Pretty Frame Project

Here was my inspiration for this weekend's super easy project

                                              

Compliments of Miss Rachel over at My Vintage Verve.   Thanks Rachel!

I had picked up a vintage frame last year for my little Miss Melissa's room.  I wasn't quite sure how I would use it but I knew it would look great in her room.  Just this weekend I picked up another fabulous frame for a song when the Mr. and I were out and about.  I knew I was ready to tackle both of them as soon as we got home.
Actually, to be completely honest, it was my manly man that did all the work.  I can really only take the credit for spotting both frames.  Best part about this profect was both frames were beautiful when I discovered them, there was no need to repaint! 

So here is how they turned out and here are a few pictures of Melissa's room which I will do a post on one day. 

This frame came this color which is a cream and it matches Melissa's EA bedroom furniture so well

This frame is a gorgeous shade of pink that I plan to keep. This will probably end up in my office.

I found this very old french display case in Exeter NH two weeks ago at Cam's Antique's and I knew it would be perfect for Melissa's room.  The front is a door that opens to allow access to the two shelves. You can't see it in the photo but the mirror has that wonderful show of age.

Cute chandy (not old) that works perfect for her as a nightlight.  We will soon be spray painting it and adding a chain sleeve.

A free desk we got that I re-did and added decorative pulls to.  Fits perfectly in her room.

Another very old frame that I picked up for $10 (with mirror).  I did something very interesting with the mirror that I will share in another post.

No tutorial necessary for the chicken wire frames.  All you have to do is staple the chicken wire to the back of the frame and trim the excess (be sure to use a staple gun, not a desk stapler).

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
 
                                                                 Linking up to:
                                                               It's So Very Cheri
                                                                   DIY Showoff
                                                        Between Naps on the Porch
                                                             At The Picket Fence

And The Award Goes To....

....me!
I am so flattered to have received an award intended for new bloggers called the Liebster Blog Award.  This was awarded to me by Sharon over at La Vie en Rose. 

                                  
                                                               Thank you so much Sharon. 


Please visit Sharon's blog here and show her some love!  Sharon lives in Ireland and has spent a few years in Paris.  Her home in Paris had a view of the Eiffel Tower.  How perfect.



It is obvious she was and still is very much captivated with France and that her time there has had a wonderful influence on who she is today.
Her blog is gorgeous and her home is so pretty.

This is Sharon's beautiful dining room.

Now, from what I have learned from Sharon and from research of my own, Liebster is a German word and in the context of a blog award is meant to be translated as a word meaning 'favorite'.  I have not been able to find the awards' origin despite poking all around the internet.  I can tell you this, whoever came up with the idea clearly intended it as a wonderful gesture to recognize new bloggers and encourage them to continue sharing via their blogs.

Now it is my turn to pass the award on and time to pass along the 'rules'.  One of my posts this week will reveal who I have chosen and I will also share the rules so please stay tuned.

Once again, thank you Sharon! 

The Enchanted Home

I am so giddy with excitement about my post today.  For those of you who have not yet met Tina from The Enchanted Home, you are in for a treat.  Not only does Tina have the most amazing new home, she also has a blog that has invited her readers to join her in the journey of creating that home.  Tina recently opened her own online shop which features beautiful home decor wares at very reasonable prices.  I have ordered a candle from the Seda France line that I can no longer find locally (shown further below). 

Tina also invites people to let her know if they have been looking for something unsuccessfully and she will try to find it.  I can attest to how helpful she is. I was looking for Olde English Bulldog bookends and in the blink of an eye I had my choice of two that she will soon be offering on her site!  One of them was exactly what I was looking for.

Well I am going to stop gushing now and let Tina speak for herself.  She was kind enough to allow me to interview her and showcase her shop.  I am sprinkling the interview with photos of some of my favorite items from her shop.

What inspired you to open your online shop?

It really came out of frustration at not being able to find certain things I was looking for in my own home. When I found certain lines either for myself or for a design project, I was thrilled but exhuasted that it was so difficult to source certain items which I think of as special, but affordable pretty old world accessories for the home. I wanted to offer a place where there would be a plethora of beautiful things for the home all in one place. 

                     

Do you have prior experience in the retail world or is this your first time?

Yes, I was a buyer for a large department store and had retail experience.  Being on both the retail and consumer end, has allowed me to see what was missing on both ends. 

                   

I have followed your blog for quite some time now and it is obvious you have an incredible eye when it comes to decorating.  Do you have experience in interior design professionally or are you naturally blessed with this talent?

Thank you! I have always loved it. After I got married I did go to design school (after college) but after a year found out I was pregnant so took off a long time to raise my family. I then started to decorate and before I knew it, had my first client and the rest as they say is history! I have always loved making a room beautiful and remember  from when I was very young,  going to my grandmothers house and rearranging things in her living room! (as well as anyone else who would let me, normally unsuspecting relatives) Guess it's in my blood....my mother has superb taste and I grew up in a home where there were always beautiful things around, and a lot of emphasis on creating a beautiful environment.

How did you go about forming relationships with your sources?

Through a lot of searching and perseverance. 



                              

Is your inventory stored at your home or do you order directly from your sources once a customer orders from you?

I just got a small space where things are going to be shipped. In a few cases the manufacturer will be drop shipping but for the most part everything will come directly from me. 



        

Do you have an assistant or are you doing this by yourself?

You are talking to her, the one and only, shipper, buyer, packer! Based upon this last 9 days however, an assistant might just be in order!


                    

I know you have just recently opened your shop but how has the experience been so far?  What is your favorite aspect of the business and what is your least favorite?

Amazing, exhilarating, validating and exhausting. Favorite aspect is someone emailing me telling me how excited that they are that all their favorite things are finally under one "roof". Least favorite, still trying to get a game plan in gear, I am learning as I go along and there is that inevitable learning curve!  Still tweaking prices and shipping rates...there is a lot to consider!

            

What advice would you give to others who may have a desire to take on a similar venture?

Be patient, stay true to what you love, you cannot be all things to all people. You will not see modern art or funky fur pillows in my store, not that there's anything wrong with them, but it's not my style. I trust people are coming to my store because they like my style. Be organized and don't attempt to grow too fast. Pace yourself, it is much more work than you realize. It is important to be realisticabout what you can and cannot do, at least for now. It is so important to take it slow but again love what you do. I have been incredibly busy this last week following up on orders to be placed and send out, I don't want anything that is going to totally take over my life and not allow time for the other things I love to do. But I also believe I am still in the learning phase and have to admit I am really having fun! 



This is the Seda France candle on its way to my home!!!

These bullies are soon to be on their way to my home!!!

Tina's shop offers an array of wonderful home decor must haves and are all in keeping with her personal style which is exquisite.  Her items are categorized as Canvas Art, Linens, Pillows, Porcelain, Topiaries, Lighting, European Kitchen, Silver, Candles, Statuaries and Planters as well as a Limited Items category.

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed putting it together.  Please visit both Tina's blog and shop!

Thank you so much Tina, I know you will be very successful.

                                                              I love comments so don't be shy!
                         

Peat Pots

Here were my inspiration photos for this project:

source

source

My other inspiration was my gorgeous concrete urn displayed in my bathroom

It got me thinking that if I played around a little bit with some plaster of paris, I might be able to get the peat pots to look similar to concrete and display them in the same bathroom.

I am extremely happy with how they turned out

It was super simple.  All I did was:

-purchase some peat pots which are dirt cheap pun intended

-mix up some plaster of paris to get a fairly thick consistency and dab it onto the outside of the pot, skipping the bottom. Be sure to make it thick in some areas and less thick in others.  This gives a much more natural finished appearance.

Once this has completely dried, paint it!  I mixed what I had on hand which was Dove Gray with Baby Blue by folkArt.  Once that dried, I went back with a darker gray (almost black that I mixed myself) and dabbed around a bit then blotted with a paper towel.

Once I was happy with the look, I added the metal bookplates. I got mine in the scrapbook section of AC Moore.  I tied them with some gray shear ribbon.  I then printed 3 seperate words onto light pink vellum (vellum is so versatile and is also sold in the scrapbook section where all the loose paper is sold).  My message is 'deams come true'. 

Fill with floral foam, then add your favorite dried flower.  I added hydrangeas from my previous season of blossoms, top with moss and you have an earthy new vignette.

Give it a try if you like the look of concrete.  I hope you're as happy with your results as I am with mine!

                                            I've linked this post to:

                                                                    Domestically Speaking                                        
                                                                              {Primp}
                                                                Handy Man Crafty Woman
                                                                        House of Grace
                                                                       Beneath My Heart
                                                                            BeColorful
                                                            The Red House/Mosaic Monday

                                                                           
                                                                 

                                                                 The Shabby Creek Cottage




          

             

Dear Lillie

One of my favorite blogs is Dear Lillie.



 Jennifer is so talented and her home is gorgeous and all done on a budget.  She was on the Nate Berkus Show this morning!  Check it out here.

This is Jennifer's latest transformation.   Notice the chevron pattern painted on the inside! 

Click here for the low down.