Vintage Millinery Flowers

A collection of freshly steamed millinery flowers on a silver tier tray- what a pretty accent for a dressing table.

A chartruese velvet roses is placed next to a bouquet of white lilacs on a silver tray.

found this old pink velvet rose in London on Portobello Road in 1991! I remember getting cold chill bumps when I spotted it!

Love the little velvet cherries on the old headband.

tying a collection of several flowers together for a sweet tussie mussie.

Adore this hard to find orange color.

velvet flower just being taken out of storage box- crumpled up.

Heating a pot filled half way with water to boiling and placing a splatter ring on top creates a
great way to gently steam the flowers back to their original shape. 

Flower after being steamed for about 3 minutes

I have been collecting vintage millinery flowers for over 30 years.  The craftsmanship skills in each one is a work of art- cutting, gluing, dyeing, painting  and assembling each one.  After looking at some of the couture runway shows in Paris this summer, I realized how many designers had used flowers on their gowns and decided to dig my collection out and pay a little attention to it. So Sunday afternoon, I steamed, sorted and displayed the favorite flowers in  my collection.  I have found the best way to re-shape them is to place a grease splatter screen over a pot of boiling water and lay the flowers on top. After a few minutes, the steam gently forces the petals open and with your fingers you can press them back to their original shapes.  After shaping them, I placed my favorite ones on a silver tier tray for display in a guest bedroom.  The colors look so pretty together and all the different textures create an interesting display.  Deciding to keep only a few,  I re-shaped the rest, made little bouquets and took them to the store to sell.  Hopefully, someone else will be enchanted by their sweet little faces and take them home to enjoy.

Eclectic Style

Living in Hong Kong for several years, Mariterese loves Asian furniture.
 Mixing it with French antiques, creates a
very global feeling in the living room.
We recently painted all the trim black and the walls a soft turquiose, leaving the exposed brick its natural color.

A newly built china cabinet is just off the dining space, creating tons of storage for this 1890's brownstone.

Intimate dining space in the kitchen is created by installing  a series of aged mirror door panels on the wall.

The white and stainless kitchen is always being used as Mariterese is a great cook!

When re-modeling this kitchen, we kept an open shelf concept to show off her beautiful collection of vintage crystal and china ( which she really uses everyday!)

A cozy den on the 2nd floor is filled with a slip covered sectional from Best Slipcover - great comfort for watching TV.

A narrow entrance off the front door is brightened with this fabulous Asian inspired wallpaper.

A cozy master retreat  with a custom tufted headboard and Bella Notte linens.  Modern art on the walls and the mirrored nightstands add contemporary elements to the room

A grand bath with an old farm table re-purposed as the double sink vanity.  A slipper tub and huge walk in shower complete the spacious master bath.

Love the pewter sink and zinc counter tops! 

 Old window with shutters from abroad create the headboard in this tiny bedroom. We replaced the glass with mirrors to give the room a larger feeling of space. 

Sometimes you meet a person who is so excited about life that its infectious. Cute, funny and always laughing,  Mariterese loves many styles of decor - Tuscan, French, Asian, Shabby Chic, Cowboy  and Glam to name a few- she just buys what she likes.  The first time I met her, she purchased a cowhide lounge chair from the store and that was the beginning of a great partnership and friendship.  Combining all her chosen  styles is somewhat a tough design challenge, but in the case of this home, it really works.   This 110 year old home  is filled with Mariterese style- an exuberant mix of everything she loves including her adorable husband, Pat. In the eight years that she has been  living in this home, I have been lucky to be involved with its evolution of style with the biggest projects being the kitchen and bath remodels.  This grand old brownstone has been  updated with storage, closets and the latest in appliances.  Charming and eclectic,   it's now ready for its next 100 years!

(For more of her  wonderful exuberant style , don't miss the previous blog!)

A Mid-Summer Nights Dream in Chicago

Dinner in the courtyard at Mariterese's home- pure magic happening here!

Love this eclectic mix of new and old on the table.

vines growing down from the top of the pergola creating a curtain around the  table

note the hand dyed ribbon used as the napkin ring with the flowers

The old chandelier from the living room was re purposed as a candle light chandelier in the garden under the new pergola.

zinc mirror hung on courtyard wall over a pastry table - divine!

A collection of votives and succulents on driftwood look amazing together on the pastry table.

another zinc mirror on the back wall of the detached garage that borders the courtyard.

okay - if this isn't the most magical setting in the world, then I don't know what else is!!!!!
Just lovely with the soft breeze and wonderful music in the air.



Delicious Kiwi and Sake Cocktails  for a first tasting.

Beef Tenderloin and Fennel appetizers

Roasted veggies and a Big Shaving of home made  cheese - awesome

Cheese with Fig Spread

The Salad - papaya, cashews and snowpeas on mixed greens

Coconut Milk and Tomato Stew of Shrimp and Grouper on Rice- excellent taste!

A wonderful ending to the fabulous meal - berry cobbler and Graeters Peach Ice Cream
served in a tall crystal compote glass.

Last night, the Romancing the Home girls and friends were invited to dinner at Mariterese's 1800's brownstone in the city. She and her friend, Marcello, have been creating this marvelous little oasis in her back courtyard for several years, but this year it really came into it's own.  A feeling of being in New Orleans immediately comes upon you upon entering this gem of a garden.  Dinner was set under the pergola.   First looking at the gorgeous table,  jaws dropped as we carefully explored all the hidden details of this exquisitely decorated table.  Vintage china mixed with new, hand dyed ribbon around fresh hydrangeas and yellow roses for the napkin rings,  succulents on driftwood ,  waxed over candelabras and of course that little bit of leopard to pull it all together - a breathtaking table I must say.  The top of the pergola was filled with magical lights from Frontgate that are solar powered and light up like diamonds after dark.   Marcello filled the top of the pergola  with moss filled baskets with flowing greens that filled the air.  Clematis and trumpet vine were planted on the posts and then the ground was covered in moss - a charming  touch.  Roses fill containers and wisteria grows up the decking. As you listen to  the fountain, you are sure you are in New Orleans having dinner at a 5 star restaurant.  Dinner was amazing - Marcello- (did I mention that he also is a private chef?)  prepared a gourmet meal for us, with Mariterese finishing it off  with her Berry Cobbler.  We left her home feeling like we had been on a mini-vacation, filled with inspirations for our own homes that we gathered  from Mariterese's oasis in the city.  Thank you for a  most memorable evening. We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.net for Tablescape Thursday.

                                                (More pictures from the inside of the fabulous home later this week!)

Container Gardening - Mid summer Refreshing

One of my favorite combinations - impatiens, elephant ear, maiden hair ferns and coleus- perfect for my shady terraces.

Still looking good after being planted in early May.

Pots of basil grown from seed by the back door.

Succulents mixed together in an old cement urn



Love this table Mr. RTH built for me out of our old juniper limbs and a fallen tree base.

The color of these leaves is breathtakingly beautiful.



The urn I purchased from Carla at Grayslake on Sunday- my inspirational piece.

A small urn found in the garage was planted with happy miniature petunias.

A privacy fence by our grilling area built from 2 salvaged columns and an old trellis stored in the garage.

Happpy faces are planted in an urn by the front of the privacy trellis

Planted in urn by privacy trellis

Collection of urns rescued from corner of garage and planted on Sunday.

Coral sedum - love this color!

Angel vine and old wire basket  with moss, ferns, ivy and violets. - perfect additions to the screened porch.

These old wire baskets are perfect for miniature plants.

Old etched glass door that is the entry to our detached garage.  Added a basket of nasturtiums and ivy to the side.

Little garden gate in pot of begonias and greens.



Back side of new "privacy fence"!

Ornamental hops just in at our local nursery

I went to Grayslake on Sunday hoping to find some great antiques but they were far and few between.  Seems everyone headed to Elkhorn, Wisconsin to the antique flea market.  But I did get   inspired by one booth.  A really cute girl- Carla- had planted the most adorable pots of flowers.  She used old buckets, tool boxes, logs, chairs- just about anything she could find and made wonderful ornamental finds for the garden.  I purchased a classic black urn filled with purple and green plants from her  and went home to place it on my front porch. Driving home,  I realized how many urns and cool containers  that I had sitting in my back garage and detoured to our  local nursery to see what was new.  Purchasing mood moss, basket moss and a cart of plants, I headed home and spent the gorgeous afternoon planting my containers. As it is so late in the season, I purchased plants that should last into October.   I pulled out all the scraggly plants and replaced them with zinnias and marigolds and potato vine.  This is the first time this summer it has been cool enough to enjoy outside so I wanted everything to look fresh and alive. Just adding these little pops so color and green really made a difference.  Hopefully we have another 6 weeks of enjoying dinner outside!