Ingredients For Library Pilows!

I ordered the Napoleon prints on cotton napkins from Zazzle. Once they arrive, I will embellish the Campage toile pillows with red velvet and gold embroidered honey bees!

Now, I just have to patiently wait...which is not my strong suit...I guess you could say it is my Waterloo!

xo

Andie

A Tale of Toile!

Happy Easter!

I hope this find you in good spirits and good health.  

We are cooking Easter dinner as I write this.  The photos are from last Easter.  I hope you enjoy them!

I found the Royal Staffordshire Clarice Cliff plum transferware on Facebook Marketplace.  The tablecloth is vintage Martha Stewart from ebay.  Everything else is from Craigslist.   

We cannot do flowers this year because our cat, Delores, likes to drink the water and she always wins the battle.  lol  

I am trying to get back into blogging but life has a funny way of getting in the way.  

I have missed you guys!

xo

Andie

To the Dogs!

Hi friends!  I have been adding color to the house as fast as I can.  Though I love a monochromatic scheme, I don't live in in a Belgian castle.  Our home is more suited to English style...and that means color! 

We have finally saved enough to have all the upholstered treasures reupholstered.  

It has made a world of difference!

Today, I want to share the dog room.  It was formerly the music room, but the new piano was too big and we had to put it in the family room.  This is also the game room and the cat's favorite room, oddly.  lol  

 I had the starburst upholstery for years.  I found it on Craigslist.  It is perfect for the game table chairs.  There is still a LOT left over.  I am trying to decide where to use it?  I think it would be perfect on the Louis XV sofa that is still in the garage!  

The chair to the left of the painted secretary is upholstered in Schumacher Sherbrooke toile.  I just love it!  

In retrospect, covering a settee in velvet with so many pets, was not one of my most brilliant ideas.  There is a reason lint brushes are made of velvet!  

One of each, please!  

The stool is covered in Scalamandre toile.  It was a sample.  Just enough for one small seat!  

The green toile on the chairs was found on ebay.  $50 for 7 yards.  Just enough to cover two chairs and an ottoman!  

At Christmas!  

Clarence is our official chair inspector!  He has to sit on every piece that comes into the house, to make sure it is comfortable enough!  

The startburst fabric again.  I could do an entire room in this fabric!  

Every item you see, except for Clarence, was found on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Bookoo and OfferUp.  Even with upholstery, we paid far less than what an Ikea room would cost.  It will last far longer, as well!  

Next time, I will share the library!

Hoping you are well!

xo

Andie

We're Back...Take Two! A Bed For Atticus!

So sorry friends!  Coming back into Blogland wasn't as simple a task as I had hoped!

I had a medical thingy, which could be called an emergency, that kept me in the hospital for a bit.  Seems my heart thought the rest of me moved too slow and decided to run off without me!  😂

I have an arrhythmia that likes to remind me who's boss every now and then.  

I am out and about now, connected to a monitor that tracks my heart rhythm.  

Doing much better, I think. 

Moving on, I want to share the pet kennel makeover I did!

A friend found this leather covered kennel in a consignment shop and thought of me.

I love the shape but not the color or the windows.

It reminded me of a kennel at the New York  Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

The niche de chien was created by Claude I Sené, Marie Antoinette's  cabinet maker.  

Niche de chien, created for Marie Antoinette.

Our kennel, after I gilded the wood  had the windows removed and covered, then upholstered the outside in a mohair similar in color.  You can also see the silk stripe fabric on the interior, just like Marie Antoinette's!  

The cushion is down filled, so that Atticus can get a good day's rest!   

Online, these can cost $10,000!  Ours, total,  including the, over 2,000 upholstery nails (I counted), was less than 5% of that!  

I was thinking that a drum table from the 70's could easily be upholstered and made into a kennel such as this.  

I may have to try it.  After all, we have 5 other fuzzy friends who need beds!

xo

Andie

Long Time No See

Hi guys!  Remember me?  

Been a while.  

I apologize for my absence.  

Frankly, I did not have much to offer, Blogwise.

Also, I am very lazy.  

Not that I have much to offer now, but I will be sharing anyhow!  😂

No.  I never did paint the railings.  I am intimidated beyond measure.  

I do have paint and that's something. Right?

I figured I would start with where I am and deconstruct it as I go along.  

The family room got a  new look.  I grew tired of the leather recamiers.  They were stiff and not very comfortable, though they were pretty.  Kinda like a supermodel.  Not much substance.  lol

I found a French sofa on Craigslist and had it reupholstered in mohair, which is not as easy maintenance as leather but very sturdy.  

I think the room is more welcoming this way.  

The cats think so, anyway.  

Family room today

Family room before we purchased our home

It's amazing how comfortable it became after we crammed it full of stuff. 

Not as echo-y either.  

Hoping you are well!  

xo

Andie

Peonies!

I planted seven varieties of peonies in the gardens.  This was an exciting year; the first time they all bloomed!  

Clarence doesn't seem to care.   

Peonies have such an old world look.  

The vase is lovely but it os also difficult for the kitties to knock over.  lol  

Back to the gardens!

Enjoy your week, friends!  

xo

Andie

Divine Theatre House Tour!

HI friends!  I have been gone a very long time.  Too long.  This winter was difficult for our family.  We were all very sick. Four months worth of sick.  Then the sick turned into pneumonia, which turned into a nearly fatal heart arrhythmia that put me in cardiac intensive care for a week.  

Happy ending, though!  

Everyone is perfectly healthy and we have the doctor bills to prove it.  lol  

I have so much catching up to do.  

While I was recuperating I did some rearranging.  I also parted with a great many treasures so that I could showcase the ones I have. 

Editing is the hardest part.  Isn't it?  

Because the garden season has begun I am literally just throwing these photos at you guys, waving, then going out to edge the gardens, pull weeds, plant shrubs, lay mulch....

I hope you enjoy the little tour!  

And yes, everything is from Craigslist!  

Dog gallery wall in the game room.  

Another angle

Tapestries, toile, Louis XVI, kitty and Aubusson in the game room.  

The curtains are inexpensive tablecloths from Amazon.  

Library

Sunroom

Painted linen cabinet. I keep my tablecloths and napkins here.  I will share a tutorial soon! 

Tulips in the sunroom

Empire chandelier reflected in dining room trumeau mirror

French trumeau mirror and Louis XVI console in dining room

Dining room tapestry.  The Louis XVI desk came from Rush Limbaugh's uncle, so I am told.  It it used as a bar.  

KItchen...

Purple transferware setting for Easter dinner...

Sparklies in the dining room!

Out with the old!  

Christmas gift from Handsome Husband.  19th century French armoire to store dishes in the dining room.  

Much love to you all!  

xo

Andie

Hello, my friends! 

We are in the midst of celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas! Well, kinda. Our daughter has been sick the last few days and we have been pretty low key. 

She is feeling a bit better, so I thought I would take a moment to wish you all a bright Christmas season! 

We don't begin our decorating until right before Christmas, because we use fresh greenery that hopefully lasts until Epiphany!

Here is a small vignette in the front hall. Fresh bay garlands and wreaths. We made the glittered pinecone tassels. I will post a tutorial. It was simple and really fulfilling. They look so decadent! It smells like heaven! I promise to show more soon!

xo

Andie

Time Marches On

I hope the Holidays find you in good health and good spirits, my friends!  

Because we prefer to use all natural decorations, we typically don't decorate for Christmas until the week of Christmas Day.  

The Holidays this year began on a sad note and I feel we needed something to cheer us up.  

Our sweet Mabel passed away on November 11.  She was diagnosed with aggressive cancer a month prior.  

  Mabel died in my arms on a Saturday morning.  

I know she is with her friends in heaven now, but I would trade all that I have to spend one more day with her.  

I dusted off an old faux tree we had in the basement and added just a few ornaments.  

I placed it in a silver urn I found on Craigslist a few years back.  

The Moravian star light fixture that hangs in the sunroom adds the perfect touch! 

Our silver nutcracker collection is growing and this seemed the perfect place for them.  That is, until Delores finds them!  

...and she will, oh she will.  

Our hearts are heavy.  There is no way around it.  However, if one truly believes in the Spirit of Christmas, then we know that Mabel lives on.  

We choose to celebrate her life and the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.  We choose to create new Holiday memories in spite of the aching in our hearts.  

In a few weeks time, we will continue our tradition of finding the perfect tree, wreaths and garlands to grace our home.  

This year, there will be one less stocking on the mantel, but one more angel in heaven.  

With Love, 

Andie

Looking Glass

I have an affection for mirrors.  I had no idea.  However, upon reflection, it is quite apparent. 

No more puns.  I promise.  

Mirrors have the ability to make small rooms look larger, dark rooms seem brighter and they literally double the beauty of what they reflect.  

When I hang mirrors, I am careful to situate them opposite of something worth their reflection, be it a window, a painting, a favorite objet d' art, even another mirror.  

While perusing these photos I also noted that I seem to like painting mirrors, for the finish of over half of them has been altered.  Thank goodness for chalk paint!  I never could have accomplished so much without it!  

I have mastered the art of looking at a mirror without looking into a mirror.  

Like vampires do, I'm sure.  

But their hair always looks so nice.  How do they do that?  

Mirrors have a presence many other pieces do not.  They can be unobtrusive or they can be a the focal point of a room.  

In the dreary winter months, when light is scarce, a mirror, or several, can direct the rays of the sun into a room that might otherwise be somber.  In summer, mirrors invite the reflection of blue skies, butterflies, birds and flowers, so it seems as if you are outdoors, among them.  

Now, imagine the walls of these rooms without mirrors. The glow of light in the mirror disappears, the depth of the reflection, gone. 

They really do make a difference!  

xo

Andie