Une petite patisserie

Charming little French pastry cafe' tucked into our little hometown.

Fall Decor

We love Fall.  We recently took our granddaughters to the local pumpkin patch.  One, while visiting in Oklahoma and the other, here in Georgia.  It just makes you want to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate, next to a fire and experience the sounds and smells of this beautiful season.  
If gardening and decorating (really the same thing) were not part of our world, how sad their absence would be. 

Acts 14:15...the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:17...He left not himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.

A Refreshing Return of Color

I live in a very quaint city north of Atlanta.  It is a bedroom community where many athletes and celebrities make their homes among the rolling hills and horse farms.  It's all quite picturesque.

We have a new shopping area, very upscale, oh so chic!  In it, is a furniture and design store called Arhaus.  I've written about Arhaus before and you simply must go into one.  Here are rich hues enveloping their guests as they enter this unique store.

French flair even in Israel

We just got back from a two week tour of Israel.  It was a once in a lifetime vacation that was more educational than relaxing.  My husband said "we need a vacation from our vacation".  

These pics are from a little town just south of Tel Aviv called "Joppa" or as the locals call it, "Yoffa". Interestingly, I am trying to learn Hebrew in which there are no "j" sounds, only "y".  Sometimes "p" is "f" and sometimes "b" is "v".  Hence, the difference in how a local pronounces this city.

What Joppa is best known for is the story of Jonah who was given orders to go to Ninevah.  He didn't want to go and went to Joppa instead trying to secure a boat to Tarshish.  But he never made it.  Finding himself swallowed up by a whale and spit out somewhere else, Jonah finally decided to do what our Heavenly Father asked.  

Joppa is a quaint little town, very haute couture and some great antique shopping.

a waddle through my garden

Almost nothing compares to Springtime in our garden.  After the grays of winter, the yellow grass, cold nights, it's such a wonderful feeling when Spring arrives.  Our flowers burst into bloom and we always seem to find a new project around the house.  This year, it's the deck.  We've decided to make it waterproof under-neath so it has been challenging.  But finally we are on the downhill side.  I'll post pics soon.

Our plantings have been on delay but we're getting started this week.  After many years of trial and error, I think we've come up with some low maintenance yet long lasting plants that do not have to be replaced yearly.  With 2.5 acres of gardens and ponds, annuals are just not an option.What garden would be complete without hydrangeas.  You've heard about my blue ones, but competing in popularity are my oak leaf hydrangeas.  I have full size plants that reach 10 feet tall and a dwarf variety that grows under my crepe myrtles.  They provide just the right amount of green and the perfect amount of white.  The blooms last forever........through the whole summer.





 

I guess you've noticed that I'm a collector of stuff. I pick up odds and ends and use them to decorate my flower beds and pots. A few years back, a friend gave me a darling birdhouse. Since then, my son has made me a couple and I've managed to collect a few more. Of course, they become much more special hovering over a bed of roses.

La chaise

Why do I love chairs?  I'm just not sure.  But chairs and rugs and dishes are something I gravitate toward.  I buy chairs just because.  I see them nestled in a corner of my home, flanking a fireplace or as a future focal point with custom upholstery.

Sometimes I buy in pairs and usually I'm looking for a great deal.  So Craigslist and auctions, estate sales, flea markets, Home Goods, and Garden Ridge are all great places to pursue the art of chair collecting.

Here are a few of my finds and some of my redo's:

My french chair/ottoman that I found at Ballard's Backyard.  No cushions so I made them!

an old dining chair redo

french with a chippendale flair

garden ridge

garden ridge

believe it or not......Garden Ridge about 5 years ago.  These are beautiful chairs with nailheads!

a chic place to lay your towel while you soak

another garden ridge

Yeah for Craigslist

Love These!  They are works of art....literally!

Probably my all time favorite chairs.  I had these made from the frames up.

Craigslist find for my daughter set off by the angora pillows

designer showcase dining room

Scott's Antiques.  Largest antique show in America has some of the best stuff!

hunted these chairs down and found them at World Market

Your Majesties......gave these away but thinking of stealing them back for my wine cellar

the inspiration for the barstools we actually could afford

fun chairs for my daughter in law

chairs in my other daughter's living room

gave these away

I made this chaise lounge for my upstairs library

menswear fabric never goes out of style

a barrel chair that flanks my fireplace

tufted ottoman next to my tub......luxury!

believe it or not, these benches used to be the smallest table in a nestle of three, ballard backyard

a road side find, not in the best shape but gave it a total make over

another dining chair repurpose

a great place to put a tapestry

tufted chaise fits perfectly

girly desk chair 

my very favorite french toile fabric.....goes with everything!

Did I mention I love toile and animals and antiques and vintage fabrics and anything "french" especially toile?