White Hydrangeas and Chippy Bistro Chair

Hi all.  Everyone happy that it is Friday?  I thought that I would share these photos of my hydrangeas because they just make me happy.  They are so big and beautiful!

I found this pitcher online.  It was advertised as white.  It was not that expensive so I wasn't expecting too much.  

When it arrived I was surprised by the great condition as well as the bluish grey hue.  

It even holds water, which you probably know is not all that common for enamel pitchers of this age.  

My bistro chairs have been selling really well in the shop recently.  So I decided to add this one.  

  It is German, around 1930's, from a beer garden, I was told when I bought it from the antiques dealer.  I have tried to research this company, CW Naumann, but have been unable to find any info about it.  

I love the chippiness of it as well as the curved legs. It actually slants a bit but is sturdy and quite heavy.

Have a great weekend.  And welcome to my new followers.  Very happy to have you.

Michele

Antique Hemp Linen (Grain Sack) Apron

Hello, all. I have again been absent. For the last 36 hours I have been either in a car or in front of a customer.  It was great and productive. 

My mom and stepdad own a wonderful bed and breakfast in the Pacific Northwest called The Quimper Inn.  Clearly my mom cooks quite a bit and is always wearing aprons.  I have wanted to make her one for quite a while.  I decided to try it out using some fabric I had on hand.  

This one is not intended for her, but to see how I could make it turn out.  

What do you think?

What I found interesting about this piece of fabric was the bleeding.  It looks like when this piece of hand loomed hemp linen was created it was folded over onto itself prematurely causing the color to offset onto itself.  The stripes themselves are navy whereas the unintended color is more of a royal blue.

  

I realize that a lot of people may not like the fact that the fabric is not perfect.  But that is precisely what I love about it.

I decided to sew it using navy thread and a serging stitch, using my new.....wonderful....machine!  I thought it would make it more interesting.

I want to thank Kathleen of Faded Charm for featuring my blog and Etsy store on her lovely blog.  Please do check it out if you are not already a follower.  I really like her style.

So I think I will use this one as a template for my mom's apron.  This one will go into the store for now. 

I wish you all a wonderful week.  Thank you for the very sweet comments on my kitchen and welcome to my new followers.  I am happy to have you!

xo

Michele 

Linking at

The Farmhouse Porch

Mercury Pendants and Ceramic Cheese Platters

Good morning!  I have been slowly working on my kitchen, as some of you know.  When I started, the cabinets were unpainted wood, the walls were a chiffon yellow and the lighting.....not even sure how to describe it.  So I began with the walls.  The color is ok for now.  I am sure I will change it within a few months though.  As this room is part of our living room it matters to me that it flows.  And when you looked at it from the dining table or sofa all you saw was brown wood, and not the old rustic beautiful kind that most of us would love to look at all day.  I then conquered the cabinets, in a pretty amateurish way.  But I like the way they came out.  Changing the hinges really made a difference as well.  

I fell in love with these pendants from Mothology about six or eight months ago.  I love mercury glass and anything that is hobnail.  But what I also like about these is that they add an edge.  I like the contrast of something a little industrial with soft relaxed decor.  

My stepdad said that he would make a box from which to hang them.  He came equipped with the wooden box, his tool kit, and all of the hardware including the little medallions at the top.

  

The before

I asked my stepdad to hang them at slightly different lengths.

The area below the counter was that wood also.  I had a friend put up some beadboard and I painted it white.

I have wanted ceramic cheese platters like these for a while.  I was thrilled to find them.  I had no intention though of hanging them above the sink.  I knew that I wanted them accessible so I could use them. I think I like them there though.  

The zinc tags are from a store in San Jose called Magpie.  I hope to do a post on this place soon.  It's awesome!  

My mom and stepdad also suggested placing baskets above the cabinets for extra storage.  I don't think you can see it but they are numbered.  And I even have a key as to what is in which basket :).

So the last two steps are the hood and, obviously, the countertops. 

 I am very grateful to my mom and stepdad for all of their help with this project.  

Have a wonderful day!

MC

PS thank you all for your sweet comments about my grain sack slipcovers!

Grain Sack Slipcovers

Hi friends.  I have been absent from the blogging world of late.  My Mom and Stepdad have been with us for the last four days.  We had a great time!!  And as always, I was sad when they left.  My stepdad put the lighting in the kitchen for me.  I am thrilled with it and will show it to you later after the finishing touches are added.  So for now, here is my latest project.  

I made these slipcovers out of hand loomed antique hemp linen, or grain sack material dating from the late 1800's to the early 1900's.  The one on the right is very nubby and those stripes are actually a grayish blue. I used yardage I had one hand for that one.

And the windowpane one was made from two actual grain sacks which I ripped apart.  

I fell in love with this particular sack when I saw it.  How often do you see this pattern?  I think it looks out of focus but it is two thin stripes right next to each other. 

Here is the reverse side. 

I sewed them by hand as I am not yet confident enough with my machine on this type of linen. 

They are not perfect but I really like them!

They give my hallway a completely different feel.  The antique ceiling tile imparts an industrial feel.  It comes from a church in Minneapolis and dates to the 1920's I am told.  

Welcome to my new followers.  I am happy to have you and in some cases to have found your blogs in return.  Have a good week and I'll post about the mercury pendants soon.

Michele

Sharing this project at the following parties

I should be mopping the floor's mop it up mondays

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

The Farmhouse Porch's Cowgirl Up

Boogieboard Cottage's Masterpiece Monday

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia's Treasured Tuesdays

Primp's Primp your Stuff Wednesday

  

Frayed Edges

I spent my weekend working on projects for my shop (and for my home as well).  I made a curtain for the front door as well as a custom linen coverlet with finished edges.  I was not satisfied though so I made one with unfinished edges for the shop. These tulips were my inspiration 

In this photo you can see how wrinkled this particular linen comes out of the wash.  

I am always drawn to the tattered.  

I want to thank Brenda of Cozy Little House for featuring me on her Welcome Wagon post on Friday.  I am happy to have some new followers.   

Have a good week all.  

xo

Michele

Linking this project at 

Faded Charm's White Wednesday

The Ella Pillow

Happy Valentines Day to you all!  I have been envisioning these pillows for a while now.  I have finally gotten around to making them and posting in my Etsy store.  As you or may not know, I have a deep love of France as well as the French people.  What I like about these pillows is that they are a bit understated.  

I used my new machine to sew them together but hand stitched the decoration to give it a more rustic feel.  I know that not everyone loves the raw edges, but I do.  They get a little more tattered over time, with wear and washings, and that is exactly what I want.  (I do make them the conventional way as well for those of you who may want a more buttoned up look).   

The reason that I called this post "The Ella Pillow" is that I made the one below as part of a care package I am about to deliver to my sister.  As many of you know, my niece Ella has had some health issues recently.  My girls made her little pillows filled with lavender.  I made this one for my sister to remind her that they are in our prayers every day.  

I know in my heart that Ella, aka "the birdie" will be fine.  That being said, prayers always help a family get through something like this.  I appreciate all of you who have included her in yours.  It means a great deal to me and to my family.

with love on this valentines day,

xo

Michele

Joining parties this week at 

The Farmhouse Porch's Cowgirl up

Faded Charm's White Wednesday

Primp your Stuff Wednesday 

Freckled Laundry's Air Your Laundry Friday

A Touch of Spring...and Hotel Silver

I love tulips.  I grabbed these at a farmers market.  They have the bulbs attached to them.  The vendor told me that they will last twice as long if I didn't cut them off.  Done!  I found the zinc pitcher at our flea market this past weekend.  Another item that I purchased in the pitch dark.  I know and trust this seller.  I asked him if I would love it in the light.  Knowing my taste he assured me that I would.  Of course I came back and fell in love with it, dents and all.

I don't collect many things.  That is one of the limitations of living in an apartment the size of a postage stamp.  There are two things that I manage to fit in though, enamelware (pitchers and lunch boxes) and hotel silver.  I love love love the latter.  About 20 years ago I fell in love with it and cheated because I didn't know anything about it.  I simply liked the look of it.  I bought a set at Pottery Barn.  And I still love that set. 

Since then I have begun to collect a piece here and a few there. In our home we don't own a set of stainless.  My feeling toward it is, if you love something why put it away and use it only on special occasions?  I don't understand that philosophy.  I do have to polish it once in a while but very rarely.   I consider that a small price to pay.  Most old San Francisco apartments don't have dishwashers, unless they have been updated.  And even if you wanted to put one in, there is not the space to do so.  Therefore I hand wash everything.  

 These Fairmont pieces are a recent find at a lovely shop in San Mateo called The Pickled Hutch.  Lisa has beautiful items.

 I am a fan of things not matching as a rule.  So the fact that one person at a table has pieces from the Fairmont and the neighboring person has a set from the Peralta, adds interest and a bit of charm, in my opinion.

 I bought the spoons below from a seller on Etsy called Tipple and Snack. Those are sailboats.

  

I found this piece at a french flea market in Sonoma last year.  She had a few. Wish I'd bought more than one.  I love how beat up it is.  (I like it in spite of the fact that the initials stand for the arch rival school to my college).  

"The visual appeal of hotel silver is undeniable, but the vintage wares are also intrinsically practical. "Silver that is used frequently doesn't need to be polished," she points out. Plus, she continues, "The more you use it, the better it looks."" 

Country Living

Have a great weekend.

Michele