a french tradition: the gingerbread & ham antique fair

bonjour from paree~coming to you from a day of shopping on the outskirts of paris to visit a fair that happened to be happenning while we’re here. i’ve always wanted to check out the foire de chatou which is held on what’s affectionately known as ‘the island of the impressionists’ from a time when painters like monet and renoir created some of their most famous works here.

today chatou hosts a fair that’s been a tradtion since the middle ages, having moved around a lot and finally finding its home twice a year in this idyllic spot. it’s definitely worth a trip if you’re here at the right time of year.

how it became known as the fair of ham and gingerbread is another story and you can read all about it on the fair’s website linked above.

like all things in paris it’s taken on an air of a pleasant afternoon strolling through chic stands and trying to decide what to get when you want it all. well, almost all.

there was a mix of furniture, lighting and linens

with the displays full of smalls including glass, paintings and statuary

i guess i was a little obsessed with this vendor but there was so much creativity in his tiny space

i had an urge to leave with garden goodies, and maybe cause i just got a dog, fell in love with these.

but i had to be realistic about shipping this time, and sneaking these in with my carry-on was not gonna work

so instead we enjoyed the weather and ate like kings and queens

the food and desserts were gorgeous, but i was so busy eating that i didn’t get too many photos of the food

when we were fully nourished i vowed to stick with paper and ephemera starting with this old portable writing set, aka early laptop

these engravings were hand tinted, matted in gray and hung in coral frames

we found some of our own and decided to frame them at home

as both a book and handwriting lover i’m always looking for journals and ledgers. under a table was one from a boulangerie

and i couldn’t resist these artist sketchbooks from the 1800s

suffice it to say i wanted it all

puppet theater

i have a weakness for what the french call all things ‘gallant’, aka erotica to us, basically all things ‘boudoir’

even the silly postcards

but as scarlet said, ‘tomorrow is another day’ and iit’s getting late. but before signing off, as promised, have hit the RaNdOm NuMbER Generator to give away the books from the last post. and the winners are Deborah McReynolds and Catherine.

if you can send me your addresses the books can go out next week when i get back. but if you didn’t win that one, we do have another, brought to you by richard nahem of i prefer paris. he’s a friend of mine living in paris and has started a monthly subscription of postcards featuring his beautiful shots around the city. the first month’s set is up for today’s giveaway so if you’re interested just say the word and we’ll do another drawing tomorrow. et alors, it’s time to shut it down, good night!