Vintage French Brocante

 

NOTE: I will be selling all new box bundles in November 2021 as I am in France buying new, old stock at the moment! If you would like to pre-order, get in touch and let me know at kelly@bookandpaperarts.com.

 

At last! The return of the French Book Arts Ephemera Boxes. Each parcel is filled with vintage French treasure to inspire your art journals, junk journals, collage, altered books, or other mixed-media work. Each box is curated by hand and is filled with hard-to-find handwritten paper, post cards, cabinet photos, and French brocante, all authentic and little pieces of mysteries and unfinished stories that have been waiting to be found. Here is a video of an unboxing or if you prefer there are photos at the end of this post.

While every box is different, each contains:

  • Five yards French linen thread (unwaxed);
  • Vintage tin (distressed);
  • buttons;
  • Three handwritten cartes postales;
  • Edition of La Mode Illlustrée, a womans fashion magazine dating from the 1870s to the 1880s. Four pages;
  • handwritten legal documents (actes notaires);
  • French dictionary pages, 1842, four pages;
  • Signatures from various French texts, 1611-1878;
  • Three cartes de visites (photographs), circa 1880s;
  • Four playing cards (jeu de tarot), 1870;
  • Five vintage prayer/holy cards;
  • Edition of Bulletin Des Lois (1835 to 1854). Printing is letterpress and they open to 16” x 20”.
  • Three large pages of ads from L’Universe (1861) or Femina (1911);
  • Five hand-lacquered mother-of-pearl shells;
  • 10ml sample of handmade walnut ink;
  • Length of vintage lace;
  • 18 inches of sari silk;
  • Length of tea-dyed gauze;
  • UHU, archival quality glue stick;
  • Two Rédoute flower prints.

(CLICK ON ANY PHOTO FOR LARGER VIEW.)

Each box is £95 GBP with worldwide shipping of £19 or £4 to the UK. (This is approximately $130 with shipping of $25 but please use this currency converter as exchange rates can shift.) To order, please contact me via email at kelly@bookandpaperarts.com or DM me on Instagram @book.and.paper.arts.

These boxes are popular and are often repeat buys. Here are a few of the happy responses:

Kelly! I just got your package and my goodness. It’s absolutely gorgeous and stunning. I literally was beside myself carefuflly going through each item. I don’t even know what to say but thank you, thank you!” – Maddie

“THIS BOX IS UTTERLY AMAZING! Its beauty is breathtaking and we can’t wait to play! Everything is exquisite. The papers. Journals. Packaging. Everything. You have such a knack. Incredible!!! THANK YOU!” – Amy

“Your new ephemera boxers look amazing! You really need to stop tempting me…lol! Thanks for all the extras you sent me with my order.” – Cheryl

“I received your box today and it exceeds all expectations!! I am having so much fun looking and feeling all the items inside! I love the vintage tin with the buttons, the inks, handwritten papers and the fabulous little journal inside! You will definitely hear from me again in the future for another order!” – Susan