Category: Brocante
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Jewelry at the Brocante
I’ve had two groups recently on French la Vie where some of the guests were looking for jewelry. Each mixes medals, chains, pendants, and rhinestones. The other searches for vintage jewelry with bling and bang. I wear very little jewelry myself, and…
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French Craftmanship: Aubusson Cartoon
An Aubusson cartoon is a full-scale painted design used as the template for weaving an Aubusson tapestry. The cartoon guided weavers by showing the exact composition, colors, and details of the final textile artwork. These cartoons were placed behind or beneath the…
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Antiquing Today: A Pair of Chairs, Green Shiny Things, and a Pinchable Butt
Our guest loves to go antiquing which is fine with us. The last few days we have done just that. A lot. Thankfully, we all like different things which makes life so much easier when you’re all out for the…
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A Painting of the Ordinary Beauty
The same worn wooden table. The same lamp. The same knife haphazardly left on the edge. Objects resting exactly where a painter once paused her gaze before lifting a brush. One could almost feel her there still, sleeves rolled, daylight slipping…
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What to Know Before Antiquing in France
In France, any given weekend offers a brocante somewhere. Hundreds take place throughout the year—some are refined antique fairs, others are gloriously rambling brocantes that spread through village squares, under plane trees, and along dusty roads. The three questions I’m…
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Sweetness from the Garden and the Brocante
“I took a rose from a vase and fastened it in her sash. She sighed a sign of ineffable satisfaction, as if her cup of happiness were now full.” – Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
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