the late summer loot shoot

I am really loving these late summer fairs.  Having kept the month of  August deliberately quiet, I am now picking up speed again before my tour starts in just 10 days time.

The days are delicious, warm and sunny, and in the evenings we can still eat outside, - all perfect!

This weekend saw me out early at a couple of fairs, one outside a château, the other in the middle of a little village.  Forgot to take my camera along, but here are the shots of the goodies I found.

I love it all, of course, but in particular the French "give us our daily bread" boards, and the price tags that most certainly came from an old fashioned grocery store.

I also bought a huge bunch of gladioli, not a flower I normally go for, but I just couldn't resist the colours.  And then to my delight I found a lady selling her hydrangea heads for drying - just what I needed!

Take a look through and tell me what you like best.    My new store is still not on line, but in the meantime you can contact me directly if you are interested in buying anything.

Thank you for stopping by!

Natural Fall Mantels

I usually don't think about Fall decorating until mid- September at the earliest.

I love Summer and am one of those people who don't like to rush Summer 

to get to Fall
 I like to let it linger a bit and ease my way into Fall decorating.

But... since I do have a couple fun Fall things planned with my blog in the coming weeks

decorating for Fall has been on my mind

So I have started just a little bit of dreaming up some ideas and thought
I would share some of the looks I did last year for Autumn.
Mostly... it's all natural over here.
I love natural touches for seasonal decorating~ and that's what I tend to stay with

All three of the mantels from last year incorporated dried flowers
which are a favorite element of mine to use

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...

rugs in kitchens - your opinion please

I often see photos of beautiful kitchens with rugs on the floor, and think how much I'd like one here.
  

 I love the look, but each time find myself wondering how 

practical it can be, especially in a busy house with

 dogs and lots of cooking going on.

Who better to ask than you!

Are they for decoration only, or is there a practical

 reason to lay a rug?

I'm sure that among my readers there are those that love rugs,

 those that hate them and those that like me like the idea 

but don't quite dare ....

Here are some pictures that caught my eye, 

 found on Pinterest and elsewhere

are there any that you like?

tell me please, I'd love to know :)

Feathered Nest Friday

Welcome to Feathered Nest Friday!

Hope your week has been going well! It's been a busy week over here
I did a little shopping for supplies for a project and  painting this weekend
I am tackling painting the house and cottage exteriors
so busy caulking and making any necessary repairs and then painting begins!

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...

new sponsors welcome on MFCH

As the end of summer approaches, I am making space 

 for new sponsors on MFCH.

If you would like to appear on my sidebar and 

give the world a shout-out; 

if you have amazing products to promote;

and if you fit into the MFCH style, and you'd like 

your name to be seen by my readers,

 then drop me a line 

and I'll tell you how it works!

Merci!

 

maison for sale near Giverny!

Sit back, pour yourselves a glass of wine, or an extra cup of morning coffee and just enjoy this!

Some good friends of ours are selling their beautiful home, and I am very excited to show you some pictures .... come with me and I'll show you around .....

This gorgeous 18th century house lies in the Seine valley, in a tiny sleepy village just ten minutes away from Monet's garden at Giverny.

The house is large, with 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a guest suite.  

There is also a separate little guest house that is quite charming.

The garden is beautifully planted and maintained, with a heated pool, a chic little pool house and summer kitchen.

My friend Patricia is a wonderful gardener, with a great eye for garden design, and the lucky buyers of this house will inherit mature roses, a picture-perfect little potager and stunning mixed borders.

 Inside the rooms are bright and spacious, with a relaxed and friendly feel to the house - this is a real family home, ideal for somebody looking to live in Normandy full time or who dreams of a country home within an hour of Paris.

Patricia and David have carefully designed the garden for outdoor entertaining; be it dinner with friends, or a quiet coffee for two.

David and Patricia are selling their home because they would prefer something smaller now, but they have loved their years here, and really enjoyed village life.  They also appreciated being in a small village which still has  a post office, and butcher and excellent schools.

If you'd like to know more about the house you can check the details here,
or you can email me or email David directly  ... 

happy dreaming!

Simple bouquets

Do you remember those solve the riddle type word problems in school?
I always used to enjoy working on them
I thought they were fun and made much more sense to me than just the number problems.

Probably because I could visualize and 'see' everything so much more easily.

Like the 5 bushels of apples or the 17 plates set for dinner.

Or Johnny with his latest score

'Johnny found 5 boxes filled with 95 pieces of ironstone at a yard sale

He has 3 built in bookshelves that each have 5 shelves in his living room

How many pieces of ironstone can be displayed on each shelf?'

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE...