A Visit with Sharon from My French Country Home

*My French Country Home*

www.sharonsantoni.com

I have been a follower of Sharons stunning blog for some time now. She is truly living the dream residing in an incredible country home in Normandy with her family , friends, animals and surrounded by the amazing beauty of France.

So grab a cup of tea and enjoy a glimpse into

a life most of us dream of

Hi Sharon , This is so much fun I am so happy to be Blogvisitng with you

Hello Dear Pam ,

First of all thank you again for offering to interview me - I am very flattered, and was thrilled to receive such a warm invitation. Your White Ironstone Cottage is such a pretty blog and you take beautiful pictures.

Thank You so much I feel like a kid in a candy store I am not sure where to begin so I will ask you The first question I always ask new friends what is it that you passionately collect?

Well Pam I have to admit that I'm not very good at having lots of tiny objects to dust in my house! We're a big family, we live in the country and life just seems too short to fit it all in!

My husband and I love to buy a painting every now and again. In fact we bought our first painting before we bought our first table and chairs! That must tell you something about our priorities! I also love to collect vintage and antique linens, so much so that I'm running out of storage space!

I have a new shop called

My French Country Brocante

www.sharonsantoni.com
and there's a giveaway

on right now, featuring some of my vintage linen.

In a recent post you had the most amazing pictures of a table with White Ironstone

Do you collect White Ironstone?

I love White Ironstone jugs and vases,

flowers always look so pretty against white,

and I love how no two whites are exactly the same.

For the summers

I have a lot of very big serving dishes in

white ironstone that we use when a big crowd is eating outside.

Do you have a favorite place to shop for treasures?

Without any doubt all the little brocantes and yard sales every weekend here in Normandy.

I have four children so I rarely go alone. At the moment the youngest son is as keen as me to go to these sales.We often leave the house on tiptoe at around 6.30 on a Sunday morning and scoot off along the valley till we come to the first brocante sale. Our favourites are those in fields or in tiny villages, and although he's only 13 he's picked up on how to spot a treasure and charm the vendor into a better price

This seems like a crazy question seeing where you live but if you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Actually I've lived in several different countries, both in Europe and elsewhere. If that has taught me anything, it's that there is no such thing as the ideal place to live.

Here in Normandy I enjoy the climate, the space, the proximity to Paris, the landscape and of course our home, but I know that if we had to pick up stakes and move we could be just as happy in many other places. It's all about seeing the beauty around you.

Please tell us about your guest house and how we could all have the chance to see your beautiful home?

We are very lucky to have our guest house, it has brought us so many charming visitors from all over the world. The building was originally the bread oven to the main house. The last owners enlarged it and we renovated it to have a cottage to offer family and friends. I am happy to say that my blog has brought us many visitors. In the summer guests come for a week or two, but at this time of year quite a few just come for the day, or a day and a night, while they're visiting Paris.

I offer tailor made days in the country and our guests love the fact that - just an hour from Paris - they can taste family life in a real French home, and enjoy home cooked meals and see something of our beautiful valley. Some people want to learn how to make a French apple tart, some ask to ride in the forest, others want a private visit to a local chateau - I always try and fit in everything they ask for.


What has inspired you for the Holidays this year?

I am pretty traditional when it comes to Holiday decorations. I store our decorations very carefully and I love the moment in December when we open the boxes to retrieve them .

We buy a few new decorations each year but I never go in for a whole new look.

This year I am very happy because the house is going to be full of family for the Holidays, and two weeks before Christmas we will be hosting our traditional Christmas brunch. It's a joy to hold open house for our friends from morning till evening. Good music, good food, good wine. Friends catching up with each other, dogs running between our legs, children all over the place ... it's almost the best bit of Christmas to us!

Thank you Pam for inviting me over to your lovely white ironstone cottage, I've enjoyed chatting with you.

Thank You Sharon so much for your visit , it has been so fun to blogchat with such a kind, wonderful new friend, your blog is inspiring and it is easy to see that it comes from a beautiful heart. I am grateful for the chance to get to know you better.

I know you are all excited to visit Sharon's blogs I have them highlighted and don't forget about her giveaway too.

Blessings

♥

Pam

I almost forgot for those who voted pink or white for my header

so far it is

2 votes pink 4 votes white

there is still time to vote polls close friday night.

http://www.sharonsantoni.com/