Found treasures, brocanting paper & ephemera

I passed a sign for a 'Depot Vente', the French version of a consignment store. I've passed this store more than a thousand times on my way to leave Charlotte to creche but never had the time to stop and have a look.

On a whim, I pulled off the main road and into the car park. Wandering past aisles of incredible old furniture, I wondered how anyone can ever furnish their homes with Ikea furniture.

I found the aisle with old books and out of the corner of my eye I spotted a crate with what looked like junk, crumbling book backs and a mouldy photograph album, it begged a closer look. My friend Corey always urges me to look under and inside dusty boxes, that's where the good stuff always lies waiting.

I discovered a crumbling paper book and looked inside. It was someones creative sketchpad. Whoever had owned this book had filled it with handwriting and then layered over the top with found postcards, paper and trims. Each page is a wonder.

At the bottom of the dusty box, there was an old brown paper envelope, stained and nondescript. I tempted a peek.... I was afraid it was dead insects...so I carefully emptied them out on to the back of a book. Incredibly the envelope held tiny velvet millinery flowers dating from the 20s.  A very happy days hunting!