There will be a lull in blog posts while I recover from a little personal cutting and pasting. My heart is intact, I just can't turn down a beautiful engraving. Regular programming will resume mid-May, so please check back. All will be well. xoxo Continue reading

A book. Handmade. Hand ruled. Hand written. Immaculate acidy sepia script. And stuffed to bursting with tables. Facts and figures regarding steam machinery. Carefully noted and recorded in 1870. Table after table. After table. Rather lovely, non? Continue reading

A new pet in the bottle department. The Adolfi Process: The only reliable medium for Painting in Oil Colours on Satin, Silk, Paper without cracking. Fresh off the plane from Britain and getting acquainted with the studio. Welcome, Little One. Continue reading

Such a demure boy. Prissy, almost. He always carried a pair of pristine white gloves to Mass. Even though he only ever needed one. Continue reading

So it's a wick snuffer-outer, but not a cutter. And upon closer inspection it does have a thin film of burnt wax around the rim. Merci to Colette in South Africa and Richard in Vancouver. xoxo Continue reading

This is not a guessing game. I do not know what this is. I found this nifty little tool at a local shop. It was $6. No tag. No identifying information. Then at another shop, 15 minutes later, I found another pair. With a tag saying: Pair of What-Is-It? and a price of $30. So. What IS it? Well worn and obviously well used. Fill me in. This is where I admit a poor understanding of my own local history. My heart keeps getting distracted with French history. And for your peace of mind, I bought the $6 pair. xoxo Continue reading

Antique optometrist lenses. Scuffed velvet. Worn leather. Gorgeous embossed numbers. Pure confection. Continue reading

Another batch of beautiful French enamel number plaques. Your lucky number in crisp black and white. Antique and original ... what could be better? For sale as soon as they make it to the top of the list ... xoxo Continue reading

Apparently, in some parts of the country people are freezing their unmentionables. So let this be an Ouverture to Spring. To warmer days. To an unfurling of what is new and precious. To new beginnings. xoxo Continue reading

I know it is Spring when my front yard explodes with cherry blossoms. Flamboyant swags of petals adorn every branch. They bring their own celebration, brass marching band included. At this time of year, pink goes with everything. Continue reading

I was fortunate enough to find a small bundle of these at the Brocante. 1800s enamel plaques in beautiful condition, and so tiny they are light as a feather. These are utterly exquisite and rarer than rare. Six are available individually on Etsy. A few more will be available at a later date. xoxo Continue reading

If you've ever ordered on Etsy you know that he usually wears a paper hat. It's his thing. His signature. But today he wanted something different. Something a little more bicorne. A little more Napoleonic. Congratulations, Little Man. You're looking good. xoxo Continue reading

A beautiful antique box. Filled with beautiful antique labels. Except they're not exaaaactly antique. Although the paper is 200 years old, the ink is new. I painted them yesterday while procrastinating over another project. xoxo Continue reading

Intaglios were cast in plaster from the original stone carvings, often agate. Many depict scenes from Greek and Roman myths. Intaglios were collected as souvenirs by travellers on the Grand Tour of Europe in the early 1800s. And by foragers at the Brocante in the 21st century. xoxo Continue reading

Bianca's hands were tied. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out how she was going to change into her swimming costume. Continue reading

Plaster intaglios. Early 1800s. Soft and delicate. Ephemeral in nature. Putting in an unexpected appearance at the French Brocante 200 years later ... Continue reading

Plates from Dr Lelièvre's Petit Atlas D'Histoire Naturelle De L'Homme. Published in Paris in 1939. The colours are 1930s chromo-lith fabulousness! Continue reading

This past week was a difficult one. Neat, tidy, orderly blog fell apart. I didn't know how it had happened. What I had done. Or how to fix it. And then in swooped Fairy Godmama. She fixed everything. Even better than before. And then the Brocante winked its eye and spit out some really fabulous little treasures that I will be able to share with you soon. Hint: numbers. tiny ones. As for my Fairy Godmama, I am building her a pedestal. And pondering how to repay her kindness. xoxo Continue reading

An antique French pendant. A double-sided locket with a little beveled glass door and room for a photo of my beloved. His initials are Mr. B. B. for Brocante, of course! xoxo Continue reading

A little detour through the paper markets of Belgium. A folder of bits and snippets, old etiquettes and ex libris. Gorgeous rag papers in seafoam green and shades of ochre and barley. I am slowly trimming them for use in collages ... more to show you soon. xoxo Continue reading

The Mother of all rubber stamps, courtesy of the Brocante. It is 7.5" tall and weighs over a pound. Magnificent. Continue reading

Now and then the Brocante requests an arm or a leg in return for a treasure. Or in this case, both. A beautiful pharmacie pot, over 100 years old, in immaculate condition. Add to that the pot's origins in a town that holds sweet memories of summer. There was no other choice. I cut off my leg. xoxo Continue reading

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1824 1830 1823 1841 Images from UN SIÈCLE DE MODES FÉMININES 1794-1894, published in Paris by G. Charpentier et E. Fasquelle. Continue reading

Do you think, perhaps, that CONTRA CONSTIPATION PILLS might be helpful to a blogger who is having a little difficulty? Difficulty with too many new technologies at once, and not feeling like she has a handle on any of them? I imagine the pills are a little past their expiry date, but they, too, are a rosy shade of pink. And quick solutions are tempting, even though almost certainly unwise... xoxo Continue reading