Brooke's Basket

Congratulations to Brooke Giannetti of Velvet & Linen, winner of Karena's September Giveaway! Brooke is one of my favorite Blogger-Designers, so I wanted to put together a special basket for her as thanks for the many, many wonderful posts & photos & information she has given us; Brooke's choice was the Aix basket, but I am sending her a one-of-a-kind basket that I found in France recently, which is similar to my Aix basket, but it has a nifty little button closure. Here is Brooke's basket, in palm with buttery lambskin handles & trim~
This is sort of a "Best of France" basket, with each item meant to delight the senses, starting with a kilo of fragrant lavender buds in a paper bag; yes, I buy it by the kilo (2.2 pounds) and only the "extra blue" because it is prettier; I hope Brooke can use this around her store Giannetti Home~
Next to that, a few glass tubes of herbes de Provence, "salad herbs" and fresh vanilla beans, from our farmers market in Beaune~
a fantastic piece of savon de Marseille, this one is made with hydrating palm oil~
and tied with thick, waxed linen cord, great for hanging in the shower~
But the big treat of the basket is this~ a hand-hemmed Vintner's Cloth from the Paris Flea; cotton & linen, incredibly soft; Brooke can use this as a small lap blanket outside at one of her homes, perhaps in the kitchen or as a tablecloth~
and lastly, because Brooke loves industrial & mechanical pieces, a 1930's French letter scale or balance. This is from Burgundy, and it is a sweet little piece; in a perfect state of functionality, as the French say. The little scale swings back and forth, with the round weight on the end; I hope Brooke finds a place for it somewhere...
I will post again on these items on our new Metis Blog. There is lots more to say. But mostly, I can't wait to hear if Brooke likes the goodies and her basket. And speaking of gracious, thank you Karena, for hosting the giveaway and facilitating so many wonderful introductions in the process!