Thursday 9 February 2017

Vintage Flea Markets .....










If I'm going to try and find something, I stick to the flea markets,
 or I pull hand-me-downs from my family because
 I like pieces to have stories. 

Troian Bellisario






Still nursing an awful cold and streaming eyes, I really can not stitch.  I am a bad patient as my husband would collaborate with a ' yes and some' kind of comment.  I feel being poorly is such a waste of time for me and I get cross with myself.  It would be OK if indeed I could stitch but with my eyes just streaming I really can not see tiny stitches and I had to unpick something because it was all over the place SO with a humph and a bottom lip quiver I have given in to this bloomin' cold! By now I was going to have finished my last bit of 2016 stitching and started on one of my exciting NEW project designs but no this cold has other plans ..... grumpy is not the word.

I can not really read much either but I can look through these precious books that I have.  I know this is a vintage stitchery blog but today so that I can talk to you (because there is no stitching to talk of) I would like to share with you my dream books ....

Do I have your interest and are you sitting comfortably with a warm drink in hand!?  I have been collecting these for a while now and have four of them.  One day in the not too distance future my husband and I are going on a road trip holiday to some Flea Markets of the world.

Looking through eagerly at where to go in parts of France to what little alley ways and tiny vintage shops to the Brocantes and larger affairs.  Each place has times, where and whens and lists the kind of things you can expect to find.  Obviously its not written in stone because what is for sale is never the same thing being Antique but certain places at certain venues specialise in certain things and I am interested in fabrics, buttons, lace and all things delicious in the world of stitching.  That is not to say that some French enamel would not get snapped up and other vintage goodies along the way like a gorgeous French Armoir but you know where my passion lies.

Then of course there is Paris! now Paris is a gorgeous place and for us especially has lots of sentimental memories as this was where we went for our first holiday together.  We then went on to The Palace of Versailles and we hired bikes there and rode around the whole of it.  It was the end of a
warm September and we stayed in the large Hotel there.  Now you see Paris has its own vintage flea market and little vintage shop guide and I have eagerly been planning this trip as to where we will go and places to stay with interesting stops along the way for the Artist in me like Monets Garden .....



Wandering around the chic city of Paris with my little book with all the book marked pages and clutching my Euros I think it would be a fabulous few days indeed.  In addition to that of course it is the city of artists and I would take my little sketch and ideas journal so that when I saw things that gave me an idea for a stitchery design I could write it down.

The other joy of all this is my husband loves to drive, so we would have the car for all the vintage goodies and would be able to go from place to place around France and then head for the Italian border  .....




Italy home of my ancestors and where the gorgeous bowls of salads and pasta would please me greatly ... well treasure hunting is a hungry job, just ask Indiana Jones!

I would love to have a Italian school sampler for my collection and some gorgeous Italian threads for
the collection.  Can you imagine how wonderful wandering Italy markets would be and still it is slightly undiscovered.  Bus loads of ladies go to the French Brocantes but not as yet Italy and their gorgeous stitchery through the ages and so I would love to go here and see .....

There are not as many there as in France but can you imagine the undiscovered treasures that lay waiting ....

All the adventures that could be had and walking around in the warm breeze with my husband being The Donkey ( his words for carrying it all! bless him!)

Now it is not only abroad obviously that have some great antique market, here in England does too as you know and they are hugely popular and I have a fabulous little book on these too apart from the great ones that we also have like The Vintage Bazaar, Love Lane Vintage and other gorgeous Summer vintage Brocantes that are not to be missed
in my calendar so I would have to plan my treasure hunt in the med carefully around it but I am having fun doing it because its all that I can muster right now and stops me getting so grumpy with myself for not stitching.

I would love a few weeks doing this and what is so perfect is that my husband would love it too.  He totally gets how I am and what I love and he actually finds things for me that I have some how missed in my little vintage goodies for sale comma ..... It is so good to have another pair of eyes to look out behind you at things that that person knows you would love.

This my dear readers is what has kept me sane for the last two days planning this in detail and thinking about it properly for next year I hope.

Anyway I have managed to type this for you all and take the pictures which has been no mean feat so forgive any spelling mistakes that my blurry eyes may not have picked up on.

Have a wonderful day and Happy Stitching! you lucky people XX


2 comments:

  1. Sounds blissful Sarah! Maybe your cold has been a blessing in disguise - it has given you the chance to plan this wonderful adventure. Get well soon! Mo xxx

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    Replies
    1. Morning Mo!
      Yes my husband said it was time I just sat and stitched but of course my eyes streaming I can't ... this morning thus far they seem better so who knows .... it's just not getting to Mum ( one I don't want her to get it and 2 I couldn't drive like it either ) I never sneezed so much in my life!
      I am hoping a turn around this weekend...
      I loved planning it and hope to actually do it by next year...

      Thank you for your lovely comments and have a wonderful weekend...

      Sarah XXX

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