Arriving Soon...My New Grandson...and A Peek into His Nursery!

Something special is in the works at my daughter and son-in-law’s house…in more ways than one! The finishing touches are being put on the nursery for my new little grandson who is due very soon! She is working hard to get it ready before he decides it’s time to arrive!

Don’t you love the treatment she did on the main wall? She designed and painted the grid herself. The blue on the other three walls provides the perfect contrast! The drapes are still to come.

There are some cute modern touches, such as this unusual lamp from IKEA...only $19.99! But...you have to assemble it! Yikes!

And...there are some bright colors…

…some fun fabrics…

…that I used to make a matching pillow for my little guy…

…and a pretty dresser with an unusual finish...also from IKEA. His big brother is happy to demonstrate how easily the drawers open and close! Yes, they will be only 14 months apart!  My ten year old grandson is beside himself with happiness to have two baby brothers!

So if I disappear from Blogland for a little while, I hope you will understand! I will be right here in this comfy chair spending some special time with my little grandson. The big day is fast approaching, so I will keep you posted!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my grandson’s nursery!  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!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Kara at Elements Interiors for Whassup Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

My Pottery Barn Inspired Under the Table Tablescape!

I have  a confession…and this blog is called Confessions…right?  There’s something...well, not pretty...hiding in this picture of my living room! Can you find it? (Please don’t say my dragon wing lamp because I love it…only $12 at Goodwill! lol)

Here…let’s try it from another angle. Do you see where it might be hiding? Anyone? Anyone? If you said in the basket, you might just be right! Let’s have a peek!

 Oh, dear…yes, there it is! My ten-year-old old fashioned phone! lol Sorry, but I just can’t get rid of it! Why? Well…er…it seems that I am forever misplacing my cordless phone! Do you do that? I have to page it and wait for the beep…under the covers, between the sofa cushions, in the garage! But I can’t lose this one! I just pull out the basket and answer it! Hey…works for me!
  And here’s another little secret…the other basket holds my fall pumpkins…which are still in perfect shape so I can’t throw them away! lol And just where did I get the inspiration for my “under the table tablescape”?

Why, Pottery Barn, of course! I love this look…baskets under tables, such as this wonderful console table complemented by a pair of baskets filled with old books and magazines!

Or this console table with a terrific hinged basket underneath!

Or how about this one with an old suitcase and books stacked below! Love it!

Or my favorite…this wonderful table with a vignette under it…but I think you really need a shelf to have this look.

So I was excited when I found this basket  at Goodwill this week for only $5.00…yaaaay! It’s a nice Pottery Barn-esque one, too…just the right size! Of course, Baby Kitty had to inspect it! It seems to have passed!
  And there it is! I am not showing you the before with my ugly phone just sitting under the painted chest! You will have to imagine it! But doesn't it look stylish now? Something else is different, too. Do you see? I am trying it with a stack of books instead of another basket. Which do you like better?

And on top..my grandmother’s old dough bowl filled with vintage book bundles, vintage French postcards and a starfish! My little frenchy boy that I found at Goodwill for $3.93 is looking on.

But ultimately, it was our own Miss Isabella who decided what looks best under the table…and I think she is right!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my under the table tablescape!  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!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Kara at Elements Interiors for Whassup Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voilà! French Inspiration on Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Need Some Inspiration? It's Spring Open House!

Need some inspiration for Spring?  It’s time for the open house at my favorite flea/antique market…the Queen of Hearts in Alpharetta, Georgia!  My thrifting buddy Linda at Nina’s Nest and I are headed that way today. Want to come along? You’ll be greeted by this lovely garden room as you come in the door! Gotta love that fountain!

And look at this display composed of old architectural pieces! Do you see the lamps…made out of corbels! And I want that wonderful old rusty urn!

Of course, there will be bunnies…like this one made of faux hydrangeas…isn’t he cute?…

…and this pretty bunny pillow! Love the brown and green together!

And we can’t forget bird’s nests filled with eggs…like these wonderful salt and pepper shakers…

…or starring in this oh-so-springy wreath! Hmmm..my wheels are turning on a way to copy this one!

And here are some more eggs!  Isn’t this black and white display so simple and yet so pretty? The ribbon and the little pops of greenery really add interest, don’t they?

And there are lots of springy colors…as in these wonderful rag balls! I may need to copy these, too!

I love this very frenchy garden chair with its springy yellow toile fabric!

But it’s not just springiness that inspires me! Let me show you around a little. For the demijohn addicts, here’s a display of several of them centered around a great old basket!

For the cherub lovers, here’s an unusual cherub hook and a sweet cherub face!

Now if you know me, you know I love mice wearing clothes..weird, but true! lol So I was tempted by this little book…until  I realized they were squirrels! Sooo…I left it for someone who loves squirrels wearing clothes! Is that you?

I have a few favorites I visit each time I come here…like this lug bowl from Ronce les Bains, France… but it is never on sale…sigh!

I also peek in on this bouillotte lamp…the twin to mine…only it’s $70 and mine was $18! Woo hoo!

And I also always pay this a visit…but what is it? A candle holder? An ink well? What do you think?

I have to run by this display of transferware…visual overload! Too much input! Too much temptation! lol

But I think this is my favorite display in the whole store…do you see why?  It has all of the elements needed for ultimate frenchiness...lavender in a rusty old zinc bucket, mercury glass lamps, piles of old monogrammed linens and a plate of grapes and cheese. Add a pastoral scene complete with a flock of sheep and I feel like I am in Provence…ahhh! 

And then finally I saw this…for only $9.99! Are you thinking what I am thinking? It would look great in…

…my frenchy pink and green toile bedroom! Sooo...before I knew it, it hopped in my cart!

And followed me home and...voilà…here it is! It looks like it was just made for me, doesn’t it? 

In fact, our co-hostess, the lovely Miss Isabella, thinks it is just purrfect!
To see the open house through my friend Linda’s eyes, just visit her blog Nina’s Nest to see what she has posted!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my Spring inspiration!  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!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Kara at Elements Interiors for Whassup Wednesday
Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Leigh at Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voilà! French Inspiration on Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Linda at A la Carte for Junkin' Finds on Fridays
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Prepare to Drool...French Décor Magazines Online!

I don’t know about you, but I never tire of looking at anything related to décor or France! Make that décor in France and I am hooked! So today I want to share with you a few of my favorite French décor magazines that I have found online…and they are all free! It doesn’t matter if you don’t speak French, the pictures say it all! Take for example this wonderful salon from Campagne Décoration! (Click on any of the magazine titles to be taken to the full article and more beautiful photos!) I love that fireplace…and that mirror…and that chair…sigh!

Here’s another salon from Campagne Décoration. I love the elegant simplicity…and just look at that fabulous floor…je l’adore!

Look closely…do you notice anything about this one from Le Journal des Femmes ? While we are working so hard to find or create authentic looking grain sack pillows complete with lots of French writing…their version is simple…and in English! lol Love the wall of cabinets…and such a pretty color!

This tablescape for Réveillon or Christmas Eve dinner made my heart stop! I have studied every inch of it! I love those topiaries in pots on the mantel and I want those chairs! lol You’ll find it in Arts & Décoration.

This is a great example of what the French call campagne (country) chic…their version of shabby chic! Look at those fabulous chairs and that cherub medallion on the wall! I found this in e mag Déco. Just click on this link to find a treasure trove of photos of this mas (farmhouse) near Aix in Provence!
The plate lover in me is fascinated by this kitchen! I want to get into that hutch and check out their plates!! lol And look…there on the top shelf…some of those lionhead soup bowls I have been wanting! You can see more in  Mon Jardin & Ma Maison.

This kitchen reminds me of the one in the apartment where we stayed during my retirement trip to Provence! Ahhhh! See more of this lovely Provençal home in Campagne Décoration.

And look at those wonderful floors and those fabulous chairs! Hmmm…is my chair addiction showing? This one is also from e mag Déco.

I love the paint treatment on the walls…and check out that fabulous console table! You can see more of this home…er…château in e mag Déco.

Here’s a simple yet elegant chambre! And check out that mirror! Once again, see more at e mag Déco.

Could you curl up in this reading nook on a rainy day…with a cup of thé and a madeleine? Check out this château at Campagne Décoration.

 In fact, you can often find a virtual tour of a château in these magazines, such as this one that belonged to Madame de Staël…who is often called the first modern woman! It can be found at Art & Décoration.

And what trip to France would be complete without doing a little shopping in Paris? This shop and more out of the way places in Paris can be found in Campagne Décoration. Hmmm…I am noting the address of this one! What excuse can I use to get my 10 year old grandson to agree to a stop at this one during our Paris trip this summer? Maybe they sell gargoyles!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my favorite French magazines!  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!
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Kara at Elements Interiors for Whassup Wednesday
Jill at French Cupboard for French Inspiratin on Thursdays
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Fridays
Laurie at Bargain Hunting and Chatting with Laurie for A Few of My Favorite Things Saturday
See you next time! A la prochaine!