favorite whites of 2013...

At the end of last year, I shared my favorite whites of 2012.  I thought I would keep up the tradition this year with my favorite whites of 2013.

In January painting of treasures for the shop's At Home With White Show, held in April, had already begun...

February found me embellishing flour sack towels for the show...

I found these old beauties in March.  Originally intended for the show, they became keepers...

April was show time after a lot of hard work (and fun)...

In May I shared a few new treasures for my home...

I shared the treasures I filled my space with in June...

I did a little rearranging of my bedroom in July...

In August I shared my exciting news of having an article and photos featuring our At Home With White show published in Creating Vintage Charm Magazine...

Fall arrived in September and I shared my love of the little white pumpkins...

In October I turned 50 and was totally spoiled by family and friends...

I spent most of November in my studio creating for the holidays...

Finally, December was all about decking the halls...

Here's to a new year full of white inspiration!

I am so thankful to have such nice followers friends who make me smile with their kind comments and encouragement.

The friendships I have made are truly a gift I cherish.

Thank you, thank you, thank you and

Happy New Year!!

Joining City Farmhouse...thanks Jen!

that special something...

You know when you see something...

That special something that has beautiful chippy details and lots of perfect imperfections...

And you finally realize it belongs with you and you bring it home...

And then it inspires you to want to do a whole room over?

That is just what happened to me.

Oh, and peeking at everyone's beautiful, creative spaces that are being shared for Where Women Create 2012.

Maybe next year I will have my own space ready to share.

Maybe.

I am sharing with Kathleen at Faded Charm for

White Wednesday

and with Debra at Common Ground for

Vintage Inspiration Friday.

I am also going to try and post this on my new Facebook page.

Wish me luck!

Thanks for visiting!

back to vintage whites...

I am so happy you all enjoyed sharing my pretty in pink dream post yesterday!

Today for White Wednesday, I am back to dreaming in vintage whites with the help of Joanna from Design Shuffle.

She has put together a dreamy post full of vintage whites for me to share with you beginning with inspiration from my friend Sandy from My Shabby Streamside Studio.

Don't forget ~ another one of Sandy's beautiful mirrors is for sale in my booth! 

Take it away Joanna...

Hello. I’m Joanna, a writer for Design Shuffle, a premier online portal centered around interior designers and their work and design enthusiasts' interests. I stumbled across A Cottage Muse recently and fell in love with the theme of “vintage white.” Thanks for letting me share some of my favorite chippy white pieces with you today! Chipped white paint on wood and wrought iron makes for a romantic element indoors and out. Think weathered and rustic dining suites, iron daybeds and ornate mirrors. Distressed white paint is often related to the shabby chic style. Following are a few of my favorite pieces along with decorating ideas for using them.



A tiny gingerbread house is the perfect space for shabby chic furnishings such as this tall mirror and rustic Victorian shelf.



Interior doors add a nostalgic touch when left with white chipping paint and patinaed door hardware.



A distressed, rustic kitchen table is accompanied by rustic seating and a built in china hutch.



Another rustic kitchen table and lovely chippy white side chairs make for a romantic eat-in kitchen.



What’s not to love about this incredible bedroom design? The columns and ceiling, in a rustic finish, inspire many decorating ideas.



A weathered white fireplace mantel is a lovely element in a shabby chic room. The mantel would look beautiful as a headboard as well.



Chipped white paint can give a romantic element to wrought iron pieces outdoors. Love this daybed!



Weathered cabinets accompany an apron sink for storage and a place to keep toiletries. We don't often see such a wonderfully large sink in bathroom designs. The tiny windows with molding are adorable.

Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

What are your thoughts on shabby chic styling? Don't forget to check out Design Shuffle and get great inspiration from the top Boston interior designers, San Francisco interior designers and others!

Thank you so much Joanna! 

I am in love with that outdoor space and am kicking myself for passing on an old iron daybed that recently sold at the shop!

Thank you to Kathleen for hosting White Wednesday!

Most of all, thank you all for visiting today.

I have a little surprise on Friday...see you then!!

christmas in july...

I know I shouldn't complain, but it has been H.O.T.!

This little heat wave has made me think about Christmas in July...



A vintage, white Christmas in July...

images from Country Living

Sharing today with Kathleen for White Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by!

almost there...

Do you remember this post when I was trying to decide if I should go with these lovely sconces... Or these fabulous cabinet doors... The cabinet doors stayed as they filled in the space better. So many of you suggested that I use both, layering the sconces right on the doors. I thought it was a great idea but the sconces were too heavy. So with the layering look in mind I hunted for just the right accessory. One of my favorite sellers on ebay, Amy of itsallaboutjack, had these great frames with the lovely script up for auction and I won... I just love them ~ even though one of the scripts was inserted upside down! I do not think anyone will notice but me. Thank you Amy!! How do you think it looks...

I finally got to Ikea and bought another pair of drapes to match the ones in my living room... The den opens up into the living room so I thought I should have the same look and I love these curtains. Light and airy with a bit of texture to them. They are sooo long but they give you some tape to iron on to hem them to size then you just cut off the excess. I like the puddled look though. Still looking for a little something to hang above each door. See the pillow on the chair... I have been wanting to get a monogrammed pillow so when I saw this I had to get it. The "F" works for us and I figured the "X" could stand for all of us or a relative that has passed it along. Yes, my family is still laughing at me. The other monogram they had was "MO". The bin was filled with just those two, guess I missed something. The little makeover my den has been getting is almost there. My love seat was covered in a blue twill slipcover from Pottery Barn that I need to list on ebay... I bought this lighter, softer one at Bed Bath and Beyond... I got the wonderful vintage mantel mirror on ebay... Look at the shade on this vintage oil lamp... I kept my eggs out for some spring touches. I love the colors which are in the pillow too...
While I like the little cabinet I have my printer on... The desk has got to go...Look what I found to replace it... I love this! Of course it is going to get a dreamy white makeover. I am hoping that Jim will be able to do something so we have the sliding drawer for the keyboard. Just look at the detail... I am joining Faded Charm for White Wednesday today, thank you Kathleen for hosting! While I am almost there with my little den makeover I am sure I will get some more inspiration peeking at all the other posts. I know you will be inspired too! Thank you for stopping by...see you soon!