** giveaway has expired – congrats to our winner, Christy Ann! **
Drumroll, please! Ladies and gentlemen, belle patine is excited and proud to unveil our very first giveaway, and we’re hoping it will make you drool. We truly love our customers and fans, so we wanted to offer something really special to say “thanks” for your support. We searched high and low for the perfect item, and we’re pretty sure we found it. Ready?
Voila! Isn’t she glorious? This mid-century tole wall sconce was made in Italy and gilded by hand. Crystal prisms reflect the light from three candles, making any room come alive with old-world charm. At 19″ high, this vintage piece would make a beautiful statement in your powder room, bedroom or anywhere you want some sparkle. Life just looks better by candlelight…
How to Enter
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling us about your most treasured possession. Be sure to give us an email address when you comment, so we can get in touch if you win. You can then get up to 2 additional entries by also following us on Facebook or Twitter for a maximum of 3 entries per person, but you must comment on the blog to enter the contest.
Fine Print
This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only. Deadline to enter is Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 11:59 PM. A winner will be selected at random and notified by email. We may use your email address to send you occasional news about belle patine, but you can always unsubscribe and we’ll never give your info to anyone else, we promise.
Good luck to all, and we look forward to reading about your most treasured possessions. Here’s one last peek at the sconce in all her glory…
What a beautiful sconce! Well, I am just going to have to chime in here. My favorite posession…..I would have to choose the small painting done by an artist friend of mine, that my husband purchased for our first Valentine’s Day together. It’s very special.
How lovely, Tamara! Memories are what really make an object into a treasure.
I love what you said about memories making objects, which are typically cold and inanimate, into real and viable memories. I bet that painting is as beautiful as you describe, Tamara! If I had to pick a possession of mine that I treasure above others, it would have to be the pocketknife left to me by my late grandfather, who passed only a few weeks ago. I can remember him carrying it around just for the most mundane daily tasks. He would do everything from stripping green beans, whittling a piece of wood, or cutting a string hanging from his jacket. Every time I reach in my pocket and feel it, it reminds me that life’s treasures are hidden in the things that we do and people who’s lives we see and touch every day, and I couldn’t possibly thank him enough for that lesson.
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing this.
I have a collection of glass bottles in my bathroom. Each bottle was either free or under 5 dollars and I fill them with all my bath products (e.g., shampoo, body wash). Each bottle adds a touch of glamour and prettiness to my shower and it reminds me that you don’t need a lot of money, or time to surround yourself with simple pleasures.
Ginger, what an excellent idea. Simple pleasures can indeed be glamorous.
One of my most treasured possessions would have to be our small country home that was given to us. We are in the middle of remodeling. We know one it will be completed and I can’t wait to start on the design of the interior! Ya know, all the fun things!
Enjoy seeing all the great things on your website!
Thanks, Peggy! Remodeling is truly an adventure. Let us know when you start on the furnishings and we’ll keep an eye out for anything you’re especially wanting.
One of the most special things that I have is a beautiful wooden dough tray that was my grandmother’s (my mom’s mother’s). When I was born, my grandmother lined the bowl with a soft blank and every time my mom took me for a visit she laid me in it in the center of the dining room table.
Oh, Teresa, what a sweet memory and heirloom! Thanks so much for sharing that!
One of my most treasured possesions is a silver necklace my friend gave me the day before she moved away. She’s allll the way in Ireland now; funny how things change, right? But airports are really big places, unfortunately, and things can get lost pretty easily, including tiny silver necklaces =(
You sound like a wonderful friend to treasure her gift like you do. So sorry a friend had to move far away, but so grateful you shared this story with us. Thank you, Nickigal!
When you’re as old as I am, and have been blessed to inherit so many family treasures, it is hard to choose just one. What comes to mind most immediately is a set of baskets in which my mother and father carried their lunches, when they taught in that two – room schoolhouse in Tennessee in the 1930s. The baskets are handwoven, but distinctly different…. just big enough to line with a kerchief and carry a cold ham biscuit and an apple or so.
Doris, your wonderful story reminds me why we all so love vintage and the patina of the past. It keeps family legacies present in our lives. Thank you!
I recently created a new photo series called “These are a Few of My Favorite Things”. In it I photographed items such as the vintage cameras my Grandfathers gave me, a tall pile of red sketchbooks, a white stone bird that was my Grandmother’s, and typewriter, to name a few. I was interested in creating a series around memory and preservation. Check out a few of them on my photo blog here: http://juliaparris.com/blog?page=16 and http://juliaparris.com/blog?page=14.
WOW, Julia, what a talent you have! Beautiful, meaningful images. Thanks for sharing with us!
My most treasured possession is my dining room table. It is a beautiful beast from the 1880s. I love it because it is big enough for large groups of people to sit and eat and talk–and we do–every Tuesday night when I make dinner for anyone who shows up!
Sounds wonderful! Where do I show up on Tuesday!
Thanks for sharing, Michele!
Nice! My favorite possession besides my kids are all my flower pots!! Sweet, weird and funky – it accents my plant problem!
That made me chuckle, Carolo. Hey, plants need sweet, weird and funky homes just like we do, right?! Thanks for sharing!
My mother loved swans. She had several, in different sizes and shapes, but my favorite is the clear crystal one, with the long gracefully curved neck. It catches and reflects the light, and is both airy and substantial. It is at least 60 years old and it is a miracle that it has survived many moves. Today it sits on a chest in my office… a gentle reminder of my little mother who loved beauty, and whose inspiration is particularly poignant to me in this, my first few months since her death.
Lovely story. Thanks, Doris!
My most treasured possession is a hard copy of the book Rocket Boys signed by the author
That’s a treasure for sure, Jessica, and one to hold on to.
Most treasured possession….that’s a tough one. Does my baby count? I guess it would have to be my clothing collection, since I’m a huge thrifter and deal hunter. It could never be replaced, although I have had to do just that a few times when moving around unexpectedly. It hurt every time, collecting so many unique pieces (some one of a kind and handmade) and then losing them. Some say clothing is art and I agree, it is my favorite method of self expression!
Clothing oneself is definitely an art form, Christy Ann. Sounds like you’re an artist, then!
My most treasured possession…is more than one item. All of my photos. Especially photos of family members that I was never able to meet.
What a wonderful giveaway! Thanks for the opportunity.
I was just telling a friend the other day that if my house was burning down and I could grab one thing, it would be a box of family photos. Thanks for the comment!
I have a few treasured possessions! I have a sterling silver axe pendant that my husband bought me when we were living in a foreign country and he was going to school. It was an inexpensive thing, but it cost so much for him at the time. He really sacrificed for it, and I love it so much. My other treasure is a tiny little flannel blanket, only the same size as a bandana. This summer, we lost a daughter five hours after her birth. She was only three pounds, and so sweet. She was wrapped in this tiny blanket and it looked like a gigantic quilt around her, she was so little. I keep the blanket and fold it up in my purse. It just makes me smile to see it. I always have it with me.
What beautiful, bittersweet memories. Thank you for sharing them with us, Mercedes.
My most treasured possession is probably my wedding band. It represents our love and a very special time in our lives.
It does seem to be those things that remind us of love, in some form, that turn out to be most important to us. Thanks, khbride.