A Typical Brocante

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For those of you who have been reading my blog, you know that I have the brocante bug badly, and that living in France is a cure and a curse for those of us who have it

Cure:

Because any day, all day whether a brocante fair, second hand store, someone's garage, Ebay.fr, or the dumpster there is something to be had to feed the bug.

Curse:

Because it is endless which makes the bug more hungry.

So those who have the brocante bug either open a shop, become a hoarder or go through withdrawals.

 

 

 

We went to Carpentras, like we usually do..

The first thing I noticed was that the tree lined parking lot (That the brocante is held at.) was missing a few century old trees.

Several had been cut. I hope they are not going to cut anymore! They most likely were ill, and I noticed that they had replanted trees which was reassuring.

 

 

 

Francine, the fabric lady.

A ton of fabric every weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have decided that I cannot go fully MCM.  I can do a touch of it, I can mix it in, I can breath and live with that. Cassis will be a mix, otherwise I will suffocate. That is the problem with the brocante bug it likes everything old, but has its favorites to play with.

 

 

 

A wooden floor panel on top of an iron frame with wheels.

 

 

 

 

A bag of old lace on the ground.

 

 

 

A bag of pitchers.

 

 

 

A lady walking by lace curtain panels.

 

 

 

 

Paper mache puppet heads.

 

 

 

A bucket with a rosary.

 

 

 

The reflection of the trees in a mercury mirror

 

 

 

Philippe's stand. One of my favorites.

 

 

 

Boxes and boxes of linens.

 

 

An 1800s gilded wooden Madonna

on top of a blue suitcase.

 

 

 

 

Pick through that for the pearl.

 

 

 

Carpentras sets up at 9:30 am sometimes 10 am.

 

 

 

Well dressed future brocanteur.

 

The bug lurks.

 

 

 

Mid century modern.

Cannot do it.

Like it

But not to live with because I like the other "stuff" more.

 

 

 

A wicker garden chair, zinc wash buckets, and an oval framed portrait.

 

 

 

Jesus figurine on Palm Sunday in a zinc pail.

 

 

 

Tools for different purposes, for different seasons.

 

 

 

Toys scattered.

 

 

 

A book on the history of America.

 

 

 

 

Another one of my favorite stands.

A taxidermy peacock.

 

 

 

Eyeglass lens

 

 

 

Boxes to explore.

 

 

 

Two wooden oars, two massive wine bottles.

 

 

A toile paravent.

 

 

 

Pottery.

 

 

 

Beautiful tiles.

 

 

 

Susan from Vancouver noticed me at the brocante. She told me that she is a friend of two mutual friends of mine that I met through blogging… One friend is Jill, who Sacha stayed with in Vancouver and who I feel I know but have never met and another is Jani and Rob whom I have met several times.

The wonderful world of blogging about the brocante. 

Susan designs and makes clothes from antique linen.

Ratatouille is the name of her brand.

 

 

 

A carousal car and garden chairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the plant lady who never fails to have a variety of plants amongst boxes of everything under the sun.

 

I'll be posting what I purchased on my shop.



Comments

59 responses to “A Typical Brocante”

  1. Jacklynn Lantry

    Can I come live with you? Pleeeeese?

  2. I used to have the antiqueing bug. To such a degree that my living room was filled with about 20 chairs, all different, antique, unique and beautiful to me. But living was getting a bit crowded, so I took a stall in an antique collective and sold the chairs and many other treasures, and then continued to sell things on ebay. I think today I finally have a reasonable living arrangement with what remains.
    But of course the bug only lurks, because I see many things in your photos that I would find hard to resist if I were at that brocante!

  3. Diogenes

    Love the blue and white tiles and the toile screen. Amazing amount of goodies to choose from.

  4. I had to smile, as I would take my children with me when I went to antique shops and flea markets. They do not like those places at all now that they are adults. Loved the still life with fruit for sell. Sigh! Wish I had room for it.

  5. Janet Eiffel

    Corey,
    France really is not a huge place.
    Where does the endless supply
    of Brocante wonderfulness come from??
    Every time you show us a new Brocante
    it is more amazing than the last!!
    I imagine every attic in the country
    must be stuffed with treasures !

  6. Whouhhhh , I love the eyeglass lens . Perfect present for Philippe . I can see it in his new who room

  7. oh my! Merci! for so many pictures of the lovely treasures.
    I’d add lots of linens and that painting of pink carnations to my lot if I were there…

  8. I want the Taxidermy Peacock!!! Did you buy it? Melinda

  9. Are you familiar with Portuguese azulejos? Some are even made in the Azores!

  10. Kathleen in Oregon

    Looks like a fun day. Personally really glad you will be limiting the amount of MCM…

  11. Chico Sue

    May I ask you to keep an eye out for a medal of Raphael, Archangel(?) for a friend who has cancer, and lost his? Thank you in advance. You seem to have such a good eye for even the tiniest items!

  12. Diogenes

    Thanks to you, Kathie, I am familiar with them now. Love them. The tile murals are nothing short of remarkable. Thank you for the heads up!

  13. Oh my, oh my, I loved every photo and love the fb bunny. I didn’t see him/her in your shop? Or i’d have snached him right up. I am happy to hear you are not going mcm! Although if you had I’m sure it would have been lovely. But I Ike your chairs and that lovely faded blue chest. Can’t wait to see the finished apartment!

  14. I see a lot of great pieces I would like to repurpose into tables or lighting. Sigh, I would love to rummage through the boxes to see if I can find something for my found object sculptures.
    For most of my life, I disliked MCM. Over the last year or so I have warmed up a bit to it as well as to contemporary furniture.

  15. Come on! If you let me have first dibs, you can come!

  16. Sounds like we have the same bug and the same cure.

  17. And I did not ever show a tenth of it. The toile screen sold in a heartbeat. As did the tiles. Oh those tiles did remind me of the Acores. Though I must say that the tiles in the Acores are a richer blue.

  18. My children are the same! Now I have boxes full of things kept aside for them… as they say, “…can you keep that in my box for when I have my own place.” I guess their own place means when they OWN it and not just living away from home.

  19. Oh man you’re killing me, I want the lace, fabric, pottery, anything zinc…good idea mixing MCM with what you love it will make your apartment uniquely you.

  20. OH! Wonderful goodies.

  21. Please tell me you bought the two sailboat paintings in the first picture!

  22. Drooling here. Drooling big time. Too many treasures to behold.

  23. God knows it is better if I don’t go to France. Too many goodies and no will power. I would buy all the fabric, lace, and canvas artwork. My head spins with so much available. The only cure I know is not put myself in that environment. Thanks for the tour can’t wait to see the new apt reveal.

  24. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the photo of the MCM furniture.

  25. Now how am I going to get that carousel car home?

  26. I would be in another world with all those boxes of linens and all that fabric! Glad you decided to follow your heart in your latest decorating adventure. I’ve learned the hard way in not following my heart. But changing that now. My life is radically changing ….maybe France can be on my bucket list after all!

  27. A VERY impressive brocante – is it weekly, monthly or less frequent?

  28. Terri N Texas

    Oh the lace curtains! Drooling here. I need them for my French Victorian.
    Yes, a mix of MCM & old world will be great! I really didn’t think you could go modern all the way! Teehee.

  29. I have the same taste as diogenes loved the blue and white tiles and toile screen!,
    I can see we will have to move fast when we go brocanting!

  30. So many beautiful things – all those textiles, the paper, and those eyeglass lenses – swoon! The little Miss Brocante Shopper is so sweet!

  31. France is not very large as you say but it has centuries of a long RICH history…

  32. Oh man that would have been perfect!!

  33. Come on I will take you!!

  34. I did not buy it, but I can ask the dealer for you.

  35. I have one. Send me an email and I will send you a photo.

  36. My internet connection was acting strange and I could not put anything up. I have the bunny, if you are interested send me an email and I will let you know the details.

  37. You would go happily mad at what you could find! So much stuff to repurpose.

  38. Mixing it will be the next step to learn!

  39. I didn’t but I am thinking you would have.

  40. Ann if ever you give way to your temptation to come to France. Bring an empty suitcase! My mother said the first time she came to France, ‘I have died, I am in heaven and I am tripping over my tongue.”

  41. Start it up, rock and roll!

  42. Happy Bucket List!! I cannot wait to show you around.

  43. EVERY Sunday 9:30 to 3ish.

  44. You know me well. I have two armchairs and a sconce that will do x

  45. I was so intrigued with each photo — thank you for including so many photos of the vendors’ stands! I just love oogling and drooling over old things, too. What fun! Our every day yard sales and thrift stores in the U.S. don’t seem to have such interesting items. Love your daily blog!

  46. the wine bottles (huge and so cool) and the boat oars. Two things I love to do. Drink wine and row boats.

  47. One of my favorite sets of azulejo murals is in the vestibule of the Palácio Bettencourt, which houses the Public Library and Regional Archive of Angra do Heroísmo, on the Azorean island of Terceira (from which Corey’s grandparents hailed):
    http://www.bparah.azores.gov.pt/html/bparah-historia+palacio.html (scroll halfway down)

  48. Corey, thank you for the diversion..I believe we have all been holding our breath over the MCM quandary..may I say it has been good to stretch the mind and consider alternate styles..but, at the end of the day your readers are connected by the common thread of antiquity. It has felt like I was considering having an illicit affair and his initials are MCM !!
    A harmless midlife crisis over mid century modern…exciting..but good to be back home in the arms of your brocante pictures.

  49. I am you biggest fan, just loved the stuff you post.
    Emily, UK

  50. sharon morrison

    Ohhhhh the fabric, linen and old stuff! I could spend hours there. I want to touch, smell, get lost in another time!! Thanks for sharing.

  51. yeah! I knew you would come to your senses! it just took some “brocante smelling salts ”

  52. Please do ask the price!! I will be in Avignon in September and can pick it up if you will house sit it for me, Melinda

  53. Diogenes

    Kathie, thanks for this link. Those murals are very grand indeed! I hope I get lucky and some of these type of tiles come up at an auction. Now I will know what they are. 😉

  54. Rebecca from the pacific northwest

    The “wooden floor panel on top of an iron frame with wheels” would be an interesting simple, industrial touch in your non-mcm apartment.
    The day was sunny but look at that ominous grey sky. If it starts pouring all of a sudden, I’m guessing everyone really hussles to get all their goods up.
    In the peacock picture, are those glass balls japanese fishing floats? They run about $10 here for smallish ones. How much there?
    I want the duck tile on the right in the tiles picture. It remind me of a Chippewa Indian story that I grew up with, about small duck Shingebiss who was very brave and not even cowed by Great North Wind. But what would I do with such a tile. I’ll just enjoy seeing it here.
    Well, that was fun! Thanks for the tour!

  55. Oh, I would’ve snapped up those pretty sailboat paintings in a nanosecond!

  56. Mdm. Tortoise

    How I love serendipity. Susan wrote me the story of your meeting and it made me feel that she brought me to you in some small way. I have wanted her to meet you for ages and that you should bump into each other at a brocante with recognition of you on her part had me feeling over the moon. Susan is my “linen lady” in Vancouver and often her beautiful pieces are made of or adorned with the fabrics she brings from Provence. Needless to say I am a big fan. Thanks for the photo you sent for it certainly surprised me and once again reminded me of our small world. xx

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