The Santons in Provence @OurHouseinProvence
InspireOur House in ProvenceShopping & Gifts

Tis the season for Santons in Provence

Contributor blog post by Michel: You know I love santons, the hand-made clay figurines that depict the colorful people, traditional trades, activities and costumes of Provence. In Provence, they are set out at Christmas in a Provençal crèche (nativity scene). …Continue reading here for Michel’s description of these tiny clay figures …

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Vide Greniers @VaucluseDreamer
InspireJulie WhitmarshShopping & Gifts

Sunday Morning Antiques Hunting in the Vaucluse

Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: If Saturday is a day for the local market then Sunday has become a day to spend the morning pottering around a local Brocante market or village ‘Vide Greniers’ event. In the summer, we often found that we had to make a choice between …

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Atelier des Ours @bfblogger2015
Barefoot BloggerInspireShopping & Gifts

French Fashion: Bobo Style

Now that I’m settled in France, I’m beginning to understand why I love it here. I’m a hopeless romantic. It didn’t happen by accident that I live in a tower apartment. I’m a princess. Or at least, I always wanted to be one. If I had long hair, I’d wish …

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The Docks in Marseille
Guest PostInspireShopping & Gifts

Marseille Latest: Docks and Shopping News

Wandering through Les Docks Village last week, late morning, I was surprised how quiet it was. It’s been open a year now and is an imaginative conversion of a very characterful industrial building. Visitor’s Guide to Marseille This 1858 dockside warehouse, is 365m long (for the days of the year), …

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pop-up-provence-2016
InspireShopping & Gifts

A Provence Package Gift ~ from us to you

Lovely connections develop in Provence and ours is one. My friend, author Patricia Sands is a lady with a fabulous re-invention story (please read her full back story here). Following her popular “Love in Provence” trilogy (Lake Union Publishing), she is currently working on her fifth novel. This story is …

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Savon de Marseille Soap Provence
Ginger and NutmegInspireShopping & Gifts

Squeaky Clean Savon de Marseille

A mixture of seawater, alkaline solution and fat Documented use as far back as 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon A carved “recipe” found on a stone slab from 2200 BC The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all used it Cooked for 8 days in a cauldron, dried for 2 days in …

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Ashley TinkerInspireShopping & Gifts

Pottery Day Out in Saint Quentin la Poterie

During our recent stay at Mas d’Augustine in Langudoc-Roussillion, we took a quick drive to check out the nearby village of Saint Quentin la Poterie. Saint Quentin has had a history of pottery making for centuries. Kilns (where the clay is baked) date back to the 13th century here. …Continue …

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Musee des Aromes #Gravason @GingerandNutmeg
Ginger and NutmegInspireShopping & Gifts

The Perfume and Candles of Provence

Does that sound romantic? Actually, Ginger was away in Canada and Nutmeg was certain that he had zero interest in visiting the Provence perfume distillery le Musée des Arômes or the candle maker at the Ciergerie de l’abbaye des Prémontrés. The aroma museum is located in the Provencal town of Gravason, …

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Sophie Papiazan Artist #Ceramics @MIrabeauWine
InspireMaison Mirabeau WinesShopping & Gifts

Sophie Papiazan, local ceramic artist

Contributor blog post by Victoria Koning @Mirabeau Wine: French artist Sophie Papazian graduated at the Fine Arts of Lyon in 1987 and pursued a career as a painter. In 2007 she discovered ceramics, and completed her studies at the School of Ceramics in Provence. Since then, she has been creating …

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Provencal Artisan Traditions Lavender Fuseaux Provence
Ginger and NutmegInspireShopping & Gifts

Provencal Artisan Traditions Fabrics and Lavender Fuseaux

It was a solo visit for Nutmeg. Ginger had no interest in the Souleiado fabric museum in Tarascon. The display provides a historical overview of their fabrics and methods of textile printing.  The lighting in the small museum could be improved, and the information provided could be more explicit. The history …

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