White Hydrangeas and Chippy Bistro Chair

Hi all.  Everyone happy that it is Friday?  I thought that I would share these photos of my hydrangeas because they just make me happy.  They are so big and beautiful!

I found this pitcher online.  It was advertised as white.  It was not that expensive so I wasn't expecting too much.  

When it arrived I was surprised by the great condition as well as the bluish grey hue.  

It even holds water, which you probably know is not all that common for enamel pitchers of this age.  

My bistro chairs have been selling really well in the shop recently.  So I decided to add this one.  

  It is German, around 1930's, from a beer garden, I was told when I bought it from the antiques dealer.  I have tried to research this company, CW Naumann, but have been unable to find any info about it.  

I love the chippiness of it as well as the curved legs. It actually slants a bit but is sturdy and quite heavy.

Have a great weekend.  And welcome to my new followers.  Very happy to have you.

Michele

Antique Hemp Linen (Grain Sack) Apron

Hello, all. I have again been absent. For the last 36 hours I have been either in a car or in front of a customer.  It was great and productive. 

My mom and stepdad own a wonderful bed and breakfast in the Pacific Northwest called The Quimper Inn.  Clearly my mom cooks quite a bit and is always wearing aprons.  I have wanted to make her one for quite a while.  I decided to try it out using some fabric I had on hand.  

This one is not intended for her, but to see how I could make it turn out.  

What do you think?

What I found interesting about this piece of fabric was the bleeding.  It looks like when this piece of hand loomed hemp linen was created it was folded over onto itself prematurely causing the color to offset onto itself.  The stripes themselves are navy whereas the unintended color is more of a royal blue.

  

I realize that a lot of people may not like the fact that the fabric is not perfect.  But that is precisely what I love about it.

I decided to sew it using navy thread and a serging stitch, using my new.....wonderful....machine!  I thought it would make it more interesting.

I want to thank Kathleen of Faded Charm for featuring my blog and Etsy store on her lovely blog.  Please do check it out if you are not already a follower.  I really like her style.

So I think I will use this one as a template for my mom's apron.  This one will go into the store for now. 

I wish you all a wonderful week.  Thank you for the very sweet comments on my kitchen and welcome to my new followers.  I am happy to have you!

xo

Michele 

Linking at

The Farmhouse Porch

Mercury Pendants and Ceramic Cheese Platters

Good morning!  I have been slowly working on my kitchen, as some of you know.  When I started, the cabinets were unpainted wood, the walls were a chiffon yellow and the lighting.....not even sure how to describe it.  So I began with the walls.  The color is ok for now.  I am sure I will change it within a few months though.  As this room is part of our living room it matters to me that it flows.  And when you looked at it from the dining table or sofa all you saw was brown wood, and not the old rustic beautiful kind that most of us would love to look at all day.  I then conquered the cabinets, in a pretty amateurish way.  But I like the way they came out.  Changing the hinges really made a difference as well.  

I fell in love with these pendants from Mothology about six or eight months ago.  I love mercury glass and anything that is hobnail.  But what I also like about these is that they add an edge.  I like the contrast of something a little industrial with soft relaxed decor.  

My stepdad said that he would make a box from which to hang them.  He came equipped with the wooden box, his tool kit, and all of the hardware including the little medallions at the top.

  

The before

I asked my stepdad to hang them at slightly different lengths.

The area below the counter was that wood also.  I had a friend put up some beadboard and I painted it white.

I have wanted ceramic cheese platters like these for a while.  I was thrilled to find them.  I had no intention though of hanging them above the sink.  I knew that I wanted them accessible so I could use them. I think I like them there though.  

The zinc tags are from a store in San Jose called Magpie.  I hope to do a post on this place soon.  It's awesome!  

My mom and stepdad also suggested placing baskets above the cabinets for extra storage.  I don't think you can see it but they are numbered.  And I even have a key as to what is in which basket :).

So the last two steps are the hood and, obviously, the countertops. 

 I am very grateful to my mom and stepdad for all of their help with this project.  

Have a wonderful day!

MC

PS thank you all for your sweet comments about my grain sack slipcovers!