Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Decorating for Fall with French Farmhouse Finds...Fall Projects for the Kids



Hello!
I hope you are all enjoying your week.
Fall has always been my favorite season...
I love to bring in small doses of bright colors during the autumn season, along with a few earth tones.
I thought I would share a few pictures of an area in my living room I decorated with a few colorful french farmhouse finds for fall.
Since I live in a newer modular home, I like to always use some sort of architectural 
piece on this particular wall in my living room.  I think architectural pieces are a great way to add instant character to a new home....
For fall I changed out the mirrored door for an antique french door...
I love how this door has natural wood showing through the creamy white paint...
I think it helps add some warmth to the room...


I added my favorite bright mustard colored french confit pot....

I set a french farm table in front of the door.

I paired a french drying rack with an alabaster lamp...



This is one of my favorite bottle drying racks.
I was told it is from the late 1800's... I love the shape of the legs.
These are great for holding your favorite mugs on....


I added a red striped grain sack to the table.
I love the color and texture of this particular grain sack.


My mom recently made this lampshade for me.
She used a scrap of linen I had left over from an antique french linen sheet.


I love how it turned out.
Thanks MOM!


I kept the same pillows on the couch.
{I get lots of inquiries about this particular fabric.
My sister actually made these pillows for me from French fabric that dates back to the late 1800's,
unfortunately I haven't ever found anymore of this particular fabric.}


I used the shutter and bistro chair to add a pop of apple green color to the space.


I wanted to use mostly french farmhouse items for this particular wall.
I did add some pumpkins and branches to other areas of my living room.


I added a few birch branches to one of my zinc tubs.
 I also added some manzanita branches amongst the birch branches for a little color.


I will share more pictures of my living room, once I am finished decorating it for fall.


On another note....
I wanted to share a fall project I did with the kids today.
I found this idea from the fall issue of 
You can subscribe to Heather Bullard's Newsletter for free, by visiting 


I loved this project that Heather Bullard shared in the newsletter.
I couldn't wait for the leaves to change so the kids and I could give it a try.
It is a project we can all do without running to the craft store....
All you need is a few red leaves, a hammer, and some scrap linen.


The kids had so much fun doing this project....


 I loved seeing what each one decided to create with their leaves.


My youngest son, Austin, decided to do something a little different...
He said it was a sunflower : )


We turned this piece of fabric into a small lavender pillow....
I will try and take a few pictures of what else we decided to create with their works of art.


On a final note...


It is another fun fall project to do with the kids.....
You can find out more about how to make the pumpkin bird feeder by visiting my blog...
I also shared this project on Yanet's blog, 3 Sunkissed Boys.
Thanks for having me Yanet!


There is also still time to enter my Cabbages and Roses Giveaway.
I promise I will share the cupcake and Italian cream soda recipes when I announce the winner....



I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week.
Take Care,
Maria


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Celebrating Cabbages and Roses Style and a Giveaway



Hello!
Cabbages and Roses recently launched a NORTHCOTE RANGE
It is a beautiful vintage inspired floral collection with some wonderful bold stripes and motifs as well....
and this will be the first time fabric from Cabbages and Roses
will be available in America.
The fabric is expected to ship today to fine quilting and fabric stores nationwide
and internationally.


Cabbages and Roses recently sent me three different designs from their new Northcote Range collection....
I was asked to come up with a project using the fabric they sent me....
We are also giving away the projects we created with their fabric today.....
Details at the bottom of the post....
I thought it would be fun to put a Cabbages and Roses inspired party together and use the fabric to make decorations....
We used three yards of Cabbages and Roses fabric to make the two banners and 
eight lavender pillows.


I wanted to come up with easy decorating ideas that could be used for a baby shower and or a little girls  birthday party...



We (Bethany and I) also made two different kinds of cupcakes,
raspberry cupcakes....






and
red velvet cupcakes.
I will be sure and share the recipes and the cookbooks I got the recipes from in my next post...


My daughter Bethany made the flags from the leftover Cabbages and Roses scraps...
Bethany used lollipop sticks from Walmart and then glued the flags onto the stick.


I think the flags turned out so cute...


We made a total of 8 lavender pillows from the fabric.....
I thought these would make great party favors....
I filled my french pie safe with the lavender pillows and used the pie safe as a drink station.


I strung a banner of nine flags, made from the Cabbages and Roses fabric, above the drink station....
My sister Liz, came up with the idea to make the banners with the Cabbages and Roses material.
Liz also made the banners for me, thanks Liz! : )




Nicole made vanilla flavored Italian Cream Soda.
(I will share the recipe in the next post)
We added blackberries and raspberries to the drink, the berries help add a splash of color...


I tried to keep everything very simple....


I used an antique french compote to hold a few of the cupcakes...


We used simple white ironstone dishes.....


I like the simple lines of these two cake stands....



Liz was able to make two banners with the fabric, each banner contains a total of nine flags.


I strung the second banner along one side of the table....



We added raspberries to some of the cupcakes for extra color.


This line of fabric from Cabbages and Roses costs between $10.00 and $11.00 a yard in fabric stores.
To make the two banners and the 8 lavender pillows you need only three yards of fabric.
The total cost of fabric would be approximately $30.00.

Now for the Giveaway Details.....


One winner will receive a total of eight lavender pillows made from the Cabbages and Roses Fabric.
There will be three 12" x 12" lavender pillows and five 8" x 8" lavender pillows.
The backs of the  8" x 8" lavender pillows are made with antique french linen.
The winner will also receive two banners made from the Cabbages and Roses fabric.
Each banner has 9 flags...



To Enter the Giveaway.....

Please leave a comment on this post stating you would like to be entered in the giveaway.....
Anonymous commenters please be sure and leave your email address.

OPTIONAL
If you would like extra entries you can post about the giveaway on any of your social networking sites....such as twitter, facebook, and or blogger.
You will need to leave an additional comment for each site you posted about the giveaway on....
The winner will be chosen by random number....

If you would like to find out more about Cabbages and Roses you can do so by visiting these sites...


Thank you Cabbages and Roses!
The giveaway will end October 1st.
Enjoy the rest of your week!
Take Care,
Maria

Monday, September 19, 2011

Atelier de Campagne



Hello, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend.
My daughters and I made a trip to the coast this weekend to attend
I also attended their event this past spring.
I thought I would share images I shot of their spring event, since I didn't take any pictures on Saturday.....
I have a lot of images to share with you today of their beautiful items and displays.......






































Atelier de Campagne import a variety of antiques and new items from Europe.
They are located in Corralitos, CA.
You can find them at flea markets all along the California Coast.
If you would like to find out more about them you can do so by visiting their website.

On another note....
When we got back from the sale on Saturday we (my family) went to see the movie,
It was the best movie we have seen in a long time.




On a final note...

I snapped a few pictures today of a couple of our finds from the event....
The girls helped me pick out these vintage french beach chairs.....
They so far have been a big hit with everyone.


 I hope you enjoy your week.
Take Care,
Maria