TAKE TWO! I attempted to send this out Sunday but there was another glitch.
Bonjour Septembre! Happy Labor Weekend and to my French followers Bonne rentrée. With a new month comes a fresh start and for us it means getting ready for the big move to France. Yep, our visa applications were approved! It was a nail biting experience, not gonna lie but the French government said yep you can come. We are excited, nervous and anxious for this move. So now the REAL getting ready begins. We are wrapping up several projects in order to get the house ready to put on the market by mid September. I’ve started to walk the cottage to determine what we are going to sell for furniture (already pre-sold a few things) and then it’s all about wrapping, packing, labeling & organizing everything for the move. Hence one of the reasons why I am doing a bi-weekly newsletter. Plus things are really picking up at the Dahlia Shed with basically an entire field in bloom. We are cutting hundreds of blooms everyday for both the stand and her wholesale customers. So needless to say… I’m exhausted LOL.
I’m also prepping for my last farmers market pop up on September 21st. This pop-up will be a bit different than in the past. No furniture & very limited vintage. Instead this is your chance to get all your gift giving items from me that I source from France: market baskets, soaps, tea towels, candles and more. Plus garden bouquets and posy vases. I’m saving all the furniture bits for the Bristol Vintage Market in October. Then that’s a wrap! I will also be pausing my Etsy shop and closing out my Poshmark account (@jenna4411) at the end of this month too. So if there are things you want, now is the time to grab them. Oh and we will have one last yard sale this month too. SAVE THE DATE: September 28th from 8am to Noon.
So as you can see….busy, busy, busy. Make sure you are following me on Instagram for more behind the scenes of the cottage and our process of moving to France.
xo- Jenna
Getting Ready
The past week or so I have been getting ready some of the “finished’ rooms to photograph for the house listing. So far the porch & the living room got cleaned, styled out & photographed. I’ll also do video of each space too. When it comes to staging you need to take the “personal” part out of it. You have to create a space that anyone can see themselves moving into. With the porch, I pulled out the cat stuff, took out personal pics and created a cozy space that would appeal to many. I want the potential home owner to have a vision for each of the spaces in the cottage just like we did 5 years ago. This also gave me an opportunity to decide what we are keeping and what we need to sell. For example on the porch, I’ll be selling my secretary desk, hanging light, my petite milk glass lamp, the chippy shelf and the vintage hand painted sign. The fireplace will stay as it is the heating source for this space but we will take the daybed, the chair & the accent table plus the remaining decor items including my curtains. Taking one room at a time to do this has been very therapeutic. I’ve learned what I love and want to bring with us and what I am ok with letting go. It’s also a way of saying goodbye to each and every space in a cottage we have called home for he last 5 years. This cottage was our first home purchase together as we were renters most of our lives. We took our time with each space making the changes little by little until we got the look & feel we wanted. Hopefully with keeping some of these pieces of our new home in France, I can add a bit of “our old” with whatever new look we come up with for our French countryside home.
I am selling my French milk glass hanging lamp for $165 + shipping. If you are interested in buying, send me a message. I’ve also found some other vintage milk glass shades for you to view on Etsy. You’ll need to order the hanging light part separately but know that those opaline shades are out there.
You can get my café curtains on Amazon. Here’s the link.
I’ve gotten asked about our wall and trim color in this space. We used the new Jolie Paints wall & trim line (sponsored). The trim is Pure White in Semi Gloss finish and the walls are Moonstone in Eggshell finish.
Most of the pillows on the daybed are either custom or are from Target & Homegoods which of course are no longer available. But my one from Pottery Barn is! plus they offer the option of adding in a pillow insert to your order.
Summer’s End
September 1st in France marks “La rentrée”… the return. If you have ever been to France in the months of July or August, you will be surprised how quiet things are for the summer in the bigger cities like Paris. You will find many businesses closed for several weeks at a time. The kids are officially out of school in all of France as of July 1st (there are no staggered times based on school district) and all of France takes their mandatory 4-6 weeks vacation during this period. They call this the “big holiday”. The French go exploring the countryside or the beaches during this period for extended stays. This explains why our cottage was booked for 10 days or more the past two months all by French families.
But this all changes on September 1st. The children officially go back to school (La rentrée scolaire) and as for the adults, it’s a re-entry into daily life via work or home but with a refreshed sense of purpose & goals. They say September 1st is more popular for resolutions in France than New Years. It’s when the French set their goals, refresh their homes, start new projects, new books & and magazines get released, new TV shows & movies launch. Even the politician start over at this time with their new roles and agendas.
Needless to say all of France is back at it today- refreshed and renewed for the seasons ahead.
Read more about the meaning of la rentree in this article from My French Country Home
Learn how the phrase “La rentrée” is used in everyday conversation here
“Retreat” Yourself
So even in the midst of packing our lives and getting things ready for the move to France, I am already working on organizing my French Countryside Retreats for 2025. Join me on 5 night/6 day tour of Northern France. We will visit beautiful locations & see historical sites, visit open air markets in quaint little villages, tour a chateau or two and take a French baking workshop. And I will take you to my favorite brocantes & flea markets in the area. Your trip will start in Normandy and ends in Versailles. I will be hosting two tours dates in early Summer and two in the Fall. I am keeping my tour groups small (no more than 5 guests total). This makes for the best experience possible all around.
Price:
$4400 per person. double occupancy or $4800 for a single spot with your own private room (only one spot per tour for this accommodation)
Price includes:
Transportation from Paris to Normandy via train (Gard Montparnasse), car service through your stay in the countryside, transportation from Versailles to Paris via train.
6 days/5 nights in a spacious, self catering cottage with views of the French countryside and a boutique hotel for our overnight stay in Versailles on the final night
All meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner at various bistros and brasseries and also a farewell meal at my own personal home in Normandy
Welcome gift upon arrival at your accommodations
What’s not included:
Air fare to France
Visa application fees (Due to a new law effective in 2025, you will need to apply for a travel visa online for entry into Europe- see article below in Sunday Saves)
Other hotel/travel accommodations
Travel insurance (recommended)
Shipping costs for any items you buy that do not fit in your luggage
Summer 2025 Dates:
June 12th through June 17th
June 18th through June 24th
Fall 2025 Dates:
September 25th through September 30th
October 9th through October 14th
Payment
A 50% deposit will be due immediately to confirm your spot on the tour. I cannot hold you spot without a deposit. The remaining balance is due no later than April 1, 2025 for the Summer tour/ July 1st, 2025 for the Fall tour
*Please note this is a non-smoking tour for adults 18 or older. Sadly we cannot accommodate at this time guests with mobility issues.
I would LOVE for you to join me in the French countryside next year. For further questions or to reserve your spot, please send me a message.
Sunday Saves
Here’s a few things that caught my eye this past week…
Starting in November, Americans Will Have To Get Fingerprinted And Registered Traveling To Europe
New Movie Portrays The Rise Of Widow Clicquot As A Champagne Industry Leader (available on Amazon Prime Video $14.99 buy/$6.99 rent)
I might be doing a ton of decluttering for the move but here’s 7 Things to Toss Over Labor Day Weekend for a Clutter-Free Home via Real Simple. Don’t forget trash pickup is delayed a day due to the holiday.
did you know… Sowing flower seeds in September is simple and will mean sturdy plants with earlier blooms next year.
Do you know what ASMR is? I just found out (late to the game) but it’s one of those things that you either love it (non) or hate it (oui). Learn about ASMR Meaning and Why ASMR Videos Are So Popular
Why moving back can be harder than moving away… of course I needed to read this before our move LOL
Have you watched Lupin on Netflix? I’m watching it to help me understand French more but I am also watching it because it is GOOD!!!! Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief, this series is filled with action, adventure, mystery and great scenery (Paris!). Stream it now on Netflix.
*Please note that some of the links are affiliate links including my Amazon shop where I do make a very small commission at no additional cost to you when you shop my links which helps me continue to provide this free bi-weekly newsletter.
Merci beaucoup for your patronage! xo- Jenna