French Couture, 1899

The boys and I took a quick trip out to a special holiday Vide Greniers yesterday. The rain more or less held off, and Son 1 bought an entertaining bingo game while Son 2 added to his Transformers collection. I confirmed the suspicion which was forming after my last Vide Greniers trip: the French currently don't value the paper ephemera of their own past....17 euros for all this lot - 15 euros for a bulk-buy of fashion supliments from 1899, and 3 euros for a school book and a photo.

So, I have found something worth collecting - easily availably, absolutely adorable, and under-valued by the sellers!Inside each suppliment are many, many sewing, embroidery and decorative projects and patterns.

Here's a print which made me think of Ashely, of Peacocks and Dragonflies! This is a pattern for decorating a cot cover. Another set in my 'job-lot' contains many embroidery alphabets.Anyone for hair dye? Hair removal? Or diagnosis of skin complaints? I am going to have to study these papers really well - there is so much in them!Each suppliment has a rebus - I never quite knew what a rebus was; I knew it was a puzzle, but here you are, it's one of those games where pictures, when read out loud, add up to make a word. How's your French?

The star of the show? This is clearly a signed photo from a theatre. I am going to have to look her up - a singer or an actress, do you think?The rest of the day was rather rainy, and lots of jigsaws were done, in addition to the bingo games once we got back from the Vide Greniers. I just loved the compostition of this violet and green jigsaw along with the purple flowers and green pattern on the oilcloth.

So today, I was off to la Poste with Sharon's Freestyle Swap parcel, and thence on to Intermarché, our nearby supermarket. I felt so totally un-French cycling off, all in pink (the pink fleece was a mistake with the pink flowered skirt, I admit, so I hauled it off when I arrived at the post office). The French are so wedded to black.I was quite amused when I opened up my pink, green and blue handbag at the supermarket, to bring out my pink flowered carrier bag (to match the skirt) and the lovely blue carrier (to match the T-shirt).I love living in France, but I have to be grateful that they don't judge my colourful couture by French standards!

And finally (Trevor Macdonald not forgotten here), Ben came back from Switzerland with these two lovely Swiss cheeses. Yummy weekend...