Beaux R'eves: February 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Welcome Spring!

I've had ENOUGH winter!

And we have only had about 2 inches of snow this year.

Can you tell that I am a transplanted Californian?

I finally bit the Bullet and painted Chalkboard Paint onto a Silver Platter that I found at an Estate Sale

for$10.00.

It is now my absolute Favorite!!!

I have created a semi-tablescape although I mostly want to show you my recent finds.

Is that cheating?

I found this cute little Bunny Candle at Tuesday Morning last week. I like how natural looking he is on top of the moss nest from Nell Hill's.

Huge Score!

I went to two Estate Sales last week and picked up a set of these Hummingbird dishes by American Atelier for $25.oo. I'll be using them in a full tablescape soon!

And, I scored 12 Bordallo Pinheiro plates at another Estate Sale for $39.00.

I always kind of get the creeps when I go to an Estate Sale. But my dear friend Kristy always assured me

that "they just downsized and went to Florida!".

At least they are assured that their things have found a loving new "home".

Does it count that I "found" these Milk Glass pieces while cleaning out my Pantry? See Here

They belonged to Mr. Beaux's Grandmother.

This sweet teacup was a Mother's Day gift from Miss Beaux. She picked it out at Anthropologie.

She knows what I like!

See how the leaves repeat on the saucer

and the Cabbage plate...

I have no idea how old these plates are but they sure are pretty resting atop my Butler's Pantry white dishes.

Black checked napkins are from ??

The flowers I bought last week are still hanging around.

I LOVE Costco flowers!

They are the freshest and the best price!

Until Next Time...

Beaux R'eves

XO Cindy

Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Newbie Party at Debbie Doo’s Blogging & Blabbing
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

Keeping it Simple

Roeshel at DIY Showoff

Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Faded Charm for White Wednesday
Someday Crafts: Whatever Goes Wednesday
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for the Winter Blues Party

The Brambleberry Cottage

Finding Fabulous
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
The Tablescaper: Seasonal Sunday

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Don't Forget...

Don't Forget to Enter the Giveaway!

$25.00 HomeGoods Gift Card

and Carolyn Westbrook's The French Inspired Home.

It ends tomorrow 2/29 at Midnight!

(not that I ever stay up that late!)

See Here for Details.

Beaux R'eves

XO Cindy

Spring Cleaning Week

It's Spring Cleaning

week here at our house!

I'm going through room by room and

organizing and purging.

I started on Saturday

with the Pantry.

I don't have a before picture.

Trust me when I say it was a MESS!

Let's take a look inside...

Much Better.

I bought baskets at World Market for little snack items and re-used the larger baskets that I already had for paper and plastic items.

I painted tags from Staples with Chalkboard Paint for labels.

The main problem in the pantry was that the spices were too high for me to reach.

I had to climb on the bottom shelves

and straddle them as I looked for what I needed.

I can't tell you how many times one of the kids

would walk by and say,

"MOM, what are you doing?".

Check out how these spice racks fold down so that I can actually SEE stuff!

Thank you Mr. Beaux!

We had fun at Lowe's

looking at all the products for kitchen organization.

We bought this door shelf

and it was easy for Mr. Beaux to install.

It gives us so much more space!

I'm so proud of my Pantry that I show anyone that walks by!!! All of Miss Beaux's girlfriends had to Oooohhhhh and Ahhhhhh when they were here for study group.

They were more interested in the Chalkboard Door

and the Chips and dip but that's OK.

I pat myself on the back every time I open the door!

While I was at Target

looking for Pantry Organization ideas,

I saw this canvas mail sorter in the Office section.

We hung it on cup hooks on the side of the Fridge.

I sure hope this keeps all the Junk Mail off of the counters! It's one of my biggest Pet Peeves!

MY Closet is NEXT! (I'm gonna need a Vente Starbucks for this one...)

Have you done any Spring Cleaning yet?

Beaux R'eves

XO Cindy

Sharing at:

Keeping it Simple

Roeshel at DIY Showoff

The Brambleberry Cottage

Finding Fabulous
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday

Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
The Tablescaper: Seasonal Sunday

Monday, February 27, 2012

Anthro Knock Off Drapes

Good Morning and Happy Monday Everyone!

I'm still working on my Guest Room and I shared some of the progress here.

I hope to have it finished soon so that I can share the whole room with you.

In the meantime, I want to show you the Drapes that I hung this weekend. I was searching around on my computer looking for Drapery Inspiration and I came across these beautiful Anthropologie Drapes

with Ruffles down the middle.

Anthropologie Wandering Pleats Curtain

They were just what I wanted!

Ooops! They were $188.00 a panel!

WHAT?

OK, I put my thinking cap on and thought... I can make these! I kept the idea in the back of my mind as I continued with the other projects for the room.

As I was Pinteresting one day,

I ran across a tutorial on how to make them.

It was fate!

Before I even got to the fabric store I was at Target looking for something.

I ended up on the Bedding section and thought "Why can't I use a sheet for the Drapes?"

I bought the softest sheet available for $14.00 and I washed it before I started sewing. I measured my window to make sure that I would have enough sheet material. I cut the panel with allowances for the seam at the edge and I ripped the rest of the sheet into 6" strips.

Here's the fun part!

Get out your ironing board and a chair cause you will be here for a while!

Hubs watched TV while I sat and ironed ..... and ironed..... each strip into pleats of 1/2 inch all the way down. They don't have to be perfect...

When each strip was finished I placed masking tape on each side to hold it down. This worked fantastically well.

I sewed the finishing edge on the panel and hemmed it to the length that I wanted. My plan was to use the top of the sheet to hang on the rod as it is already sewn for you. For my window I needed 92" in length. The width of the panel is 58" and I only wanted one panel as the window is small.

I measured 18 inches from each side and sewed the strips down the middle checking my measurements as I continued sewing down the panel. I completed the other side the same way. Now, here is the fun part!

Take the pleats and smoosh them this way and that as you use the highest steam level on your iron to make the messy looking ruffles.

I really love the way they look, so soft and just feminine enough for the look that I was going for. Best of all I saved about $174.00!!!

I'm so excited to show you this room but there are a few things that have to be finished.

Hope you don't mind waiting!

Beaux R'eves

XO Cindy

Sharing at:

Keeping it Simple

Roeshel at DIY Showoff

The Brambleberry Cottage

Finding Fabulous
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
From My Front Porch To Yours for Treasure Hunt Thursday
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
The Tablescaper: Seasonal Sunday

Friday, February 24, 2012

Guest Room Almost Ready

Happy Friday Everyone!

Boy do I need the Weekend!

Between Sinus issues (is it allergy season already?),

wacky weather

and general everyday life getting in the way...

Pinterest

I think my Guest Room is almost ready for a reveal!

Here are a few sneak peaks at what I have done thus far...

Don't adjust your monitors, all of these photos are in Sepia

(Don't want to spoil the REVEAL)

Chandy Redo!

This chandeilier was black when I started

and had about 5 Crystals.

Oh, what a little bling will do for us ladies!

How feminine and flirty are these Ruffled Pillow Shams from Hautelook?

They are a whopping 30X30!

Burlap pillow was a steal at HomeGoods...

This dresser was in my daughter's room at one time. It was dark wood (laminate) and had a mirror

attached to the top. I love you ASCP in Old White!

Recycling items around the house!

Have a really great weekend and I will see you all next week!

Thank you so much for dropping by to visit.

Beaux R'eves

XO Cindy

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Breakfast in the Garden

It was beautiful weather today!

I so wanted to have breakfast in the garden.

Unfortunately, my brain told me that it was still February.

Mother Nature is such a tease!

So, I brought the garden INSIDE!

Sweet little moss covered rocks remind me that Spring is not that far away.

White pitchers hold colorful flowers.

Even the bench behind the table is Spruced up awaiting the arrival of Spring.

Shhhhh, these glasses are plastic from Target on sale for $1.48. Let's keep it our little secret.

Miss Beaux and I found this treasure on Monday at the Antique mall. It's a McCoy Limited Advertising piece. I looked it up and it runs anywhere from $50-$110 on ebay. What a steal for $8.50!

Why can't an ironstone gravy boat hold flowers too?

I bought a bouquet of flowers at Costco and then separated them by color. I love to do "Mass" flower arrangements like that. It makes more of an impact I think. Another pretty pitcher from HomeGoods. I have a collection. If it's a white pitcher, it goes in the basket.

I made this Burlap table runner for my Valentine Table (see here). The Chargers are from JCP , the Plates and Bowls were another HomeGoods purchase. I have a giveaway going on right now for HG. See this Post and enter.

I carried the chintz salad plates back home in my suitcase from England. I fell in love and couldn't go home without them.

Napkin rose with a Hydrangea leaf.

I found the tutorial on Google.

So easy!

Tuesday Morning Napkins.

I'm so glad I decided to have Breakfast in the Garden.

I took Susan's advice from Between Naps on the Porch and I put my camera on the

Manual mode to take all of these pictures.

It was scary!

How did I do?

(Thanks Susan for the encouragement)

Thank you so much for stopping by!!!

Beaux R'eves

XO Cindy

Sharing at:
Grits and Glamour

Keeping it Simple

Roeshel at DIY Showoff

The Brambleberry Cottage

Finding Fabulous
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays
Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Honey at 2805 for Potpourri Friday
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Jen at Tatertots and Jello for the Weekend Wrap-up Party
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
The Tablescaper: Seasonal Sunday

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Finding your Authentic Decorating Self

This is a post about a mirror redo, but it's also about finding your "Authentic Decorating Self". There are so many beautiful blogs out in blogland with wonderful sweeping romantic images that you could just get lost in.

That's what happened to me.

Pinterest


Pinterest

How could you NOT get caught up in these photos?

They evoke a time and a place that seems unhurried and tranquil. A place where you might want to spend some time pondering the meaning of life. OK, well maybe not that deep of a place but you get the idea?

Here is my mirror story if you are still with me! I was looking for ~~victims~~ subjects on which to practice my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint experiments. Hello Mr. Mirror that has been in every corner of every house for the past 15 years.

Mr. Mirror was purchased at a consignment shop in California while we were living there about 15 years ago. It's hard to see, but there is a crack in the wood on the bottom left hand side. Before I painted it I filled it with wood putty.

I've always loved the ornate crown and scrolls on this mirror. I broke out the Paris Gray ASCP.

I love Paris!

I painted, I waxed, I distressed, I highlighted! (Sounds like a day at the Salon for me). I thought I loved it...

Hey, I impressed myself with my limited talents!

I did everything right. The problems came when I tried to find a new home for it in my house! It didn't GO anywhere. I tried the Bedroom, the Hallway, The Living Room... And then it suddenly Struck me! This Paris Gray isn't ME at all. These are not the colors in my home. I love warm neutral colors. What was I thinking? I was angry and mad at myself for a little while. I'm supposed to "know better". I'm supposed to "plan" better than this.

Sigh, back to the drawing board.

Hello Lover!

Much better. I repainted with ASCP Old White mixed with a small amount of the wall color Benjamin Moore Monroe Bisque. I waxed with Clear wax and then a bit of Dark wax and then Clear wax again. You can see some of the Paris Gray showing through in the places where I distressed it. That's to remind me every time I walk by to be true to my "Authentic Decorating Self".

Beaux R'eves!

XO Cindy

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