Pom Pom

A few months ago I quietly introduced the Pom Pom line of linens to Hodgepodge. 

The Belgian owners of this unique collection take pride in offering their beautiful line of 100% linen bedding for adults and babies.  They use embroidery, crushed velvet and hand-crocheted lace to embellish these certified organic linens.  They are made from  the purest of Belgian flax fibers.

I love this stuff!

It’s not just the bedding . . . I fell in love with their accessories, too.

small tote—white—100% cotton

The linens for the home speak of an easy, casual elegance . . .

Your Pom Pom table top will transport you to the European countryside.  “Bon Appetit”

 

It’s where I want to be.

the Charlie Collection has a 4” ruffle that surrounds the duvet and shams.

Draw these curtains at the end of a hard day and forget that you’re part of this century . . .

Well, the big news here is that I’ve decided to expand the line at Hodgepodge.

Here’s where I’ll be starting . . .

Mathilde—2 1/2”  frayed edge with a 1/4” velvet ribbon

So—what do you think?

I’m pretty excited.

Thanks for your indulgence.

free FALL, part one

my question is . . . why do we even have to mess with summer? 
sure, it feels good . . . for about a week—I enjoy the flowers, the green grass and the pool.  after about a week, though, the flowers start to fade, the grass goes brown and the pool is no longer refreshing.
but, ahhhhhhh, autumn!
the temps have dipped—ever so slightly—I am in full-on free FALL! 
I’ve decided to adopt a new rule of social etiquette.  not only will I not wear white shoes after Labor Day (well, actually, ever), but I will wear my cowboy boots beginning the day after Labor Day.  here they are—they make me smile!

but, the reason you’ve tuned in, however, is the home décor, right?

below is a pic focused on our signature mixed-pattern silver plate flatware, a Farmhouse soy wax candle and a celery vase filled with acorns.



 my new favorite cookbook, The Romantic Prairie Cookbook, our iron rooster napkin rings, and a favorite cheese dome on on  a willow tray.


the beautiful new, ironstone pitchers with wheat and ivy patterns are difficult to distinguish from their vintage inspiration.


I have a particular penchant for brown transferware . . .


one of our uncomplicated, but favorite displays—the dried hydrangeas in our beautiful urn along with vintage books in our French wire baskets and our embellished globe.


ooh, that cheese dome!  and the owl pitcher (anything cuter?); in  the background a reproduction sugar mold.


here, the hint of the door I painted in homage to the Café de Flore in Paris.


apothecary jars, a mouse and moss.


we hope these subtle changes throughout the shop will help you make plans for transitioning your home into this wonderful season. (there are more to come . . . thus, the “part one”)
now to get to work transitioning my own home . . .
thanks for your indulgence!

A Restful Repose

About three months ago, I purchased this nice, but less than perfect oak bed.  Pieces like this are ideal candidates for my paint brush.  I love painted furniture, but I do not paint pieces I feel have value in their original, untouched state.  You see, I have a fear of one watching the PBS show, Antiques Road Show, when the experts are studying a lovely piece of painted furniture and commenting, “If only it hadn’t been painted, this piece would bring $5,000 at auction, but in it’s current painted state, we have to value it at $200.” 

Consequently, I only want to paint pieces which, otherwise, might be over looked.  This bed, for instance, had made it all the way through the Nashville flea market and was still there on Sunday.  The veneer on the headboard was slightly warped and the footboard had been repaired where it connects to one of the rails, but otherwise it was sturdy and had lots of potential.

 

 

(Will I ever remember to take the “before” pictures in a timely manner?)

When I snagged this piece, I knew right away that I wanted to give it a Country French/French Country makeover, so I would be painting it with Old White and Paris Grey Chalk Paint™ . . . or maybe with French Linen and Louis Blue . . . or maybe . . .

Needless to say, the bed waited and waited for me to decide how to paint it.

It moved from the work area to the storage area.Then, during one of my Chalk Paint™ workshops, I had an epiphany!

Back story:  Travis (my workshop assistant extraordinaire) and I are constantly amazed by the way all of the colors of Chalk Paint™ work together. During our workshops we pull-out all 30 colors and use them in various combinations.  In this process, we have yet to place one color next to another and say, “Ooh, yuck!” Usually, it’s more like, “That is amazing—look at how nice that looks together!” (Then we set about looking for a piece to paint in that newly discovered paint combination!)

Okay, so you’ve peaked already and know that I didn’t use Paris Grey or Louis Blue.  No—my epiphany involved Old Violet, so that is what I chose for my base coat.  I then intended to add Paris Grey and Old White.  I knew I would distress it and, more than likely, I’d finish it with dark wax.

 

So there it is, ready for the next step . . .

Here’s where I changed my mind again!

I decided I wanted the overall look to be muted and thought the Paris Grey would be a little crisp looking.  I finally settled on painting the inset panels with French Linen, then topped with Country Grey.  I used a wet cloth to spread and blend the two colors.

I then added a stenciled motif in the center of the headboard using the French Linen again.  I applied it very lightly—wanting it to be very subtle.

 

I then applied the clear wax to the entire piece and commenced to sanding!

 

After reapplying the clear wax, I applied a light coating of dark wax and called it done.

Here’s what it looks like now:

If you take a close look at the footboard, you can see I did a lot of sanding on the inside—where I figured it would naturally have a lot of wear.

The same is true of the headboard—years of propping-up in bed to read, would cause the finish to wear-away. 

And one more photo of this beauty. 

I am very pleased with the results and once again amazed by the way all of these colors work so well together.  In fact, if you’ve used Chalk Paint™ decorative paints, I’d love to hear about your favorite color combinations.

I will be linking to  Vintage Inspired Fridays, I hope you visit and take some time to check-out some of the other links there.

Thanks for your indulgence,

A Vintage Inspired Cupboard

A few days ago I posted about the amazing Country French vignette Patty arranged in my absence.  Today, I want to focus on cupboard that started the whole thing.

A while back, I asked my friend Jeff (the guy that makes all of my custom furniture for the shop) to make this:

I gave him two salvaged windows I had been saving for the right project and, about a month later, he called me to tell me it was ready for pick-up.

Now, I had started this whole process (from inception) last fall. When I picked-up the piece, the backroom at the shop was consumed by Christmas, so we unloaded it at the house, where if stood on our back porch (aka—my creative space) for months, awaiting the verdict of my paint color choice.

 

(Naturally, I failed to take the before shot, so here it is after the painting process had begun.)

When I finally decided on colors, I used my old standby, latex paint.  Shortly thereafter, I purchased my first cans of Chalk Paint™ decorative paints and decided to add a coat of French Linen to the exterior and Provence to the interior.  LOVED!

It then began the s----l----o----w move to the shop. 

It hung-out in our dining room so long I had to fight the urge to start filling with vintage dishes.  It then rolled to the front hall—the casters, at the risk of sounding a little self-inflated, pure genius!   Finally, the stars aligned and my husband and son loaded it for the three-city-blocks trip to the shop.

There, we rolled in in and out of the shop (with the opening and closing) for a few days while I contemplated the white paint of the vintage windows.  It looked too graphic, but I didn’t want to cover it completely.  I decided to use the French Linen Chalk Paint™ to make a wash.

 

I followed with Soft Wax in clear and a little sanding on the entire surface.  I then used the Soft Wax in dark, hitting the new wood (pine) with more, so it looked like a darker wood. 

A final wipe down to remove any excess wax and  I had this . . .

I am very pleased with it.  I love display cabinets, but I often think things look too “off limits” behind glass.  That’s why I added the open display shelf at the top.  I think it looks like a custom made “built in” piece of furniture.  The vintage windows made this piece look old, but the display shelf is the “crowning touch!”  (So punny!)

I hope you enjoyed this vintage inspiration . . . for more, please visit Debra and a couple hundred of her closest friends for:

 

You will be glad you did!

Thanks for your indulgence!