New Mono's

We wish there were a "touch" button on your computer. We wish you could feel the new merchandise as it comes in; Old English "A" on French linen & hemp; 19.5" x 31.5" hand hemmed with the letters in two sizes and with an "O" on the other end on one, unusual~$75 the pair~
A set of rustic linen or linen & hemp dish towels, roughly 32 x 21" all monogrammed R;
the weave is very fat and irregular; totally yummy, the mono's are in petit croix~$75 per pair~

also a pair of M's 21 x 30" rough weave linen, totally yummy; hand hemmed~
We will launch the online store this week.

Rain Delay

When we get a break from the rain, we'll get back to more photos. A new lot has just arrived, including this set of six 19th century solid bronze curtain rings~

each piece has a lovely weight; we will use them as napkin rings~
the detail is magnificent, stylized olive leaf garlands; all hand made and added on to the base rings. Each ring is 2 3/4" in diameter~
The Magasin de Metis will be open soon!

You have until the end of October to enter Art By Karena's Giveaway if you have not entered yet....

Art by Karena Giveaway

The lovely Karena is offering a giveaway of Metis items on her blog Art by Karena, with the winner being chosen on November 1st. We love the serenity and inspiration of her paintings, but also of course we just love Karena herself!

We want to show you the contents of the basket, and there seems to be an early clamoring for the keys, so we're going to add in this set to the basket. 19C French keys, tied on a generous piece of red silk satin~
We started with over 100 18C and 19C keys, some are crusty and rusty, some are clean and shiny. Something like this set above is $25 for the set of 5. The selection of keys deserves another post, so look for that soon.

The linens in the basket are rolled up behind the candles; they are a pair of creamy colored vintage French 100% linen dishtowels, not monogrammed, and each approximately 25" x 54". Here is the entire grouping, in one of Andrea's Eze baskets from Morocco, trimmed in lambskin~
On the left here you see the French extra-blue lavender in Laura's sweet packaging~
Also included is a jar of Laura's home-made bath salts, made with lavender; it's on the other side of the basket but just out of view.There are eight chubby beeswax candles in the basket, tied in pairs with four of our silk-wrap ties and French religious medal charms~
We're showing you the ones in the basket now, including this one with amethyst-colored vintage glass bead and baroque pearl~
we will consult with our winner to select something perfectly suited. There are many charms to choose from; the charms range in value from approximately $20 up to $75 depending on the medals and beads or stones~
these can be used for holiday napkin ties, or for wrist wraps~
Thank you Karena for hosting the giveaway!

To enter the giveaway, please go to Karena's blog and become a follower; please visit the Metis posts and post a comment for Karena telling her what you love among our merchandise.

Bonne chance a tous!

Metis Booth Style

On Sunday, our first sales day, all the finery was on parade~

We were honored to have several distinguished visitors...Brooke & Steve Giannetti came by early in the morning; we thank Brooke for her purchases and her mention on Velvet & Linen today~
Bev from the Willows also came by and will show our merchandise in her lovely store in Phoenix~ here she is holding the harvest basket from Champagne, full of rolled linens~
Brooke & Steve had the best shot of the booth in their post today, so be sure to check their post HERE if you don't follow Brooke already; Andrea was very into the detailed shots; but here is a wider view~

The vintage men's shirts & a vintage apron were hung on the walls, which were enclosed in washed drop cloths on three sides~
The religious medals were displayed on the pillows Laura designed, the display was a brilliant Laura idea; an example of the partnership; this was a fantastic idea to show the merch this way~

The rosaries and brooches and crosses and other pieces on a second pillow.....

The tables were skirted in metis sheets and burlap, Andrea's norm~

The showstopper was the floor, a painted drop cloth that Laura will show you shortly; another great partnership; Andrea had the concept, colors decided jointly, and Laura executed it to perfection; here she is, proudly in the booth~

People came by all day and said "This is different!" Read: you didn't throw a blanket on the pavement and pile your goods on top. We took pride in our booth, and considered it a creative exercise; the floor was fantastic!!

Images of Metis

What images will come to mind
when you think of
Metis Linens?

{19C French Republic enamel sign, vintage grain measures;
apple display less a dozen sold on Sunday}

Vintage linens are our specialty~

{vintage linen & hemp dish towels}

our goal is to provide you with a selection~

{linen dish towels from the Paris flea}

Our passion is authenticity
let's throw in a little crusty stuff~

{French copper-trimmed drum sticks}

Linens that blend perfectly with the old & the new~

old linens that can not be imitated~

{linen & hemp dishtowels with hand-sewn mono}

Smooth, rough, silky or soft~

in linen, cotton, hemp & various blends~

in a word~ delicious

{We would take every bit of it home, but we'd get in trouble}

we will have a new palette or theme each time we show~

{18C hand-forged key, 19C French Revolution book set & paperweight)

keep it fresh~

{fencing masks, grain measures, hat stands}

Organic & always natural displays~

{French linen twine, apple & lychees from the farmers market}

Nothing too fussy~

{crusty 19C key sets with satin ribbon}
you will wonder are we in the the U.S.?

{Laura's vintage PA ticking with French linen pillows}

or are we in France?

{vintage but unused napkin yardage, for table runners}

the sweet touches of Laura~

{jarred organic French extra-bleu lavander with Laura's original packaging}

blending perfectly with Andrea's love of the naturals~

{oversized hemp tassels "embrasses" from the Paris flea}

a little eye candy~

{vintage French religious medals +++}

Curated, with descriptive tags~

in both French & English~

{grelots de Noel; numbered}

online store coming soon~

images from our Rose Bowl Booth Sunday 10-10-10

Mad About Men

Our theme for the Metis Linens sales launch today was Homme. We found a perfect embodiment of Man in the sweet Paxton, who bought several items~Welcome to L.A. Isn't he adorable? We had stacks of linen and other objects, which we will show tomorrow~
We carried the theme over into some Moo Cards, which caused Laura's Sweet Boy to tell his mother that he was so happy that she had put Jesus on her new cards. It's actually a 19C Homme, but it could be Jesus I suppose...
We had men of all ages in the booth today, this one will perhaps channel a Sapeur Pompier or French Fireman for Halloween?~
The men were very interested in the drum, fencing masks and our old tools, including the two sheep shears or "John Bobbitt Special" as we dubbed it~

they bear a hallmark and work perfectly~
here is one aficionado; yes, that is a huge piercing on his chin. We saw all kinds of men today, and though their looks varied, all shared an interest in vintage French items~

Here is a more traditional Rose Bowl pic; check out that guitar; he even struck a pose for me when I asked for a pic;
We had men stopping by the booth all day; sometimes we saw them heading our way, looking decidedly un-French~
we dared not ask for a photo, but got a pic of them leaving~
Generally, men are flattered if you ask for a photo, and will oblige, especially if they happen to be gorgeous~
they loved to mug and smile in the booth~
or freeze in a pose for the camera, while browsing the merch; the little Postes pochette sold today~
meanwhile, we stalked interesting men out and about around the Rose Bowl, here a manly-man with pale green lace parasol~
or here, a dapper in boater hat, tuxedo shirt with rolled sleeves & a slouchy bag; it's quite a quirky yet fashionable crowd at the Rose Bowl~
It was about 100 degrees today, so even the men resorted to Chinese parasols; we are holding ours til next month and our Femme merchandise~
tomorrow we will show you the booth; right now Laura is racing home to catch Mad Men, her favorite show.
Can't wait to show you the booth tomorrow; many many pics~