jeudi 20 septembre 2018

Gratitude

Je suis étonné ce soir de constater qu'il y a déjà plus d'un an que je n'ai plus communiqué via ce blog... et pour être honnête, il y a eu des moments où je l'avais complètement oublié.

Un an, c'est vite passé... si on m'avait dit il y a un an, voire même à l'aube de 2018 que, le 1er juin, j'ouvrirais une "vraie" boutique d'antiquités et d'objets anciens, je crois que j'aurais ri, ri aux larmes du plus incrédules des rires. 

2017, probablement l'une de mes pires années. Catastrophique sur pas mal de niveaux, j'avais réussi à perdre espoir en mon avenir professionnel, en ma "carrière". Bon-à-rien fatigué, c'est comme ça que je me voyais et que je m'enfonçais dans cet espèce de trou noir. Quand je repense à cet hiver, où mon moral était au plus bas, j'ai du mal a comprendre comment les choses ont pu changer en si peu de temps. Bien sûr, rien n'est gagné, mais sur quelques semaines, et  sortis de "je-ne-sais-où", une voiture et un espace où créer ma boutique me sont tombés dans les bras. Evidement, je ne suis pas Mere Thérèsa, ce n'est pas cette petite boutique de province qui va changer le monde, mais je suis terriblement reconnaissant pour ce petit miracle qui a changé ma vie. J'ai l'impression d'enfin être à ma place et je peux dire, humblement, que je fais de mon mieux pour que cette entreprise soit une réussite.

Je reprends donc aujourd'hui l'"écriture" de ce blog, en français cette fois-ci, l'esprit plein d'une énergie nouvelle et le coeur plein de gratitude. Plein de gratitude pour vous mes amis et famille, pour vous tous qui avez été présent lors de l'inauguration d' Elegantiques, à Lessines,le premier juin 2018. Merci de tout coeur, merci. Et à bientôt.







mardi 28 février 2017

Waterlilies





I love the Art Nouveau pattern of that antique curtain... Waterlilies & wavelets





lundi 27 février 2017

When the brocante comes to you...

This morning was not an usual Monday morning... 



Normally, on Monday morning, I am preparing parcels for the post office, taking pictures of newly found treasures or even sometimes making some home-maintenance... 




Monday morning, I guess that you all know that feeling: too close to the end of the previous weekend and too far from the next one... But today was different. 




Today, Brocante came to me! Yes, this is what happens when you have friends who have friends getting rid of old stuff because they are down-sizing their home.

A heap of antique linen and a nice batch of antique belt buckle... all originated from France were delivered to my door at 10 o'clock this morning. There is lot to tell about that provenience: family heirloom, industrial wealthy Victorians, a chateau in the heart of Alsace, a mansion in Uccle (the most luxurious part of Brussels) , boxes stored in a attic since 30 years... and me, standing there arms wide open !!! 

I promise to tell you more about the chateau and the boxes a little later. Nice stories behind all this but it is now so late and I am exhausted after that stunning Monday...

And yes, I almost forgot to show you what I found yesterday: a pretty antique album and a beautiful advertising card from a shop in my beloved Brussels!!!






samedi 25 février 2017

Heaven on a lampshade



These latest days had been so dull and the weather so unkind for outdoor activities that my departure for the brocante on Wednesday was a real impulse. I had to go to the brocante and once I arrived at Brussels, I rushed to the flea market under the darkest sky praying that I will be able to reach it before the next shower...


My first purchase was the white bisque angel and it worked as the best keepsake! Not only have I been able to walk "dry" through the entire brocante but I also found gorgeous antique textile...




Among my other purchases and like music to my hears: Silk curtains with passementerie trim... Velvet & brocade antique doily with gold metallic trim... boudoir cushion... and a huge antique lampshade...












And what a lampshade!!! I feel like I have been staring at it since Wednesday!
Timeworn, faded, torn apart, it probably have all the detracts you might imagine (except that it is very clean and doesn't smell like musty old thing) but what I can only see for my part are the handpainted roses, the gold metallic trim and that faded blue velvet... That Color!!! Look at that Color!!! I am sure that Heaven is from that same color !


mercredi 22 février 2017

I am too bohemian for my Love...

Probably one of the things I like the most in my "job"... being able to combine items from the most recent Brocante haul together and immediately get a picture that instantly suits my "aristocratic-bohemian" colorful taste...




Adorable antique lamp (complete) and pretty silk doily in faded shabby chic colors found on the same day, at the same fair but on different stalls. Weren't these born to meet?!?

#NEVERTOOSHABBY

dimanche 19 février 2017

Prometteurs de Beaux Jours & Garden update...


I'll begin this post with some news about "the-only-sweet-pea-in-the-garden... If you follow my Facebook page, you might remember that this harsh winter only spared a single one of my Autumn-seedlings Sweet-Peas... Here is a pic of the proud survivor a few weeks ago. I love to sow a few Sweet-Pea in autumn as they usually start flowering by May the next year, so a few months before the ones sown in March-April. And it's never too early for this:











but "Quelle Horreur!!!" yesterday morning when I discovered the poor fellow... a slug, an horrible slug had made its way to the Little! and almost ate a pair of leaves! "Non Madame, this can't go on like this!! Leave him alone!" ... so he is now surrounded by a circle of sand, surrounded by a circle of crushed egg shells (thank you Jacob for that trick!) surrounded by a circle of ashes surrounded by a circle of copper and I am seriously considering digging a moat around all this! I want my early flowers!


Far from this war, in a corner of Gabrielles'garden, are appearing all these beautiful "Prometteurs de Beaux Jours"... Galanthus, Eranthis, Helleborus... promises of better days.



Gabrielle utilisait souvent l'expression "prometteurs de beaux jours"... mais pas tout à fait dans ce sens-ci. La sagesse paysanne manie bien l'ironie. Le prometteur n'est pas des plus honnêtes et les "Beaux Jours" finissent toujours pas arriver...
Pas d'ironie avec ces prometteurs-ci! Rien d'ambigu ni d'hasardeux. Aux perce-neiges succèdent toujours le printemps, les groseillers sanguins et les phorsythias...
Mes "Prometteurs de Beaux Jours" ne mentent jamais.




jeudi 2 février 2017

Rummaging...


Today I have been rummaging through boxes filled with antique textiles I bought from a Brussels bourgeoise home. One of the boxes contains only samples of home fabric and the piece here above was among them. A printed silk with moss roses & bindweed pattern. Edwardian I think. 



I also have been rummaging through the old photo box... and I found these summer memories! Hydrandea Annabel in my favorite vases.