Julie & Julia - and Me!

We had the pleasure of seeing Julie & Julia today! What a great movie, with the customary amazing performance by Meryl Streep. Is there anything the woman can't do? The whole cast was wonderful, the story was terrific. But, as usual, I was all wrapped up in ogling the vintage stuff!


To me, stuff is the star of every movie I see. I suppose that if I were to truly follow my passion (which is a central theme in the film) I would become a set decorator. This movie was particularly interesting because so much of it centered in the kitchen. Fantastic vintage furniture and cookware, a gorgeous stove, and of course, Le Creuset pots in "Flame"! My favorites.

Check out the photo of Meryl/Julia at her great vintage stove (of course, it wouldn't have been vintage at that time!). We have the Le Creuset pot in Flame, the requisite pearls, and those awesome shoes!

Meryl/Julia also wore beautiful brooches, my favorite jewelry. I was unable to find photos on the net, but one brooch was a gold-tone sitting cat (ANOTHER passion of mine), and one was a gorgeous initial pin that appeared to be rhinestones. Wow! How I'd love that!

Vintage jewelry with people's names or initials on it is always a special treat to find. I think it adds to the sense that we are keeping people's spirits and memories alive by "recycling" their personalized jewelry pieces. I recently found a silver ID bracelet - remember those? They always seemed to be made by Spiedel, and back in my day (which certainly qualifies as vintage) the boys would give their ID bracelets to a girl to show that they were going steady. The one I have was a boy's ID bracelet, and the first initials were "T.C." Reminded me of a favorite cartoon. Anyone else remember Top Cat? Are you getting the general generational drift here?

In another large lot of jewelry I bought, there were several pins with the initial "E". That's all, just "E". Esther/Elaine/Evangeline had her first initial in two beautiful wood brooches, a gold-tone brooch, and a silver necklace pendant. And, of course, monogrammed antique and collectible flatware is ubiquitous.

Speaking of Spiedel, I also found a great man's Bulova watch with a Spiedel band. Really beautiful watch, and it still keeps time perfectly. It's only problem is surface scratches on the crystal. I will be listing it in the next few days.



Bon apetit!
Joni