Vacation

It was time for a vacation, I needed to hide away from the phone and rest.

My sweet girl and I went to visit my Mom and her sweet friend Allan in Southern British Columbia where everyday we woke up to this view.

We took time to smell the roses,

and enjoy nature.

Then we decided to shop!  We went to the US where I got to go to Target but there were only a few simply shabby chic duvets, that was it.  No window coverings (which I wanted), furniture, kitchen items or even pet bowls.  A disappointment.  But then we moved on to Kohl's - underwhelming but I added some Simply Vera Wang to my wardrobe.  We moved on to Ross then onto Michael's where I was shocked to find...... Christmas!!??

It seemed a little early to me as I stood there in shorts in August!

We went to some amazing antique stores (and some stinky dirty ones too) and I found an amazing vintage sweater.

There is not one bead missing. 

I have looked on ebay for years and the prices and condition of the sweaters was iffy so this was a great buy.

This vacation was perfect and gave me the escape I really needed.  

Cheers

Patricia



Derp

All over Blogland are beautiful elegant chalkboards.  I decided I need one. 

I took a mistake mirror (Aging it - didn't work ) in a beautiful frame and painted it, then painted on the mirror with flat black paint (cheaper than chalkboard paint).

I left it drying in the kitchen, and asked my sweet girl to ... leave it alone. She cannot and never has been able to resist a piece of empty paper anywhere, but one wall of her room is blackboard so I assumed this tiny bit of chalkboard would be left alone. 

I came home to this:

!!

Derp (I looked it up before I posted) means dumb. 

No crowns, or fleur de lis or fancy menu items on my chalkboard, nope, Spongebob. 

At least I got "love ya Ma".  $8000.00 worth of fertility drugs and I was Mommy for only a few years and then it got switched to Ma.  It's not what I wanted, but from my sweet girl it's lovely every time.

Maybe one day I will have an elegant chalkboard.

Cheers

Patricia



One year later

A year ago I started this blog with a 4mpeg camera (what was I thinking?) while sitting in a condo with brown walls. My original intent was to show that it doesn't matter where you live, you can live beautifully. I had to keep reminding myself of that since I was recently separated and left a 2500 sq foot house for a much smaller condo.

  I grew really comfortable with my new space and it confirmed for me it's not the money you spend, it's making a house your home.

For me it's usually as simple as paint.

Before

After with creamy white paint.

As I plodded along I got enormous encouragement from everyone who read and commented.  Thank you all.  I now love my house.  I have always loved a smaller home and it is filled with love and light, a white couch, good music and happiness.  It's all I  and my sweet girl need.


Ideas and influences  show up in the oddest place sometimes. When I was 11 or 12 I  watched The Great Gatsby with Robert Redford.  I saw it again this weekend and realized I had been inspired at a young age.  Daisy loved white roses, and Gatsby remembers being at her house and all her rooms were all white with silver.  This probably started me thinking as I watched in a 70's dream house with red carpet!  The sets were stunning and Robert Redford in a pink suit is a dream.

The women are badly played in the 70's version,  but Baz Luhrmann is re-doing it so I'm looking forward to grand white rooms with silver and white roses everywhere.  Watch the 70's version for amazing homes, chandeliers, white rooms and Robert Redford.

What is always interesting to me is how my top rated post is still, http://whitecottagechic.blogspot.com/2010/08/shabby-chic-bed.html .

My original post about about having a bed that I love.  My second post on the subject http://whitecottagechic.blogspot.com/2011/03/shabby-chic-bed-part-2.html  has created a question I need to answer.  How did I put a bedskirt on a Leirvik (Ikea) bed frame?  It does have a bar going down the centre which makes it awkward looking at the end of the bed.

I come in my bedroom and see the side of the bed with the bedskirt so I ignore the ugly bottom. 

I placed the bedskirt over a mattress pad which is placed over the rails and the bars.

(here is the ugly truth - looking down at all the beauty!)  If you have any questions on this let me know.

It's been a wonderful year, here's to the next.

Cheers - Patricia