Another Frenchy Chair...and...A Look Inside My Antique Plantation Desk

I am sooo excited about my latest find…another frenchy chair! In fact, I think I will call this my favorite find ever! Isn’t it so delicate and feminine? Just perfect for my Parisian master bedroom redo! However…


…it didn’t start out life looking like that! Here is how it looked after I had  removed one layer of fabric…and there were still more underneath!  I had to strip the cushion down to the bare bones and reconstruct it, too! But can you see its wonderful cane back? Sigh!


Here it is with its new  cushion…covered in drop cloth! I love it! It looks like homespun linen with wonderful variations in color and texture! And here’s the best part…I found the chair at my favorite flea/antique market for only $36! Can you believe it? It is in absolutely perfect condition. It was originally paired with a roll top desk…also very feminine…which sold separately. The dealer identified it as a Stickley & Brandt chair, which would date it to the late 1800s to early 1900s.


However, we are not thorough yet! Isabella has a suggestion…how about giving it a sassy, flirty skirt? Here she is checking out my progress! Now here I must add that I am very proud of myself because with advice from my friend Linda at Nina’s Nest, I managed to add piping to my slip cover…a first for me! Woo hoo! I used more of the drop cloth to make it.


And here is the final result! I had originally planned to paint the chair white and distress it to create my version of the Shabby Chic Darcy chair that I have been wanting, but I think I love it as is! And besides, the antique walnut finish matches my great-grandfather’s plantation desk to a tee…which reminds me…


Last time, I showed you the outside of my plantation desk, so this week, I decided to show you the inside…after  sprucing up and organizing it, that is! lol Believe me, you do not want to see the before! Let me take you for a little tour!


First, I want to show you this wonderful frenchy votive holder that I found at Goodwill for $4.00…so Parisian! I love the mirrored sides! It can be used for paper clips and stamps, too!


I have also added my bouillotte lamps that was previously on my hutch. It looks more at home here, don’t you think? Click here for my post on the history of the bouillotte lamp.


If you have followed my blog for very long, this ink well should look familiar! This is a reproduction of the one I found for my neighbor Joyce! I found this one on eBay.


And finally, I love the many wonderful cubbies and spaces in my desk, but no modern desk organizers will fit it, so I have to create my own. I raided the pantry for all sorts of boxes and found some that fit. Thank goodness for grandchildren and their cereal assortments! lol I simply cut the boxes to fit, covered them with pretty wrapping paper and added these wonderful tags from the scrapbooking store!


One interesting note…the top opens to reveal a secret hiding place for important papers! Fun, huh? And there you have it…my great-grandfather’s plantation desk! Isn’t it a real treasure? I am so very fortunate to be the family member who is its keeper!


And here’s one last look at my new frenchy chair! I have been searching for the perfect chair to go with my desk ever since it came to live at my house eight years ago…and I think I have found it at last! What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my finds!  Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special...Old
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today’s Thrifty Treasures
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday
Marian at Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Fridays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Artie at Color Outside the Lines for Vignette Fridays
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Surburbia for the Drop Cloth Linky Party
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Another Peek into My Parisian Bedroom Redo!

It’s been a busy week for me, but I have made some progress in my Parisian style master bedroom redo. For those of you who are just joining me, I am taking a little departure from my usual French country style and going a little more feminine in my bedroom. I think I am really liking it!


Last week, I showed you my progress in one corner of the room. You can see I am building around my pink and green toile drapery panels with that fabulous frenchy lamp as a jumping off point! I am trying to introduce a little more white and pastels in the room to brighten it up.


This week, a few frenchy finds will help me continue in the other corner of the room…among them this little frenchy boy candlestick. Doesn’t he just look so very Parisian? He was only $3.00 at Goodwill! I had actually passed on his twin a couple of weeks ago, but decided to take him home with me this time.


Of course, Baby Kitty had to check him out. He is the official Goodwill hunting trophy inspector in this house! It appears that he passed!


I also found this wonderful old vintage candlestick that someone had already painted white…also only $3.00. I fell in love immediately!


His face reminds me of the beast in Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête…an old black and white French version of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. And just look at the legs on the candlestick…a lion with talons…or are those hooves? Love it!


First, the little boy got a good coat of primer and then several coats of white paint! Now he is ready to be distressed. Do you sometimes wonder why you are working so hard to make the paint perfect only to sand it off?


And here he is with his lion friend, who also got a little distressed! I think they look so good together…so very frenchy!


Now don’t be shocked when you see this! lol It’s a flower pot painted white and then covered with spackling paste. It’s the kind that starts out pink and turns white when it dries! Why am I doing this?


To add a little texture to the pot! Next, I dry brushed a little dove gray craft paint on it and then actually had to give it another light coat of spray paint since the gray was still too dark. I added it to an old silver plate chaffing dish that I found at Goodwill a while back and voilà…instant frenchy planter! And it was free! I was searching for a planter with legs and couldn’t find one, so I thought I’d try this.


I filled it with pink hydrangeas and here it is!  I wanted a pop of white and this will do for now. I also stacked up a few old books I found at the thrift store and added my green depression glass butter dish. What do you think?


And here is the vignette in its final form. The mirror in the background belonged to my grandmother. It has a little veneer missing, but I think that adds to its character! Now you are wondering…just where is my vignette?


It’s on top of this wonderful old plantation desk that belonged to my great-grandfather…along with my grandmother’s hat! I believe the desk dates from the early to mid 1800s and it has been in my family ever since.  Now, I do realize that it is not very frenchy, but I have to make an exception here! And of course, it absolutely cannot be painted! I would be the black sheep of the family! I am trying it out with the frenchy chair that I refinished last week to see if it helps to frenchify the desk. What do you think?


Now here’s the chair that I really want..Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic Darcy chair! Sigh! But for $450, I can only dream! Maybe I can find the perfect chair to redo. And then I may call it my (Mr.) Darcy! lol


And finally, here is another look at my vignette! I hope you don’t mind that we are coming along so slowly in my little Parisian decorating venture. Next time, I should have even more to show you!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my finds!  Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today’s Thrifty Treasures
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Artie at Color Outside the Lines for Vignette Fridays
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Frenchy Chair Redo...and...Some Special Finds

I am really excited about what I have to show you this week…my first real furniture redo! It’s a frenchy chair for my Parisian master bedroom that I am working on! I love the way it turned out!


You may remember it from last week…my flea market find that someone had painted a mottled brown…really not bad in person. But it was the shape of the chair that won my heart….love the back! And even our CEO Ozzie seemed to approve.


But here she is with the new finish…and looking quite elegant, I might add! How did I do it? First, I sprayed it with a coat of primer, then several coats of Krylon satin in Ivory and finished with a glaze of gray paint (Glidden Wood Smoke) mixed half and half with water. I bought it in the the tester size at Home Depot. I quickly painted the glaze on with a fat artist’s brush and then wiped it off. If it stays on too long, it is difficult to remove, so I found it best to work in small areas. The gray went down into the crevices in the chair to give it an aged look.


Next,  I recovered the seat of the chair using a drop cloth that I also bought at Home Depot…two 9 x 6 cloths for $10…a bargain! I followed Miss Mustard Seed’s directions for preparing the drop cloth for use. And I have lots left over ready to use for future projects!


Here’s a little peek at what’s going on in my Parisian master bedroom redo! I have finished the toile drapery panels and hung them. I made them 8 feet in length since I have very high ceilings. The fabric is called Nouveau Bergère Toile and is imported from England. I love it!


You can see the collection of frenchy items I have been finding over the last few weeks on the bedside table. The lamp is the inspiration piece that started it all. I seem to have  started in this corner and I am working around the room. I will show you more as I make progress!


I’d also like to show you something that made my little heart race when I found it…this collection of lacy flatware caddies…sized to fit spoons, forks and knives! I decided to make a swing by Goodwill right before it closed one evening last week…and there they were! I snatched these babies up so fast it would make your head spin! I think no one knew what they were. I am especially pleased to have these because  Sherry at No Minimalist Here gave away the same spoon caddy and I was sad when didn’t win! lol I must have been a really good girl because now I have all three…and for only $9.00 total!  I have added them to the vignette on my hutch. I feel like throwing a buffet dinner party!



And finally, I also found this little Eiffel Tower at Goodwill for only $1.51! I have given it to my grandson, who will be ten years old this week. This is a very special birthday because I have been promising him since he was five that we would go to France when he hits his 10th birthday…and it is finally here! He is a big fan of Monet, thanks to a wonderful kindergarten art teacher, and wants to see Monet’s gardens in Giverny, as well as the Eiffel Tower…two must-sees on his list! Soooo…early next summer we will be on our way at last! And this little find represents my promise to him!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my finds!  Please visit these wonderful ladies and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special...Old Chairs
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic  Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today’s Thrifty Treasures
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kathleen at Faded Charm for White Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday
Marian at Miss Mustard Seed for Furniture Feature Friday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Surburbia for the Drop Cloth Linky Party

Some Leggy Love...and...What Is It?

I have found another old and interesting silver plate treasure to go in my bedroom redo! I was at the junk/flea market when I saw these little legs peering out at me from the clutter. It was love at first sight! Sooo…I brought it home!


Baby Kitty has checked it out and thinks I am out of my mind…dragging home this tarnished old thing! Do you know what it is? I will give you a look at the after and maybe it will be easier to tell.


Taaa daaa! After attacking the old quadruple silver plate with some Wright’s Silver Cream and a lot of elbow grease, I found a delicate floral border intertwined with ribbons and a lovely carnation etched in the center. It is an old Victorian calling card receiver from the Derby Silver Company and dates between 1872 and 1898! Did you guess correctly?  I had to do a little research to figure it out. In Victorian times, you would find one of these on a table in the hallway to receive the calling cards left by visitors. It sounds simple, but there was actually an entire set of etiquette guidelines for when to call on someone and how to fold the cards!
Click here for a  lovely site with wonderful information about calling cards and receivers,  here for a more detailed history and here for a look at some beautiful old examples of Victorian calling cards.


I have added it to the vignette beside my bed to hold my earrings. I am constantly forgetting to take them off until I am in the bed. This way the staff won’t knock them off of the bedside table and play street hockey with them! lol And I love the way it looks with my spooner!


I'd also like to show you another set of legs...my frenchy stool redo! I just love that fabric...covered with frenchiness...and those cute little legs peeking out from underneath that ruffled skirt! Do you recognize it?


It’s the less-than-lovely Bombay Company stool that I found at Goodwill for $3.50 several weeks ago! I have finally managed to get Kitty to let me have her new favorite perch long enough to finish it!


Don’t you love this fabric? I was so happy when I walked into the fabric store and found it! And…it was only $18 a yard! Yes, I know you are saying…whaaaat? But most of the frenchy script fabrics are about $40 a yard! Yikes! And I only needed half a yard…so for $9 for fabric, a $1 package of batting from Goodwill, and $2 in clearance aisle trim…


…I not only got a new frenchy stool, but had enough fabric left over to make a matching pillow! Woo hoo! I have added it to this corner of my living room near my painted chest.  I have to give credit to my friend Linda at Nina’s Nest for some inspiration on this project!


And finally, I have another set of legs to show you…my new chair that will be added to my Parisian bedroom redo! But it is the back that I love with this one! I bought it with the intention of painting it chippy white, but when I put it in the room, I liked it as is! Once I get to the point where I can show you more, I’ll give you a better look and ask you to tell me what you think. Our CEO Ozzie seems to approve!
I am making progress very slowly in my bedroom redo, it seems. Grandchildren and gardening keep calling my name, so please hang in there as I reveal it bit by bit!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my finds! 
Please visit these wonderful ladies and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal for Silver Sunday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Rhoda at Southern Hospitality for Today’s Thrifty Treasures
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Jessica at A Few of My Favorite Things for Favorite Things Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
See you next time! A la prochaine!