Homes for finds

Following my triumphant return from Sunday's Vide Grenier, I pottered about the house (dodging heat-grumpy family members, I have to be honest), putting my finds on display. After a good wash, the plates ended up on my now-full rack of stencilled French china. It's all in use and I guess I'm just going to rotate the pieces that go display in the rack! I put the holly bowl, which LissyLou likes best, with the two other 'French-style' bowls I bought at the brocante earlier this summer. If I get any more I'll put the holly one away until Christmas!

The sweet little hand painted cup ended up to the left of my favourite stencilled soup bowl.

Spot the broken plate behind a row of mis-matched jugs? I haven't done a 'themed by use' shelf before, but I think the jugs work OK. Son 1 gave me the blobby-glazed one on the right for my birthday this year. Ben and the boys scored big-time at a Vide Grenier when I was away on my London/Edinburgh trip!

And finally, THE frame. I bunged it here for now. Sometimes I go past it and think: 'Boy, I'm good".

Sometimes I go past it and think, "Good grief, that's pretentious".Time will tell. I can and will move it around!

The other, earlier, find that I'm really pleased with, is this blue and white tablecloth from an Edinburgh charity shop, bought stained and holed, in June.The French sun got rid of the worst of the stains, and I mended the worst holes. When I ironed it I hung it over the balcony, by coincidence on top of a red tablecloth. It was so pretty, and so in-keeping with my long-running red, white and blue obsession, that I decided to replicate the idea for our summer kitchen. (Some French people have a real summer kitchen - we just have a camping table with the toaster and coffee maker on the patio.) A clear plastic chopping-film does a good job of keeping most of the coffee stains off whatever cloth I have under the coffee maker.And finally, from the patio roof beams, hangs a string of Ben's chillis. If you're interested in his chilli jam recipe, by the way, it's basically the same as his darling Nigella's. He modifies it according to what's in the garden and the cupboard.Life is getting busy again - boys' friends staying, lessons, and then Ben's parents arriving on Thursday! So although this isn't an official blogging break, I don't see myself doing too many posts before the Rentrée, which will, of course, see my now traditional C'est la Rentrée Giveaway! You heard it here second... (I told Becca yesterday).

j

Thank you for all your comments, faithful friends, and new friends too! I really enjoyed reading what caught your eye from among my finds. Now, when I look at each item, I think of what you said about it...