they would look great with a makeover like yesterday's desk, wouldn't they?

Tons of vintage trunks...I have a vision of using vintage trunks in my home one day, I'm just not sure how.

I loved this vintage suitcase. So chic.

Chairs line the walls of the basement.

I almost died over this huge faux bamboo lamp. It was SO big, the thing was halfway to being a floor lamp. You've really got to have a special place for a lamp like that. And honestly, it was so tucked away I could not even get close enough to it to look at the price tag!

Some items border on the extremely creepy....

Loved this brass table frame (yes, it's brass under that dust)- you actually put them together and they for the base for a circular table- $20.

The only semblance of organization in the store seems to be the collection of owl figurines, which I loved!

Out in the back warehouse, the ceiling was literally crumbling down and there were buckets collecting rain that was leaking inside. There is so much furniture there, but again, I just could not even see it all. Plus it was very dark. However, I was able to spy this fabulous elephant garden stool.

When I loaded this pic on my computer I had a hard time telling which way was up and which was down...sort of like being in the store. The whole time you have to navigate your way with the other shoppers, planning out how to switch places and pass each other in aisles that are about 2 feet wide!

The stuff in the courtyard- honestly, I spied some fab brass tables and the like- but it was all sitting out in the rain!

Vintage hat boxes...they also have some great vintage fur stoles for a steal!

I loved this antique Japanese bamboo vase.

Methinks that MoS Charlotte would have a field day with the collection of elephants...

A lovely brass vanity stool ($37) at the top of a heap in the basement.

What I came away with- a small wood side table ($43)- pictured here after I sanded it as part of it's facelift...stay tuned for more! My little table is solid wood, heavy, and very sturdy, it just had some cosmetic issues that need to be addressed.

I'd certainly encourage you to stop by Ruff & Ready if you're in Washington- it's a really fun way to spend an afternoon walking around that area of 14th Street and hitting all the shops. If you need furniture and you need it for a bargain, this is the place to go. Despite the jumbled nature of the store, a lot of the furniture is of very good quality (though maybe in need of a little fixing up) and there's something for every style and taste.



A friend once summed up Ruff & Ready perfectly- "if they cleaned out all the stuff they'd probably find a body in there." Scary, but true- who knows what's lurking among all that stuff? But that's half the fun...

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Everybody Loves a Sample Sale

Rats!!! Seems like I am missing all of the good sales lately due to being out of town. First it was the Herend warehouse sale, and now it's the twice-yearly Sample Sale at the Washington Design Center. Open to the trade October 8-9, and open to the public on October 10th. If you are in the DC area I'd highly suggest stopping by- they have some amazing stuff at the Design Center! If I were around I would be there...I'd love to hear a report back from anyone who goes!











I can't speak for what's being offered at the sale, but here's a peek at some of the offerings at the Design Center:







Lee Joffa







Duralee







Brunschwig & Fils







Neirmann Weeks







Stark







Robert Allen Beacon Hill

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