Parlez-vous français?

Perhaps it is because I love to read that I'm so drawn to books.  And if they're of a

vintage nature, all the more so.  Needless to say, when I discovered these

French beauties at a flea market some time ago,

I was more than a tad thrilled.

They were buried beneath a mound of completely unrelated items, in a tattered

old box—one of several, I was determined to rummage through. 

Being the treasure hunter that I am,

searching through boxes of disorganized clutter—gone unnoticed

by many—is a challenge I heartily welcome.

The pretty lilac-hued covers of these little readers—softened by the most wonderful

timeworn patina—was the first thing to catch my eye.  But the detail

of the vintage graphics was an even bigger draw.

Though every word, from cover to cover, was in French, many of the titles and

 authors were quite familiar to me.

Beauty is beauty, no matter the country of origin, so without hesitation, I decided

these tiny teasures were destined to come home with me.

When it came time to pay the vendor, he informed me that there were more

"little French books" somewhere in his booth. 

Fabulous!!!  That would mean more treasure hunting.   ; )

I was able to locate a total of thirty of the CLASSIQUES LAROUSSE, thirteen of an

entirely different series, and three other miscellaneous French booklets—

all for a song.

Many of these dainty little gems date back to the early 1930s and span

almost thirty years—to the early 60s.

As is true of everything vintage that I own, I've oftened wondered as to their origins. 
What might the person have been like, who collected these jewels
for thirty years? 

Was she someone who thoroughly enjoyed the written word, as I myself do? 
Did she experience the pull of their beauty, even before she read the first word—
as I did? 

Was she fluent in French? 

These are but a few of the many questions I've pondered, as I've carefully perused their

delicate pages. 

The intrigue of their mysterious history has made my decision to part

with these sweet treasures all the more difficult.  But the Yankee and I have committed

to paring down our collections this year,

and so part with them I must.

Why part with these particular lovelies, you might ask?  The answer is quite simple. 

Je ne parle pas français!

Linking to Linda's Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays, Mary's Share the Love Wednesday,
Suzanne's Vintage Thingie Thursday, Leigh's Thrifty Thursdays,
Cindy's Show and Tell Friday, Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday, 
Meg's Everything But the Kitchen Sink and SJ's Creative Bloggers' Party,
Tammy's Anything Goes.

Time Travel Thursday #55 & Talented Time Travelers #54

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.
Some take us forward, they're called dreams."

~Jeremy Irons~

Welcome to the 55th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage!

Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,

and most creative projects? Great!

But first...

let's take a peek at some of the creativity shared last week

by some of our talented time travelers.

I've seen pretty lace-covered lampshades all over Blogland for a while now, and so has
Janice @ Curtains in my Tree.  She took the initiative to make one—
I'm still waiting for the motivation.   ; )

Betsy @ coastal-colors found this unusual piece, but is uncertain as to its original purpose. 
Do you know what it is?  In any case, due to her transformation magic,
it's much prettier now.

At the risk of making myself sound REALLY old, I remember with great fondness
the ViewMaster from my childhood years.  This one, shared by Collette
@ Serendipity Handmade, brought back pleasant memories
from my days as a YOUNGER girl.   ; )

Don't you love the color of this table redo by Pamela @ Stampin' D'Amour? 
And the splashes of that same pretty color on the rose appliqué
add such a quaint touch.

Gina @ Art and Alfalfa is a talented ceramic artist living on an alfalfa farm in Utah—
hence her blog title.  This pretty piece had a little mishap that she cleverly
disguised with antiquing gel. 

You'll just have to visit her to get the details.

Well, that does it for last week's features.

What ya got this week?

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.

Time Travel Thursday #54 & Talented Time Travelers #53

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.
Some take us forward, they're called dreams."
~Jeremy Irons~

Welcome to the 54th Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage!

Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,

 and most creative projects?  Great! 

But first...

let's take a peek at some of the creativity shared last week

by some of our talented time travelers.

I love EVERYTHING about this romantic vignette

created by Lavender Garden Cottage—especially the vintage lace-edged spread.

And guess what?

It's for sale in their online shop!

For the majority of us who create to sell, we are ever confronted with the dilemma

of having to release pieces we would prefer to keep.

After seeing this lovely transformation by Janet @ The Decorating Diaries,

 I can see why she wanted to keep this fabulous

French-inspired table.

At our last party, we had a guest all the way from Singapore.

Sandy @ Sandy's Space is another creative paper artist out there in Blogland

who has the talent to turn paper into art.

Want a super quick, super easy, super inexpensive way to make plant markers

for your garden?

The next time you visit a home improvement store like Lowe's, 

ask for a handful of paint stirs,

grab a can of chalkboard paint and get to work.

Or maybe you're like Erin @ OUT ON A LIMB and have everything you need

right at your fingertips.

What do you give someone who seems to have everything?

Deborah @ Upcycling my very ordinary life solved this problem for herself 

by creating this fabulous custom sign.

Now her friend doesn't only have everything, he has something uniquely special!   ; )

Well, that's a wrap for last week.  Thanks to all the talented time travelers

who joined the party.

So, what do you have to show off this week?

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.

A Gift of Sunshine

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others
cannot keep it from themselves." 

~James M. Barrie~

Coreopsis

French Marigolds

Day Lilies

"Wherever you go, no matter what the weather,

always bring your own sunshine."  

~Anthony J. D'Angelo~

Squash

Tomato

Cantaloupe

Trumpet Creeper

"Friends are the sunshine of life."

~John Hay~

Sending you a bit of sunshine from my garden, my friends!   ; )


Joining Cindy's Show and Tell Friday, Tootsies's Flaunt Your Flowers Friday,
and Meg's Everything But the Kitchen Sink.

Time Travel Thursday #53 & Talented Time Travelers in Focus #52

"We all have our time machines.  Some take us back, they're called memories. 
Some take us forward, they're called dreams." 
~Jeremy Irons~

Welcome to the 53rd Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage!

Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,

and most creative projects?  Great!

But first...

let's take a peek at some of the talented time travelers

from last week.

Aren't these suitcases terrific?!

Believe it or not, they were a $35.00 Craigslist find for Sandra @ french laundry 123.

I simply love a good bargain, don't you?

If you're a cat lover, be sure to visit Vanessa @ Avalon for some fun cat hi-jinks.
Avalon is a frisky feline movie star and cartoon character with attitude.

I love pretty china and am always looking for pieces to add to my collections.  But I'm
unwilling to pay a lot for the pieces I collect—making the hunt all the more challenging...
 and exciting.   ; )

Lynn @ Flea Market Lady loves china, too, and was able to score this lovely
 Limoges platter for half price.

(Photo by Mark Large - Pool/Getty Images)

For those of you who just can't seem to get enough of the latest news on Will And Kate,
 drop by and visit Fabiana @ ciao newport beach for a post full of terrific photos
 of the royal newlyweds in California.

Though these cute potholders are reminiscent of fall, they were actually just created

 this month.  Denise @ Spittin - Toad used these colors to match her kitchen, and

she shared a great tutorial for how to create your own.

OK, now what do you have to share?

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.

Companion Gardening

There was a very special guest at the cottage last week who has never gardened—

NOT ONCE, in her entire life.

She was quite intrigued by every aspect of the process...

and like my shadow,

followed me everywhere I went, wanting to know what I was doing and why.

For five full days, she was my constant companion.

She thought the vintage water cans we use to water the plants were just

the greatest inventions

 but...

was none to impressed with my rusty, crusty, old gardening tools.

So the Yankee—aka Poppy—promptly set out to find a set of gardening implements

that SHE would find more appealing.

And, of course, he gave absolutely no thought to the fact that it would take him

forty minutes to drive all the way to town to find

something suitable.

But then....

I can NEVER resist this precious little face—

with those big blue eyes—either!   ; )

Linking to Susan's Outdoor Wednesday, Suzanne's Vintage Thingie Thursday,

Mary's Share the Love Wednesday, Tracie's Cottage Flora Thursdays, Cindy's 

Show and Tell Friday, Tootsie's Flaunt Your Flowers Friday, Debra's 

Vintage Inspiration Friday, and Meg's Everything But the Kitchen Sink.

The Buddy System

By now, you know my barns are stuffed with STUFF.

My Yankee jokes that our little farm has become a Cline's starter kit.

Now for those of you who are new to the Brambleberry Cottage...

this IS NOT my farm.  It's Cline's Antiques and Collectibles—

 and salvage yard!

Thank goodness, my situation is not nearly as bad as THAT;

but, believe me, it's bad enough!!! 

So...

the Yankee and I decided it was time to start "unstuffing" the barns—

before someone nominated us to be candidates for

 the TV show Hoarders.  ; )

I contacted a blogging buddy of mine, Tammy @ HOME FOR 6, to see if she was

interested in taking a look at the goods that had been culled from the barns,

thus far.

She was eager to oblige and ended up with quite a load of treasures

 from our "destash."

She even did a post about some of her fabulous finds from the Brambleberry Cottage.

And since Tammy does a show a couple of times a year,

it was a great way for her to increase her inventory,

before the next show.

This piece was very hard to let go of, because the Yankee and I had already invested so much

 time and energy in the transformation process.  Basically, when we first acquired it,

 it was just another nondescript,

vintage mirror frame...

that is, BEFORE its beautification.

We found it in one of Cline's barns, looking like this.

Then it came to reside in one of our barns—remaining the same way...

for quite a long while.

Even after the transformation evolved to the point you see it above, it sat around the

 cottage for a very long time unfinished.  The Yankee and I just could not come

to an agreement

as to how it should be completed...

so it was time to just SAY GOODBYE...

 to it, not each other.   ; )

Having a totally fresh perspective on the piece...

Tammy was able to put her creative finishing touches on it, in no time at all, 

and sell it at her spring show.

So, how's that for the buddy system?

Joining Susan's Metamorphosis Monday, Roeshel's The DIY Project Parade,

Nita's Mod Mix Monday, Kathleen's White Wednesday, and

Meg's Everything But the Kitchen Sink.

Time Travel Thursday #52 & Talented Time Travelers in Focus #51

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.
Some take us forward, they're called dreams."
~Jeremy Irons~

Starting this month, I'm changing things up a bit.

Instead of posting something of a personal nature for the party, I'll be featuring participants
 from the previous week—combining Time Travel Thursday
with Talented Time Travelers in Focus.

There are more fun changes on the horizon at the Brambleberry Cottage, as well,
so stay tuned.  ; )

We all love a good yard sale, right?  But it's all the more fun,

when the venue looks like this!

Go visit Sandy @ Cottage Style Decorating to take a peek at the goods she scored 

during this adventure.

One of the things that many of us love about cottage style is the relaxed, unpretentious,

and effortless elegance of it all.  And our trash-to-treasure creations simply add to that charm.

This vintage lamp-turned-stand that Pam @ White Ironstone Cottage uses for displaying hats

 is a prime example.

There are lots of "harried" gardeners plagued with unwanted bunny visitors.

At the Brambleberry Cottage, we actually encourage these furry guests into

our yard—by keeping our yard full of clover, plantain, and similar natural treats—all on purpose...

 of course.  ; )

If you prefer to ban the bunnies, Kerry @ HouseTalkN has an all natural solution.

So, now what do you have to share?

IF YOU LINK TO THE PARTY, PLEASE BE SURE TO LINK BACK TO THE BRAMBLEBERRY COTTAGE ON YOUR BLOG.