Where on Earth Have I Been???

My oh my, my bloggie friends,

Where, you ask?  Well, right here, living life, just not blogging.  Are any of you still out there or am I deluding myself?  It's been SOOOOOOO long (nearly 2 years) since I fired up my Blogger account.  WHAT?  How does this happen?  I've missed blogging so much, but the whole full-time job thing and trying to juggle 2 kids and 2 Etsy shops (didn't do so great on that, more later on in the post), blah, blah, blah, you get it.  I have started doing Instagram a small bit, but nothing like the blog-more personal, no real theme, just a real mish-mash of whatever strikes my fancy on any given day.  It's great for short attention span lookey looing, but not like the blogs are. 

The reason I wanted to pop over to say hello was to show you what I spent all of last week doing...reviving my sad, neglected little Etsy shops.  I actually just let them whither on the vine for a while.  Also sad, but apparently, what I needed.  After a few months of nothing new being put on there, I finally decided enough was enough.  I asked for a week off from work and got busy.  I photographed and measured and cataloged.  I got several new pieces up in each shop and I am now postured to be able to add more pieces much easier since I did the hard work up front.  I thought I'd make little photo collages to give you an idea of what's new.  I call this one "Rhapsody in Blue and Gold"-okay, just kidding, I didn't name it that, but it does kind of work, don't you think?  LOL!

These lovelies can be or will be found soon along with many other beautiful treasures at The French Laundry. 

My other shop, Elegant Farmhouse, has also been revamped. If you aren't familiar with Elegant Farmhouse, the aesthetic is different than The French Laundry.  More simple items, cleaner lines, less fancy.  Funny, but this seems to coincide with my split personality when it comes to decorating.  Part of me LOVES all the fancy French antiques, the more gilt the better, while another part still digs the painted primitives that I came to love when I lived in New England.  Hence, 2 shops.  Or, if you are Marion of Miss Mustard Seed fame, you can blend both into a wonderfully cohesive decorating style.  She is so sweet and so very talented...but I digress.  Back to my photo collage.  We'll call this one "Study in White and Tan". I plan on adding more items every week to both shops, so pop by whenever you get the chance and have a look around. You just never know when something is going to strike your fancy. 

I'll try to circle back around and share more photos when I get the chance. 

Until next time,

New Year, New Stuff in the Etsy Shops

I hope you all had a lovely New Year's Eve.  I can hardly believe it is 2016!  Like many of you, I have high hopes for all of the things I hope to accomplish this year and it is always fun to feel like you have a blank page to start with.  One of my things I hope to accomplish is to keep up with my shop keeping on my Etsy stores.  First accomplishment is to load new treasures today over at The French Laundry.  Put a big ol' CHECK on that one.  Head over and see my new goodies, fresh this morning.  I'll be loading a few more throughout the day and perhaps will even get some new "merch" added to my other shop, Elegant Farmhouse this weekend.

Don't you just love these vintage images?  Karen over at The Graphics Fairy always has something fun for all of those projects you know you have on your list...check her site out if somehow you've been under a rock for the last several years and have missed her vintage awesomeness. (wink)


Until next time,

Time in the Studio...

Hi Bloggie Friends,

Christmas time is almost upon us.  Yikes!  I am so incredibly behind.  One reason is I've been spending more time in my studio which is a good thing.  I made these pretty little altered boxes which hold what I am calling prayer ribbons/bookmarks.

Each one is different.  I altered the boxes which were vintage pharmacy boxes with vintage wallpaper and antique paper, lace on some, ribbons on others, a beautiful image of either Mary or Mary and Jesus, and, of course, a little glitter. Finally, a special word was added.

The medals came from France and the beads are all vintage from my stock of treasures.

The crinkle on the ribbon part is intentional.  Hope people "get" that. WINK...

These little pretties are available in my Etsy shop Elegant Farmhouse and would make a great gift for either yourself or someone else.  Hope all is merry and bright wherever you are.

Sharing with Feathered Nest Friday.

Until next time,

Beautiful Prayer Shrines

Just a quick little check in to let you know there are more beautiful prayer shrines up in my Etsy shop Elegant Farmhouse.  These are SO pretty with their French Nordic influence and antique materials. They would make a great gift for yourself or someone special.  My pictures do not do them justice.  These are my original designs and each one is one of a kind, created with love and much attention to every detail.

Until next time,

Laid Back Sunday

Hello Friends,

Just a quick check in to say I hope you are enjoying your Sunday.  I bought a pretty white Stock bouquet yesterday at the store just because.  We are not fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe's around here (although I keep hearing rumors that we will get one), so fresh flowers are more of a "treat" than a regular occurrence around my house.  The stock is a flower that I've never had any luck growing in the garden despite repeated attempts, but I love it.  Not only is it a pretty little stalk, but it smells WON-DER-FUL!  Might be too sweet for some folks, but not me.  Anyway, I put it in one of my favorite old transferware pitchers on the center of my dining room table which is transitioning from the Valentine table to a more springy look.  No major decor just yet, but get ready for my big pink clown Easter bunny coming soon.  I'm really excited since I "lost" him in the ruckus that is my house a couple of years ago and only found him this summer, so it has been a while since he's hopped into spring.

Not that I'm dreaming of spring JUST yet when we have some more winter weather in us, but a little touch doesn't hurt.  The photo below shows you how pretty our town looks with some nice winter snow frosting everything.  I should mention that the view is not from my home, but from the Garden of the Gods Club a few miles away.  A good friend belongs to the club and I get to tag along with her to happy hours now and then again.  I never tire of that view, no matter what season it is.

On a different note, I've put a few new things in both Etsy shops, so stop by and take a peek.

This pretty Wedgwood compote is such a mellow creamy color.  I love the embossed edge.  It is here at Elegant Farmhouse. 

This adorable shelf will hopefully be listed on Elegant Farmhouse this week although seeing how cute it looks all styled up, I might have a hard time getting that little listing done!

Check out this amazing 4 inch wide 1920's lace that is here at The French Laundry.

This beauty emerged from the pile of goods destined for The French Laundry.  Swoon...

Well, laid back Sunday or not, I do have to tend to a few things before we jump back into the work week, so have a great week and hopefully, I'll get to stop by and see what you all are up to. 
Until next time,

Valentine Shop Hop, Part 2

My apologies for not getting back to you for part 2 of my shopping spree through some of my favorite Etsy shops, but life kind of got in the way.  Whew!  Busy weekend and I'm going to need some retail therapy to unwind...

First stop is my blogging buddy Debra's fun shop The Petite Boutique.  I'm sure many of you know Debra from her blog, Common Ground.  She hosts a great Friday party and always has some great decor posts, but in her spare time, she loves to play with old keys and fun findings and she makes these cool necklaces.  She has some new ones posted for Valentine's Day, so pop on over and check them out.

I discovered Julie at GoGoSnap purely by accident, but I was so enchanted with her beautiful designs for business cards that I had her make some up for me.  My design that I picked out was the wonderful lady in the center.  She does invitation packages for weddings, notecards, thank you notes, and save the date cards.  Her designs are all done on a real Heidelberg Offset press, so not digital or laser, and she has high quality thick paper.  I mean really high quality.  She is not cheap, but trust me, you will be thrilled with the result and Julie is great to work with. 

Another face that may be familiar to you is Rhonda from A Little Bit French.  She is a blogger as well and she makes the most wonderful things out of fabric, lace, jewelry, and paper.  I love everything she creates and whenever you buy something, she spoils you with little extras.  Go check out her shop if you haven't yet because you will love her French style.  

Susan at Evelyn and Rose is a blogger and DIY decorator who has been featured in the Somerset Life magazine a couple of times and she makes some awesome things for her shop, namely pillows.  One of these days, I'm going to get one of these beauties for some place special in my home.  She's super nice too and that's always a plus, don't you think?

If you love pretty paper tags, journals, and other paper whimseys, you will have a great time poking around Dorothy Jane.  She is a an old soul and loves anything Jane Austen.  Her work is beautiful and a real treat for the eyes.  I bought the Souvenir de Paris tags on the right and they are quite fun.  I can't wait to do something awesome with them.  Give her a look, you'll be glad you did.

And, while I was trying to behave and not engage in shameless self promotion, it is my blog after all, so I guess I will attempt to prod you to check out my new listings at both of my Etsy shops, The French Laundry...

And Elegant Farmhouse.

So, that's it for our pre-Valentine's Day shopping spree on Etsy.  I hope you enjoyed yourself.  I know I did.  For now, it is time for this little chickie to go to bed.

Until next time,

The Trouble with Finding Your Passion...

Hello Bloggie Friends,

First of all, it has been an astonishing first two weeks of business at my Etsy shop, The French Laundry.  YAY!  Sooooooo good for my psyche and good for my soul.  This being said, I must comment on the dangers of finding your passion, living your bliss, and selling only that which you would love to have in your own home (my words from my Etsy shop "mission statement" if you will).  I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE IT IN MY OWN HOME.  This means, each and every time, each and every purchase I make for the shop, I have to go through what I am embarrassed to admit is a somewhat GUT-WRENCHING-prying-this-stuff-out-of-my-chubby-little-hands-you-bought-it-to-sell-it little disco dance.  Really?  It's stuff.  Stuff I don't need cause I've already got plenty of my own stuff thank you very much.  Sigh...but it's SO pretty.  And when it is in piles, waiting to be photographed and described, it makes such a beautiful mess.  Yes, it does.  Mr. French Laundry, in this case, your opinion does not count.  You call it my piles, I call it a beautiful mess.  Half empty, half full...who is the happier one here, huh?  HUH?  Can you tell I'm having a bit of a dilemma?  I visited with a dear friend of mine one afternoon this past week (yes Sharon, I'm talking about you), and we commented on what kindred spirits we are.  We absolutely love the same things and her "work room" is a room I could enter, shut the door, and stay in for DAYS just looking and marveling at all of the beauty just piled up around me.  I kid you not, it is THAT good.  Maybe one of these days I'll do a photo shoot of her pretty piles.  But seriously, she can buy something amazing and turn right around and sell it, just like that, no fuss, no muss.  But not me.  No, I have to love on it for a while.  Put it somewhere and gaze upon it for a bit until I feel I've absorbed it's beauty and can let it go to a new home (some things have to marinate longer than others, I must admit).  That's just how I roll I guess.  But, once I let something go, I have to say, I've never actually had any regrets.  In fact, I can't say I've ever missed a thing.  Oh well, worse problems to have for sure.

I made this powder box out of old materials, even the box itself.

More from the beautiful mess pile.  Swoon...

I added a couple more vintage wallpapers to my wallpaper store on my blog sidebar.  Here's a peek at them:

1940's liles on soft green and white background

1940-50 Sears Harmony House floral clusters on neutral taupe background

I have also been adding new items to Elegant Farmhouse like this pretty Edwardian Motto Pillow:

Well, it is getting late and my laundry basket calls.  Hate that...

Until next time,

Happy New Year, a Book Review, and News for the New Year

Happy New Year!  This is a rather random disjointed post, but I hope you'll forgive me.  I've been super busy getting ready to open a second Etsy shop.  I'm very excited about it and I hope you will be as well.  My first shop, Elegant Farmhouse, was opened when I had a plethora of antique grain sack pillows that I made that needed an outlet for sale.  I found that some of the other things I loved, such as white ironstone and zinc items, looked nice with the pillows so a shop was born.  I still love all of those things and have fun hunting and gathering, but something has been missing.  For years, I sold on eBay under the name French Laundry, hence my blog name, and there I had the type of things that probably speak to my heart as much as anything in my many collections...beautiful, feminine boudoir and vanity antiques, fine linens and laces, and pretty china.  I haven't regularly sold on eBay in some years and I have really missed working with the pink girlie stuff.  AND did I mention that I still have a huge backlog of items which were destined for eBay but have just been in a holding pattern since I gave up being a regular seller on that venue?  SO, I hope to be up and running in a week or thereabouts.  You all will be the first to know once that happens.  The shop name is The French Laundry and the picture above and below will give you an idea of the feeling of that shop-fussier than Elegant Farmhouse, but still the same service and variety that you have come to know from me.  If you love 1920's ribbon work, flapper items, and Edwardian perfumes, this is a place you will want to visit often.  Let me clarify, I am NOT closing Elegant Farmhouse, just adding a second shop.

Okay, now that the shameless self promotion is done, I promised you a mini book review of the book "Inspired You", written by Blogland's own Marian Parsons, aka Miss Mustard Seed.  

Let me say that I am an avid reader.  Not like I ALWAYS have my nose in a book, but I do belong to a book club and really enjoy reading.  That being said, I can't remember a time that I've EVER read a design or lifestyle book cover to cover.  Maybe it's shallow, but I buy them for the pretty pictures and while I try to read the content, I generally fall short (read "I lose interest").  This one was the exception.  Perhaps because it is more than just a book about designing a warm and welcoming home.  Perhaps it is Marian's down to earth style and way of writing.  Maybe it is because she spoke to my heart on more than one occasion when she reminds us that our goal isn't to live in a magazine photo shoot but to create a comfortable home for our family and friends and to use our God given talents to make that home truly our own.  Maybe it is because she reminded me to be grateful for what I have and not JUST focus on the things I want to change.  Whatever the reason, I loved the book.  It was an uplifting, REAL book for REAL people.  It has a few easy tutorials for projects, some hints on getting low cost and high style, and lots of pretty pictures of MMS's own home.  It is available from the publisher, Thomas Nelson and can also be found on Amazon.  And did I mention, it is VERY reasonably priced?  Well, now I did, so now you know.  I recently met Marian at a workshop she did here in Colorado and she is just as nice as you might think and then some.  I love that.  I purchased some of her new milk paint in Luckett's Green.  I can't wait to try it.  Her color palate is really beautiful and if you haven't checked it, you should.  There are about 100 retailers carrying the line and, if you are fortunate like me to have an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockist who also carries Miss Mustard Seed's products, then you really have it made.

Well, I have only tonight and tomorrow off from work, then it is back to the grind for me.  AND there is a good probability that I will be returning to work full time very soon, so I need to get moving while I have the opportunity and finish some listings for The French Laundry and restock Elegant Farmhouse.  Whew!  This Christmas break has certainly gone by fast!  My kids have off until Monday, so they can enjoy hanging out a while longer-they love that and so do I!

I hope you all had a nice Christmas and a good New Year and that 2013 will be happy and prosperous for all of us!

Until next time,