Let's Talk Color

I could sit for hours and gaze at homes dressed in all shades

  of lovely whites. My favorite decorating magazines and books

showcase beautiful predominately white rooms. 

However, I need color in my own home.

It's funny...I find myself looking for ways to lighten

the rooms, but for me, that doesn't necessarily mean 

painting everything white.

Even in my little white room, I can't keep

 from incorporating some color.

I love the contrast of the white against the pale blue walls.

Adding some pops of pink gives it a little

more pizazz, I guess.

I'm not a minimalist and I definitely don't shy away from color.

Not sure if that's a good combination!

I do like using the softer pastels.

 Pretty rugs on hardwood floors help define sitting areas.

  I tend to gravitate to a three color palette...

yellows, blues, and shades of pink.

This makes it easy to move accessories 

 from room to room.

Now the upstairs might be a different story. 

Somewhere along the line I veered off course and 

 introduced green in a couple of the bedrooms.

I think you get the idea...

I like using color throughout my home,

bringing in a mix of textures, painted pieces, and 

natural woods.

Blessings,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

Boogieboard Cottage Masterpiece Monday

Eclectically Vintage All About Color

Full Circle Creations All Star Block Party

le petit marché

An adorable new shop is opening this weekend in

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

My good friend, Mable, has transformed a little cottage,

behind The Canal House Creamery & Cafe,

into a little antique shop with a big French flavor.

Won't you join me for a little tour of le petit marché.

The walkway between the restaurant and shop wets your appetite

with wonderful architectural and garden accessories.

The hanging metal flower baskets are a

show stopper for the little courtyard.

This garden chair with the hanging food covers

greets customers entering the shop.

Once you step inside...total eye candy!!

A French market basket filled with grain sacks

French prints and oils everywhere you look

Notice the gorgeous French armoire lining the wall in the background.

French farmhouse style dropleaf table

Yes, those are tiny cowgirl boots on the rocker...Uhh, not sure those are French.

What would a little French Market be without antique dress forms?

Oh, how I wish I had room for this chaise in my bedroom.

The soft colors on this settee would work perfectly in my home...

let's see...what could I sell to make room...

If you live in the area or are visiting Harpers Ferry,

this is a shop you don't want to miss.

Meeting my friend, Mable, is a treat as well!

1226 W. Washington St., just around the corner

from the historic downtown area.

You won't be disappointed,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

Shabby Art Boutique

French Country Cottage

Common Ground

A Little of This and That

Last week I took a day to visit my parents in Lancaster.

They downsized quite a bit when they retired 20 years ago.

Now that they are 86, my Mom is once again

passing on smaller things to us when we come to visit.

I was delighted when she asked if I 

wanted this large antique French demijohn...of course I want it!!

Ever since I can remember, the "stopper" was in it,

so I was surprised to find out that it didn't really come that way.

My Dad had put the round bottom bottle in the top because it just happened to fit.

So I guess it'll stay that way for now...

I want to thank everyone for their very helpful comments

and suggestions on my post about the basket under the desk.

You all are the best!!

I loved the idea of hanging linens or a vintage tablecloth outside the basket.

 You may also notice that I moved it under a different table.

I think it may work better here given the style and simple lines of the table...

or did I just want to fill up another empty space...hmmmm?

I think this antique wicker suitcase

  is a better fit under the desk.

I love how the pegs and loops for closing are still intact.

I stacked some grain sacks on top of the wicker to soften the look a bit. 

And I do like how the basket complements the little one hanging.

Sometimes things come together so easily...other times it takes a little more effort.

Appreciate your help,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

No Minimalist Here

The Brambleberry Cottage

Have A Daily Cup From Mrs. Olson

The Dedicated House

Thinking Outside the Box

When Marty announced her summer cloche party, I began looking

around my home for some different items I was

using for a cloche as well as the standard glass dome.

This is my favorite metal cloche

that I pull out every spring and summer for the coffee table.

This year I filled it with a little bird on a metal pedestal.

A more open metal cloche holds a couple of vintage books.

It also adds some height to the vignette.

I do love my more traditional glass cloche enclosing

a group of vintage bottles. 

I moved the bottles onto this ironstone platform and

made it my kitchen table center piece for awhile.

When I found this old metal lamp shade, 

I immediately thought it would make a fun cloche. 

Since the shade itself is so intricate and decorative, something

simple and subtle is all that's needed under it.

I leave you with a tall pretty etched cloche

that can make a great focal point.

Do you like thinking outside the box and using

your own personal touches to create something unique?

I sure do!

Mary Alice

Linking to:

A Stroll Thru Life

Ivy and Elephants

Primp Your Stuff

Weekend Finds Will Probably End Up For Sale

This was a good weekend to be on the hunt

because of all the barn sales open here the third weekend of each month.

I found this great vintage basket to hang on a door

I have propped in my family room.

It's also the perfect size to hold my lavender

bundles I bought from Maria.

I love my blue and white. So when I spotted this  

café au lait bowl for $5, because of the chip, I grabbed it.

I like the chip!

There was just something about this "1957" orchard basket that spoke to me.

Not sure what I'll do with it... I can always sell it!

Please humor me here for a moment.

I have this empty space under a desk in my family room.

And you know how people who are not minimalists...that would be me...

don't like big empty spaces.

Since I like the texture of large wicker baskets with lids (that I've seen

on some wonderful blogs), I thought that might be just the thing I needed

to put under my desk...to fill that empty space...and hide the lamp cord.

The lid doesn't fit perfectly...which I love...and

it was on sale...which I love...

But I'm not sure I'm liking the basket under my desk now that I brought it home. 

I hate when that happens!

Is it too big for this spot? 

Do I need something lower under the desk?

Because, you know, I can always sell it!

One last find I couldn't pass up was this well-loved vintage white scale.

Hope you all found some great treasures over the weekend,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

Boogieboard Cottage

Southern Hospitality

Coastal Charm

Cheeseboard Overload

Lately I've been on the hunt for bread/cheese boards.

I happened to stop in a shop to have a second look at
something I had seen earlier. I walked around
quickly to see if there was anything new
in the shop and almost passed by a
stack of European dough boards on the floor
that had just arrived from Germany.

I know it looks like I went a little crazy...

But wouldn't you have done the same...especially if you were able to

negotiate a larger discount by buying more than one?

This is the largest one I bought.

It was the handle that caught my eye.

And I had to pick up a couple of round ones

since I don't see these often.

These cheese boards are so beautiful and 

fun to use for serving or for hanging on the wall.

Since I don't want to become a hoarder,

I listed a couple of these in my shop.

Blessings,

Mary Alice

Linking to:

 Have A Daily Cup From Mrs. Olson

The Brambleberry Cottage

Rooted in Thyme

2805 Potpourri Friday

Company Coming for Dinner

Good friends of ours moved back to this area several weeks ago,

and we were finally able to get together for dinner.

When I'm having guests, I like

to have fresh flowers for the table.

My garden is in that in between blooms stage, 

so I bought a bunch of daisies from Wegmans.

I happened to have a vintage tablecloth that

coordinated perfectly. Love when that happens by chance.

 Appetizers were served on the porch.

You can never go wrong with cheese and crackers.

Five kids + summertime = Simple

Since the temperatures were warm, I set a simple

table inside to enjoy our hamburgers, barbecue chicken, watermelon...

Do you see my burlap utensil holders?

A friend made them for her daughter's wedding reception. 

She was so kind to share some with me after

borrowing a couple of my farm tables and accessories

to help create their vintage wedding theme.

 A kid friendly dessert was on the menu.

S'mores...

and Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Great ending to a perfect evening!

Blessings,

Mary Alice

Joining:

A Stroll Thru Life

Farmhouse Porch

Faded Charm

Savvy Southern Style