Home of The French Marketplace

La joie c'est le partage
{ the joy is in the sharing }

Monday, March 30, 2009

A Laundry Room Re-Do on the Horizon??

That's what I'm thinkin'!! I have come across a few lovelies recently that have inspired a whole new look for my laundry room.

I have been contemplating the change in the room for awhile now, but wasn't sure exactly where I wanted to go with it. Then...I came across this amazing enamel bucket at Marshal's!
Perfect for keeping powdered laundry detergent in. I also found this cute little tea cup - so lonely without its saucer so I brought it home to do laundry duty.

Ooohhh, then while out at Walmart, I found these wonderful willow baskets. Already stained the perfect shade of brown I might add.
And, do you see those fabulous hooks above? I found them at a flea market several weeks ago and I just loved them. They're going to go on the wall to hang up the kids' coats and backpacks. Each will be numbered using the numbers that you see pictured with the hooks. I'm going to paint the walls in a soft shade of cream. I think I'll go with a cream and brown color scheme with a few hints of soft blues here and there.
What do you think?
I think I better get a move on it!
Have a wonderful day my friends!
xo and God Bless!
Kathleen

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sunday Reflections

The beginning of strife is like letting out water; so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
Proverbs 17:14
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~I wanted to thank all of you who have asked about me and sent emails. You all are so kind!
All is well, I was just sick with bronchitis for a week and then had to play catch-up for a week. I am SO much better now though and will be back tomorrow with a new post I promise!~
Thank you all, my sweet friends!
xo!!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Sunday Reflections

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
John 3:16-17

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Sunday Reflections


Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, for the gain from it is better than gain from silver and its profit better than gold.
Proverbs 3:13-14

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Junkin' With Mom

My mom called me on Tuesday and said, "you want to go shopping tomorrow at that place I told you about?" Me being the thrifty, vintage loving shopper that I am said, "oh YES, I do!" You see, she found this little, well actually it's quite huge, flea market type shop about an hour from where we live. It's an old grain mill that has been converted into a three story vintage lovers haven. We spent three blissful hours in that place and such a good time! Even the baby had a good time. He was so good and patient - I think he really just enjoyed flirting with the ladies there! Plus we were well stocked with plenty of juice and Cheerios - he was a happy camper.
We found some really great things. It was one of those rare trips where I actually found a lot of little things that I had stored away in the back of my mind to be on the look out for while out and about. You know how it is, you'll see something in a magazine or on someone's blog and you think - wow, that is so cool, I'd love to find something like that too! So, while you're out junkin' you kind of keep an eye out for it but usually can't find it? Well, on this trip I seemed to find a lot of those things.

Like this silver bowl and these eggs. (The eggs I found at JoAnn Fabrics - I don't know why, but I've had a tough time finding them in these colors. They're usually pastel)


And this wine server basket. I saw one in a shop a couple of weeks ago but it was too much money - found this one though for $3.



Love this old wooden box! I thought it would be pretty filled with recipe cards or maybe some mini potted plants on the kitchen counter. Or maybe, I could display my collection of vintage photos in there.

And this guy...I have a major weakness for roosters! He's here to keep watch over the fabulous haul!
We had such a wonderful time - a day well spent! We decided to meet in the parking lot of a JoAnn fabrics store that is a nice halfway point from both of our houses. I showed up a half hour early so I could squeeze in a bit of shopping in there too. All of their Easter and spring stuff is 50% off so I wanted to check it out. The speckled eggs as well as the faux chocolate bunny came from there at 50% savings - YAAYYYY!
Have a wonderful Thursday!!
Blessings,
Kathleen

Monday, March 9, 2009

Flirty Table Top Skirt


I have this old buffet/server that I got from Freecycle. The previous owner tiled the top of it but the tile had chipped on the corner. The piece was free and I loved the way that the rest of it looked so I painted it black and distressed it a bit on the front. Removing the tile was just too big a project for me right now - I have way too many projects going on at the moment! So anyway, I just draped the top with a piece of burlap for the time being until I could come up with something better. Then I had an idea! Wouldn't this table be fun with a little flirty skirt for the top? So I got to work. I decided to use the existing piece of burlap, cut to size and then cut a piece of unbleached cotton to use for the "skirt." I actually had to cut three strips total and sew them together so that I'd have one long strip. I measured around the server and made the strip of fabric a little over double that measurement. That way I'd have enough fabric to sew a box pleat all the way around. I made the pleats and pinned them to the burlap as I went. When that was complete, I sewed everything together and then I had this cute little skirt with a bit of a tailored finish!

It was a fun little project and I'm happy with the results. Much better than that old chipped tile don't you think?


Have a happy, blessed Monday!


xo,


Kathleen

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Sunday Reflections


Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2 Phillipians 4:6-7

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Finished Pillows

Remember the secret project? Well, I finally finished it and couldn't wait to share! While out grocery shopping last week, I stopped in at Pier One and found the cutest dishtowels. Each one is printed with a French castle on natural, unbleached cotton that looks very much like linen - ooohh la la! And the best part? I found them on clearance! They were right in there with all of the other dish towels and cloth dinner napkins and I got the whole pack of 3 for $7.99!! I loved them and thought they'd make perfect pillows - Chrissy, you were right!
Here they are all wash and ironed, laid out on the counter ready to be sewn.

I love them and thought about going back to see if I can find any more. I thought they'd be cute made into shopping or laundry bags too.
Yesterday I showed you my basil that had sprouted, so today I thought I'd give you a peek of my lavender too. Oh, how I long for Spring. We're supposed to have temps in the 70's this weekend so I'm really looking forward to that!
Also, we got our dishwasher installed and the light is up too. I never realized how loud my old dishwasher was until this one came along. I really enjoy it and it has more room as well - it even costs a lot LESS to run. I guess the frustration of a broken appliance turned into a blessing after all.

And here is the light. So much brighter than the flourescent. I can actually see the food I'm prepping in the kitchen - hahah!

Enjoy your day!
Blessings to you all,
Kathleen

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Dishwasher Installation!


I was hoping to have had my pictures posted of that project I was working on by now, but alas, life happens - haha! Our dishwasher finally went bad after 10 years of wonderful service! We decided to go and buy a new one to replace the one that was leaking, before mold and other unmentionable stuff starts to grow underneath it. We pulled it out this morning and as we suspected, water everywhere. I've got a heater fan blowing on the subfloor now while hubby is out now getting some plumbers tape and a new elbow compression bolt, joint, whatever that thingy is called - I forgot the exact name - to hook up the copper water line. So anyway, while we were out getting the new dishwasher, we got a new pendant lamp to go over the island to replace the 10 year old flourescent. Long story short, we've been busy the past couple of days putting up the new light, replacing the drywall where we had to cut the hole in the ceiling to install it and now the dishwasher. I'm really looking forward to finishing it and I'm praising God for the blessing of being able to get a new dishwasher and light to replace the old.
Remember those herb seeds that I planted? Well, look what popped up a few days ago and they are growing a little bigger each day!!
Have a happy day everyone and God Bless!
xo,
Kathleen

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Sunday Reflections


"I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart."
Psalm 40:8