~SHABBY COTTAGE CHIC CHANDELIER FINALEEEE~

 ~GLISTENY - SPARKLY - BEAUTIFUL - BRIGHT~

I know you are probably getting SICK of me yapping about my vintage and antique Chandelier makeover and change out, but I couldn't resist showing you the final few pictures that were taken this morning!  My Mr. AGPMan got the gorgeous antique beauty you see above hung up for me last night and I just had to BRAG and BOAST about how she looks with her new paint job!

 

 ~ALL LIT UP~

I decided to attach the EIGHTY PLUS crystals  onto the lamp after she was hung...  This Chandy is larger than the one we took down and better fits the size of the room!

I LOVE HER!  CAN YOU HEAR ME SQUEAL???

 

 ~UP-CLOSE VIEW~

I didn't realize until after the pics were snapped that my hubby went back and replaced all the cardboard sleeves into the candle covers...  I always paint out the tops of them to match the lamps I paint so I will have to go back and do that...

 

~VALSPAR PAINT~

Matches Behr's Cottage White Paint

Now...here's a little tip for you!  Generally I paint out my lamps with primer before giving them several generous coats of my favorite paint found at Home Depot, (Behr's Cottage White).  However, while in Lowe's last week I found this spray paint by VALSPAR (only at Lowe's) and I'm telling it you it's spot-on on with the Cottage White color.  I tried it and it's MORE THAN FAB.  Doesn't run and even works when you are impatient and spray paint outside in LESS THAN perfect weather conditions (it was a tad bit below optimum painting temps!).  You've got to try it...betcha you will love it, too!

And so...there you go!  I plan on painting at least of of the other Chandeliers and using it upstairs in my office.  I promise to show you that one after it's finished!

Hope you having an awesome Wednesday!

Love to you....

~VINTAGE CHANDELIER MAKEOVER CONTINUES~

 ~ONE CHANDY HUNG~ONE TO GO~

Last week I shared with you how my Mr. AGPMan and I were mixing things up a bit around our La Chaumière de Briarwood!  You may remember we decided to change out some lighting fixtures and so today I'm going to give you a little update on what's new!

I'm not sure how old the Chandy is you see at the top...probably hails from the 1960's given it's style and wiring!  This one looks FABULOUS over our breakfast room table and fits in the space much better than the one we opted to remove!  Sometimes little changes make a huge difference!  This one does not have crystals and isn't as detailed, but given the fact it's hung so close to the one you see below it's better they are different as they don't compete for attention...

~MY FAVORITE COTTAGE WHITE PAINT~

Here is a picture of the other vintage Chandelier I just finished painting out with my favorite Cottage White Paint!  Let me tell you this little sweetie was a real trip to revamp (per my Mr. AGPMAN!).  I've never seen a bigger bunch of tangled wires and for the life of me don't understand how one can even figure out where they all go!  Originally brass, I'm loving how she looks after her repaint job!  Very "Shabby Cottage Chic" and romantic!

~BEFORE SHOT~

I can't wait to get all her crystals attached!  She will be hung in place this evening and I'm excited to her glisten and shine in our living room!  This Chandy was in wonderful condition and hails from the 1940's or so.  She had cloth wiring that was VERY OLD and brittle and the entire thing had to be rewired.  Like I said before...it was a real mess and I totally understand why electricians charge so much to bring vintage lighting up to date!  Took my guy at least 2-3 hours to bring her up to code!

 ~GENTLY DISTRESSED!

I tried to get a close-up shot of the gentle distressing done to the Lamp!  Just a little bit for me...  I love things chippy and worn, but NOT totally beaten up!

~ANOTHER CLOSE-UP~

Now...for all of you who wrote to me or commented on that amazing Ceiling Surround shown again in the first picture just click HERE to read more about how we got this look!  Surrounds are costly and for a less expensive alternative you can find the information about ours there!  If you are new to my blog I think you might find how we re-purposed some wall art very interesting!

I'll be back tomorrow to show you this charming Chandy hung in place!!!!

Blessings to you for a lovely Spring day!  I haven't forgotten about my next giveaway...I'm just running behind...as usual! 

Love to you...

~JOY, FRIENDSHIP and RASPBERRY MUFFINS~

 ~BIG FAT RASPBERRY MUFFINS~

All day Sunday and well into the late evening I must admit to you that I was a bit out-of-sorts.  Grief will do that to you I guess.  I suppose that should be expected when you hear the kind of sad news we were given yesterday morning.  Still...as I worked my way into the light of a new day I found my heart reflecting over the past eighteen years and how the goodness of God and His endless blessings in my life always prevail.  A single but comforting thought kept pressing into my heart and for whatever the reason I just couldn't get away from it...

"...weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Psalm 30: 4-5~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

~GIFTS FROM MY KITCHEN

I read once that we cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed.  It's said that finding a true friend is like filling a vessel drop by drop until, like a series of kindnesses to the heart, there is at last one which makes it flow over.  Today my heart is running over for even through sorrow and loss, goodness and love remains.

~REMEMBERING TEA with THEE~

When I know ahead of time of a visiting friend, I make Raspberry Muffins in the kitchen of my La Chaumière de Briarwood.  Miss Marion and I indulged in both chamomile tea and in these yummy little confections at least three dozen times during the eighteen plus years we spent as neighbors.  Out of love and gratitude and in the spirit of friendship I decided to bake up a final batch of our favorite treats to honor my amazing, longtime friend...

Around eleven A.M. I walked across the street to extend my sympathies to Miss Marion's hubby and family.  As usual the door swung wide, and warm smiling faces welcomed me in.  I realized in an instant that although sadness was indeed in the air, Miss Marion's family refused to view her passing as anything less than an opportunity to see God...

Incredibly, they had chosen JOY!

After visiting for a few minutes, I returned back home and immediately set about preparing myself a cup of chamomile tea.  I pulled a simple white plate from my cupboard and on it placed the one lone Raspberry Muffin I had originally set aside for a 'future' special day.

"Today is special enough!"  I thought....

"Yes it is!"  

Today I choose JOY!

~~*~~

Thank you for your precious comments yesterday.

(You bless me!)

Love to you...

~~~~~THOUGHTS ON A SUNDAY MORNING~~~~~ Rest Well Miss Marion

 ~REMEMBERING MISS MARION~

I had a different Sunday Post planned for you today, but early this morning I received a phone call letting me know my longtime friend and neighbor, Marion, passed away.

Miss M (as I liked to call her) lived across the street from my family and I for almost 19 years and she watched from afar as our two little children grew into adulthood.  We shared a hot cup of tea more times than I can say and many heartfelt talks that centered around our shared faith in God.  There was always lots of laughter and also many, many tears.

A 2nd Grade School Teacher by trade, I learned early on that a few years before meeting Marion she had lost her own tiny 6 year old daughter to a sudden brain aneurysm.  Knowing she had endured and survived the worst of all life experiences drew me into her life's path in way I can hardly describe.  Whenever I struggled with the frailties within my own heart and life all I had to do was think of Miss Marion and the things that befell her.  She was, and always will be, a shining example of God's unmerited love and grace.  She pressed on through life's most difficult of days and yet emerged wit her sweet and tender spirit in tact.  Bitterness and anger was never even a possibility for her and the example of love and acceptance she set forth will always be something I will aspire to achieve...

~~*~~

"Rest In Peace, Miss Marion.

I know your reunion with your beautiful Karlan-Girl is no doubt shaking up the golden streets of heaven!

I will be missing you!

Love you most, Rebecca"

~~*~~

Blessings to you today as you continue to love, honor, cherish and value those whom God has placed within in your life...  I'm reminded once again today that we are only here on this earth for a very short time.  Best be finding what our purpose and calling is while we still can.

Love to you all...

~HAPPY PINK SATURDAY - VINTAGE APRON MOTHER'S DAY CARDS~

~VINTAGE APRON GREETING CARDS~

Happy PINK SATURDAY!  Gosh...it's been a long time since I took part in this fun linky-party!  Thank you Miss Beverly of How Sweet The Sound for being such a wonderful host to all of us pink-loving-gals!  You bless us all!

Now...If you popped in yesterday you saw my little Vintage Apron Post showcasing several old sewing patterns.  Today I want to give you just a sneak peak of what I've been working on...  I've been having way too much fun coming up with new designs for Mother's Day using vintage apron graphics!  I'm happy today to unveil three of our latest original altered art Greeting Cards from my A Gathering Place Shoppe!  I hope to have them uploaded early this next week!!!

Hope you have an awesome PINK LOVIN' DAY today!  I'll be off helping my husby work in our yard and planting my favorite PINK FLOWERS!

Blessings to you~

~VINTAGE APRONS TIED UP WITH HEARTSTRINGS

 ~PRECIOUS VINTAGE APRON POEM~

I love old aprons and considering how they've grown in popularity over the years I decided to pull some of my vintage apron patterns out from their hiding place!  At the VERY LEAST I'm considering making a couple in my 'spare time' (I'm thinking positive here that I may ACTUALLY HAVE SOME before long)!

 All you need to be inspired is to do a quick GOOGLE SEARCH for Vintage Aprons and you'll simply be amazed at what comes up!  I was blown away at some of the designs and the lovely spin given to many aging patterns!  There are some truly talented women out there...

 Now...I absolutely adore this pattern!  Don't you???

 This one is a simple, basic pattern, but one that could be embellished to the nines with lots of chic rose fabrics that are available on the market today!

 The scalloped edge on the apron on the lower right is so charming!  This is one I'd really love to tackle!

 Another beauty that was surely once a staple in the 1950's era home!

 So wish the cover on this one wasn't torn off...  Sweet Smock style apron!  All the iron-on-transfers are still in their original unused condition!

 This one is my favorite.  Love the little red heart cutie on the upper right!

 Sweet graphics, too!  Hmmm....this has me thinking!

 All together now...

Before I scoot I have to show you two patterns I still absolutely LOVE.  The one on the left is a late 1980's pattern that I made a dress from and wore for a couple of years.  The one on the right is similar, from Vogue, but a lot more detailed.  I haven't decided but one of them I'm going to make to wear during a little summer get-away my Mr. AGPMan and I have planned.  Either one would look darling with a sweet leather belt (gotta update the look, right?) and maybe some rocking-out
cowboy boots!

Oh my gosh!  Did this CaliGirl actually say

"COWBOY BOOTS?"

(Julie Marie from Idyllhours said they are "COWGIRL BOOTS!") :):):)

Hmmm...times are a changin'!

Love to you today...

~VINTAGE LIGHTING and a CHANDELIER MAKEOVER~

 ~FORMAL DINING ROOM CHANDELIER~

This Spring I've decided to do some Chandelier change-out here inside my La Chaumière de Briarwood!  I absolutely adore antique lighting and so when I find something I like better than what I already have I don't hesitate to have my hubbs move the ceiling fixtures around.  Ahh...to have a man with many talents is simply divine! :)  Saves me (and him) more buckeroos than I can say...

Now...don't faint!  That fabulous antique Chandelier you see at the top is NOT going anywhere.  It's my very favorite of all my hanging lights and I'm fairly sure it will stay right where it's hanging for...well, forever!  I love it that much!

 ~VINTAGE CHANDELIER IN FAMILY ROOM~

The light fixture you see above is nowhere near as lovely as the first one, but when I hung it up it was the only one I had and we needed something in order to SEE!!!  It's still pretty...just not fancy and if the truth be told it's just too small and petite for the space.

 ~VINTAGE SHABBY COTTAGE CHANDELIER~

And so~I've decided to change out the light in our family room with this one!  It's not terribly old but it's style fits a bit better into the decor of the room.  It's also larger in size even though it still only have five arms.  I think this is going to be a sweet change.  

 ~CLOSE-UP VIEW~

This fixture was painted out in my favorite cottage white paint and I'm sure it will look heavenly hanging in it's new place!

~VINTAGE CHANDELIER IN BREAKFAST ROOM~

This old Chandelier is another one of my favorites, but again...even though it displays nicely with the previous one (they hang fairly close together), it still just leaves me wanting.

 ~FABULOUS GOODWILL FIND~

($59...Eeeek!)

It's also a tiny bit too small for the room and so you can imagine I was in heaven when I found the one you see above!  This truly romantic find is larger and has one extra arm, too!  I found it at Goodwill and it came with loads and loads of prisms in two sizes!

 ~HAILS FROM THE 1950's or 1960's~

This one will also be painted out with that dreamy and creamy cottage white paint and the old, cracked candle covers will be replaced with new ones!

 ~GREAT OLD PRISMS~

 ~SO ROMANTIC, Too!~

Have you checked eBay lately for vintage lighting?  Oh my gosh...what has happened?  Everything has skyrocketed in price!  Wow!  Makes me even more excited when I snag a truly fabulous find for mere pennies!  I'll spare you the details of my happy dance...just know I am over-the-moon happy with my wonderful, fabulous,

someone-priced-it-too-low

FIND!

Today I'm working on repainting my new lamp and I promise to take pictures and share the final results later this week!  Oh...and for those of you who are wondering about our new French Doors, etc...  The windows for the breakfast room have been ordered (what I saved on the Chandy I spent on new windows...bah!) and they should be here any day.  As soon as they arrive and are installed I promise more pictures of the makeover will be coming your way!

Spring is here!  Fresh ideas.  Deep Cleaning.  Pretty Flowers.  Neighborhood walks.  Sunshine.  Peace.  

Can there be anything sweeter?

Love to you... 

 

~ROMANTIC EASTER BUNNY...From Drab to Fab~

 ~BUNNY FROM ROSS~

(Before and After Her Makeover)

A couple of weeks ago while I was out and about I stopped into my friendly neighborhood ROSS store and had a look around.  Now...I don't know about you but I'm NOT afraid or too PROUD to admit I shop at discount stores!  I love them and soooo does my pocketbook! :)

That said...I always go to places like Stein-Mart, TJMaxx, ROSS, Marshall's, etc., BEFORE I go to the Mall Stores because the way I look at it if I can snag a "Jones of  New York" cropped sleeve T-shirt for $12.99 why should I give Dillard's or Macy's $24.00 for the same exact thing?  To me it's a NO-BRAINER!  Besides, I really do TRY to be a good steward with the money I've been blessed with (and saving $ also makes my Mr. AGPMan a very happy hubby!).

 ~TAH DAH~
(Romantic and Chic!)

Now...I'm the first to admit that discount stores don't always have what I'm looking for...and it's a bummer to sometimes to feel like I've wasted my time stopping in when I end up coming home empty handed.  Still...I always manage to find something sweet...even if it's NOT SO CUTE to begin with!

~READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP MR. DeMILLE~

Take the two Easter Bunny Rabbits you see at the top for instance!  The one on the right was how it came to the USA via China (chunky ceramic nose and questionable painting job and all!).  It was OK as is, but nothing truly special to me!  If it hadn't been cheap (I think it was $4.99 or $5.99) I'd have passed on it.  But, since I truly thought it might look fab with a tiny little shabby cottage chic makeover I decided to buy the only two my local ROSS had for sale and bring them home!

 

~OH NO!  MY DRESS BLOWED UP!~

Now...the first thing I did was pop off from the front that crummy looking carrot/pocket thingy and then paint the entire Bunny out with my favorite cottage white paint!  After a quick repaint job that included tiny pink rosebuds and a fresh new SPRING sign (vs. Welcome) my new little gal-pal was ready for tad bit more embellishing!  So...pink and cream florals (yummy roses, too!) and pale sagey green leaves were added to her collar and ruched rayon ribbons and a vintage satin bow in pink, too!

 ~HIPPITY HOPPITY EASTER'S ON IT'S WAY~

Now...generally I'm not one for using tooooo much whimsy.  I like it...just don't have very much of it on the inside my home.  But, I do favor using a bit more fluff and stuff under the awning of my front porch and so that is exactly where my Bunny-Fashionista will be residing!  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the other one...  I may end up giving it to my AdrieGirl, but only if I can find one for my daughter-in-love, my Miss SarahGirl,too!  If not I'll save it back for next year!

Don't forget I'll be starting another Giveaway on Friday!  I'm truly excited about this one...hope you'll hippity-hoppity-back-by to see what's coming up next!

It's sure to make all you pink lovers BLUSH!

Love to you...

~GIVEAWAY WINNER~

BEFORE I SHARE THE NAME OF THE WINNER OF MY EASTER GIVEAWAY TAKE HEART ALL OF YOU WHO THINK YOU NEVER WIN!!!

I'LL BEGIN ANOTHER GIVEAWAY ON FRIDAY!

IT'S JUST BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! 

 

THE WINNER OF MY EASTER DRAWING IS THE EVER SWEET AND LOVELY

ELIZABETH

FROM

AT HOME WITH ELIZABETH AND GARY

CONGRATULATION MISS E!  I'M HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!

THANK YOU ALL FOR PLAYING ALONG AND STAY TUNED...  MORE COMING UP!!!

LOVE TO YOU...