Weekend Shopping List!

This week I have been working hard over at Tour de Broco, meeting new local vintage sellers and checking out some fabulous accomodations for our Fall and Spring shopping tours!  Stop over and take a look!

It's Friday and even though it is mid-summer and we have been going to the flea markets and brocantes since early spring .... I am still so excited to start the weekend and plan where we are going and what we are looking for!

Most weekends I have a 'shopping list' and I absolutely always have a wish list!  My wish-list is much longer than my shopping list -- mais bien sur!  We usually have pretty good luck finding the things we are looking for; a vintage bottle caddy, a wicker trunk, gorgeous white antique linens ....

This weekend I am looking specifically for a round folding metal table for the garden and I saw one last weekend that inspired me to bump it from the wish-list to the shopping list.  Yes, it's 'pour moi'! We are having a little BBQ on Sunday and a table for four would be a great addition for it!

So what's on your wish list?  Better yet... what's on your shopping list?

Still posting things from the great sales from last weekend ... so take a look at the shop!

Bon weekend!

French Industrial Chic....fabulous!

As you might know ... I am splitting my time between shopping for and selling French vintage on Sunday Brocantes  and planning and booking French vintage shopping tours for our travel company 'Tour de  Broco'   (among other things.... : )

Last weekend we went on a scouting mission for Tour de Broco to check out a possible seller in order to determine if it would be a good stop to incorporate into our Fall tours.  We took a drive out to meet with Patrick and Christophe at their fabulous shop and 'atelier'..... and it was AMAZING!

We actually have a family connection to these shop owners and had last seen Patrick at our niece's wedding.  And a more distant 'six-degrees' connection is that Patrick has the son of my sister-in-law's King Charles Spaniel, Happy...who had a litter of KCS/Jack Russells.... and Patrick's pup is the brother to Diva and Buddy.... who are the pups of our other nieces....  ......Still with me?

So there he was..... waiting for us.

This was the first room in the warehouse style show-room ....

and right about now I noticed my heart was beating pretty fast....

Every where you looked .... FABULOUS!

I adore this lighting!!!

Their 'shop' belongs in a interior design book!  I could live there!

A little peek at behind the scenes where vintage re-claimed items are refurbished.

I really think this is the most amazing source of French Industrial Chic that I have ever seen! 

 Patrick and Christophe were wonderful!  

We are thrilled to add them to our 'must-go-to' list of stops on our Tour de Broco vintage shopping tours! 
If you are interested in booking a vintage shopping vacation in France--hop on over to 'Tour de Broco' or send an email to info@tourdebroco.com!

See you back here soon with more from this past weekend!

A bientot!

Sun, salt, sand & vintage weekend!

I was thinking, that if you actually could get drunk on sun .... today I would be nursing a very serious hang-over!  This weekend was glorious and we spent it perfectly outside in the sun, playing at the beach and going to two brocantes -- one on Saturday and one on Sunday. 

It's already late Monday night for me and my cheeks are still a bit tingly from the sun even though I have been working all day long  inside and so busy I am without even a minute to spare to tell you all about the weekend--  But I will share a little 'favorite find' from the brocante in St. Aubin sur Mer on Sunday -- it is a 'Mini-Trans-At' or a mini transatlantic child's chair.  These chairs got their name from their use on European cruise ships and this one is a scaled down child's chair.  French Guy bought it for Petite Fille and she seems to love it, but I don't think has yet sat in it.

She has however tried it out in her pool ....

... and she seems to enjoy carrying it around.  We like to think of it as 'vintage beach chair-consumer-testing'... and I think she is great at it!

Hope you had a sun filled weekend too!  More about the brocantes and wonderful finds-- a demain!

A bientot mes amis!

Le weekend! and .... SUN!

I am so excited for this weekend!  It is Friday evening and even though I am working all weekend I truly feel TGIF!  It was sunny today here -- ALL day! Maybe for the second time this summer -- and truthfully having had a little time outside in it today---it feels like nothing else really matters!

Oh summer!  I think I am in love!

Finally!

A bientot mes amis!  Bon weekend a vous!

~ French ~ Lavender

 Although visions of Provence come to mind when you think of French lavender, it does grow very well in the North, here in Normandy.

We have had so much rain so far this summer that I thought that my half a dozen plants would not be able to make one bundle all together ....

But I was able to harvest enough to make a few.  Yesterday during a brief interlude from our nearly constant summer showers, I snuck out while Petite-Fille napped and snipped as much as I could.

It was a battle with the bees .... and being allergic,  I respectfully give them 'right-of-way' to all the lavender they want.

I hang the bundles to dry and keep it all over the house.  I had enough dry bundles remaining from last summer, perfectly dried and still so incredibly fragrant that I put aside enough to fill a super-sized 'mason' jar to use for sachets and pillows .... and cooking!

I wish I could in-put a scratch and sniff widget into this blog post!  It is lavender heaven!

Happy Wednesday mes amis!  I will be back soon!

Feel like shopping?

I absolutely cannot believe that on this gorgeous sunny (yes! your read right --- SUNNY) day I am inside furiously working on two exciting projects!  Earlier this year I mentioned that Sunday Brocantes was offering shopping tours in France and now as a team-effort with French Guy we have launched our website, "Tour de Broco".

 We are thrilled to offer shopping trips in France.  Hosted flea market and brocante excursions in Paris and Basse Normandy are an exciting way to discover France!  

We are currently booking a group-tour for October 2012 with limited spaces and individual tours year-around!

Your trip can include full-service hosting, travel arrangements, lodging and escort to the seasonal sales and local sources of French antiques and vintage treasures, acquisition assistance, and international shipping back to your home!

Click here to see our website: Tour de Broco.com

Feel free to contact me for information! info@tourdebroco.com

Facebook Page: HERE! 

More news on the SECOND big project I am working on -- Coming Soon mes amis!

Happy Tuesday!