Monday, November 8, 2010

My Fall Mantle


Hello everyone!
I hope you are all having a great Monday.
I finally was able to upload more pictures to my blogger.
I have a number of fall ideas to share with you this week... I feel like I should have shared them
in October, not November, as I think everyone is now thinking about Christmas.
Sorry about that!  Maybe next year I will be a little more with the program. 
I thought I would share my fall mantle with you anyway....


For my fall mantle I basically just added some vintage french clay pots and some antique books, I was trying to make it feel like fall by adding some warmer colors to my mantle.  I actually have a large quantity of these clay pots, and you will probably be sick of them by the end of the week, because I used them in every fall decorating post.
I think they help add a little bit of warmth to the mantle.



I piled a few of them on top of my french compote dish (a flea market find).
I like to mix something delicate with something rustic.
I filled one of them with some little letters.
I grabbed some hydrangeas from the garden.


This little antique lamp remained on the mantle.
I am not sure where it was made, but it has the sweetest delicate painted porcelain flowers climbing up the little pole.






The W was already on the mantle.
It is a french zinc letter that is coated in porcelain.  
I chose that letter because it wasn't in perfect condition.


The bottles on the right are milk glass perfume bottles that say G. W. Laird Perfumer New York.
I actually found another pair of those at a flea market, and now regret passing them up.


The purple books are a grouping of french books that have been tied together with twine.
I used those to add a little bit color....
I used to have a green bucket sitting where the ironstone pitcher is.
If you look closely my kids spelled out the word Love with my little letters.
Try not to notice how crooked the #2 is on my clock : )


I found a bunch of these letters made out of plaster at a flea market.
They are so much fun to use around the house.
I threw them inside my little clay pots for fun....
I think numbers and letters help give a modern feel to a room...
I could be wrong though...


I added this set of vintage books to the mantle, I chose this set  because of the pink page with the pretty monogram...

I was really hoping that they would have a grouping of french books, but they didn't.
So I found a bunch of antique french books at a used book store that I will be doing this to very soon.





I piled a few of my favorite red grain sacks on a bistro chair....
I should have used one of my white bistro chairs.... kind of a Christmas color combination... not fall...


topped with a rustic bar of soap and a few clay pots.



You can double click on images to see the full picture....My blog isn't set up yet to take extra large pictures...
so the right side is always partly cut off on the extra large pictures..... 




I just wanted to share a few paint colors with readers who are new to my blog....

The wall color of my living room is called Gray Pearl, a Martha Stewart color, from Lowe's....
Lowe's doesn't sell Martha Stewart colors anymore, but they should still have the formulas stored in their system.
I always use the Valspar Signature Paints, when I purchase paint from Lowe's.
Just a warning about this color... It can look more taupe then gray when painted in a room that doesn't have a lot of natural light coming into the room....

I painted my mantle a Benjamin Moore color, called wedding veil... I used a satin finish.

Hope you all have a great week!
Thank you for stopping by...
Take Care,
Maria

P.S.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Out of storage space~




Hello Everyone!
I have to apologize, unfortunately I wasn't able to get all of my pictures uploaded for today's post...
I just ran out of storage space on blogger.....
I guess you have to wait 24 hours from the time you purchased more space to start uploading.

I will hopefully be back on Monday with more pictures for you.

I wanted to let you know there is still time to enter my Star Fish Design giveaway...




Hope you all have a great weekend!
Take Care,
Maria

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

A Sponsored Giveaway~




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


I have a special giveaway today....
would like to give one lucky reader a chance to win one of her beautiful 
custom sterling necklace designs.
All of the jewelry at Starfish Jewelry Designs is custom made to order.



I asked Amber if she could tell us a little something about herself and her business....

Hi, I’m Amber...I’m a wife, mama to two little boys ages 6 and 1 and jewelry designer here at Starfish.  My family and I live in a laid back little beach town in San Diego and we love it here.  You can find us walking on the pier, playing in the waves and eating donuts at the farmer’s market. 
My professional background is in interior design, but mostly I just love to create anything.    I started Starfish as a creative outlet and it’s grown into a business/obsession that I am passionate about.  I love creating new designs and knowing that what I make is meaningful and personal.  I want you to love your Starfish piece and wear it all the time. 
Thanks for checking us out.  Look around and stay awhile.  I know that you’ll find something to make your heart happy. 
Love and Starfish Kisses...Amber
PS In case you haven't heard...we donate 5% of our proceeds to  the Surfider Foundation.  We care about our ocean and the guys at Surfrider have a mission we believe in.  You can learn more about them at surfrider.org.


Amber so kindly sent me one of her necklaces.
The design I chose was the 
(I took a few pictures of it for you)
It is a beautiful necklace and is very well made.
This particular sterling tag says I love you in French.   
I love the sterling beaded chain that comes with this design...
I think Amber's designs are simple but yet elegant.
Thank you Amber, your designs are beautiful...


Giveaway Information
Amber would like to giveaway one of her beautiful designs to one lucky reader.
The winner gets to choose which design they would like to win.
Amber would also like to offer all of you a 20% discount 
on any purchases made today and until November 10th.
Discount code is DREAMYWHITES


To Enter the Giveaway....
All you have to do is first visit Starfish Jewelry Designs,
then come back here and leave me a comment stating which design is your favorite.

Optional

If you would like an additional entry...
you can post the giveaway to any of your social networking sites, such as twitter, facebook, and or blogger.....

If you follow Amber on Twitter... She would like to give you an extra entry for doing so.
http://www.twitter.com/starfishsd
Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry...

The giveaway ends November 9th
Thank You Amber!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Secret Garden Cottage

Hello Everyone!
I hope you are all having a great Monday.
My friend, Jo, is having a giveaway today.
Jo emailed me and asked if she could give something away from my soon to open shop.
I put together this lavender package for her giveaway.
Here is what Jo is giving away.


Lavender Shea Butter Soap


A bundle of dried lavender


A French Shot Bag filled with organic lavender



A Lavender Bottle


An 8inch by 8 inch french ticking lavender pillow.
Filled with a half a pound of dried organic lavender.

all  photos taken by me

Thank you Jo!
If you would like to enter Jo's giveaway you can do so by 
visiting Jo's beautiful  blog

Jo has a beautiful home and garden!
Take Care,
Maria