Shabby French Cottage: September 2011

Frightenly Beautiful White Halloween Decor

I've been sharing a lot of photos of one of my favorite places, Through The Garden Gate. Thanks goes to wonderful owners Pam & Ronnie Robbins for allowing me to share their fabulous shop with the world!

Mirror, mirror on the wall; who's the most boo-tiful of them all?

Pam's styling is truly an inspiration. She is constantly going around the shop and jujing everything!

Small, inexpensive touches, like these glitter skulls or the vintage black ribbon make a huge statement.

Is this the ghost of Shabby Chic past?

Layering different textures, including muslin and vintage crochet work with touches of tarnished silver and more black glitter help set the scene. Small, but cohesive touches throughout the space make this look work.

Tying these to the back of your dining chairs will make a huge statement for a Halloween dinner party.

I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into the Wonderland of Through The Garden Gate. This is not a sponsored post.

Look for a vintage inspired Halloween Craft tutorial, more images from my Practical Magic inspired dining room decor, and more Fall and Halloween decorating ideas, as well as some Christmas inspiration coming soon!

~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage

Practical Magic Inspired Fall Decor

The home from Practical Magic is one of my favorites in any movie ever. The decor is breathtaking--it upstages a start-studded cast! It was my inspiration for the decor in my dining room this Fall!!!

I went hog-wild shopping the house, I brought in lots of greenery, flowers, and pots to make it look like the greenhouse seen in the movie.

Cloches, urns, flower frogs, and anything else that would do justice to the set.

These hydrangeas are the ones I used over the summer for the cook-out I had.

I wanted to achieve the look that someone just sat something down wherever they found a place. I bought this tiered iron display years ago on my birthday at Through The Garden Gate. I have used it many times.

I had to pull in my favorite spooky candelabras with crooked black candles to boot.

Tons of cloches help complete the look.

I also pulled in some of my favorite mirrored plateaus for good measure.

I can't wait to have folks over for a gathering! I'll have to make sure they bring a broom!

~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage

Happy Fall 2011

We're into our first week of Fall, even though it has been in the 80's here in Virginia. My mums are budded and starting to bloom, and I'm about finished decorating for Fall and putting finishing touches to tweak things temporarily for Halloween before transforming everything for Christmas just around the corner.

Here are a few more photos from the Fall Open House at Through The Garden Gate.

I love the gathered over time look Pam always achieves in her displays. She has hung vintage frames from a tree for a whimsical effect.

Here is a very fun and flirty lamp from their new line of custom pieces. Pam and her talented artists turn castaways into fabulous decorator pieces for your home.

This is such a great idea for a Fall display. Simply cut of the back of a damaged coal scuttle and attach a piece of luan cut to size for the back, line with burlap and fill with hay and mini Casper pumpkins.

I love this look--galvanized metal and burlap are so versatile. I've got a plan for Christmas involving that combination.

I've got more goodies up my sleeve, too! Including a super-cute and easy Halloween Craft Tutorial, more shabby chic Halloween inspiration, and a reveal of my Practical Magic inspired dining room all this and more coming up over the next few weeks!

~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage

A Boo-tiful Vintage Inspired Halloween

For those of you who decorate with a more saturated color palate for Fall here are some fabulous inspiration photos and ideas from my recent visit to Through The Garden Gate!

I love this Bethany Lowe reproduction candy bucket!

This would be a bewitching addition to your garden for the season!

Tip: To achieve a vintage look, you don't have to shell out huge money for all vintage decorations. Incorporate vintage-inspired reproductions in with a few vintage pieces and no one will be the wiser.

Tip: Even when decorating with an all white or mostly white color scheme, seasonal touches of color are okay. In a generally all white environment, seasonal decor in brighter colors will have even more impact.

The lovely witch above is a great example of a fab vintage reproduction--she would blend perfectly with you vintage Halloween finds.

Tip: If you have high ceilings and a ladder, hanging inexpensive large crepe paper balls or even over-sized Christmas ornaments can really transform a space for a party! Talk about bang for your buck!

I will be busy adding some vintage and reproduction Halloween goodies interspersed with very neutral Fall decor this week-end to share with you! Lots more goodies and Fall inspiration tips and photos coming soon!

Tic-Toc Time For Fall

I carried my vintage clock face aspect of my Fall mantel into another vignette in my living room.

Again, I didn't shell out much cash for these lovely pocket watch faces. They came from the Steam-Punk themed area of the scrap-book section of Michael's. With my 50% off coupon, they came to about $3.00. Of course, the didn't start off life all nice and shabby. More on that later.

Of course, I had to use this bust--it is concrete and heavy, but I love using it for nearly every holiday!

I filled a squatty black glass vase with antique chandelier prisms and nestled everything with Spanish moss I picked up for ten cent at a yard sale.

Here are two more of the pocket watch faces. You get 5 in a pack. I'm sure these won't last long! I took them and sprayed them flat white and let them dry. They took 3 - 5 VERY LIGHT coats to keep from dripping. Once dry, I scraped them on my back steps to rough them up and to take nearly all the paint off the raised numbers. I then hit them with a light coat of Howard's wood restorer, and quickly dabbed it back off with a paper towel. If you leave it on too long, the paint will get all gummy!

Here is one shot of the whole vignette! Check back soon for more photos, and some Halloween Decorating ideas including my Practical Magic inspired dining room decor!

~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage

No orange in this Fall Decor!

As you can probably tell from my recent posts of my Fall decorating, I'm not a fan of orange! Here are some photos from my favorite inspiration store, Through The Garden Gate:

Check out this hand painted bucket! They have several resident artists who create one of a kind lighting, art, and other decorative and functional home accessories. Last year they had a wingback chair painted like a jack-o-lantern. It sold almost instantly!

Several times a year, the shop closes for a solid week to re-set the displays and change seasons. It never fails to amaze me when I go the open house following their week of hard work.

Here is her all white room. I love all the variation of texture! It's certainly never boring or cold despite the lack of color.

I've got some close-up shots of the little touches of Halloween in this space, as well as a very vintage-inspired Halloween post from another part of her shop.

I've got lots more photos of Through The Garden Gate, as well as more photos of my Fall decor!

I'll be back later this week with more goodies!

~Mikey @ Shabby French Cottage

Simple Fall Tablescape

Simple--no tablecloth, no centerpiece. Who says casual Summer entertaining can't be carried into Fall?

I'm using Johnson Bros. Old Britain Castles in Brown Polychrome. This is one of my favorite china patterns. You can find out more about it here.

I've mixed in some pewter salad plates to vary the texture.

You can see the dinner plate well here, before I finished layering the settings.

I've used mix-matched vintage silverware for a gathered over time look.

Here is a preview into the Fall/Halloween decor in the dining room. My inspiration was the greenhouse from Practical Magic. Hopefully you'll agree that I was able to capture at least some of the magic! Look for this upcoming post in about a week! I've also got tons of photos from Through The Garden Gate to share--Shabby Chic inspired Fall and Halloween decor. Check back soon for more.

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