Shabby French Cottage: May 2010

Spring Mantle Re-Do!

I was starting to get tired of my Easter mantel....Yes, most of my Easter decorations were still up as of today--according to the Church Year, Easter is celebrated through Pentecost (last Sunday). Since you haven't seen my Easter mantel--here is the before:

I'm linking to:

Notice how I recycled the bottle brush trees and pastel paper houses from Christmas!

Now for the After:

I didn't buy anything new to re-do this, I just 'shopped the house'!

I love all the vintage silver, mercury glass, and the mini tiaras!

I snatched many of these items from my centerpiece on my dining room table.

I love these cherub candle holders! They were $0.98 for the pair! Check out the reflection of the chandelier in the mirror--so pretty!

Again, I must confess, all the flowers are fakes!

I recycled all these usually Christmas decorations for Spring!

I got this painting at a thrift shop last summer. It is the same picture Julia Sugarbaker has in her office on Designing Women. So sad that Dixie Carter passed away recently! Luckily we have some of her best acting on DVD!

So you see, you don't have to break the bank for a whole new look!

I hope you have enjoyed this view of my home! Comments are always appreciated!

~Mikey

Garden Urn Turned Coffee Table

Here is a super quickie post on my coffee table! I'm sure you'll enjoy the goodies stashed under the glass top. You can't have an urn and not fill it up with beautiful objects (or re-purposed junk!).

Here is a close-up of the side--complete with its crusty original finish and drainage spout!

I don't know if you can tell from the photo--I have this on a 12x12 ceramic tile to support the weight of the urn (nearly 100 pounds).

If you try this at home, which I strongly recommend, do so with caution--have help moving it! Don't try to do it alone! And don't forget to somehow evenly distribute the weight--here a $0.96 tile from Home Depot does the trick--if you don't distribute the weight you could cut your rug, the carpet, or dent your hardwood floors!

Here are some close-ups of the goodies displayed within: seashells, vintage jewelry, buttons, starfish, chandelier crystals, and many other bits and bobs!

"Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?"

If the quote above wasn't a big enough hint, my inspiration for this display was Ariel's Treasure Trove/Grotto in Disney's The Little Mermaid! You can also see my favorite find--the preserved four-leaf clover--from my great-great-grandmother's (yes--that's my double-great grandmother's) button collection! It's not a button, I think it was a pendant at one time, but I am not sure, either way it is one of my favorite things!

Don't forget to use the little clear skid-protectors or other type of felt or plastic feet to keep the cast iron from scratching/cracking the glass!

One final tip if your do this yourself--SHOP AROUND FOR GLASS! I called around several shops for a piece of 30" diameter beveled glass--most of the quotes were in the $200.00 - $300.00 range. I looked on-line, and nearly bought it for $80.00--that sounded to me like a good deal! But low and behold, I snagged this for a whopping $15.00 at THE DUMP! No, not the garbage dump, but The Dump--the Haynes Furniture liquidation center. Needless to say, I was ecstatic!

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoy the real thing!

~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage

[Edit: Linking to http://shabbyfrenchcottage.blogspot.com/2010/05/spring-mantle-re-do.html]

Living Room

As long promised, here are some WIDE ANGLE shots of my living room! If you see anything of particular interest you'd like to see an entire post on, please let me know!

This is the view as you walk in the front door.

As you can tell, I'm not exactly afraid of color or pattern!

I love collecting small boxes and trunks--they are a great place to stash all sorts of goodies (and not so goodies--like magazines or other clutter for a quick touch up before friends come over!)

My coffee table is an antique cast-iron urn! I'll do a post on it soon.

I love this wicker rocker. The best part--it was FREE--yes, that's right--FREE! But wait, it gets even better--it was on the curb awaiting trash pick-up, and a friend saw it and snatched it up, then delivered it to my house, called me and said what he had done! I couldn't wait to get home to figure out how to use it!

This is another view of the room, looking towards the foyer. You can see one of the pair of aqua/teal stained glass ogee or Gothic arch windows I have.

Another china hutch, and a topiary I made. I think I might get rid of this china hutch. I haven't made my mind up yet. I might just paint it white or pink. What would you do?

Here is one of my pair of cast-aluminum Queen Anne styled side tables. These retail for around $350.00 each. I paid $30.00 for the PAIR at Marshall's about two years ago!!! Apparently there are something like 4,000 recycled aluminum cans in each one.

Here is another view of the wicker rocker and table under my picture window. I have another, much larger, ogee arch window to hang in the center, but haven't gotten to it yet. It is a beautiful milky celadon green glass and came from the same church as the two aqua/teal ones!

Just look at all the crusty patina on this old vanity! I'm not sure of it's history, but I saw it and had to have it!

The French doors lead to my office. Originally, there was a wall here, but my stepfather and I installed them to open up the tiny bedroom that I now use as an office. I will paint them eventually!

I simply love this vintage art glass lamp! It was only $5.00! What a find!

Lamp: Yard-sale, $5.00, Lampshade: Target, $9.00; aqua feather tassel: GardenRidge, $0.72; gorgeous tone-on-tone vignette and mood lighting all in one: Priceless.

I put it on top of a vintage etched mirrored glass plateau for even more sparkle.

Okay, I'm over-doing the lamp, I get it! But I just love it so much!

Here is the view looking towards my office.

This is the view going into the hall that leads to my kitchen. I adore this super ornate mirror! It just screams Paris Apartment Chic!

Here is a close up of the fun wicker chair and mirrored wall! I found this great piece of antique looking-glass mirror, and it fit perfectly there!

I love hydrangeas, and champagne buckets--how many is too many?

This is a sneak peek into my feature on my dining room!--I'm not quite sure why that table is all wonky-topped, but it came that way! Eventually, I will fix it--more likely find someone to fix it, but I love it in all of its crustiness!

Just an update to those of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning, I finally got a job! I start tomorrow--wish me luck! All your thoughts, prayers, and comments were much appreciated during this difficult time for me.

As always--please comment--let me know what you want to see, want to see more of, want to see less of, etc. I really appreciate your input! Also, please follow my blog--also you can find me on FaceBook!

Off to more adventures!

~Mikey

Jardin Français (French Garden)

Sorry, I had said my next post would be on my china hutch with the silver and creepy doll heads the other day, then I told you I was redoing my buffet for spring and summer. Because I promised china, I will also show you the built-in china hutch in my dining room. Don't worry there are plenty more china/curio cabinets to feature! But first, my inspiration was the terrium from my vintage silver post last week:

Since then, I've taken the candle sticks out, and put an alabaster compote with a birds nest in its place.

I used the centerpiece off the breakfast table in my kitchen, a nifty cast iron and wire two-tiered basket, a cast iron plant stand, a funeral basket, and lots of plants and greenery!

There is a plastic step-stool hiding under the green and cream hounds tooth fabric!

This iron plant stand makes for great decorative storage for some pink ironstone plates I got on clearance at Garden Ridge for fifty cents each!

I'm all set for a party! Just add food and have guest serve themselves! I only have twelve of these pink plates, but I have 30 or more clear glass plates--it's great when folks come over! Plus I didn't pay more than ten cents each for the clear ones--so if something gets broken, no worries!

I wish I could say I grew the herbs and picked the flowers out of my beautiful cottage garden, but I struggle to get grass to grow! My soil is mostly sand, and I need to lay sod, but haven't been able to fit that in the budget yet. I will confess all the plants are fakes! I am king of artificial flowers!

I also promised a tour of my china hutch, while this isn't the one I promised to tour, it is the built in one in my dining room.

The gold and white tureen is Limoges. I have a set of three!

I love the Bavarian chocolate pot in this photo!

Here is another one of my Limoges tureens!

If you can't tell, I'm a sucker for china! You can probably tell from these photos my favorite colors are pink, green, and teal!

There is even an miniature china hutch in my china hutch!

More China, some vintage silver, a crown, and a beaded basket.

Since I'm on the garden kick, I re-did this vignette! I adore garden statuary and urns! These are all cast iron. I got them on eBay back when gas and shipping where still cheap!

What no Cadburry Cream Eggs? (I'm fresh out of my stash from Easter!!!)

Get out of those roses!

I love these ivy topiaries!

Another view.

Gazing at the gazing ball!

I hope you have enjoyed these spring and summer treasures at Chez Moi! I really enjoy staging these vignettes! Once I clean up the mess from these new vignettes, I hope to take some wide-angles shots and show you the whole room put together! It is amazing the sins you can crop out of a photo!

A tout à l'heure!

~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage

Photography Featured In:

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Spring Mantle Re-Do!

Garden Urn Turned Coffee Table

Living Room

Jardin Français (French Garden)