Shabby French Cottage

$1,200 Kitchen Makeover Updates

It's been quite a while since I posted any photos of my kitchen! Way back in 2011 I had some plumbing issues and ended up having to rip out my cabinets to fix everything. I posted the project here and needless to say it went viral. My kitchen has been featured on nearly every major home decorating/DIY blog out there. It even got a six page spread in Romantic Homes magazine. While many things have stayed the same, I have made a few updates here and there I wanted to share!

Hey, y'all! Some of these photos are new, while others were on Facebook earlier this week! Be sure to pop over to www.Facebook.com/ShabbyFrenchCottage and like me there to stay up to date! Anyway, here are some brand new photos of my dining room! I called this post "Communion with the Saints" because a good portion of the religious items I collect are in this room. Heck--my side board is a communion table.

Spring has Sprung. I took down my Christmas Tree. I know. IT. IS. MAY. What can I say--I've been busy! I finally took my Christmas decor down last week, so I have been tweaking things around the house.

I'm popping in to say hello! I have been posting most new photos on , but am working to revamp the website. I've been doing a bit of sprucing up for Spring. Look for more soon!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again--I LOVE religious items--santos crowns, statuary, sacred hearts, etc. Here is some of my collection, including some new additions! I have plenty more to share in the near future.

Winter Weather has struck here! While it was only a few inches of snow, it quickly turned to ice on all the streets--it shut down our local school systems for a solid week! Here are some of the pretty sights here at Shabby French Cottage!

This Christmas, I was VERY late getting stuff together! However, by simply adding some holiday bling to my usual decor, I came up with a lovely and beautiful Christmas display! Artificial greenery, mercury glass, trophies, and some natural elements pull everything together.

Here are two Fall Tablescapes for your inspiration! The first features classic white ironstone, pewter, vintage silver, and pumpkins, the second puts beautiful brown transferware front and center. Both were done with items scoured from thrift shops, antiques stores, and estate sales--and are all items you can use for more than just Fall! As much as I love truly seasonal decor, I have come to find using what you have and repurposing every-day items as holiday fare makes a more personally tailored and unique statement than to festoon with store-bought items.

I have an article in Well Styled Home Vintage Holiday! It is on sale now online and in Newsstands! Be sure to run out and get a copy today! I included a sneak peek of what to expect from me in it, but from the cover, it will certainly be a magazine to read and re-read over and over again!!! Click here to buy a copy online!

Here is a little inspiration for switching things up for Fall. Over the next bit, I will be posting more Fall decorating ideas, including tablescapes, Halloween goodies, and more! On the page, I gave a sneak preview of upcoming posts, and asked what was everyone's' favorite of the ideas....the crows and cream pumpkins won hands down! Please, feel free to Pin away on Pinterest. I know some bloggers aren't the biggest fans of Pinterest, but I LOVE it! I have embedded a bit of code on this website so if you hover over a photo with your cursor, a red "P" on a white circle will pop up--just click it to Pin it! The caption auto-fills, links, and everything! Easy!

My first article as a contributing editor/photographer/stylist for Beckett Media appears in the Fall 2013 Victorian Homes Magazine! The article is on the Gilded Age gardens at Maymont, located in Richmond, VA. Please go out and grab your copy of Victorian Home Magazine ASAP. Here are some more photos of Maymont for your enjoyment. For more info, visit www.Maymont.org. Buy a copy online here!

I took a day trip with a good friend yesterday to Grandview Island. This exotic-looking destination is located in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. This amazing beach is part of a nature preserve and is a public park. There is nothing but natural sand beaches on this vast stretch of horizon. The only access is by foot, about a miles walk from a seemingly mundane circa 1970's era neighborhood of ranches and tri-levels.

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White to paint my grand piano. It took a good two days to complete, but was well worth the effort! The previous ugly brown mahogany finish had seen better days, as the piano is about 100 years old.

I painted my grand piano today, well at least started to; that is before I ran out of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White! Hopefully I will make the hour long journey to the nearest stockist in my area and get some more tomorrow and get it finished!

Okay....I know I have been away from the website for awhile, but I haven't gone away! Since going to work for Petersburg Pickers full-time last October, my life has been a whirl-wind of activity--picking Estates for fabulous finds, graphic design, free-lance writing and photography, etc. . .the list goes on and on, but doing all of these fabulous things, I have run into some pretty FABULOUS people, like Rachel Chieppa, The Dirt Diva, herself! She makes fabulous soaps, and since I can't leave well enough alone, I asked her to make me a soap with no color!

Hey folks! I wanted to pop in and say hello, and in the process share some favorite photos from the past few years here! If you are in the Central Virginia area, come see me TODAY - Sunday at the Petersburg Pickers Warehouse for another FABULOUS Estate Tag Sale!

Hi, Nicki here from The Vintage Farmhouse So excited to be asked by Mikey to guest post. I adore his decor and the blues in his home is actually what inspired me to finally make a decorating decision in my house for the holidays this year!

Christmas decorating is always the hardest for me because there are so many decorating choices to be made and so many different directions you can go with it.

Wow! I can't believe we are two whole Sundays into Advent! This year has flown by so fast! It will be 2013 before we know it!!! I am so thankful that I am finally in a job I LOVE for the first time since I left the Antiques Mall I used to run! So much has happened this year that would have never happened if not for friends made while working there! Anyways....here is a glimpse of the very French Christmas decor in my dining room this year.

I went with a mostly silver and white color scheme this year for Christmas...A tinsel tree, mercury glass, and lots of frosted greenery and even some glass icicles. I didn't decorate as much as I have in years past, and may do some more, but here is my take on Christmas this year! I still have to photograph the rest of the decor in the Dining room....it is very French and Chic!

Wanted to pop in and say Happy Thanksgiving and share these beautiful Gothic chairs now residing in my dining room! They came out of a church not too far from my house, but had been in a friends garage for years....I painted them white and added some linen chair pads...I LOVE them! I also wanted to say--yes, I'm still here....I'm currently re-doing my bedroom, which has been a work in progress for some time...I finally have all the pieces, I just have to find the time to work it all together! Let's just say it is going to be beautiful! Also, don't miss my article in December 2012's Romantic Homes Magazine--in stores NOW through Mid-January! You can also track me over at www.PetersburgPickers.com! I'm now working full-time doing Estate Tag Sales! Talk about lots of things to be thankful for this year! Keep reading for more photos!

Look for my article in December 2012's Romantic Homes Magazine with plenty of tips and sources for decorating for Christmas using our favorite subdued shabby chic colors! Plus if you're anywhere near Petersburg, VA, you HAVE to check out Kimberly Ann's Petersburg Pickers FABULOUS Warehouse Sale! We are packed to the GILLS with fantastic Estate finds from all over Central Virginia! for over 100 photos. For more details, keep reading.

I pulled out some of my favorite accessories to re-do my china hutch for Fall!

I tweaked a few more things in the dining room for Fall! Click through to read more!

I took a few neat things from around the house and added some mini pumpkins for a fabulous and easy tablescape!

Last year I participated in a Halloween Ornament Exchange with my friend, Sarah, over at Makin' Projiks. She organized the whole thing with bloggers from all over and I wanted to share how I displayed my ornaments this year! Check back over the next few days for more photos of my Fall Decor and a few other changes here at Shabby French Cottage--including more information on how I've joined forces with Kimberly Ann's Petersburg Pickers--an Estate Tag Sale company!

Photography Featured In:

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$1,200 Kitchen Makeover Updates

Communion with the Saints

Shabby Updates

Spring Is In The Air

Religious Visions

Winter Weather

Christmas 2013

Fall Decorating Ideas Take Two--Tablescapes

Vintage Holiday 2013

Fall Decorating Ideas Take One

Victorian Homes Magazine Feature

Grandview Island

Painting My Grand Piano: Take Two

Painting My Grand Piano: Take One

The Daily Scrub

I'm Still Here!

The Vintage Farmhouse Christmas Guest Post

Joyeux Noël--Have A Very Merry French Christmas!

Christmas 2012--White and Sliver Decor

Happy Thanksgiving + New Dining Chairs

Shabby Christmas--Featured In Romantic Homes Magazine!

China Hutch Re-Do for Fall

Fall Vignette

Fall Tablescape

Halloween Tree