Interview with Floss of Troc Broc and Recup

Floss shares the joys of finding new friends through swapping. Visit her blog and shop for more of her lovely life in France!

SwapDex: Tell us a bit about you.

Floss: I'm an English woman living in France, a 'trailing spouse' who followed my English husband when he got an exciting new job with a French company five years ago. We have two boys who have settled well into French school, and I work part time teaching dyslexic pupils, and helping bilingual children to develop their written English. I adore searching through local thrift shops and flea markets for vintage French treasures, particularly textiles and paper ephemera. Sometimes I use my finds to make something new. This is the meaning of my blog's name - 'Troc' means thrift shopping, 'broc' is antiques and 'recup' is making something new from something old.

SD: How long have you been swapping? How did you first learn about swapping, and what made you decide to start? Do you remember your first one?

F: I started blogging in February last year, and in that year I joined in five swaps. I had a good look at other blogs to get an idea of how the finished swap parcels looked, and after seeing a few, I decided to join in. My first was Silky Sue's Freestyle Swap, which I enjoyed very much because we were encouraged to get to know our partner and makes something special just for them. I've stayed in touch with Sharon, my partner, ever since, and I use the bag she made me all the time.

SD: What is your range of swapping? Do you stick to swaps hosted by people you know or are you likely to swap with anyone, anytime?

F: I don't think that I've ever joined a swap by someone I've never encountered before, although I think that I might, especially for something as simple as this magazine swap!

SD:What's your favorite swap you've ever been in or hosted?

F: I've enjoyed every swap I've done. I think that the ones that partnered me with someone who became a friend have been my favourites, because I can think of them every time I see or use the things they sent me.

SD: What do you do to make your packages special?

F: I've recently started to package my swap parcels in the same way as I do my shop goods. I suppose it's becoming a 'Troc and Broc' trademark. I wrap everything in recup' pages from an atlas of France, and embellish the package with embroidery silks and some of my vintage buttons. I also make a little recup' card to go with each item. I've had good comments about the packaging, and I think that the French maps are relevant to the kind of things I send.

SD: Any exciting plans for the near future?

F: My Troc and Broc Vintage Shop is very new. I often try to group items so that they go together to make a special present for someone - I was particularly proud of my 'Little Packages of Memories', and I am currently shopping with an eye to producing some more!

Best of luck with your new shop and in future swaps, Floss!