My Teacup

Hi everyone. I hope your weekend is going well. I was going though my favorite blogs this morning and saw all the buzz about Belle Blanc's favorite teacup action-giveaway. I have been reading (ok lurking, I've been caught) her blog through the White Living blog. She always has beautiful pics, and I enjoy reading the stories she tells. So being who I am, I love a good party so I decided to join in.

This is my favorite teacup and it comes with a funny story. When I had my own shop in Philadelphia (before I moved to Atlanta), I had a friend who sold antiques next to me. We always had after hours Saturday cocktails. While there I spied this little beauty, sitting there calling to me. At first I ignored the pull she had on me. So all day that Sunday and Monday (we were closed on those days) I thought about the little teacup. So Tuesday morning I ran down before I opened and told my friend to hold the little lost teacup. My friend laughed and said "I know you, thought about it all weekend? " I just smiled went down and opened up. So she went home with me that evening. I have a lot of teacups (I love tea and coffee), but this is the one I always pull out when its just me enjoying a nice cup of tea (usually Blueberry tea, yum!).

For more on the giveaway or to see other beautiful teacups go to http://belle-blanc.blogspot.com

See everyone next time.......

Spring Time Color

Hi everyone, I hope the week is going good for you. My week here is starting to look up, I just wish the weather would cooperate. Anyway I was just thinking about what to do for my next post. Let's see I still have a few more rooms to show, then I thought something inspirational might be better. So I decided to go around the house snapping pics of spring time colors, after all just because its cold outside doesn't mean we can't think of spring.

I started with light creamy yellow, or buttercream. Always been a fourth favorite of mine. It has all the feel of sunshine, but not as bright. In fact the lighter this color is, the better for me. Check out the flowers here, very spring time...... (it even has some pink there)
This is better than coffee (Ok maybe not, but almost).
Ok moving on to my third favorite, That would be spring green. This color reminds me of green grass. It is just so calming and feels fun.
This piece has a coat of green and never complains about it.
Green maybe the color of jealousy, but I think the other chairs are really green with envy....
My second favorite spring time color is light or sky blue. Of course this is the color of sky and water. This color is all things spring and goes right into summer. This little sky blue table is fun and useful to me with a stack of white towels and washcloths. The little silver starfish is in good company in my bath. This French blue chair is dressed to hit the water. I bet you she is not that blue. (I love the detail on this chair).
Even though these colors are great, my first love is the color white (as if you didn't know that one). Have a good weekend.

See everyone next time.........

W is for White Wednesday

Hi everyone. It has been one of those weeks, you know the ones. It is the kind of week you think you can do nothing right. All things considered I did not want to miss out on White Wednesday the best party in blogdom. This week I wanted to play what do I spy with my little eye that is white (I also wanted to show you my spring/summer makeover).

First I spy a white architectural piece in front of the fireplace.
Next I spy white slipcovered chairs and a sofa. I have been waiting impatiently to put on my spring/summer slipcovers, and bring down the new desk chair. This desk chair replaces my green Swedish styled one.
Lets see I spy a white floor lamp, this one also replaces my blue floor lamp.
Next I see white cherub candleholders. I have loved these two since I first saw them, they just look so Shabby Chic.
Lastly I spy my favorite flowers, white roses. I hoped you enjoyed playing and for more wonderful white pieces go to
http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/
Hooray spring is coming.

See everyone next time......

White Wednesday Tea

Hi everyone. It is White Wednesday, and I figure I would invite you over for tea. We can sit talk, laugh, and have fun.

Come on I'll pour you a cup, I have a cup waiting for you.
See I already poured myself a cup waiting for you.
We can split this delicious looking cheesecake and enjoy the roses, while we talk.
Grab a seat and lets have some fun, after all I enjoy seeing you.
I hope you enjoyed the White Wednesday Tea. Come back I would enjoy seeing you again.

For more White Wednesday go to http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com

See you next time....

Make It For Monday

Hi everyone. I had so much fun at the White Wednesday party, I decided to do Make it for Monday. Thank you Cindy @ Cottage Instincts for hosting this great party (I'll leave you a comment when I'm done).

Ok, this is my project. This is a chair I made a while back, but I thought it would be a good project for here. I wish I had a before pic, this chair started out as a Queen Anne chair (you know the ones, they are everywhere, I got it for $5.00). I wanted it to have a French flare.

I started by taking the chair half way apart, and adding old molding I had laying around.
In this pic it shows the new top I put on the chair.
I added a new center back piece (I can't remember the name right now) it was just a piece of wood cut to size, and some molding.
I added molding around the skirt of the chair, added some metal leaves to the legs, I had them in a junk box.
This is the back of the chair, more molding, wood pieces, and metals leaves.

I then sponged on some silver paint, glazed it, and then polyed it.
Finally I recently added this seat cover (yes I made the cover also). There it is a French style, silvered chair on the cheap. For more great projects go to:
http://cottageinstincts.blogspot.com
See you there. See everyone next time........

Snow White and the Mantel Makeover

Hi everyone. I hope the weather is not getting you down, I know we are all ready for spring (at least I am). Lets do more revealing here, I live in Atlanta, Georgia, so when I heard that it was going to snow here I said to myself 2" tops then it will go away in an hour. I was wrong this was reported to be the biggest snowstorm Georgia has had in a decade (at least the news said that). So I went outside to get some pics for the good old blog here.

My statue in the front, he seems to not mind the snow.

This is the day after, it looks more like the northeast than the south.

A little Charlie Brown Christmas tree.....

So with not much to do, and having spring fever. I decided to redo the mantel with hopes that spring will come soon.

This is the before......
Here is the after.

I want to do something a little fun, but still classic. So I chose a bird theme for spring, but everything is still my favorite color (mmmm could it be white...).

The candlesticks I already had (I bought them years ago). The bird is alabaster and I already had him. The nest was picked up outside on the ground. The cage is new (so to speak it is from France and antique), I needed something more and when I saw it I snapped it up (great deal too).
The prints I picked up a few weeks ago, a $1.00 a piece. They are sitting on floral frogs, no need to frame I wanted to keep it casual. The votives I already had.
And my favorite mantel clock......

Well I hope this brings spring real soon, or I at least make me think it is spring...

Everyone have a Happy Valentines Day, get plenty of flowers, eat lots of chocolate, and snuggle with your favorite someone.

See you next time....

White Wednesday

Hi everyone. I've been wanting to do a White Wednesday party. This is my first party and I hope you enjoy the pics I took. I wanted to show all the little details that look delicious in white.
This figure looks very upmarket in white, even though she was picked up for a song.

My dining table leg with a Swedish/French look in distressed white.

Part of an beach inspired urn with large starfish, absolutely french beach style.

The detail of an antique chair paint bright white, white always makes all details pop (especially the face on this chair).

Neoclassic lamp base in distressed white. I love the detail of this lamp.

Alter candlestick, showing more of the magic of white. I love white it transcends and helps to combine all the ages and styles.

"Renoir said once that nothing was so difficult, and at the same time so exciting, to paint, as white on white."

Ambroise Vollard

For more White Wednesday go to fadedcharmcottage @http://www.fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com

P.S. If you can please leave a comment. I love reading them also I try to include the commenters in the blog reader section. So give me some feedback let me know what you think. Your feedback really does matter to me and also makes the blog more enjoyable.

See you all next time..........

Refuge Francais

Hi everyone. I hope the week has been good for you. Been a little busy here, but I'm keeping my word with a room pic layout (yay the fun stuff). This is my mother -in-law suite, but I refer to it as my Refuge Francais (French Hideaway). This is where you will see the most French influence. Everything from white painted furniture (My favorite color), toile de Jouy fabrics, and French style furniture. Everyone always ask to stay here, and the big softy I am, I always have this room at the ready.
The ceiling is dormered making the room cozy, it has skylights which are ok, but the mornings are brutal. So I put up white roller blinds so it cuts out the morning light for the late sleepers. Where the curtain is at is the entrance to the walk in closet, which leads right to the suite's bathroom (show that and all the other nooks and crannies around here in another post).
One side, then the other........
Toile window treatments.

A sitting area to watch TV, or read. I made the slipcovers for the junk store find chairs. Here is something I do with toile, instead of trying to bleach it to give it that faded look that I like, I just turn it to the back (easy peasy). White slipcover for the ottoman.

French chair next to white dresser, I love it.....

White bed with a dash of toile, perfect together.......

A little French nook to write a romantic letter to the one you love. The desk is a repro, but it still says France. The sconce is a gift from a best friend, it is really antique, with the original mother of pearl shades.

BTW picture 2 shows my air conditioner, oh well we don't live in the 18th century. Have a good weekend everyone.

See you all next time......