C is for.........................Camera

It's that time of the week when we head over to Jenny's blog to participate in Alphabe-Thursday and this weeks letter "C".
I'm also linking this post to Suzanne's Colorado Lady Vintage Thingie Thursday because it's not just the camera that's vintage, I am too!

Last month my friend Mary @ Across the Pond blogged about her home town of Torquay situated on the English Riviera. She shared some beautiful photographs taken on one of her favourite walks.

After I had read her post I have to admit to feeling a little nostalgic for England, I have fond memories of holidays spent in Torquay when I was a very little girl.

Nana and me aged 3, in Torquay.

So, I took down, from the top of the wardrobe, my favourite pink hatbox where I keep all my old family photo's, cards and letters.

There they were, old black and white photographs taken by my parents with their Brownie "Box" camera.

I still have the shabby old Kodak No. 2 Brownie camera that belonged to my parents, it now sits on a shelf in my library.

The circular logo on the front reads:

No 2 BROWNIe

Made in Canada by

Canadian Kodak Co., Limited

TORONTO, ONT

and in the centre: Use Kodak Films No. 120.

I tried to photograph the logo but it was unclear.

This is a shot of the inside.

Me and my boyfriends, can you see that the little boy on my right is holding my hand. I think this was taken on my 4th Birthday.

I've shown this photo before, but I think I look sweet, so here it is again!

My Mum & me having a lovely day at the seaside. I love the handsmocked dresses and handknitted short sleeve cardigan that she made for me, so very 1950's.

Do pop over to Jenny & Suzanne's blogs and see who else is there, but not before leaving me a comment so that I know who came calling in Normandy today.

Antique doors @ Le Presbytere

Today I'm linking up not just with Vintage Thingies Thursday over at Colorado Lady, Suzanne's place but also with Gina @The Shabby Chic Cottage for her Transformation Thursday get together and thought I'd tell you a little about the doors that hang between our dining room and kitchen in the 18thc part of the house.

Original to the house they were in a terrible state when we inherited them 13 years ago.

By the way, in case you were wondering, these are the "after" pictures.

The look is not to everyone's taste I know, but for me they are the epitome of shabby French chic.

In an effort to make them " keepable" I stripped off many layers of old paint, treated for wood worm and replaced two of the panes of glass with some I found in the outbuildings but two others remain unfilled!!

Since I still haven't found door knobs that I like. the empty space facilitates opening and closing the doors!
I had a carpenter re -hang them, so that they "swing" to & fro, rather like saloon doors in the Old Wild West.

The sides facing the dining room have carved panels on the lower half, the kitchen sides are not as fancy and you can see where they have been reinforced, at the corners, over the years.

How old do you think these doors are?
This is the date that I uncovered under all those paint layers: 1840.


That's right they are 169 years old, I love them as they are and will never repaint them, but would you?

Don't forget to visit ColoradyLady and The Shabby Chic Cottage

à bien tôt
Maggie

VTT reveal......and the winner is...............................

Last week for my Vintage Thingies Thursday post I showed you four beautiful ladies, I called them photocards but from comments left on the blog I believe they are also known as cabinet cards and I'll be trying to find out more about that.

I asked for ideas on how to display the cards and I was not disappointed by your responses.

However, it does seem that if I want to display both sides of the cards my choices are limited.

Still, I shall be looking for two sided clear frames and thinking about maybe putting the cards under the glass top of my coffee table, having first scanned the backs and mounted those scans onto card.

When I have decided I'll blog about it and show you the finished look.



Anyway....... get to the important part, I hear you all crying!

All the names of those who took the time to visit my Thursday blog and leave a comment were duly placed in a large straw hat this morning and my DH drew out the winners name.

Ta Da!! Drum roll, please.

Chasity @ The Wild Raspberry, it's you!!

Please email me your address and this pretty, hand painted cafe au lait jug & bowl will be winging their way to you very soon.

Here's a little background info about them.


They were produced in the late '50's early '60's in a small town called St Jean la Poterie, which is to be found in the Morbihan region of Brittany. Celtic decors such as these are a reflection of Breton heritage and tradition.


Chasity, I hope you enjoy these sweet vintage items of French pottery and ladies, please remember, that I shall also be sending a little gift to the person who's idea is the one I finally go with. Watch this space...................................
à bien tôt
Maggie

Vintage Thingies Thursday.

Today I’m joining hostess Colorado Lady, Suzanne at her “Vintage Thingies Thursday” party, for the first time.


This fabulous retro button has been calling to me for weeks now and she always has great vintage treasures to share, click here to check it out.

So, here’s the thing......................I found these four wonderful antique photocards several years ago, at a house clearance in Bavaria, Germany.

The little girl is so pretty and just look at those waists. I’ve often wondered who they were and what their lives must have been like.

My favourite is the one I call “White Lady with Parasol”, she reminds me of a painting, by John Singer Sargent, that I saw last year in the Dallas Museum of Art.

I’m ashamed to tell you that for almost twenty years they have lived in a drawer because I cannot decide what to do with them!!

I would love to be able to display them so that the backs are not hidden, but how to show them at their best, that’s the question.

So, talented ladies & gentlemen, fellow members of blogland, come on and inspire me!

Leave me a comment with your idea, I can’t wait to read what you all come up with and just to make life a little more interesting, everyone who leaves a comment will have the chance to win a little gift from me.
I’m thinking something vintage (ish), probably European, quite possibly Quimper, maybe shabby but most definitely chic.
3 days after this post (Sunday 13th September) all the names will go into a hat and “the senior partner” here at the Presbytere will draw out the name of the winner, and as a little extra treat if I use your idea you’ll get a prize too when I have completed the project and blog about it, d’accord?

à bien tôt
Maggie