A French Lesson

We've been busy catching up on back orders of our Trumeau mirrors. We've finished the 4 that we had on special order and had some leftovers to make one as a back up. 

Trumeau means the thin section of wall between 2 windows or doors. Trumeau's were used as a decorative element to bring more light into a room. The center piece of the 18th century interior was a trumeau mirror. 

We made this one using the same laurel wreath applique design that we used on our first one. 

Facts about the Laurel Wreath 


Did you know the Laurel Wreath can be traced back to Greece. 


In Ancient Rome where the Olympic Games began the winners were awarded a "kotinos", which is now known as a wreath. The first wreaths were made of olive branches. Later wreaths were made from branches and laurel leaves.


Napoleon Bonaparte insisted on having his image stamped on coins with a Laurel Wreath on his head.  

I hope you enjoyed a French Lesson.......

Stuck Inside

What You Can Do On A Rainy Day

It's been raining.

Not the usual summer afternoon shower. I'm talking lots and lots of rain. I've been stuck inside. There's only so much cleaning one can do, or wants, to do. 

I've been hanging onto these wine crates since my husbands Christmas party last year. I thought they were cool and knew I could do something with them. Karen and I have been building up supplies for our business and an idea came to me....... Storage for our supplies. 

I drilled holes on the sides and used a belt I purchased from a garage sale for the handles. I filled in the inscription on one side with wood putty and stenciled the name of our business on top. 

Now we know right where to go for our supplies. This one is my crate, notice the glue. Karen is not allowed to have the glue. She's to glue happy when it comes to repairs!

 

Imagine the possibilities for these. What would you use them for?

There are a few crates left in my inventory just waiting to be personalized. Christmas is right around the corner so our inventory will be restocked. 

If you're interested in a crate please let us know. We can personalize it with any thing you want. 

Lesson Learned

Sometimes It Doesn't Go The Way You Want It To

This pretty set hasn't been easy. We went to get her late one night in a part of town we're not familiar with. 

SCARY SCARY NIGHT.........

We took a quick look at her and said "OK, we'll take her". Loaded her up in the truck and headed home. 

And so the journey of "Lea" began. 

The next morning when we took a good look at her we noticed a few minor flaws.......no problem. Looked a little closer.......not all real wood. Heavy sigh........no problem, we'll work with it. Started cleaning her up, primed her and then the rain came. Note to self "not real wood" swells when damp. Lea didn't get wet, not a drop of water. Just the humidity and dampness in the air made the top wavy. It took us a few tries to level it out. 

She turned out pretty but was more work than we bargained for. We painted her white with a hint of pink around the drawers. The headboard and chair we're side of the road finds. By the way they are REAL WOOD.

Lea will be listed on Craigslist if anyone is interested in her. The set comes with the dresser, nightstand, twin headboard and chair. 

Lesson learned.......always double check to make sure we're buying REAL WOOD. 

Memorial Day

Today we celebrate all the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country. 

God Bless America

Why I Love Living In New Orleans

Yea, it's hot as hell here. Our crime rate is at the top. The termites are eating our homes and we're not sure what's gonna happen to us when the next "Big One" hits us. But we love living in New Orleans, dawlin. Why? Because wherever you go there's someone you know. 

I walked my dog to the neighborhood snowball stand tonight........that's snow cone to the rest of the world. While I'm at it let me explain the diff between snowball and snow cone. Snowballs are a fine ground ice in any flavor you can think of. Snow cones are shaved ice. BIG DIFFERENCE . Sorry, but I've had snow cones in a few other states......no comparison to a snowball. No pictures..........I ate the snowball on my way home.

Back to topic.........I ran into a high school friend of my daughter whose currently living in Boston. I haven't seen her in 8 years but it was like I just saw her yesterday. She's just as beautiful! I also ran into a grade school friend of mine. We gave each other that "I know you from somewhere look" and then it just clicked. Mind you I'm talking 45 years ago! 

Everyone here knows someone who knows someone. It's just the way we are. No 7 degrees of Kevin Bacon here. We're all 1- 2 degrees away from the person standing in line at the snowball stand. 

Company's Coming

There's one sure way to get me to clean the house from top to bottom.....

Have relatives come for a visit..........

I've been going crazy trying to get the house together but haven't seemed to make a dent in it. I feel like I'm just moving things from one room to another. 

PLEASE.....tell me you do the same. It's OK if you lie to me.

      

It's just been a hard week for me. I look around and see so much that I want to do. Not the stuff I need to do like dusting, cleaning the fridge (which by the way was not fun) or washing the dog's bedding. I see all the fun stuff I want to do in the house. Like recover the dining room chairs, get a new sofa, finish the garden, repaint the kitchen cabinets, make those darn cute French towels I've been dying to do.  It's overwhelming. My brain goes from one project to another. There's so much creativity in my brain trying to get out!

So until I have the time to create, I'll have to settle on dreaming of those pretty French Towels........

After Katrina Style

It's been almost 7 years since Katrina hit New Orleans. A lot has changed.......some good.....some not so good. One of the things that I've noticed in the burbs is a "New Old Style Home". We call them the "built after Katrina home". They all have the same style, elegant and classic. Most of them are painted in a white to creamy off white, some are tone on tone. They all have shutters, high ceilings, and porches. Of course you never, ever and I do mean ever see anyone sitting on the porch. It's to hot and the mosquitoes will suck every ounce of blood out of you. These homes bring back the feel of the Old New Orleans Uptown area. 

Here are a few examples. 

This one doesn't have a porch. 

Not only is this house beautiful, look at that garden.

This beauty is a beautiful green/grey color. It has the look of an old New Orleans Uptown home.... shutters, balusters, and even the blue porch ceiling. I love that it doesn't look "new". 

This is one of the tone on tone looks. Simple but elegant.

Now this is a porch........Not only is this one a beauty but it sits on a large piece of property. Well, at least large by New Orleans standards. It's a little different than most of the others. It has a metal roof and no shutters. Love the lamp post in front. 

Another one on a great piece of property and on a secluded street. Love the upstairs porch.

I hope you enjoyed a look at some of the post Katrina homes.