French Farmhouse Style...on a Budget

If you know me, you know how much I love French farmhouse style…and that I love creating that look on a budget! Sooo...I am really excited to show you my latest vignette combining both! To create it, I have gathered some of my favorite thrifting finds, bargains and cherished gifts.

Burlap and Dogwood...My Easy (and Almost Free) Spring Wreath

I don’t know about you, but I need a little bit of spring! We have had nothing but rainy, cold, gloomy days for what seems like forever here in Georgia…so I decided to make a new spring wreath to lift my spirits. This one is super easy and was almost free! Woo hoo! Gotta love that!

And…to help put us in the mood for spring, we have finally had a sunny day today! In fact, it has been glorious! Baby Kitty decided to take full advantage of a sunny spot and have a long nap so I will be going it alone.

But that is not a problem since this one is so easy! Here’s all I had to do:

1. First, wrap a straw wreath form ($3.00 with a coupon at Michaels)  in strips of burlap, securing them with staples as you go. I had plenty of burlap in my stash, but if you don’t, a yard should be more than enough.
2. Next, I gathered my supplies…two faux dogwood stems, a nest and some little Easter eggs…also from my stash…so free! However, with a coupon and some careful shopping, they would not be expensive since most craft stores have their spring decor on sale right now.
3. Then I cut the dogwood stems to fit my wreath and secured them with hot glue.
4. Finally, I hot glued the nest to the wreath and then added the eggs…also with hot glue.
5. And…taaa daaa!…here’s the finished wreath!

I love it! And…the fact that it only cost three dollars is a bonus! Ahhh! Surely it won’t be too much longer now until spring! What about you? Are you getting out your spring decor?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my spring wreath! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday
Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
French Country Cottage for the Six Days of Spring Party
 French Country Cottage for It's a Spring Thing Linky Party
See you next time! À la prochaine!

Confessions of a Plate Addict Blog

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Easy-to-Change Seasonal Vignettes...All Dressed for Saint Patrick's Day!

Do you love changing your decor with the holidays? I have a secret I am going to share with you today...my three easy-to-change seasonal vignettes! And since it’s just a few weeks until Saint Patrick’s Day and I am part Irish, I have them all dressed for the wearin' o' the green!

First, I have added a little Irish saying on my Goodwill tray-turned-chalkboard to greet my guests…Erin Go Bragh…Ireland Forever. The little silver tray is now filled with shamrocks…

…instead of little bottle brush trees as it was at Christmas when a frenchy Christmas greeting graced the chalkboard tray.  And if that looks familiar…

…it may be because I also used the same little arrangement to display a Valentine greeting with ticking and toile hearts! I just love finding a versatile vignette that can be tweaked to fit any holiday with just a few simple changes!!

More Irish fun…these easy vintage-look Saint Patrick’s Day candles are simply Dollar Tree candle holders covered with copies of vintage postcards! You can find directions for making them including the graphics here.

And speaking of versatile…here are the same Dollar Tree candle holders dressed for different holidays…and I have also included the graphics for each of these! Click to see more of the candles dressed for Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Halloween.

You have figured out by now how much I love finding something that I can change for the holidays, so let me show you my all-time favorite versatile piece…my rustic box! That’s Baby Kitty looking on approvingly in the background. Here it is all ready as a Saint Patrick’s Day centerpiece…

…but I have also dressed it for Fall, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter! Gotta love this versatile little work horse!

And…here’s a final look at my little chalkboard holiday vignette all dressed for Saint Paddy's Day! Now that I have tweaked all of my seasonal decor, I think I am just about ready for the wearin’ o’ the green! What about you? Do you have some favorite versatile go-to vignettes?

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my versatile seasonal vignettes! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday
Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! À la prochaine!

Confessions of a Plate Addict Blog

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Ballard Bargains...Boxwood and French Script

Woo hoo! I am so excited about my favorite new finds…fabulous French script document paper and its matching ribbon along with some classic little boxwood wreaths! And…I owe it all to my good friend Linda at Nina’s Nest who spotted them at the Ballard Designs outlet and knew I would want some of each! Merci, Linda! Is that a good friend or what?

I asked her to pick up four of the little wreaths for me since I knew I could definitely use them on the backs of chairs or on kitchen cabinet doors at Christmas time…not to mention the fun things I could do with them all year long as well! And…they were under $4.00 each!

You know I love this frenchy document paper! And the outlet store was selling it in single rolls for about $5.00 each. Woo hoo! My mind is reeling with ideas!

And just look at the French script document ribbon…gorgeous! It’s a little more expensive…at $15 for a 10 yard roll…but I love it!

That makes a total of about $34 for all of that wonderful vintage-y frenchy goodness! Score! I am so lucky to have a friend who knows me so well! And I am also lucky to have a wise CEO like our Miss Ozzie who helped me come up with some fun ways to use my new favorites!

She suggested I try making some simple book covers from the document paper and I love her idea! I am also thinking about making sleeves to add a vintage touch to some of my pillar candles.

But my favorite idea is this one that combines the document ribbon with the boxwood wreath…all dressed up in a used-to-be-gold frame from Goodwill. First I gave the frame a coat of Annie Sloan Old White chalk paint with a dry brush. Next, I painted the cardboard inner liner with chalkboard paint…

…and attached the wreath with some of the frenchy ribbon. Then all I had to do was add a Bonjour and I have a new vignette to greet my guests as they enter my home! I love it! And I still have oodles of ribbon and paper plus three more wreath to play with! I am going to have so much fun!

And...if you hop on over to their web site, I think you will find the paper and ribbon on sale there, too...and they didn't pay me to say that! Just  a little hint in case you are interested...

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my new favorites! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday
Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! À la prochaine!

Confessions of a Plate Addict Blog

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Pottery Barn Inspired Spring Vase...And It's Free!

I hope I am not rushing things for you, but after having my Christmas decorations up until the first of February for my holiday photo shoot, I need a little bit of spring! And I am so excited about this project because...unlike the $89 Pottery Barn version…mine was free! 

My Early Spring Almost-Too-Late for Valentine's Day Centerpiece

I don’t know about you, but I need a little bit of spring...with maybe some Valentine's Day thrown in before I am too late!

And our Miss Kitty is in complete agreement with me since…

…we are still in the process of taking down our Christmas decorations due to our recent holiday photo shoot with Country Sampler magazine! Woo hoo! I’m still beaming about that one!  :-)

So when I passed these tulips in the grocery store, I knew what I needed to do!

I pulled out my vintage Red Cliff ironstone tea set to create something light and springy for the breakfast room table!

I also took out my homemade “vintage” French linens…

…and these wonderful frenchy rooster salt and pepper shakers…a gift from my friend Babs at Upstairs Downstairs…

…and another sweet gift...from a dear reader, Jackie…this lovely vintage flatware in my favorite grapey pattern!

And of course, the inspiration for it all…these wonderful pink and white tulips…ready to do double duty for Valentine’s Day and an early peek into spring!

And…maybe just a little bit of my leftover Christmas thrown in for good measure!

And there you have it…my early Spring/almost-too-late for Valentine’s Day centerpiece! Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my Valentine/ early spring 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday
Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
French Country Cottage for the Six Days of Spring Party
French Country Cottage for It's a Spring Thing Linky Party
See you next time! À la prochaine!

Confessions of a Plate Addict Blog

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Want to Know How I Found My Style? Find Out at From My Front Porch to Yours!

I am so excited today because I am the guest blogger with Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours for How I Found My Style Sundays! I feel so honored to have been invited to her lovely blog to tell you a little bit about  myself and how my Country French style came about!

You may already know Pamela since her wonderful blog was featured just this month in Romantic Homes magazine! And…her blog is indeed one to make you swoon!

If you haven’t already, you will definitely need to check out her lovely laundry room…complete with chandelier…that she made over for just $100! Talk about swoon!

And take a look at her Country French dining room! Don’t you love it? And she found this chandelier for a song at a yard sale! Unbelievable! And there is lots more to see!

So please head over to Pamela’s lovely blog From My Front Porch to Yours to discover how I found my style and have a peek into her beautiful home! I think you will find yourself spending some time there admiring her style! I know I do!

Confessions of a Plate Addict Blog

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A Favorite New Find...and...Some Very Exciting News!

I have been a little out of the loop for a few days for a very exciting reason…and I will explain in just a minute! But first I want to show you my latest love…my French wire egg holder! Woo hoo! I have been on the hunt for this baby for several years…ever since I saw one while touring Monet’s wonderful blue and white kitchen in Giverny! But…it was nowhere to be found.

Then while I was shopping at the Williams Sonoma outlet with my friend Linda at Nina’s Nest, the heavens opened up and a shaft of light fell upon…my French wire egg holder! And…it was even on sale! Woo hoo! Come to mama! You have to admit that is just about the frenchiest thing you have ever seen! Now Claude Monet has nothing on me! I am in love! :-)

And now my big news…why am I showing you my Christmas decorations? They have been up all this time because…I had a magazine shoot at my house! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Yes…pinch me! Country Sampler will be featuring my house all decorated for Christmas in an issue this fall!  I am still smiling and it seems like a dream! I was afraid to tell anyone until it was over…just in case it wasn’t real! lol It was so much fun! The photographer and his wife/stylist were such interesting people. I felt like some friends had come to play with my toys!

And I must report that our Miss Kitty made a fool of her sweet self over them and managed to work her way into several shots! While the rest of the staff hid under the bed all day, Kitty wormed her way into their hearts and a star was born! Here she is taking a well-deserved nap after a hard day of modeling! Sooo…once the magazine is on the shelves, I will share it with you…but I have a long time to wait! I have a feeling  will be excited all over again…so brace yourselves! I hope you don’t mind! :-)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my favorite new find! 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!
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday
Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday
Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up! on Tuesdays
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
DIY by Design for Winter Blues Wednesday
The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays
My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
See you next time! À la prochaine!

Confessions of a Plate Addict Blog

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Cowgirl Up Party #52 with Your Guest Host...Me!...Confessions of a Plate Addict

Woo hoo! Guess who is the guest host at the Cowgirl Up Party this week!
Yep...it's me! So put on your cowgirl boots, come on over and join us! 

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of our cowgirls!!  (If you're here, that means you, unless you're a guy.)



This week is week 52, and guess what? We started Cowgirl Up one year ago. (Oh I guess you figured that out with it being week #52 and all.) 

This party is special because of you dear friend.  You are the special ingredient that makes this party work.  We're taking off our hats to you.  Now I'm ready to introduce our special guest host, Debbie from Confessions of a Plate Addict. I love her and I know you probably already do, but if you don't know her, I'll let her speak for herself. Take it away, Debbie...

Hi, Cowgirl Up readers!

I am Debbie and I am so excited to have been invited to join all of those wonderful ladies from Texas… 
Anita, Samantha, Linsey and Amanda…
for the Cowgirl Up linky party!

I already feel right at home here since I had the honor of hanging out with these talented ladies for their Christmas in July party!

Let me tell you a little bit about myself.

I blog at Confessions of a Plate Addict where I am aided by my sassy feline staff.
 In a nutshell, I am a retired French teacher who loves anything French.
I am also blessed to be the grandmother of three wonderful boys!

And yes…I love plates!

And I have to show you my favorites…my vintage French Quimper collection!
Why plates? 
My addiction began when I was living in France for a year (What a experience!) where lovely plates are an essential part of life!

The birth of my first grandson brought me back home to Georgia...

but not without some ideas for making my home into my own little corner of "France"…the best of both worlds!

And so I embarked on a mission to create frenchiness…on a budget!
(I am a retired teacher, you know!)

I am a natural born copy-cat, so I have created my own “vintage” French linens…

…and put French words on anything that sits still long enough to let me!

And once I figure out how to make something, I share how I did it…
so my blog is packed with lots of tips and tutorials
so you can add frenchiness to your home, too, if you would like!

Add in some fun thrifting and antiquing…

…and top if off with travel...to places where French is spoken, of course…
and there you have my blog!

 So I hope you will drop by, make yourself at home and have a look around!  

You are always welcome!

And thanks again to the Cowgirls for inviting me to co-host! 

Now…let’s get this party started!

** Want to be a Guest Host here on Cowgirl Up? Just leave a comment with your name and blog address below! If you are selected, you will be introduced in the Cowgirl Up post for that week, and we'll include a link to your blog. We’ll send you the code for the party ahead of time. Lots of fantastic exposure for you, and the post is written for you!

On to this week's features chosen by
Anita of  
Cedar Hill Ranch

(I hope you got to see my blog featured in the February issue of Romantic Homes magazine. 

You can click here for more info.)


Here are this week's features.

At Home on the Bay - How to Diffuse Hard Light

Southern Abbey - Antique White Sideboard

An Extraordinary Day - DIY Valentine Moment with Meaning

The Kitchen is my Playground - Chocolate Valentine's Day Kiss Cookies

Petticoat Junktion - MMS Milk Paint

Texas Girl in Philly - Lavender Heart Sachets

Now about this week's party... You link up on my blog and your link shows up on FIVE blogs.

More exposure, less time.


We are looking for the latest and greatest projects, tutorials, ideas, crafts, recipes, decor, and inspiring stories. Anything that you are proud to show off.

Cowgirl Up! is the link party that saves you time and brings you inspiration.

What blogs will your link appear on? Check us out below!

Linsey with The Farmhouse Porch

Anita with Cedar Hill Ranch

Amanda with The Ivy Cottage Blog

Samantha with Crafty Texas Girls

*PLUS our Special GUEST HOST: 
Debbie of Confessions of a Plate Addict

The four of us are all Texas bloggers, but you don't have to be Texas, country, western, or own horses to participate in Cowgirl Up! You just need that "can-do", cowgirl spirit!

Cowgirl Up! Link Party Guidelines

(Please read the guidelines before participating)

* When you link with Cowgirl Up!, your link will automatically show on four different blogs. Awesome!

* Please follow your host blog before linking up on GFC (and if you have a linkyfollow account, then please follow that way too.)

* You may link up decor, DIY, crafts, guest post, recipes, giveaways, sewing, inspiring stories, and anything that you feel related to the listed categories.

* You may link as many links as you want.

* Be sure to include the Cowgirl Up! Button or text link to Cowgirl Up in your linked post, (mine can be found on my sidebar.) Mandatory to be featured!!

* Be courteous and visit the two links before yours. Several projects will be featured each week!

* By linking up you are agreeing that the photos are yours or that you have permission to use them,  that we may use those photos to feature your project in a blog post, on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter with a link back to your blog of course. 

*If you pin a project shown here, please, please pin from the original source.

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