Mirror, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

The spring sprucing of our main rooms requires a lot of 'reflection'.  From mirrors, that is.  I recently scored this old gold mirror (on far right) at a local antiques store.  The price was low because of a small chip in the gilding, but I love it that way.  I also love that the gilding is fading toward the bottom.

The dining room went from pink accents during Valentine season (posted here), to sky blue accents now.  A light touch of spring to come...

It is cheerful to see how much sunlight gets bounced around these mirrors, as well as the varied reflections of the cupboards and chandelier. 

I'll be sharing this vintage mirror at Vintage Inspiration Friday and figured the nest fits right into Feathered Nest Friday.  And who can resist candles at My Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday?

Oh, and have you seen the latest issue of Jeanne D'Arc Living?  It is a special treat to receive one of these gorgeous issues around here, and this one was my Valentine's Day present.  It is absolutely breathtaking!!!  I love the spring colors infused into this issue.  My favorite article is about 'French Chic' style.  Scrumptious!  Here are some photos to take a peek:

Thanks so much to Roberta of Enchanted Treasures for prompt delivery, and putting a big smile on my face!!

White Elephant Shop

Hello friends!  I'm here today to talk about a White Elephant.  Specifically, a fantastic antiques store nearby with that name.  You can visit them here.  On a whim and a supportive nod from husband I ventured to visit this store's outlet on Saturday.  I walked in the door and... yippee!  Everything in the outlet is 50% off the listed price, and there's even a special room with 75% off treasures.  If you can brave this unheated special room, with its' drifts of snow for character, you may just find your heart's desire.

This serving bowl had me when I walked into the store:

  

Two lovely china pieces with my favorite color combination:



A pretty white gravy boat(?) and a rustic whatchamacallit (pitcher?):

This old white platter (on bottom in photo) has lovely rim detail, as well as subtle crazing and aged wear on it.  My husband chuckled when I told him I liked it that way:



Lastly, these 3 heavy oval platters will come in handy for serving:

These finds fit right into the French Farmhouse look I'm going for in the kitchen.  There will be a future post when they're put in place.

I'm linking to White Wednesday and Vintage Inspiration Friday to share these treasures.  Be sure to visit the White Elephant shop if you're in the area.  It's located on Rte. 133 in Essex, MA, where there are a great assortment of antique shops downtown.  Not to mention the famous Woodman's for fried clams.  Yum!



Vintage in the Kitchen

Happy Vintage Inspiration Friday!  Thought I'd share glimpses into my kitchen.  I hesitate to show its' current state, since I plan to make changes this spring.  Think of these as the 'before' photos.  The style of this room is French Farmhouse, with vintage chairs, black & white tile, and plenty of baskets.
Linking to Debra's great party...see you there!

Here's our kitchen table, used for breakfast.  The 2 vintage black chairs were free from my Mom's neighbor (via trash day).  They will be painted white soon.  The enamel pitcher and bowl came from flea markets, as well as the old white tablecloth.  I sewed the topper tablecloth out of a pretty blue toile fabric, and used vintage fabric from Brimfield Flea Market to cover the chair seats. 

My favorite platter on the shelves with a tiny lavender sachet.

A chippy cone holding some white embroidered napkins, hanging next to a window.  I don't dare show you the accumulated snow outside that window (another 11 inches today!).

Dreaming of spring...

Vintage Blue and Whites

I'm feeling 'blue' being surrounded by so much 'white' (snow).  By this time each winter, I am really ready for spring.  These vintage blue and white treasures are cheerful in the meantime. 
I'm linking with Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday party and Cindy's Show and Tell Friday this week with some new and old photos (the old pics contain flowers to help us dream of spring). 

Favorite tea cups found for a bargain at Brimfield Flea Market (set of 4 for $4!)

More Brimfield treasures...

(blue and white plate)

(blue flowered platter)



Local Flea Market pitcher and tiny tea pot:

 

French books:

Thrift store Wedgewood vase (only $2 because of small crack I discreetly hide):

I saved the best for last.  A beautiful Catholic Sacrament certificate from 1913.  It is inscribed with a young fellow's name upon his First Communion.  I love the reverence in which the Sacraments are depicted, and keep this treasure near and dear to my heart.  

  

Have a great weekend!

Urns and a bargain wreath

Last week I showed photos of our dining room with winter whites.  Here are some taken of our living room.  It is still a W.I.P (work in progress), not to mention it's the playroom for our children.  Therefore, I avoid taking photos of the floor area.  :)
Here are my flea market urns with some pretty wallpapers and old book pages to fill them up:

They sit on a desk in the corner, where you can see our snow out the window.  So pretty!  We're supposed to get 12-18 inches more tomorrow.  Yikes!

Last week I used a JoAnn's gift card I got from Christmas (thanks Mom!) to purchase this gorgeous white wreath - 75% off!  It's hard to tell in the photo, but the white feathers are sparkly.  Perfect for January.

My white table with the loving Madonna and Child rest below it.

There's a tiny cracked robin's egg in the small dish on the table.  We found it in our yard last year.  For now, it reminds me of spring that will (eventually) come. 

I'm linking to White Wednesday - see you there!

White Finds

I hope everyone has enjoyed their Christmas!  It was wonderful here at home, celebrating with our children and family nearby, while sending love across the miles to family in Dallas.  I've still been playing Christmas music and enjoying the joyous celebration.  The only Christmas decor I can bear to take down are the dried up greenery leaves.
Therefore...I don't have any new photos to share.  However, here are some photos from Flea Market and thrift store finds this past year that have found their way into our home.  They're white for White Wednesday and vintage for Vintage Inspiration Friday.
A cute white pitcher with some pink thrown in...

  White plates with lovely detail...

A unique pink and white plate from Brimfield Antique Market...

And lastly, some vintage tablecloths mixed in with some I sewed...

I'm looking forward to sharing more with you in 2011 - decor, projects and unique vintage finds.  Thanks to all of you for sharing your homes and inspiration.

Happy New Year!

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Happy Friday,
Just a quick post here today.  I thought I'd join in the fun at Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday.  I was so thrilled to find these adorable vintage ornaments today for 25 cents each at my local thrift store.  Yippee!
Have a great weekend!