This is our favourite item of the week.
We don’t think we’ve nominated an enamel sign previously.
It’s a vintage French sign advertising Valentine paints. We like the colours and absolutely love the graphic design.
We put it in a vintage industrial corner of the lounge to photograph it – oh no, it looks quite good!
Bonjour! We’ve hopped across the channel to France in our World Dolls Series tour.
Illustrations for this edition are by Janet Meeson from the Birmingham School of Design.
Are guides for this trip are Marie & Pierre – resplendent in their traditional costumes.
A bit of gentle sun on our faces – we’re all relaxed and mellow – so the large shillelagh stick to keep order on the coach that Patrick had in Ireland has been dispensed with!
Marie & Pierre have joined us from their toy shop window in Paris.
All the classic Parisienne sights. Wide, tree-lined avenues…
…colourful cafés, classic architecture, beautiful bridges, the River Seine….
…and of course – the Eiffel Tower.
We then head into the idyllic countryside to take a look at the vineyards & orchards.
Then onto the coast for a spot of sunbathing – where we can all get very brown!
And finally we take in a festival – the Blessing of the Boats.
We just love the illustration below.
Join us next time when we’re arriving in Germany.
We bought some vintage metal filing drawers at auction last month – these lovely vintage travel maps were stored inside.
The covers immediately caught our eye, with illustrations by French artist Jean Colin. Born in 1912, he’s best known for his advertising posters from the mid 20th century. In addition to Shell, he did artwork for many prominent companies such as Cinzano, Air France, Kiwi Shoe Polish, Marchal and Perrier – and won many awards for his designs.
These Shell guides for various regions of France date from the 1950s/60s.
The maps inside are very attractive too – colourful & detailed, but clear to read.
We’d spied them inside the drawers, but a nice little bonus all the same!
We picked up this rather lovely biscuit tin this week. It dates from the 1960s and is on just the right side of kitsch for us.
The tin was produced in England, but features a very cute, Continental flower girl – she must be in Britain though, she’s selling her wares at 2 shillings & sixpence a bunch!
We’ve long admired the work of Lefor Openo – the French design duo of Marie-Claire Lefort & Marie-Francine Oppeneau. They’re mainly known for their poster designs – lots of them featuring beautiful mademoiselles – and this girl is definitely one of theirs! One of their most famous illustrations must be the sultry Francia, a Gitanes “fumeureuse”.
There are always Lefor Openo posters, postcards and other illustrations available to purchase on eBay – and at very affordable prices too!
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