Monday, November 12, 2012

French Farmhouse Christmas Coming Soon.... The Beautiful Souvenir Lifestyle Holiday Issue is Here....


Hello!
I hope you all had a great weekend....
We finally got some chilly weather here....
It finally doesn't feel like summer anymore.....
This weekend I worked on photographing our French Farmhouse Christmas Line,
along with a few product pictures, like this vintage french laundry basket....
You can find out more on the basket at the end of the post....
I first want to tell you about the Holiday Issue of Souvenir......


I am excited to announce the issue has been released today and you can visit the Souvenir website
You also have the option to purchase the magazine in print as well....
Thank you to Heather Bullard for choosing one of my images for the cover....
It is an honor to be apart of such an amazing team of contributors....


If you click on the above image, you will be able to view a generous free preview of the holiday issue, 
this will give you an idea of what you can expect to see in the issue.....




I read the magazine for the first time this morning, and I have to tell you it is a stunning issue, filled with inspiration and holiday ideas that you can actually do at home yourself.....


I wanted to say thank you to Aimee Peterson from the Antique Gardener for letting me take over her porch for my Souvenir story.....
The house shown in the Souvenir sneak peek is a charming 100 year old home in Sutter Creek, CA....
Aimee also provided me with the tree, which was from her family's Christmas tree farm and made the wreath for the story.
All the grain sack Christmas items from our story in Souvenir will be available in the shop soon.........
Congratulations to all of the contributors and congratulations to Heather Bullard!
I hope you all enjoy the issue as much as I did.....


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This year we tried to come up with some fun new ideas using grain sacks for our French Farmhouse Christmas line....


This bow made from grain sacks is part of our French Farmhouse Christmas line....
These will be available in the shop soon....
If you would like to make your own ribbon using grain sack, you can find the instructions in the Souvenir Magazine : ).....


There are so many reasons why I am crazy about grain sacks, one of the things I love most about grain sacks are the stripes......I am especially fond of red stripes....


The fact that they were hand loomed using hemp linen and date back to the late 1800's is also one of the many reasons I love grain sacks.....


We will be listing our French Farmhouse Christmas line in the shop soon....
I hope you will come back next week for a fun French Farmhouse Christmas giveaway!

The wreath is from Anthropologie : )

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On another note....
I recently photographed this vintage French laundry cart this weekend and wanted to share a few pictures with you....


It is one of my favorite Antiques From France finds!
(This is just a sampling of the vintage french finds you will find at Terry and William's warehouse sale this weekend.... I posted about their sale here....
I will be sharing more about Terry Littman (Antiques from France) in my next post....


I will be listing this cart in the shop....


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On a final note....
I often get asked what type of editing software I use......
I have been meaning to post about this subject and haven't had a chance to do so.....
I use photoshop elements
and the only actions I have ever applied to my images in the past two years are
They truly are my favorite to use....
They are also very easy to use....
I will be sharing a post with you soon, showing you a few of my images with and without the Florabella actions....

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

22 comments:

  1. Maria, these photos are wonderful! I love red striped grainsack as well and I am so purchasing one of these red bows! Can't wait to see the rest of your new line! I love, love that French cart! I might have to add that to my list as well! :) Thank-you for all of your inspiration and all that you do!
    Maria

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  2. Gorgeous photos, as always! I always love seeing what you are up to. Beautiful holiday ideas. Love seeing the French Bulldog in the French cart, too.

    ~Shanon

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  3. Gorgeous and amazing photos, of course you were chosen for the cover. :) Adore the Anthropologie wreath with the grain sack ribbon, you have great taste!
    Jen Migonis

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  4. congrats on the issue, maria. excuse me now as i go dig out my sheep's roving and attempt to create something approaching the brilliance of this wreath!

    smiles to you.

    michele

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  5. so much beauty and inspiration in the simple things.
    i share your heart for grainsacks...they are each so unique and beautiful...love the stories they carry, too.
    love it all, Maria!
    xoxo

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  6. So beautiful Maria!!~ I am in love with that Anthro wreath! And the bow looks fantastic on it. I'm so excited to order the magazine in print this time, it look's like an amazing issue.
    Hope you have a great week.
    Sincerely,
    Melinda

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  7. Maria, from the day I first read your blog I knew you had so much talent that was about to be discovered . And it has been. Your photos are my favorites and I can tell your photography right away. Congrats on the cover of the magazine.

    Is that a French bulldog?

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  8. Beautiful shots – as always :)

    Just wanted to chime in that Florabella Actions are the BEST!!!

    I use them for my photos for my vintage shop all the time but I've also used them for my graphic design clients for images used in their brochures and direct mail pieces.

    For those of you not familiar with those actions, definitely check them out :)

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  9. Stunning pictures - bright and light !
    I love your photography style...
    The wreath is beautiful...

    Hugs from Vienna
    Melanie

    www.wienerwohnsinn.blogspot.com

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  10. Absolutely gorgeous!!! I love it all but the wreath is my favorite!

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  11. I just ordered my copy and cannot wait to see it! Your images are absolutely stunning. I love your blog so much.

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  12. I am just dying over all your photos..that pup is darling!

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  13. As always beautiful stuff! And I cannot wait to get my printed copy of Souvenir - my camera strap is in there!!!!

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  14. Nice activity Maria, I adored you're photos. They look great!

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  15. Oh I just love your pictures!!! I just ordered the magazine:)
    The puppy in the basket is adorable!!

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  16. OMGosh, I am soo in love with your image of that wool wreath!!! Pure loveliness!! The addition of your red stripe ribbon just makes the photo pop! So beautiful, Maria! I've gotta get a copy of the magazine. Love the pup in the French laundry cart!! I use Florabella too, but they are all old ones... I have been very tempted to get her new Color Play set. :) You are soo talented in all you do! Thank you for sharing your creative gifts and talents.
    Hugs,
    Lara

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  17. These photoes are wonderful and so is the magazine, and yes you are right. The magazine is filled with inspiration, but so are the pictures on your blog
    :-)

    xo Miss S

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  18. I like your dog there, awesome photos!

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  19. Hi Maria. Ann-Marie from Brambly sent me to you as we both live in Northern CA and it's fun to see what goes on around our beautiful spot in this world. I'm in Grass Valley and I would love if you would visit the Cottage. I would be happy to hear from you. I am your newest follower and your blog is stunning. I have a Victorian but enjoy the french country also..Your photos are beautiful. Looking forward to visiting you more..Happy Thursday..Judy

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  20. Hi Maria,

    I just got my BHG magazine today and saw your home! The whole spread was beautiful. Congratulations!!!

    sarah

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  21. Love the white wreath! Very snow like and fluffy. I love that I have never seen one like that before. http://adavenuedesigns.blogspot.com/

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  22. Your work is absolutely gorgeous as always! I love coming to your site for a breath of fresh air, because that's exactly what it feels like. One question, when you share the post about Florabella actions, do you mind sharing which action set you used? I'm planning to make a purchase soon and am trying to decide between a few. I'd love to know which sets you've used and loved!

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