Two Heads Are Better Than One

Yes, two heads are better than one!  When it comes time to picking out paint, tile and laminate for the house remodel, I like to get the opinion of my family and friends.  The house is taking on a big transformation this month and, like many of you have shared, it will be all better when the dust settles.

As for the two millinery heads above, I bought these from another antique dealer at our shop last week.  As soon as he brought them out of his box of goodies, my heart went from a normal beat to a quick pitter patter!  Not sure exactly what I will do with these, but for now they sit on top of a dresser in our bedroom.

When I was at the Pacific Grove Antique store, I had to laugh when I found the “Normal Mental” book.  It is a math book from the late 1800’s.  Not only did I love the cover, but I collect the cardboard school and song books from that era.  Next to normal mental is “The Rational Spelling Book.”  I bet you won’t find Urban Slang in that one, dontchaknow.

Before I go, lets keep those in the path of Isaac in our thoughts and prayers.  My husband’s longtime friend lives on the bayou and he is quite nervous about the flooding.  They got off easy with Lee, but he is more nervous about this storm than last year’s.  Thinking about all of my blog friends, too.  May God keep you all safe and out of harms way.

Peace to all…..

Discombobulation

 

Before I get to the discombobulation part of this post, I’d like to focus on the beautiful bouquet of flowers that my son’s friend brought over for me.  Such a nice surprise and she could not have picked out a more perfect bouquet to match our decor.  Her words were this:  “I love flowers because they make a room feel happy and fresh” and she could not be anymore spot on than that!  Now if only the room WAS “fresh” looking….

…..if you pan to the right of the room, this is how the other side looks.  My handy husband tore out the original mauve tile around the fireplace and is prepping the wall and measuring for the new tiles.  A bit wonky, eh?  Well, like I said, it’s the planning phase.

We chose a neutral porcelain tile from Home Depot and it blends nicely with the color of the wall.  We are finally getting our laminate floors so we had to get the tile work done before the floors are installed this week.  I am so looking forward to ditching the 18 year old carpet – though it has been a really good carpet, it just has to go bye-bye.

While my hubs was busy working away on the tile, I was in the kitchen sewing up 22 ruffled burlap runners that were a special order for a friend.  Between burlap fuzz and tile dust, the house is a bit out of sorts. 

These runners took me about 20 hours to make, all said and done. 

 

For you girls that sew, I know that you can relate to how much time it takes to make something by hand.  Each ruffle is frayed top and bottom, hand gathered, and sewn onto each end of the runner.  The customer was pleased with her order and will be used on the tables for a wedding this weekend. 

And little Fiona….well, lets just say that she didn’t get her ball tossed as much as she would have loved to have had.  She is doing the Jedi mind trick here and hoping that if she looks at the ball long enough, it will move on its own.

Now who could resist that face?  I’ll make it up to her by taking her for a day of pampering at the spa.  A girl has to do what a girl has to do, right Fiona?  Where’s Duhgall? As usual, he is by my husband, his buddy, but he did come over for some camera action.

Now to find my dust rag….

Till next time…..

Layering With Reflections

As I shared in the last post, I love old mirrors and have fun adding them to places around my home.  When displaying my collections, I like to layer and stack and add a bit of the unexpected, such as the “496 CPC” pin that was hooked to the rim of the transferware bowl.

 

These are the mirrors that I had to work with, one plateau, one hand held mirror and one square mirror with a rustic wood frame.

 

The photo below is  what the little vignette looked like before the mirrors.  Though I like it, the pieces are on the same level.  Adding the plateau mirror (of which I found in the Pacific Grove Antiques store) brought the bowl up and the mirror adds a bit of reflection for light.  In addition to loving mirrors, I have a “thing” for metal, too.  Case in point….

….this vintage clock was a find when out junking last month.  These old pieces are just fun to have around the house and I really like the “salute” on the face.  The metal clock and the cast iron plateau mirror are a good contrast against all of the white that is in the cabinet.

The square mirror below was a $3.00 estate sale find.  The silvering is worn on the back which causes the striations in the glass.  Great patina, I must say! 

The placement of the mirror against the platter gives more dimension to the grouping and reflects the chandelier, too.

Even the little creamers sit at different heights by adding old butter pats underneath them.  They now can show off their cute little profiles without having to be clumped all together.  It kind of looks like they are giving us a little modeling pose and some attitude now.  :)

The photos below are other some ways that I have used mirrors in my decorating.  Layering mirrors against each other is a lot of fun.

Using large mirrors on walls can make a small space, like our foyer, appear larger.  And having a mirror in the foyer allows for those “last checks” before heading out the door.

Even putting a mirror behind something and partially covering it up is ok in my books, too.  It just adds one more layer of texture and light.

 

I’d love to hear how you like to use old mirrors, too!

Till next time…..

Mirroring

Yes, I love old mirrors - and not just any old mirrors – but those that have personality…

….the kind that the silvering on the back is worn and isn’t quite worthy to use to catch a good glimpse of yourself in. 

I love the details of the old pieces, like the mother of pearl inserts in the wood handle (above) the thick beveled edge on a plateau mirror (above left)….

…and the chunky old gesso frames that mirrors are often framed in (above).  And the chips and paint loss don’t bother me one bit!

 

Next time I will share how I am using these sweet pieces of the past.

Till then, XO.

French Style At The Beach

 One of my favorite stores to leisurely browse though is Pacific Grove Antiques.  The shop’s proprietor is Marilyn and she has the store filled with gorgeous antiques from Europe and France – along with American antiques as well.  Every nook is carefully stylized with remarkable pieces for sale from glistening chandeliers, silver plate, antique oils, French religious statues, old books, mirrors, lacy linens, furniture and so much more. 

I took plenty of photos to share, however if you ever have the chance to go shop the shop in person, the experience is delightful.  Marilyn and Jill (Jill works at the shop) are so nice and were gracious to allow me to snap some pics of the store.  Thank you ladies!!

 

 Did you see anything that caught your eye?  Besides the crucifix and the alter angel, I was admiring the salesman sample miniature dresser and the sponge ware dairy milk pitcher.  Oh, and lets not forget the pretty antique oils of flowers.  Swooon…..  I literally could nearly decorate my entire home with findings from PGA! 

For more shop information:

Pacific Grove Antiques

472 Lighthouse Avenue

Pacific Grove, California  93950

(831) 658-0488

email: mbuck2pgantiques@aol.com

A Slice Of Heaven On Earth

A few weeks back, my husband and Duhgall took a road trip up to the Pacific Northwest to the state of Washington.  My husband’s sister lives there, along with her husband and their Queensland Heeler, Miss Dinkham.  I shared the photo above on my last post and Mary asked if that was my view. (No, it isn’t but I sure would love to have a place like this!)  After Mary’s question, I thought I’d share a little bit more about the home of my dear family that is blessed to have a small slice of pure Heaven on earth.

If you read the two previous posts, you will recognize Miss Dinkham (below) – in a much more subdued state I might add.  The stacked rock wall that Dinky is standing on was made by my SIL, and it took her three years to put it together.  There is more of the wall that wraps along their property and this is just a small portion of it.  My SIL has always inspired me to do more.  She is a renaissance woman who can do anything she puts her mind to.  One of the photos in this post is of a stained glass window she made for her home and another is of her amazing garden with raised beds for vegetables, herbs and flowers.  Years ago she raised her own sheep, sheared their wool, spun the wool and made items with the wool on her large weaving loom.  She is a wonderful cook, seamstress, quilter, photographer and gardener.  (So, dear sister, if you are reading this…just smile and pat yourself on the back…you deserve it!)

The following photos are images that my husband took while visiting.  So come along to see what my family was up to while away from home.  Duhgall enjoyed his visit and got plenty of good sniffin’ done whilst there and had a ball playing with Dinky.

 

My brother in law is a wonderful cook, too, and made the homemade sourdough bread on his grill.  They finished up the evening with a refreshing beverage that had to have a pink flamingo stir stick!

Cheers!

(Next time I am making that trip!)