I've Opened an Etsy Shop!!

Guess what?

  I've opened an Etsy Shop!

and it's called

The French Marketplace

Yes, it's true.  I've finally done it...

 ...and I couldn't be more excited!

I have such fun creating and exploring in my craft room and now I'm thrilled to be able to offer some of that goodness to you!

Come and take a look.

  Everything you see here is hand made by me and is currently available in my new shop.

The French Marketplace

is officially open for business!

Hope to see you there!

xo and God Bless,

Kathleen

The Laundry Room and a Chalkboard Wall

One of the projects that I completed several months ago {but never posted about} was our laundry room.  

My favorite feature in this room is the chalkboard wall above the washer and dryer.

And the wood crates too.

I found a rolling cart that fits perfectly in the space between the washing machine and the far wall, so that is where all of the detergents and other laundry essentials are stored.

It allowed me to use the shelf above the washer and dryer to stack these old crates.  I store some of my glassware up there as well as an old wire basket and metal cloche.

An old seltzer bottle and some clothes pins

a basket for laundry

the sink

with a pretty mirror above 

it was your basic, builder grade utility sink so I made a pretty toile skirt for it with black trim along the bottom.

hangers with faux grain sack covers

and finally, the chalkboard.  I love the chalkboard!!

Thanks for stopping by and

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

xo and God Bless,

Kathleen

Linking up with

  Fridays Unfolded

Feathered Nest Friday

Sweet and Simple Friday

A Little Valentine Touch

I've seen so many beautiful things for Valentine's Day lately

and I've been inspired to add a little Valentine love to our home.

I made this paper rose the other day and finally painted it last night.

I love the way the paper curled as the paint dried.

Happy Friday everyone and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Thanks to everyone who stops by for a visit - I really appreciate you.

xo and God Bless,

Kathleen

I'm linking up with Simple & Sweet Friday

Winter Decor

It is FREEZING here today

so we're staying warm inside

enjoying old ticking feather pillows

and cozy cable knit throws.

I'm loving old photos

French postcards and ironstone.

All of the Christmas decorations have been taken down and put away

and I've been fluffing the nest.

It's funny how bare everything looks when the decorations come down.

I like to think of it as a blank slate.

I kind of like the bare look for awhile.  It's fresh and clean and I can rearrange and change things up a bit!

Enjoy your day!

xo and God Bless,

Kathleen

Linking up to Feathered Nest Friday

and

Fridays Unfolded

Our Little Cafe

You probably remember seeing my coffee station before.  It's one of my favorite spots in the kitchen.

It greets me early every morning and is a popular hangout when friends and family come to visit.  I really enjoy a good cup of coffee accompanied by great conversation and cozy time spent with loved ones.

Which is why I wanted to add a little something to make it special.

A little cafe sign.

It's whimsical and fun and it designates the space as our very own cafe.

And if you have a cafe, you must have a menu right?

such fun and so easy to make!

It was a picture once...probably a favorite that hung is someone's home. 

 Then one day while out thrifting, I discovered it.  I knew that it would make a wonderful little chalkboard for my cafe so I brought it home with me.

I removed the glass, gave it a good cleaning, and then sprayed it with a few coats of chalkboard paint.

While that was drying, I got to work on the frame.  After a thorough scrubbing, I gave it 2 coats of Annie Sloan chalk paint in Louis Blue.  I followed with some dark wax and then let everything dry.  I put the painted glass back in and voila! 

A cafe menu.

I pulled out the kids' sidewalk chalk and drew a menu board inspired by a pin that I saw on Pinterest. The cafe sign was made using a bracket and a wooden paintable plaque that I got at Hobby Lobby.  I painted the plaque in the same shade of Louis Blue as the chalkboard and painted the word "cafe" on both sides of the wood so it could be viewed from either side of the sign.

Instant fun.

and now I'm headed to the cafe!

xo and God Bless,

Kathleen

Sunday

A peaceful Sunday...

blessings wished for you all.

xo and God Bless,

Kathleen

All Because of a Burlap Lampshade

While in the Salvation Army thrift store one day, I came across this burlap lampshade.

I loved it but walked away because really, where was I going to put it?

But then, like I usually do, I walked back over and picked it up. There were lots of lamps just a couple of feet away from this beautiful shade and surely I could look through them and find the perfect one right?

I found it.  I had to look past the orange though and imagine it with a makeover.

{pardon the mess on the table}

I painted the lamp and then added the shade. 

Perfect!  Just how I had imagined.

I put it in our bedroom.  It fit right in with the new makeover in there.  I promise I will show you the room but there is just one more big project that must be completed before it will be "finished."

I will give you a tiny peak into the room though.

Here is my dresser.  Also a 

Salvation Army find that got a French makeover.

The color I was talking about?  You can see a tiny bit of it here to the left of the dresser and also in the photo above...behind the lamp.

I love the color and will tell you all about it in another post!

Have a great day!!

xo and blessings,

Kathleen

Happy New Year my friends!

xo and God Bless,

Kathleen