Living with hues of French Lavender

Evening Darlins...

Hues of Lavender to dream about!

Close your eyes for a moment, you can almost smell this beautiful fragrance....

 right now through August in France it's the harvest season for French Lavender!

A vintage pail of lavender from my garden...

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France produces over 50% of the worlds Lavender.

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I would love to walk through this lavender with it brushing against my legs!

Though I would like to wear a pretty vintage sun dress!

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Most of the oils used for producing soaps and oils is harvested from Lavandin, which is a hybrid of English lavender.

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This buffalo check fabric in hues of lavender is beautiful...

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Pops of lavender are beautiful, especially in luxurious textiles like velvets or silks.

This is the season to enjoy lavender... 

I Love*Love *Love

 being able to harvest a little from my own garden!

My Design tip:

Adding a pop of colour can be as easy as adding a pair of velvet slippers next to your bed in a fabulous color like Lavender!

Have a beautiful evening!

xo,

me

Gathering inspiration from Garden and Sea

Hi Darlins.... 

It's officially summer as I write this post!

 Living in SoCal it seems I have to see it on my calendar for it to be official! Our seasons seem to meld in to each other...

I love to freshen up my home decor with it's beauty and welcome the season!

While vacationing in Nantucket and the Cape years ago we collected some beautiful Seas shells.

I put them away in the fall and winter, bring them out to enjoy in the summer.

 They are easy to keep clean and fresh, just a little rinse and a soft towel to pat them dry.

Having flowers year round in your home is just plain lovely. 

It's something I love to see in our home!

These pretty pink Peonies are so delicate and pretty!

 I bought these for a gathering I hosted, 

but I just might try to grow these in the garden next year!

Mixing the Garden & Sea are two elements that say welcome Summer to me!

Now onto dreaming of our summer vacation plans... 

This pretty little match book reminds me to make reservations! 

We are going to a beautiful lake in the mountains. 

We have a tradition that there is always one romantic dinner at our most favorite place,

 "Erna's Elderberry House".

A 5 star delightful French beauty in the mountains...

We discovered it on our honeymoon many years ago!

Do you have a romantic place that you like to go?

My Design tip: Gather nature's seasonal gifts and fill your vintage vases, buckets & trays full!

Displaying them on your front porch, dining table and mantles are easy, no cost ways to welcome summer into your home!

Hop over to SSO Second Shout Out for my Saturday's Designing with Vintage post and shop SSO for some vintage finds for your summer decor!

Have a beautiful first weekend of Summer!

xo,

me

Officially Summer!

Hi Darlins... 

Tomorrow 6*21* is officially the first day of Summer!

What a busy couple weeks...Social events, Graduation from Jr. High, parties

Time is flying. 

Finally booked our family vacation so now thats off my list!

Hope your having a beautiful week with gorgeous weather and lovely things to do outdoors!

This picture I took is of a couple of favorite summer things at home!

The sand dollars here were collected on a vacation in New England in Nantucket.

 Pink Peony is so pretty I bought her, haven't tried to grow them!

I haven't collected many shells here in SoCal. 

My son finds heart shaped rocks at the beach!!!

I have a decorating post for Saturday planned that won't cost a cent!

Hope you come back to visit on Sat!

xo,

me

Sculpting my rosemary

Morning...

Over the last week I began trimming all the boxwoods, roses and now the Rosemary...

Love certain parts of my garden to be sculpted... 

I know, have to... it's that preciseness that I love!

{I won't let any one else go near my topiary's with clippers}!!!

So goes the clean up!

 I do that too but I'm ok it's a workout...

The lavender in the first planter is growing quite nice now...

 It was challenging...

 This is my second round of lavender, I planted it last year and we had some hot weather and it didn't make it!

My three rosemary topiaries are nice and precise!!!

Our house smells like a rosemary stand!

I have tons of rosemary clippings...

Definitely making some delicious roasted veggies tonight with 

Have a beautiful day Darlins,

xo,

me

Home offices with Vintage elements

Good Saturday Mornin Darlins....

Interesting how a home office reflects the person who uses it...

The spaces are as different and unique as each of us.

We all use them in a manner that helps us to do our best work, in the comfort of our home.

Here are a few I curated for you to dream about today!

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Fresh & airy filled with light, Love the mingling of vintage and new!

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Pale pinks soft, simple and feminine... painted white floors, beautiful barrel ceiling!

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Maybe your office is in the kitchen! 

See... every accessory is vintage here!

 The kitchen table chopped and hung on the wall, a crib box spring on the wall, the fence post cap etc....

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This office looks like it's in a basement or loft...

 LOVE the brick exterior wall! 

This is certainly a designers office, I recognize the elements!

 There is a beloved Apple!!! 

I LOVE mine!

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A great work space. 

Love the herring bone floors, ceiling height and the salvaged work table along the wall.

 Check out the notes or stories hanging from the chandelier!

Funny... I do that too, my lamp shades have notes or photos on them!

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These are  my favorite spaces...

 I will be doing a gentlemen's space similar to this for my home...

Hopefully add a fireplace.. 

Definitely statement lighting and some family photos of us!!!

Lincoln {our new Saint} will be under the desk and Chloe {Our Tibetan Mastiff} outside under the window!!!

To have a fireplace in your office space is the absolute best... It doesn't get any better!!!

LOVE the vintage Zebra rug, oval desk and great shutters!

My Design tip: Your office space is a place that reflects you, a place to be inspired. 

Stay organized,yet have a little fun with it too! Incorporate vintage accessories that tell a story.

Read my SSO blog post for Saturday's Designing with vintage.

Hop over to Shop SECOND SHOUT OUT for everything vintage for your office, home and Lifestyle! It's fun and they have the coolest curated vintage finds from around the world. 

Visit my collection there.

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

me

Vintage Architectural Corbels very French!

My special post came...

So excited to unpack the box of vintage finds from my midwest trip a couple weeks ago!

I have one more coming but I will post when it gets here!

This one had the pretty vintage white corbels I bought at the NaDa Farm sale...

Unfortunately one had a little break on it's shipping journey. 

It is ok... I can mend it! 

Very french... with the Fleur-de-lis!

This pretty blue vintage mason jar is one of several I found at the vintage flea market... 

So reasonable, I could have bought dozens!

Roses from my garden...

Mmmm LOVE the chippy winter white paint!!!

Pretty with my silver Starfish!

Last night my friend invited me to her daughters end of the year music recital. 

 Choir and Strings, representing the elementary grades from their school in Rancho Santa Fe.

How LOVELY!!!

I must tell you that these young students were fabulous.

They sang a couple of current pop songs that were so different to hear in choir!

 I kept reminding myself that they were elementary students, Articulate and disciplined...

 Personally it was a special treat to be there and hear such beautiful and pure sweet voices! 

Talented instructors who have created a incredible music program there.

Music is so important for us all.

 A voice is a gift, which should be shared....

Have a beautiful Wednesday Darlins

xo,

me

Vintage Wood Floors

Happy Saturday!!!

Yesterday I had a little impromptu visit at my home... they are the best kind aren't they? From my friend who had her friend visiting for a girls weekend from  NoCal.  I have heard about her friend for years but never met! As I expected her friend was delightful!
They brought a bottle of wine so we sipped a little wine and i gave them a little tour of our project!

The flooring topic came about...

Re-using salvaged wood flooring or rescuing a old dated one is a way to cut down on the demand of making new wood from the trees in our forests.
There are many techniques to lay a wood floor. Depending on the style of house, you will want to find a wood that compliments it.

I thought I'd share some vintage wood flooring inspiration with you too!

This is a foyer in my home. 

These salvaged wood floors we used to have enough to complete one room. These are oak.

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L*O*V*E these reclaimed wood floors....

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These pale wood floors laid in a herringbone pattern are beautiful!

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Here is a close-up of a herringbone pattern, labor intensive but worth it!

My Design Tip: Whenever possible, try to use reclaimed wood. 

The character will be instant and it will add warmth to your space.

Hope this inspires you! 

Did you know SSO SECOND SHOUT OUT offers beautiful collections of WOOD, STONE and TILE? 

They have authentic and reclaimed materials from France, old barns in the midwest and other places from  Europe!. 

READ my whole post on Saturday's Designing with Vintage on the SSO BLOG!

Shop my store Casual Loves Elegance for vintage

Enjoy a beautiful weekend!

xo,

me