The Feminine (White) Home

Hello friends!  Thankfully Irene came and went without much damage here.  We lost power for 12 hours, but that was the worst we encountered.  Our hearts go out to those that experienced much worse devastation.  Nature can astound and remind us what is truly important in our lives. 
Our children start school this week, and I will be focusing on getting them ready.  But I did want to do a quick post about the fabulous book I recently purchased from Jo-Anne Coletti called 'The Feminine Home - Where the Heart Is".  It is gorgeous!!
Take a peek:

What a lovely assortment of homes to discover inside its' pages.  All in the white, dreamy, Jeanne D'Arc Living style and accompanied by enchanting stories and quotations.  You can order a book here at Jo-Anne's website.  She is also having a giveaway for a signed copy of the book, ending 8/31.  So hurry!

Still in the 'white' frame of mind, here are a few whites from our living room...

   

Sharing with Kathleen's White Wednesday.  See you in September!

Seasonal Transition

Summer's warm and sea-breezed days are getting fewer, but we're making the most of them here.  Our children start school next week, so I'm also thinking of fall and the crisp autumn days ahead.  The house is in transition,  not to mention a bit untidy from full days with active children.  I hope to post some full room shots of autumn decor in the weeks ahead. 
In the meantime, here is a quick fall project I worked on today.  These craft store pumpkins got painted with white gesso. I've been trying out gesso after seeing all the amazing projects Rosemary creates with it on her blog. 

hydrangeas in transition, too...

After gesso-ing the pumpkins, I 'painted' glue in the top creases with a toothpick and sprinkled with clear glitter.

 
Here is a before pic of the pumpkin from the craft store.  It was a bit too cream-colored and smooth for me:

Some lingering touches of summer still brighten the day...

I've also been busy designing and creating some handmade goods for my soon-to-open Etsy store!  I'll be focusing on what I love to work with - fabrics.  Inspiration surrounds me...

The pretty and the rustic combined...

Of course I'll share the store news with you as soon as it opens, which will hopefully be next month.
Until then, enjoy this transitional time full of opportunities!
Sharing this post with Kathleen's White Wednesday and Cindy's Show and Tell Friday.

Enchanted Garden

We are fortunate to live so near the ocean and this fabulous city park located on the coast.   It has a gorgeous garden to explore.

But beware....

My fellas decided to go ahead in and be cast by the garden spell:

Our daughter enjoyed the view from above:

To the right the garden is open to this glorious view...

..and to the left are many secret hiding places.  This is a popular place to play hide-and-seek...

... or to sit a spell on this stone white bench...

...but the lions keeping watch always know where to find you!

Sharing these white stone beauties over at Kathleen's White Wednesday. 
Wish you could all come visit and be enchanted!

White Chair Makeover

It's White Wednesday again already, so here I am linking up with a chair makeover.  Recently I mentioned the plan to re-cover a pair of chairs in our living room.  New white fabric was put to good use in a monogrammed seat slipcover.  The top back got a simple nail head tacking to hold in place. 

I was inspired to make these slipcovers after admiring those found in the 'Romantic Prairie Style' book, from Lisa and Rich Adkins' home.  I like the ability to take them off for washing.  Here are the inspiration chairs:

That book offers hours of delighting in each detail.  Sigh..

My summer pillow fits comfortably:

Not having the budget to use a vintage monogrammed French sheet to cover the chairs, I personalized them with our children's initials:

Although the dark linen fabric I originally covered the chairs in was functional for 5 years, it was time for a change - don't  you think?

wrinkled, stained(?) and dark - gasp!

I'm also sharing this transformation with Michele's Primp Your Stuff, Jami's Textile Party, and Cindy's Show and Tell Friday. 
Hope to see you there!

Patina Love

Hello dear friends!  First I want to thank you for your positive comments on my previous post.  I appreciate your support and may just yet open that Etsy shop!

For Vintage Inspiration Friday, I thought I'd share recent shelves from the flea market.  In this post I showed you the first of these shelves purchased as part of a pair.  I love the chippiness and lighter color of the other shelf in the pair.  It was in two pieces - a bulky bottom and top piece that served as sort of a backsplash.  I was particularly drawn to this smaller top piece which justified the entire bargain purchase of $20.
Here is the top piece placed on our dining room buffet:

I adore its' patina:

It is temporarily resting on two candlestick holders until I decide on a permanent location.  I think the shelf helps to tone down the formality of the buffet:

A rustic basket and grain sack help to further balance the look:

Hmmm...now what to do with the bulky bottom piece of the shelf?  I love it, but just haven't found an ideal place for it and it is heavy.

This is an enjoyable transition time between summer and fall.  Possibilities await.... 
Have a terrific weekend!

Inspired by Jeanne D'Arc Living

I know so many of you share the enjoyment of the beloved Jeanne D'Arc Living magazines.  I often find myself poring over issues again and again.  I mark the pages with a "someday I'll do that" type of excitement. 
One of this year's spring issues had a gorgeous pair of angel wings adorning a vintage dress form.  It definitely appeared handmade, so I thought "I'll try that some day".  Here is the result:

They were simple to make, but a bit tedious.  I reshaped two old wire hangers to make the wing forms and tied them together with twine.  Next I cut some lace netting to fit each form, then sewed the lace around the wire.  (That's the tedious part).  I love how they turned out and am having fun finding places to hang them.  Here they adorn our rustic old barn window in a corner of our living room:

 

And what are the odds I'd find some vintage towels with my blog initials 'E + R' on them?  Not good.  So Jeanne D'Arc Living also inspired me to cross-stitch some initials on vintage white towels.  

 

I've been pondering the idea of opening an Etsy shop with these kind of handmade items.  Plus I love to make pillows.  Hmmm...much to consider.  Any advice from you dear talented friends would be much appreciated. 

And I have to tell you about these cutest miniature jars I found at JoAnn's craft store last week.  They were only $1 each!

Sharing this JDL inspiration with Kathleen's White Wednesday.  I always find much inspiration there as well!
Also linking to Cindy's Show and Tell Friday and Jami's Textile Party.