Showing posts with label antiques. Show all posts
Showing posts with label antiques. Show all posts

24 April 2025

OLD STUFF

 

The brocante season is under way.  (A brocante being a street market for junk, antiques or bric-a-brac.)  At the one I visited most recently, on an unusually warm and sunny day, I came away with a nice little haul.  Total spend 4.50€.

The little terracotta plant holders were 50 cents each.  (Useful for growing on my collection of spider plant babies, the mother of them being a brocante purchase a few years ago.) They are actually quite new and two of them still had price labels of 3.99€ on the bottom.  

The tall glass jug will come in handy as a vase for tall flowers and foliage and was 1€. 

The enamel bowl was the most expensive item, 2€.  I suppose that word has got round that tatty old enamel items are much sought after by the fans of "shabby chic". 


I bought the bowl because it makes a perfect liner for our bird bath which is otherwise difficult to keep clean.  The bath part is very heavy and not easily lifted for cleaning out.  In the summer it becomes unpleasant with algae, dead insects and bird poo very rapidly.  

I can now lift out the basin, clean it and refill it very quickly and easily.  Daily if necessary.  The little birds already seem to love it.

28 March 2025

OLD STUFF

 

The posts on the "old blog" about stuff found at brocantes and vide greniers were very popular, judging by the number of page views and comments.  I still enjoy noseying around these street markets.  The season hasn't really got going yet but there was a big one at a nearby village a couple of weeks ago.  It was sunny but freezing cold in the shade so we didn't linger too long.

Sometimes there's a lot rubbish, other times there are real gems, like this pretty cake stand which I got for 2€.  It's not very old and having looked it up on the internet matching items are still on sale and at quite a price.  

You have to wonder why someone would be selling something like this for so little.  I imagine it was an unwanted gift and the true value was not known.



I need another cake stand like I need a hole in the head but could not resist this one!  Bargain!!