Blog Love

Good morning.  My dear sister in law, Cheryl of Fresh Vanilla for C, has passed on The Liebster Award to me and four other bloggers.  I was unaware of what this meant when I first read it. 

Liebster is German and means 'dearest' or 'beloved' but it can also mean 'favorite'. The idea of the Liebster award is to bring attention to blogs with fewer than 200 followers. So, in the spirit of good fun I am passing this award on to 5 other bloggers.

Please click over and visit them. Then decide if they may be one of your new favorite blogs!

The RULES are:

1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
2. Reveal your five picks for the award and let them know.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the blogshare-other bloggers.
5. Finally and the best rule of all.......have fun and spread the love!

It's now my turn to pass the award along. And the Liebster goes to.....in no particular order

Cowparsley


A thrifted market


 1942 Charm


The White List


The Shed


Please visit these beautiful and budding blogs.  (I love alliteration :)) And check out Fresh Vanilla for C if you are not already familiar.  Cheryl is wonderfully talented! (my unbiased opinion)  


And most importantly thank you to Cheryl for choosing me for the Liebster Award.  I am honored. 

Have a great day!
Michele


PS on a side note Cheryl's and my six year old niece will have a blood transfusion today.  To any of you who believe in the power of prayer, I am shamelessly asking that you include our little Ella B in them today.  Thank you!

Giveaway at Primp!

Michele Raven at Primp is generously hosting a giveaway from my Etsy shop, Maison de Michele.  I am sure that many of you follow Michele closely.  But if you are unfamiliar with Primp, head on over.  She is very talented and has a wonderful eye. I think you will really like it.   The winner will chose any grain sack pillow or sham in my store valued up to $65.

  

Thank you Michele for hosting! 

Have a great day

Michele

Somehow I was featured in Houzz!

  A few months ago I got a call from one of the editors of Houzz.com.  When Vanessa asked if I would be interested in my apartment being featured on one of their home tours I replied by asking if she had the wrong number :).  "My home, which is the size of a postage stamp?" Yes, she said, stating that their readers like stories like mine, about people who do things themselves.  She was lovely to work with.  

 http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/1042598/list/Houzz-Tour--Farmhouse-Chic-in-San-Francisco

This is how I felt when the article came out on Saturday night.  

         I thought that it was very well written and could not believe how she made my place look.  

As if that wasn't great enough, the response I have received has left me without words.  The encouragement and accolades were beyond what I could have imagined.

This project has been nothing but enjoyable every step of the way.

Thank you all for your consistently kind words.

And welcome to my new followers.  I am happy to share a bit of my life and what I am passionate about with you.  

I thought that my girls could show how I am feeling better than any words I could come up with.

Good night

xo

Michele

This Kitchen Needs a Little Love

This will be the first in a series.  I want to document as I go.  I know that you will agree when I say that people tell me I am nuts to be concerned with a kitchen in a rental apartment.  My response to this is that I have to live with this kitchen every day just as any homeowner does.  I am doing as much of it myself as I possibly can.  I have employed the help of a few friends and neighbors as well.  My kitchen is attached to the living/dining area.  So I do not have the luxury of closing a door to avoid it.  I do like the fact that I can be cooking or doing dishes a still be in the same room with my girls.

Here is what we are starting with.  As you can see, I am playing around with color, which I do quite a bit more than a normal person :).  My kids' joke is that they go to bed and the apt is one color.  When they awaken it is a completely different hue.

I understand that this is nice wood.  I can appreciate that.  But if you know me or have even read my blog once you are aware that it is just not my style.  

I was not planning for these pics to be before shots so please excuse the mess as well as poor quality on the one below.  

This is the view from the living/dining room.  

So I started out by painting the walls.  They are better than the chiffon yellow but I am not that happy with the color I chose.  I may change that, but that is pretty easy since the room is tiny.  Then I moved on to the cabinets.  This proved to be the most difficult part by far.  If I actually dragged you through all of the hideous details you may cry, so let's not risk that.   I did not do an outstanding job at all.  But in my opinion, it is a vast improvement.  I painted them white and added new stainless steel looking hardware.  I know also that hardware can be terribly costly.  I went to Home Depot and found these very simple and affordable hinges.  Eventually I would like to add picture frame moulding to the cabinets.  But for now this is just fine.

View from the hallway

I then added wainscoting to the underside of the kitchen counter.  I painted it a shade of white that I am pretty happy with called Mountain Peak White by Benjamin Moore, same color as the cabinets.  It took quite a few coats of paint, and could probably stand to have a few more.  But the difference it made to the room visually cannot be overstated!

So, the next step is the lighting.  Here is what is currently in place.  

And here is the photo from Mothology in New York for the pendants which I am replacing these beauties with.  My stepfather is making the "box" from which they will hang and will bring it to me in February when he and my mom visit next.  Cannot wait!  They were sold out of the far left one.  I had hoped for one of those and two of the hobnail, or center ones.  So, impatient as I can be, I chose three of the latter.  Aren't they beautiful?  I love that mercury glass is dubbed "poor man's silver."

The next step will be the most glaring offense, the countertops.  I have chosen oak.  I like the feel of butcher block.  But I am especially drawn to the darker color of oak.  I need to do a bit more research, and saving of funds ;) for this part but I have plenty to do in the meantime.  And in a perfect world I would like an apron sink.

  This is not a one week project...or even one month.  I am enjoying the process as opposed to rushing to the finish line.  Isn't that the point?  

xo

Michele

Simplify

Happy New Year to you all.  What I like about this time of year is that there is a feeling of hope.  I believe that even the most cynical person experiences a glimmer of hope at the dawn of a new year.  I have many resolutions but first and foremost for me is to pare down, streamline, and use my time and energy more wisely and efficiently.  This can encompass many different sub-resolutions.  But I feel it is a great starting point.

Along the lines of simplicity, this is a fairly new item in my shop.  I like the look of white on white.

What appeals to me about this look is that it is subtle.  It doesn't have to scream out to get your attention.

I made this particular sham for a friend of mine who helped me get an appointment with a very big retailer she works for.  (for my full time job :)).

I left the edges unfinished as it gives a worn tattered look to the otherwise tailored feel of monogramming.

I made this a while ago and am resolving myself to sending it to her tomorrow.

I love the combination of white linen and hand loomed antique hemp linen.  

I want to thank all of you who have supported me this, my first, year of blogging with your kind and always encouraging words.  I wish you all a wonderful 2012!!

xo

Michele

A Few of my Favorite Things

As I said in a past post, I look forward to getting our tree and decorating it beginning in about July.  I love the smell, the feel, the childhood memories it brings back.  I could go on. I try to make sure that my girls have the same happy memories of this time of year that I do.  

I have a deep love of France as I lived there briefly and my degree is in the language. 

I debated about this bow as it is a little over the top.  But I really like it!

One day I will stop apologizing for my bad photographic skills.  Until then I have to fill you in.  The paper on the top of the eiffel towel says "wish."

These ornaments are from Pottery Barn and I love them for their sparkle as well as their simple messages.

                     This dragonfly, though small, stands out on a tree because of its uniqueness.

I wrap the gifts with brown kraft to keep in the natural and neutral theme.  I find eyelet or white trim and add jingle bells or glittery balls.  

This is my second favorite ornament.  I made it out of grain sack fabric for a friend of mine.  I wrote on a small piece of paper my wish for her for 2012 and enclosed it in the heart before sewing it up.

And finally the ornament I hold the dearest is this angel.  About five years ago I had my first Christmas tree that I had had in a very long time.  And my friend knew that I had no ornaments.  She showed up with a box of about three of them to start my collection.  I have two of these angels and hope to pass them on to my two girls one day.

Merry Christmas

and

Happy Holidays

Thank you for making this, my first year, of blogging a pleasure.  Your kind words always encourage me and warm my heart.

MC

Beginning to Decorate

In July or August I think about how many months I have to wait before getting our tree.  I love everything about the experience.  I think that is due to very good childhood memories at Christmas tree lots.  But usually the day after Thanksgiving I put a few decorations up before the tree hunting outing.  

I made these stocking from vintage grain sacks.  I like the rustic feel of them against the shiny letters.

I found these letters at Michaels.  I was going add glitter after I painted them metallic silver.  But I liked the result after the first step so decided to stop there.  I wanted to make them look like stocking holders.  They are very light so I used upholstery tacks in front of them to hold the stockings in place.

Angel mercury candle holder.  I like her dress.

This simple wreath draws the eye to the molding in my hallway.

This small wreath is sold as a centerpiece.  But I added pink striped ribbon and hung above the girls' beds.  

One of the my favorite vendors at our local flea market sells things made from antique ceiling tins.  I was thrilled when I found this piece to hang on our front door.

I made a few white linen stockings with a frayed ruffle which are in my Etsy store.

And I wait all year to hang my C wreath.  

Happy decorating!

xo

Michele