An 18th century find.....

Distressed and timeworn this tiny trinket box or patch box is such a sweet confection.

I have left it just as I found it.

The lid carries a petite vignette under glass of a man declaring his love for his sweetheart " I promise to love you and never leave you...."

Hidden away inside is another vignette under glass that shows the mademoiselle in later years alone with three sad children and the message "Bacchus is a violent God, we avenge him by loving".

Inside the lid is a small distressed mirror with a twinkling of mercury within the silvering.

The outer is worn and the basketwork over card is peeling, I can just see a few words on the paper layers so old documents must have been used below the straw.

It is little treasures like this that capture my heart and fuel my imagination.

May 2016 be filled with more truffling for beautiful finds like this.

Happy New year and Bonne Annee mes belles.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A divine hideaway.......

Even after 12 years of living here on the beautiful Cherbourg Peninsula we still find new places hiding away!!

Today we saw a sign we had never seen before so of course we had to follow the trail.....

A long winding road through the forest led to the most beautiful chateau.......

So now I have to investigate more to see why they would have signs pointing towards it.

Is it now a hotel I wonder?


I shall keep you posted mes belles...

xxxxx

What will the future hold............

Many many years ago when I had just started my truffling through France I was told by a fortune teller that if I ever found any old tarot cards she would be interested in them. But she was very adamant that I could only buy them if I had no idea who had been the previous owner. This was something she repeated to me at least 3 times before I left. There was to be no indication whatsoever of the cards previous user.

I am not particularly superstitious but It is something that has always stayed in my mind. 

 Truffling by torchlight at the Paris flea market  I saw this wonderful set on a house clearers stand that was piled high with brocante so I figured it would be safe!!!

They are timeworn and simply beautiful, each card is so detailed and the scenes are charming. I have yet to do some research to find their date.

At the moment I am reading a period novel set in Venice ( no surprise there with my Venice addiction!). The main character sits in her silk brocade bedecked room by the Grand Canal for hours and hours turning the tarot cards to read her future.

And just looks at these cards ....each one is marked where a thumb would have dealt them time and time again. 

I know I am not supposed to know who they belonged to but I can still imagine!!!

Bon weekend mes belles

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx