... and patchwork!
Why? Because that's what Niki's calendar inspired me to find at home this month! See the china and the blue jewellery?
See the vintage blue and white fabric and the birds?
Here's the whole collection...
Sweet bird from a swap with Eli at A Bit of Heaven, English china plate from a French charity shop, and 1930s (?) patchwork from some kind of goodie bag my mother or grandmother rescued from a jumble sale in the '80s!
Personally, we don't find it a very appetising name for an eatery...
The boys think the fact that they're in a chamber pot is quite hysterical, and spent some time chanting the word 'gazunder' when I reminded them what it meant... sigh...
To go with this little token of Spring, I've brought out the hand-painted cups I picked up in Edinburgh a while back.
I love 1930s china....
And wouldn't you say Sarah's lovely bird sets it all off so well, even going with our little vintage lamp?
The house feels ready for spring, now. I gather that Candlemas/Imbolc (which was yesterday) marks the exact half-way point between midwinter and the Spring Solstice, and heralds the beginning of looking forward to Easter rather than back to Christmas. Perfect timing for my tulips, then!
After a few mishaps with the traditional Breton galettes last year, I am SOOOO prepared this time:
New pan? Check.
Traditional spatula-thingy? Check.
So this February will begin my third year of blogging. If you are popping over as part of the OWOH event, welcome! Like many blogs, mine has become a patchwork of the different elements of my life:
There's France, of course! We are a British family, living in the south of France. There's much to love about where we live, some puzzlement over cultural differences and expectations, a little frustration, and loads of excitement - I guess that my blog shows elements of all of that.
There's a love for vintage - French, British, American and worldwide heritage and memories.
There are memories of my family's past - the peacock Liberty print here belonged to my mum, who sadly died last year, and the fire fighter pyjamas were worn third and fourth-hand by both of our boys!
There are glimmers of silk and gold, in the beauty of nature, spirituality, faith and fine crafts.
And there's the desire to live a thrifty and non-consumerist life, for the good of the environment and our budget!
To show two sides of my blog, I have two elements in my gift for you this week. If one appeals more than the other, feel free to enter anyway, because I bet you'll be able to find someone you know (in person or in blogland) who would happily accept the other gift from you!
The first part of the gift is this copy of a French fashion newspaper, La Mode.
These beautiful ladies date from November 1898. Inside there are patterns, more fashions, and advertising. It's wonderful to look at, even if you don't read French! If you won it, I'd be perfectly happy for you to keep it as it is or to cut it up for crafts - either way, its beauty will be preserved.
The second part of my gift to you is a modern French set of birthday candles. This reflects the family side of my blog - I think it would be fun to celebrate a family birthday in French, wherever you are in the world!
So, please do enter and introduce yourself by leaving a comment, or, if we already know each other, do feel free to join in this little One World One Heart giveaway, and don't forget to spend some time this week visiting other OWOH bloggers in the same way!I will announce the winner of these two gifts at the end of the OWOH event - February 17th. Please make sure that I'll be able to contact you by email if you are the winner!
Wow, it was good!
Gingham, sure...
I'll tell you about the flowers first. My dad came to the supermarket with me just before he went home after Christmas, and asked me if I'd like some flowers! Well, indeed I would! I chose this lovely pot of three cyclamen plants, even though I've not had an awful lot of success with cyclamen before.
Part of the reason I chose it is because I remember how much my mum loved them. Anyway, I had a quick look in my M & S book of houseplants, and noticed that most cyclamen go wrong because they need to be kept at 15°C - yikes! Even in our fairly cool house, we stay warmer than that in the winter. I put them near the French windows with a thermometer, which showed they were hovering between 16° and 17°, and they soon showed their displeasure - yellow leaves, impressive mould on the pink plant, and drooping flowers. I plucked of the offending bits and moved the pot up to the 'bookshelf' in our bedroom, which is near the window in a cooler room, and I think I've got it! One month on and the ill bits are replacing themselves, while the healthy bits live on... BTW, bloggers, can you spot things you've sent me in this photo?
Having said I didn't favour 1950s style only yesterday, what did I find but this incredible, futuristic, mid-century modern, stuff? The blue gingham toile cirée was an offcut, but I decided to ask for a metre of the snazzy stuff too. When cutting it the shop assistant made a bit of a mess of the last few centimetres, and was going to throw it in the offcuts and start again from scratch when I explained that it really didn't matter as I was going to cut the cloth up and use pieces of it anyway. She was so grateful to have her messed-up piece accepted that she gave me the offcut for only 1€! So the metre was at a sale price of 4€50 and I got the two for a total of 5€50! I just had to share my joy, friends...I found your comments on my 'Modern Vintage' questions really interesting. Thanks for taking the time to think about what I'd written!
To recap, I'd been musing on the phrase 'Modern Vintage', as used on my blog title and various new books, and came up with the following questions:
One thing I noticed was that a lot of people see the appreciation of vintage things and living as being linked to simplicity and core values - a rejection of modern advertising and the pressure to conform. 
I like that. I also personally feel a link to the people who made or previously used a vintage object - my university degree was in archaeology and it was usually the business of daily living in the past that really appealed to me. To be able to see how our ancestors lived, and to even hold or perhaps use the same objects that they used, is really special.
Most of you agreed that there is a bit of 'rose tinted' viewing going on - this leads on to those things we really value about modern life. This really struck me when Laura at 52 Flea was given some vintage recipe cards that had belonged to a relative of her husband. One of them was a recipe for Blackberry Cordial for dysentry.
Can any of you imagine having to cope with a family suffering from dysentry, without professional help or modern medicine? I know that people around the world still have to live (or sometimes die) like this, but it's one of the incredible blessings of our lives that we no longer have to. 
I felt very in tune with some of the things Andi wrote about modern life. She noted equal rights and the friendships possible through the internet as real advantages we would never want to lose. I love the fact that one of our best friends in France is from Ghana, and that in 'vintage' times I might never have met him, and might have severely mistrusted him or even feared him if I had! Lots of advantages in modern life... 
Miss Freddie described 'modern vintage' as 'all about individuality, comfort and memories'. That's a good combination. A lot of you commented that enjoying the simplicity of vintage living
For me, the other advantage of this 'vintage' living in modern life, is that the Make Do and Mend/don't get into debt ethos that Angela mentioned is really good in a time of on-going environmental pressure and economic crisis.
It's possible to live thrifty, green lives without a 'vintage' twist, but the vintage element introduces fun, colour and individuality into what otherwise might seem a rather Puritan existence of rejecting many things rather than embracing alternatives.
But don't leave me with the last word - tell us what you think!
full of minor illnesses,
and missed lessons due to doctor's appointments,
Emma has sent:
the Silver Bird of Happiness!
Oh, Happy Floss!
I ordered this handmade bird from Emma (Silverpebble) with some Christmas money.
She has a lovely Etsy shop as well as a brilliant blog about her jewellery and home life.
I'm sure you know her already - maybe through her Splash of Colour event for the winter months. I'll be posting for that next week, and meanwhile, I'll be gloating over this adorable little bird, whose sisters and brothers I've been admiring since I started blogging... Thank you so much, Emma!
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