Yeeehawww...I Got It...I Got It!!!

Yeeehawww...I got it!!! I won the ebay bid for the wood applique that I wanted for my china hutch! I got it for a mere $10.50...not to bad for such a sizable...very ornate...wood applique! I can't wait to get it...and I'm definitely going to add our family initial "L" to the center of that pretty medallion.

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who came a runnin' when you heard my S.O.S. go out...hehe!!! You girls are the best!!!

I was just sitting here thinking about how much fun that was...I love getting your input. You are all so talented and I look at it this way...two heads are always better than one! Sooooo...I've decided to put up all of the photos of my new "frenchy" studio/office as it is now (which at the present is just a hodge-podge of things)...and ask for your consideration...ideas...etc...in decorating this little "frenchy toile" room!

The only thing concrete in this room is the wall color...it's been recently painted and I just don't want to do it again...hehe! Not to mention, I love the wall color...they are a khaki/olive green...as you can see in the photos. Of course, I've added the china hutch and an old antique desk...many of the items are left over from it's former state as a bedroom...and I've already been throwing items in here with the thought that they might be used!

But remember...nothing is concrete yet...so what do you think?

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Here is the china hutch (once again)...I'm trying to "frenchify" it! The pretty wood applique is a good start I think. Many of you suggested that I paint the hutch...and in the beginning I was very hesitant about doing that simply because it's a keepsake...know what I mean?...however, last night my honey told me that I could and should do with it as I please. Whew...I was worried about that! One thing I definitely think that hutch needs is a new back. I really dislike the dark colored wood behind the shelving inside the hutch...I was thinking that it needs painted...or maybe some pretty fabric??? I'm also up for ideas on what to do with the doors on the bottom...how can they be "frenchified"???

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I ordered new drapes...a simple toile fabric made by Waverly. The fabric is a darker shade of the wall color...khaki/olive with black! Honestly, they really weren't my first pick considering all of the beautiful toile fabric...but I got such a great deal that I couldn't hardly pass them up (and I am on a pretty strict budget). These drapes were originally $270.00 but I got them on a close-out sale for just $77.00....yeeehawww...or maybe I should say Mon Dieu...Je le prends!!! So I have a pair of pinch-pleated panels and two "Juliet" styled valances. Of course, they will need pressed...hehe!

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Ohhhh my...I told you that I was just throwing everything in this room that I might be able to use. I still have the old antique garden gate on the wall (I used it as a headboard for the twin bed that was in here). I love this old gate and would like to leave it in the room...I moved my old hunched-back trunk in front of it, although you really can't see it right now for all of the art that I have propped up against it...hehe!

We recently acquired these pieces...Russell's Dad had seven of the most beautiful antique framed family photos and art stored away in an old trunk! I just about peed my pants when I found them...so sorry, that is so crude but it's so true!!!

The big gold rectangle frame that is propped up against the wall is one of my favorites...it was purchased for a portrait done of Russell's Great-Grandparents. I know that the portrait was done in the 1880's...so this gorgeous frame is at least that old!!! And just look at the beautiful oval frame that is sitting in front propped up against the trunk...it is a photo done of the original Lambert homestead...I love, love, love this!!!

So what do you think...can I make any of these beautiful works of art work in this room? Maybe an entire wall done in a museum style placement???

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This next photo is of the wall opposite of the china hutch. I haven't changed anything on the shelf...it's as it was when this was a bedroom. This is the old antique desk that I brought in. It's pretty rough but has alot of character...I think I will leave it as it is! I need to decorate the top of it though...wink! See the two pictures up on the shelf...they are two prints that I brought back from Paris. Maybe I can do a pretty demure toile or damask fabric for the matte???

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Just a close up of the art and my leather "Paris" box...it's filled with eucalyptus and peacock feathers.

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Well my friends...there you have it...my frenchy studio/office as it is right now. I'd just adore hearing your ideas and opinions!!! Thank you so much again, for coming to my rescue yesterday...hehe!!!

Love ya'll,

Chari

HELP!!! I need advice....

Hello friends....as most of you know....I've started a new project! My first "frenchy toile" room...my studio/office! And if you've followed my blog...you know that it was this beautiful china hutch that started the entire project. I have a dilemma though...the china hutch as it is presently isn't very "frenchy" styled...but that doesn't mean that I can't make it that way, right? Hehe!!! The first thing that I'd like to do to it is...take the little gold brass ornament off of the top of the hutch. I've searched ebay for wood appliques and have found a couple that I really like, however, I'm having a hard time deciding which one I like best. Soooo, I'm turning to you, my blog friends, for your advice!!! Below you will find photos of the two that I'm considering....take a peek and leave me a comment, okay? I sure would appreciate it!!!

Number One

This wood applique measures 16"x4"...so it would make a considerable impact on the decor of the hutch....what do you think?

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Number Two

I also really like this one, in fact, I'm leaning toward purchasing this. If I got this one, I thought it might be pretty to put our family "letter L initial" in the center of the applique...there seems to be a perfect spot for it!!! This applique is a little larger than the last one...it measures 18"x5"!

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Well my friends, I'm on a "time crunch" here...Number two applique goes out in less than 4 hrs....oh my, why do I always wait till the last minute to do this stuff...hehe!!! Also, see the 3 insets doors on the bottom of the hutch...not very "frenchy"....I'd like to do something with them...got any ideas???

Thank you so much for your help....please leave me a comment and tell me which one of the appliques that you think would look best....

Love ya'll,

Chari

The Tea Rose Bedroom

"Ahhhh...tis so sweet the scent of a tea rose"!

Welcome to my Tea Rose Bedroom! This room actually serves a dual purpose...it is my step-daughter Danielle's room when she is home and it also serves as our guest room. Danielle recently turned thirteen years old and it was time for the "Hello Kitty" theme to go. Yes, we just adored that pretty little kitty...the walls were bright orange and pink and I had even painted a "Hello Kitty" mural on one of the walls! Yes, I know...it was a bittersweet process...it's never easy when our children begin to grow up, however the time had come for a change and I was on a redecorating mission!

When I began thinking about this bedroom redo, my first step was to establish the room's purpose. I wanted to give Danielle a pretty, feminine bedroom and at the same time, I wanted our guests when they were visiting, to feel as though they were staying in a beautiful Bed & Breakfast! The perfect solution: A Tea Rose Bedroom!!!

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Okay, I need to back-up just a bit (hehe!). I must admit that doing a Tea Rose bedroom didn't just "pop" into my mind. To begin the redo...I needed a point of inspiration! Since this is a bedroom and the bed is the main focus...that is where I started! I began shopping for bedding...I shopped and shopped and shopped some more. Oh my, such tiring work...wink! I knew from previous experience that when I seen the perfect piece...I would know! I never "just settle"...when doing something of this nature, it has to really speak to my heart! That is when I found this beautiful bedding called "Tea Rose"! Ohhhh...you should have seen me do the happy dance! I just knew that this Tea Rose bedding would be perfect and I had found the inspiration and focus point for this decorating project!!! I also purchased the pretty scrolled iron bed...after all, that bedding needed the appropriate pretty frame! For those of you who share in the passion of interior decorating...you know that what I'm about to say is soooo true...first it was the bedding, then the bed frame...and then that led to the pretty "crown like" corona. This decorating process definitely has a "domino" effect...hehe!

I used a pretty "garden green" paint for the walls. This room was really beginning to take on a life of its own...tea roses, garden green, creamy whites, pinks & pale buttery yellows, it was soft and sweet, and romantic! Remember the movie, "The Horse Whisperer"? Well...if you listen real close...your room will begin to whisper to your heart...exactly what it needs!!! Decorating doesn't have to be a difficult or confusing process...just listen to your heart/room! Over time a certain style seemed to emerge in this Tea Rose bedroom...one I like to call "Garden Chic"!

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A close-up view of the Tea Rose bedding. I recently added a pale yellow matelasse coverlet and a few more decorative pillows! I like the mix of fabrics and patterns...I'm not one for that "matchy...matchy" feel! Mixing fabrics and patterns is really easily done...just keep things in the same color hue and be careful to not let one pattern over-ride the other...they should "build upon one another"....compliment one another! I also brought in a breakfast tray...just for a little Bed & Breakfast ambiance!

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See this little desk? It had it's beginnings as a plain and simple desk in a wood finish. I recently painted it a creamy white (eggshell)...added rose garland embellishments to the two bottom drawers and added vintage glass knobs. I was really pleased with the end result! The desk chair is one of my "treasure finds" ($25). I just couldn't pass this little antique beauty up...it has the prettiest little scroll designs on the top of the inside back of the chair...the cushion is an old faded, olive green toile. The rocking chair is another "treasure find"...bought at a yard sale for $5. I just recovered it with a beige and olive toile fabric that I got on sale for $1.50/yd...I have a total of $8 in this little rocker! And....if you look real close, you'll see that I added a little crystal candlelier above the desk (thank you, Laura for sharing this beauty with me)!

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My Precious Little Tea Cup Lamp

Isn't this just the prettiest little tea cup lamp that you've ever saw? I like to call it my "friendship lamp"....because it was a gift given to me by a very dear, sweet friend! My friend Gloria makes these little tea cup lamps! She is such a talented lady and she's just as sweet and precious as the lamps that she makes! Thank you so very much, Gloria!!! Every time I see this pretty little lamp, I think of you my friend!!!

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Here is a close-up of the bed corona....I draped a long swag curtain over and around it. Why just look at those precious little cherubs....they are hand-painted from Italy. When I seen them...they whispered to me...I had to have them!!! I found this pretty grapevine wreath...made with soft pink magnolias...little pale green berries and crystal beads! I really like how this adds interest above the bed!

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My little Italian cherubs! Just look at the hand-painted details! They sweetly play music as they watch over your dreams!

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We have an old piano in this bedroom. Oh my, it's a bit out of tune, however the little garden cherub doesn't seem to mind! I had been looking for one of these masonary cherubs...they were all a bit too expensive for my "redo" budget...and then on one of my "antiquing trips" I found him ($15). He was green but I used a white wash over the top to tone down the green. On the end of the piano is an old ironstone pitcher filled with...yes, you guessed it...tea roses!!!

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Ahhhh...tis the sweet scent of a tea rose! Yes, the garden cherub has a tiny little tea rose in the palm of his hand...he's really enjoying the scent of it!

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Well my friends, I do hope that you enjoyed my Tea Rose bedroom! I think that this room is finished...at least for the time being...wink! Thank you so much for visiting!!!

Warmest wishes...Chari