I just love avian inspired decor! Birds, bird cages, etc.! For as long as I as I can remember I've adored birds! I don't think I'd ever want a pet one, but figural birds are all over my house, inside and out! Sorry, due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole, I couldn't get any photos of the faux birdies outside!


This lams is one of the most favorite things I own--it is also one of the most recent items I have purchased. I got this a few months ago at Home Goods for next to nothing! It reminds me so of Aidan Grey Design--one of my favorite places to look, but the prices are beyond my budget!


This is another one of my favorites--a Victorian, Gothic-Style birdcage with the original chippy green paint!


I saw one of these on eBay, bid, and lost....sad....however, I found an identical one (happy dance) at a quaint antiques shop in Virgina Beach whilst visiting friends.


I spotted these beautiful birds in The Oak Antique Mall, in historic Old Towne Petersburg, VA several years ago. I had to fight two other antique dealers off to get these! I worked here for a number of years and was manager until January 2010. I really miss working here and all the deals I used to get on terrific items! I still try to go as often as possible.



Here is a avian-inspired shelf I purchased at a teeny-tiny antiques shop on Route 1 near Chester, VA--I kid you not it may have been 100 square feet! It was one of several cottages that were a former motel turned antiques shops. Now they are called the Shops at Ivey, which are managed by a local church.

The detail is just so amazing on this--it is just resin--nothing special, but I love it! I have a treasured Maxfield Parrish print hanging above it! I will have to tell you more about that in a future post!

Chandeliers and birdcage stands are made for each other!


This baby chandy and is oh-so-pretty-in-pink light bulb are my night-light in the hallway!


 This candle chandelier hangs in a very Gothic birdcage stand in the dining room. I plan to use this with candles on the deck, once I finish the makeover out there! I got both the birdcage stand and the chandelier at The Oak. The crystals are from Gallery!


This is another inexpensive Marshall's find--the little bird on the books was $3.00!

He looks so cute under his cloche!

I got these beautiful silver-plate bird figurines at a shop that has since closed due to the economy. I really miss going in there. Purple Passions owner, Toni Clark, really had an eye for beautiful and unique items.

Here is a close up of one; plus you can see the great chippy patina of the table he sits on!

Here is yet another pair of birdies! This time they are ceramic. Though they look old, they came from Michaels within the past year!


This is another beautiful and very large birdcage in my collection! I got this one at The Oak!


This birdcage was a gift from a friend on my birthday--it also came from Michaels! This little bird inside was a twenty-five cents yard-sale find!


I don't remember where I got this cage from, but it and its lovely green patina live in my pink and green guest room.


I got this great mini-cloche/urn combo at River's Edge--it was around $5.00!

Here is a close-up of the really big birdcage mentioned above! This is it around a year ago, in another vignette when it was in my bedroom. What are some of your favorite items to collect? Do you have a favorite place to find your treasures? What are some things you would like to see in future postings of my blog? I hope to hear from all of you!

Here are some of the photos from the Tablescape I did for my mom's wedding today! Enjoy!


My mom wanted an outdoor wedding, so she picked September 25th, thinking it would be crisp and cool--it hit 98! Plus it was super humid! She wanted all Fall colors as wedding colors--having the fallen leaves, pumpkins, and gourds helped disguise the heat a little, but it was still steaming hot today!




Sorry about the grainy photo (It's no worse than what I've seen in some rather big magazines), but I just love the detail on this little urn! Lucky for me, I have a pair!


Silk leaves, gourds, pumpkins, and more galvanized tin ruled the roost in this Fall Tablescape!


There was a nice breeze, so I snatched a candle to hold down the napkins! It was so hot, we had to keep most of the food inside!


Fancy that--a much bigger version of the urn I put forks in!

Here are a few photos of the beautiful riverfront--this is my great-uncle's back yard.


This was my mom's wedding bouquet--yellow roses! They smelled so good!


I adore the crusty patina of this French flower bucket.


I love how everything looked after dark!









 I hope you all enjoyed these photos! This was a special day for my family, I'm glad I was able to share it with you! Let me know what you'd like to see on my blog! I'm open for suggestions! I'm linking to a host of places you can find in my sidebar!

I especially love her Fall Open House because I generally hate (I  know, strong word and all that....) Fall colors and traditional Halloween and Thanksgiving decor. All that orange and brown make me go BLAH! So when I see how she can take little hints of Fall colors and charming (not scary) Halloween items and add it to all the beautiful items in her shop--it jump-starts me into the whole Fall season--and encourages me that I can decorate for more than just Christmas and Easter!

I'm amazed at how something as simple as tree branches and cheesecloth add such a wonderfully spooky atmosphere without all the blood and gore generally seen in modern Halloween decor!

Such light, bright, cheery Fall items--they really make me want to celebrate the season.

I really want that chicken coop! I'm not sure what I'd use it for, but I want it!

Again, branches and cheese cloth--two things that are inexpensive and add huge amounts of drama!

I love the vintage-inspired glittered pumpkin guys!

Here is a cleaver re-use of remnants of fabric--they'd be super easy to make, but at the price here, it'd be cheaper to buy it!  I love deals like that!

More Cheery fall decor.

I love the touches of black in the otherwise almost all white room--it really pops as creepy, but not overly creepy.

Simply Fall leaves, some mini Casper pumpkins, and vintage millinery make a great vignette!

This near life-sized doll lives near the check-out area and is always bedecked with seasonal attire!

Through The Garden Gate has a fantastic selection of unique pumpkins for the open house, but most of them are gone by the end of the day.

Here is one final shot of her shop! I promise I'll do another post on Through The Garden Gate sometime soon--it will probably be from the Christmas Open House--which is scheduled for November 6th! I can't wait! Coming Soon @ Shabby French Cottage--New Master Bathroom Reveal; Laundry Room Reveal; For the Love of Birds, and much more! Please follow to stay tuned! [Edit: Thanks again, Pam for letting me use your photos! I can't believe I forgot my camera!]