Touch of Europe Blog » Hints And Tips

We can light up your life!

Wendy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:19:41 +0000

In an innovative way of course! We had a very cool vintage bird cage in the store and while it garnered a lot of interest it was still in residence this fall. So, so we decided………MAKEOVER! We brought the bird cage to a friend of ours who can turn just about any item into a lamp.

The Cage 'Before'

Vintage Look Edison Bulb

We were inspired by:

Source: Design Sponge

And this was our interpretation:

We had the bird cage spray painted in a glossy black and had it wired to hang upside down. With one of our new retro light bulbs in place this ensemble became a useful, innovative, chandelier that all your friends will be gabbing about….Just picture it in an entryway…awesome!

A great idea for using your vintage doilies

Mimi — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:58:20 +0000

This tutorial appeared on the blog written by Rachel at Smile and Wave. It is the perfect way to use and display doilies in a new and fresh way – and it’s simple! The results are just lovely and will fit in so many different types of home decor – see the result for yourself:

(Image used with permission from the Author)

Some of her really cool suggestions include using different colors, to get a variegated effect, or to try with colored doilies (and we’ve been itching to try our hand at dying linens since it’s such a huge thing in Europe right now). She also recommends making sure the background fabric is a little bit different so the design shows up, but not too different, so it doesn’t steal the show.

I’m now going to go dig through doily boxes and make one too!

Reisenthel Carry Bag or Market Tote vs other brands

Mimi — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 19:07:43 +0000

We often receive questions about the very popular carry bag or Marke Tote by Reisenthel. It seems everyone is offering something like it, and often far cheaper. So we wanted to clarify the differences and explain what makes this particular basket so unique. We bought 4 different bags from various vendors and photographed the same part of each bag, placing the 5 photos side by side. While many of the images are self-explanatory, we also explain why that particular detail is important.

The green carry bag was much smaller, the other 3 are comparable to Reisenthel’s in size. The brown Damask one and the green one, collapse flat and then fold in 2 again. This may appear to be a good thing, but in practice it makes it difficult to open it up and keep it open neatly, it has too many wrinkles and folds to sit nicely when open.

The view from the underside shows that only the zebra one actually looks smooth and straight, and not wobbly and crooked. All have ‘feet’ but the finish on the bags is different.

Note the green bag doesn’t have welting which also helps keep the bag stable.

The closeup picture of the fabrics shows a few differences and also how the folds don’t disappear as well in some materials. The zebra print is coated in plastic which makes it thicker, a bit harder to fold down. The brown damask fabric is a very heavy plastic and would not unfold or sit properly no matter what we tried. The red and green have a similar weave to the Reisenthel fabric but not as tight. The weave is important since these bags are meant for everyday use and need to be easy to care for and durable.

The corner detail picture is where some of the major differences become readily apparent. The Orange, original Reisenthel bag, conforms to the aluminum frame contour and hug it snugly – the bag unfolds into place with little effort. The other 4 basically do not. There are gaps and openings, and the differences in both frame and how the fabric attaches to the bag can be seen well.

The way the bag is made at the handle attachment is another important detail. Note the Reisenthel bag (and the Reisenthel name is stamped on the plastic piece right at the handle join) is neat and smooth. The element that keeps the bags straight, the ‘sticks’ are neatly tucked in and everything looks good. On the other bags you can see the poor finish (green) and shoddier attachment. Note that the red and Zebra bag have copied the original design, which is protected.

The side view is most telling so we saved it for last. We did try to make the bags all look the same, but we could not. They bend and buckle and bulge. The red bag came closest to the Reisenthel look, which is what we had expected since this is a Chinese-made knock off.

Reisenthel has protected their design and all its’ elements with patents and has been trying to keep the market free of illegal copies. However it’s easier said than done, and it’s an ongoing battle.

We hope you will see that there is a difference, and that essentially the old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ is definitely true here. Your Reisenthel Bag may cost a bit more (and at $39.99 it’s still an amazing bargain) but it will last longer and look better than any of the copies.

Carry Bag – Reisenthel Germany Collapsible Bag-15 Carrybag Colors

Our Price: $39.99
In Stock

Reisenthel Collapsible Mini Maxi BackPack Rucksack

Mimi — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:45:42 +0000

The most versatile and practical bag you can imagine. Folds up into a tiny little pouch (it comes with its own pouch), this goes with you to work, to the beach, to school, to the gym, anywhere.

As seen in Cookie Magazine, and used by Jenna Lyons, the style maven at
J.Crew

It comes in 6 stylish colors, and at that price, you can get one to go with any outfit or occasion

Reisenthel 2 Color Mini Maxi Collapsible Back pack napsack

Our Price: $14.99
In Stock

Reisenthel Baby Bag in French Blue – Limited Edition

Our Price: $49.99
In Stock

Cavallini 2010 Calendars are Here

Mimi — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:05:36 +0000

Here is a preview of the full line for 2010

Cavallini Calendars (Wall & Desk)

Reisenthel Carry Cruiser on Video

Mimi — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:58:41 +0000

You can see all the colors and buy one here:

Reisenthel Carry Cruiser:An All Rounder in 5 Colors or Designs

Our Price: $159.00

Some Great Brands on Clearance – Baekgaard, Baggallini etc

Mimi — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:16:30 +0000

Don’t miss additional savings as we reduce prices even further to clear space for new inventory arriving.

Discounts and clearance bargain prices on Seda France, Baekgaard, Baggallini, Panier des Sens and more.

Bath and Spa Clearance	CLEARANCE ~ Baekgaard ~ up to 50% off	Grocery and Gourmet Clearance
Baggallini Clearance Up to 50% off

Touch of Europe Butterfly Items in Martha Stewart Living!

Mimi — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:19:17 +0000

This month’s issue of Martha Stewart Living features an article on decorating Eater Eggs, but of course, not just any old way – with Martha Stewart, you know it will be special.

Find step by step photographed instructions here

And a VIDEO SEGMENT HERE

We are thrilled that our Butterfly Themed items were shown in the article. What a lovely way to decorate an egg!

Raw materials

Finished product

Martha Stewart Living Decorating Eggs with Decoupage Article

Texas Antique Show – Spring 2009

Mimi — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 17:49:47 +0000

Time sure flies when you are busy! And Texas Showtime is right around the corner again.

We will be arriving in Texas with no less than:

500 yards of vintage homespun linen on the bolt
100+ homespun feedsacks, with and without text, with and without stripes
300+ antique French linens sheets, from finest to coarses, monogrammed or not, small to large
250+ nightdresses and shifts, all thicknesses and sizes
Amazing lamps, made with vintage linens, antique texts and sheet music
Hundreds of great pieces made from recycled vintage linens, sachets, pillows, body pillows, bags and more

And so much more.

Our booth space is larger than ever, almost 1000 square feet of European market feel. So don’t miss us!

To find us at La Bahia, See directions here

Indispensable Toothpaste Dispenser ~ You won’t want to be without!

Mimi — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:11:06 +0000

Touch of Europe has a great assortment of these wonderful toothpaste dispensers, in different designs and colors. They are inexpensive and make a great gift. And don’t just think toothpaste dispenser, think hand cream or lotion too, any tube that can be used to the last drop of goodness.

Over 40 different designs of toothpaste dispensers