Lost in France

As most of my regular customers know, I mainly stock only French items, but sometimes on my travels I do spot the odd 'foreigner'. These two photos from WWII are - I believe - the original Press photos used in the propaganda war effort . They have typewritten labels in purple ink and just feel 'right' in the hand.

What the photos were doing in a pile of French photos (in a very expensive Brocante) I don't know, but I had to rescue them. I am selling them on Ebay - as a pair if possible as I don't want to split them up. If you would like to take a peek, the listing is here.

In the meantime, if you know anyone interested in WWII and in particular HMS 'INDOMITABLE' in the Far East in 1944, perhaps you might like to forward this on - I'd love them to go to a museum or association.

Gorgeous pink lampshades...

Sorry, but these are sold
Beautiful set of palest shell pink 1950's lampshade - perfectly easy to fit - just slip over the bulb and voila! Gorgeous...

£15 per pair, £40 for 6
If you would like more info or to buy them - just send me an email carol.dent@laposte.net or comment.

Latest vintage textile finds

Sorry, this item is sold

This is such a sweet item - a bib embroidered with blue-birds on a see-saw, with a matching holder - lovingly stitched by a maman or possibly proud grandmamma...what a gorgeous gift for a new baby - the set is in perfect condition.

£7

sold
This is a silk and lace bag - used for holding rose petals to be thrown at a wedding. It's a little worn and shabby now, but turn it over and...

Sorry, but this item is sold
Voila - isn't it pretty? It's very petite - possibly used by a bridesmaid - can you see the two figures worked into the cutwork lace? All finished by the tiniest handmade 'bobbles'.




sorry - this item is sold
Here comes the bride - a circlet of white flowers on a wire frame - never used - I have 5 in all, three still have the original green paper shop liners - some even have the old price tickets...


Sorry, this item is sold
Oh so pretty - and difficult to find nowadays - this must have been old stock from a haberdashery - I bought them from another textile enthusiast, a lovely Frenchwoman who used to teach sewing in the 1960s.

sold
This circlet has flowers to resemble carnations... - see the old price label...

sold
Just a little faded and now creamy at the edges...

sold
These look like orange blossom to me, so pretty... The wires are good and strong - just bend them to fit around the head, loop into place and there you have a gorgeous vintage headress...

£8 each or £35 for the lot of 5


This is a hanging bag for holding the post - and the bills! Madame has worked it on linen - I just love the duck!

Sorry, this item is sold
I love these homeworked items - especially if they are a little naive, a little shabby or even with wobbly edges.

£9

Sorry this item is sold
This is to hold clothes brushes - very important to brush off any bits from M'sieur's suit, or from a felt hat..this holds two brushes, but I guess you could use it for all sorts of things - hankies, slippers, stockings...

£10

Again, stitched onto rustic linen - I think it came from the same house as the letter holder.


Sorry this item is sold
This is a holder for a napkin but you could use it for hankies, or stockings - it has a monogramme of 'G' and wonderfully worked roses in raised French knots - just lovely...

£9





Sorry, but both boxes are sold
This is a pair of rose-petal boxes - to be used by bridesmaids at wedding for strewing the petals in front of the bride as she walks to the altar - SO sweet! The boxes could be hand-made - I'm not sure because one has a number stamped on the bottom, but adorable and as rare as hen's teeth!

The boxes are slightly different in size and decoration, but the pink lining is the same, so I guess they were made by the same person, perhaps for the same wedding, using bits of left-over lace and ribbon. Just perfect for a vintage wedding...




And finally, for the brides trousseau, a beautiful ivory satin boudoir case - for slipping a silk nightie, stockings, love-letters inside, to keep forever...


With a bouquet of flowers printed on the fabric, it is in very good vintage condition...I have done nothing to it - you can still smell a little perfume...so evocative of times past...

£15

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If you are interested in any of these items, please email me at carol.dent@laposte.net.

Thanks for your time in looking - must go as lots more sales and brocantes to visit!

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Fabulous new Brocante

I love this new brocante that has opened up recently. It isn't like most French brocantes - everything is clean, polished and no piles of dirty rubbish cluttering up everything. There are two main rooms, the rear room having a glass roof and so there are gardening items and a few small orange trees in there. I like the French grey walls, the polished wooden floor, and it has a more sparse feel to it - still lots of stock, but you can actually see the items instead of climbing over heaps of rotting junk to get to them!

It's not that I don't like sorting through junk - it's just that sometimes the prices French brocanteurs ask for their items, you would think they might dust or polish occasionally.

Actually, I once asked a French antiques dealer about this and his reply was that under French regulations, once he started cleaning up furniture, he was technically an artisan, would pay social charges as such and needed special insurance. So, the solution for most French dealers is to leave the items they found it, muck and all - or as they say 'dans son jus' (in its own juice!)

Nice 1920s kitchen storage pots - from France

Sorry but these are sold
This lovely vintage French set of 5 ceramic storage pots for the kitchen are SO evocative of the 1920s and 30s - the shape of pot, the floral design - and the colour - palest pink...I am starting this auction of at £24.99 and you can see how it's going by clicking on my Ebay shop here.

1st July - full on summer!

Well, it's the first of July - Happy Birthday to my old friend Chrissie back in Blighty - we have known each other since we were 11 years old, were each other's bridesmaid, have supported each other all these years through family illnesses, the joys of children, holidays, and now look forward to growing old disgracefully - but we live so far apart now! So, this evening, I'll be raising a glass of something cold to wish her many happy returns and perhaps another glass to friendship - and we could all do with lots of that...

In the meantime, we are enjoying the summer in our part of France, which traditionally has a damp, hot climate. Perfect for growing lots of grass for all the cows that make Limousin beef so famous. We also have lots of lakes and rivers - great for trout fishing, and forests which feed all our wood burners in the (very) cold winters. We do have great extremes of weather - it's been over 30 degrees C most days for the last half of June, rain for the first. However three weeks ago it was a different matter - we had a hoar frost! And here are just a few photos to prove it...






I just managed to grab the camera before the sun melted the frost - this is taken around 7am and half an hour later, it had all gone, fortunately leaving the geraniums in good condition and no permanent damage done.

Hope you all enjoy the sort of summer you wish for!