French Larkspur

2018-06-26T17:33:00.002-05:00

Bonjour!

It's been awhile since I've posted, so I thought I would pop in to say hello!

My husband, Steve, and I recently returned from taking our very first small tour group to Provence and we could not be happier with how wonderful it all turned out! We hosted the very nicest group of people...thank you Sharla, Amy, Wendy and Tom! We all found lots of vintage French treasures, visited some truly beautiful villages, ate our share of good food, and did a lot of laughing along the way! Watch my Instagram page in the coming months, for upcoming announcements on 2019 tour dates! Merci.

Since I have been busy taking photos and listing new {vintage} items in the online shop, I thought I would share some of the photos here! Some of these items have already sold and some are still available. I am listing new items every week!

{my husband recently transformed a vintage store counter that I was using as a buffet in the dining room, into a dry sink for me. He cut a hole in the top and we dropped in this vintage zinc tub that I had...once I find the right faucet, we will turn it into a real sink. I really love how it turned out and I will be sharing more about it in the future!}

Thank you to everyone who has supported my little business over the years, I truly appreciate you! I absolutely love traveling through France and shopping the flea markets and I feel incredibly blessed to be able to do what I do. I hand-select every item that goes into my shop because I myself love it...and I am thrilled when it finds a new home with someone who loves it as much as I do. Thank you again!

Tracey

2018-03-02T08:52:00.000-06:00

French Larkspur Fall Group Tour:

Vintage shopping plus a guided tour

of some of the most beautiful villages in the world

Provence, France

Hosted by Tracey and Steve Leber

Join us for a week of exploring some of the most beautiful
villages in Provence, France ~ Les Plus Beaux Villages de France!
We will take you to all of our favorite villages to enjoy
the local French lifestyle and photograph {or just sightsee}
in one of the most breathtaking areas of France. Along the way,
we will bring you to all of our best-loved flea markets
and brocante shops!

October 19th - October 26th, 2018

Price per person is $3,100

This includes:

*Transportation to and from the Marseille
airport and to all destinations throughout
the week

*7 nights shared accommodation {double
occupancy} in a spacious, self-catering
apartment situated in a gorgeous 18th
century building...furnished with French
antiques and lots of Provencal charm!

You will have access to a beautiful,
private outdoor pool and garden
{on site} and will be only steps
away from restaurants, shops, cafés
and village life.

We always stay here!

*A tour of some of the most beautiful villages
in Provence, as well as...

weekly food and artisan markets,
the best flea markets, and
brocante shops that we have personally
discovered in our travels to Provence

*Bienvenue a Provence ~ arrival reception
and local French wine tasting

*Arrival gifts

*Fresh croissants delivered to your door
every morning. Your apartment will also
have a welcome basket with local jam,
fresh fruit, and our favorite French yogurt
and coffee...

to enjoy each morning for breakfast before
we head out for the day!

*Escorted lunches and dinners.
We have chosen NOT to include lunch
and dinner meals in the price of the tour,
so that you are able to budget exactly

what you choose for every meal...
we will, however, escort you
to all restaurants for lunch and dinner.
If on any night, you would rather
stay in your apartment for dinner
or dine al fresco, in the garden,

we can help you gather what you need
at the local markets, for a relaxing
but memorable night in!

*Assistance, if needed, with shipping
items home!

**price does NOT include airfare

and we highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance,

at your own expense

You can see many, many more photos of our travels to Provence
and all over France, on Instagram: www.instagram.com/frenchlarkspur

For more information, and to receive an itinerary, please
email us via the contact page on our website *HERE*

Update: Sold Out

2018-01-19T15:53:00.000-06:00

French Larkspur Group Tour:

Vintage shopping plus a guided tour

of some of the most beautiful villages in the world

Provence, France

Hosted by Tracey and Steve Leber

May 18 - May 25, 2018

Price per person is $3,000

This includes:

*Transportation to and from the Marseille
airport and to all destinations throughout
the week

*7 nights shared accommodation {double
occupancy} in a spacious, self-catering
apartment situated in a gorgeous 18th
century building...furnished with French
antiques and lots of Provencal charm!

You will have access to a beautiful,
private outdoor pool and garden
{on site} and will be only steps
away from restaurants, shops, cafés
and village life.

We always stay here!

*A tour of some of the most beautiful villages
in Provence, as well as...

weekly food and artisan markets,
the best flea markets, and
brocante shops that we have personally
discovered in our travels to Provence

*Bienvenue a Provence ~ arrival reception
and local French wine tasting

*Arrival gifts

*Fresh croissants delivered to your door
every morning. Your apartment will also
have a welcome basket with local jam,
fresh fruit, and our favorite French yogurt
and coffee...

to enjoy each morning for breakfast before
we head out for the day!

*Escorted lunches and dinners.
We have chosen NOT to include lunch
and dinner meals in the price of the tour,
so that you are able to budget exactly

we can help you gather what you need
at the local markets, for a relaxing
but memorable night in!

*Assistance, if needed, with shipping
items home!

**price does NOT include airfare

and we highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance,

at your own expense

You can see many, many more photos of our travels to Provence
and all over France, on Instagram: www.instagram.com/frenchlarkspur

For more information, and to receive an itinerary, please
contact us via the contact page on our website *HERE*

See you in Provence!

Update: Sold Out

2017-12-26T13:30:00.000-06:00

We are having an after Christmas SALE!

Currently, everything in the online shop is 25% off! And, as always, free shipping.

Shop French Larkspur

Follow on Instagram

New items popping up in the shop!

2017-05-23T18:54:00.000-05:00

After our recent trip to Provence, new items are starting to pop up in the online shop! We had a great time shopping the French flea markets and are happy to offer some new {vintage} items in the shop. More items will be coming over the next few weeks, as well!

Pop on over to the SHOP for a peek...

Shop French Larkspur

French Larkspur on Instagram

First Snowfall

2016-12-09T20:12:00.000-06:00

Happy December!

We got our first snowfall of the season last weekend! The kids were so excited and, I have to admit, it did feel very festive. I love the snow in December, but by January, I'm over it :)

I got out my camera and headed outside to snap a few photos of all the pretty snow. I love it when the snow sticks to all of the branches on the trees...so magical...

And, since I still had a lot of product to shoot for the online shop, from our recent trip to France, I decided to try and photograph some of them at the old barn nearby. My husband was a big help and we managed to get a few festive shots in before we froze! There are still some wonderful items available in the SHOP, just in time for Christmas...here's a little peek...

Check the shop for many more vintage French items!

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas!

Tracey

Shop French Larkspur

Instagram

The Cook's Atelier

2016-10-07T12:05:00.000-05:00

I had the absolute pleasure of visiting The Cook's Atelier, not once, but twice already this year! Located in Beaune, it is one of the most charming places in France. It is a darling 3 floor shop that encompasses a wine shop, culinary boutique and a French cooking school...run by the mother-daughter duo of Marjorie and Kendall. You can read more about these lovely ladies and how they got started *HERE*

Here is a little peek around their shop...

looking down from the second floor...

The Cook's Atelier offers a variety of French cooking classes and workshops, including the one I attended, in June, "A Day in Burgundy." This truly amazing day started out with a tour of the Wednesday food market in Beaune and was followed by a cooking class, where we learned how to make what we would later eat! There was delicious cheese {oh how I love French cheese} and lots of wonderful French wine too :) Everything was outstanding! Here is a peek at their gorgeous kitchen...

the lovely table where we all gathered to eat the food that we prepared...

with the candles all lit...

A shot of Kendall, while she was teaching our class. I am in love with that Lacanche range!! Did you know that the Lacanche ranges are made in Burgundy?!!...

The original location of The Cook's Atelier is now a darling pied-à-terre that is available to rent. It is a two bedroom apartment, just a short walk from where the new shop is. My husband and I had the chance to stay there in May. I adored everything about it! It is bathed in light and filled with vintage charm, with every attention to detail made, in order to make sure your stay in Beaune is a beautiful one...

You can get more information about the pied-à-terre *HERE*

{More photos of the pied-à-terre and Beaune itself coming soon}

If you ever find yourself in Beaune, I hope you will take the opportunity to visit The Cook's Atelier and maybe even sign up for one of their cooking classes. I can't recommend it enough!!! The whole staff is incredibly warm and welcoming, and Kendall's husband, Laurent, makes the best coffee in France, so be sure and have a latte while you are there! A big thank you to Marjorie, Kendall and Laurent for making my time at their beautiful atelier so very memorable!

Tracey

Shop French Larkspur

French Larkspur on Instagram

Fine Art Prints

2016-09-12T20:10:00.000-05:00

Bonsoir!

I am so excited to announce that I am now offering some of my France photography as fine art prints, available for purchase in the online shop!

The sunset photo above was taken in Beynac-et-Cazenac, France {Dordogne} and it shows a portion of Chateau de Beynac. Beynac is a true fairytale village and one of my absolute favorites in France.

The photo below was taken at the Paris flea market ~ Marche Paul Bert. The wisteria was in bloom while we were there, and it was spectacular. I just loved the vintage French ladder propped up among the wisteria...

This next photo is one I took this past spring, in the darling village of Vezelay {Burgundy}. I can't wait to explore more of beautiful Burgundy, on our next trip to France...

I just happened upon this next photo, as my husband and I were wandering around the village of Gallargues-le-Montueux. The gentleman who owned this home came out as we were passing by and I asked if I could photograph his beautiful little garden. He did such a great job of creating a happy front entrance, despite the fact that he had no yard...

Honfleur holds a special place in my heart. Normandie during the spring can be a bit rainy and somewhat cool, but it makes the landscape so fresh and lush with color. As we strolled the empty streets of Honfleur one {very early} morning, when the light was barely up, I snapped this photo...the darker lighting allowed me to capture the saturated colors down this beautiful street...

Since we are in the middle of September, I thought I would offer one of my favorite fall landscape photos from Provence. I took this photo last November, from high up in the hill top village of Bonnieux. In late October/early November, Provence shows its fall colors and the vineyards turn the most gorgeous shades of red, yellow and gold. Here, the sun was just dipping behind the mountains...

My favorite building in Provence, is this next one, in Menerbes. For any fans of "A Year in Provence," Menerbes was the home of Peter Mayle, while he wrote that book...

And lastly, here are just a few favorite vintage French finds that are currently available in the SHOP...

{the vintage French bread board on the buffet}

Wishing you all a wonderful new week!

Tracey

Shop French Larkspur

French Larkspur on Instagram

{p.s. you may have noticed that I turned off the comments for my posts, at one point last year. Unfortunately, I was just flooded with too many spam comments, so I made the decision to turn the comments off. If you would like to drop me a note, you can reach me through the "contact" section of the shop *HERE*}

A New Collection From France

2016-06-12T20:19:00.000-05:00

Hi there! I don't usually work on Sunday evening :) But I realize that not everyone is on Instagram, or any social media for that matter, and so I thought I would give a quick announcement here on the blog that I will have new {vintage French} items in the online shop tomorrow {Monday} at 5:00 CST!

Thank you to everyone who have been so patient with my slow progress on blogging. What can I say, Instagram is just quicker and easier, I guess. But, I'll admit, I do miss the good old days of blogging...as it was such a small, close community, filled with wonderful people...some of which I have created lifelong friendships with! I keep saying I will get back to blogging more and I hope that really does happen! I promise to try :)

Here is just a peek at some of the new items I brought back from the flea markets in France...

All new items will be available on June 13th at 5:00 CST in the online shop.

Wishing you a great start to your week!!!

Tracey

Shop French Larkspur

p.s. I am selling my Canon f/2.8L Macro IS USM lens. If you are a Canon user and you are interested, please send me an email *HERE*. It is in excellent condition and is like new. I am asking $700. It is a fabulous lens and takes beautiful photos!

New items in the shop

2016-04-25T19:17:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I added some new items to the online shop, so I thought that I would share some of the photos here on the blog...

While I was taking my product shots, the only things blooming in my garden, were grape hyacinth and pear branches, so they featured in a lot of the photos :)

My French lilac bushes have just started blooming, so I am happy to have something new to photograph...

...you can buy these beautiful glass bottles at any health food store and make your own homemade hand soap, however this recipe does work best with a foaming hand pump {glass ones are available via Amazon}. This was a quick gift that I made. I combined it with a pretty tag and a few sprigs of French lilac right before I delivered it.

Homemade hand soap DIY recipe:

1/4 part filter water

3/4 part unscented Castile soap

{I like Dr. Bronner's Pure Unscented Baby Castile soap}

5 - 10 drops of essential oil {depending on strength of scent you want}

The best part about making your own products, is that you know exactly what ingredients are going into them and you can be sure then that they are 100% pure and natural...nothing toxic, artificial, or harmful to your body.

For this bottle of hand soap, I used the doTERRA lemongrass essential oil.

Have a great week ~

Tracey

Shop French Larkspur

French Larkspur on Instagram

New items in the Shop

2015-07-14T07:58:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

Just a quick note to say that I added some new {vintage} items to the online shop

You can visit the shop *HERE*

Here is a peek at what's new...

I hope you are all enjoying your summer! We have had a lot of rain here and it hasn't quite felt like summer yet, with often cooler temperatures. The kids and I are keeping busy with all of their activities and sports, but we are ready for some heat and lazy days at the pool :)

Wishing you a beautiful day!

Tracey

Shop French Larkspur

French Larkspur on Instagram

Shop News

2015-06-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

Bonjour!

I know it has been forever since I have blogged! These days you can find me regularly on Instagram. I know not everyone has joined IG, so I will try and pop in here from time to time, to update you on shop news, etc.

I spent 2 weeks in Normandie and Paris recently and found so many wonderful French treasures for the shop! I listed some new items a few weeks ago, but most of it sold right away {thank you loyal customers!!}. There are still a few really lovely things left though, if you would like to take a peek over in the SHOP...

I just received my crate from France on Friday, with all of the additional vintage French items I selected at the flea markets in France...and so I will be very busy taking photos over the next few weeks :) I will try and get as much of it photographed as I can, despite the hectic summer schedule with my kids being home! New items will be available on Monday, June 22nd at 3:00 pm {central time}.

I will have a few vintage French enamel buckets available on the 22nd, and here is one I have already photographed...

Happy summer friends!

Tracey

Shop French Larkspur

Instagram

My $20 Vintage Buffet Makeover and a Winner

2014-03-18T08:37:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

I have been wanting to share this project with you for awhile now...so I thought while I was announcing the giveaway winner, it would be the perfect time to show it to you...

You may recognize some aspects of this set up from when I used my son's room for product shots, earlier this year. The wooden strip across the top of the buffet is actually an antique lace curtain stretcher that my mother-in-law gave me. I had my husband pull it apart so that I could use it to hang some of my vintage French tea towels. It already has tiny hooks on it and works perfectly...

This spot in my dining room is where the mantel used to be, but I decided to take it down for now and change things up :) This buffet is actually a family piece from my husband's side of the family. My mother-in-law gave it to us last fall, when we were having a garage sale. At the time, it was stained and looked almost orange, with some very 1950's handles. We went ahead and put it in the garage sale, but had no "takers." At one point, someone offered us a ridiculously low price for it, and that is when I said, "heck, I don't need another buffet, but this piece could be really great with a little TLC!" So my husband stripped all of the contact paper out of the inside and sanded it smooth. I then went in the basement and mixed up some leftover white paint to custom create a color {for a no cost custom color...I often do this as a way to use up old paint}. I gave it two coats on the inside and outside, and now it is a wonderfully useful storage piece for me!

After that, all that was need were some new knobs. With coupon in hand, I headed to Hobby Lobby and picked out these vintage inspired glass knobs. Total price for the makeover...$20! I am happy with how it turned out, and loving how it looks in this spot! I decorated it using the kitchen scale my in-laws gave me years ago, a stack of my ironstone dishes, some of my favorite cook books, and lots of vintage French favorites...

Now for the giveaway winner...

Mary Alice from Chateau Chic

Thank you so very much to everyone who participated, especially those of you who helped to spread the word!!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!!

Tracey

Shop French Larkspur

Follow me on Instagram

Back from Paris and our Advent calendar

2013-12-11T09:26:00.001-06:00

Bonjour! I have been in Paris! I was lucky enough to tag along with my husband on a business trip. I can not even express how exciting it was for me to be able to experience Paris at Christmastime!!!

Before we left for Paris, I made an Advent calendar for the kids. I found the cutest little Kraft paper bags on Etsy and decided to use those to create our Advent calendar.

We did a similar Advent calendar last year and it was a big hit...I filled the bags with a small treat for the kids every day and my husband and I also took turns writing the kids a note of love and encouragement, telling them how proud we were of various different things they have done. I like to use the Christmas season to remind the kids of Jesus' love for us and that we need to speak more kindly to one another and treat each other the way He would want us to. So the Advent calendar is a nice blend of fun for the kids and a way to remind them to remember the reason for the season!

Tracey

Instagram

And so it begins...

2013-11-01T09:26:00.001-05:00

Is it too early to start showing you Christmas decor??!

I know I'm already looking for Christmas inspiration for my home...so I thought maybe it was okay to start sharing Christmas ideas here on the blog :)

These photos are some of the ones that I took over the summer for Casa Chic's Christmas special magazine, Gli Speciali di Casa Chic, that will be published in Italy and France.

I like to keep my Christmas decor fairly simple and I love using as many natural elements as possible! However, it was summer and about 90 degrees when I shot this, so I had to make do a little :))

I recycled some old ideas and threw in a few new ones for this photo shoot. I am definitely using more red this year with all of our first floor hardwood being painted grey now...I just love red and grey together...throw in a bunch of white too and I'm a happy girl!

Yesterday, as the trick-or-treaters came to our door, I had to laugh when more than a few said, "oh there's a lot of white in there," as they peeked through our front door! What can I say, I still love white...

{thank you mom for letting me cut these pretty berry branches from your bush, they were just the touch I was looking for!}

My rosemary did so well this year and is still going strong, so you will probably see lots of it in photos the coming weeks :)

I have been a little bit obsessed with these 4 inch paper doilies this year! I used them here as snowflakes on my bare branches...

I added a little sparkle to the table setting as the room grew darker...

Okay, that is probably more than enough photos for now! :)

I did add some new items to the SHOP and will add a few more over the weekend, if you want to take a peek...

Bon week-end mes amis!

Tracey

Facebook

Instagram

Thank you midwest living magazine and a little catching up!

2013-01-02T19:40:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, filled with family, friends, and lots of joy! The break did me good and I feel grateful to have had the extra time to just focus on family and the true reason for the season.

{a rare picture of me :)) }

Last June, I mentioned that Midwest Living Magazine was here for a 3 day photo shoot of my home. It was a truly wonderful experience and now the issue is available and I am so thrilled with how it turned out!!

Carol Schalla was a delight to work with, and Kim Cornelison is an unbelievably talented photographer!!! A huge thank you to both of them for working so hard to make my home feature look so beautiful!

*All photos of my home shown in this post are courtesy of Midwest Living and were taken by Kim Cornelison*

Here is a sampling of the photos featured...the full article and all of the photos can be viewed on the Midwest Living website *HERE*

Have a lovely evening and thank you so much for stopping by ~

Tracey