More Frenchy Fluffing...and...A Thrifting Find!

I’m at it again! I’ve been doing  a little frenchy fluffing in my dining room! My hutch is one of the areas of my home that is constantly changing, as you will see!


To guide you through the changes is our co-hostess Isabella…our little calico supermodel. Baby Kitty is unavailable today since he is busy studying for his Grand Diplôme at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. He is hoping to branch out on his own as a gourmet chef with his own cooking show!


Isabella will tell you that rearranging the hutch is a favorite pastime of mine. Just have a peek at the various displays of plates that have graced it in the past…all white, all blue, blue and white and…my favorite…blue and yellow!


This time I have added some of my favorite thrifting finds….a pair of topiaries ($9 for the pair) and a collection of double happiness jars gathered over time (about $9 each). I was also tickled to find this wonderful French country chair to help in the frenchification of the dining room! 


You will also recognize this  Red Cliff ironstone tea pot that I showed you in a previous post! It was the result of a year long thrifting search for more ironstone to match the real centerpiece of my dining room…


…my mom’s Red Cliff tureen! I think it is the source of my love of the grape motif! As I have told you before, you could put grapes on a stick and I would buy it! lol Soooo…imagine my delight when only two weeks after finding the tea pot…


…I stumbled upon this while Goodwill hunting with my friend Linda at Nina’s Nest! Even through the layers of tape and dirt, I could see what it was…a Red Cliff sugar to match my tea pot!! And do you see the price…$2.52!! Come to Mama!


And here she is all cleaned up! Isn’t she a beauty? I love how the handles look like grape vines!


Here she is with her real mama…the tea pot. Don’t they look cute together?  But…wait…my little sugar looks so lonely! I think that she needs…


…a brother! So I bought her one on ebay. Isn’t he a handsome fellow? Linda and I searched the GW top to bottom for the matching creamer and couldn’t find it, so I cheated and bought it. I almost felt guilty…like shooting fish in a barrel. Where’s the fun in that? But the sugar was such a bargain that the $16 for the creamer seemed justified. And I must tell you that I have seen the pair for sale at an antique website for $125 so I am very happy!


And here is the happy family on my hutch! They are posing with their uncle the candelabra. I am on such a Red Cliff roll that I am sure there will be more around the corner…I hope!


And there you have my frenchy fluffing in the dining room! Isabella would like to say thank you for stopping by!

 Be sure to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday where you can get a peek at her gorgeous home and see what sorts of changes she is making, as well as find out who else is playing along!

Then on Tuesday I’ll be joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday, where we show off  our vignettes and accessories! Marty is the vignette queen and the perfect hostess for just such a party!

I will also be linking up to a brand new party here in blogland…Nifty Thrifty Tuesday with Linda at Coastal Charm! Be sure to head over to her blog and get in on the fun as we share our thrifting finds!

And on Friday, I am joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday where we show off special things from our homes and our gardens! I can't wait! See you next time! A la prochaine!

A Special Bloggy Break...He's Here!

I am taking a short bloggy break to get to know a special little man in my life…my new grandson! It seems as though we have been waiting forever for his arrival…and at last he’s here! And…I had the honor of being there to greet him…an experience I will never forget. He made his appearance yesterday, weighing in at 9 pounds 3 ounces! He is a big boy! Both mother and son are doing well! His nine year old big brother has offered to get up and help with the night feedings. He is beside himself with happiness to have the little brother he has always wanted! And needless to say, his dad is bursting with pride!

It has been a long time since I have held a little bundle in my arms. I know you won’t mind if I take some time to kiss those chubby little cheeks and enjoy that wonderful new baby smell! But I will be peeking in on you when I get a chance! Thanks so much for understanding and I’ll be back from my Granny break soon!

Now All We Need Is...My Grandson!

Finally! I can show you my little grandson’s nursery! It has been months of putting on the finishing touches while we wait, but now we are ready! Now all we need is my grandson to complete the picture…and he will be here any day now!



My daughter wanted the nursery to have a very subtle theme, so she took inspiration from the bedding to use the colors of pale blue and green with chocolate brown and…



…a circle motif! It’s reflected in the lamps, on the walls, in the curtains and even in the little circle rug by the crib! The walls were a labor of love…



First, my daughter painted the walls a pale blue topped by a band of a darker shade. Next, she painted green circles using a stencil that she made herself. Then finally, she added a green stripe to finish it off. The curtains were my contribution to the nursery. We took ready-made tab top drapes, added a band of chocolate on three sides and chocolate tabs, then added buttons covered in green to match the bedding.



My nine-year-old grandson made a special baby boy doggie at Build-a-Bear for his baby brother and arranged this corner of the crib in anticipation of his arrival! He can’t wait to be a big brother!



And my sweet friend Gloria at Happy to Be made this wonderful tassel for the nursery! Isn’t it the perfect match…even down to the circles! I love the baby boy riding on the stork’s back…so cute!



Instead of a changing table, we will use the matching dresser…really a great idea! The crib breaks down into a queen sized bed, too, so he has furniture he can use for a long time. So much better than having to buy all new like we had to do back in the olden days! The picture frames are waiting to be filled once my grandson arrives. Sorry about the dog tail, but…



…they have six dogs, five of whom were rescues, so it’s hard to get a picture without at least part of a dog in it! lol They can’t wait to welcome him into the pack!



Now we are just waiting for the perfect final touch…my little grandson! He should be making his appearance any day now and I am so excited! I have a feeling I will be spending some time sitting in this comfy chair! It has been a long time between grandsons, so I am ready to hold a baby! I will keep you posted! In the meantime, thanks for stopping by!
Please head on over to Mary’s at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday to see one of her beautiful mosaics and to find a list of this week’s participants. You will be treated to some wonderful photos from some very talented people!

Next, be sure to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday where you can get a peek at her gorgeous home and see what sorts of changes she is making, as well as find out who else is playing along!

Then, on Tuesday, join Karen at Nittany Inspirations for the newest party in Blogland…Bedscapes and Beyond in which we show off our linens and all that makes a bedroom beautiful! See you next time! A la prochaine!

A Snow Day...and...A Valentine Wish

Woo hoo! It’s snowing here in Georgia! And it’s looking like we may have around 4 inches here at the Plate Addicts…unbelievable! I opened the back door to take a few pictures and the staff went out one at a time to check it out. Needless to say, no one chose to stay out very long! lol

Here’s a peek at the view from my house! This might not look like much to you folks up North, but this is huge for us in the South!

Isn’t it beautiful? I love the way it collects on the tree branches! And it’s not through snowing yet! Only one problem…my grandson is due any day now! Yikes! Let’s hope he doesn’t decide to arrive tonight!

I also want to wish a Happy Valentines Day to each and every one of you! I hope you have plans for a nice dinner with a handsome fellow!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend! See you next time! A la prochaine!

Some Frenchy Fluffing...or...Roosters, Grapes and Toile

We have been doing some frenchifying…a little frenchy fluffing…here at the Plate Addict household, soooo… our co-host Baby Kitty would like to take you on a little tour…starting in the living room. Of course, you must realize that roosters are one of the must-haves for any frenchification, and so we have added this roostery Provencal tray to the coffee table. It has become the home for all of our many remotes. Notice the little check pattern which is repeated…


…in our roostery lamp! Now you must know that if I own it, it must have been a bargain, and such was the case with these two finds…a total of $16 for the two of them! That’s my collection of French cookie tins in the basket, which I will show you one day. Now…on to the dining room!


Baby Kitty and I are big fans of grapes…another requirement for any frenchification. You might remember my mom’s Red Cliff ironstone soup tureen and the wonderful candleholder (a steal at $7.00) that I found to match it while treasure hunting with my friend Linda at Nina’s Nest. Well, that was almost exactly one year ago, and I have been hunting for more of it ever since with no luck until…


…Linda and I stumbled across this Red Cliff ironstone tea pot last weekend!! Wooo hooo!! I squealed when I saw it, then tried to feign indifference…but it was too late. However, the dealer still gave me a discount. Maybe she was glad to see it go home with someone who appreciated it. I paid a little more than I normally like to (about $35), but considering that I hadn’t seen any of it at all in the last year, I was still happy. Note to self…stop squealing when you find something you love. lol


We continue the tour in the guest bedroom, where we are joined by our co-hostess, Kitty, who would like to show you the third element of our frenchification…toile. She insisted on hosting this portion of our tour because she matches the decor! lol You may remember that when you last saw this room, we were still in a quandary as to how to complete our bedscape ...a wonderful new word from Karen at Nittany Inspirations.


Well…here it is! I added a wicker headboard that I painted black and some…plates. What else? These are the lace doily plates that I found at Pier 1 a while back. Might as well put them to good use! And something else very special has been added. Do you see it?


It’s this wonderful frenchy throw pillow…a gift from my sweet friend Pat! It is the creation of Jennifer Rizzo at Sanctuary Arts. Isn’t it just gorgeous? The bedscape needed one more little something and I couldn’t figure out what it was…and this is it! Can you read it? Do you know what it says? It says…bonne nuit…

…good night! And it seems to be working! lol So there you have it…our frenchy fluffing with roosters, grapes and toile! Thanks for going on the tour with us!
And thanks so much for stopping by! Please head on over to Mary’s at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday to see one of her beautiful mosaics and to find a list of this week’s participants. You will be treated to some wonderful photos from some very talented people!
Next, be sure to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday where you can get a peek at her gorgeous home and see what sorts of changes she is making, as well as find out who else is playing along!

Then, on Tuesday, join Karen at Nittany Inspirations for the newest party in Blogland…Bedscapes and Beyond in which we show off our linens and all that makes a bedroom beautiful! See you next time! A la prochaine!

What Is It?...or...A Strange Occurrence in My Birdbath

This is what I saw when I looked out of the back door last Saturday morning…something lurking in my birdbath! I was so curious that I ran outside to have a peek! And this is what I found…an ice sculpture protruding from the frozen surface!

Now I have to admit that I have lived in the South most of my life and I have never encountered anything like this! It is not attached to or covering anything. It is simply a sort of cone-shaped piece of ice which melted and was gone by the end of the day! What do you think? Here’s my theory…

We have had some freezing rain…even the rain drops were frozen on the branches…with temperatures hovering around 32 degrees. I think the bird bath partially melted, leaving a sort of ice cube which was squeezed to the top when the birdbath refroze at night. Has anybody ever seen anything like it before? Any other theories? There is nothing above the birdbath. It's in the open!

And if that’s not enough, the next morning, I awoke to this sight…hoar frost turning my backyard into a winter wonderland! I haven’t seen this in years! And what’s funny is that several other bloggers mentioned seeing it last week, too!

Isn’t it beautiful? Can you see the little crystals? It takes a special set of circumstances to create it…

…a cold, clear night, very moist air and surfaces already at freezing temperatures, such as trees, shrubs and grass! It seems that we had all three and here’s the result!

It almost looks like snow, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, this beautiful wintery scene didn’t last long. You can already see the sun beginning to shine over the berm. Sigh… Now I am waiting for the next winter weather surprise!

I am excited to join Susan at A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday! It has been a while since I have had anything to show you in my winter yard! Please head on over to see what Susan has going on and to see a list of this week’s participants! Thanks so much for stopping by! See you next time! A la prochaine!