My Weblog

Country French

Delightful! Inspiring! Charming! And more!

What I'm referring to is the newest edition of Country French Magazine. [Fall/Winter 2009]

 

This photo was featured on the cover of the magazine. The table? A party rental table...the kind you can buy at Sam's Club or a similar retail outlet, for maybe $100+ or so.

I'm not sure where I've been as I am a bookstore junkie and have been known to peruse the magazine displays for as much time as my schedule will allow. But for the life of me, I don't recall ever having seen this magazine before this weekend.

It is loaded with beautiful photographs...lots of inspiration and visually pleasing rooms spanning a multitude of budgets and taste. Being someone who loves fabric and the warmth it adds to a room, the variety of window treatments, slipcovers, and other applications using fabric was right up my alley.

  

In this featured article, the homeowner/shop owner likes to reupholster chairs using anything from drop cloths to feedsacks. Her farmhouse kitchen table is quite delightful as well...a whitewashed, distressed, chippy trestle table with slipcovered chairs [plastic chairs, no less!].  

What I also enjoyed is that the magazine included many homes which were all of a different genre and quite unique in their interpretation of Country French. Each wonderful!  If you're like me, all too often after purchasing a magazine, I feel buyers remorse. There wasn't enough "goodies" to warrant the spend of good cash. But this was not the case with this issue of Country French.

Oh, and how I could I forget to mention this IMPORTANT detail? Save for the first few and last pages of the publication, there is no advertising!!!  What a refreshing change from the norm.  

 

I loved the faux painting in this foyer from a home located in Texas.

 

Or how about this article on a couple who restored this 16th century French house? Oh, if the walls could talk...

 Doing a quick count, there are in excess of 125 photos [144 pgs. in length] featuring different living spaces. In one article they featured a converted barn, in another a 50's home, or a cottage, or a 16th century home and everything in between.

If this is speaking your language, go grab your own copy. I've barely scratched the surface of all that is packed in this wonderful edition! It's one of those magazines [at least this issue as I've not seen previous issues] that you will keep for future reference. Despite the fact that I've paged through, slowly, at least a dozen times, something new pops out at me each time through. It's that kind of magazine. The retail price is $9.99 and worth the spend!

PINK SATURDAY

 

Click on any photo to see it enlarged.

Welcome! So glad you had a chance to stop by. It will tickle you pink to visit our hostess, Beverly, for a complete listing of all of today's participants. Just click on her name and it'll take you to the pink list...

 

Might as well face it I'm addicted to............ {remember that song?}

• pink
• victorian scrap
• vintage postcards
• digital manipulation
• etc.

However, it's a beautiful addiction to have...so today I thought I'd show a little sampling of what makes me search for more, and more, and more. At the end of this post, I've scanned in the little pink wreath of flowers for you. If you have this addiction too, please feel free to copy it for your own personal use.

  This is an old calendar top from 1895. Through digital extraction I've used the little pink girl in my banner.

The details in this old postcard, which I'm guessing is in excess of 100 years old, is excrutiatingly stunning. At some point in time I'm hoping to carefully remove the victorian die cut in order to make a scan of just the card. It would make for a beautiful frame to use for other creative endeavors. 

 

Any day that I am fortunate enough to find one of these lovely postcards, is a good day. During World War I and II, our overseas soldiers used to purchase these to send to loved ones back home.

The embroidery is just exquisite...all done on a sheer netting and then framed in what was often times a heavily embossed card.

   Above is the copy of the little pink heart I scanned for you.

I hope as you continue on through your day, that your little heart finds you happy.

Thanks for visiting, and a big thank you to Beverly for hosting today's event!

The digital white frames used in several photos above are the creation of Sande Krieger and available for purchase at 2Peasinabucket.com.

 

Vintage Finds

 

There she sat high on a display case, hidden from view. Stuffed in a box no less with an assortment of other broken dolls. I smiled at her and said dolly, today is your lucky day. You're coming home with me. And don't you worry...I'll put you where the puppy can't touch you!

  

Just look at your sweet little eyelashes and those two little front teeth. Despite your signs of aging, it is evident that someone took very good care of you at one time.

 

Is this not the sweetest little shoe, or what?

 

In the same antique store, in another booth, I spied this little baby bonnet. Love at first sight. It was exquisite in its day...and still is, but in a different sort of way.

 

A view of the back of the hat...

 

 

   Another sweet find this weekend was this adorable photo of Evelyn Lyke. Like so many of you, I adore these old vintage photos. Don't you wonder WHY they ever ended up in the hands of strangers? Didn't someone in the family want them?

  Please feel free to adopt Evelyn for  yourself. Save her to a file in your computer and perhaps she'll find a use in your future creations.

 Speaking of futures, I better go tend to mine. After being away for the weekend, I have lots of catch up to tend to if I hope to have an immdediate  future that runs more smoothly.

Until next time...

Grace

 

In keeping with showing you peeks of my studio, today's photo is of my wedding bouquet.  A wedding bouquet from 29+ years ago....so let's see...if in my dreams I'm  39 years old, I was only ten when I married my sweetie! What's the old saying, "Figures never lie, but liars can figure?" 

{Maybe you have to be married to, or closely related to a CPA in order to find that amusing.}

If you're like me, there are things in your home that intrinsically have little monetary value,  but to you, they are priceless. That's a perfect description of this bouquet. A bouquet that I made myself. In fact, I made all the flowers for my wedding. With eight attendants, ushers, parents, grandparents, musicians, flower girl, etc.  I was up to my eyeballs in making flowers. And I mean MAKING FLOWERS....you see, each rose was a kit. You began with a foam ball attached to a stem and then layer by layer glued the petals in place.

At a different time, under different circumstances, that wouldn't have been such a daunting task. But at that time in my life, I was graduating from college on one Saturday, and getting married the next, and three days after the wedding moving from Wisconsin to Texas. All I can say is, we were young and had never heard of the stress charts one should consult to determine, how much is too much?!

Although the old bouquet shows signs of age--the baby's breath is all but gone, mostly due to being packed and moved numerous times--I still like to have it where I can see it. What I hope it will illicit in me, is a reminder of what it represents. While words such as commitment, love, and other such terms come to mind, what it mostly represents to me, is the word grace. Pure, undeserved grace. Just like most married couples, along with wonderful seasons of bliss, we've also had those trying seasons and difficult times in our marriage. Times, where I believe, only by the grace of God, we made it through.

So while I'm giddy with excitement to have a room in which to pursue my hobbies, I also want that room to represent more than just a place to create. I want it to be a room filled with reminders of the many blessings in my life that should never be taken for granted.  A place where I can come, surrounded with things that are rich in meaning to draw me back to the center...a place to catch my breath and reflect on what is most important in my life.

But progress on my room will have to wait for a few days as me and my groom are heading to Nashville for the weekend. We have some loose ends to tie up there, as well as sneak in some "us" time. You know-- one of those important things in life.

Shabby love...

 

 

Photos from little treasures found in my studio.

Shabby, as defined by Webster, can include such words as:

               ~ ill kept

               ~dilapidated

              ~ inferior in quality

               ~mean

               ~despicable

But to those of us who love shabby, we would use words like:

               ~warmth

               ~relaxed

               ~character

               ~interest

               ~inviting

               ~comfortably cozy

               ~history

Do you suppose the differences in our perceptions has to do with love?

Makes me wonder how many other things in life, if viewed through the eyes of love, could be elevated to a more favorable position?

Deckle frames designed by K. Pertiet

Snippets of a Studio...

 

Don't be shy, come on in! But do be careful. There are piles of junk everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Yet, to me it is a glorious mess. A mess, well...because it is a mess. But glorious BECAUSE there are lots of wonderful goodies in some of those messy piles.

As I continue to unpack boxes and begin the long, tedious task of organizing a functional studio I often wonder HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE? The thought has occurred to me more than once, that an incentive to keep going might be in order. And what better motivation is there to hustling your stump along** than having some accountability? You know. Like posting it on your blog. [**I read these words in a novel from the turn of the century...they made me laugh!]

My studio is a large bonus room above our garage. There are five windows all housed in little alcoves that jut from the main rectangler shape of the room. While one would assume that with so many windows, natural lighting would be wonderful... unfortunately, that isn't the case. The alcoves, while adding some character, completely diminish the effectiveness of light being able to flood into the room. However, I've almost received final authorization from headquarters [that would be my DH] to have some additional cans added to the ceiling. 

Speaking of lighting, another wonderful way to bring natural lighting into an area is by using Ott lighting. I have two of their lamps and absolutely love them. Swear by them. They are available at Michael's, JoAnn's, WalMart, etc. Never pay full price as they are always on sale for 40% off at each of these locations. Trust me, once you've used one, you won't want to read or work on your artsy pursuits without one. 

However, getting back on track, what I thought I would do going forward over the course of multiple posts is to share some photos from my studio. Snippets of this and peeks at that...

I have an incurable disease that requires me to add, as often as possible, another roll of vintage wallpaper to my stash. I'm trying to hurry and reach some posting milestone, or find another good excuse to do a giveaway that will include some vintage wallpaper.  

One of my current projects in my art room, using my vintage wallpaper is to cover the drawer fronts of these storage units. Two done, 49 more drawers to go! Then of course, I'm thinking I might want to add some vintage knobs to each drawer. Oh-oh, I'm smelling another trail to pursue, a collection of wonderful vintage knobs. Maybe glass ones? Perhaps I could hang something creative off the knob that would indicate what lives in each drawer? Okay. Add that to the list too.

 

 

 

 

As I sign off for today, I wanted to share a photo of what I see when I look out one of the rooms of my studio...a pink crepe myrtle smiling back at me.

Guest Room Makeover

 

 

Oh baby, I'm feeling it! I'm getting excited with the "coming together" of my guest room makeover. Back in July I posted here about this amazing {to me} headboard. At the time, I wasn't sure where I would be using it, I just knew I would be!

While there's miles to go before I'll be finished {satisfied?} with the final rendition, I'm happy where it's headed. "PRICE" is of utmost concern and I'm gathering pieces I've had forever, as well as a few additions I purchased at thrift and antique stores. All for thrifty prices, of course. For instance, the chest beside the bed...it's an Ethan Allen piece from their discontinued French Country line. Not sure of its original retail price tag, although there is a used one available here that is identical to mine, save that mine is in their painted version which I much prefer for my purposes. Their price tag? $799. Plus the $160 shipping cost.

I paid $150 [in mint condition] and the cost of delivery for me was treating my son and three of his strong friends to a breakfast at I-Hop!

Like many of the things I have throughout my home, the framed print was a snag during our spring break vacation in Florida. The minute I saw it, it spoke to me. The focal point of the print is a white lab. Immediately I knew I could get away with this purchase. You see, my little white lab is the apple of my DH's eye. He loves, loves, loves that pooch. As I was checking out, another customer in the store with this beautiful British accent informed me that the artist of this print was Andrew Wyeth. The name of the print, I later learned, is called Master Bedroom.

But truly, I was initially drawn to the piece because of the gorgeous frame. I love detail and scrumptious patina...

 

To demonstrate this love for patina, take a look at these old stools I bought in Tennessee at an antique store. $35 for the pair. My DH rolled his eyes when he spotted these little treasures. I could read his mind and it was thinking, "she's not bringing these in the house, is she?"

So there you have it...the beginnings of a room makeover. As it evolves, I'll keep you posted [pun intended].

Poor little bee...NOT.

 

Another beautiful day in Georgia. Blue skies. Sunshine. Once again I'm outdoors with my 65 pound lab puppy. The same puppy who would spend every waking moment outside chasing tennis balls if it were up to her. That's when it happened. I was walking around, peeking in on the flowers when I spotted him,just laying there still as could be, tauting me. Is it a trick? If I pick him up is he going to come alive right in my hand? Just to be safe I scooted him unto a piece of cardboard. But even that manuever sent chilly-willies through me...

Look at the size of that boy. For a brief moment, I thought I must be in Texas where everything is purported to be bigger.  

Typically,

 

Although bees have never stopped me from endless hours of gardening and enjoying nature, truth be told, I can't stand bees. It wasn't always like that...I can vividly recall childhood memories of taking a fruit jar and while the apple and plum blossoms were blooming profusely, we'd capture bees. As many as we possibly could in one fruit jar. It was a contest of sorts. See who could get the most bumblebees in their jar.

Then just for fun, when the jar was filled with bees, we'd shake 'em. The phrase "mad as hornets" comes to mind. Furthermore, just to prove how brave we REALLY were, we'd unscrew the cover and let them all out. What were we thinking? In fairness, back in those days, there was no such thing as computers, cell phones, video games, and all the other contraptions that occupy the free time of children today. {the best explanation I could come up with for such deviant behavior}

I don't rightly recall my exact age of when the tables turned from me taunting the bees, to them taunting me. But it happened. Life came full circle, so to speak.

Perhaps I encountered enough of these...

 

...and the pain of such made me a wiser person?

As I pondered these [painful] lessons taught by the bees, the thought struck me: What else in life do I still run from in order to avoid the pain [or truth of]? And is all pain, bad? No, I reckoned. Not all pain is bad. Often times the fruits of having walked the paths of pain, or facing truths, or times of discomfort, are wisdom... Depth of character... Compassion for others... Greater clarity of my motives in a given situation... More humility... 

And the list could go on. 

 

Having said that, I also realize that while I am in the middle of a difficult situations, often times the good that can come from being in such a place, is not the first thing that comes to mind. But maybe it should be. 

So, Mr. Bee, while I still don't feel any extra warm fuzzies for you, or any of your relatives, my chance encounter with you today has given me some important things to think about...and for that, I thank you. But tell the rest of your species to go away and leave me alone. 

New beginnings...

Some things in life, just take time, don't they? When I first decided to start a blog, I chose Typepad as my host. Lo and behold I figured out rather quickly that I was in way over my head. Embarrassingly enough, I couldn't even figure out how to load a banner. Hence, I did what any other person looking for an easier path might do...I tried another hosting service.

By a stroke of luck, I figured out blogger's ins and outs with much less difficulty and put down roots. But now that I'm going through this mid-life phase of facing the obstacles of life head on, I decided to give Typepad another try. Less you think I've become more proficient and am no longer in over my head, let me set the record straight.

No. I'm still in deep. But I am willing to learn. That's about all one can ask of oneself when the learning curve is steep, right?

In a random fashion, [I'm proficient at random, by the way] I uploaded a few of the photos from recent posts at my old site. I'm liking the ability to have a larger photo displayed in my posts. It suits me better.

Hopefully, in no time at all I'll have my sidebars up and running. She says in a hopeful, determined tone. As the old saying goes, time will tell....