Guesting... (is that a word?)

I'm honored to have a guest post today from Arcadian Lighting.
Take it away Susi...
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Today’s guest post is from Susi, a writer for Arcadian Lighting. Founded in 2002, Arcadian Lighting started selling decorative home lighting fixtures and lamps online, and has become one of the top Internet retailers for home lighting products. Visit their website and cool blog for more information.

Rustic vintage décor is a popular trend in design right now. Natural materials like stone and reclaimed woods are mixed with vintage cabin, farmhouse and even modern styles to create the charming rustic vintage décor we're seeing in shelter magazines and on design blogs. We've pulled together some examples of retro vintage style. Have you noticed this trend? What do you think? Love? Hate? Let us know!

Image above (via) I'm So Vintage

Rustic cabin style is having a bit of a renaissance in design right now. Mixed with other styles like vintage, modern and even contemporary, rustic elements are trending hot right now. Even taxidermy.

Image above (via) Country Living

Rustic and vintage elements fill this new kitchen with charm befitting a 19^th century homestead. Recycled wood beams add a rustic feel while accessories like the hanging lantern add vintage charm.

Image above (via) Pinterest

A popular way of adding a rustic feeling to a room is by using antlers as decorative elements.  Hung on walls or displayed in cabinets, antlers add a natural element to a room. This dining room features vintage lighting as well as a vintage bookcase used as a china cabinet.

Image above (via) Pinterest

Reclaimed beams create a dramatic rustic style headboard in this bedroom. Vintage style clip wall sconces add a vintage touch to the rustic chic style room.

Image above (via) Birch and Bird

The white antler chandelier and barn doors add rustic charm to this entry. A vintage Navajo rug adds color as well as a feeling of nostalgia.

Image above (via) Country Living

Vintage and antique flea market finds and heirlooms decorate this stone and wood filled rustic cabin bedroom.  Love the painted chest at the foot of the bed that adds color to the room.

Image above (via) Flickr

Shabby chic vintage style meets rustic in this pretty bedroom.  The masculine wood feeling of the vaulted wood ceiling is offset by the feminine lines of the chandeliers.

Image above (via) Birch and Bird

It may surprise you that vintage modern can also work in a rustic style room.  This large barn style living room has an airiness that works with the clean lines vintage modern furniture and those stunning pendant lights.

Craving more of the retro vintage style? Stop by Arcadian Lighting for more inspirational design ideas.

Wow! Don't you love all those inspiring photos?

Yum.

Thanks Susi, and be sure to check them out!

Sweet Baby

My little brother (the baby of our family) and his wife are having their first baby in a few months.

My brother is one one of those freakishly talented people with an over abundance of creative skills.

I just know their baby will arrive with a camera in one hand and a mac in the other.

They are both photographers so skill with a camera is a given:-)

They don't know what they are having (so fun!) so I made them a bit of both.

Their baby shower is today and since it's in Virginia and I'm in Texas... I'm a little sad.

Needless to say, I am very excited for them! This is the last "first" baby in our family, so it's bittersweet.

 I can't wait to meet him/her in a few months!

I will share where I got all my patterns and inspirations in another post.

(By the way, they also are redoing a little old house that is amazing!

I'm hoping they will let me share some before and after photos some fine day.)

Just Between Friends

I haven't been ignoring you.

Well maybe a little.

I've actually been getting ready for Just Between Friends.
If you have kids, and they wear clothes, then this is something you need to check out!

The size varies, but our sale  is 75,000 square feet of clothes, shoes, toys, baby stuff, maternity clothes and so on.

So I've been sorting and tagging clothes for the last week to sell.

Next week I'll be back to being part time sign maker:-)

Don't forget the giveaway over at The Vintage Bricoleur!

A Giveaway To See!

So one of my favorite bloggers is also a good friend of mine that I have known...well forever.

 I was lucky enough to do get to rework her blog a little and as a favor she (they) gifted me with some incredible stuff seen in this post.

Well she has now reached 100 followers and is celebrating with a giveaway!

Be sure to stop by The Vintage Bricoleur and enter to win this sign!

You can also get 15% off at both of my Etsy stores all this week!

So start shopping at The Virginia House or Dots Creations For You!

Three Cheers For Miss Mustard Seed!

When I first started blogging then I had a few "blogging idols" if I may.

Number one was of course, The Lettered Cottage. Layla and Kevin have a way with decorating that steals my breath away and makes me want to be a kleptomaniac. Everything they do is just yum.

As I explored the blogging world more, there was an up and coming blog that often caught my eye called Miss Mustard Seed.

As time has gone by I have found Marian to be a valuable source of information.

She was my first stop when I went hunting for an art projector to help take my signs to the next level.

When it was time to slipcover this chair, where do you think I went?

Yup, she has a great video tutorial on slip covering.

So a big old shout out to her and a HUGE thank you for featuring my chair on Furniture Feature Friday.

To Market, To Market...

I admit, I got snappy-happy while shooting this sign. My apologies.

I know you're probably getting tired of seeing all these signs, but well, that's what I've been doing lately.

I'm rather in love with the way this one turned out.

I once more felt the longing to hang it on my wall and not take it down.

 I resisted.

Petersburg is an actual city in Virginia.

I have no idea if they have or have ever had a farmers market though.

 I would love to walk down the busy isles of a farmers market today, smell the fresh flowers and see the plump, juicy vegetables. Pumpkins will be out by now and musty smelling mums will light the world with their vibrant colors. A cute linen shopping bag swings carelessly from my hands. I can hear the creaking of the rusty red wagon as my oldest son pulls the other two beside me. Their giggles float into the air and mingle with the smells of fresh baked breads.

Ahhhhh.

Be back later this week...

Carrington Farms Sign & Where All These Signs Are Headed!

Here is the total reveal of my "CARRINGTON FARMS" sign that I showed you a small glance of the other day.

This sign was hard to photograph because I really had no good place to hang it.

It's pretty large too. It is 2 feet by 4 feet. I can picture it in a huge, white living room with plank walls and ceilings. In my mind it looks gorgeous.

In my mind...

In my mind this sign has been sitting in an old barn for the last 40 years. At one time it proudly stood at the end of a lane leading to its stately namesake. Horses grazed in the rolling hills around, a white fence adding to the restfulness of the scene.

As the years went by and owners came and went, the sign was replaced and the old one stashed away. It has been recently found and dusted off, ready to be restored to its former glory in your home. Reminding you of days gone by.

I wish the pictures had turned out better, but you get the point.

In case you are wondering where all these signs are going, and in case you live in Virginia...

You can find them very soon at Classic Furniture in Charlottesville, VA.

Check them out on Facebook.

As always, your feedback is appreciated. I am still honing and toning different ways of aging and so I like to hear what you think. Does it look old or just really "faux" old?

Here is one more smaller one I did a few weeks back. Would look lovely in a water closet, Loo, or good old bathroom. Oh wait, I guess those are all the same huh.

Yes, that is French. I can spell a little bit Mom.

Have a great weekend!!!

He's growing!

3 1/2 months already!

Past the baby tummy troubles and just work'n on keeping us all wrapped around his tiny little fingers!

Can't even imagine what life was like without him:-)

Goodbye....

summer.

I know summer isn't officially over, but right around this time every year something changes.

It cools off a little. (Or a lot for us since our whole summer it simmered at over 100 degrees)

The sun shifts around and falls sooner in the day.

The air gets crisper.

I feel a little sad, because as hard as I try, I can't drum up a big ol' smile at the thought of winter.

I hate being cold.

Enjoy your last few warm weeks wherever you are...

EDITED TO ADD: I know I am one of those very strange people that loves summer, heat and all!! Our summer has been one of the hottest and dryest I've seen in my 11 years of living here, but yet.... I love every bit of it!! (It helps that we have a pool to live in:-)

Catch that Clutter

One little corner of our kitchen counter is the catch all of clutter.

Mail, coupons, cell phones and chargers just sort of migrate here.

I had actually emptied the basket here.

It drives me crazy to say the least and the little basket there wasn't doing his job.

In comes this little wood caddy from Hobby Lobby (it was around $2-$3 dollars).

I think I had picked it up for some random project that never happened.

At some point I had let my 4 year old "paint" it for me.

It has not been a miracle cure, but it's doing its part to save my sanity, one piece of clutter at a time.