My name is Alison. I’m a late-diagnosed, middle-aged, neurodivergent woman — Autistic, ADHD, and newly undone. I’m also a writer, mother, homemaker, over-thinker, survivor, and serial re-inventionist.
For twenty years, I built a life that looked lovely from the outside: scented candles, tidy corners, pretty words - all while quietly falling apart on the inside.
When the mask finally slipped, what was left wasn’t ruin. It was truth. And it was from that truth that BrocanteHome was reborn, not as a brand or blog, but as a philosophy, a daily rebellion, and a safe room for other women ready to start again.
This isn’t all soft light and linen aprons. This is real life. There are days when the kettle burns dry, when I can’t face another sink of dishes, when the ache of becoming feels like too much. And I don’t hide that here. I write about it.
My Woman. In Bits. series was born from that rawness: from the places we don’t polish before we tell the story. It’s a memoir in fragments, written for every woman who has ever fallen apart and then gathered herself, piece by trembling piece, until she could glow again.
That same honesty runs through all of BrocanteHome, because this isn’t a lifestyle blog; it’s a living room. A place where I tell my truth, and where I expect you to meet me with yours.
Because aren’t we all women in bits? Some days held together by mascara and memory, other days radiant in our wholeness.
What matters is that we keep showing up for ourselves.Even on the days when getting out of bed is hard.
The BrocanteHome Way
At the heart of everything. I do here is the BrocanteHome Way: a philosophy for women in their renaissance - those of us who are done pretending, who crave beauty but demand truth, who are learning that homemaking can be both rebellion and repair.
It’s about sanctuary that doesn’t deny struggle.
Ritual that grows from chaos.
Beauty that exists alongside the bruises.
Here, we live gently, but not quietly. We tell the truth, even when it stings. We polish what we love, not what we hide.
🌸 The Housekeeper’s Diary
Each week, I write The Housekeeper’s Diary — a blend of confession, reflection, and ritual from my own life. Sometimes it’s poetry. Sometimes it’s prose with the edges showing. Always, it’s honest.
These diary entries are my way of holding your hand through the long days and strange seasons of midlife. They’re letters from my home to yours, filled with both the grit and the grace of living The BrocanteHome Way.
What Else You Will Find Here
The Housekeeper’s Diary: weekly reflections on the domestic and the divine in my life.
Essays from Woman. In Bits. and other series exploring truth, trauma, and transformation
Seasonal rituals, puttery treats, gentle guidance, and practical beauty for real, messy lives
Notes from a neurodivergent heart learning to live in authentic wellbeing. A woman neck deep in her own renaissance.
An Invitation
So, if you’ve ever stood in the ruins of what was and wondered how to begin again, this is your place.
If you crave truth as much as tenderness, beauty as much as bravery - welcome.
Subscribe to BrocanteHome to receive essays, diaries, and rituals delivered straight to your inbox.
Bring your truth and I’ll bring mine.
Together, we’ll build something real.
Together, we’ll live The BrocanteHome Way.
Become a Subscriber
There are three ways to read and engage with BrocanteHome on Substack:
🌿 Free Subscription
All my newest posts gathered in one lovely, easy-to-read space, a curated selection of the best from the past two decades, and my gentle Tiny Joy List each week(ish)—a little collection of Brocante-style inspiration from around the web.
* Please note: while some posts remain free, most will be available to all readers for the first four weeks only, before moving behind the paywall.
💌 Paid Subscription (Monthly or Annual)
Everything above, plus subscriber-only Love Letters, seasonal downloads, exclusive printables, and the occasional delightful surprise: every seasonal planner, eCourse, recipe collection, printable, and over 300+ downloads in the Brocante Library.
*The subscription fee is a touch higher than the Substack average: not just because of the volume and quality of what’s offered, but because this is more than a newsletter - it’s a richly stocked library, a supportive community, and a deeply personal archive. What you receive here represents enormous savings compared to purchasing each piece individually, and every subscription directly supports the continuation of my work.
📚 Founder’s Membership
For those totally committed to the Brocante way: an annual payment of your choice, ensuring that I can keep on giving all that I have got to helping us all create a life less ordinary: including access to everything every seasonal planner, eCourse, recipe collection, printable, and over 300+ downloads in the Brocante Library.
*I’m currently in the midst of moving my entire collection of printables into the Library here on Substack, so the archive is growing daily - each day adding more tools, rituals, and inspiration for creating a home and life with meaning and magic.
When to Expect New Content
Honestly? I can’t commit to a rigid schedule. Part of honouring my neurodivergence means respecting the natural ebb and flow of my creative energy. So while some weeks may bring an abundance of writing, others may be quiet. But rest assured, there is already so much here for you to explore, and always, always more to come.
So yes. Welcome to my Substack. I’m so very glad you are here and I simply cannot wait to guide you towards a mid-life deliciously stuffed with authenticity and purpose.
Love Alison.x