Angels In My Home...

Perfect, Simple Way To Replace Missing Furniture Parts!

Think of the possibilities!

Yes, I'm Bragging! Who Wouldn't?

               This is the dollhouse Santa found on Craigslist for $100. One of his elves went online to find parts for it and this is what she found. Yes. $7,999.00! Seven thousand nine hundred and ninety nine dollars!

I know...right?! Needless to say, aforementioned elf felt all the blood rush to her head and had to sit down! On the down(ish) side, now we need to buy furniture on par with this lovely house. Most of it costs more than some of the better pieces I own!

It was quite dirty, as it had been in storage and there was evidence of mice who lived in the chateau Once Upon a Time! Personally, I LOVE the image of mice roaming the place, drinking tea with one pinky up and hoping that year's grapes would...well, I digress!

But...mice in panniers...and powdered wigs!

xo

Andie

Atelier De Campagne

I cannot believe this site

only has a handful of followers!

Library Inspiration!

From "The New 18th Century Style"

Narnia

I found a lovely armoire on Craigslist last year...

Although it was Craigslist, it cost more than any other piece of furniture I have ever owned!

We call the armoire "Narnia" because one of our beloved former strays, Frannie has taken up residence there!
 Poor Frannie. It took three years to gain her trust so I could bring her into our home. She hides in Narnia because one of our other kitties, McGillicuddy, likes to pull her pigtails! Twice a day I carry her to the litter box. We often make up stories about what Frannie is doing in Narnia! Adventure! Intrigue!

I have had a great deal of luck finding treasures on Craigslist.  Have you?

There Is More Beauty In This Moment Than Any Design Blog You Will Ever See!

Who Can Read Under These Conditions? A little help?!

We recently moved into a new home. (yay!) I have always wanted a library and now I have one, kinda.

The thing is, it's really tiny. It was supposed to be the "home office" Not being a huge fan of piling all my junk on a desk right by the front entry, I decided to make it into my dream library...

I do everything backward. Dunno why, I always have. It builds character, I suppose. Also, I wanted to be sure of the placement before I paint the walls, place the molding, hang the light fixture and put the rug down...okay the rug thing was an oversight, I was so excited I forgot. There is a pile of oriental rugs in my garage waiting for strong men to help me put them under the furniture in the house. They are HEAVY, I tell you!

The symmetry is the thing...my home has none in the first place...really. I cannot seem to make this particular room flow. The walls are all cattywampus and at odd angles. *sigh*

In case you missed him, you can see my beloved Atticus resting in the velvet chair. He likes the way it grabs his fur and holds onto it! He deserves velvet, though. He is a former stray who had been badly, severely abused. We love him so! What's a library without a cat I ask you?

Another conundrum, if you will, is that the rest of my home is more French and Belgian-ish. I was thinking about recovering the velvet chair in linen and painting the frame grey? I LOVE the French leather chair in the other corner, though. It's torn and ratty but I'm sure it has a fabulous story to tell! Thanks to my photography skills (nonexistent) and the fact I am taking photos with my cell phone, the colors are a bit off. The chair, for example, is a light cognac.

After looking at the photographs I decided to remove the large painting to the right of the mirror and replaced it with the matching eagle convex mirror that is on the left. I like it better. More nail holes to fill...*sigh*.

I moved the painting to the mantel opening and moved Shakespeare in his party hat a smidge. I'll probably change it again 72 times. At least this blog helps me document my lunacy so I can get the professional help I need!

Any advice, Bloggers on High?

Now You Know How To Do This!

Yes. These, Too, Are Stencils!

These celestial stencils can be purchased from the Jeff Raum site...

These Are Stencils!

Hello powder room walls! Thank you, Vigini Studios! How about kitchen island cabinets? Bathroom cabinets? Inexpensive Craigslist armoire doors, eh?

Random Thoughts, Random Postings

I bought a really junky French provincial desk on Craigslist for $100.  It wasn't worth $100 but I am no good at haggling.  I am afraid to offend people so I just pay what they are asking.
I never take "Before" photos, maybe because I think I will jinx myself, I dunno. I get too caught up in my vision and I get tunnel vision until I am finsished with a piece.  Then I think to myself "you should have taken a photograph first!"  Always too late!  It kinda defeats the purpose of revamping, though, if you don't know what it looked like in the first place!

I am relying on your artistic sense and your imagination to conjure what this wobbly, veneered desk with crumbling pseudo inlays looked like before I took a paintbrush to it!

I also added a fragment to the drawer in the center, a broken piece of laurel swag that was given to me.  I am thinking of adding angel ormolu that I took off a gaudy lamp table that I also bought off of Craigslist.  The photos do not do them justice, they are not nearly as shiny and they are pretty big, about 5 inches tall. I also need to fix the wings because I broke every last one when I was removing the angels from the lamp.  It could have been avoided, but I am an impatient creature.  *sigh*

Please note* every last item on this desk was purchased from ebay and Craigslist, except for the pheasant feathers which I picked up on a walk by the lake last spring!

Paint It Or Leave It Alone?

This armoire is fresh off of Craigslist.  I cannot decide whether to paint it grey, white or just leave it?

This armoire is a Belgian antique  and so far out of my price range that I am afraid to ask!  I love the color and patina.  How would the paint look on my Craigslist armoire I wonder?

Inspiration of the Day!

Making A Slipcover

Imagine What You Can Do!