Les Bonnes Vacances

I've been seeking out textiles treasures in a foreign land over the past week. Mr Treasure and I have just returned from a glorious week in the Loire Valley. We've soaked up the sunshine, savoured local cuisine and beetled around countryside in search of places to explore (of which we found many!) So here are my findings...

The former blacksmith's workshop that we stayed in was full of rustic french charm, complete with wooden beams and exposed brickwork. I was rather taken with the typically french linen tablecloth that was covering the dining table, which is actually the workshop's old bench!

The sampler in the bedroom had the most wonderfully vibrant colours. I was really surprised to note that it was created in the 1800s...how well the colours have lasted - there was me thinking that samplers were always rather subdued in their colour palette!

I loved the covering for the under the sink cupboard. Who knew linen tea towels could be so multi-purpose?!

I had a bit of a love affair with the gloriously colourful stained glass in the churches we popped into for a look around. I loved this rather contemporary design in the St-Etienne Cathedral in Bourges - wouldn't it look great in patchwork?

The effect of the painted walls and beautiful stained glass in Orléans's cathedral was really quite stunning.

No visit to the Loire Valley would be complete without a trip to a châteaux or two. Being the huge Tintin fan that I am we simply had to go to Cheverny...it's the chateau that Hergé based Captain Haddock's ancestral home on!

There was even sumptuous fabric on the walls...oh, to have fabric-lined walls!

The kings who lived in the Château de Blois went one step further and even had matching sumptuously painted walls and bed linen.

If there's one thing I love to do in France, it's visiting markets and brocantes. Luckily for me there was one in the town we were staying in on Thursday morning. I came away very happy having found a basketful of button cards (but I was good and limited myself to just a few!)

There's something rather nice about a golden field of corn (or is it wheat?) On our last day, we decided to visit the hilltop town of Sancerre (you can just see it in the distance). Mr Treasure and I both agreed that we'd saved the best for last. What a beautiful place it is - full of arty shops (hoorah!) and, of course, shops selling the rather drinkable Sancerre wine!

Now that the holiday is over and we're feeling rested, it's time to start being creative again...where to start?