Help, my bicycle has been quartered!

Yes, yes, I know, I am a day early with my weekly challenges post, but I got them done already, go me! I went to my craftavan this morning just to make the inchie for the Every Inchie Monday challenge, and somehow ended up making the tag for this week as well. Hence, once again, a very silly title trying to get both challenges into one sentence.

The challenge for the inchie this week is BICYCLE, and over at Tag Tuesday, we will be doing Q tomorrow. It was tempting to go with Queen, but that seemed so obvious a choice for Q, so I went with QUARTERS instead. Or QUILT, if you like, or even QUARTET! All three apply.

Inchie first though. Dang, girls, it is really difficult drawing a bicycle! Who'd have thought it would be so challenging, it would have me using bad words, lol. I really wanted to do a steampunk kind of bicycle, so I picked the tiniest little  bits, from my sewing box of all things, and set to work -

Next, let me show you tag for this week's Tag Tuesday challenge. The image on the tag is divided into four QUARTERS, presenting a QUARTET of religious figures, making a four-patch QUILT pattern -

I used vintage French Battenburg lace tape to divide the image into quarters. I really wanted a religious medal dangling at the bottom of the tag, but couldn't find any in the stuff I had brought with me from England. I had, however, just bought this beautiful silver medal of Ste Therese at Sunday's vide grenier, so I just placed that on the tag for the photo, as it is destined for the shop. As soon as I find a suitable one, I will of course attach it to the tag.

Well there you go, this is a first, lol, me being ahead of myself. Don't think it will ever happen again :-).

Have a great week wherever you are, toodlepip xxx

An old French town

Well, we had three days of lovely warm Spring weather, and now it is grey and raining again. I haven't made anything, I haven't bought anything else, so I don't have anything new to show you. Instead, do you fancy coming on a little walk through an old French town with me?

Last Sunday, we drove to Bourbon Lancy, because there was supposed to be another vide greniers. Well humph, no signs anywhere, and after searching for it for half an hour, we gave up. What did I do instead? I went to the old part of Bourbon Lancy and took some photos with my little camera which I often carry about with me in my handbag. I adore old buildings, and all the wonderful little decorations, and old French towns never disappoint. I didn't have much time, because DH wanted to get home, it was horridly grey and cold, but I snapped away for a few minutes.

The Old Town is approached through a big old archway -

 with immensely thick walls -

a bit of historical information -

and a cobblestone mosaic on the floor -

Can you make out the lion? You'll see it again later on a shield...

I was just standing there admiring this gorgeous old building when this sweet little old lady came up to me and asked me whether I would like her to take a photo of me in front of the house. YIKES!!!! It was such a nice thing to do, I couldn't refuse her, so there you go, a pic of me in many layers to combat the cold, mightily wind swept and generally not exactly looking my best, lol -

but hey, the house is gorgeous, isn't it? See that statue over the door? -

Here is a close up of it and also of the beautiful plaques on either side -

Many French houses have little niches with religious figures, this house even had a second one, high up on the side of the house -

Almost opposite of this house was what looked like a very well stocked, and no doubt very expensive, antiques shop ( closed ). It had some rather lovely pieces outside, permanently by the looks of it -

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to own this mermaid, isn't she absolutely wonderful? 

There were a number of other rather lovely sculptures -

Have a look at the shield the lion is holding, this is what the cobblestone mosaic from earlier is depicting.

Oh, and the old doors! They are just incredible. Hundreds of years old, studded with handmade nails, with the most amazing hinges etc, cellar doors, front doors -

Doorways beautifully decorated -

Doorways leading to little formal gardens -

Of course there has to be a sign to a certain kind of shop .....

closed of course, it being a Sunday.

And you got to have a trendy restaurant -

Yes, I think the Old Town is a beautiful place to womble about in. Next time I am there I will try and discover a few more beautiful old buildings. 

Looking at the grey skies and the rain hammering down, I fear greatly for the vide greniers which are supposed to take place on the weekend. I have a feeling they might just get rained off, sigh.

Have a great weekend wherever you are, toodlepip xxx

3 weeks worth

of inchies. You'd think it would be really quick making something small, but they are tricky little soandsoes, those inchies! Anyhoo, I have finally caught up with the inchie challenges from the last three weeks. Here goes -

MOUNTAIN PEAK -

I had to draw, with pens and inky stamp pads and stuff, lol, no cut and paste!

LIFE - 

I chose the phrase 'la vie en rose' for this inchie, the French equivalent of 'looking at LIFE through rose coloured glasses'.

SPRING MEADOW -

Our meadow here at the cottage in France is sprinkled with these tiny little sweeties.

Oh, almost forgot, and this week's tag for the Tag Tuesday challenge is ready as well. Letter P this week, and being in France, I picked a French word - POISSONS ( fishies ) -

I used an illustration from a very old French Larousse dictionary, a bit of dyed cheesecloth, a fragment of dyed fish skin leather, a little bit of vintage French trim and a few cut out fish.Oh, and of course a few little sparklies as well ;-)

 

Thanks for stopping by, it always makes me smile to see you visit.

Toodlepip xxx

Blissful Whites Wednesday in the French craftavan

Oh dear, panic! It is Wednesday and not a single new white thing in sight! I hadn't made anything, I hadn't bought anything white on Sunday, but I couldn't possibly miss a White Wednesday now, could I? So we set off to a town not too far from us and visited a brocante-ish sort of shop. Did I find something white to take home and show you Blissful Whites Wednesday lovers? YES, of course I did.

My most treasured find in a long time, this gorgeous bust of Notre Dame de Lourdes, oh, it is so beautiful and serene, and a lovely onyx and brass plaque of Ste Therese -

I also found this sweet little rosary. I had to get it because of the little cross, which is so unusual. Look closely and you can see that there are scenes at the ends, the Lourdes scene on one side, cathedral on the other, and there is also one at the bottom which I can't quite make out yet, because I haven't cleaned the cross -

And.............. I bought two more old Sarreguemines bowls for my craftavan. I love to fill them with all the craft bits and pieces I bring with me from the UK, so much nicer than plastic boxes. So what if they are chipped, doesn't bother me one little bit -

I am linking this post to the Blissful Whites Wednesday linky party on TIMEWASHED. Thank you Becky for hosting this much loved event!

Happy Blissful Whites Wednesday to all participants and a sunshiny and warm hello from France to you all. Toodlepip xxx