Heading Tape, Linen Sheets and a yummy young French man!

Hi, another gorgeously hot day today.  Went out in search of heading tape to make two of my monogrammed linen sheets into curtains for the very large doors at the front of our barn.

I still have trouble understanding the french 2hour lunch break.  You see the problem was I got sidetracked on the way to the fabric shop.  By what you might ask- a herd of sheep crossing the road, sunstroke maybe, well the answer is five depot ventes, when I go up to the city I have to go round all five just in case there is some little treasure there waiting for me to arrive.    

I bought a gorgeously floppy linen sheet with lovely large red monogram LM in my third depot vente.  I have to say what made my purchase even more pleasureable was being served by a rather yummy dark haired young Frenchman who has recently taken over as Manager.   He is very sweet and he always asks if he is speaking too quickly, probably because of the way I'm gazing at him he thinks I don't understand, when in fact it is the gaze of appreciation of a woman now (unfortunately) reaching a pre-menopausal stage in life.

By the time I got to the fabric shop (12.25) thinking I know exactly what I want I can just nip in quickly before they close.  As I pulled up in the car I could see the lights were still on and thought yippy (in my mind's eye those curtains were now nearly finished).

But needless to say, it was not to be, they closed at 12 after opening at 10 and would be shut for another 2 hours.

The relaxed French way of life is something we appreciate, except for today when I really wanted to finish my curtains!

Nickyx

Just another Gorgeous Weekend!

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Hi, I hope you all had a great weekend.  We certainly had gorgeous weather, no complaints there.  Saturday morning saw us getting up to go and visit a vide grenier in a little town about 30mins drive away.  It was just a small one with about 40 stalls maybe.  I bought a few little bits and pieces.  

I was very pleased to buy a four fold painted wooden screen which I am going to use here in the house.  I'll show you that in a later post, it is in the middle of having (horrible) wallpaper stripped off the panels.    I bought the lady's head in the photo, she is very pretty dating back to the 1930's.  I think she may have been a little pin cushion.  She has a silk covered  pad, unfortunately the silk is now a little distressed, and a moulded fabric head with pretty painted features and real hair.  I also found a set of four huge monogrammed napkins and two linen torchens with a little red embroidered 'L' in one corner of each.
Pearls, not real ones unfortunately, but rather good quality nonethesless, the greeny coloured ones have a very pretty diamante deocrated screw clasp.  Very pretty, I wore these for the rest of the day on Saturday.

Having returned from the boot sale, we let out the ducks and chickens much to their joy and had lunch out in the garden.  Work then commenced on washing and stripping my new screen.


Sunday, awoke early to what was going to be another gorgeous day.  It was soooo hot.

We set off to a vide grenier at a gorgeous little town built on a hill, the vide grenier was just outside of town in a large field.  Unfortunately it was one of those days, there were loads of stalls, but I only bought a couple of bits.  A large tapestry floral curtain and a sweet little basket made of chestnut.  We met up with a couple of dealer friends at the refreshment stand for a cup of coffee and an update on our mornings' work.  My friend then took me off to a stall she'd come across with some pretty clothes for sale.  So a top and  skirt were added to my days purchases.  These have already been washed and ironed, due to lovely weather, and I am now sitting here in my pretty new skirt.


We left there for our return journey home, on the way we came across a little village with another vide grenier, maybe 10 stalls.  There was nothing there for me to buy, but what a pretty little place we'd discovered.  Such lovely houses and in the middle a huge very important (as the french say) house/chateau with walls all around and large iron gates.  Unfortuantely I didn't have my camera with me so I can't share the image.  But the houses were all in a soft honey coloured stone, with prettily painted shutters and flowers outside.  

I bought some vintage french linen working smocks the other day so I'm off to try and get those clean.

Enjoy the rest of your day.
Nicky x

Another Busy Buying Weekend!!

Hi ladies, I hope this finds you all well.  I've had a busy weekend buying - it was great fun apart from having to get us soooo early!!  There were loads of Vide Greniers on last Sunday so we did quite a tour around.  Just went to the one on Saturday, which I thought was going to be awful, but then I came across a lovely floppy monogrammed linen sheet, with a large monogram JM in an art deco style and the pretty finely embroidered floral picture in a gorgeous gilt frame.

Sunday saw us having a few more to visit, so we went armed with sandwiches  and bananas to keep us going.  I bought quite a few bits on Sunday and the weather was kind to us right up until the last vide grenier we visited.  My first purchase was a lovely mirror with the frame covered in a brocade fabric and velvet back, it once had a stand (like a picture frame) this has been lost over the passage of time and now has a loop on the back for hanging on the wall.  Then I found the painted faux bamboo hooks, I love these and think they'd look gorgeous in a pretty boudoir bedroom or a salle de bain.   I bought some very pretty pieces of fabric, toile de jouy, a pretty floral runner, a single monogrammed napkin and a gorgeous piece of vintage paisley, quite damaged but good for cushions or maybe a small re-upholstery project.

The next purchase was a little old brass candlestick and box full of lovely shell and pearly buttons - great for a vintage sewing project.   Then, I love this and am toying with the idea of keeping it - a little mirror with red velvet covered frame and little corsage of fabric flowers at the top for decoration, even the back is covered with a cream fabric and it has a gorgeous little brass hanging loop at the top.

My little girl comes with us, not so little now she'll be 11 in November, she is in training and goes off with some pocket money to see what she can find.  She's doing quite well and developing an eye which is great.  The only thing is by the time I get back to the car with my goodies she's eaten her way through the sandwiches, it's very hungry work all this walking and looking she tells me!

So, now I'm planning next weekend's route.  Let's hope there are plenty to visit.  The only trouble is, maybe and I really don't like to admit this, but age is catching up with me and on Sunday afternoon I crash out on the sofa and trust me formula 1 and football can be a blessing I go straight to sleep.  Maybe a new cure for insomnia!!  On Monday I feel a bit spaced out, probably due to too much sleep on Sunday afternoon.  I did look at pre-menopausal symptoms on the web (just to see) and decided it was too depressing because maybe I had some of those symptoms.

I've had a sudden thrust of enthusiasm to get on with some things here in the barn, there's plenty to do, I've been looking through some french country interiors magazines and found a few things I like so am trying to fit in some diy too.

It's been lovely and warm here today and is meant to be good all week, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that our Summer is finally on it's way.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Nicky x
 

 

A few little bits I bought on Wednesday!

Hi, yesterday  I came across a couple of  little bits when I was out.  This is the picture of the top of a little round table decorated with decoupage flowers.  It was sooo pretty I just couldn't resist.

This is lovely bundle of unused linen torchons with lovely red stripes down each side.  I love these I think there are so many things you could do with these gorgeous pieces of fabric with their slubby texture.  If you don't want to use them for their original purpose you could make some lovely cushions, or maybe a small blind  or stitch them together to make a very shabby chic curtain - I could go on and on.

I'm happy today, it has finally stopped raining and the sun is glorious (for the moment!).

Just to keep you updated the ducks have totally demolished one of my tomato plants today - I love them, but confit de canard is on the cards if they don't behave themselves.

No - I'm a softee really but they don't know that do they? 

Take care and enjoy the rest of your day x

Twinkle's New Perch!!

This is Twinkle's new perch. I wonder if she thinks it's an egg? The only trouble is while she's
sitting there she keeps having a nibble at my hydrangea, so I have to keep shoo-ing her off.

Nicky x

Sunday morning at the Brocante!

Up early this morning but thankfully not as early as yesterday as we didn't have as far to go. Quick breakfast and then in the car with a bag of pain aux chocolats to keep us going until lunchtime. It's a good thing you walk a lot in this trade otherwise I would probably be much larger than I am. Only 40mins drive to our local regular monthly antiques market.

It was a good day today. Sometimes you get that feeling, you can tell when you're going to buy a few bits and sometimes you get the feeling however hard you look it just isn't there.
I was pleased with what I bought. A sweet little mirror in a painted and gilded frame, a gilt metal wall light, a little treen shoe, some ticking, a piece of linen with lace edge ideal for a vintage project, little curtain for somewhere maybe. A whole batch of handles, they used to use them for hooking through the string when they wrapped your goods in brown paper (the good old days!) and some other bits and bobs.

We had a good wander around this morning and ended up in the old square by the cathedral sitting outside a cafe with a beer for a chat with a dealer friend. What more could you ask for on a Sunday morning, vintage treasures, a cool beer and hot sunshine.
Speak to you soon, hope you all had a great Sunday too.
Nic x

Early Morning trip to the Vide Grenier

Well it was worth getting up at 4.30 this morning. We drove about an hour to get to the vide grenier.

It turned out to be quite a successful rummage. I found some lovely monogrammed linens, two sheets and a pile of napkins. A Marcella bedspread which needs some soaking. A gorgeous little fabric covered chest of drawers, a very shabby chic painted wooded children's pail and a little green painted tray. Also a very well loved drawf. Who I just couldn't leave behind even though he has lost an arm. He is very sweet with straw filled head and body and little velvet feet and hand. I hope you can see from the pics, they seemed to be very dark.

I have to admit to coming home having some lunch and crashing out for a couple of hours - I'm obviously not as young as I used to be! Anyone know that feeling?

Another early morning tomorrow too, there is a regular brocante we go to so we'll have to see what that brings. I'm off to soak some linens now.
Hope you've all had a good day too.

By the way can anyone give me any tips on uploading photos to get them inbetween the text. I find technical stuff very scary and tips would be gratefully received.

Thanks.

A lovely sunny morning! Hooray!

Hooray, a lovely sunny morning. Thank goodness, yesterday I was glad we lived on a hill it poured and poured and poured. They only ones who enjoyed it in this barn were the ducks and they had a lovely time!

Just thought I'd share a little photo of a gorgeously shabby chic flower painting I bought the other day in an equally gorgeously shabby chic frame.

Enjoy your day.

Welcome to my new blog - ramblings in the life of an addict of vintage treasures

Hi, welcome to my first post in my Angel's Attic blog. I love all things vintage and lovely and thought I'd start a blog to share my world of searching for vintage treasures here in France.

We have lived in France 'a la campagne' for 7 years but we have always been in the antiques trade. Life in our semi-converted barn is tranquille and on a bright sunny day there isn't anywhere I'd rather be, except maybe truffling though boxes at a vide grenier or brocante market. I have two children, my eldest is in Uni here in France and my youngest starts at College (Secondary School) in September. Gosh time does fly.

We recently extended the family with the addition of three chickens, Daisy, who has no feathers on her neck and looks a bit like a vulture because of this, we felt sorry for her, Honey and Twinkle. Also three ducks, Oliver (although we think she may be a girl and should be Olivia) and the twins as my daughter calls them because they look alike. I thought they were very cute until today when they are now venturing further afield and I have chased them off the veggie patch three times. Time for a fence I think!

Do come back and join me again. I will be posting pictures of the treasures I find and sharing little stories of where I've been to find them and life in general.