LittleMissMaggie

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Wild Prints and Soft Roses

This week I kept the tablescape very simple because I used this wild and crazy 60's print to cover my table. I love the black and white and didn't want to add a lot of competition to it.

I used some ironstone pieces and black charger plates and some pretty etched glasses from Anthropologie.

I also used my very old Victorian silver pitchers that have oodles of patina.

Simple white linen napkins and silver plate napkin rings round out the look.

I love the understated elegance. Thanks for stopping by. We will be returning from our vacation early next week.

I'm partying at...

Mondays          Le Chateau des Fleurs       The Graphics Fairy
                                      Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Thru Life
                                     Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday
Wednesdays   Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants
                                     Faded Charm Cottage       Fine Craft Guild
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday    Fishtail Cottage
                                     Rustic Restorations Homespun Happenings
Fridays           French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                  At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday   Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity   Rooted in Thyme
Saturdays      Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           My 1928 Charmer Sunday's Best

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Berkeley

When I travel anywhere, I don't usually photograph the normal scenery that most people like to photograph. I look for interesting homes or gardens or signage or anything I want to keep a mental note of for my memories. I recently traveled to Northern California to visit my oldest daughter, and she is a Pottery Barn girl through and through so, of course, we had to make a stop to pick up some things for us to do a little decorating over the weekend.

They put together the most wonderful vignettes. I don't know how anyone could not be inspired by their creativity.

I peruse their catalogs like most people peruse beautiful decorating magazines.

On one of our walks I found this old garage door. I thought it was very cool (although I wouldn't want my garage doors to look like this.) I thought they would make a great addition to a garden wall.

I am not sure what this property is although I know it must be astronomically expensive. The kids have only been married for a couple of years and are still apartment dwellers, but I know the homes in this area are pretty much untouchable. Even tiny bungalows carry a hefty pricetag and this dwelling is huge.

No matter what the pricetag on it is, I couldn't help but drool a little. It is beautiful, isn't it?

These gorgeous lavendar hydrangeas really complemented the gray tones of the house paint.

The kids live next door to an art school which is only fitting because my daughter was an art major in college. This is one of the school's murals.

And bear with me for a moment. I must show you my adorable grand kittens. Lulu Mae is a spitfire. She thinks she's still a kitten.

Jesse is a big girl. She does a little too much bird watching and not enough bird chasing. She's a whopping 22 lbs. I think it's time for ~~Jennie~~ Kitty Craig. I love her just the same though. Thanks for visiting. We are still traveling and will return soon.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Lamb's Ears and Roses

Recently I went to a very quaint flea market in Tarzana, California called The Little French Flea Market. It's a quarterly market. I met a friend there and she bought me this adorable little arrangement. What really caught my eye was the lamb's ears. I never knew you could use it as cut foliage. As of the writing of this post which is about three weeks post flea market, this little arrangment is still going strong. Of course, the roses went right away, but the ivy and the lamb's ears are still thriving. They are in a glass jar inside this cute little pot. I suppose I could add more roses. The vendor told me all of this would root in the water and keep going.

Ya' learn something new everyday. Thanks for visiting.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Shells and Sticks Tablescape

My tablescape today is another simple summer look. I found these beautiful aqua plates at the flea market, but they did have a Marshall's tag on the back, however, no maker's mark.

Again, I used a burlap table topper. I just love this look. It's very natural. I paired it with natural placemats and some ironstone and old weathered silver.

I absolutely love my yardstick pot. Isn't it adorable? Such a simple but fabulous idea! I put a few of my shells in it and tipped it on its side.

As fun as this is, I'm not sure it would be the easiest thing to make.

Aren't these aqua plates pretty? I only found two of them and two of the cups. That was enough for me to put this look together.

Like I said, they came from Marshall's.

All these colors remind me of the seashore.

Soft and restful.

Mix in some beautiful roses and this made a delightful afternoon spot. Thanks for joining me.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Spool Cabinet

I found this little cabinet at a local sale. It was a plain Jane cabinet from Mexico and was pretty beat up. My husband painted it with canyon black by Rustoleum.

He removed the hardware, and I went to town with some inexpensive stencils. I have always loved the old spool cabinets, but they are very expensive whenever I find them. I am not going to keep this. It's already at the shop, but at least it was mine for just a little while.

I found my inspiration on Pinterest.

I stuck pretty close to the real deal although I probably shouldn't have used the actual J&P Coats name. I went out on a limb and did it anyway. I usually only use real brand names when I know they are out of business.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I just trimmed it out with some antique gold acrylic paint and put a wash of raw umber over it to age the color a little more. Thanks for your visit.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Perfect Host

I used this grapevine bunny a couple of weeks ago for a tablescape, but I thought he was so awesome I wanted to show him off a little more. He's wearing a very cute red and white apron and he's holding some faux herbs.

He's about 3 feet tall.

He is carrying a little knapsack basket on his back with more faux herbs and a nest. It was love at first sight for me. How about you? Have you found anything amazing lately?

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Morcom Rose Garden

When I went to visit my daughter up north, she took me to a public garden that is maintained by volunteers. It's called Morcom Rose Garden. It's free to the public and rests on seven acres. It's in Oakland, California, and I believe most of these roses were planted in the 50's. This first photo, of course, was not taken there because it is not a rose. It's the largest sunflower I have ever seen. When I found it on one of our walks, it was already spent and probably gone to seed, but look at how magnificent this is. It was about 14 inches across.

I have no idea what the names of these roses are. All I know is that I was awestruck by how amazing they were even in their spent state. However, come to think of it, even dried rose petals are beautiful too. I'll just share the photos with you. We are still on vacation. I managed to get a few posts scheduled and this is one of them.