New Vendor Arrives at Romancing the Home

One of the greatest thrills of going to market is finding a wonderful new resource. This past January, Jill and I stumbled upon a great new vendor and purchased many great accessories from them. The only problem was that the merchandise would not be available for several months and we were both anxious to get it . Well it has finally arrived and is getting a great response from our customers. As a matter of fact, I can't even show you their great candlesticks, as they sold on the first day before I could take a picture of them! The little stag accent table is my personal favorite, and I love it with the old parchment books on it ( the books are from another new vendor from the January market). We are showing it next to a transitional styled chair from our upholstery resource, upholstered in a natural linen fabric from Kravet. The wooden horse is a wonderful accent for a bookcase, coffee table or dining room table. Carved wooden base lamps with linen shades are beautiful additions to a European inspired room. The carved urn is made from reclaimed wood.

Also, just arriving this week, these beautiful velvet pillows with beads and gold details. They are from another new vendor from the January market. All of these distressed pieces look best when used with contrasting elements, such as crystal, gilded accents, mirror and velvet pillows . Look for more to come from these new vendors .

Spring Starflowers Remind us it's Spring!

The first springtime flowers that grow in our yard are the millions of blue wild starflowers. Since they are a bulb and a member of the lily family, they propagate wildly every year in all of our borders. Miniature in size, small votives are the perfect size for a vase of these petite flowers. The first warm day of the season was yesterday, so it was the perfect time to gather some of our gardening accessories and start to create the stage where pots of flowering plants will soon be displayed. But for now, these little starflowers added the touch of color needed for the rusty old elements. Taking some of the starflowers inside, I looked for the perfect vase. A hollowed out egg, spray painted gold, and placed in an antique silver egg cup was absolutely perfect.

Spring Table inspired by the Artichoke

A tablecloth printed in an artichoke motif was the inspiration for this springtime table. Artichoke candles mimicked the design, while the reproduction Majolica serving dish added the touch of spring, with it's cute chicks and eggs on top. Antique gold rimmed serving plates were topped with the monogrammed salad plates found at a resale shop. Waterford crystal and vintage purple water glasses were used together on this springtime table to add another touch of purple. A nosegay of hosta leaves, purple iris, alliums and black calla lilies were used in the bouquet. And the quintessential icon of spring - the egg- was placed at each setting in a vintage silver egg cup. We are joining http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for Tablescape Thursday - be sure to visit !

Antiquing Trip to Morris, Illinois

Last Wednesday, my friend Jill and I drove to Morris, Illinois to check out the town.While it was still a nippy 40 something degrees, the sun was bright and we were just excited to get out in the countryside. Our Tennessee friend, Marlene, had told us about Morris and said it was worth the drive. Once getting past the strip centers on the main road in, we arrived at a quaint little Midwestern town. Two stores were definitely worth the drive, Whimsey and Ruby Begonia's. Since Whimsey had a decidedly more garden feel, we both purchased nests, eggs and these beautiful ribbon pins that the owner makes and sells in her Etsy shop. Ruby Begonia's had adorable clothing - very uptown style and with it! After having lunch in the local diner, we headed north home on the back roads. Finding a great little garden shop, we both purchased varieties of pussy willow, including a French pussy willow, that we had never seen. It has a smaller bud that is a pretty blue grey color. Beautiful varieties of pansies were available, and will look great in the Little Red Riding hood planter found at an antique mall along the way. Hats off to the two great stores we found - I understand that they have started a monthly market in their town- "Three French Hens", selling antiques, hand made items and food. We will definitely check that out this summer. Coming home with our finds of the day, I decided that while the little Red Riding Hood planter will probably go to the store, Whimsey's ribbon pins will stay on a muslin and scrim pillow on my guest bed. And those French pussy willows???? Definitely a home on the piano in my living room!

Jan Barboglio Dinnerware gets a Spring Touch

The new Jan Barboglio dinner plates made of a heavy glass are unique and wonderful. I simply love the crest design on each plate. We set the table with her new nickel chargers and used a wonderful selection of her small vessels as salad bowls. Manzanita branches and chartreuse hydrangeas added a little dose of spring color to the table along with the chartreuse napkins. Large bread boards were used for place mats for the host and hostess . Vintage wooden flatware was placed on each plate for the salad course. Just to add a little visual interest, vintage diplomas from a baking school in Brussels were rolled and placed in the wonderful wooden bowl that is graced with pewter birds. Hand blown decanters with iron stoppers were placed near the center of the table, ready to be filled with wines and water. The large vessel with the crest can be used for flowers, candles or as a wine bucket. Adding the artichokes to the cake stand added another burst of the green to the table. Be sure to visit http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ to be inspired by other tablescapes.

Spring Color at Costco

Wanting to make a fruit basket for a friend, I went to Costco to purchase blackberries, nectarines, grapes,clementines, strawberries, apples and pears. They seem to always have beautiful selections of fresh fruit at a great price, much better than the local grocery store chains. After gathering the fruits together in my cart, I was on the way to pay and saw these vibrant, beautiful foil wrapped eggs in spring colors in a large cello bag and I just couldn't resist them. So I bought 2, one for me and one for my friend! After arriving home, I arranged the fruit on a platter with a selection of Costco cheeses. I couldn't decide which was prettier, the fruit or the colored eggs. I think I just need a dose of a little spring color- I'm tired of gray and brown.

Blue Mystique Orchids

I went to the grocery store to pick up lunch yesterday, and was suddenly stopped in my tracks-- a gorgeous blue orchid was sitting on the shelf in the floral department. The blue color was exquisite. At first I thought it was dyed, but after reading the tag, I realized it's a new orchid. I just had to have one- well, maybe another one for my friend too! This morning, I was off to Home Depot to get small plants and additional less expensive orchids ( they have an awesome assortment at great prices) to make an orchid arrangement for the window at the end of my butler's pantry. Using reindeer moss and angel vine, I "dressed" the orchids and then placed them in an old wine crate. I love the contrast of the elegant orchids in the more rustic container. Adding smaller plants from Home Depot filled in the gaps in the box. I then created another arrangement in a basket to give to my friends who had just loss their mother. Orchids are easy to care for and last a long time, so hopefully they can enjoy it for many months to come. Be sure to visit http://www.frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ to explore other ways to feather your nest!