My Favorite Haunts

Recently, a lovely reader asked me for recommendations of my favorite places to shop. 

My reply was: antique stores, estate/yard sales, thrift stores, and I just had to add . . . alleys! 

Some of my best finds have been while riding my bike down the alleys in our old neighborhood. 

And now that it's spring-cleaning weather, people are obliging me 

by kindly putting their unwanted items in the alleys for my perusal. 

So, I'm dusting off the bicycle and looking forward to adding to my Ethan Alley Collection.

You just never know what you might find cruising the alleys. 

Can you believe we recently found this discarded Adirondack set,
complete with table and foot rest? 

I spent two days scraping and painting but didn't it turn out nice?

Sometimes it's a big item like those chairs and we need to pedal home and get the car; 

other times it's something tiny that fits in my bicycle basket. 

Like these sparkly crystal doorknobs.

Another place I love to shop are antique malls. 

Recently I found a beautiful small demijohn (left) wrapped in wicker. 

Although I love the big boys, they're out of my price range so I was delighted 

when I found this one that was just right to add to my collection in the foyer.

This gorgeous copper tea kettle caught my eye at a vintage market and it was calling my name. 

I think the reason copper is so popular is it evokes the feeling of a hearth in the kitchen. 

Every time I walk into my little kitchen, it's the first thing I see and it reminds me of old kitchens where everyone gathered close to a roaring fire to keep warm, eat dinner and talk. 

I love its warm glow and many well-loved patches.

Estate/yard sales! Yippee! It's sale season again. 

Yard sales are starting to pop up all over our neighborhood. 

Although you can find some great bargains at yard sales, the real treasures are at estate sales. 

Check out estatesales.net for weekly listings in your area. 

My most favorite estate sale find was this beautiful old clock for $5!
It needed some TLC but was well worth it.

Yard sales are a great place to find vintage linens, dishes, old books and silverplate.
I lucked out when I scored this beautiful floral print for a few dollars.

Thrift stores like Goodwill and ARC can be amazing sources although you do need 

to check back often. We swing by our thrift stores about once a week. 

Fridays seem to be a good day because they're stocking the shelves for Saturday sales.

One of my favorite thrift store treasures is this amazing chair. 

An antique dealer told me it was probably 1800s English. $13. Sold! 

And, if you're feeling adventurous, you can keep an eye on construction dumpsters. 

Remember this chippy column I retrieved from an overflowing dumpster?
Be still my heart! 

Happy Sale-ing!!

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CABIN QUEST UPDATE
Still looking for the perfect mountain cabin.
It's been a week of highs and lows, literally.
I found an incredible cabin that looked a lot like my Pinterest favorites.
But it went under contract almost immediately. I was so bummed.
Then, I found a hunting cabin near Rocky Mountain National Park
but it was on the worst road I've ever driven on and then,
when we finally found the cabin, it was just a disappointing mess.
So, still looking.

***

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French Country: A Touch of Bleu in the Foyer

I still love my neutral palette of creams and whites, but when I discovered 

a chippy blue window frame in the alley, I decided to incorporate it into my foyer design.

Here's a "before" picture without the touch of blue.

What a difference that little bit of blue makes!

The window frame leaning against the wall 

makes a pretty backdrop for my straw-covered bottles.

And the bleu really pops!

In a sea of neutrals, blue draws the eye and amps up a space.

 This color makes me think of a beautiful blue sky or a soothing indigo ocean.

I scrounged around until I found the perfect old blue book -- 

"David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens to add to the grouping.

I think the rusty orange berries and the spicy orange candle are a nice contrast to the blue
(and they're Denver Bronco colors!).

Blue and orange are opposite each other on the color wheel,
making them striking complementary colors.

What does the color blue mean to you?
For me, blue inspires calmness and a sense of serenity.

It symbolizes freedom. optimism and new beginnings -- a perfect color
to incorporate into my foyer as we look forward to a new year of possibilities.

This blue-framed house blessing is a special greeting in the foyer.
I just love it.

In case you can't read it, it says:

Peace abide beneath thy rooftree
Cheer along its rafters ring,
Joy and mirth and laughter gather
Neath thy firelights flickering.
Hope illumine all the shadows
with a radiance divine,
And the arms of love forever
Shelter thee and thine.

I hear designers are proclaiming blue is having a moment now.
I guess that means the style gurus think it's the current must-have color.

I know it's always been one of my favorite colors even though I don't have a lot of it in my home.
But I do think a touch of bleu is just right.

Happy November everyone and let's remember
to honor our veterans on Veterans' Day, November 11th. ! 

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French Country Cottage

French Country's Friend : Ironstone

Hi Everyone! Before I get to this week's post, I have a little announcement.

I have finally figured out how to post a link to Pinterest on my blog so you can see all of my favorite photos on my Pinterest boards.  I hope you'll follow me to check out all of my French Country Decorating and Garden pixs. Just click on "Follow on Pinterest" in the right column.

Thanks so much for reading my blog. I really appreciate your loyalty and friendship and I love hearing from all of you. Blogging has given me an unexpected creative outlet that has truly enriched my life. So, let's connect! And, please do let me know if the Pinterest button doesn't work for you. Thanks so much. Now, on to this week's post . . .

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When I first started collecting ironstone, I couldn't help myself. 

I couldn't resist the creamy white dishware and bought every piece I saw that I could afford.
I started out with tiny milk creamers.

And added more substantial pieces as I found them at estate sales and thrift stores.
When you hold a piece of ironstone, you know you're holding something with history.

Pitchers were always my favorites but platters and bowls and tureens called to me too.

Ironstone always looks so fresh and appealing.
It's the perfect accessory for a French Country look --
that timeworn feeling of simple comfortable elegance.

Like white fabrics, ironstone captures many different tones of white

from almost-pure white to mellowed ivory with tints of brown. 

Now that I'm beginning to have a decent little collection,
you'd think I'd be able to resist but I still can't seem to help myself.

Anything with a crest on the bottom finds its way home with me. 

I can always make room for a little milk creamer or a petite egg cup.

The Charm of Imperfection
Even things that aren't in perfect condition are irresistible.

In fact, I'm finding I'm most drawn to things that show signs of wear.

Those pieces with a crazed surface
(those little lines that we all develop over the years) call to me.

And a gravy boat that is missing the tip of its spout
holds untold stories of family holiday dinners long gone by. 

My favorite piece to date, is this little pitcher.

I found it at my local Goodwill and almost didn't bring it home because
it had obviously been dropped and had shattered into several pieces.

But it had been lovingly repaired. 

Someone had painstakingly glued all the broken bits back together and
it made me think of it having had open-heart surgery. And surviving! 

Now it has pride of place in my kitchen.
I love the sweet little lattice design around the bottom.

What is it about ironstone that calls to so many people?

Is it because it complements any style from Farmhouse to French Country?
Or is it its humble design?

Is it its pure white tone that goes with any color scheme?
White is so easy to live with. It calms a chaotic room and soothes our busy minds.

For me, its always about the history of a piece. 

I love fancy antiques but my heart is always touched
by the simple things that people used every day.

Those well-loved pieces never go out of style. 

And will always find a home with me.

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French Country: Little Tables Follow Me Home

Little tables always catch my eye.

Even though I really don't need another little table.

I've convinced myself I can always find a place for a tiny table.

How much room can they take up anyway?

Sometimes they'll squeeze into an empty space next to an easy chair.

Just right for a cup of coffee or a magazine.

A Goodwill find, this little beauty that I painted and distressed has curvy French lines.

Little tables are like those adorable dogs you see at the animal rescue organizations. 

How can you not take one home with you?

They're just so cute.
(This little one came home with me!)

Little tables are perfect tucked into a small space to hold a CD player and a wire basket of CDs.

This one was just made for my vintage glass jars.

Another little table I fell for at an estate sale is this gold metal one with a glass top.
I slid some European postcards between a mirror and a glass top
for a fun look in the living room.

This round table came home with me from our local Paris Street Market
and made itself at home next to my couch.
The top is wood and the legs are metal.

We discovered this table at a yard sale.
Missing its top, we had a piece of thick glass cut to size.
It spent the summer on the patio and now nestles next to a cozy chair in the sunroom.
Visually, it takes up very little space.

Another little wire-framed table soaks up the morning sun in a southern window.

Little benches work well as little tables too.

This rustic bench caught my eye at an estate sale on a rainy Friday. 

It was tossed into a muddy back yard, too "rustic" to sell.

But the bright green was so fresh, I could picture it on my front porch.

The green is almost a perfect match to the green of my house. 

Once it dried out and Ron evened up the legs, it looked like it belonged.
A steal for $2.

Finally, this mid-century metal stand thinks it's a table.
I couldn't pass it up because it was RED!
It's been just about everywhere in my house
but I think I finally found the perfect spot for it in my office. 

Little tables fill a niche without a lot of fuss. 

And you have to admit, they're so cute, you just have to take them home.

It followed me home, dear.
Can I keep it?

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Alley-oop! Urn Transformation

I almost fell off my bicycle as I was cruising a neighborhood alley

and spotted these two cement urns next to a dumpster.

The generally accepted rule of alley etiquette is if it's by a dumpster, it's OK to take it.

So, while Ron road back to get the car, I guarded my new steals, I mean treasures. 

Here's a Before and After picture!

They were quite heavy and in excellent shape. 

Except someone had painted them a sickly yellow color.

So Ron sprayed them with a graffiti remover and let it work.

Then gave it a good scrape with a stiff brush.

And finally hosed it off.

Wow! They looked brand new!

Actually, Ron did too good of a job.

The urns were bright white with no character.

They needed to be "aged."

I know you can use moss spores to get this look but where the heck do you find them?
I'd read about aging concrete with coffee grounds so I thought I'd give that a try.
Just rub wet grounds across the concrete and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
You might have to do this a couple of times until you get the color base you want.

The coffee gives it a subtle brownish-gray hue.
Brush off the coffee grounds and throw them in the garden. Worms love coffee!
Then I smudged some brown concrete stain here and there with my finger.

Finally, I took a dab of black acrylic paint and mixed it with the watery brown cement stain.
Using an artist's brush, I outlined some raised features to define them.
I also smudged the darker paint here and there for a mottled look.

It will take years for the urns to become pitted and worn
but at least they don't look brand new anymore.

And you can't beat the price!!

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