In celebration of the occasion of my birth

Do you treat yourself to a gift on your birthday?

Sometimes I do.

Mostly though, I just call it a birthday gift because it might cost a little more than I would normally spend on something for myself.

Some little luxury that I can rationalize a hundred different ways.


I dd treat myself to a little birthday "to me, from me" gift this year.  I'll be turning 71 next week and my gift arrived today.


want to see it?!


it's beautiful!



But first you get the story that goes with it.


I am, and have always been, a lover of carousels.


Beginning with the old Trimper's carousel on The Boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland.

I fell in love with it when I was a little girl, and love it every bit as much now as a big girl.

Then, in my 60s, I had my first visit to Paris.

And, I fell in love with the carousels in Paris.  


Donald and I have spent a lot of time during two trips taking pictures of some of these carousels, 

Trocadero

Bercy Park

Bercy Park

Luxembourg Gardens

Tuileries Garden

Eiffel Tower

and, many in the Musée des Arts Forains 

And hoping to get back to Paris 'cause there are still a few carousels we haven't seen and photographed yet!



Falling in love with Paris means falling in love with ALL things Paris, including the monuments, the cafes, the shops, the parks and the history of each of them.


As it happens, I also fell in love with Hermès scarves which are out of my price range.  Some of them, in my opinion, ridiculously so.  

I looked at some vintage designer scarves at a Parisian flea market/brocante and alas, no bargains to be found there, for sure.

But, during all this looking, I happened across a particular scarf that I fell head over heels in love with.


I'm a person who loves research.  Going into a research rabbit hole is one of my favorite things.

The Hermès rabbit hole is full of fun things.  


There are several Hermès scarf artists, and many of the scarves have their own story to tell, representing everything from the original equestrian theme to French history and cultural themes, each scarf with a title all its own.

(Warning!  Beware of fakes!  https://eluxemagazine.com/fashion/how-to-spot-a-fake-hermes-scarf/ but remember, not ALL Hermes scarves are signed by the artist - https://carredeparis.me/2019/06/27/are-all-hermes-scarves-signed/ )

The scarf I fell in love with is  Les Clefs du Notre Enfance (The Keys of Our Childhood).


After a couple of years of searching on-line at used clothing and accessory shops and auctions, including Etsy and Ebay, I finally spotted one at Poshmark and joined its "watch list."  It was priced a bit lower than many I'd seen.  One reason for the lower price is that the iconic orange Hermès box was not included.  Believe it or not, that means a great deal to a great deal of people.  Not to me.  

After several months, the price went down, as did the shipping price.

I kept watching.

It went down again. 

Not willing to try my luck any further, I sent in a counter-offer which was accepted.

Yay!!

And here it is - Happy Birthday to me!  

Title: Les Clefs du Notre Enfance (The Keys of Our Childhood)

Artist: Loic Dubigeon

Year(s) of issue: 1991/92

Measurements: Approx. 35" x 35" (90cm x 90cm)

Material: 100% Silk twill

Wishes do come true!

These  photos don't begin to do it justice.

you can see more Loic Dubigeon's Hermes carres (squares) here: https://carredeparis.com/collections/loic-dubigeon 

And, there's a pinterest page - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/549720698239392051/?lp=true

If you're able to find one, it was produced in different colorwaves

Note:  A helpful way to help ypu authenticate your Hermes scarf:

https://youtu.be/3aC1YAQ5n9s

AND/OR

 https://youtu.be/I_nocEpUXrg

Post Script: Watch for news about a photo book of The Carousels of Paris coming in 2020.