More Inspiration from the Retreat Vintage Market, and a Fun Day Trip

Hello ladies!  Bet you are all gearing up for a fun filled long Fourth of July weekend!  It's not feeling very summery here at the Chateau, with temps in the 60's!  Hopefully the weather man was right in his forecast of a warmer weekend!

Today I wanted to share with you a few more photos of the Retreat Vintage Market.  There were so many wonderful displays and so much talent!  Barn House had an amazing display!!! I just loved these wicker bee skeps.

Poppyseeds, a neat home decor shop in our town, had this gorgeous pair or burlap upholstered chairs.  Love!

And I am totally in love with the vintage French bottle drying rack!  It would be perfect for our house!!!

These photo holders are so neat, and were really popular!  And of course I love keys, I thought these bracelets below were so fun!

Ok, I am also totally in love with vintage silver anything! I thought this was such a fun display in the vintage suitcase!

These little vintage jello molds, repurposed into photo holders (below) are such a terrific idea, don't you think?!

The day after the show, hubby and I took a much needed break and took a road trip exploring our new little slice of the world!  When we first moved out here this spring, I had no idea that Washington State was not only so diverse, but so beautiful!  The bridge below is called "Deception Pass", and crosses over to Whidbey Island.  The bridge is just amazing!

Of course these photos don't do it justice!  There are lots of islands here, rocky shoreline, and  huge pine trees.  It truly is an amazing state!

We walked this beach (below), which was very popular the day we were there!

On the way back, we were able to walk across the bridge, as there is a pedestrian path on either side. This was the view when I looked down!  I am not so crazy about heights, either! 

If you look very closely in the photo below, there is a huge bald eagle perched on a tree branch!  I guess he was feeling a bit camera shy, as he wouldn't turn and look our way!  We see bald eagles nearly every day!  They are incredible!

And here are a few more views from beneath the bridge.

There are so many more places on our list that we want to visit out here.  The San Juan Islands aren't far from here, so they are a must see. We also want to get to the rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula, and visit Mt. Ranier, too!  Sounds like we had better get busy!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Feeling a Little Bit French, and I Won!!!

Bon Jour, Mon Amis!

It's no secret that I love all things French, so today I thought I'd share with you some of my latest creation with a French accent!

I transformed a plain, ordinary vintage wooden plate with the addition of pages from a vintage French text book, as well as a gorgeous fleur de lis image. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that first I painted the plate a nice creamy color.  If in doubt, use cream!!!

 I am calling this my "French lessons plate"!

 I also made one with a crown motif.  Oooh , la, la!

 Because what could be more French than the fleur de lis or crown?

 Some distressing along the edges, and they are full of shabby French goodness!

 I've also been having fun making a series of altered vintage apothecary bottles.  I adore this gorgeous copy of a vintage French label (from the Graphics Fairy, as is the crown and fleur de lis). Isn't it a stunning label?  It's one of my new favorites!

 A generous dusting of glitter (or course!), as well as embellishments of a glittered silk hydrangea blossom, and a key make this bottle tres magnifique!  I have added all of these pieces to my Etsy shop, if you care to take a look!

I was super excited yesterday, as I was thrilled to discover that I won Linda's giveaway over at
Itsy Bits and Pieces!!!  Linda so very generously gave away a $50 gift certificate to any of her Etsy shops!  And I won?!!! Yeah!!! Linda has not one, not two, but three Etsy shops! You can check them out here, here, and here! So, I have been browsing and drooling in all of her shops, and I think I have found just what I would like!  It was so hard to chose, as she has so many gorgeous, wonderful treasures in each of her shops!  Linda, I sure don't know how you manage all three shops, you make it look so effortless!  Thank you, Linda, from the bottom of my heart!  You made my entire week!

I'm linking up with the following parties:  Faded Charm White Wednesday

Retreat Vintage Market

Bon Jour, Mon Amis!

After weeks of planning, painting, stressing and distressing, the Vintage Retreat Market has come and gone!  It was a fun day, full of gorgeous displays and talented vendors.  And, I am exhausted!

The day began rather chilly and quite gloomy, so I was hoping and praying for no rain!  Thankfully, the clouds finally parted, it became warm and sunny, and a large crowd showed up for the show.  

In the photo above you will see my antique Queen Anne dresser, which hubby and I spent many, many hours sanding, painting, distressing and sealing.  I thought she turned out gorgeous!  But, we ended up having to take her home, phooey!  She is very heavy, not an easy dresser to load in the back of hubbies car.  And I have the bruises to prove it!!

Everyone said they loved my color scheme of whites, creams, turquoise and aqua.  It's not showing up well in the photo, but I took an old galvanized bucket, filled it with gravel, and plopped a big tree branch in it.  I hung from the branches my "petite Parisian pails", little metal pails that I decoupaged and glittered.  I think they looked so cute swaying on the branches in the breeze!  I also hung my decoupaged one of a kind collages from the branches, too.

I really was expecting to have more sale, alot more sales!  So while I am very happy with what did sell, I must admit that I am disappointed.  I thought I would go home almost empty handed!!  After working for weeks non stop creating and planning, I had hoped for much more.  But, I am glad that I gave it a try, I really learned alot!  I also met lots of people, and made some connections as well.

I was really happy with how my displays turned out!

My baker's rack came in handy, and I really loved my white and aqua display on it!

So, would I do it again?  Yes!  And I learned what I would and wouldn't do next time!  So, I am glad that as nervous as I was about the whole thing, I pursed it, and faced my fears (ha, ha!!).

The next photos show some of the other vendors and their amazing displays!

Lots of funky industrial chic!

Don't you just love this repurposed headboard?  This was the booth of the show hosts, Deb and Bob. They not only are super talented, they are super warm and inviting people!  It was a pleasure meeting them, and being a part of the event on their beautiful farm!

Here is their amazing tent!

I loved the vintage crocheted lace wrapped vases. So pretty!

And this wine riddling rack, made by Bob, was super cool!

My neighbor at the booth, Julie, was super sweet, and had the best display!  She loves all things Shabby Chic too, so she and I had a blast!  I really love her gorgeous pink tea cart!

Here is another glimpse of her booth.

I'll share with you more photos from the show later this week.  Now I think I am ready for a nap!  

Have a great week!

Creamy Dreamy Whites!

 Hello everyone!  Thought I'd share with you what has been keeping me busy for the past several weeks!  Saturday is the big day, the Retreat Vintage Market! I've been working my little fingers to the bone, and I am beyond tired!  I've had alot of fun painting, decoupaging, and glittering everything in sight! But now I am more than ready to take a break, haha!  I painted this antique Queen Anne dresser "Chantilly Lace" (thank you, Sissie!), and will display lots of my creamy treasures atop!  Don't look too closely at the background, though.  I have this set up in the garage, that's why I blurred it out, to try and disguise all of the "stuff"!:)

 One of my favorite things to create are decoupaged pedestal bowls. Hubby actually spotted this vintage one for me (guess I am training him well!).  After painting it a nice creamy color, followed by a generous dose of distressing, I decoupaged her with vintage French book pages.

 And just look at this gorgeous copy of a vintage French perfume label!  Oooh, la, la!  I found the label over at the Graphics Fairy, and I think this image has become a new favorite for me.

 Lots of shabby goodness!

I am also scattering around Parisian themed postcards (thank you Cindy!!) to further add  French flair to my booth.  I'll be sure to take tons of photos of the show to share with you all!  Take care and have a great weekend!

Mod Podge Magic!

Hi Everyone, hope you have had a great week!

If you visit me on a regular basis, you know that I am in love with addicted to Mod Podge!

It is a rare day that I am not creating something or another with it!  Well, it seems that I am the last to find out about things sometimes (do you ever feel that way, too?), and just recently discovered the Mod Podge image transfer technique!  I imagine that many of you have already tried this technique, no?  Well, I wish that I could remember just where I first saw this, so I could give credit where credit is due!  At any rate, I'll show you my finished product, then let you see what it looked like "before"!

 Ok, I promise that I'll take step by step photos the next time I attempt this process, and I'll try to write a tutorial!  But for now, I will tell you that all you need to do is print your image in reverse (or "mirror image"), brush an even layer of Mod Podge on the front of the paper, and apply to your item face down (so it is no longer in reverse), and press out any air bubbles.

 Let it dry thoroughly, then dampen the paper, and using your fingers, gently rub off all of the paper.  Voila!  Like magic, your image is now transferred to whatever your heart desires!  I found this gorgeous Paris street address over at the Graphics Fairy.  Love!

 Oh, I should back up a bit, I got so excited explaining the Mod Podge image transfer thingy to you that I got a bit carried away!  (see, I told you I was an addict, haha!).  When I first found this box, it  had been hand painted with a Scandinavian design.  Well, while I thought it was pretty, it was not the look I was going for!  I felt a bit guilty while I was covering up all of that hand painting, as it was obvious that someone had taken alot of time and care to paint it!

 It took alot of sanding, and alot of primer and paint to cover up the old design!!

A generous dose of distressing, and oooh, la, la!  I am taking this box to my booth at the Retreat Vintage Market next week!

Ok, here is what she used to look like!  Pretty, but I love her so much more now!

I think shes got great curves, and I will miss her if she goes home with someone else!
Gotta run, I've got more painting and Mod Podging to do!
Have a great weekend!
I am linking this post to the following great parties:
Funky Junk Interiors SNS
Boogieboard Cottage Masterpiece Monday
Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday 
The Graphics Fairy Brag Monday
Faded Charm White Wednesday