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Falling in love while on vacation...

I did.

I freely admit it. I fell in love while on vacation. More than once...and many of them I dragged home with me. To live. Forever!

The few who wouldn't fit in the car will be hitching a ride in mid-August and heading this way.

Here's the first boy. He is quite youthful in appearance, much younger than the rest I've taken in before...and despite his flaws, I instantly fell in love...

If you share my love of old European antiques and dress forms in particular, I know you would have wanted him too. He's unlike any dress form I've ever laid eyes on before...and fresh off the boat.

One of my favorite antique stores in the Destin area of Florida, Antiques on Holiday, were just unpacking their newest arrivals from their latest shopping trip in Europe. Nothing was even priced yet...but the beyond sweetest shop owners said to just ask and they'd check their inventory list and price anything I was interested in...

Do you see this little name plaque of sorts written on this little boy's chest? Misty, one of the sweethearts I met at the store explained the purpose behind this tag. It was her best guess that this form was custom made for some little boy probably back in the mid-1800's. More than likely he was from a very wealthy family, perhaps even nobility since his name was on the form. Rather than having to be present and go through fitting after fitting while his new clothes were being made, a custom dress form was used for the fittings. As this child grew, a new form would be made.

While standardized dressforms were commonly employed during this era, the presence of the name plaque is the dead giveaway that this form was custom made for a particular person.

As you can see, he's hit a few rough patches in life...but those battered places have found a way to add more character to his being...same as real life, huh?

Don't miss the word PARIS in the diamond-shaped stamp...

Not sure exactly where or how I'll display him yet. Any creative ideas?

He stands quite nicely when propped against something...And by the way, that pedestal and planter were clearanced-priced items I snagged at Hobby Lobby years ago for very little jingles. By running around to several Hobby Lobby's in my area I was able to find two of each. The money I saved I now put towards this newest little "manny"...at least that was my story to Mr. Wonderful who didn't even roll his eyes when he saw this tattered treasure.  

Still have lots more FUN STUFF to share when I get a chance. And the three items that didn't fit in the car but will be arriving in mid August are hitching a ride to the Scott Antique Market held monthly in the Atlanta area. If you're local to the area and love European antiques at very fair prices, Antiques on Holiday are located in the North Building, C2.

I'm so glad this little guy, or any of my other wonderful finds weren't made of wax or they would have melted on the ride home. Our dashboard thermometer read anywhere from 100 to {{{see photo below}}} for the whole six hour ride home...

How about you? What are the temps in your area like? 

 
  
An on again, off again, rainy day in Georgia. Since hubby decided to work from home, I had the perfect excuse to skip a little housework in an effort to not make any unneccessary noise. Not that it takes much coaxing to do so especially when each new day outside holds some new surprise.

The hydrangea patches are so loaded with blooms this year. I'm wondering if it's because of the colder winter we had this year. Each day the newly emerging clusters change from their greenish-yellowy-creamy colors to their grand finale color of blue...

 Plucking armfuls of them, I bring them in and stick bouquets everywhere.

Just off our kitchen is a small upper deck we use for grilling. I've had my eyes peeled for years to find a reasonably priced, smaller-scaled table and chairs. Sometimes things just find you when you aren't looking. I just happened to be driving to the grocery store and there sitting outside one of my favorite thrift stores was this little white wrought iron set [table + 4 chairs]. At a fantastic price, no less... Needless to say, I was thrilled!

Let me also introduce you as well to my newest "dress form"...a man one! Paid $26 for him...did I pay too much? I've got some plans brewing in my head for him...

The base is painted such a great color and has just the right amount of shabby, chippy beauty.

What I'm thinking about is to mount a steel collar plate around the metal pole and to that attach a galvanized steel washtub, or an old oblong enamelware pan. In other words, use the new "manny" as a base for something purposeful. I also think you could mount a tabletop of some sort if you wanted as the base is quite heavy and could handle a little weight. Wouldn't he be a fun, unconventional, end table?!

 I guess we'll both have to wait and see who he grows up to be...

Oh and by the way, look at the one I found currently for sale on Ebay at an asking price of $1100+....yipes. Too rich for my budget, but still quite gorgeous.

 

xo, sue

Goodwill Shopping

 
  

...I had no intentions of going thrift store shopping...not even an inkling to do so...I promise. But when I arrived at my original destination that morning, the store didn't open until 10. For some reason I could have sworn it was 9.

Forced to find something to do for an hour, I remembered that Goodwill had a store nearby. Did I call to make sure they were open? Of course not. That would make sense, wouldn't it?!

 

Lucky for me, being an early bird for my first errand I hit the proverbial jackpot at Goodwill. The entire grouping of these old yummy tarnished silver service pieces had a price tag of ten dollars! Six pieces! Ten dollars!

The little tray is even monogrammed in the center and I love the reticulated edge.

And these three trays...THREE DOLLARS for the lot!

Of course, other stuff jumped in my cart as well. Deals too good to pass up. Like a beautiful Ann Taylor sweater, 100 percent wool in a dreamy chartreuse color. Brand new condition and just my college-aged daughter's size. She even liked it, which is the best news as it can be hit and miss on picking out clothing for her.

I really need to be getting rid of stuff NOT adding to my overgrown stash. But those good deals are hard to pass up, aren't they?

 

VINTAGE PINK SATURDAY

 

Twelve dollars. I never pay twelve dollars for an old vintage clock. Especially one that doesn't work, mind you. But this one? I believe it was Katherine Hepburn who once said, "If you follow all the rules, you'll miss all the fun!"

 

Not wanting to miss any fun, I paid the twelve dollars....and gladly so. How big is it, did you ask? Where do you have it in your home? My, my. Aren't we full of questions today!  Stay with me, I'm getting to that part.

 

It's sitting in front of this gorgeous, old bowl. The bowl that holds my chippy old lamp. The same bowl that measures nearly seventeen inches in diameter.

 

 

I have a weakness for chippy old tole lamps, or sconces, particularly when there are old pink roses adorning the twisted metal.

 

It's the same type of weakness I have for vintage crotcheted doilies. And when the price tag reads two dollars...well, you know the rest of the story. Which reminds me, I need to finish the rest of the story about that little pink clock. Well wait no more as I'm about to reveal where it resides...

 

It lives in my art room, sitting on the end table {a thrift store steal!} which is sitting next to the comfy reading chair, just waiting for me to grab a good book and snuggle in for a spell. At a whopping 2-3 inches in diameter, depending where you measure, it serves no purpose other than to look pretty. I'd say it lives up to "its purpose" pretty well, wouldn't you?

Last, but certainly not least, let me introduce a blog I  visited for the first time last Saturday. Beverly had suggested such an inclusion for this week's post. It is with pure pink pleasure that I introduce Patty who blogs at Magpie's Nest. I've only scratched the surface of going back and looking through her earlier posts, and I've thoroughly enjoyed what I've seen so far. Be sure and take a peek at the links to her 2 tutorials listed on her sidebar. Great stuff! In addition to her artwork, I also enjoy her sense of humor.

Have a blessed Labor Day {for those in the states} and a big round of applause to Beverly for once again organizing this event.

Digital edges created by Sande Krieger/2Peas.

PAINTING FURNITURE

Today was a new beginning of sorts. Another major change in my life. After nearly four years of working from home, today my DH drove to an office...in a big building just outside of downtown Atlanta. I knew it was coming for a long time. But still....

But he was so excited. Like a child who was waiting for his birthday to finally arrive. I felt....lonely, displaced, weird. The house all to myself --well, almost. There's still the four-legged little girl who would like to play every minute of every day.

Wanting to feel like I spent the day doing something worthwhile other than moping about having lost my best buddy to an office building, I grabbed the gallon of primer and a paint brush. With tools in hand I entered my art studio...the one that is still a work-in-progress.

 

By lunchtime, I had this little sideboard finished. It's tucked in an alcove in my new art studio and will eventually house some vintage goodies. So intent was I on keeping busy, that I was nearly half way through the primer coat when I remembered to snap a "before" photo.

Nothing like a little bit of success to spur you on to the next challenge. Hmmm...what should I tackle next? Since the furnishings in my art studio are a mish-mash of  thrift/antique store finds, hand-me-down furniture and what nots, I knew eventually I would try to bring some semblence of cohesiveness to the furnishings {hence, the room} by using paint.

How 'bout this thing? Dare I paint it out? I came up with a lot of reasons not to...but I swallowed hard, shoving those not to reasons aside and began brushing on the primer. 

After all, I reasoned, I could always wipe it off if I changed my mind, say, in the next 10 seconds or so.

That 10 second window came and went and it was soon obvious that a commitment had been made. I was going to paint it out. Time for the dolls and all the other junk sitting on the piece to be moved to safer ground.

While I'm still a little iffy about my decision, I know that once it is finished I'll be happy with it.

 Spurring on my optimism is this four-tiered, rotating utility shelf, if you will, that received a spray painting this weekend.

 My little vintage treasures display much nicer on a lighter background, don't you think? I'm trusting that this will be the case with the big desk unit as well. And come to think of it, maybe everything will work out just fine with this new change of DH working outside the home, as well. In fact, he called me midway through the day still gushing about how excited he is about this new chapter in his life.

Yes, it's been a good day. We were both able to work on something we love doing and see progress being made and a vision coming into focus. Can't ask for much more than that now, can we? Yes indeed, it's been a good day.

 

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!

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