Happy Valentine’s Day

Hello friends! Happy Friday and Happy Valentines’s to you. I hope you are surrounded by the people you love. Hubby and I are going out for a much needed date night. Can’t wait to get all prettied up and sip a fancy cocktail.

I did splurge yesterday on a little gift to myself – this book – and I’m so pleased I did. I’ve already devoured half of it and I’m loving every page. If you were a fan of Eat, Pray, Love then you will LOVE Paris Letters by Janice Macleod. I’m so tickled with the book that I just subscribed to receive one of her magical, illustrated letters from Paris via her Etsy shop. Anyways…had to share this with you!

Okay I’m off to get ready for my date….it takes a while these days! ;)

Much love to you all,

Ivy

P.S. I’ve been doing a ton of art so I promise to share more of it next week! More vintage treasures to show you too!

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Etsy Love: Pastels

Hello lovelies! Hope your week is going well so far. I gathered up some pretty Etsy treats to get your excited for the approach of Spring. I adore Spring and pastel hues always remind me of all the beautiful flowers about to bloom and the soft sunlight peeking through the gray…

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Go make a cup of tea and enjoy browsing these lovely shops.

xo,

A few of my favorite things…French treasures

Hello all! Hope you enjoyed your weekend. I have been nursing my family back to health after an awful flu struck our home! I’m the only one who hasn’t gotten sick – somehow? Anyway, I don’t want to tempt fate so I’m just staying positive and gobbling down Vitamin C.

So, I know I don’t often write about my vintage shop on Etsy but with Valentine’s just around the corner, I thought it might be fun to share some of my favorite French treasures that I have listed right now. Taking photographs of these gorgeous objects has become such a delight for me, almost as rewarding as the hunt! Just click on the images to visit my shop and learn more about these…

I just loved finding these lovely French treasures! I hope you enjoy them too.

Have a beautiful Monday!

xo,

Around the House: Holiday Sparkle

Hi friends! How are you? It’s been quite some time since I’ve had the opportunity to share something with you! As usual, life’s been crazy but I’m happy to report that we are all getting a little more sleep (most nights) and it has greatly improved the general mood in the Newport house. Plus, it’s hard to be grumpy with all the Christmas decorations up. I do love this time of year! So let me take you on a tour of our house…who doesn’t love some holiday sparkle?

First off…welcome to our living room where we place our prized, live, Grand Fir Christmas tree. Isn’t she a beauty? I usually do this tree in soft gold, silver and touch of light blue. I crown her with sparkling branches in stead of the traditional star.

I love using my vintage items in my decorating so this antique, turquoise seltzer bottle takes center stage on the coffee table.

A frost covered forest was my inspiration for the greenery…

This beautiful, old clock dates back to the 1890’s and was found on one of my many treasure hunting trips.

Strung from the mantel with a piece of twine, hangs vintage postcards featuring birds and antique European letters.

Come through to the dining room where the winter forest theme continues…

 

A vintage printers tray is displayed on one wall filled with glimmering bits and pieces and antique French postcards…

On the kitchen table, I have featured a vintage silver bowl filled with budding paper-whites. I have always wanted to do these! Can’t wait to see them in full bloom!

A lovely, antique confiture jar from Paris holds miniature white roses. This gorgeous, rare jar is currently listed in my Etsy shop.

I may have overdone the roses…but in my opinion, you can’t have enough and they pair so well with the tarnished silver, don’t you think?

Look who couldn’t resist jumping up on the table to get into my shot – none other, than my ever curious cat – Toby…

Thanks for coming along and checking out my holiday decor. I had a blast putting everything up (with the help of the hubby)! My family gets here this week, so I may not be posting much until after Christmas. I wish you all the very best for the holidays! Thank you for all your wonderful comments and loving support! I will see you in the New Year!

xo,

Remembering Rouen

Hello there. Hope all is well with you. It’s been a long while since I got the chance to sit down and go over my pics from Paris but when my parents were here I got to do just that! Accompanied by a large mug of tea and my kitty cat on my lap, I perused the hundreds of shots from my adventure in France. Oh, Paris…there is such a sweet spot in my heart for you. Reliving those amazing days made me feel so grateful for the experience.

I wanted to share with you some of the images I captured while in the medieval city of Rouen. We caught the train from Paris in the wee hours of the morning and arrived in Rouen at 8 am to shop a flea market on the outskirts of town. After unearthing some fabulously priced French treasures, we wandered back into the city center. To our immense delight, it was absolutely beautiful and charming! A time-warp to another century with stunning architecture and wonderful boutiques and cafes.

This is the majestic Cathedral Notre-Dame, which was under restoration when we were there…such amazing Gothic architecture!

It doesn’t get much more French than this lovely bakery…

As we strolled through the main square, accordion music filled the air…thanks to this lovely lady.  We stopped a moment to listen to her robust voice and added to the euros in her hat.

Rouen is famous for it’s hand painted Faience ceramic ware that dates back to the 1600’s. This is a tradition that is still seen today…can you see the artist in the background painting away?

Here is a shot of the Gros Horlage, an astronomical clock that dates back to the 16th century.

As you can see, Rouen was a magical experience. So different to Paris, with its own history and character!

Okay, so here’s something I love…serendipity! Let me explain – a couple of months ago, I happened by a garage sale in my neighborhood. Nothing looked that interesting but then a small framed print caught my eye…it looked so familiar to me. I bought it for $2.00 and put it fondly on my desk.

I was so drawn to it, obviously it looked French but there was something else. I decided to do a little research and discovered this is in fact an etching from Rouen, depicting one of the very streets I walked down and the Church of St. Ouen in the background! It was like I was meant to have this little piece of art. Now it hangs in our entryway, so I see it everyday and remember Rouen.

Have a beautiful weekend!

xo,

The Nursery

Hello! How is everyone doing so far this week? I had a rough go at it yesterday with 5 hours of annoying “practice” contractions…ugh. Wiped me out. Luckily, I rented a wide angle lens that morning and did the nursery photo-shoot before my uterus decided to do a workout. As promised…here is Claire’s room…

As many of you know, this room is inspired by my recent trip to Paris. I have incorporated French antiques, sweet French bunnies and a color palette of soft petal pink, ivory and shades of French gray. My dear hubby built the cornice box above the crib and installed sheer panels for the canopy. The walls are painted “Atlantic Winter” by Miller Paint.

I added touches of wrought iron since you see so much of it in Paris and it contrasts nicely with all the light tones. The iron crystal lantern is from Pottery Barn and the vintage candle sconces I got from this Etsy shop.

I found this beautiful, antique French print at a local antique store. She looks so elegant in a white and gold vintage frame…

Creating these digital collages for the room was an absolute blast! I got them printed on canvas and up they went. The translation is “I love Paris in the Springtime, when hope blooms.” And of course, I had to have a photo of big sis up on Claire’s shelves…

Okay…well there you have it. The room is all ready for Baby Claire…now we just have to see when she arrives.

I will probably be taking a break from the blog for a little while…not sure when exactly but if I suddenly disappear for a bit – you will know why! I promise I won’t be too long and you know I’m gonna be all over an attempt at newborn photography!

Thank you for your continued love, support and encouragement!

xo,