The Brocante is stocked at last!!

I'm pleased to FINALLY be able to give you an overview of the Parisian Brocante, the repository of many treasures from around the world   It takes up the full ground floor beneath the apartment. Some pieces will move off to other projects and new ones will take their place so it will be a permanent 'work in progress'. I'm having fun rearranging things, and remembering the special people and happy times associated with many of them. When I post close-ups I'll include the names of their creators, for now please just have a look around and perhaps imagine you're browsing in your favoutie Parisian Brocante. Take your time, you can rest and refresh soon enough at your favourite cafe, sipping your coffee and watching the world go by. 

Progress in the French apartment

Making cabinets is definitely not my favourite mini activity but in order to make Emily a home I had to make her a kitchen.  Although I suspect she will spend very little time in here I decided to give her a full size cooker rather than the little bench top hotplate I was planning on. 

The cooker is made from Lea's instructions in her book Le Grand Livre de la Maison Miniature - it's inclined to be slightly too big for this tiny kitchen so I may eventually remake it downsizing it slightly.  However it doesn't look quite as large in reality as it does in this photo, I think it's 'grown' slightly because it's closest to the camera.

You might recognise the flooring - it was originally in the hallway (see post of 8 May below) but I decided it was too 'informal' for that space, after all this hallway provides access to the salon - so it now has a slightly more formal looking floor ...

I probably would have left the wooden flooring had this been a country house but although this is an unpretentious and very time worn property it is still Parisian and there are some standards which one must uphold ;)

By the way, that door is not the salon entrance, it is a linen storage cupboard, or perhaps a doorway to a secret room, whatever your imagination desires.

There's been some activity in the Brocante!

Emily has been scouring the flea markets of Paris and is beginning to stock the brocante at last.  There are more goodies to add, and no doubt rearranging and more rearranging, but you can at least take a peek at what's going on in there: 

Double left click the pics for an 'expanded' view.

I've got lots more beautiful pieces from clever blogger friends to go into the brocante and the upstairs apartment so there are lots of credits to come but for these pictures there are just two 'blog mates' to note

Rosanna: strawberry tray and sewing box

Jody: hydrangeas  (Jody's back blogging again - happy days!)

A credit must also go to Lidi Stroud, the picnic basket is one of her pieces.  Take a look at her website here. 

Everything else is either bought and painted/aged by me  (jug and basin stand yet to get the 'treatment')  or made by me. 

If you don't know about Emily and her 'new' Parisian brocante you can access her story here or go to the top of this page and click on the title "How Emily Came To Own a Parisian Brocante".  Settle in with a coffee and let me entertain you...

How Emily came to own a Parisian Brocante

This story has moved to it's own page, please click on the title in the 'pages bar' above to access it.

My thanks to everyone who has read and commented on it :)  It's been fun to write, and it pleases me very much to know that you have had fun reading it.   As the Brocante takes shape perhaps we shall meet Emily again.

Answering your questions about the French facade

First of all thank you very much for your encouraging comments. I honestly didn't think you'd like the 'grubby' aspect of it so much.

There are a few questions in your comments, here are the answers one by one:

Glenda re "SHOP NAME" - no I don't have a name as yet, I'll be calling for help on that one soon!

Rudoo re "THE MAKER" - well actually that's me! The facade design is influenced by one of Lea Frisoni's buildings but it's not an exact copy. I am lucky to have a son who is very good at cutting straight lines (unlike me!) so he cut out the walls and floors according to my measurements. The shop front is purchased, as is a side door and a double hung side window (not shown here) but the opening facade windows were made by me. Making them was NOT a labour of love but I do like the freedom of not having to design around pre-made parts too much.

Caterina re WHAT KIND OF SHOP - it's an antiques and brocante shop, if you click here you get an idea of how it will look, but of course there will be lots more things 'for sale' later.

Piikko re ROOMS TO RENT - maybe we could come to an arrangment if you would be prepared to 'manage' the shop ;) (Don't tell anyone but I am secretly thinking about making a Pension to go next door, maybe that would be more suitable).

THE BALCONY RAILING is available from Dolls House Emporium online, or any of their stockists, click here to see it on their website. To get the bend in it I put the end into very hot (not boiling) water for a few minutes. I used a wooden block to bend it around at first but then I became impatient and just bent it (very) firmly by hand.

Thanks again for your kind remarks!!

French facade - finished!!

Well, almost... just a few final touches yet to do like attaching doorknobs, cleaning windows, adding the shop name ...

I'm not sure if I've over-done the dirt and grime, just a little :)

It certainly looks rather less pristine than it did in this pic posted last May

It's been a good project to work on recently when it's been too hot to work on pieces that need concentration and precision in measurement and putting together (although I must admit the French windows and doors fall into this category but most of those were completed a while ago) but it's way past time to tackle the 'bistro' style table and chair set that I promised Marie Jose way back in July - she must have entirely given up hope of ever receiving it by now. I might be slow but I do deliver ... eventually :)

French facade - and a question

At last I can show you a little progress on the French project. The walls etc are just in 'dry fit' at the moment but at least you can get some idea of what the outcome will be. There is more trim to be added, the top floor is to have two small balconies and I might add an attic, or a roof garden.

Now... opinions please!! If you look carefully you can see that on the left wall of the ground floor shop there is a window, and near the back on the right there is an open door with a window in the top half (in the photo it looks as if the door is on the back wall but it is in the right wall and is opened into the shop) . The door is there because I can't imagine that the people who live upstairs would want to 'come and go' through the shop doorway when the shop is closed (and there wasn't room to add a 'private' doorway at the front), and the window in it lets in a little extra light. I'm not sure how best to describe why I added the side window - does it make sense to say it is to add another dimensional aspect to the space??? However I'm now wondering if I should rip that window out.

What is bothering me is that when I look at pictures of Parisian streets the buildings are almost all adjoining each other. The side door is ok because in my mind it's on an alleyway, but with the window in the other side as well it means that this building cannot be in a row of connected buildings. It must be standing alone with an alleyway, or small street, on each side which doesn't seem to be the normal thing for Parisian buildings. This picture below is my style 'inspiration pic' for this project, you can see how the buildings are all joined together.

So, what do you think, just be satisfied to have a 'stand alone' building even though it goes against the normal 'rules' of it's location, or pull out that window (it is glued and plastered in but it's not impossible to get it out and the hole can be plastered over). What would you do??

As an extra incentive to help me out here anyone whose comments include advice/opinion about whether or not to take the side window out will be 'rewarded' with an extra chance in the 200 followers giveaway that's coming up... :)

I have to leave my minis to one side again now while I concentrate on finishing my last university assignment for this semester (but I will be reading your opinions on what I should do about that window!). When I come back I've got quite a bit of catching up to do! There are Awards to be acknowledged and passed on, my fair purchases to show you (and I want to tell you about one of the vendors there too), gifts and swaps to be made, and a giveaway to be organised! It's going to be a busy break :)

(The Paris shop fronts image was sourced from ebay, a copyright holder is acknowledged but I can't find the name of the artist.)

Post amendment 1 July 2010 - I have made the decision about the window. What it came down to in the end was that if it was bothering me then it had to go - and it has now been removed. I appreciate all the information and various points of view of everyone who took the time to comment here and as promised all will receive an extra chance in my July giveaway draw. However that offer is now closed (the last commenter to be included is Nancy on 16 June). Thanks for participating!

A peek at my new project, the "Boutique d'antiquités et brocante"

Not yet open for business (in fact the construction far from completed!) but trying out a few pieces just to get a feel for the 'ambiance' of my new 1:12 scale "Boutique d'antiquités et brocante".

The hydrangeas are made by Jody (Peach Blossom Hill), the cupboard at the back is a 'work in progress' alteration of one of the Michael's hutches Jody sent me. Details of other pieces to come at another time - I have to get my head down now and study, study, study for at least a week if I'm to avoid an academic "kick ass award" :)