Decorating with Urns

Happy Sunday!  

I love to find old urns at flea markets or antique fairs.  The white one below came from a tiny annual flea market at Alamo Square here in San Francisco. I paid 10 dollars for it and it weighs about 40 pounds.  I like how the glaze is worn off in places.  It sits right inside the front door.  

This is one of my favorites. 

I love the color and patina.

I would have topiaries in every room if I could keep them alive longer.  I don't seem to have a problem with orchids, but topiaries are another story.

I also like to use moss balls wherever I can.  They are available everywhere online but I pick mine up at Michaels.

I drove 70 miles each way to pick up this pair of urns.  

I placed a very small bud vase inside this urn to hold these peonies.

I put moss around the base to cover the vase and fill space.  

Have a great week!

Michele

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!  I hope that you all enjoy your holiday.  

As most of you know, my home is very pale in hue.  So, in the spirit of our country's independence, I made a grain sack body pillow for the shop with red and blue stripes.  The monogram is that of the farmer. 

  

Enjoy the food, fireworks, fun, and most of all time with your family and friends!  (How's that for a little alliteration?) :)

Be safe

Michele

French Enamelware Canisters

I love how I say that I don't collect many things due to space and budgetary constraints.  When I look at the list, it is not that short.  And of course, I justify adding items by saying that I will put them in my Etsy store.  Well, a few of these have made it there and one remains unlisted.  Balance, right? ;)

This set quite literally arrived on my doorstep at 3:30 yesterday afternoon.  I finished my day job and promptly listed it at 5:45pm.

Isn't is beautiful?  All three pieces are in very good condition.  From what I can tell it dates to the early 1900's.

I love the gilt and calligraphy.

My favorite part is the ribbing on the side.  Do you ever wonder how we went from this sort of beauty and attention to detail to what we produce now? 

Anyways, this set sold within 30 minutes of listing it.  Of course, I am happy about that because someone else can now enjoy it.  Also, it allows me to reinvest in the store.  But I thought that it would hang out in my apartment for at least a week or two.   How's that for being ungrateful?  ;)

This beauty I am keeping for myself.

The best part, again, in my opinion, is the detailing on the side.  

I have found a few more of these which will be in my store in a few weeks, when they arrive from France.  

Have a wonderful day.

Michele

The Beach in San Francisco

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend.  While I was in college I was fortunate enough to live in the south of France for a year.  The beach was about 25 kilometers from campus, if I remember correctly. My classmates and I would hop on a bus as often as we could to spend time there. I miss it tremendously.  

Living in San Francisco, it is not often hot enough to sit on the beach without layers of clothes.  But today is one of those wonderfully warm days.   When I arrived at Baker beach, the thermometer in my car said that it was a scorching 67 degrees. :)

I realized yesterday, when I heard of this fantastic weather, that I did not have a beach chair.  I did, though, have a frame and some grain sack material.  The wooden part is from Germany and dates back to the 1950's, I was told when I purchased it.

The material is from Hungary.  I am not bragging to you about the construction of this chair by any means at all.  As I would not trust myself to take the chair apart and put it back together, I had to attempt to sew the fabric onto the chair itself.  You should have seen me trying to maneuver this enormous chair around my sewing machine.  I will certainly take it apart and redo it since I am not that happy with the outcome cosmetically.  But it definitely worked as a comfy (and a bit chic, if I do say so myself) beach chair amongst the sea of plastic drugstore ones.  

I would be lying if I said that I did not wish to be on the shores of Deauville or under the beautiful blue umbrellas in Nice.  That being said, I am very blessed to be healthy and alive, have healthy children and family members, and to be able to sit on the warm sand underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.

Please be sure to visit Dore's wonderful blog, Burlap Luxe.  She is hosting a very generous giveaway that you will surely not want to miss!

And

 Rachel at Shabby French for Me is hosting a great giveaway!  Check it out.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

xo

Michele  

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Goat Hill

       Hello friends.  Happy Saturday.

I have some photos I want to share with you from a flea I attended a few weeks ago. It is called Goat Hill Farm and it located in the Santa Cruz mountains.

The home on the farm has a bit of history behind it.  It was built by the Sears family.  They finished construction in 1906, the day before the earthquake. Not 24 hours later it was knocked off it's foundation.  They rebuilt it and it was then thrown from the foundation again during the 1989 earthquake.  (Kinda makes you want to move to California, huh?)

I had been to a flea the previous day so this was not an easy one to justify.  That being said, at my show about a month ago I parted with two iron urns which were only for decoration.  Wouldn't you know it?  A very nice customer fell in love with them and I caved.  I got home and instantly regretted it.  

I called the guys from Atelier de Campagne and asked if they had more.  They brought them to the flea for me.  :)

The next four are from the incomparable Atelier de Campagne

I like this one because you can see Martin, from Atelier, smiling in the background.  The grey urn in the middle of the top shelf is what I drove all the way down there for.  

What a setting!

There was music

It was quite literally on a goat farm

I really liked these flower pots.  And if I had not been so strict about my budget they are what I would have come home with.

But if I am being honest, there is something in every photo that I would love to have.

Until next time.  Enjoy your weekend.

Michele  

Ari's Birthday Bed and a Sale in the Shop

My lovely friend Shawn was the one who recommended that I showcase my wares at the Ross Marketplace about a month ago.  As she was instrumental in putting this charity event together, she stopped by my booth to say hello.  I was so happy to see her!  About a week later she sent me a text asking me to make the bedding for her daughter's birthday present.  She comes to pick it up today.  I put it on my bed so that she can see it and approve before she leaves with it.  

Although we do not see each other very frequently, she is a very special person to me and I am grateful for her friendship.  

I made a queen duvet cover and two euro shams.  White linen with the mini raw edge ruffle.

 I think that my favorite part, aside from the way the material is rumpled looking when it is right out of the wash, is that we decided to secure it with 1" wide grosgrain ribbon as opposed to buttons.  This is the under side.

I placed the bows far down enough though that if she wanted to turn it down they did not show.

I am really excited for her to come get it.  I hope she loves it as much as I do.

She also ordered one of my princess shams as an accent.  

To celebrate my 100th sale at Maison de Michele, I am offering a 10% off coupon good on any item or items in inventory.  

Have a great weekend everybody!

Michele


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