Monday, February 28, 2011

Questions and Answers About My home and shop





Hello Everyone!
I hope you are all having a great week.

I have been getting a lot of questions about my home and shop this month, so I thought it would be a good idea to do a question and answers post today.


What color did you paint your living room and bedroom?
I painted our living room and bedroom a warm white called country dairy,
Home Depot still has the Ralph Lauren colors in their system.
I used the eggshell finish.


How did you secure the doors in your bedroom to the wall?
We actually didn't secure the doors to the wall.
We just leaned them up against the wall.
The doors are secured in place with our bed.


What color did you paint your living room?
I painted this room a warm gray, called pearl gray.
It is a Martha Stewart color from Lowe's.


How do you keep your whites white?
I really only use Mrs. Meyers detergent, along with oxiclean.
I also use vintage french linen sheets to cover my couches....


What color did you paint your daughters' beds?
I used two different shades of whites when painting their beds.
I first painted a layer of Decorator's White on their beds, and then lightly brushed on a coat 
of White Dove.  Both colors are Benjamin Moore colors.
I like to use two different shades of whites when painting my furniture....






What color did you paint your girls room?
I painted my girls' room a Martha Stewart's color called Newsprint.
Newsprint.
I still love this color in their room.
It is a really light gray color, and really helps make the whites pop.



How did you make the pompoms?
I purchased a pompom kit at Michael's.
We used these to decorate the inside of a tent at my sister's wedding too.
You can read a tutorial on how to make these by clicking here.....




What is your favorite white paint to use on furniture?
My favorite cool white is, Decorator's White, a Benjamin Moore color.
This is the color of paint I used on my table.
My favorite warm white, is White Dove, a Benjamin Moore color.
My favorite gray to use on furniture is, Horizon.
I never distress the paint finish on my furniture......I have five kids, the furniture always becomes naturally distressed over time : )
I always use semi-gloss paint as well.... It is much easier to wipe clean, and I personally like a nice glossy white finish on my furniture that I have painted.








Do you use only lavender to fill your lavender pillows or do you also use a filler?









We use only dried organic lavender buds to fill our pillows.






Will you be selling bistro chairs?



I will be adding bistro chairs to the shop soon....

I hope this helps answer a few of your questions...


Take Care,
Maria

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Thank you Country Almanac.... and a sneak peek into Romantic Prairie Style


Hello Everyone...
I wanted to first say thank you to Janet Mowat, the editor of Country Almanac, for sending me copies of the Country Almanac summer 2011 issue.....
I opened the package, not knowing what was going to be inside the envelope.
I was a little surprised when I started flipping through the magazine and
 found pictures of our home...
These pictures were taken by Mark Lohman for Fifi O'Neill's book, Romantic Prairie Style.
If you have access to the Country Almanac Magazine you will see a sneak peek of Fifi's new 
book, Romantic Prairie Style.
Romantic Prairie Style will be released this April.....


The kids were so excited to open up the magazine and see the picture of our goat, Dolly.
Dolly has been apart of our family for ten years.
I think Fifi enjoyed Dolly just as much as the kids do.


Thank you Fifi, we are so honored to be apart of your book!

If you are interested in purchasing Romantic Prairie Style you can do so by clicking here~




I recently did an interview with Fifi, you can read it by clicking here~



Christina Strutt just posted an interview with Fifi that I thought you might enjoy reading as well....
Cabbages and Roses
Cabbages and Roses is giving away a copy of Romantic Prairie Style...
You don't want to miss it...You might see a few more pictures over there too.

On another note...
I hope you guys are having a great week....
I am hoping to get back to blogging again soon...
We are still trying to overcome this flu virus.
Take Care,
Maria


Saturday, February 19, 2011

Introducing Lilies and Dandelions Blog


 Hello Everyone!
I wanted to take the time to introduce to you a new blog that I think you will all enjoy....
I asked Brianna, the author of Lilies and Dandelions, if she could tell us a little bit about herself....

I am a 25 year old wife and mother of two boys.  We live in the suburbs of San Diego...  I must stress suburbs because we are definitely more country than near the ocean :-).  I have been interested in interior design and home decor even as a little girl. I would often rearrange my bedroom furniture and persuade my sweet Dad to repaint my walls -- yet again!  Both sets of my Grandparents were born and raised in Europe.  I started a few years ago framing their old sheet music, or using an old piano bench as furniture, etc.  I wanted to look around my home and feel my family around me, instead of purchasing something that has been recently mass produced and sold everywhere.  It thrilled me to take an object that would be completely valueless to someone else and re-purpose it, because I could remember sweet moments with that person (or imagine the stories that it may have).  I cannot tell you how much I've enjoyed reading all of these blogs.  For so long now, I haven't been able to pin down a name for my design style (and I probably still can't) but I see so many people that have the same idea that I do.  It has only been a few months, but I already have been inspired to begin so many more projects around my house, and incorporate all of my "treasures" in them!  I wanted to create this blog to share some ideas that I may have and meet new friends that have the same common interest as me...  to create more than just a living space, but a home that invites our family and friends and makes us all feels so comfortable, airy and bright.  


I already love Brianna's blog...
I think you will too.




The winner will receive one bag of lavender that is made from an antique french towel.
The bag is filled with 3/4 of a pound of dried organic lavender.


Six lavender sachets for the dryer...


 A bundle of dried organic Lavender


and a Restoration Hardware pillow....


Thank you Brianna!

I hope you will get a chance to welcome Brianna into the world of blogging!


On another note....
I am sorry I haven't been able to get back to everyone this past month....
I have had to take some time away from my blog these past couple of weeks.....
Unfortunately my family came down with a really bad flu virus this month, we have had a terrible time getting over this virus....
I am really hoping and praying we are now on the road to being healthy again.

Hope you all enjoy your weekend and are staying healthy!
Take Care,
Maria

Friday, February 4, 2011

Valentine's Day Inspired Table, Artful Blogging


Hello Everyone!
I hope you all have had a great week....

I wanted to share a few pictures of a Valentine's inspired table setting.
I used a lot of roses from Whole Foods, trying to give my home a cottage feel.


I used antique french labeled jars as vases....


I used antique french yellow ware, that were once used as jam pots.
I added floral foam from Michaels to the pots.  My daughter Bethany helped me arrange the flowers in the little pots.


You could use something like this as a gift for each guest....


I scattered plastered letters around the table...


I filled a french canning jar with flowers....





I used an antique french document as a placemat....




I chose to use an assortment of flowers....
I however only used pink and white flowers for the table setting....


I set out an assortment of french linen napkins on the table.
I now wish I would have done something a little different with those napkins, after looking at these pictures....



I set out four of the blue french documents and used only two white french documents for the middle plates, to break it up a little bit.



This isn't how I would normally set our table, it is supposed to be a Valentine's Day inspired table setting.... : )


On a final note....




I wanted to say thank you to Jennifer Jackson and the Artful Blogging Magazine team for featuring my blog in the spring issue of Artful Blogging...
It is out on newsstands now.


I hope you all have a great weekend!!
Take Care,
Maria