Collections: Black Tole Trays

 I have been in love with Tole Trays since 

the day I walked into my BFF's green apple office that was covered with them.  I started collecting them at Estate Sales refusing to pay more than a few dollars for each of them.

 My collection has grown and I originally wanted to display them in the Kitchen but I really have a lack of wall space.  

This is my pantry door that I painted with chalkboard paint way back in January.  I am standing on my back stairs as I take this picture.  The kitchen is to the left and the back hall, garage door and laundry room are to the right.

 So, I thought why not hang them around the pantry door?  

I adore how unique each of them are.  

Some shabby and worn,

some small and shiny.

Each one hand painted.  

The history of the Tole Tray is not certain but they think that they originated in the UK around the late 1700's at the School of Arts.  The decorative artists were being taught how to load up their brushes with more than one color of paint to create the petals and leaves of the flowers.  

I don't know how old my Tole Trays are and I really don't care about the value of the trays.  

I just love the way they look.

To hang them I attached a self adhesive plate holder on the back of some.

And on the small trays I used a spot of hot glue and a paperclip.

I can always add to my wall

 and I look forward to the hunt 

at future Estate Sales!

Source: Country Living.com

Until Next Time,

Beaux R'eves,

XO Cindy

Sharing at 

Sharing at 

Southern Hospitality: Thrifty Treasures 

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday

Design Crush~Scott Sanders

 Miss Beaux and I go to the Library once a week during the Summer.  It's nice and cool in there and she browses through her favorite section and I of course can be found in the Design and Architecture aisles.

 I love that I can check out as many books as I want (or that I can carry) and peruse through them instead of buying them.

Amazon.com

This week I came across this book by Scott Sanders titled Picture Perfect.  I got my stack of books and crawled in bed with all of the pups and started reading.   Sometimes I am just flipping mindlessly through the pages but this book really touched my heart.  I am in love with his style and I was captivated by his personal story.  He began drawing houses at the age of six and with incredible detail.  He clipped magazine photos of interiors as a child and kept them in files that he found years later. 

He worked for Ralph Lauren for a while which is evident in this photo.  He was responsible for creating their whole Interior Design Department and worked with Polo Ralph Lauren clients from California to Paris.  

You can check out his book at your local library like I did or for more lovely photos check out his website.  

Scott Sanders, my new design crush!

*All photos from http://www.scottsandersllc.com 

Until Next Time

Beaux R'eves

XO Cindy

Shabby Apple Affiliate

I am so thrilled to tell you my exciting news! 

 Last week I was contacted by Shabby Apple and was invited to join their Affiliate Program.  I feel very honored as I am totally in Love with their clothing line!  I was introduced to Shabby Apple on other wonderful blogs that advertised them on their sidebar.  Hey, it's a hard sell to get me to click on something so you Know it has to be A+!!!  

They are having a wonderful Summer Sale.

Let's check out some of their beautiful dresses.

How Sweet is this skirt?  You could wear this anywhere, shopping, to the beach, out for a casual date night with hubby.

I am in LOVE with this dress!  I adore wrap dresses and they look great on all figure types.  The grey is so perfect for transitioning into fall!

Vavoom!  Think red is too bright?  C'mon be a Show stopper!  Walk into the room and OWN it!

  In this dress you would certainly make an impact.  

Check out the Shabby Apple's website to see more great fashions.  They are having a 20% off sitewide sale right now using the code SUMMER20 upon checkout.

I hope to do a giveaway soon with this fantastic clothing line so be on the lookout!

Until Next Time,

Beaux R'eves,

XO Cindy

My Mom's A DIYer TOO!

This is my mom's patio out in La Quinta California that she just freshened up. Funny thing was that we were both doing our patios at the same time and we didn't even know it.  Does that happen with you and your mom?  It happens to us all the time! 

 Meet my mom! 

Here we are waiting to get into the Ellen Show last year.  Isn't she a doll?  I could go on and on about how wonderful my mom is but today I wanted to show you what a great Do It Yourselfer she is.  Growing up there were always projects going on around the house.  

Sewing, crafting, remodeling, you name it! 

 That's where I get my fearless DIY spirit! 

 Thanks MOM!!! 

 Let's take a look at the before and after and

see what she's been up to.

 She practically LIVES outside on her patio.  Out in the desert the furniture takes a beating and so do the cushions.  Dust, Dirt and sun have dulled the look of these.  

Besides, Mom just decided it was time for a change.

So, after watching me recover a chair in dropcloth fabric, she decided to use it as her base fabric and then she can add different pillows as her moods and the seasons change.  She made cushions for this chair and the setee above,

A bench cushion under the window seat ,

The patio chairs (that she painted last year)

and even a lamp that she had made a custom cover for last year.

Here's how it looks now.  Don't you love the fresh and summery look now? 

 Love the colors! 

 The white cushions really make a difference.  

The lamp turned out so cute!

Polka Dots!  

What a cute pattern on the chair.

She even painted her "Terracotta pots-turned upside down for tables" and placed the fabric underneath the glass.

Thanks Mom for sharing your patio with us and also for always encouraging me to DIY!

Love you!

Until Next Time,

Beaux R'eves,

XO Cindy


I'm linking to Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays 
 Judy at DIY by Design
 Sherry at No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays

Take A Hike!

~Welcome to Dillon, Colorado~ 

My favorite place on earth.  

I love our Mountain home and wish 

we were able to spend more time here. 

This is Lake Dillon where we hiked today.

  C'mon with us on our hike.

We start out in a meadow that is about four houses down from our house.  The dogs LOVE walking with us and they zig zag on the trail sniffing the whole time.  

You can see a corner of lake off to the right of the photo.

How beautiful is that?  

The lake is really quite large. 

 There is a marina nearby where lots of sailboats are docked.  The lake is actually man-made.  It was a small finger-lake until they built a Dam in 1961 and flooded over the original town.  They saved a few of the buildings and one is a cute breakfast restaurant. 

 The surrounding land is all a preserved state park so no houses are built directly on the lake.  The girls are heading up the mountain to the lookout point.  

It's about 1.5 miles up the hill.

I love being surrounded by all of the trees and the brilliant blue sky.  It's nice and cool up here, temps in the 

low 70's and mid 50's at night.

  Ahhhhhhhh, it's the perfect respite to the scorching heat we have been experiencing.

Unfortunately, the Japanese Pine Beetle has killed a lot of trees in the last few years.  It's sad to see so many dead trees.  Where we live they try to control it but you can't control a whole forest.

It's certainly worth the hike to see this view!

On this side the Snake River feeds into the lake.  

Some folks take life a little too seriously. 

 Here's my baby always on guard and protecting her brood.

While some are just happy for a short break from the hike.

Time to head down the trail. 

 We have hiked a total of about 4 1/2 miles.  

Thanks for tagging along with us  on our hike.

We'll be here enjoying life for the next week!

Until Next Time,

Beaux R'eves,

XO Cindy