A Luscious Place to Visit ~ My Petite Maison

I receive many emails asking me where I shop for my finds. I do a lot of my shopping locally, but luckily, there is a new source on the web for Antique ~ Vintage finds! The amazing Tracie of My Petite Maison Blog has opened a wonderful shoppe called . . . My Petite Maison! Tracie has a discerning eye and her style gives you an eclectic infusion of French Romance.

Tracie's beautiful on-line shop entrance.

Here are some vintage and antique items available in Tracie’s shoppe now.

Oval Hotel Key Marker 10

French Clay Marbles

French Bistro Chairs

French Skeleton Keys

Cannister Farine

To view more wonderful items in Tracie's shoppe click here.

Tracie's Blog

Here are some luscious photos of Tracie’s blog and her romantic decorating.

Click here to visit Tracie’s blog.

PORCH Magazine

Tracie is also the co-editor of the new publication PORCH. Have any of you heard of this publication? If you haven’t, click here for the details. With all of our beloved magazines changing their formats and closing their doors, this just might be the magazine fix you’re looking for.

I hope you enjoy the links! PORCH photo above is from PORCH Magazine blogspot.com

All other photos in this post were taken by and belong to Tracie of My Petite Maison. Please do not reproduce these photos without her permission. Thank you!

Missing an Old Friend

Photo © Fete et Fleur Designs

Today I heard that Mary Engelbreit will be closing the doors of her magazine publication. While I never subscribed to this magazine, I was sad at the news. I know that she and her staff put themselves wholeheartedly into this publication and I mourned for them. A few weeks ago it was Country Homes closing its doors.

This got me thinking about an old friend of mine who passed away years ago, Victoria Magazine. Do you remember her? The gorgeous photos and writings in this publication filled me with endless inspiration and peace. I had been faithful to Victoria even when I disagreed with some of the changes she made over the years. I miss her inspiration and above all the content found in her pages. I still pore over the old Victoria and let her photos and words fill my mind with beauty.

I know there is a new Victoria in town and while she is lovely in her own way, she will never be a replacement for my dear old friend.

Whisper White

When it comes to color, it is shades of creamy white, light grays and touches of barely-there pink and blue that resonate in my heart. I do love pops of hot color here and there but always against a white backdrop.

Here are some vignettes using white . . .

A pearly vintage crown with crystals

All Photos © Fete et Fleur Designs




Creamy whites mixed with crystal

Vintage velvety white flowers

This old fan from the 1920’s has become a favorite item.

Beautiful embossed silver details on the handle of the fan

Antique etched crystal aperitif glasses

The idea of living in light draws me to an ethereal color palate. When I decorate a room, light plays a huge factor. I think of how the room reflects it throughout the day and how it softens with the coming of evening.

All photos © Fete et Fleur Designs

Paper Flowers for a Romantic Valentine's

Paper . . .

I’m always intrigued by what can be made with it. I haven’t had much time to create lately with my busy schedule, but today the creative voices were speaking to me. The alluring whispers would not go away and my thoughts turned to ethereal flowers made of delicate tissue paper. I took a little time in the late afternoon to indulge them.









Right now my Hubby and I are trying to keep expenses down. Paper flowers are a wonderful and inexpensive way to decorate for Valentine’s Day.

I paid $1.49 for the tissue paper, 99¢ for the floral tape, and 50¢ for the floral wire. All this came to a grand total of $2.98 plus tax. With all these supplies I can make 30 to 50 flowers depending on the style and my stamina.




Romance at its height . . . a deep red paper flower glows against the simple white muslin.

A few years ago I went on a flower making frenzy. I gave them all away except for this rose. The links I used for the paper flowers above can be found here, here and here.

May your weekend be filled with romantic inspiration.

Gifts From the Sea

Using items formed by nature in one's decorating brings a sense of connectedness with the natural world around us. Seashells are some of my favorites to use, but I am especially fond of Mother of Pearl. Its glowing translucent quality has captured my heart.

The history of Mother of Pearl is quite interesting. Before people understood the value of a pearl, pearl producing clams were harvested not for their pearls, but for the luminescent Mother of Pearl layer inside the shell. Harvesters would actually throw away the pearls and children were known to use them as marbles! (For information source click here)

The Victorians prized seashells. They created all sorts of things from them, from calling card plates to intricate salt cellars.

This Victorian calling card plate is carved from a single large pearl producing clam.

Mother of pearl is also referred to as Nacre. Nacre is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some mollusks as an inner shell layer. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent.

Nacre is secreted by the mantle tissue of some mollusks. The nacre is continuously deposited onto the inner surface of the shell, the iridescent nacreous layer. The layers of nacre smooth the shell surface and help defend the soft tissues against parasites and damaging foreign particles by entombing them in successive layers of nacre, forming either a blister pearl attached to the interior of the shell, or a free pearl within the mantle tissues. The process is called encystation and it continues as long as the mollusk lives.

Now you know how pearls are formed! This information is cited from Wikipedia.

These salt cellars are polished to reveal their mother of pearl

Sweet Little French MOP Knives ☺ I'm not sure what their purpose is. Some have said they are letter openers, other have said they are for serving caviar. Whatever their purpose, they are wonderful.

I wanted to thank all of you who have left comments on my last several posts. My days have been super busy and it has been difficult to get back to all of you. I'll hopefully be posting soon on what I've been up to.

Hope you enjoyed the post!

The Love of French Decor

I don’t know how it started, this obsession with all things French . . .

It could be the excellence of French craftsmen or the inherent ability of every French person to create rooms that make your heart pound. Perhaps it is the color palette of the country, colors that gently remind me of beautiful morning skies in a delicious dream.

This last weekend I had the opportunity to take a trip to the wonderful Chateau Sonoma. This store imports most of its inventory from France. It can satisfy the hunger for all things French.

The photos below do not do justice to this inspiring place.

This display caught my attention. I loved the depth of the reflection in the mirror. It was as if layers and layers of beauty were opening upon another magical room in a world beyond.

This architectural piece was gorgeous in person. And the painted French metal bed next to it was creatively decorated with branches, lights, and paper flowers.







Along a wall near the back of the store were these amazing French menus. They were displayed in creamy white mattes. I won’t tell you how long I spent admiring all the different menus, but let me just say that my hubby is a saint.

Wishing you a Beautiful Weekend!

Another Wonderful Place to Visit

I was recently contacted by Lesley of Flatwoods Folk Art. Lesley has a wonderful blog dedicated to bringing you the yummiest blogs on the web. She has a keen eye and wonderful taste. Her yummy yummy list includes blogs such as:

Dawn ~ The Feathered Nest
Laetitia ~ Merveilles en Papier
Nikki ~ Nostalgia at the Stone House
Cerri ~ The Little Pink Studio

These are just some of the yummy blogs she has featured. I feel honored to be included among these amazing artists and bloggers. Thank you Lesley!

To visit Lesley’s Yummy Yummy Blogs, click on the button below.

Castles, Crowns and Cottages

I received a surprise over the holidays, one that I would like to share with you. There is a new blog on the block . . .

Introducing . . .

Castles Crowns and Cottages
The Royal Treatment

I'm proud to say that this blog belongs to my belle soeur (sister-in-law). My brother and his wife are amazing individuals. Years ago they purchased the sweetest little cottage. Over the years they have transformed it into a work of art. They have some wonderful ideas and techniques to share. I think you will love their tips for creating beautiful spaces.

Their home garden has received two first place "Gardens in Blooms" awards from their city.

Classic and beautiful this kitchen was completely remodeled by my brother and sis-in-law. My brother enjoys working with his hands and has created some gorgeous things for their home. The hood over the stove is just one of them. Sorry I don't have a better pic. I'll see if I can get them to post a photo of it on the blog.



Rich and lush is how I would describe their style. I would love to cozy up on their sofa. Maybe slip on a crown for fun! You can visit Castles Crowns and Cottages, here. I hope you enjoy!

A Shared Post

My hubby had been waiting . . . For the full post click here.