Where We Are...

I haven't been well the past couple of days so

today, I welcomed the quiet peace that Monday's bring.

We've been expecting some wicked rain for the 

past couple of days but nothing has come. 

I like the rain but love the cloud cover!

We've had great Fall-ish weather the past week

 and LOVE the fact that we have not

 had the ac on in that time.

I would like to say that whole house fans

 are a genius invention.

We don't get too much of a breeze here like

 we did in CA so sucking in

some fresh country air has been wonderful.

I did my usual laundry (still in progress) and housekeeping

duties because I did none over the weekend.

The kitchen is full of tools and junk (not the good kind) since

my Mr. installed tile in the kitchen entry,

 pantry and laundry room. 

It's a very strange feeling to walk on real flooring!

For our tile, we went with sturdy and traditional,

porcelain slate.

I love the colors of blue, gray, taupe and a touch of black.

I was surprised I even got base in the pantry!

That is the first room in our home we have "completed".

I just need to sew some curtains for below 

the cabinets and do some 

rearranging and it'll be done, done. 

I put up my old Boutique sign for some nostalgia.

Bruce asked if I was going to change it out for

The French Pressed Home and I said no.

Black Rooster Cottage is a part of our history and 

I like it. Our home is supposed tell our story

and that, it shall.

I don't think I ever shared the iron railing into the great room from the guest room.

It still needs to be painted black and the trim painted 

with a faux treatment like I will do to the stairs once the bottom handrail is done. I might even wait to paint that until we get the tile and carpet done upstairs. 

Someday, I'll snap a photo of what I see 

while I'm lying in bed.

I can see all the way to the kitchen and 

I love the depth to that view. 

Here's one of the shutters I had 

Bruce hang in the dining room.

I LOVE the chippy paint and it 

lends a sense of Old World to the room.

And yes, I purposely left the construction mess 

in the pictures. 

I am in love with the great room right now. 

Probably because of its cozy feel.

I am looking forward to using the fireplace again.

And that's about it!

We are getting closer to the interior end. 

The new kitchen cabinets came in today so as I type,

they are being constructed for install.

Yeah, I'm still in disbelief myself. I've managed to survive on a table turned island

and no garbage disposal for over a year! 

Life is good and keeps getting better.

Wishing you all the best!

Picking a Birthday

If you are a mom (or dad), and you were 

planning your child(ren), did you

look at the calendar and count ahead 9 months or

 have an idea of when you would like your

child to arrive via The Stork?

 

I have a confession. 

I pulled my calendar out a couple of days ago

 and started counting months.

Babies are just, just, just SO cute!

It's been a while since we had babies in the house and my

maternal urge is at it again.

This time though, I'm having my babies 

delivered via the Post Office.

The Stork brought twins last time so 

I'm "playing it safe" this time around.

And if you don't already think I'm crazy... 

I'm going for Octuplets!

I even picked their sex and DNA!

Oh, the pluses of modern science and

the convenience of mail order.

I'm expecting around my birthday (early, early December).

Here are the features I chose for my girls...

2 Black Australorps

2 Barred Rocks

2 Buff Orpingtons

1 Ruby the Redhead (Rhode Island Red)

1 Silver Laced Wyandotte

I was hoping for some 

Blue Cochins

 or Blue Copper Marans

or a lovely Lavender Orpington,

but they aren't on the availability list to order right now.

There's always next Spring, though!

*Images of chickens via Meyer Hatchery

A Southern Belle

I stumbled upon this amazingly sweet Victorian

and had to share. 

The home was built in 1878 and has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.

I'd love to see the inside. I bet it is just as sweet.

I am mesmerized by the gingerbread around it. 

She wears it like a crown.  Just beautiful!

Hmm... I know a house that has a roof pitch like that. ;)

{I've already found a vendor that carries such things}

Here's the "barn"...

A wonderful crunchy driveway...

A cute little guest house...

And, the orchard... Oh! Could you imagine horseback riding through that? I can! 

All this and there's a green house and a root cellar, to boot.

This beautiful Southern Belle has given me some inspiration for 

home and garden.  

With Fall coming quickly, I'll be busy penciling my ideas because

we are gonna have a lot of holes to dig!

Stay cool everyone. It won't be long!

Oh, yes!

I had a fabulous week!

There is nothing more motivating than getting a phone call (two actually)

to ask about some products I used to make for Black Rooster Cottage.

Our food display stands

Rustic Farmhouse Frames and Prints

Last weekend, The Vintage Marketplace in Southern California hosted 

their Summer show where I was a vendor when we lived there.

 It is such a magical place and I sorely miss being a part of it. 

 It's been a while since I've gotten any calls about Black Rooster Cottage, but I did this week!

I guess it pays to be lazy about changing my phone number. 

Do I change it or keep it? 

{I probably need to get a local number. All of AL is a 334 area code

so many people think they're getting calls from Timbuktu when I call local.}

But my excitement stems from the timing of these calls. 

After putting my stuff to the side to focus on the house and getting it 

ready for company and working with the Mr. on his job, 

 I kinda lost hope that it was ever going to happen. 

Then I fed that and convinced myself that the dining room

table wasn't good enough to work off of,

therefore, extending the start of The French Pressed Home.

French Inspired Tea Towels

Burlap Pillows

Custom Ordered Work

Well, those phone calls put the boot to the bum and 

said, "GET TO IT, SISTER!!"

So, I did and I am!

I got my business license yesterday.

I GOT MY BUSINESS LICENSE YESTERDAY!!!!

The French Pressed Home online Boutique will be open for business,

October 1, 2014.

I am very happy to be taking this step because I know my ultimate 

dream is just right down the road. 

Cupcake Christmas Party at Granny's Space 17

It's just the beginning and I will keep you posted, for sure!

Happy weekend, Friends! xo

The Greatest....

Letdown. Ever. Ever. EVER.

As you know, our home is a little bit French and a whole lotta Country.

Well, I found the most incredible piece that was a whole lotta French

that would transform our great room into a GREAT room.

I found a very ornate mirrored armoire on CR and fell in love.

I had always dreamed of having such a piece and figured I would

never have one because they would possibly always be out of our price range.

Well, I kept my eye this one for about a week {the price was doable} and had heart to hearts about it with the Mr. over coffee, tea and beer. He finally gave in. 

Then she dropped the price.

YIPPEECAYAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!

I cannot lie; I was excited to see the house this thing was in, too!

I kept checking on my new French armoire every morning, 

making sure it was still there for me.

Finally, I made the call.

I asked many questions especially about any other flaws that were not shown in the picture.

All she said was, "With a piece like this, of course there's going to be some wear for its age and the trip it made across the seas. And it's been moved three times since I've owned it but the movers have never had any issues". I agreed and said I love a little bit of wearing because it makes the piece

unique and it tells its story. 

 Well, that should have been a warning sign.

She had let me know that a gentleman was scheduled to purchase it Saturday morning

at 10am. If I truly wanted it, we'd have to go prior to that.

We did. Cash in hand. Driving almost 2 hours, one way, to buy my fabulous

armoire.

There she was!

The most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

As we got closer, we realized this thing had been through the 

wringer recently.

They had completely ruined this hand carved, one of a kind, armoire.

We counted 25 drywall screws drilled from the outside all along the sides, top

and bottom {none on the face, of course}, "holding" this thing together.

Oh. My. Goodness.

We couldn't believe it.

I love it when someone offers a suggestion on how to hide them.

"You could put a plant on top and drape it over the sides to hide

those screws."

Umm... NO. I cannot. 

The Mr. and I discussed how to repair such idiocy

and there is no viable way to do it. 

If my Mr. can't come up with a solution,

there probably isn't one.

I let the woman know how heart breaking it was to see this.

She acted like she didn't know about it then

proceeded to say she thinks she knows who did it.

We passed.

We also suggested to her that she call the man coming 

from out of State (if there were such a man) and let him 

know what was "found" and send him some pictures 

as not to waste his time.

Talk about a deflation.

And this piece was definitely NOT in the house shown!

Well, the drive was gorgeous, I got to spend some quiet time with my husband

and we stopped at a few Antiques stores along the way home so it wasn't a total loss.

Some day, I'll have my beautiful armoire. 

Blog Tour

I would like to say Thank You to 

Miss. Tina {What We Keep} for inviting

The French Pressed Home to be a part of this fun blog tour.

I don't feel worthy! 

Lately, my pictures {and content} have been lacking

especially since I've been camera-less and my hands have been stuck to caulking guns and paint brushes.

Thank you Tina.

You have become one of my Blog Author BF's!

I love a girl with some SASS!

 Okay, let's do this!

1. What am I working on?

Lately, it's been the house.

Before...

Last year we bought our fixer that was a 

2 bedroom, 2.5 bath and have converted it

to a 4 bedroom, 3 full bath without adding square footage

{I know a guy that performs miracles like that}.

Currently...

It's been a long renovation year but I see light

at the end of the tunnel!

It won't be long before the remainder 

of the house is complete.

When we order flooring,

then I'll know it's almost time to relax and enjoy.

I am also working on (re)launching my business

since closing it before we moved.

I have had the hardest time making a decision

 between a Brick and Mortar 

{The cutest store in town}

 or working from home, doing

juried shows and planning for the next phase.

The latter of the two has won out.

It has taken longer than anticipated but there's been this big thing called THE HOUSE that has taken over my creative hands lately.

In the near future we will be building a studio in the back 40

{a glorified shed} so I have a place to work.

It'll be going behind the clothesline with a view to the woods.

My business boxes have yet to be opened since

packing them over a year ago.

How sad is that?!

Since my boys have started school, my hands have become extremely itchy!

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I think I am a little different because I am not a

 Shabby Whites kind of girl.

I LOVE Shabby but am drawn to the "dark" side.

I love French. 

I love to paint furniture black. 

A room full of black is a turn off but

if you have just that one piece... WOW!

{Yes, I did this!}

I'm a Toile fanatic but in controlled doses.

I like refined but worn.

Country living with a French twist

is my favorite style. 

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

My blog started as a creative outlet. When I lived in CA,

I loved to blog about places to see and shop. I blogged about

upcoming shows, Barn Sales, what I was working on and sharing my home.

In the past year, it's been mostly about the renovation on the house and a little bit about where we live.

It will evolve to something more and now that I have 

uninterrupted time, I can focus and hone my skills, both writing and photographing.

I love doing what I do because I love pretty things.

Not just things, I like creating comfortable places that make

you want to sit and stay a while. 

4. How does your writing/ creating process work?

Writing: By my mood.

I am a sassy pants by nature.

In my writing, I will throw some 

tongue-in-cheek in there because there's nothing

greater than making someone laugh, chuckle or smile.

Some people don't get my sense of humor

but that's okay, I can be serious when need be.

Creatively: I am inspired by the European way of life.

 Visiting the Countryside of Italy really did me in.

Moving to the South {for me} is the closest thing to 

living off the land and hanging on to things from the past.

I am inspired by the history of the old homes we live among,

the history of our Country and being able to see and touch

all of that. 

{This is where the Bonnie Plant farm started!}

We didn't have so much of this kind of history, 

living in CA.

There's nothing quite as inspiring than rubbing your hands on a piece of architecture that is crackled from years 

of weathering and layers of paint. 

I am not lying when I say it is breathtaking being here.

There's a huge difference between reading about something

and standing before it and feeling it. 

Now that's enough about me!

I had a heckuva time trying to find willing participants to continue the tour but I finally got one taker!

Meet Teresa {and Sophie} from

1800 Farmhouse Rd.

Teresa and I have been blog buddies for a long

time and her decorating is over the top!

Sophie is her little cutie that loves to steal the show.

Here's a little taste of 1800 Farmhouse Rd

How inspiring now that September is here,

don't ya think?