~ROMANTIC VANITY BOTTLES IN FRESH WHITES~

Today I'm taking a class to learn more about painting furniture.  I'm excited about learning new techniques as well as getting some hands-on instruction regarding chalk paint, glazes and distressed finishes!  Can't wait to share with you what I find out!  

Yesterday I worked in my studio all day.  I have so much stuff to photograph and hope to get that done and new things uploaded to my website this weekend.  I did manage to snap a few pictures of SOME of the latest Vanity/Perfume Bottles fashioned a couple of weeks ago and you can find them HERE...  Loving the French Whites...  Most were made using vintage millinery blooms, old laces and trims.  Such fun to create!

My girl is coming back over later this afternoon to help me categorize more things for eBay.  I'm finally going to unload some of my fabric, trims, etc..

 I'll never use most of it and there are some truly sweet finds some of you may be interested in...  I'll share more when I'm ready to actually list everything!

Tomorrow I'll be taking pictures of my studio for the Where Blogger's Create 2012 Party!  I can't believe it's that time of year ago.  Most of my studio looks the same...only a few changes.  Hope it won't bore you to death.

Hope your day is wonderful~

Love to you...

~FRENCH WHITE CHAIR MAKEOVER...Oooh La La~

I'm busy helping my mother move today so this is a quick post!  

I finished redoing a few of those charming French Provincial Chairs I shared with you a few weeks ago and here is what the captain style chair looks like today...

Here's the before shot in case your interested!

Such a mix of cottage romance and French white charm!  I'm loving it so much I just MAY reupholster my chairs in my home to match.  (They need recovering anyway!)

I added this sweet painted cabinet to my website shoppe today and also the sweet hand painted vintage camping stool below...

Everything's coming up roses for me and for you!

And...if you are wondering about those of us here in Oklahoma who experienced severe weather last night~  Well...personally, we survived lots of wind and hail!!!  Our yard looks like a war-zone and we don't know yet if we have any other damage. :(  Everything's a big mess tho!!!  Tree branches and junk is strewn all about!  Lots of clean-up ahead!

More soon.  I'm off to carry boxes!

Love to you...

~SIMPLY LOVING WHITE~

 ~INCREDIBLE VINTAGE HOTEL CABINET~

Most of us who love a softer color pallet know that as a neutral, white flourishes with any color.

 ~PERFECT FOR HOLDING VINTAGE LACE~

I've loved decorating with whites for a very long time now and for the past couple of months have been working behind the scenes on my own studio.  More and more I'm scaling back my pink (don't freak...I STILL love it and always will!), opting instead to continue using it as primarily an accent color!

 

~GREAT FIND FOR $25.00~

I painted my studio walls out from their pale muted pink to my favorite Cottage White (Behr Paint from Home Depot) and I'm loving how the change has transformed the space.

 ~WALLS COTTAGE WHITE by BEHR PAINT~

Everything is lighter and brighter and full of calm. 

 ~BEFORE A 'LIGHT' RE-PAINT JOB~

Although much of the room remains the same, I've also changed out a few other key things.  I've DRASTICALLY DOWNSIZED the amount of fabric I have as I no longer have the desire to make those huge cottage style pillows or transform really large, bulkier finds...not for resale anyway (too expensive to ship!).  I've decided I only want to spend my time making things I absolutely love (Cottage Pillows, Sachets, Gathering (Train) Cases, Painted Pretties, Decorative Bottles, Cards, etc.)...

I finally got around to working on a tiny little project that first drew me in last summer...

~TREASURED FINDS WITH A NEW PURPOSE~

Last July I blogged about some of the amazing finds I discovered while tag sale shopping here in Oklahoma.  In that post I showed you a fabulous antique mail/key cubby I stumbled upon during one of my jaunts.  Over the weekend I finished the second of two LIGHT coats of paint (skipped painting the inside!) and my Mr. AGPMan lovingly hung her in place!

Didn't it turn out wonderful?

The cubby is perfect for holding antique, vintage and older laces and I'm not even close to cramming her to capacity!  Can't wait to show you what else I've changed in the room....that's coming soon!

Hope you are having a great Tuesday....more white transformations to show you later this week!

Love to you...

~MY ROMANTIC COTTAGE BEDROOM...Lovin' The Lighter Side of Pink~

 ~MY COTTAGE CHIC BOUDOIR~

I had such a wonderful time last week showing you all our TINY Master Bath Makeover and I continue to be OVER THE MOON happy that it is 99% finished!  I feel like I have my life back...no kidding!!!  As soon as the custom shower doors darken the steps outside my front door (and then get installed) I'll show the the final shots of our extremely INTENSE redo project!

~LOTS of CREAMS and a muted SOFT PINKS~

I've promised you for the longest time to show you a few pictures of our space-challenged master bedroom.  I hate to keep harping on the size of what I believe is one of the most important spaces in our entire home, but the fact of the matter is our bedroom and bathroom are very small to be called a 'master of anything!'.  Still, as the years have clicked by I've grown to love the room for what it is and even sometimes do the happy dance because it's not tooo big to clean! :)

~FOREVER IN LOVE WITH OLD LACE~

 ~I'M ALSO IN LOVE WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL PRINT~

 

~TRULY ROMANTIC~

I love the newer, refined Cottage Style and I have to admit that as the trends for chic and shabby decor have changed I find I'm continuing to lean more and more to simpler and less complicated lines.  I still love aging lace, antique hats, old linens and vintage millinery (always will!), but these days I'm less likely to over indulge in accessorizing. 

 ~LOVE VINTAGE STEMWARE and CHINA~

~ROMANTIC PILLOWS and OLD BUTTONS are a MUST!~

 ~FABULOUS FRENCH FURNITURE~

Remember last Summer when I shared with you about snagging this fabulous vintage French Provincial Furniture for $100???  I'm still not over that amazing 'I nearly fell over dead' find!  I'm crazy-in-love with each piece and the price I paid for them all still makes me SWOON!

 ~VINTAGE BRIDES and my Mr. AGPMan and I~

I love old wedding day photos and display them in my bedroom...totally romantic!  I love to see the smiling faces of the brides and their neatly groomed hubbies!  They seem to hold so much faith and promise for their lives...

 ~MY DADDY'S BIG SISTER~

I just recently came across this darling old photo of my Aunt Ethel Laura Elizabeth.  I absolutely adore her dress and I'm in total shock over how truly tiny, tiny, tiny she is!  My Uncle John was incredibly handsome, too.

They are both in heaven now...

 ~MISBEHAVIN' MOLLIE~

And just when you probably FORGOT about me tattling on my Miss Mollie and about her getting on my bed, etc...  

Well...when I left the room to do a couple unrelated things I returned to find that my beloved Yorkie, Mollie, had ONCE AGAIN jumped up on top of my bed pillows!  When I called her name she looked up at me, but never moved!  I'm beginning to think the consequences for her misbehavin' aren't nearly as serious as they need to be!

I only THOUGHT I was the Queen around here!  Not so!

Hope you loved the peek into my private space.  As soon as our crown molding is up and our 2die4 chandelier is installed (it's gonna make your heart skip a beat!) I'll show you even more!

Blessings and love to you...

~SHABBY ROMANTIC CHINA CABINET...Cottage Chic Transformation~

~VINTAGE CHINA CABINET~

Antique Mall Picture
Summer 2009

Last August I shared with you a POST about lots of the amazing finds I found while out doing some secondhand shopping. I fell in love with the vintage china cabinet you see above and wanted it soooo badly. I even snapped a picture of it while it was still in a local antique mall. I had every intention of buying it.... But~the more I mulled it over in my tiny little brain the more OVERPRICED it seemed. The tag read $475.00 and at the time I just couldn't see my way clear to spend almost $500.00 on something that I knew would just SIT UNTOUCHED for months...

And so...sadly I passed purchasing the little beauty and kept my hard earned cash in the bank.

Fast forward to December 10th, 2009.

My hubby and I visited the same Antique Mall while out one day celebrating my birthday. As I turned down the aisle that once held the cabinet I gasped because it was still there... I motioned for my Mr. AGPMan to come close and the price tag read $199.00--- WHAT?

I guess it was marked down because it had been standing in the same place for so long!

Instead of purchasing the china hutch that very minute (STUPID!) I decided to return home and measure for the gazillionth time the space I wanted it to go into. The mall was closing and I figured I'd just call them in the morning and purchase it over the phone...

When I rang the store early the next day I was told the cabinet was SOLD.

(INSERT SILENT SCREAM HERE!!!)

I immediately called my Mr. AGPMan and began to WAIL. I went on and on AND ON about how dumb I'd been and how I was NEVER going to learn, etc. Nothing came out of my mouth but words of REGRET over being so silly and dragging my feet for one day too many.

I heard nothing but silence on the other end of the phone...

And~

"Honey! HonEY! HONNNNNNNEY........... LISTEN TO ME! LISTEN TO MEEEEEEEE.....

I bought the cabinet!"

~SHABBY ROMANTIC WONDERFUL~
Completely Transformed

The story ended up being funny in the end but at the time it wasn't. My guy had just hung up from talking with the Antique Mall when I called them. They immediately phoned him back and said "Good thing you called so early because a woman just called wanting the cabinet!"

~SIMPLY DELIGHTFUL~
Filled Up With Keepsakes

Now...what I didn't expect was my guy purchasing another smaller china cabinet the very same day. This one had ALSO been in the space since the summer months and was also marked down. The one below was already painted and it was HEAVILY distressed (too much for my taste). It had been sprayed with a paint gun (not the best way to paint furniture in my opinion!) and was too chippy for me. He snagged them both for $333.00 (my guy's a wheeler-dealer)! :)

Good things come to those who wait (just don't be like me and almost wait TOOOOO LONG!)...

~SO PETITE & SWEET~
Perfect For Holding Extra Treasures

I love the storage area underneath the hutch. Great for holding extra plates and bowls, etc.

~MATCHING HARDWARE~

I've repainted everything on the cabinet except the front scrolly work. I need Mr. AGPMan to pop out the glass so I can do that and we've been busy...you can see what I mean about it being too chippy for me. I like gentle distressing...

~FRAMING OUT NEW DOORWAY~

Above you see the renovator man himself working on the doorway to the new dining room. He enlarged the opening to accommodate a pair of vintage french doors we found at The RINK (Oklahoma Antique Mall) for $99.00. This was the deal of the YEAR! French Doors are generally very expensive when purchased new (or vintage!).

~MR. AGPMan DOING HIS THING~

Shimming the door jam for a PERFECT FIT!

~VIEW FROM ENTRY~

Eventually the doors will be primed and painted. Right now we are just happy to have them installed and the mess cleaned up. Construction during Christmas made things exciting around here! You can see the larger China Cabinet inside...not sure where in the room it's going to end up yet! We still have crown molding to install and the dropped ceiling (sides) still need to be textured, primed and painted!

~VIEW FROM DINING ROOM~

Hopefully this year we will have hardwood floors installed in this room! Because this space was once a formal living room it is currently carpeted. That WON'T work for my family! Better choice will be a wonderful area rug...

And there you have it! All the things that have kept me and my hubby busy for the past several weeks. Hope you are inspired...

Blessings to you as you make decorating decisions for your own home...Rebecca

~STILL LOVING VICTORIA MAGAZINE and my Journey with White~

AT HOME WITH WHITE
VICTORIA BOOK - 1996

Many years ago, long before any of us saw the words "shabby" and "chic" used side by side, or even recognized the name "Rachel Ashwell", there was VICTORIA! When the gorgeous, high-end MAGAZINE hit the stands in the late 1980's most of us 'die-hard romantics' were in heaven. We had never seen such a thing...

Had we?

In 2002 while browsing at our local Tuesday Morning I came across several books published by the Hearst Corporation. This first one I found was the book shown above called "AT HOME WITH WHITE". It was published in 1996 and quite simply, both the writings and the photographs took my breath away!

(I loved the ORIGINAL VICTORIA BEST when Nancy Lindemeyer was her Editor. Sadly, when she left the Old VICTORIA was never quite the same. Do you love the NEW VICTORIA? If so, why? I'd love for you to SHARE!)

DOES THIS "LOOK" LOOK FAMILIAR?
(Photo Credit: At Home with White - Victoria)

Layering white on white, collecting vintage china, many with pretty florals and pink roses, catapulted Ms. Rachel to the front of a very short line. This LOOK of pure femininity has been around for a years and thankfully Ashwell's vision for beautiful fabrics combined with her love of repurposing the forgotten has helped the 'VINTAGE WHITE LOVERS OF THE WORLD' stand up and audibly beg for more.

VISIONS OF SOFT WHITE AND PURE LINEN

(Photo Credit: At Home With White - Victoria)

As a result, those of us who adore romantic decor with a white-based theme no longer feel so neglected...

I've spent a lot of time this past week planning the major decorative overhaul of my Formal Dining Room. Once used as our front living area, my Mr. AGPMan and I have discovered the growth of our little family has gently demanded MORE SPACE...

My wintertime project is beginning to take flight! Change is indeed coming! The dark cherry wood pieces I once dearly loved have got to go.

Am I a bit nervous?

You bet!

Still, I can't wait to begin sharing with you my journey and just how my love for the ever fresh, ever changing WHITE will continue to fill my home with beauty, warmth and comfort.

More soon...

Blessings to you as your heart and home welcome the new season...Rebecca

A PASSION for the PAST - Romantic Decor in Creams and Whites

A PALETTE OF CREAMS

I have a passion for things made with the hands...especially those fashioned using the colors of cream and white. If I'm given the chance I will quickly purchase vintage lace, delicate embroidery, old needlepoint, keepsake linens and treasured millinery blooms...anything my budget will allow. As I've grown older, the seeking out of the best of aging white complements just calls out to me...demands my attention. Once an item is captured I just seem to fall in love with my second favorite color over and over again.

I've come to believe a house without things from the past...things once dearly loved and valued, is like a home without music. Whether it be a favorite chair passed down through generations or a neglected linen chest rescued from a crumbling curbside, it is easy for me to find the beauty in all things vintage.

I found this very old (circa 1938) Gentleman's Chest at a neighborhood Second Hand Shoppe a couple of months ago. Truthfully, I almost passed on it. The exterior had been painted and the cheap floral decals left me wanting. I also struggled to wrap my thoughts around the odd placement of the dresser knobs. They seemed strangely out of sorts, although original.

CIRCA 1938 GENTLEMAN'S CHEST

Still, something moved me to purchase the roomy find...for $30 I couldn't go wrong. I brought her home and she sat untouched for several weeks. I just wasn't sure exactly what to do with her. Desperately needing to find more room for clothing, I decided to whip this girl in shape...

WEAVING TOGETHER OF WHITES and CREAMS

After lightly sanding and having my Mr. AGPMan make a small repair to one of the drawer guides, I primed the exterior of the solid wood Chest (Zinsser Primer or ANY Bonding Primer) and then gave her a few light coats of my favorite Cottage White Paint (Behr Paint at Home Depot). Once thoroughly dry I lightly distressed the edges before carefully aging her with my favorite Gel Stain...

MY FAVORITE FINDS

Because my Master Bedroom is significantly space-challenged, I've chosen to decorate with only my very favorite of finds. This includes candles (a must have!), a pretty Sachet Pillow, a wedding photo of my beloved and I, vintage millinery from my bridal bouquet and a gorgeous old Milk Glass Lamp...

PAINTING OUR CHERRY WOOD BED...SCARY!

I shared with you a few weeks ago that I FINALLY got up the nerve to paint my cherry wood, 4 poster bed. I thought my man would faint! I had lived with that wood finish for 25 years and she looked almost exactly the same as she was on the showroom floor... she desperately needed a face lift. She remained the one thing in my home that wasn't painted~ Changing her looks was a bit scary for me, I can assure you! If my memory serves me correctly in 1982 we paid $300 for the headboard, foot board and rails (I would NEVER pay that now). I've had the bed almost my entire marriage and I was either going to paint her or buy a reproduction iron bed... I chose to paint and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the transformation. Wish I'd done it years ago!

CHARMING OVER SIZED KNOBS

I'm so crazy-silly over the over sized knobs on the Chest that I've even grown to love the fact they aren't evenly spaced...

For now I'll keep you guessing about how the rest of the room looks. I sooo hope to add a gorgeous chandelier and a pretty (but small) bench at the foot of the bed. Until then I'll continue to dream in cream...

Blessings to you as you find comfort and rest in the place you call home...Rebecca