I was just looking for a mirror…

A Soleil Mirror, to be exact. I spied one that looked familiar in Joni’s living room, knew I had seen one like it on one of my usual shopping haunts… but revisting those sites, I couldn’t find it!

Here’s Joni’s mirror, hanging on the BOOKSHELF of her living room, in a wonderful blogger profile by Canyon Wren Cottage:

Joni's Living Room: Cote De Texas

So I google ’soleil mirror’ with the google shopping assistant. What I usually find when I use Google Shopping is lots of chaff, and just a little wheat… but sometimes it turns up surprise finds, and new sites for me, so I don’t mind a little sorting. Besides I could pretty much shop all day long, right?

So I found a mirror I liked. Not a traditional soleil, which was a plus. It has a ‘hand’ quality to it, rather than one of the many gilded resin reproductions I saw. An obvious reproduction is a little bit of a stretch for me… usually I don’t want something that it too ‘on the nose.’

The size is perfect: 18 inches. The price is more than right: $80.95!

It would be a done deal, but I’m still trying to formalize it’s place in the house. I have a slim, black iron bookshelf that divides the front parlors, where I collect little paintings and prints. Currently, a little neo-classical print I picked up from Ballard Designs years ago (on sale, of course) hangs above it. I was thinking of swapping it out with the mirror – but it hangs so high! Just not sure if it will be a sculptural surprise up there or simply out of place.

I think it would work, but I need to have a backup plan.

But the real point was that the Google Shopping introduced me to Elizabeth’s Embellishments, an off the beaten path site (at least for me) that was chock-a-block with great things. Remember, I was just shopping for a mirror?

But how about a few more goodies? Hey I’m already paying for shipping right? Let’s fill the box up!