Hello from France

I have not managed to blog as I had hoped...having too much fun holidaying, but have had lots of chances to experience treasure hunting in my travels through France at Les Puces in Paris and Nice and at various vide-grenier's (empty attic, or as we know it, community garage sale) across Provence - check out the photos below to see some of the snaps taken along the way.

For now
VA x

OFF TO FRANCE

I'm off to France to recharge my batteries and soak up the old world. First stop Paris and very excited to check out Les Puces de Paris - also hoping to blog a little along the way and post some pictures of whatever inspires. After Paris it's on to Provence and then to Cassis on the Mediterranean...can't wait!

In the meantime Booths 33 & 77 are all stocked up. Just brought in this fabulous old McCaskey cash register and a rare set of Royal Winton "Summertime" Chintz cup and sandwich saucers.

For now.
Au revoir
VA

PATINA

Patina is everything that happens to an object over the course of time. The nick in the leg of a table, a scratch on a table top, the loss of moisture in the paint, the crackling of a finish or a glaze in ceramics, the gentle wear patterns on the edge of a plate. All these things add up to create a softer look, subtle color changes, a character. Patina is built from all the effects, natural and man-made, that create a true antique.

—Israel Sack

I can happily spend hours walking a beach scanning for ocean pounded shells or driftwood or pebbles; drawn to their subtle colours, their shape and their velvety smooth surface.  When I’m out hunting for beautiful old things it’s those same qualities that draw me in and make me want to look closely so not to miss anything and touch and feel them – like an old wooden pully wheel worn smooth from years of use or a small painted piece of furniture, chipped and bruised and marked by human touch – it’s their patina that makes them so unique.
VA x
New photos below.

Getting Started

Welcome to the first Vintage Artisan blog and my world as a gleaner of beautiful old things.

I stumbled into the world of antiquing quite accidentally. It started almost a year ago when I decided to brighten up an old piece of furniture I brought over from Scotland by painting it cream, then distressing the paint to give it a shabby chic appearance. It looked great! I discovered I loved the process — the manual work of painting and sanding, the creative process of deciding where and how much to expose the old wood. One thing led to another and before I knew it I found several pieces of vintage furniture to paint and was leasing a booth at Rocky Mountain Antique Mall to sell my wares. But finding and painting furniture wasn't enough! I now had to set-dress my booth by finding other beautiful things. And so the journey began. I now have two booths at the antique mall filled with a host of fab treasures including farm rustic pieces, fine antiques, vintage curios and jewelry. 

VA x