The Brocante and the Park

Yesterday morning we left early to go to a big Brocante being held in Charlotte's home town. This is just a fraction of what I bought. I never cease to be amazed by the stuff the French don't want but we lust after.

My car is filling up fast with new pieces for Ghost Furniture. We went through Picardie to a Gastronomique Brocante in the afternoon. That's a brocante with tons of food for the uninitiated.

It's hard to believe that under this stunningly beautiful Picardie landscape there still lay the bones of young men from the two world wars. Graveyards full of identical crosses are numerous. So so sad.

Today we took Tiana to the park after school. It's not hard to find delicious picnic fayre here.

The French do a good park.

Tiana got so excited with this flower that it fell off its stem just after I took this picture. Well that's her story and she's sticking to it.

Some wonderful colour inspirations from nature.

I told Tiana to stand in front of the fountain so the water would come out of her head,

each time I said it she put her hand on her head to check.

Wall flowers through a stone arch.

Here's something I didn't know until today. You can't make daisy chains from French daisies as their stems are too thin to split. Wimps!
Link to image of Picardie landscape

Going It Alone To France

Tomorrow I leave for France and for the first time I wil be driving there on my own. A bit daunting I must admit but hey I am quite capable.

I am staying with Charlotte and family for 2 weeks. It's brocante season so I will be in my element.

I am re-vamping Ghost Furniture to accomodate more French antiques, the sort I usually pass by because they don't need to be brought back to life.

 

These items are just to good to overlook anymore.

I have my shopping list and can't wait to get started.

Charlotte has booked us a couple of days in Paris as she now lives in Picardie.

The Bastille Antiques Fair is on and just around the corner from oour hotel as is

Merci which is my favourite Parisian shop and it's holding an Urban Market during my stay.

Of course no visit to France should exclude a few trips to the food markets, they do them so well.

Stopping for coffee and people watching  is high on the agenda.

My car may look a little like this on my return. AU REVOIR
Click on images for links

Making It Mine Part 2 - My Table and Chairs Makeover

It's a long while since I originally painted my table and chairs.They are family heirloom from Harvey's parents so they not going anywhere. They weren't a good advert for Ghost Furniture.

I painted the side chairs and table base in a pale grey

and the 2 carvers in brilliant white. The seats I re-upholstered with a pearlised taupe faux leather. They look amazing when the sun hits them.

 All in all I am very pleased but most of all

they have brightened up my dining area no end. RESULT

My Mojo and I Are Back

Today it is exactly 9 months since Harvey passed away. Yesterday evening I suddenly had the urge, for the very first time, to take a walk along the gated road from our cottage. Every day Harvey took this walk and up until now I just haven't been able to bring myself to do the same thing. This was his favourite tree which he passed on his way to

these gates where he would stand and

take in this fabulous view, one of his favourites. I cried and cried as I stood in his place and as I turned to walk back alone to our cottage I noticed

a beautful little lamb with it's mother in the field next to me. It made me realise that new life does come along and that we are expecting our daughter to give birth to a baby boy in July and he will have Harvey as his middle name.

So Harvey continues just not in the same way he used to. His bench on the village green is surrounded by flowers and they are even growing inside it.

 

You may have noticed I keep saying ours or us, that's because he is still a big part of me and my life and always will be, I have given our initials and their setting a new coat of paint. As now is the time for me to move into a new phase and to accompany me I have my MOJO which has returned to me after a long absence and am I pleased to see it? Of course I am.

In a few weeks I am driving down to France to stay with our daughter Charlotte, visit the brocantes, bring back some Ghost Furniture pieces and on my return I shall do my magic again, add them to the website and do some Antique Fairs through summer. It seems an age since I did this, I am so excited and so is my MOJO. I shall be reporting back.

First Stop On That New Road - Lille, France

So last Friday left that road to my new life and visited a huge antiques market in Lille, France

Accompanied by my lovely friend Jo. How we wished we could have used that carriage to get us around the 62 kilometers of stalls.

Anything from headless babies to

vintage mirrors, this one looked as though Harvey had modelled for it. I wouldn't have put that past him.

I fell in love with this Victorian toy horse.

What this giant Durex was about I failed to comprehend.

I could cook up a storm on this and

there was lots of street artists to stop and stare at.

 

Finally here is the booty I returned with. We travelled by train so no huge items this time.

I thoroughly enjoyed being back searching for vintage pieces in France, it seems like so long since I did this. Yes I missed Harvey but nothing is going to bring him back and he would have expected me to continue enjoying what I do. I shall!

The Imaginarium and Next Door in York

I have been absent for a couple of weeks due to some family issues but I am back after a short break to York. Having not visited for years I was excited to seewhat was new. I WAS THRILLED. I bought some amazing leathers on the market for Ghost Furniture and got the chance to visit The Imaginarium and it's sister shop The Yorkshire Soap Company. Go and make yourself a cuppa as this will take a while.

It's other worldly, even the staff are like characters from Alice in Wonderland.

The displays are innovative to the extreme.

Not sure what this represents but it's pretty impressive and huge.

More of those innovative displays

It said Abigail Ahern to me as soon as I stepped in the door, wasn't sure if I wasn't in Islington and there was one of her fabulous lamps sitting on the reception desk.

Mr Finch, who I have featured here before, has been busy making some fabulous fabric toadstools specially for The Imaginarium,

my favourite was this black one.

 Another one of my previous posts was about Vinegar and Brown Paper who etch glass in a clever and very distinctive way

all done with their inimitable sense of humour.

The fireplace was full to bursting.

Elegant hands come out of the wall holding beautiful scarves out for your approval.

Wacky but totally adoreable soft toys sit on the floor.

Colurful and totally elegant pots and cans fill the shelves. All in all my senses were in overload by the time I left but

it wasn't all over as I stepped out into the rain little bubbles were surrounding me, coming from above the door of the shop next door.

The Yorkshire Soap Company doesn't sound as though it's going to be much fun but IT IS. A huge shop full of butler's sinks sitting on old sewing machine tables are full of soap flakes. Every soap is presented to you as a pudding, cupcake or a slice of cake all beautifully decorted.

 It was like being in a perfumed patisserie in Paris. I know te sign says No Photos but I got special dispensation. I could go on and on but what I would suggest is that you VISIT. There is so much more North of Watford Gap you know and I hope this post proves it.