the late summer loot shoot

I am really loving these late summer fairs.  Having kept the month of  August deliberately quiet, I am now picking up speed again before my tour starts in just 10 days time.

The days are delicious, warm and sunny, and in the evenings we can still eat outside, - all perfect!

This weekend saw me out early at a couple of fairs, one outside a château, the other in the middle of a little village.  Forgot to take my camera along, but here are the shots of the goodies I found.

I love it all, of course, but in particular the French "give us our daily bread" boards, and the price tags that most certainly came from an old fashioned grocery store.

I also bought a huge bunch of gladioli, not a flower I normally go for, but I just couldn't resist the colours.  And then to my delight I found a lady selling her hydrangea heads for drying - just what I needed!

Take a look through and tell me what you like best.    My new store is still not on line, but in the meantime you can contact me directly if you are interested in buying anything.

Thank you for stopping by!

the post-storm loot shoot

Oh my goodness!  you would not believe what the sky has thrown at us in Normandy this week.  Tremendous storms each evening and night, with a monumental hail storm on Thursday evening that hacked its way through all my new plants like a demented ninja!  ( not that I am really an authority on ninjas ...).  My poor garden will take a while to recover.

So when I saw a man selling these beautiful dahlias and peonies from his garden at a fair this morning, I bought the lot!  

 Besides the blooms I bought a garden bench,  a sweet little painted table and a tall square table ...

then I added a teapot, a couple of plates, a white tureen (I know, I know....please don't tell my family I bought another tureen!) ,

 a sweet enamel soap station and, 

(and this is with a big  drum roll  please...)

a very special saddle, made by one of the top French saddlers, it came  with a basket load of leathers and various tack, I'll spend this afternoon cleaning and oiling it before maybe trying it out in the forest this evening - lucky me!

happy days!

What I didn't buy were the huge zinc buckets, nor the wagon wheels, nor the mix of pretty plates

nor even the totally amazing collection of tiny lead soldiers, complete with an old fashioned card backdrop ... maybe that's something I'll regret one day, who knows ...

During the month of August my on-line store will be closed.   

Hopefully  in September it will be back in a bigger and better version

a friend's sunny loot shoot

A dear friend has been here for the weekend, and indulged herself with a little shopping.   She is soon to open a sweet little store in the UK, and this was a holiday weekend/buying trip.

It only took her a few hours to find this treasure.  It is amazing what can be achieved with the right addresses and a good eye.

Of course I loved everything she picked, but I have a special soft spot for

 the  charming engraved mirror, the two undressed armchairs and the china service.

What would be your favourite?

Everything you see here will soon be available in south east England.  If you are interested in anything, just drop me a line and I'll put you in touch with her.

Hope you are having a good weekend, thank you for reading me.

the end of june loot shoot

Boy! was I pleased to roll out of bed so early this morning ..... just look at this fantastic light!  I screeched to a halt to take some pictures of the sun emerging through the morning haze and creating this rather wonderful orange halo around the trees.

 Even if I had found nothing at the fairs, it would have been worth getting up just for that!

Once home I quickly assembled the treasure I found this morning, lined up in front of some plants I have to plant this afternoon ...

   Some nice transferware, a sweet salt and pepper, a couple of paintings, 6 rather wonderful teacloths, some ticking and a couple of champagne buckets.

Enough to make me happy and still get me home for breakfast ...

 Can anyone guess what these old china eggs were used for ? ....

As usual, you are welcome to contact me if anything interests you

 Hope you are having a lovely weekend

thank you for reading me

the muted loot shoot

An early excursion this morning again, to see what little treasures I could bring home.  Down winding lanes, and  across meandering rivers ...

Energy levels were not high this morning, this happens, you know, especially after late nights...

Consequently I only shopped for small things that would fit into my basket, or almost.     I am rather pleased with the way their colours came together for the loot shoot.  Muted beige, and grey, tarnished silver, brown transfer ware, home spun linen ... my sort of stuff, my kind of colours....

Love  the postal sack and  this wicker bird cage which I think would have been used for taking a bird to market, very charming ...

a sweet box from a jewellers, 

and this tiny sauce or mustard pot

   and a trophy for first prize in a trotters race

also this engraved glass biscuit box ...

and a champagne bucket

and finally some homespun sheets, 

because obviously I didn't have enough of those ...hmmm...

How about you?  What fun have you been up to this weekend?