PARIS FLEA MARKET STYLE book review and GIVEAWAY!!

Claudia Strasser is an author, furniture designer, interior designer and lover of all things the Paris Flea Markets have to offer.

She started her career in 1993 when she opened a boutique in New York and today she travels to Paris several times a year taking small groups shopping and sharing resources. I have recently been lucky enough to receive a copy of Claudia's new book, Paris Flea Market Style and in even better news, I am offering a copy to one lucky reader of my blog!

If you haven't heard of Claudia then do check out her beautiful blog and website.  She has such exquisite style and years of experience decorating with flea market finds.  I often refer to it and drool.  It is what I aspire my home to look like and one day I'll get there!

Claudia's first book, The Paris Apartment, Romantic Decor on a Flea Market Budget was published in 1998 and was one of the first books I bought when I start collecting seriously.

 It still remains one of my favourite books today and if I have a quiet moment, I like to sit down and absorb all the wonderful rooms decorated with flea market finds and wonder at Claudia's ability to decorate with such finesse and attention to detail.  One of the things in the book I loved most was this photo of a doll.

It is supposed to be Josephine Baker and I LOVED it!  I wanted one and I was going to stop at nothing until I found it.  Well in the end nothing dramatic happened, I just kept looking on eBay until quite by chance I came by one.

 How wonderful not to mention lucky was this find!?  I have never seen one since and I love her pouty lips and fluttery eyelashes, not quite the same but close enough for me!

So back to the present day and Claudia's new book, Paris Flea Market Style.  Its been a long time coming but well worth the wait.  This time Claudia guides us through the mazes of the Paris flea markets and gives hints and tips on how to navigate the markets, what you'll find, how to negotiate prices and also how to get your new items shipped back home.

Claudia has taken all the photos in the book and manages to bring to life the Paris markets with her words and photography and you get a real sense of what they are about.  She finds beauty in the smallest detail and her love and passion of the markets shines through.

Old door hardware

Old mirrors

Old hotel letterbox

Claudia tells you how you could use these old treasures today.  For example the old hotel letterbox could be used as an organiser for an office or kitchen.  This is what I love about this book, it covers so many bases.  Not only is it showing you how to navigate the markets but also gives you ideas on how to re purpose your finds to fit in with modern day living.

Old French love? letters

As Claudia says, the Paris flea markets provide an insight into times gone by and if you love history then the markets offer unique insights into how people lived in a bygone era.  Today its so easy to press delete and erase photos and words but the old letters and photos in the Paris markets allow us a portal into lives gone by.  Who wouldn't like to go back to a time when your beloved sent you a love letter written in the most beautiful script instead of an impersonal text of today.  Claudia brings the romance of the markets alive with her photography, writing and passion for all the things the markets have to offer.

Antique chairs

She takes us on a journey round the markets showing us what we are likely to find including any type of chair you want to imagine...............

Antique pictures

Antique miniatures

.............Old pictures................

Old French linen

.............Old linens, textiles, lace and trims..................

Beautiful old silk lampshades

................Old lights and shades.

There is a separate section for each object making the book easy to dip in and out of.  There are also sections on collectibles, outdoors, architectural elements and hardware.  In fact anything you might find is in this book!

Would I recommend this book?  ABSOLUTELY!  It is well written, informative, personal and the photography is excellent.  As I've already said the passion and love of these markets that Claudia has, shines through making it an enjoyable journey for the reader.  You get sucked into the journey and it leaves you wanting more.  I just want to be absorbed by the markets and all the beautiful objets so if anyone out there feels the urgent need to pay for me to go to Paris to scour the flea markets and also give me an unlimited budget then please do get in touch, I will do my very best to fulfill that need ;)

Now how do you go about WINNING one of these signed beauties?  Well all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post and I will put all the names into a hat and ask my glamorous assistant to pick one at random, its that easy!  There is only one book available and you have to be in it to win it so make sure you leave your comment by 7pm TUESDAY 21st MAY.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Why do I collect?

I have had this post in my mind for a long time but just haven't been able to write down what I wanted to say and I think its because this is actually quite a personal post.  I have often wondered why I have this compulsion to collect and wanted to explore the reasons why I do and where it stems from.  It certainly isn't just because I like pretty things so with that in mind I looked to when I was younger and the influences I have had.

My toy cat collection

As I started looking it became very clear that I am a product of my parents, absolutely!  My dad used to collect books and our spare room was filled to the ceiling as was the loft.  My mum and I would go out and leave my dad with his books where we would find him several hours later.  We also used to have to go into every secondhand bookshop and charity shop to look at books and I remember getting very annoyed with him because I didn't want to!  Now though, I love books and can hang around an old secondhand bookshop for hours, taking in the old books and smell.  My mum also used to collect things but everything always had its place, there was just a lot of it!   Obviously my parents had it in them to collect and you sometimes follow by example.  However that isn't the only reason why.

My Mabel Lucie Attwell collection

When I was 13 years old I decided that my pocket money wasn't enough for all the things I wanted to buy so I went and got myself a paper round 7 days a week and a job as a chambermaid at the weekends.  I think I earnt about £9 a week for the paper round and £2 an hour as a chambermaid, I was rich!  It also meant that I could buy what I liked without anyone questioning my decision on what I was buying as it was my money and I earnt it.  At university my bedroom was just full of stuff I'd made or collected, definitely not normal student digs as it was all colour co-ordinated and the items chosen very carefully.  After university I kind of lost interest, went about finding a job and becoming a responsible adult and my collecting stopped.

Some brooches

When I was 25 years old my life changed forever when my mum became ill with dementia and Parkinson's disease.  She became a different person over night and I found it incredibly hard to deal with especially as I have no other blood relations.  Luckily I have Mark and he was my rock but ultimately I was going through this on my own as she was my mum and no-one can understand the pain because its so personal to you.  Once she went into a nursing home my collecting really kicked in and I'm sure its because I was desperately trying to fill the gap my mum left behind.  I didn't have much support from the professionals and being an only child, I didn't have any siblings to take some of the pressure.  The things I collected made me feel happy and gave me some joy in an otherwise miserable time.  It allowed me to escape to a happier place.  It was a way to escape the pain and momentarily forget what was happening.   I also felt a constant need to keep on finding things and this must be because I was unable to find a solution to make my mum better.  I was continually searching and searching and once I found something, I'd go onto the next thing.
I feel that collecting gave me a consistency I so badly needed when everything else was changing around me.  The objects I collected were always there, they never left me.

Something that did make me genuinely happy at that time came when I was clearing out my mum's house.  I found a photo album from when she was 21 and in it was a photo labelled "My collection of dolls" (my big love is vintage cloth dolls, I have a large collection) not only that but there was a photo of a doll which was nearly identical to the very first one I ever bought.

My mum's collection of dolls

My mum's doll

My doll!

This made me feel very close to my mum as we had more in common than we realised, definitely a case of like mother, like daughter!  THEN I came across an album she had made when she was 21.  Again I had no idea she had done this until I came across it but what was really exciting was that I had done one in virtually the same way as her without ever realising it when I was 21!  There was one big difference though, my mum went on a cruise with her friend, I went to Bella Pasta and a club in Brighton and got hideously drunk! ( I also decided that wearing a blue velvet shirt was a good fashion choice, why did I think that, WHY!?)

Mum's cards

My cards

She stuck her birthday cards and bits of wrapping paper in her album, so did I.

Mum's entertainment

My entertainment

We included that nights entertainment.

My mum at fancy dress on the ship

Me not looking too drunk

Me feeling (and looking!) rough the morning after

And photos of us on our birthday evenings.

I also found some scrap books that my mum had put together full of old postcards.  I don't have any scrapbooks but I do have a collection of postcards.

Mum's scrapbook

My collection of postcards

Everyone used to say that I looked like my dad and took after him and I think my mum used to get a little bit annoyed about that BUT I think we were far similar than either of us ever realised.

Its clear the impact my mum's illness had on me and my collecting habits but there is also another reason and this is quite hard to admit and I'm certainly not saying it for any sympathy, this is truly how I feel.  Sometimes I don't feel very pretty.  There I've said it and it feels like a weight is lifted!  Sometimes I don't feel very pretty so by surrounding myself with beautiful things it gives me some kind of validation that I do have good taste and my home can at least be pretty even if I don't feel it.  Its certainly no coincidence that if I lose weight or feel good about myself then my collecting slows down and I concentrate more on clothes and myself.  It is also a form of escapism for me and I can transport myself back to a time that with rose tinted glasses, seems a much easier, attractive life full of the most wonderful, beautiful things.

I also have a slightly obsessive personality and get fixated by things that I just have to have or need to find. I'll also really really love something whether it be food, something to collect or a tv programme and then once I've satisfied my urge I'll move on to something else that I really really love.  Thankfully for Mark and my friends I'm not fickle at all when it comes to my relationships, just everything else!

All the things I have written above are just some of the reasons I collect but the most important thing is that I just love it!  I love the thrill of the chase, of finding that elusive item and receiving it in the post.  I love the story behind the items and how they allow me to use my imagination and take me somewhere else.

Old french fabric boxes

The fabric boxes I love because of their prettiness, fadedness and the fact that I can fill them with all sorts, go back to them a few months later and discover things I'd forgotten about so its like Christmas!

Old prints

I love old frames and prints and am particularly partial to a cherub or cupid being the romantic that I am.

Naughty French prints

And finally my little collection of naughty French prints.  I love the fact that at first glance they look just like any other print until you get closer and realise that actually they're a bit racy, ohh la la! 

I am lucky that I have a lovely husband and friends but losing my mum and dad left a huge gap in my life and I turned to collecting to help bridge that gap and ease the pain somehow.  Collecting is in my blood as can be seen by my mum and dad's habits and it somehow allows me to feel a little closer to them as though they are with me all the time.  At a young age I decided that I wanted to buy 'stuff' hence the need to get a job for no other reason than I liked 'things.'  The reason I collect is due to a number of factors some of which you may relate to albeit in different ways and some of which you won't as we all have our own story to tell.  At the end of the day though I really do love it, simple as that.  Its an addiction that gives me so much pleasure and as long as I'm not hurting myself or anyone else, I'll carry on!

I found this quote the other day from Sally at Mrs Plumbridge

People would say they are only materialistic objects but I don't know! if they add something warm to your life and make you smile when you look at them then do they, in some way develop their own soul?  for to me one of the meanings of a friend is somebody who gives you comfort and makes you happy so are they if not at the very least a little friend!!! 
 
I think she sums up perfectly how I feel about the objects I collect and that makes me happy!

Some new finds for the Brocante Antique and Decorative Fair

I haven't done one of these posts for a while and thought now was a good a time as any especially as I am getting ready for the annual Brocante Antique and Decorative Fair.  This year it is being held in the beautiful surroundings of Nonsuch Mansion in Cheam, Surrey and it promises to be filled with everything your vintage and antique heart desires.

The fair is actually next Thursday 9th May and you can still get advanced tickets by going to the website, Nikki Page Antiques.

So with the fair in mind I've been out buying and thought I'd share a few of my new finds with you.  I have to admit to being slightly apprehensive about the fair and whether my items will be good enough, if I sell anything etc.  After talking to a few of the other stall holders I realise I'm not alone in my worries and it actually helps to know others are feeling the same way so you can support each other.   Due to the way I had been feeling I have to admit that I had been buying things that weren't really me so no wonder I wasn't feeling confident!  You should always buy what you like and not what you think you should buy because 9/10 times you won't be able to sell it easily as you don't have the passion for it.  Obviously everyone needs to make money and sometimes I might buy something that isn't really me but I know there will be a profit, I just don't want to be doing that all the time so everything I'm selling isn't really me!

After giving myself a good talking too, I went to Kempton this week with a renewed vigour.  I thought sod it, I am literally just going to buy everything I love so I did and I am very happy with my decision :)

Old french faded pink watering can

Ok so after just saying these are things I found at Kempton I put a photo up of something I actually purchased from France and it isn't actually going to be for sale.  I received it Tuesday, opened the package and literally swooned, it is just so damn pretty.  It is also a mini size child's version which is even better and will make a great display piece.  The old green stool in the photo I did buy from Kempton but again isn't going to be for sale, it will be a display piece (I'm seeing a worrying trend here is ANYTHING actually going to be for sale?!)

Vintage roller boots

These will be, a pair of vintage roller boots with wooden wheels.  I just thought they were a bit of fun and a great display piece.  Not sure how safe they'd be to actually use!

Antique French fabric box

A huge old French fabric box found its way home with me.  I was walking past the hall to go to the outside stalls, saw this at 100 paces through the window and 30 secs later it was mine.

Vintage toy panda

I saw this little fellow stuffed in a bucket and there was no way I was leaving him there.  Full of character and a little bit sad looking.

At first glance this looked like a pretty green coloured vintage box, not very exciting but open it up and its full of old hymn numbers.

Baa baa white sheep

I thought this little lamb was so sweet and very pleased with myself until I showed Mark and he said and I quote "What the hell is it?"  I'm thinking at this point what the hell is wrong with YOU, it is clearly a lamb!

Pretty old French feather filled cushion.  Such a lovely pattern that's hard to find nowadays.

Bit of a different buy for me but I thought it was really interesting.  An old violin case with bow, strings and cushion and a wonderful, sumptuous red velvet lining.  Great display piece again.

Vintage parasol.  It made me think of summer, the seaside, sunshine, picnics and good times, I had to have it.

Old music hall poster.  I loved the graphics on it and thought it would look great displayed on someone's wall.

 A vintage mannequin which is half the size of a normal one.  I loved the size of it and the graphics.

A little French pale pink jug and bucket, so cute and so rusty but adds to their charm and the flowers look lovely in the jug.

Mini mangle

Daddy mangle

I managed to get a mini mangle and a bigger Triang mangle, I think these are great and have a mini one in my cabinet.  I especially like the fact that the little one is all wibbly wobbly, gives it a certain charm.

And finally this pink enamelled jug which I bought from Judy from All things vintage and beautiful. It is so beautiful but its staying right here with me as I love it so much! 

An eclectic mix but I really did buy with my heart this time and loved every minute.  It made the experience so much more enjoyable although I have to say parting with these treasures is going to be hard!

Really hope you are able to make the Brocante, there will be 50 stalls all selling beautiful items in wonderful surroundings and as always please do come and say hello :)