Of Course It's Coming Home With Me!

Several weeks ago I stopped in at a favorite women's boutique that has everything from clothing and accessories to selective home decor accents. As I was walking up to the second floor, I spotted the most adorable cabinet with crackly paint....definitely vintage. It looked like it had just been plucked from a French country farmhouse kitchen.

I love how this shop owner has a few vintage items tucked among
her home decor accessories.  

 The combination of the crackle finish, chippy paint, and original latch 

creates such an adorable little cabinet.

And what about the perfect little shelf to display more vintage stuff? :-)

Didn't take long for me to decide this baby was coming home with me. 

Of course I had the perfect spot for it....always do.

It's hanging pretty above my vintage telephone bench in the upstairs hallway.

Some of you might remember when there was one telephone in

the house, and it was in a central location. That's what this

sweet painted bench was used for.

A place to sit, a place for the phone, and a

little shelf under the seat for the phone book.

Yes, that's a winter tree that I keep up into February. 

I think the birds and pink berries on the tree work well this time of year.

Don't you love when an arrangement comes together without intentional planning!

Everything just seems to fit from the two little pink stools all the way up to 

the small vintage farmhouse style cabinet.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Blessings,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

House in the Roses Show off your Cottage

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Tuesday's Treasures

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday

Ivy and Elephants What's It Wednesday

Keeping a SPRING in Your Step

A longing for warmer temperatures and the hope for spring to come quickly seems to be rampant this time of year. Could this signal a bit of cabin fever? To help remedy the cold and dreary days, I try to keep a gardeny feel in my little study.

I have a slight obsession for doors with beautiful patina.

Don't you think the glass panes give an airy feel?

It's always fun to bring a little of the outside indoors.

Perfect spot for a garden bench.

I gathered up some of my vintage watering cans.

Collections come in so handy.

I'm still using the dried hydrangeas from the fall in my winter decor.

Adds a natural touch.

This adorable little vintage wheelbarrow is so porchy! Had to

find a spot for it on the bookshelf.

Vintage botanicals are right up there with French prints when it 

comes to the hunt.

This little room is my bright and cheery spot when it's

dreary and gloomy outside.

There is hope for Spring!!

Blessings,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

No Minimalist Here Open House Thursday

At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

And the Award Goes To . . . .

A shout out of THANKS to Cheryl at Fresh Vanilla For C  for passing on the Liebster Award to me. Cheryl has been an encourager and inspiration from the time I started my blog, just four short weeks ago.

Another big THANK YOU to Maria from  Rusty Hinge who also gave me this 

Award today.

I feel honored by these two wonderful women to be recognized in this way.

What is the Liebster Award you ask?

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 less 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 or six 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!!!

Betsy Coastal Colors
Delilah Love Laugh Sew
Roy Swedish Corner-Down Under

Andrea Queen B and Me
Sherry Pondered Primed Perfected

Please go and pay these lovely ladies a visit!  Let them know how wonderful they are!

Mary Alice

Two of Anything = Collection

Isn't it true that when you have two of an item you have a collection? Isn't it also true that if you have a  top of a table, cabinet or cupboard, that's the perfect spot for a vignette of some of your favorite collections? Well, that's my M.O.

When I was looking for the perfect spot for my little white chippy stools, 

I noticed the top of my blue hutch was empty. Oh my.... how can that be?

I need to remedy that!

Are these some of the cutest stools you've ever seen?

I'm loving the old ceiling tin stretched across the shorter stool. And just

look at the sweet edge around the taller stool.

And what about this simple primitive stool?

It's screeeaming charm, style, patina!

The vintage tins and black and white box help anchor the collection of stools.

After all, aren't we supposed to have a touch of black in every room? I

think I read that somewhere.

So....perfect spot for these happy little stools.

Blessings,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

House in the Roses Show Off Your Cottage

A Stroll Thru Life Table Top Tuesday

Faded Charm White Wednesday

To Sell or Not To Sell

I'm in a bit of a transition right now since closing my little shop/space in an antique store at the end of December. My real love is the hunt for unique and wonderful items to sell, displaying the furniture and accessories in interesting vignettes, and meeting kindred spirits along the way.

When this business is in your blood, it's hard to walk away completely. Hence, the beginning of my blog a couple of weeks ago. I appreciate and thank all of you who follow my blog and leave such lovely comments. It may be premature to plan now, but my goal is to start an online shop in conjunction with the blog.

I want to show you a small sampling of my finds today.

These two vintage books, Works of Walter Scott, have wonderful green covers.

I love the worn looking pages.

This metal lampshade with all the decorative detail would make a great cloche.

Old ceiling tins usually come with a lot of chippy colors.

This florentine magazine rack is perfect for keeping our decorating books and magazines handy.

Two fabulous french prints are a must in a French inspired decor.

Well, what do you think? Is there potential down the road for selling online?

I would love some feedback.

Blessings, 

Mary Alice

French Bistro

I have this one little wall in what I would call my front entry that I have changed out numerous times, looking for just the right vignette that I absolutely love. I think I finally was able to pull it together when I found this french bistro table.

It has the perfect amount of rustiness and I love to bring iron into the mix of textures.

This seemed like the perfect place to add my french chicken wire enamel pot 

holding lavender pillows and french pages from a vintage book.

What would a bistro table be without a french bistro chair?

So excited to score two of these chairs for $10 each. "Made in France" sticker was still on.

This beautiful old shutter adds a fabulous pop of color, don't you think?

So won't you join me for a cup of espresso? I'll pull up another bistro chair.

Blessings,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday

French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

Patina, Patina, Patina

I can hardly get enough of it! How about you? I also have a hard time resisting a farm table with that wonderful worn patina....any size will do. This small white and green distressed farm table was love at first sight. I knew exactly where it could fit....in our bedroom. After all, I needed a writing table in there.... kind of, sort of....

A farm table would give my wall of shutters an interesting focal point.

This one was, of course, the perfect size.

The original distressed paint couldn't be more perfect. If only these farm tables could talk. Wouldn't you love to know what might have gone on around this kitchen table?

Since I'm not a minimalist, I had to start the layering process. First came a beautiful European grain sack runner that I bought from a favorite online shop.

Then I added a small vintage mirror with a couple of pretty bottles.

These two vintage Italian boxes and a decorating book help anchor the vignette.

Of course, since I'm going to use this for a writing desk....of course....I pulled in two white vintage rattan chairs that complement the table and completes the arrangement.

Works for me!

 Definitely adds some fun to this corner of the room, don't you think?

Blessings,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

Faded Charm White Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday

No Minimalist Here Open House Thursday