Blue and white toile seat cushions

We've had these outdoor chairs since 2007 and they were getting quite wobbly and faded. Mr. H wanted to throw them out and get new ones but of course I said "No way! We can paint them!" So we tightened up all the screws and painted them a light blue color and they were as good as new! The problem was that the maroon seat cushions that came with them didn't match the new color.

Before paint

Painted

With clashing maroon cushion

I went to several stores looking for outdoor seat cushions but since it's so far into summer all of the stores were sold out.  That's when I decided I could try to make my own! Now let me tell you, I am not a seamstress. I am far from it but my mom did show me how to use a sewing machine when I was about 12 and I took a quarter (not even a semester!) of Home Economics in junior high so I can sew a line. I didn't say a straight line, just a line.  Off I went to Hobby Lobby and found this blue and white toile that I just loved.  It was so French!

I felt okay about my abilities to make the main part for the cushions; the part I was most intimated by was how to make the ties.

Scary intimidating ties!

I took apart the ties on the maroon cushions and looked at how it was sewn. It looked doable.  All of my blog friends who are experienced seamstresses are probably saying "duh!" to themselves!  Here is what I did. (You can click on the picture to enlarge it). It ended up being pretty easy and fun!

After the ties were folded, I just sewed them along the edges.

For the main part, all I did was face the "good" sides of the fabric together and pretty much sewed a box with an opening on the top to allow enough room to stuff the cushion in. I turned the fabric right side out and sewed the ties on each end, stuffed the cushion back in and did a simple top stitching to close the opening. I didn't even consider trying to put a zipper in (way beyond my level).  I did consider Velcro but the maroon cushions were top stitched so I decided that would work for my new cushions as well.
Et voilà!

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"Antique" blue books

I needed a bookshelf for a corner of my living room but the black one we had didn't match the blues, grays, and whites of our living room.  So we painted it white! But just look at it. It looks so empty, so bland sitting by the beige couch and the gray wall.

It needed more color but I didn't know what else to add so I turned to Pinterest and found my inspiration! Books! Blue books! It was a bookshelf after all!  I especially loved the vintage French books.

FrenchBlue & Co

Houzz

 I went to antique shops looking for blue books and discovered that they were a bit expensive! One of them that I liked was $50! Eek! I couldn't justify spending that much on books that I wasn't even going to read! (Side note: Mr. H was not too impressed with my plan to put books I hadn't read on ANY bookshelf in our house. He thought it was too hokey.)

Solution: used bookstore!  I found these books and paid $3.50 for all four. I simply removed the jackets on the ones that had them. (Second side note: to counter my hokiness, Mr. H picked a book he actually wanted to read. And who says I am not going to read "Change of Heart"?)

Here is my bookshelf now. It looks much better, don't you think? I am still on the lookout for blue books to fill it up some more and I might actually read one or two!

J'adore bouteilles de France

Have I mentioned before that I love all things French?  Well if I haven't, I am telling you now! I am a Francophile, albeit an accidental Francophile, but I am one nonetheless. I say accidental because I was never one to be interested in French décor or even in going to France but for the last four years Mr. H and I have been going to Europe and last year we thought we'd give France a whirl. After all, we did love French wine! Well, I fell in love. I became a Francophile. It just happened and why it's just this country, I have no idea. I've been to probably 20 other countries and have loved them all, but never turned into a "phile" of any of those other countries!

Anyway, a few months ago, Mr. H and I were dining at a restaurant here in Denver and they served the water in a French lemonade bottle. Being the French lover that I am, I was so excited about it, took a picture and thought, "Too bad it's too big to stuff in my purse!" (Not that I'm prone to stealing, but you know what I mean.)

                                             

Well, imagine my excitement when I was shopping at TJ Maxx/HomeGoods a few weeks ago and saw this display of  beverages!  I thought it was too good to be true!  Do you

see it?  A bottle of the French sparkling lemonade right there on the shelf! I dug through the bottles and found three of the ones I wanted.

As you can see, I put them to very good use! I LOVE my new "vases", and the best thing about them is that they're French!

As an added bonus, I got to enjoy the yummy sparkling lemonade as well!

Mini Lavender Field

Since a trip to France last summer, I have been in love with lavender. Wanting to bring Provence closer to home, I planted some lavender plants in my backyard in urban Denver. Now I have my own mini lavender field.

A Wine Crate for Lavender

Welcome to my blog!  My husband (Mr. H) and I moved into a Victorian bungalow this previous fall and since then I've been busy turning it into a home we'll never want to leave.  I love home decor, antiquing, DIY projects and international travel and wanted to share my loves with all of you.

For my first post I thought I'd share a project that showcased some of my current obsessions...lavender, wine crates, France, and colored glass bottles.  Mr. H helped feed my obsessions by making this box to hold my lavender in the bathroom.  He went to a wine shop and asked if they had any wooden wine crates for sale and came home with this one!  He cut the sides down and created a box that was just the right size.  The fact that the wine crate is from a French wine makes it all the more perfect.