Sunday Brocante -- Part Two - Saint Andre d'Hebertot

Where did we leave off?  Oh yes! Goo!  (If you are just joining in--you may want to read the previous post and it will all make perfect sense!)

From my finger tips to my knuckles my hands were covered with black sticky adhesive from the black tape I removed from the handle of the handle-less watering pot.....hot water, Brillo pad and abrasive soap was managing to remove my finger prints but the goo remained like black tar...lesson learned about black tape.

I begged darling-spouse, 'French Guy' to go back to the brocante (remember it was only 6 minutes down the road) and make nice with Monsieur Brocanteur and give him a chance to make good on my bad purchase....and he did.  I have purchased a few items from this brocanteur and have a few items that he is searching for for me, so it was in his best interest to refund my money...thankfully!

Before I go on... a short note about goo... and all of that other wonderful stuff that is sometimes found on old, vintage, antique or "up-cycled" treasures.... There is this thing called 'patina'--patina is good most of the time, it is an allowable amount of decay (rust, oxidation, scratches, chipped paint, grime, cracks and in fabric a small bit of fade or fray...) but the tricky part--is good patina vs. well ..... goo.


Which brings me to another item.  I found a sweet little vase, eye catching for it's classic shape and pretty color--kind of a blue-green.  I set away cleaning it, it seemed to have a bit of old dried on and dusty kitchen grease and as I soaked it in hot water and scrubbed away at it, I was delighted to discover that it was a brilliant blue and not so much green...as I was thinking about the color I began to notice that my hands were becoming a bit sticky in a strange water-proof kind of way... what was this stuff?  Something was coming off of and from inside of this cute little bud vase.  It was a waxy-greasy-odorless-slimy-white-sludge.  The wierd part was I would think it was cleaned off and I would dry the vase and my hands and then find I was and the vase was still coated in the stuff.  It took about 30 more washings and rinses, a good boil on the stove top in sudsy water and once again the Brillo-pad on my poor hands to get rid of the goo....I love that little vase, but I will always look at it with a certain memory... of the goo.

Sometimes I question cleaning things up too much--when at times something might require a high pressure power-wash, other times all that is needed is a gentle dusting off with a clean paint brush.  But it's the in-between ah---eerrr--"patina" that causes me to think--"Would someone buying this want this on it, or should I clean it off and threaten it's unique authenticity?"

.....But I do draw the line at 'goo'!

Out of time mes amis!  I leave you with a few quick shots of  Saint Andre d'Hebertot......a big vide grenier in a big field in a tiny town....Favorite finds?  A bicycle basket, an enamel kitchen rack and yes! another watering can--a good one this time....maybe too good!

Have a great week!  A bientot!