From Fairy Tale Villages to Fairy Gardens

Hi everyone,

It's hard to believe that September is already here!

Summer always seems to go by way to quickly, and I'm usually a bit sad to see it go!

We did manage to pack alot into the season though.

Camping, swimming, gardening, and even an impromptu trip to Germany and Austria!

Long story, but we'd planned for months to visit Ireland this summer (I was super excited, as I am Irish!).

Well, we fly standby, thanks to hubby's many years of working at the airlines. So that means that if there's a seat open on the plane, we make it on.  If not, no luck!

Anyway, all of the flights and connections were way oversold, and we knew that we'd never make it on.  So we made  a last minute decision (the night before!) to instead go to Germany and Austria!

We'd been there years ago and loved both countries.

It was a bit difficult going spur of the moment with no plans, no guide book, nothing.  Like, where will we go, what will we see??

I did remember recently reading about the "Top 10" quaint villages in Europe,  one of which was Hallstatt, Austria.

We spent one afternoon there, and fell in love with it.

It is truly a magical place, and feels straight out of a fairy tale!

 Postcard perfect Hallstatt!

 Actually, my pictures don't do justice to how beautiful it was here!

 Typical Bavarian style architecture.  Aren't those flowers gorgeous?

I loved the aqua shutters, too!

 Check out this amazing castle on the other side of the lake! Someone actually lives there!

 I would love to visit again some day.  Oh, notice the swans in the photo above?

Thankfully we went later in the day, as I'd read that unfortunately everyone else seems to have discovered this beautiful village, meaning it's over run by tourists and tour busses!

I really feel for the people who live there and have to deal with throngs of crowds!

Let me tell you, this village is literally jaw dropping, it's hard to believe a place like this really exists!

There are no cars allowed in the village, making it even more quaint.

It's very popular to rent small electric boats and view the village from the lake, which is what we did.  What a different perspective you get from the water.  It was just magical!

I'll share more pictures of our trip in upcoming posts.

Also this summer I planted my very first fairy garden!

I'd been wanting to do this forever, and had so much fun with the project!  My handy hubby built me a wood planter box, complete with chunky spindle "feet".  Of course I had to paint it bright aqua and add a French themed stencil!

I just love it, but had a few challenges along the way, including not so cute little chipmunks who liked to dig in the planter!

Miss Molly is doing great, and turned 1 1/2 this summer!

She loves camping  (we took our motor home to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan earlier this summer), and swimming on our lake.  She can hardly stand still long enough for me to put her little doggie life vest on, before she dives in the water!

With cooler days and nights, I think our swimming days are over for the season.  Not too crazy about swimming in cold water!

That's it for today. Sure have missed you all, look forward to catching up with everyone!

Have a great rest of the week!

Puppies and Projects

Bon jour!

How is your spring going so far?

It's been cooler than normal here at the Chateau, but the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the flowers are blooming!

So I thought that was the perfect time for a little visit with Molly.

 I took these pics last week, while Molly was enjoying a little break beneath the crab apple trees!

It was no easy feat trying to take her picture with one hand (while holding her leash with my other!) using just my cell phone, and getting her to hold still!

Not to mention look my way!

It was such a beautiful day, with a nice gently breeze.  The petals that were falling looked just like confetti that was being tossed!

 She is growing by leaps and bounds, and is really learning and soaking everything up!

At 3 1/2 months old, she will undoubtedly be a wild and crazy little puppy for quite some time!

Ok, moving on to a few projects of mine.........

I found these neat and very large candlesticks while treasure hunting a few weeks ago.

They didn't look this lovely when I discovered them, though!

They are made of metal, and very tall and heavy.

Anyway, around their middle sections was glued printed burlap.  I just didn't look right, and gave them a cheap feel, I thought.  I knew right away I could make them pretty.

Well, removing the burlap proved to be much more challenging that I thought!

It was glued on, and I must have spent well over an hour getting it, and the glue residue off!

Then came the fun part, the painting!

Using chalk paint, I gave them a special 6 step treatment to give a faux zinc look.

I had alot of fun with this project, and think they look so much better!

Just wish I had thought to take their before pic!

 I've been on an angel wing kick lately, and painted these sweet little cast iron cuties in a pretty soft pale pink.  It's hard to tell from my photo, but I added a final coat of shimmery pearlized paint, making them even more angelic!

 I used the same shade of pink to paint these metal wings, that feature a cross and heart in their center.

 This next pair of wings is huge!

They are wood, with unique metal "feather" accents.

I've painted them my signature creamy white chalk paint, and added some of the pearlized finish.

 They are massive, at 40" tall, and together weigh 13 pounds.

I think they would make quite a statement wherever they are hung!

 I've added all of the projects you see here in my Etsy shop, if you care to take a look!

Thanks so much for visiting, I do really appreciate it, and your comments!

Looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to!

In the mean time, I leave you with one more pic of Miss Molly.

I picked up this basket at the Salvation Army to not only store her toys in, but used it to bring her home when we first adopted her back in April.

The other day I spotted her as she had hopped in, and just had to run and grab my camera.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of her with her little paws crossed!

(she posed that way herself!)

Have a great rest of the week! 

Master Bath Renovation Reveal and a Visit with Molly

Hi Everyone,

how is your week going?

Today I wanted to share our master bathroom redo.  I had intended on sharing it quite some time ago.

Anyway, we are beyond thrilled with the end result!

While it was many months in the making, it was well worth the wait.

The great thing is that my handy hubby did 99% of the work!

From the demo to the drywall, plumbing and electrical work, the beadboard installation, to the tile work, he did it all!

The only thing he didn't do was install the frameless glass shower enclosure.

For some strange reason, the walls look yellow in my photos. They are not yellow!

They are a soft and creamy color which I love (Behr).

We chose white cabinets by Merillat, and a gorgeous sand colored quartz counter.

For the hardware and faucets we went with brushed nickle, and I am so glad we did.  Initially I wanted oil rubbed bronze, but the only hardware we could find had lots of copper tones in it, which I did not like.

This is a small room, with very high ceilings, so we had to make the most of every square inch!

I'll give you a reminder in a bit of what our bathroom used to look like.

One of the best parts of the transformation (well, they are all good!) is now we each have our own sink!

Yeah!  Prior to that, we just had one, and it drove me nuts having to share.

Ok, here is what it used to look like!  This photo actually made the room look better than it really did, as it was taken with a wide angle lens (by hubby's son for our then real estate listing).

I can honestly say there wasn't a thing I liked about thus room!

Ok, there was one, the light fixture! And that was only because it wasn't that old.

Everything else was very 1980's, and not in a good way!!

 I cringe just looking at this mirrored sliding shower door.  Ugh!

 And as much as I love blue (it is my favorite color), I don't want a blue bath tub or fiberglass shower enclosure.  Or a blue toilet!  Notice the "lovely" wooden toilet seat in the mirror?

 I was more than ready years ago for this room to be transformed.

Now we couldn't be happier with the end result!

Ok, remember those upper walls are light cream, not yellow as they are showing!

I am loving the beadboard, and also our double towel rack.

Hubby did an amazing job with the ceramic tile floors and shower.

 I picked out most everything for the bath, including what I call my "fancy tile", the pretty glass mosaic tile used as an accent in the shower, as well as back splash above the vanity. They are made in Italy, are iridescent, and change colors with the light. They remind me of the inside of a seashell.  I just love them!

They were not cheap, but I am so glad that I decided to splurge.

The rainshower head and hand held  are made in Germany, and come with a lifetime warranty.

You don't find that much these days!  Nothing like German engineering!

 We both feel like we're staying at a fancy spa hotel!

 Ok, what do you do when you have huge and unsightly shampoo and conditioner bottles?

Well, I just wasn't happy with the way the looked in our niche, they hid my fancy tiles!

So, I found some clear acrylic soap and lotion dispensers at Bed Bath and Beyond, then created labels for them.  The pretty graphics are from the Graphics Fairy, and I just added the writing on PicMonkey.

I then used outdoor ModPodge (which I happened to have on hand) to attach the labels. Then I gave them a few more coats.  So far, over a month later, the labels are holding up beautifully.  And the pump dispensers  look so much nicer, I think!

 At Home Goods (love that store!) I found the most gorgeous mercury glass soap dispensers, tooth brush holder, and soap dish.  I like corralling all of our things in these ceramic trays, which I purchased years ago at Home Goods.  We each have our own.

 We just love the frameless glass shower enclosure. The door swings both in and out.

It is a huge improvement from our tub with sliding mirrored doors!

I was always stubbing my toes or bumping my shins when I climbed in and out of that thing.

I may or may not have yelled a few choice words over the years!

 Up above our vanity, I've hung this pretty cream colored iron piece, found at Hobby Lobby.

I think it's a perfect fit for the space.

 Oh, who do we have here??

Well it's little Miss Molly!

We've had Molly for a little over 2 weeks, and she has already made herself at home.

She won our hearts, and came to us at a time when we were totally heartbroken over the sudden loss of our Katie.  We still miss Katie terribly and always will.  But having Molly in our lives has been a big help.

Plus, she keeps us more than busy!

 Hey!  Just look what happened at the end of my little photo shoot today!

Someone decided that the toilet paper is just way too fun to unroll!

 "Hey, it wasn't me!"

 Thought I'd share a few more pics of Molly.

We just love her.

 She is almost 3 months old, and is full of energy and mischief, like most puppies are!

 I can't get over how quickly she is growing.  I snapped the photo below (which is one of my favorites) a week ago. She already has grown by leaps and bounds.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I really do appreciate your visits and comments.

And all of the support you've shown me, it has meant more than you know.

Have a great rest of the week!

Meet Molly

Hi Everyone,

It's been quite some time since my last post.

The past month has been a very difficult one, with the sudden loss of our sweet Katie.

I wanted to thank you so much for all of the kind words and comments you left.  It truly means alot.

Katie was our heart dog, and we will always miss her.  Losing her left a huge hole in our hearts and lives.

As difficult as it is for hubby and I to move on, to us a house isn't a home without a fur baby.

So, I would like to introduce you to our new dear one, 9 week old cocker spaniel Molly.

We just brought her home Monday night, and we love her already!

She has brought laughter back to our house, is very active and happy, and is keeping us more than busy on

"puppy patrol"!

 She has a face that would melt anyone's heart, I do believe.

 We are having lots of fun, but are tired keeping up with her:)

 While it is a bittersweet time, with thoughts of our Katie, we know that Molly will 

become our kindred spirit pup too, and help heal our hearts.

She loves looking at herself in the mirror.  Wow, looks like I have quite a few little paw and nose prints to clean!  Both of Molly's parents are show dogs.  Her dad is a national champion.  We aren't into the show thing, so Molly won't be going that route.

But it sure looks like she may be into a little primping!

 Just had to share this "action shot" below.  Much of her day is spent chasing and playing in the house.

 I've not had the heart to blog since Katie.  I thought I would discontinue writing my blog, life just hasn't felt the same.  But, I have missed you all and will be visiting to see what you've been up to.

So, for now my plan is to just post once in awhile, not that often.

I will be popping by to visit, though.

Hope you all are doing well.