Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Finds from the Brocante

Finds from the Brocante

In the middle of August, in Provence the brocante markets and antique fairs line up giving those of us chineurs (those who have the brocante bug, loving to hunt for antiques) a breath of fresh air.

Brocantes and antiques fairs with over 500 dealers in places such as:

L'Isle sur la Sorgue

Barjac

Sommieres

In the photo:

A light blue banner with fleur de lys was found in Sommieres last year. The statue was found in a nearby town. The crown on the statue's head was a gift years ago from The Ribboned Crown.

Three mix matched things from three different sources, the work of many hands, over  hundreds of years, now rest in my dining room.

 

 

Finds from the Brocante

 

Our dining room late at night.

Every little thing was bought over years of going to the brocantes. The wear and tear on our car can tell the stories.

A slow process of gathering, trading, buying, selling, over many weekends in the heart of Provence.

I love my jobs: Antique dealer, housewife, carer of old things… fixer upper…

The cupboard/bookshelf on the back wall is one massive piece of not so old wonder (mid century copying an older model) I bought it because it was massive, and could hold its on against the large 15 foot stone wall without being lost. The only problem was it had been painted YELLOW.

I painted it grey and been happy with it ever since.

 

 

Finds from the Brocante

 

Paper is what I love to find.

A nineteen century engraving of Mother and Child married well with an old frame found earlier this week.

 

Finds from the Brocante

 

A small pink nightstand that I stripped down to the original color, with a marble top found two years go for 30 Euros. A large six foot mirror stands behind it (Which I found last year, then it crashed to the ground last month as I had hung it badly. Restoring it wasn't easy, but I did it before French Husband could find out… oops!)

But the large alabaster vase (that I use as a candle holder) was one of my luckier finds… ten Euros only!

 

 

Finds from the Brocante

Small wonders:

A large five foot long rosary,

Eighteen century hand written documents,

A taxidermy humming bird that would make Deyrolles of Paris scream, "I gotta have it!"

Stacks of eighteen century paper back books from Voltaire.

And the fairs keep on coming feeding my brocante bug with chucks of historical beauty!

……………..

What do you like to do on the weekends?

Comments

19 responses to “Finds from the Brocante”

  1. Julie M ~ The Little Red Shop

    Beautiful! Have a lovely weekend, Corey,
    : )
    Julie M.

    Reply
  2. Sam

    The vase is gorgeous, it looks like alabaster.

    Reply
  3. Sam

    So it is alabaster, I can’t believe it was only 10 euros, it’s gorgeous. A candle holder was a great idea, it highlights the translucent quality of the vase.
    I am boring, I like to spend my weekends with family and friends doing everyday things.

    Reply
  4. Bev

    Well, this week-end is our last week-end of vacation (it’s also my birthday). But today, I’ll be making fresh peach pies to put in the freezer for the long winter months when peaches remind us of hot August. I’ll also be making homemade pasta sauce from a bushel of tomatoes that I bought. And maybe I’ll have some time to knit and work on spinning with my new spinning wheel. Plus there is church.
    I’m sounding like an earth mother I realize. But there is something deeply satisfying about putting up food for the winter.

    Reply
  5. Marilyn

    Love seeing and hearing about the brocante. Today I will go to an antique faire and an outdoor concert in the park. My favorite weekend day.

    Reply
  6. Kathie B

    Translating — just like blogging, Corey! — is a 7 day a week way of life, especially for a writer who’s more of a tortoise than a hare (looks in mirror). You might enjoy the following article which just appeared online this week, by a fellow slow-and-steady-wins-the-race scribe.
    “Slowpoke — How to be a faster writer”:
    http://www.slate.com/id/2301243
    If I could only manage to do two pages each day, that’d be 730 pages a year — and 732 in 2012, being a Leap Year!

    Reply
  7. Paula S In New Mexico

    Cleaning the studio…..oh yes, it is a trash heap right this moment.
    Usually I paint a bit, shop a bit, have some fun with grand daughter Iris who is 6 and a half and lives just 5 houses down (my definition of heaven).
    Have some wine.
    Maybe go to Santa Fe (just up the road) to visit friends on her patio complete with decadent cheese and wine.
    Sit on my patio and watch the garden grow. This year we have a bumper crop of baby lizards ~ actually not so little any more.
    Wish I was there…..sounds like fun.

    Reply
  8. Denise

    This weekend, I am doing something i have never done before. Gong to the flea market to see what I can see. Don’t have a whole lot of interesting antiques in Alberta that are plentiful and affordable.
    Yesterday, with my sister, I printed antique French advertisements on antique linen tablecloths I found this summer in France to make pillows and tea towels. THAT was fun!
    Thank you Corey for infecting me with the bug!

    Reply
  9. Rhonda P.

    Well, if Arizona had anything even close to your brocante, I’d be shopping right now! I like to scrounge around resale shops or thrift stores, you never know what you will find. I’ve found some wonderful antique linens and such, in them.
    Mostly, I create on weekends. You will find me in my studio sewing, gluing, cutting, tearing, ripping, gathering, making things for my shop. It’s amazing how pushing gathered, crinkled ribbon through a sewing machine makes me so damn happy.

    Reply
  10. Brenda L. in TN.

    Usually on Saturdays and Sundays (after church) I go to the local antique mall where I have 3 booths and 2 showcases and straighten them up.Or dust…GRRRR…the most hated job in the (my) world.
    I also take books/magazines and other smalls to price and “put out”. Sundays is the best week-end day for that. The mall where I go has tables in the back for dealers to unwrap,polish,fix, clean up and price our “things”. Most malls in this area don’t have this back room, which is why I have 3 booths there. I like this convenience.
    I have lots of depression glass and hand-painted plates/vases from Germany, Italy and England. I also have some furniture, Cut glass, 40’s-50’s Kitchen items…some Jewel Tea (Autumn Leaf)dishes, plus books (mysteries for the men) and magazines…Country Living, Southern Living, Traditional Home, Family Circle and The English Home… It keeps me busy!!

    Reply
  11. Sharon Penney-Morrison

    I love all the hand made things you collect.
    I am at home…in your home.
    hugs..Sharon

    Reply
  12. Cathy

    Lately my weekends have been filled with getting my extra bedroom cleaned. Now that the bedroom is clean the garage is a mess. I’m afraid to get started out there, because I know it’s a 2 day project. My husband honors the Sabbath, so if I start today, I’ll be working out there by myself. So today, I think I’ll watch a movie and catch up on some reading. Tomorrow, I’ll review charts for work and make my weekend trip to Costco. Kind of boring, but at least I don’t have to go into work, yahoo!

    Reply
  13. georgie

    I like to do catch and release on the weekends. Sort through stuff I no longer need or want and then go to yard sales and see what new treasures can be found. This weekend it will be clean the basement today, dog walks and maybe have the neighbor boy mow the lawn. Utmost summer luxury this year is having someone other than myself mow the lawn!
    Your dining room looks like heaven.

    Reply
  14. Vickie

    I too have a love affair with paper and always thank the trees for their generosity of material from which much paper is made. I even love cardboard and packaging. I spend much of my weekend on the beach, walking, feet bare and in the surf, letting the wind tangle my hair, looking, gathering agates and neptunian treasures. Aha! the beach is my brocante. such antiquity and delicate finery together in an unending array.

    Reply
  15. Amy Kortuem

    You can get a lot of praying done with a 5-foot rosary! My Dad’s cousin just mailed me some rosaries from his mother’s (my great aunt Margaret’s) wake…they’re tiny, a very pretty blue and only one decade long so you really have to keep your prayer counting straight. He told me they played my CDs for Margaret in her last days. I hope it helped her transition.

    Reply
  16. Sam

    I hope your aunt rests in peace Amy. I am sure the rosaries are a beautiful reminder of her.

    Reply
  17. Brenda, Walker, LA, USA

    Same as you! Finds!

    Reply
  18. Beverly

    Hmm sometimes I have to work on Saturdays..but am lucky to come home to a home cooked meal lovingly prepared by my husband..and a large glass of wine. Sundays (if it isn’t noisy outside during the night..we live by two nightclubs and a pub!) we sleep in a bit..then we will have a special breakfast and a wander around our borough which is the best in London. Just now I have prepared a marinade for chicken from that lovely book “French Women don’t get Fat”..Love your dining room Corey..and of course your blogs! Have a good Sunday everyone!

    Reply
  19. Jan

    Love your dining room at night! Today is a selling day at the “bro ante”, (Elkhorn Antique Flea Market) …waiting for lovely customers like you. Tuesday I fly to SF and then drive up to Willows for a few days. Hope to pop in to your Mom’s shop.
    Happy Sunday
    Jan

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions