A "Color-Full" Closet Makeover

I have something new to show you...well, not new really! It's something I have been thinking about for a while…organizing all of my accessories by color! But here’s the problem…I have no more storage space! Then it dawned on me…I have a coat closet that has no coats…not a single one! After all, this is the South and who needs a whole closet for coats? Sooo…I hatched a plan!

Baby Kitty says Ohhhh noooo! Look out! She’s taking out the power tools! But fear not, my handsome little co-host…

…I will only need to drill a few holes! First, I measured the length and width I would need. I bought a six foot length of wire shelving and had it cut at Home Depot into three 24” pieces. Then I bought enough brackets for the installation…a pair of wall brackets and three dry wall clips for each shelf. The installation itself was not hard, but it took a little longer than it should have because I had to make a return trip to Home Depot. One pair of wall brackets was the wrong size (it was in the wrong box) and another somehow left the factory missing a bracket! Note to self…put on your glasses! Double check before you leave the store to be sure that you bought the right size and have all the parts! Once I had all the correct parts, I just followed the directions…

…and about two hours later…including that second run to Home Depot…here you have it!

I think I am going to enjoy this! Just look at how much I was able to fit into what was a wasted space! I also found something I had forgotten about that I will show you later and discovered that I have plenty of candles. lol Now when I am looking for one more something blue and white to add to my hutch, I can go straight to it instead of looking in five different places. And…if I ever decide I need a coat closet, the shelves pop right out!

I did such a good job that my co-host was even able to stop worrying and take a nap! Wish I could! I still have a few more closets to rework!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my closet! 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
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Anita at Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up on Tuesdays
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday’s Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Jaime Lyn at Crafty, Scrappy, Happy for Crafty, Scrappy, Happy me on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek 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
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Finding Vintage Frenchiness...at IKEA!

I was surprised during a recent trip to IKEA to find something I was not expecting at all..a little vintage frenchiness! My daughter and I were on a mission to add cuteness to my grandsons’ playroom and I was just along for the cinnamon rolls…er…fun!

It seems that I have been obsessed with tea towels lately, so you are probably not surprised that these vintage-looking versions caught my eye! And…the best part…they were only 79 cents each! I knew that all that was missing was that wonderful monogram you so often see on antique French linens….and voilà!

Only one problem…I can’t cross-stitch! Sooo…not to be undone, I found a graphic for vintage embroidered monograms at the Graphics Fairy!  Karen found them in an antique French monogram book…perfect!

I just had to tweak them a little so that they could be used for iron-on transfers. I removed the blue graph background and flipped them. You may want to crop the letters you want to use and print just those. I printed mine at about one inch by two inches. You may notice that there is no O so you will have to cut the tail off of the Q and create one. Then just follow the package directions to apply them.

Pretty good, huh? They almost look like hand work. Thanks once again, Karen, for sharing your finds!

Baby Kitty is slipping into the picture to remind me that I still have one more little bit of frenchiness to show you…

…this fabulous pillow! My daughter and I agreed that it just had my name all over it! The style is called EMMIE STRÅ and it was just under $20…including the down insert! Not bad! Doesn’t it look fabulous in my frenchy chair?  And isn’t it a wonderful match for the pink and green toile drapes in my Parisian bedroom? Love it!
 Even the back is fabulous! Love the stripe and the buttons!

All of which just goes to show…if you have frenchiness on the brain, you can find it almost anywhere!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my frenchy 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!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Karen at The Graphics Fairy for Brag Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Anita at Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up on Tuesdays
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday’s Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Jaime Lyn at Crafty, Scrappy, Happy for Crafty, Scrappy, Happy me on Thursdays
Jill at French Cupboard for Voila!French Inspiration on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek 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
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Springy Blue and Yellow Mantel

I know that spring isn’t here just yet, but daffodils are blooming and the robins are back…encouraging signs that it can’t be too far away! Sooo… I decided to add a little spring to my mantel in the form of blue and white Chinoiserie and some daffodils!

Our co-hostess Miss Kitty is wondering why I ever changed the mantel to neutral colors anyway since I always come back to my favorite colors…blue and yellow! They remind me of the sunny skies of Provence. It seems that I am happiest when I am surrounded by those colors!

It all began with a wonderful pair of lidded urns that I found while exploring a new flea/antique shop with my friend Linda at Nina’s Nest. As soon as I saw them, I knew they had to come home with me! Not only was there a pair…I have a thing about pairs…they were only $16 each! Woo hoo! They are really nice and heavy, coming originally from Bombay Company. (Sniff! I still miss them! They always had so many pretty blue and white pieces!)

But to introduce a little springiness, I removed the lids for another time and added some faux daffodils…on sale 40% off at Michaels. Blue and yellow together…ahhh!

Next, I added my pair of little vintage-inspired Staffordshire-style dogs and some Spode plates in the Albany pattern…also in my favorite colors…just the right touch of more yellow!

And in the center…one of the double happiness jars from my collection….so named because of the Chinese symbols depicted on the jar.

And here it is! What do you think? Is it too soon to be thinking about spring?

My daffodils don’t think so! I hope they are right!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my mantel! 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
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Shannon at Fox Hollow Cottage for the Spring Mantel Party
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Anita at Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up on Tuesdays
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday’s Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Jaime Lyn at Crafty, Scrappy, Happy for Crafty, Scrappy, Happy me on Thursdays
Jill at French Cupboard for Voila!French Inspiration on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek 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
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Vintage French No-Sew Tea Towels

I have been playing with textiles again and have another frenchy tea towel to show you…but you don’t have to be able to sew for this one! It’s a really low-cost vintage look that I think I like!

But first, I need to introduce our guest co-host…my granddog Paco the Chihuahua! Isn’t he a handsome little fellow? He is a frequent visitor here at the Plate Addicts and just seemed like a natural to help us out on this post!

So…Paco would like to take advantage of being in the spotlight and show you around a little. Since this week’s feature project is a tea towel, we would like to offer you some tea…from my vintage Red Cliff ironstone tea set! It was pieced together over time from thrifting finds and eBay buys. I love anything with a grape motif, so this pattern is among my favorites!

More wonderful grapes…a fabulous antique 1904 Rogers Brothers sugar spoon in the Vintage pattern…a cherished gift from my blogger friend and neighbor, Babs at Upstairs Downstairs. Isn’t it beautiful? That’s my baby porringer holding the lemons.

I have to tell you a secret about the croissants…they are petrified! lol Yes…I preserved them a year and a half ago and they look just as good as ever! You can find a tutorial here if you are interested. They stay in my shabby pastry dome that I featured in the same post. The pretty plate is one of a set...a sweet gift from Claudie at French, Pink, Poodles and Pearls.
 And now for the tea towels…actually just an iron-on transfer added to flour sack towels from Target at $3.99 for four! Woo hoo! So even if you don’t sew, you can have fun with transfers!

Here is the graphic that I used…based on a vintage flatware graphic from the Graphics Fairy. Once again, thanks to Karen for more fun finds! I did play with it a little and turn the knife right-side up (am I obsessive-compulsive?) and add some frenchy script. And, no, I am not crazy…it’s backwards for the transfer! I used Photoscape and printed it at 3” x 5” size. Just follow the directions on the transfer paper and iron and iron and iron some more!

And there you have my little vignette…tea time with my vintage frenchy tea towels! Won’t you join me? Well…that is, except for the petrified croissants!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my project! 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
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Karen at The Graphics Fairy for Brag Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Anita at Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up on Tuesdays
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Jaime Lyn at Crafty, Scrappy, Happy for Crafty, Scrappy, Happy me on Thursdays
Jill at French Cupboard for Voila!French Inspiration on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek 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
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! A la prochaine!

Rustic French Valentine Centerpiece

I can’t wait to show you my Valentine centerpiece…featuring my favorite rustic, chippy box filled with ticking and toile, vintage silverplate and my favorite transferware! And if you are thinking…Hey, that looks familiar..

…that’s because you have seen it before…in the fall filled with pumpkins, gourds and a Quimper plate…

…and at Christmas filled with bright ornaments, a little tree, a reindeer and a Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles Christmas plate! Can you say versatile? I found the box at Joss and Main back in the early fall and have loved having it on my breakfast room table! Just a few changes update it each season! The burlap table square that I made has been the perfect backdrop each time, too!

Of course, I could not accomplish all this without the help of my co-host Baby Kitty! He wants to show you some of the fabric we used to make our hearts. It probably looks familiar, too…

…because we used it to make our vintage French Valentine pillow! I’m still getting mileage out of those old ticking window panels I’m cutting up…

…because here are my ticking and toile fabric hearts! That combination just says Frenchiness to me!

The lead crystal urn filled with vintage silverplate flatware…all Goodwill finds…is back…

…as well as another favorite plate in the Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles in pink…perfect for Valentines!

On the table…the sugar and creamer from the same pattern sporting a wooden heart to match the ones in the box. They were easy to make.

First, I took apart this Valentine decoration that I found on sale at Michaels for under $4.00…

…and then I painted the hearts Engine Red from FolkArt. Next, I drilled bigger holes at the top, added twine bows…and voilà!

I just added a vintage silverplate coffee pot filled with faux red tulips and there you have it…my rustic French Valentine centerpiece! Lovin’ that chippy box and thinking about the next holiday!

Finally…did you notice that I took the photos during the blue hour? I am excited! Even the reflection on the table is blue! That’s never happened before even though I have tried!  Woo hooo!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my centerpiece! 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
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party
Paula and Patti at Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Jill at French Cupboard for Voila!French Inspiration on Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for the Valentine Party
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Laurie at Bargain Hunting (and Chatting) with Laurie for the Valentine Party
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Jennifer at Dear Lillie for the Valentine Party
See you next time! A la prochaine!