My Favorite Place Down Here in French Lique...

This is my favorite place down here in French Lique... My very own front porch... It looks out on fields of coastal hay and cattle grazing... Birds chirp and "hummmm" all around us... it is peaceful and relaxing...

Earlier this year I posted about my vintage rusty "Bouncing Bettie's" that I picked up from the Curious Boys in Seguin, Texas... I ordered cushions made to their specific dimensions and 5-inches thick... I wanted cushions that I could use for years to come made of outdoor Sunbrella fabric, and I picked blue to match the new blue ceiling on the front porch...

The "Bettie's" are the two chairs sitting side by side in the middle... Depending on the time of day we get different levels of shade on the southern exposure facing porch.. but the "Bettie's" are always in the shade... by design... !

I ordered yellow pillow covers for the chairs in 3 different fabrics and stuffed them with Pottery Barn feather pillow inserts... they're soooooo comfortable!  Now everyone wants to sit in the "Bettie's" and rock..  bounce the afternoon away...

I also got a 3-inch thick cushion for my old wooden glider... I painted it cottage white several years ago... and it's just about perfect chippy white these days!  The pillows on the end were from Marshall's... Storehouse pillows with feather inserts... $14.99 each... what a deal!

and this old lawn chair that I purchased about 4-years ago from Beverly at Glory B's Cottage in Geronimo, Texas... it got it's own custom cushion too!

My favorite flowers... Blue Hydrangea... here in the silk version... From Dollar Tree... for yep... $1.  The yellow tulips came from a closeout at Hobby Lobby last year and the yellow garland came from a booth that Beverly has in Seguin, in the same building as the Curious Boys booths.

The iron piece also came from the Curious Boys (sensing a theme here?).  They are a pair, and I think they were fireplace irons... anyway, I haven't decided what to do with them yet, I just liked them and the price was right, so I brought them home...

My little shy angel, also from Glory B's, is wrapped with more garland and the purple ribbon... it says "Dad"... it was on the funeral flowers that we sent to Ricky's Dad's funeral earlier this month.  When Ricky and I cleaned up the cemetery flowers last weekend, I kept the ribbon.  I thought it looked perfect wrapped around the angels arms, and is a sweet reminder of Dad, every time we see it...

More Dollar Tree silk flowers... you just can't beat the price!  Perfect here in my rusty red flower bucket... (the large tree limb is my walking stick when I go out in the fields chasing cattle...best kept close at hand by the doorway!).

 

I love the shadows from the porch rail in this photo. 

The perfect time of day...

The wall angels, another item I don't know what I'll do with yet, but they were calling my name... I think those Curious Boys told them what my name was... The basket and purple bow, also from the "clean-up"... were perfect with my $1 silk flowers...

 

If you have any ideas for me using the angels or the fireplace irons, feel free to share them here or send me an email... I have a couple of ideas of my own, but there is so much creativity out there in Blogland... I know someone will share something I'd never have thought of!

So... that's it... my Curious Boys/Glory B front porch!  The other end of the porch has a table and chairs for outdoor eating... I'll have to share that side later.. .once I have it all ready for spring...  

 
Easter Blessings...
from down here in French Lique...

 

and now the links:

 

Yellow Pillow Covers from Say It With Pillows

Custom Seat Cushions from Cushion Source

Vintage Furniture and Garden Art from

Curious Boys

Glory B's Cottage

 

This week I'll be linking up with:

Shadow Shot Sunday

Blue Monday

and

Mod Mix Monday

 

 

 

Pink Saturday - Magnolia Pearl

Texas' own Magnolia Pearl is selling her beautiful ranch in Bandera, Texas. (Anne Lorys) Fiona and Twig has beautiful photos and all the info... if your heart desire is to live "Deep in the Heart of Texas"...

and Happy Pink Saturday!

I'm linking up to Beverly's "How Sweet the Sound" blog party.

Bouncing Betties from Curious Boys

I love crusty-rusty-vintage garden furniture. My friends Joe and Glenn, the Curious Boys, are one of my favorite sources for my passion. Between them and the lovely Beverly at Glory B's Cottage, my porches are filled with beautiful vintage iron treasures...

It's a little early in the season to bring out the cushions and pillows... but soon... all this white will be filled with color... blue-yellow-and white this year... I can hardly wait...

Thank you Boys... I've ordered thick custom seat cushions so my guests this summer will linger late into the evening, sipping wine and bouncing themselves into the warm summer night...

It's almost time... down here in French Lique...

I'm linking to
Timewashed's Blissful Whites Wednesday and
 Coloradolady's Vintage Thingie Thursday... drop by and see who else is linking up!

What I Enjoyed Reading in 2012

What I Enjoyed Reading in 2012

• Fifty Grand by Adrian McKinty
• Hidden River by Adrian McKinty
• Falling Glass by Adrian McKinty
• The Bloomsday Dead, A Novel by Adrian McKinty
• The Dead Yard, A Novel by Adrian McKinty
• The Likeness by Tana French
• All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
• Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty
• Hand of Evil by J.A. Jance
• Justice Denied by J.A. Jance
• Free Fall by Robert Crais
• Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
• The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais
• The Associate by John Grisham
• Dreams of the Dead by Perri O'Shaughnessy
• Acts of Malice by Perri O'Shaughnessy
• The Litigators by John Grisham
• The First Rule by Robert Crais
• Show No Fear by Perri O'Shaughnessy
• Breach of Promise by Perri O'Shaughnessy
• Obstruction of Justice by Perri O'Shaughnessy
• Invasion of Privacy by Perri O'Shaughnessy
• In Big Trouble by Laura Lippman
• Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter
• Martin Misunderstood by Karin Slaughter
• Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Motion to Supress by Perri O'Shaughnessy
• Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman
• Charm City by Laura Lippman
• The Sugar House by Laura Lippman
• Wolf Hall: A Novel by Hilary Mantel

Wordless Wednesday... Deer at Candy's House

Wordless Wednesday...

Welcome Autumn... Harvest Table

Looking around Blogland at all the pretty tablescapes and center pieces has made me want to decorate my big farmhouse harvest table for Autumn... my favorite time of year.

I started simple enough, with the burlap table scarf that stays on my table year-round..

Then I found this pretty table scarf (for a much shorter table) at Marshall's for $9.99... I love the sparkle and the embroidered leaves...

and it looks just perfect laid on top of my burlap don't cha think?!
I pilfered from my stash of previous years Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations to find more items to add to my table decor.

  The two large pumpkins were displayed in my booth at Blue Hills a few years ago.  The faux fruit rests in another bowl in my kitchen year round.

A couple of years ago, while looking for a dough bowl, I found a set of 3 rustic wooden nesting bowls for $12.99 at a resale shop. It wasn't the dough bowl I longed for, but they serve the purpose.

 

The chippy candle sticks came from Glory B's in Geronimo, Texas $8.99 for the set...   and the little vintage birdie Salt and Pepper... a gift from a dear friend for mother's day a few years ago...

The white pillar candles were fine, but every time I looked at them I kept thinking ... pumpkin!  So a weekend trip to Target yielded 2 pumpkin candles for $2.49 each... marked down because they were the last two... I don't know, but I liked the price... I also found two more small rustic pumpkins at Target to add to the mix, I couldn't believe they were only $1 each!

and voila'!

 

Welcome Autumn...

 

Now if we could just get a little of that cooler weather

down here in French Lique...


this week I'm joining...

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
and
Show and Tell Friday


Planning Perfection and Kitchen Bling

My blogging friend Joan noticed my Vintage Depression Glass Cabinet Pulls
when I posted about my canning jar light pendants last week.
She wondered where I had purchased them,
and if they were in fact,
Vintage...
 

I promised her I would reveal my secrets about the handles this week...
so Joan..
this one is for you!
 

 

These pretty gems are actually called Glass Bridge Drawer Pulls; the color is Green Depression Glass and they have Nickle Bolts with Flush Connectors.
I love the Flush Connectors.
They give the inside cabinet door a finished look rather than having a bolt sticking out an inch with a nut screwed down against the cabinet door.

 

I painted the inside of the cabinets behind the glass doors the Feldspar green color...

Are they Vintage?

 

About 7 years ago, at an estate auction, I purchased a "box lot" for $5.  The box lot was full of old and somewhat rusty kitchen gadgets. 
At the bottom of the box, wrapped in an old dish towel, I found
6-Green Depression Glass Bridge Pulls, circa 1940. 
They were the color of old Coke bottles
and I instantly fell in love with them.
 

and the old style wavy glass in the doors is new, but was as close to the old vintage wavy glass as I could find... but much less fragile...

Those glass pulls, "found" 7-years ago, were the thing that my entire kitchen plan evolved from. 
Green is my favorite color... and I love cottage style... so went my planning for the perfect kitchen... but it takes time,
and my old brown and harvest gold 1970's kitchen had a long way to go...
 so did finding the additional pretty glass pulls that I would need.
 

this photo makes the pulls look lime green... all the pulls are the same Coke bottle green..
it's just the camera flash playing tricks on the bling!

I am a Polish farmers wife and thus... a frugal wife.  Yes, I could have gone out and bought the rest of the 32 pulls that I needed... you can find them new from $7 to $20 each on the internet... though they're not quite as heavy or substantial as the vintage ones...
but that would have cost somewhere between $200 and $600. 
Since I'd basically paid less than $1 each for the first 6-pulls...
I went on the hunt...
It took me almost 5-years... (I'm also a patient woman)...
and I ended up spending less than $100 total for all 32-pulls. 

I found an additional 20-pulls in a close-out bin at Restoration Hardware Outlet Store in San Marcos, Texas, marked down to $2.99 each.  (I ended up with 2 sales people digging through every bin with me to locate the 20 they had!)

Then I found 6-more Vintage pulls on eBay for $24 plus $6 shipping.
 

 

So, as I was planning my perfect kitchen renovation, I was looking for pretty kitchen bling... and I found it at the bottom of a box... wrapped in an old dish towel... forgotten... Funny how things often come to you that way.

and so...

some are Vintage and some are not...

you can hardly tell which is which...

 

these pretty corbels from the Curious Boys in Seguin, Texas

Next up... paint and architectural detail, inspiration provided by

Sarah's Summer House renovation...

and here's a hint....

pretty, vintage, painted perfect blue...

 

PS... in case you've been wondering...

my upper cabinets are painted Pot of Cream white and the bottom cabinets are painted Feldspar green; both colors by Behr at Home Depot.

 

this week I'm linking to

Mod Mix Monday...

Knick of Time Tuesday...

Vintage Thingie Thursday...
Vintage Inspiration Friday...

 

Blue Ball Canning Jar Pendants

It's been a while since I posted anything... but here I am again. We're still working on our kitchen reno, and that is what today's post is about... the lighting.

I found an idea on Pinterest and knew I had to have it in my kitchen! We had purchased very inexpensive pendant lighting on ebay... each fixture about $12 which included shipping. I knew the lampshades wouldn't stay, at least not in their original condition, but I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go. We've renovated our old dark farmhouse kitchen into a pretty country cottage style, and I love it... but where to go with this lighting?

Note to Photographer...er... self:  check out the background mess before taking the photo.

 

You can see the vintage fixture in the middle of the kitchen, and I added a pretty little  vintage looking chandelier over the kitchen sink.  The contemporary pendants were okay... but not quite right...

 

 

though they did provide the much needed light
over the breakfast bar area...
and then there was this...

 

 

Posted on A Thrifted Market on Sept 3, 2012...

I knew I had to do it... and good thing was, I already had

a really nice blue canning jar collection...

but how to hang them?

 

 

Then I found these from Etsy seller Liz at Tremendous Treasures...

 

 

I used the holding ring from the pendant fixtures to determine what size hole to cut in the Frog screen and colored it in with a Sharpie marker...

 

 

I pulled the screens out of the jar rings, but figured out pretty quickly that wasn't going to work for cutting... OUCH!  So, I put them back in and then got my Ricky to do all the wire cutting...

 

 

I was hanging them as quickly as Ricky cut the holes... this one shows a pint size jar... but I decided to go bigger!

 

and make sure all the dirty dishes are in the dish washer before taking another photo...

 

The quart size jars worked perfectly!  I just love my new vintage canning jar pendants.  They look so pretty in my cottage farmhouse kitchen.

 

now that's more like it!

 

I'm still playing with light bulbs... but I love these... I really-really do!

Tell me what you think?

 

I'm joining Blue Monday at Sally's, because I think these pretty blue Ball canning jar pendants are the perfect blue bling for Monday!

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Costal Charm 'cause this is a Nifty-Thrifty idea!

Knick of Time Tuesday since my vintage Ball canning jars are what makes this project sing!

Found... the Perfect Office Chair

I was reading a post by Angelo Surmelis on his Angelo Home Blog today, and fell in love with his Sutton Chair in Black/Grey/Cream Paisley... so of course I set out to find out how much and where to buy... via Google... thank you Google...

I found it at Amazon.com, $329.16

but I also found this...

Angelo Home Sutton Chair in Lemongrass Paisley... $279.00

LOVE!

The chair is for my home office... redecorated 2009 in Black and White with soft yellow walls...

so when I saw the Lemongrass Paisley... I knew that THIS IS THE PERFECT CHAIR... for me...

Now... if you've never checked out Angelo's Home Blog... do yourself a favor...

I can hardly wait to get my perfect chair...

down here in French Lique!

I'm joining Cindy for Show and Tell Friday... drop by and see who else is joining in!

and Mellow Yellow Monday... I love YELLOW!

"I Do's" and they did... plus... Candy's new BFF...

Friday was a work day... We arrived at Candy's Ranchette about 10 am, after a hardy breakfast together on the Wimberley Square... and Candy put my Ricky to work on wiring her plank "I Do" sign together...

Then Candy invited her new BFF, Ricky, to the side porch for more wire work... wiring together her tower of rusty pails for plant display...

I love these... the photo doesn't do the idea justice...

We were decorating for the rehersal dinner, to be held at Old Glory Ranch Friday evening... Candy, Ricky and I hung a frame on the old hitchin' post for photo opps... Ricky and I gave it a test run... icky and sweaty... he loved me anyway...

I love this "Tomorrow I Do" banner Candy made from burlap and linen... and hung from the fireplace at Old Glory Ranch...

Candy's (painting) & Ricky's (wiring) sign...

hung from the rafters and draped with gauzy cloth...

We thought the drape across the bench looked like where

the bride's wedding dress might have ended up...

"If you're asking if I love you... the answer is... I Do!"

and me and Ricky... we cleaned up pretty good...

and had a wonderful time getting ready to send the young couple off...

into marital bliss... just like...

down here in French Lique...

ps... I know Candy will share some wonderful photos with you soon... as soon as she recovers for the past 6-months of wedding planning and executing...

Pink Peonies for Mother's Day...

Happy Mother's Day to all my favorite Mom's... you know who you are!

My favorite spring flowers... the Peony...

from Dixie...

down here in French Lique...