Chloe's Couture

Vintage Green Painted Dresser from Liege, Belgium

2012-01-31T03:21:00.000-08:00

We made our way up to Belgium on Friday and loaded up a 20 foot truck full of furniture! I will have to take photos of my home as it has buffets and tables and a large hutch sitting around! One of the pieces I brought back was this beautiful 3 drawer dresser. If you have seen other pieces from Liege, they all have similar carvings. I just painted a secretary from Liege and sold it last week and the carvings were nearly the same. So here are the before photos and you can see the "after" ones below this. I love how it turned out! Painted, distressed, waxed and ready to sell!

AFTER Photos

French Wine Barrels for Sale

2012-01-19T22:09:00.000-08:00

Guess what I found? 3 French Wine Barrels with the original markings from the Wine Makers and 2 of them have the year stamped on them-2006!!! Check with me for pricing or go to my FB page for details!

New Boys' Bedroom 2012

2012-01-15T22:01:00.000-08:00

I managed to find pictures of my boys' room before we did some renovations up there. This was taken after we ripped out the carpet. It is a HUGE room on the top floor. The entire top floor was a studio, however the previous owners built walls halfway up and divided the studio into 3 sections. This was the bedroom, the middle was an office and the opposite side (which is now Chloe's room) was a second living area with a bathroom.There used to be a half wall straight ahead, you can still see the slight indent in the floor, but we took that out to open the space.
Dry wall hung to close in the office space and bedroom space

Started priming the walls for new paint. I love the large windows, it makes for great ventilation!

Color on and new flooring laid! We chose to do a POLO themed room, I love all those colors for boys.
My hubby projected the image on the wall! LOVE IT! My oldest was born in 1999 and my middle son in 2004, hence the 2 polo numbers

We were given this awesome dark blue trundle bed which was perfect when it was just the 2 boys! I chose the patchwork quilt bedding in 2 different colors from Pottery barn.
These pictures above were taken about 3 years ago!! The baseboards were not finished at that point and so the rooms don't look exactly like this today, but pretty close. Just wanted to give you an idea of the space we have to work with for our built-ins this year.
So we have narrowed the choices for our boys bedroom down to 2.
Thanks to PINTEREST I have been able to find pictures to almost exactly match the look we are going for.This one below is great as it demonstrates the beds built into the slant. We want to stack the beds as above, but into the slant.

With 3 precious boys, we are looking to add a space that they can not only grow in, but enjoy!
I plan on posting pictures as we begin the process of building new beds. Since the first pictures above, we added another boy to our family, so our intention is to move my oldest into the office space upstairs (which is now a relaxing area with a tv and bookcases) and moving the 2 youngest into these built-ins! So excited. Keep checking back!

English Cabinet Circa 1920's remake

2012-01-10T13:23:00.001-08:00

So here is my latest remake. I just did my research on this piece that I knew was English, but I had no other info until this evening.

This is an English, circa 1920's mahogany cabinet. The distinguishing characteristics are the cabriole legs, claw and ball feet, fabric lined back and beautiful cornice work on the front. The key is so tiny! I thought it was a remake and then I found others on the internet with the same tiny key!

I painted it in Versaille, applied dark wax and distressed it. The hardest part was taping the front prior to painting! I love it and I am excited to put it up for sale. See the before and after photos of this piece!

After painting

Finished and ready for sale!

An upclose photo of the lock that says ENGLISH MADE. There is other engraving on it,but I can't seem to make it out.

Check out those legs and feet! Classic

Linking to Miss Mustard Seed for FFF

Old School Desk Ravamp

2012-01-05T09:30:00.001-08:00

When a friend first asked me to redo her old school desk, I was somewhat concerned about how it would look as a finished product. The etched names were not my concern, it was the large, green ink spot at the top!

Thankfully after an hour of sanding, the top actually turned out just beautiful.

I am a sucker for before and after photos, so this is a great before shot:
And.....here is the after. Painted in a mix of blues and the top was stained in Jacobean beeswax from England. I had it finished in just under 4 hrs and my friend was thrilled!

Oma's Dutch Pie Safe Remake

2012-01-04T12:46:00.001-08:00

I know that when some of you see my after pictures, you will have much preferred the original state of this piece. On this piece however, I took a risk and stepped outside the decorating box and created a piece that was "born to stand out". Sneak peek above.

This piece is so fun and unique and I am so thankful that I took a minute to have the vendor show me the inside, because that is where the real treasure lies!

You see, the inside is lined with this beautiful Dutch tile and it is all in pristine condition!
There is also a glass shelf (see in the picture it is lying on the tile). Someone also added a light, however I am not sure if I will keep it as it is not original to the piece. I guess the paint that I will add is not original either:)
It even has a drawer on the bottom!

Here is the piece just painted in Antibes Green, wow, it sure is bright!

And here is the finished piece after I heavily distressed, and only dark waxed it. I was going for that super vintage feel, like it had been tucked away in a cellar and forgotten for over 100 years. Not sure if I accomplished that look, but I like that is stands out in a color that most people are afraid to put on real wood. I don't mind trying something new. Now it is up for sale, so we shall see if someone likes it as much as I do!
I must get better at taking straight pictures, another blog thing I need to work on in 2012.

Oma's Dutch Pie Safe in Green

Linking to Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com

Come back and visit for my French remakes!

Home Improvement Goals for 2012

2012-01-03T08:57:00.001-08:00

As we look ahead to 2012, my husband and I always talk and sometimes dream about the things that we want to accomplish in our home. It is always a subject that takes much thought and prayer because when you live in a home that you don't intend on keeping for the rest of your life, you must evaluate what is the most important and which will add value to the home. As American home owners in Germany, we must be extremely cautious on how we update our home because we know that in a few years, we will probably leave this beautiful place and we don't want to break the bank before we do! All that being said, our #1 home improvement for 2012 is a Viessmann heating system with Solar Panels. This certainly won't make the home any more beautiful, but with everyone going "green" we feel we need to jump on board.

Our current heating system works just fine, however the energy efficiancy leaves much to be desired. When we put our home on the market, we want a new heating system with solar panels to be a HUGE selling point!

Now on to the dreaming of our home improvement goals. Last year we had 4 estimates for French doors that we will use to replace our 2 very large sliding doors that go from our living area onto our balcony. I love the image below, however in German homes, we have rolladens, which are amazing, but it doesn't allow of all open windows like the one below unless you have taller than a standard ceiling. The best estimate we got on a set of 2 French doors and 3 windows that resemble French doors (our current sliding doors are HUGE!) are just under 5,000 euros!!! Ouch! However, it will be triple paned and help to keep the heat in much better!
These last 2 improvements are not expensive, or atleast not like the first 2, so we will certainly be able to fit these in the budget. I am jumping on the bandwagen of board and batten. I love, love, love it! I am so excited to report that my fav home improvement store carries MDF and so once I have my measurements, all I have to do is have the great guys there cut it for me! Pictured below is a new entry way, which goes hand in hand with the b & b. LOTS of German homes have white tile throughout! Don't get me wrong, white is my most favorite color, but white tile in an entry way doesn't work for this family of 6! When we renovated our bathroom last year, we put in the tiles that resemble wood flooring and I love it! I don't want wood floor where there will be lots of wet shoes coming in from outside, but I love the look of it, so this is a great compromise! Be still me heart when I see a beautiful stone entryway, so I am still toying with that idea as well, so we shall see, but the double layer board and batten is definitely going to happen!!!

Yes, another B & B picture, but this was meant to resemble what I am going to accomplish in my downstairs area! I love the look and I like the price even better. My goal last year, was to put up beadboard, which they DO NOT carry in German or France! and I even had my friends put 10 sheets in their shipment when they were moving from Louisiana back to Germany, but the packers took it out and said according to their regulations, you can not ship "building materials" with your household goods overseas! What a bunch of bunk! I was so disappointed! So I started searching for other looks that I like and found all these images of b & b. Now that I have an air compressor for painting, I intend on investing in a nail gun! We have SOLID concrete walls in this house, so we need some power! I hope to update my blog as we start and finish these home improvement projects. My next post will be our travel goals for 2012!! That is the best type of planning by far.

We already have our British Isles Cruise booked! So excited. My parents are meeting us in South Hampton to sail this cruise! England, Ireland and Scotland! We are big cruisers and my kids LOVE it! With a large family, it is hard to go on several smaller trips without spending a fortune, so we choose to hit the highlights on a cruise ship. More on that later!

Hope you had a fantastic start to your new year! Keep dreaming big, just remember God is Bigger!

English Goodies

2011-12-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

A visit from our friends from England! Look what she brought????? Love me some chalk paint and homemade chutney!!!! Thanks Dawn!

Don' t you just love when friends come to visit? Especially around the holidays? We have some wonderful friends that live in England and they usually come to Germany after Christmas to go skiing. When they come for a visit, they bring lots of goodies from England and I wanted to share some of those on here!

Enjoying a meal shared between friends

This was the first time they met our youngest son!

Their 3 beautiful children!

Brayden and Jeremy

A box full of goodies, from Rich Christmas pudding, to clotted cream, roast and casserole to Cadbury chocolate and everything in between! We were overwhelmed!

YUM!

Oh my gosh, they walked up carrying this HUGE box of British magazines!!!! English home, 25 beautful homes and so many more!

There must be over 50 in there! YEAH

A perfect time of year to start putting new decorating ideas in place!

On a side note, we are headed back to France on Friday with a 10 foot moving truck to pick up purchases that we made last week! So excited to start painting again!

Photos from my 1st Vintage Market

2011-12-04T08:45:00.001-08:00

Here are photos from my first market "Remnants of the Past" a Vintage Holiday Market. I didn't know what to expect, but my prayer was that the people who were supposed to attend, would, and they did. We had a full house for several hours and it was an all around great day. I wish I had taken photos of my refreshment table when it was fulled and of the house when it was full. Those sweet memories will be in my heart though. I look forward to how my business goes from here! More to come no doubt.

More Vintage Market Photos and a Belgian Flea Market

2011-11-08T01:44:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I woke up early and headed to Homburg while it was still dark. Flashlight in hand, I began to scour the tables and ground for great deals and let's just say I came home with a car FULL of exciting things! Following the market, I met my hubby at HELA, the home improvement store across the street and we gathered wood and trim to build the fireplace surround pictured below. I love having a "handy" hubby who enjoys working with wood!

It turned out fantastic and it was so much fun to decorate. On Sunday morning, my oldest son and I hit the road for a FABULOUS market in Belgium-and NOT TONGEREN.

We arrived at our secret, Belgian location right after the sun rose and it was so beautiful! I like the TONGEREN flea market, don't get me wrong, but it is overpriced and Americanized and now after being here almost 7 years, we venture off the beaten path and do markets that are not generally well known and let me tell you, it PAYS off! I was told about this Belgian market by a vendor that I met at another flea market last month and he said it was a good one! He was dead on. Prices ROCKED! It was a little smaller than what I am used to, but that made it manageable and I didn't feel the pressure that"maybe I missed something". Check out my photos! I will certainly be heading back there next year!

If you come to my market in December, you will see 3 of 4 of these babies up for sale-I am keeping one!! Reclaimed Catholic school/church windows! Heart*Heart

I wanted to buy these HUGE frames so badly, but I ran out of money. 2 frames for 250 euro!!!! A steal! They were over 7 feet tall!

Beautiful castle that overlooks the city

Love this pottery barn style mirror for 10 EUROS!! I already bought 2 by this point! Crazy, awesome prices

Old kitchen table that I loved for 15 euros!

YES, can you see the 20 euro sign on it?? If my husband had been there, we would have strapped that baby on the roof! The table was GORGEOUS! I always strip the tops of my tables anyways, so that was certainly not a deterant!!

My trunk filled up! Found some La Lorraine preserve jars, old clocks, old French school posters (one of my favorite finds!) and of course the school windows, a corner chair and a very cool metal clothes basket!! Oh and 3 mirrors! A great day!!!! So my word of advise if you have been in Europe long, or if you are just getting here, don't go to the traditional markets, get off the beaten path and get yourself some real, European deals!

More Vintage Market photos and Miss Mustard Seed

2011-11-04T02:01:00.000-07:00

So I have been busy setting up trees, painting, sanding, hauling, you name and I'm doing it!!! I am so excited to open up my home for this market. More photos to come.

Other items that are going to be available are a beautiful french farm table, boudoir style dresser, children's vintage chairs, french parlor set, large 7 foot mirrors, a handbuilt fireplace surround and of course Christmas decor!!! Bring your friends and come out on 3 DECEMBER to Nanzdietschweiler!!! See flyer on previous post.

In other exciting news, my husband was back in Virginia on business and was able to meet the famous blogger MISS MUSTARD SEED. If you have never read her blog you are missing out! He took a picture with her, but I have to upload it from his blackberry! I sent along a box of German goodies because she grew up here! She so kindly wrote about me on her blog!

http://missmustardseed.com/2011/10/shopping-while-hungry-snow-speculoos/

What a thrill for me!! I invited her back to Germany for some wonderful European shopping, maybe someday she will come. Until then, keep reading her blog, she is an amazing christian and can paint the heck out of a piece of furniture!

Old barn linen by the yard! I have made several table runners for sale as well!!

Vintage Christmas Market Preview

2011-10-16T08:50:00.000-07:00

Come step back in time and shop in a winter wonderland of French/ European furnishings and holiday goods.

Refreshments will be served! Bring your friends along for a unique shopping experience.

Other items available but not limited to: A complete French bedroom set, French parlor set, French Riddling Rack (120 bottles), European table runners, vintage linens, beautifully decorated Christmas trees and plenty more!

French painted buffet, demijohns, seltzer bottles, old books, typewriter and accessories

French cabinets, dough bowls

French style rugs

French painted cabinets

Ladders, enamelare, southern French painted furniture

Assorted china sets (French-Limoges, English, Bavarian)

French grain sack pillows

German grain sack pillows

French Art

French Typography/Subway Signs

What I have been working on lately....

2011-09-27T02:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted lately, not because I don't want to share all my furniture remakes with you, but I am so busy!!!! I am going to host a "Remnants of the Past" Vintage Holiday Market in my home!!! What better way to showcase all my wares than an open house? So not only do I have lots of furniture projects to finish, I also have home projects to finish!! Ahhh!!! I still have crown molding to hang in the bathroom and I was all set to do it until I discovered that I bought the wrong pattern to match what is currently hanging! No big deal, except, I bought the one already up from my favorite home improvement store in France!!!! Thankfully we are only 25 mins from France! My sweet family and I have to make a trip there later this week because I purchased some fabulous items last week and I have to rent a truck to pick them up!!!

Anyways, here are just 2 of many projects that I have done lately. Both pieces are sold, but I really, really thought about keep both of them! The ASCP (Aubusson) bench was such a hit that I found another bench, painted it and just sold it last week. The big piece is still in my living room because the lady that bought it is waiting until the movers come to pack the rest of her house to move back Stateside, before she loads it up! It will be leaving next week:( No worries, I just bought a 7 foot buffet from France to fill its place and that one I will keep to sell at my Vintage market! Anyways, enjoy! I will be back soon. Blessings.

One of my favorite pieces thus far. Purchased in France and I just love it!

The "after" painted in ASCP (French Linen and a mix of Country Grey and Old White for the detail work).

Until next time, happy painting and bargain hunting!

Mora Clock Search

2011-07-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

The Swedish long case clock widely known as a "Mora" clock is incorrect. The Mora clock is only one style of Swedish tall case clocks. The Mora clock case was the most widely made case which originated in the town of Mora in the county of Dalarna. There are many other styles of cases for example "Morin", "Västmanland", "Värmland", "Norrbotten" and "Jämtland". All these styles are not as widely found as the Mora cases and therefore bring a higher price. In the region called Dalarna the Mora clock is widely found at auctions and in shops which can be purchased for a reasonable price. (information taken from Lone Ranger Antiques)

I read many decorating magazines and blogs and I have to come to the conclusion that I am NOT leaving Europe without a Mora Clock. I absolutely love these pieces. Our family recently returned from an amazing cruise to the Baltic and on 2 of our stops I found a few Mora clocks. The first 2 I spotted were in Helsinki, Finland. The shop had these 2 clocks and at reasonable prices, however the store was not open, I was only able to admire from the window. I took down the phone number, but was never able to reach them. Oh well, let the dreaming begin. Below are the 2 pictures that I was able to take.

The next day, we were in Stockholm, Sweden, home country to these babies!!! Love, love, loved Stockholm and we hope to return to Sweden in the future. There were several antique stores in the Gamla Stan (Old town ) and I did see 3, however they were not exactly what I was looking for and the prices were a little much, plus to find a shipper! It is always awesome to see things that you admire so much in person. This clock pictured below was 11,500 SEK (Swedish Krones, which was about $1600). Not too bad if I only liked the colors a little better.

After returning home from our trip, I started to do extensive research on finding these clocks here in Europe, which you think would be easy. That was not the case. Then I stumbled upon LONE RANGER ANTIQUES. Jeffree is an American who travels to Sweden for 3-5 months every year, buying and crating TONS of beautiful clocks and other Swedish treasures. I thought I would give it a shot and call Jeffree, who just so happened to be in Sweden. He is a great guy and was trying every shipper he knew to get me some clocks. He sent me photos from dealers where he buys his clocks and I had 3 that I was going to purchase. As seen on his website and TV time with Martha Stewart, Jeffree strips down these clocks and repaints them (most of them unless the paint is in good, original condition).

I had it all set that my husband and I were going to make the 18 hr drive to Sweden to pick up these clocks, but I was feeling very unsettled about a rush decision. You see I caught Jeffree on his tail end of being in Sweden. He would have time to strip the clocks, but not to paint them. The prices were reasonable, but I wanted to purchase clocks that I could just put in my home and not have to do any work on. By the way, I did finally get DHL to agree to ship these clocks, but at a hefty price of $1000 per clock! OUCH! Hence, why we were going to go and pick them up. Driving to Sweden was going to cost a pretty penny though and that is why I decided to back down for now.

I know Jeffree will be here next year and until then, I am going to continue to scout flea markets and antique stores around Europe for these beauties. Until then, here are a few more pictures to keep you salivating! Or atleast me.

Above 2 photos taken from http://www.swedish-clocks.com/and photo with all the mora clocks is from http://www.lonerangerantiques.com/

Polish Pottery and The Blue Beet Root

2011-06-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Our church hosted a large Polish Pottery Event yesterday to benefit our local Crisis Pregnancy Center. It was such a huge success!!! If you have never shopped for Polish pottery then you were in for a real treat! This pottery is not only beautiful, but it is so durable and functional. Andy from Andy's Ceramics in Boleslawiec came to sell his pieces.

Here are a few photos on some of the items that were for sale.

There are so many wonderful patterns and these are just the tip of the iceberg. If you are ever so priveledged to take a trip to Poland you will be in polish pottery overload. I have several different pieces from all different patterns. You can mix and match or stick to just one. The possibilities are endless.

I managed to come away with a very large salad bowl, a pitcher, an olive tray, cheese and cracker tray and a beautiful spoon that was specially made by Andy for the first 100 guests that arrived to the event!

See those long skinny trays in the middle, I bought one of those! They are olive trays that are just too adorable!

Another special treat was that Barbara from the Blue Beet Root www.bluebeetroot.com

was here to tell about how she and her husband John, moved from London to Poland and purchased this 18th century barn which is now this fabulous B & B. Check out their website for pictures of the inside!!! So many of my friend's have stayed here! I took a trip to Poland when I first arrived in Germany, but did not stay here, however I can see a stay here in the near future. If you are ever in Poland, this is the hot spot!!!

I look forward to spending some time in Poland as well. Boleslawiec is not only a pottery town, but there are well preserved castles, fabulous shopping and beautiful sites to behold. Check out www.boleslawiec.eu for all your touring needs! It is such a priviledge to live to close to so many different countries and experience their culture! Come visit Poland, you won't be disappointed.

Antique and Flea Market in Wiesbaden

2011-05-10T04:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I went to the Antik Markt and Flohmarkt in Wiesbaden. I first stopped in at the Antik Market which was just fabulous, but it was VERY expensive. The delaers knew that people would come from all over so the prices were much more than I was willing to spend. After going to many brocante shops and second hand stores in France, I couldn't bring myself to spend so much.

It was however fun to look. I love that they hold the market in the parking garage. Even though it was beautiful outside, holding it inside would bring out shoppers even if the weather was bad. I must also note that it was a little dark inside, but that didn't stop anyone from buying!

I did purchase an antique bed from 1903. You can see the photo below, it was beautiful and I sold it within a few days!!

I next stopped in at the FLOHMARKT (fleamarket) about 10 minutes away and this was a gold mine!! I had such a blast and picked up some real treausres. I seriously love this part of living in Europe. Things that you read about on blogs are right there at your fingertips. We are headed to the Frankfurt area tomorrow for 4 new shops and this weekend we have 2 markets lined up. One is an evening market-ooh how fun! More to come!

Lots of fabulous furniture!!

Love these old clocks

I purchased that same piece (the thing with the glass cone) for flowers in France for 5 euros, and I love it!! I will never sell it! Here they wanted 30!

Love that french settee

The place where I purchased my bed

Next was the Flohmarkt in the REAL parking lot

My shopping buddy!

Love this Bavarian trunk -SOLD

Old German playset

3 demijohns-SOLD

My bed from the Antik Markt

A Kosmos Brenner Milkglass lamp! These are the original makers of the oil lamp!! Keeping this one

Picked up this handpainted rocking horse for 8 euros! Love it and keeping it!

Lots of Omas vintage linens!! *heart*

More linen-a man just bought this for his wife for Mother's Day! Sweet guy

Vintage Peter Rabitt-I sold this one right in time for Easter

It was a good day!

French Vanity with AS Chalkpaint

2011-05-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

Love Missmustardseed and her inspiring blog. She introduced me to chalkpaint. Although quite pricey, it is totally worth it as there is really no prep involved in painting a piece. I have painted several pieces already and I can't wait to do more. I love how the french boudoir vanity turned out. First I started with Old White and then painted over it with Louis Blue. The vanity sold within a few days and I hope the buyer enjoys it!

Before photo of the French Boudoir Dressing table

And after........

French Market Cabinet Makeover

2011-04-15T08:44:00.001-07:00

I love living in Europe, not only for the travel but for the super great deals on furniture. Here is an example of a find that I recently purchased and remade for $20. The cabinet was 14 euros ($20) and I had all the supplies and paint aleady!!! A cheap remake, but so worth it. Enjoy!

Bathroom Renovation 2011

2011-03-31T11:43:00.001-07:00

For the past 2 months we have been sharing our guestbath on the bottom floor.

I am excited to say that our bathroom renovation is almost complete!!!

I have put together an album of our renovation from start to finish and we are excited about the change. Andreas has done a fabulous job and I look forward to the other jobs that we will hire him to do.

The bathroom was not bad before, matter of fact to most Germans, it was a nice bathroom, however not really our style. Take a look at how our bathroom went from drab to fab. Our heated towel bar is being installed tomorrow and with a few minor touch ups and accessories, our bathroom will be ready for use.

I will let the pictures speak for themselves! Enjoy!!

I do have to comment on my new built-in shelf. I found a bathroom photo in a magazine and liked it alot, so I did model my new bathroom after this photo. The magazine bathroom featured a built in shelf so waa-laa, here is my built in shelf thanks to Andreas!

I LOVE the new tile that looks like hardwood flooring! What a great invention, esp for a bathroom!

Andreas and his lovely wife installing the 80kilo glass wall!!

My husband picked out the HUGE shower head and bar, but I think it is going to be nice!

Scott and I picked out the old cabinet together and it is not 100% finished. It came with doors on the front, but he had a hard time stripping the old finish in between the cracks and grooves of the door, so we decided to paint the bottom a marble color and stain the top. I am going to hang a curtain rather than put the doors back on. I LOVE having my sink mounted on the top!!

I still have work to do on the cabinet once my beadboard arrives from AMERICA!! You can't find beadboard in Germany or in France; well atleast at the home improvement stores that we have been to, so when I found out that a friend that used to live here was coming back, I ordered 10 sheets of beadboard and had it put into her household shipment!!! So thankful for those perks!!! Also, the wall color is called Evergreen, but it looks more stone like in the container. Oh well, I actually like the color and it adds a nice contrast to the stone tiles!!

Don't you love the wires coming from the wall above the sink? We had Andreas run wiring for sconce lights, but do you think I could find any that I liked? German lights are SO ugly-no offense if you are German; I really love your country, just can't stand modern decor. We went back to France where we purchased our sconce lights for our bathroom downstairs, but they no longer carry them, so I am on the hunt. I wonder how difficult it would be to rewire some purchased from America? I like the ones in Restoration Hardware, so I guess we shall see!

We are also going to have an estimate on a new window, not sure why they put in privacy glass when this bathroom sits about 20 feet above the ground!!! Oh well, I can totally picture 2 smaller windows with some panes. One can dream right?

Vintage Treasures

2011-02-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged in a while, but having 4 children now is definitely an adjustment!

Now that I am a mom of 4, the Lord gave me a peace about quitting my job and so officially on 10 March 2011, I will be a full time stay at home MOM!!!

Living in Europe is absolutely amazing, so now cutting our income in almost half will be quite the adjustment, however, I have found a way to help make up for some of that income loss. Not only can I make a little extra money; I am finally following my dream of buying and reselling furniture as well as restoring or redoing other pieces.

We are so blessed to live just 25 minutes from the French border and so 2 of my friends and I are making regular trips to buy quality pieces at great prices. I am also shopping on German Ebay and the deals are great!!! This is my dream job and if I make money at it great, but just being able to stay home with my baby is the greatest gift a mom could ask for!!! Below are a few of my treasures from just the last 2 weeks. I have to move my inventory quickly because a lot of the pieces are large and we don't have tons of extra space for them.

I love every piece I buy and they are super quality!!

This first piece was purchased off of German Ebay and this man was selling all of his Oma's things (Grandmother's items). It was a lovey piece, but also a little sad to think that this was used so much and it has a great history behind it and now it is no longer in that family. The lady that purchased it was very excited as her grandmother had a very similar piece.

This next piece is just amazing. It actually won 3 pieces that were very similar. This large buffet, a smaller matching one and a secretary. This were made in the 1930's in a local village not to far from here and all have the original oil paintings on the doors. The lady who bought this large buffet also purchased the matching smaller one and I am keeping the secretary for now as it is just lovely and a real treasure. The piece was so large, I had to keep it in my hallway!! Again another real piece of history. Check out the beautiful barley twist on the sides.

On one of my recent buying trips I found this vintage picture of Jesus as a child. The frame was just beautiful and the picture was obviously a real find!! The man who purchased this piece was so excited to hang it on his wall!!

So today my 2 friends and I, as well as their husbands purchased some amazing deals about 2 hrs into France!!! I am just in awe of this piece below. This vintage French bookcase/display cabinet is in pristine condition. My husband did some research and this style of cabinet was made in the 1940's. Again, this is another large piece that I could just keep and if it doesn't sell, then I won't be completely heartbroken. (It was hard to take a good photo without my railing in the picture!-Sorry)

The carvings are just beautiful and the wood grain is fantastic.

The doors open so smoothly and it came with the original key-just a lovely piece!

I also purchased this smaller french buffet today. I was originally going to paint it white, since I love white painted furniture, but I thought I would try and sell it as is just to keep my pieces moving. If it doesn't sell within the next week, I will totally put my shabby chic touch on it. In my next blog post I will share my most recent German find, all painted white!!

The wood on this piece is lovely as well and it is such a functional piece!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope to get better about blogging more often, and especially sharing my new treasures. I would love to buy for antique dealers in the States at some point as we are in such a great area for finding top notch pieces at rock bottom prices!!!

Have a blessed weekend!

Christmas Markets in Europe 2010

2010-12-16T11:02:00.001-08:00

Living in Germany is so wonderful, especially when it come to experiencing the culture here. Christmas is by far one of the most wonderful times of the year, first because we are priviledged to celebrate the birth of our Savior, and secondly, we are able to celebate European style with Weihnactsmarkts (in Germany), Marché de Noël (France) and Christkindlemarkts in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and pretty much most European countries.

We have been blessed to be here for 5 Christmas seasons now and we have taken in new markets every year. We have been to ones in Belgium, all over France and Germany and one in Venice, Italy. Each one brings a new and surprising treat to the senses as you experience a little more of Europe. This year we have only done 3 so far; not because we are tired or bored, but because our family has welcomed our 6th family member (Brayden Luke Noggle born on 11 December 2010!) With me being so pregnant at the start of Christmas Market season, we didn't want to travel too far incase I went into labor. Now that Brayden is here, we plan on taking in the Valkenburg Market which takes place in the caves in Holland and maybe a few more before the season is over.

I wanted to share some pictures and you can see for yourself just how magical Christmas time is here in Europe. Our first market was to Koblenz, Germany; the 2nd was to Metz, France and our last one prior to Brayden's birth was to Rudesheim, Germany on the Rhine River. All were beautiful and unique in their own way.

Hope you enjoy the photos and if you ever come to Europe, try a winter vacation so you can experience a little slice of Heaven.

For more information on dates and times check out these websites:

www.germany-christmas-market.org.uk

www.christmasmarkets.com

Koblenz Weihnactsmarkt 2010

Andrea and the kids ready to take in Koblenz
Large Pyramid with vendors selling the famous Gluhwein in the cute, collectible mugs that I like so much!

Where we ate dinner-it was very good

Selling the famous Schneeballen (yum!)

Frohe Weihnacten

Scott and the kids enjoying the market

Selling the famous Schiwboggens that you see in all the German windows

Brats on an open fire

Koblenz 2010

Scott getting his Maronen (chestnuts)-the one main reason he enjoys these markets:)

Lovely vendors

Frohes Fest (Happy Holidays)

The kids excited to eat their Lebkuchen (gingerbread) Heart

Metz, France 2010

Unique and beautiful lights strung between the buildings down the streets

Happy Christmas; this was a Cheerful stall

All the stalls at this French market were just beautifully painted

So chic!

The colors were so vibrant and lovely

One of several carousels

Check out the beautiful lights down this street

And this street! It just kept getting more lovely

Here we are infront of the massive ferriswheel and ice skating rink

This awesome chandelier hung at the end of one street at the entrance of the town

Alot of towns light of the trunks of their trees, these were no exception standing out in bold blue

Everyone loves to ice skate

So frenchy looking, maybe b/c we are in France. Yummy potatoes

More beautiful street art!

Doesn't it look like snow? There was wiring above with sparkling stars in the netting; really neat

Ahhh, the breathtaking famous Metz Catherdral, even more magnificent all lit up!

We ate some famous french macaroons on the way home-yum!

So many lovely stalls with handicrafts

I liked this stall with the cute balcony

Rudesheim Weihnactsmarkt 2010

The sign says it all!

The kids ready for another market and just about to eat from pomme frites (french fries)

I liked all the hanging lanterns in the one section; thought it was totally Pottery Barn style!

Andrea and kids infront of the famous life size manger scene

Everyone enjoying the food and festivities

Loved this stall with a picture of the Last Supper

A beautiful building here-now a restaurant

My friend Dianna and I purchased these fur wraps! She and her family met us there for a lovely evening.

Looking down the famous "Drosselgasse"

Another beautiful building that sits right on the Rhine River bank

Give Thanks

2010-10-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

In Everything Give Thanks! 1 Thessalonians 5:18

A little bit of fall inspiration to remind us how blessed we truly are!

Vide-Greniers and Troc shopping in France

2010-09-05T03:55:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, along with 2 friends and their husbands; we drove to Thionville, France for a Vide Geniers. A vide grenier is a French flea market that takes place up and down the streets of a town or like this one, it was outside the church. Tracy hunting out treasures.
Laurie negotiating a deal.

The day was beautiful and perfect for outdoor shopping.

Parking lot filled with cars ready to sell.

Like any market, some stands are hit or miss. I did find some great treasures at this market.

Larry and Tracy looking over old military pieces.

The beautiful Hotel Royale in Thionville, the flowers were just amazing.

Following the vide greniers we stopped in at a Boulangerie for a yummy french pastry! This one was so lovely and quaint and so frenchy chic!

Lisa and Tracy enjoying their french experience.

Quick photo of me infront of all the goodies!

Looks at how divine!! And so wonderfully delicious!

This cake was just perfect looking, very expensive though!

The french version of ice cream cake.

Isn't the outside so completely classic of French charm?

Laurie and I infront of the boulangerie with the lovely flowers.

The 1st of several Troc shops that we shopped at. This one was in Yutz, France.

Furniture and dishes filled the place.

Laurie and Lisa looking at lighting.

Larry looking at the french upholstered and antique beds!

The Troc shop in Hagondange, here is where I found my french sofa and framed tapestry! My best finds for sure!

Here is a glimpse of my sofa. I am going to redo the entire thing! With Tracy's help, whose father refurbished pieces for the Smithsonian, is going to help me as he grew up doing this with his father!!! By the way, I scooped up the curvy sofa for 50 euros!! Can you picture it the way I do, covered with french linen colored fabric and antique grain sack pillows covering it?

Following 1 vide greniers and 2 troc shops, we stopped for lunch at Les 3 Brasseurs! I have been to this brewery style restaurant 3 times in Metz and I just love it!!!

Laurie in Troc shop #3 outside of Metz, (I didn't take an pictures at the 4th shop, we were tired by then as our day began at 0430!)

MY PURCHASES!!!

So I found this antique shoe molds at the vide greniers for 3 euros! Look closely, they are even stamped with PARIS!!! on each one!

At the vide greniers I found this Limoges mirror for 3 euros. The lady wouldn't go less than 5 originally, but Larry got me my second deal of the day! He travels all over the world and has learned the art of negotiation! Thanks Larry!

Do you see Limoges on the mirror?

I purchased this antique french book for 1, 50 euros. I LOVE to decorated with old books and this one had wonderful colored pictures in it and it was about a "Petite Princesse".

I love these lamps!!!! I found them at the vide greniers and the lady wanted 20 euros for both. Larry offered to try and get them for less and the lady sold them for 10 euros/both!!!! I love the sea blue shades! Not sure where I will have my hubby wire them in the house, but I just love looking at them!

My large, french antique tapestry that is framed! This tapestry is huge, it took some creative packing to get it in the car. It stands almost 4 feet tall!

Here is the tapestry in my living room. There is a small piece at the top of the frame that needs to be fixed, but it is a gorgeous piece!

Cottage Laundry Room Makeover

2010-08-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

It has been forever since I have made a post, not because I haven't wanted to, but life has just been so busy. We have been working tirelessly on our home to make improvements and to make it guest worthy. My cousin and her family came to visit and before they arrived, a fresh look throughout my house was my goal.
This post however is in regards to my laundry room. When we first moved in I painted the beadboard in white which I liked, but at the time I was on a brown/blue kick and since those are not colors I normally used in my home, I thought the laundry room would be a great place for them. I never really liked the finished products, but other projects always took priority until now.

As you can see from the first 2 photos my laundry was a mess, however it did not always look like this. I failed to take "normal" photos of the room and only thought of it after I had already started moving things around. I had tried painting the ceiling when we first moved in, but the paper on the ceiling was old and so it started to peel and of course I just left it for "another day". Also the light broke when my husband walked right under it and I never replaced that either.

I like brown and blue, but it made this room too dark.

This is the other side of the room that we stored food on wire shelves and a small drawer freezer.

After clearing the room, I started by painting everything white-my favorite color!

More white paint-thankfully the weather was fabulous, so I could leave the window open for ventilation. Here is Scott starting to grout tile.

In between my painting, Scott regrouted the floors. The tile was still in great shape, so we save no need on spending the additional money for new tiles-but now it has a lightly, fresher look.
Instead of putting in an expensive ceiling, we bought foam squares that just glued to the ceiling-cheap, easy and nice fix. I also replaced the old light with a chandelier that I had stored in my closet. I have been replacing "cheaper" Ikea lights with ones that I pick up at flea markets so this light was one that had been replaced by an antique on in my dining room.

Instead of keeping the room all white, I painted inside the frames that I had in the old laundry room a warm sage color.
More sage
The previous owners did put up this "European beadboard", however there was always this 1.5" ledge all the way around, so we used 14" (not sure the exact size) wide boards all the way around the room for a decorating ledge. We just mounted them with brackets every few feet for stability. I also reused the same brown shelves that I had previously to display all my black toile trays that I have collected over the years.

The finished room. I was still able to display all my vintage laundry wares, such as an old washboard and sewing spools. I also searched many months to find glass jars for my powder detergent. Once I found in France for 6 euros (the large one) and the other in Tongeren, Belgium for 10 euros.

I also collect old apothecary/pharmacy jars, so I figured this ledge was a great place to display them.

I added a light for evening "work", I just like the glow it leaves!

One of my favorite things in my laundry room are those 2 jars of buttons. They were my grandmothers and I remember sitting for hours at her kitchen table just looking through them.

I still have work to do on the window side of the room, however I thought this was a great place to display this very old and heavy, green stained glass window that I picked up in France for 10 euros!

My old glass detergent jars, also the box that holds my yummy fabric softener was a gift from a friend. She found it for free, but to me it is priceless.

We moved our refrigerator into our work room to give us more storage space. I wish I had more time to find a vintage cupboard, but this one serves the purpose and make a wonderful cabinet for dry food storage. I also need to finish above the window, but all in due time!

We also purchased cabinets and a countertop for the other side of the room. I can now store all paper goods easily. I hope to get cabinets above real soon and use the countertop as a sewing area.

I wish I had a great way to hide the pipes, but for now, painting them sage kind or hides them.

Well there you have it, my remade laundry room. Aside from a few more storage cabinets and a window treatment, my cottage laundry room is complete and I actually enjoy doing laundry. I find myself putting away the clothes a lot soon b/c I don't want to see baskets just sitting around filled to the top. I hope you enjoyed my little tour!!

Easter Tea in the Castle Library

2010-04-13T03:31:00.000-07:00

I feel very blessed to live in such a beautiful place where castles, old and new are common! After celebrating the resurrection of our Lord, we headed with friends to Schloss Kronberg
www.schlosshotel-kronberg.de

I was taken to this lovely place last year by some friends for an unforgettable birthday and this year I thought it would be an amazing Easter treat.

I made reservations for tea in the library, but to our excitement, we were given a private dining room to accommodate the 9 of us that attended! Noggle family, April 4, 2010 Easter Day

Vince and Tawni in the rear

My friends, Cheryl and Tawni

Chloe ready for her tea

Tawni ready for her choice of tea sandwiches

Scott having a great time, Tawni and Vince's daughter Paige is sitting to the left of Chloe.

2 yummy dessert trays were brought to the table with scones, chocolate covered fruit and many other delicacies

Trentan being silly

My handsome son Micah who is turning into be quite a Godly young man

We felt like royalty for the afternoo

Love, love, love this chandelier

Following tea, we took a stroll over the castle grounds, it was a lovely close to a lovely day!!!

1st SUPPER CLUB

2010-02-07T05:54:00.001-08:00

Our 1st Supper Club Event
February 5, 2010

A girl that I work with would talk about this Supper Club that she and he husband do with couples that her husband works with. My husband and I did something similar about 2 years ago with 4 other families, but it died out when some of them moved.
In an effort to step out of our comfort zone and get to know other couples that we don't already know, we started our own Supper Club.

Rules are simple, we meet once a month and the host/hostess home is responsible for providing the complete meal for the other 4 couples. We rotate homes and take 2 months off a year so each couple hosts once every 5 months. It can be as simple or fancy as you like. Most important-NO KIDS! We all have children, but we agreed that we need at least 1 night a month for just couples!
Since this was the 1st month, we wanted to go all out! I had purchased a William Sonoma Paris Cookbook about 18 months ago and never took it out of the box. I thought this was an appropriate time to do so. I found the recipes I wanted to make and headed for France. How convenient to live right over the border. Friday morning came and I began my preparations. I started with the Creme Brulee. I bought 16 ramekins and a torch over a year ago and never used them until Friday. The Creme Brulee (my favorite french dessert) turned out WONDERFUL and I will be making it again very soon! (This was a photo before the brown sugar was added and caramelized)

This was my table setting for the evening. Very simple. I used my milk bottles that I purchased at Comptoir de Famille (once of my favorite French stores) and placed 1 tulip in each. I had ordered beautiful hand stamped french ribbon from etsy, but it never came in:( I purchased all my silverware at a second hand shop for 1 euro a piece (score!) and I used a simple white plate/black and white damask napkin and a white bowl for salad. Simple and elegant.

I also gave each guest a cone shaped box filled with French caramels and a rocher chocolate to savor after dinner.

There were supposed to be 10 total guests, but one lady's husband was flying and another lady's husband is deployed to Iraq and she stayed home because one of her children was sick-so that left 7 for the night! Still so fun!

I purchased this old silver tray for $2 at the thrift store and used my chalkboard paint in the center. I posted the menu for everyone to see.

I still have to find a place for my mirror that used to be in my bedroom, so for the evening, I just put it on the piano and placed some small treasures on it.

My old cabinet door that I bought in Bath, England. I change up the message on a regular basis.

Ahhhh, the beautiful roller and stuffed pork loin-it turned out FABULOUS!

Scott came home from work a little early to help. Here he is placing the endive and red pepper pieces around the loin to cook.

The guests are seated and we pray and begin to eat. I was worried about all the items that we made as I NEVER cook like this, but everyone kept saying that everything was just divine! I was so pleased.

From the left there is, Michelle, Teresa, Steve, Darryl, Debra and of course Scott and myself

Michelle was having a good time and enjoyed a glass of red wine with her meal!

And here is the gang! We had a fabulous night and I can't wait until March-Darryl and Debra have graciously agreed to be the hosts!
More SC posts to follow. **Disclaimer** Earlier in the week (Monday) I was diagnosed with bacterial conjunctivitis; was treated with one medication, had an allergic reaction to it and placed on new med; the infection is gone, but the redness remained, so by the end of Friday night my eyes were burning so badly and I could barely stay focused on anything; hence why I am squinting. Glad to say that today (Sunday) is a better day! Praise God!

Happy 2010 Transformation!!!!

2010-01-15T03:06:00.000-08:00

YEAH!! My 1st entry in Show and Tell Friday with Cindy over at My Romantic Home
Check it out!

I have been trying for months to make the arrangements in our home work to accommodate more people comfortably and I think I found a solution. I got a new camera for Christmas (yeah!), but my sweet husband deleted the pictures off the camera before I had a chance to make sure that they were all saved on my computer. I had a lot of "before" the move photos; but can't seem to find many of them, so I threw in some from Christmas so you can see how the house was set up before the move! I love the change; now I am just saving my euro for some white slip covered couches, which may take awhile thanks to Dave Ramsey!

Ok, so here is our wonderful German neighbor Ida who brought the kids presents on Christmas Eve. You can see she is standing in the old dining area that comes right off the kitchen

I was testing out my new camera and shot some photos in black and white. This too is the dining area and my lovely center piece with real red roses floating in water and my German Schwinboggen in the window

This is looking in the the dining area before the move

This was my tree this year; I threw the picture in b/c I knew I wouldn't have time to do an entire post just on Christmas since it is already 15 January, 2010
I did the tree with lots of mercury glass ornaments, and silver plates with friends and family photos on them. I put TONS of real roses and baby's breath in the tree with white lights of course! It just glistened!

Months back a friend and I bought these old chippy window panes for 10 euros a piece and so I used one this Christmas season as a backdrop on my buffet and for my manger scene

This is a very strange are in my house, our living area is long and somewhat narrow and the bookcase and fireplace are in the center of it. Once I save up enough a white loveseat will sit infront of it. I was excited to fill my dough bowl from Tongeren, Belgium with sparkling silver balls and some of my favorite silver pieces.

This is looking in the old "living area". I like the space but there is not a lot of room for seating

I threw this picture in b/c I did my cabinet with all things roses on top and I liked the way it turned out.

This is looking to the right of that "living" area. I always kept my 2 winged back chairs there, but I just needed more space.

Here is my last "before" picture and before all the Christmas decor was down

Here was have the after! I moved my living room to my dining area and vice versa! It literally came to me as I was sleeping! When I woke up, I had to call my husband about the change; he could hardly contain himself! Well he went along with it and helped me move. Just because it says "Essenzimmer" Eating area on the blueprint doesn't mean I have to abide by it. I am going to take that approach from now on.
My plan is again to get some white slipcovered couches and loveseats and to get a really old shabby table that is perfect for under the chandelier. I may try and find a piece that wasn't intended to a table at all; I guess I am going on a mission to France real soon.

I love the change! I still really want to paint the beams white; or better yet, take them out, but hubby is not on board AT ALL! He says we will most likely sell back to a German family and they LOVE these beams.

Still need more seating, but the area is so much bigger than the previous living area

When summer comes, out balcony will just become and extension of our indoor living space. See that odd area again in front of the white shelves? It is hard, even now to keep the conversation flow going with such a narrow set up; but we do the best we can.

Can you tell that I love roses? I took lots of them off my tree and put them everywhere. I found a new spot for my dough bowl; atleast for a few months

Don't get me started on the fireplace. When the house was built in 1970, the slanted fireplace was all the rage. Well it is 2010 and not so cool, but we are thinking of doing it all in the faux stone and for sure getting an insert so we can seriously put off some heat and make it worth while. I did paint it khaki right before Christmas, but not sure I like it now. Looking for some small table and wooden chairs for the kids because the yellow one has to go; it does work for the little people right now.

And now looking into my new dining room! Yes, I can actually say that I have a dining room and not a dining area. Would LOVE to put white french doors on, but only in my dreams, maybe I will find curtains to accent the area.

Still working on the camera functions, so I tried to capture the light.

Ahh, that's better. My walls are khaki and my accents are silver, black and brown and I love it!

Even with the baby grand in the corner, I still have space. I will have to rearrange eventually as the door goes out to the balcony; but for the winter months it is just fine.

One of my favorite pieces b/c it is unique is my singer sewing machine wash basin that I purchased at an antique's store in Louisiana. I put a piece of glass on top so I can use it as a table. I already changed out my candy for Valentine's Day; Conversation heart and red and pink M & M's.

So I found this old glass door on the side of the road about 1 1/2 years back. I painted it white and then just randomly used it to decorate.I needed something for this area so I quickly found some of the fabric that my sister bought me for Christmas (GREAT PRESENT by the way-yards of fabric!) and I put B & W and sepia family photos with double sided tape on top! I literally did it in 5 minutes and I love it! I just need to add more photos. Off the right hand side you can see my new silver tray with black chalkboard paint on it. I found the silver tray at the thrift store for $2 and now I am going to use it as an elegant way to present my menu.

Some of my favorite silver pieces and a few roses

My buffet with some of my silver pieces and a wedding photo. I love the new damask runner that my mom bought me for Christmas from a french store in Ohio!

Last one, more silver of course, would love to find some vintage jewelry and old wedding gloves to dangle on the small tiered stand that I bought in Dinkelsbuhl, Germany (love that place!)

So there you have it! My 1 day transformation. I have touch ups to do and furniture to by, but the new set up works so much better! I will be back soon! God bless and Happy 2010!

Twilight Tea for Tammy

2009-11-20T23:31:00.001-08:00

This was our Twilight Tea for Tammy. Tammy is an amazing woman of God whose heart is so full of joy that it overflows! All who attended this tea love Tammy in their own special way and this was a night to give back to a friend who is selfless in all she does. Tammy is known for her tea. We would have "Tea at Tammy's on Thursday". It was a tradition, one that I personally looked forward to each week. Now that Tammy is gone, I am hoping to keep that tradition going. She just has a knack for something so simple as pouring a cup of tea in a beautiful, sparkling piece of china. I miss her so much; but like she so appropriately put it, our heartstrings are tied forever!

This is Lisa's lovely home! So beautiful and perfect for the occasion. Everything was lit by candlelight!

Tammy had been tirelessly working to get their home in order before the move; this tea was a surprise!!

Overwhelmed! Yeah, we pulled it off!

We all took a moment to share our "Tammy Tales" . There was not a dry eye at the table.

From left: Her daughter Sydni, Tricia, Jenn, Tammy, Dori, Tesha, Andrea, Ruth, Lisa and Olga

My new FRENCH Bed for the Guestroom

2009-10-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

My latest purchase!! I love living right over the boarder from France. Being so close allows me to purchase items such as an antique bed for insanely low prices!! This beauty is going in my guestroom. Back to France this Friday with some friends!

Another view of my new bed!

Finally Back!!!!

2009-10-19T03:58:00.000-07:00

It has been over 3+ months since I have made a post, not because I haven't been doing anything exciting, but because I have been extremely busy. I have been on many shopping trips and bought lots of neat items and gone to several flea markets too! It would take me days to update, so I will post pictures from the last market I went to at the end of September with 2 wonderful friends, Jeannette and Dianna. We drove up to Tongeren, Belgium and spent the night so we could get an early start at the flea market. I have been to this flea market before, but it was a first for my friends and we all came away with some treasures.

Jeannette, Dianna and myself inside our youth hostel room

Inside the courtyard at the cathedral

We had our picture taken with the mayor and his wife

I just liked this nook

There was a big festival for the ascension of Mary going on while we were there and the streets were lined with calla lilies hanging between the buildings.

The cathedral at night

Eating and drinking

Dessert

More from the ceremony they had on the street, the kids were singing and dancing

Loved this mirror, but didn't get it

Love these dress forms

Furniture!

Jeannette almost bought this piece, but it was HUGE!

Tons of shranks all over the place

My sole purpose for going to Tongeren was to buy a dough bowl. I found this beautiful one for 47 euros. They sell them around here for over 80 euros, so I was happy! Oh and I saw them in the new Pottery Barn catalog for $149! Score and mine has a story-straight from a European flea market!

I have been endlessly searching for glass jars large enough for my laundry detergent and I found one at the Tongeren Flea Market and the largest one, the following week at a second hand shop in France!

Our Swiss Trip

2009-07-17T13:35:00.001-07:00

It is July again, and time to take our annual trip to Switzerland for our IBC Retreat. With Interlaken, Switzerland only 4 hours aways, it is a shame we don't make it there more often. We shared a house with friends this year and the home was right along the river that separates Unterseen and Interlaken. We stayed from Sat to Sat and the retreat finished on Thursday, so we had a few days to do what we wanted. The morning session ended at noon and we didn't have our night worship service until 7pm, so we had every afternoon free. What a lovely place!

This is an aeriel view of Interlaken (meaning Lake Thun and Lake Brienz) that connect.

One day we spent in Grindelwald where we took the cable car up the mountain and we rode the rodalbahn- a summer tobaggon http://www.pfingstegg.ch/ It was so fun, we rode it 3 times each!!

On Friday we drove 1 hour and 25 mins south to Montreux for their famous International Jazz Festival! What a posh town! Montreux is right on Lake Geneva. We took a 2 hour boat cruise all around the lake, making several different stops. We watched a Jazz Group from Berkley, California perform, they were amazing. We will definitely go back next year and spend more time. I am updating this at work, so I do not have my own photos, but I wanted to update my blog since it has been over a month since me last post! Our trip was wonderful-just another reason I feel so blessed to live here!

Lake Geneva

Montreux

One of the stops was at the famous Chateau de Chillon, what a beautiful castle, built right on the Lake!

The Cotswolds-Our English Adventure

2009-06-15T01:03:00.000-07:00

Here begins our adventure to England..........

We left for England on 10 June (Wed). We usually leave early in the morning, but we left in the afternoon, the day before our vacation started. It takes about 5 hours to get from our home up to Calais, France to catch the ferry. With stops along the way, we arrived at Calais in the late evening-10pm. We had planned to stay in the car as 2 hotel rooms for a few hours of sleep was crazy. We folded all the seats down and the kids slept in the back. Scott and I reclined the front seats and we snoozed until 6am. Tons of other families were in their cars or their campers as well, so we fit right in.
So we woke up at 6:30am on Thursday morning to find out that our car won't start. We just had the car serviced, so we figured it was the battery. All the lights turned on, but the car wasn't turning over. We had run the laptop for movies so we figured that the 12 volt charger had drained some battery power. Our original sail time was at 0920, but we decided to catch the earlier one. We prayed and found someone at the P & O Ferry office to jump us and the car started! What a praise-and we were on our way!

Getting in the passport line

Driving the car up the ramp to get on the ferry

The ferry was a mini version of a cruise ship. The kids kept asking when we were going to our rooms! They had restaurants, stores, cafes, and a game room that the kids loved!

Arriving in Dover-a beautiful port!

It took us 3 hours to get from the port of Dover to our friend's house. The Johnson's live in this lovely home in Calne, Wiltshire.

This is where we stayed. The Cotswold Centre is about 25 mins from the Johnson's house. It was great. We had 3 bedrooms, a living room, eat-in kitchen, and bathroom for 10 pounds a night!!! That is correct, 10 pounds. It was not some quaint B & B, but we didn't care, it was clean and super cheap!! Thanks to Jeremy for suggesting it!

A beautiful English home

We hung out for a bit at the Johnson home before heading into Lacock for Afternoon Tea!! Beautiful! Don't you love this door? I just have to convince Scott how neat it would look on our house!

While we were there, they were filming a tv series in the town. It was really neat to see all the actors/actresses dressed up, it is a series from the Victorian Era (I forget the name).

It was a beautiful town! And the weather was perfect.

We walked around a bit before stopping for Afternoon Tea

The place was so beautiful and we sat outside for tea.

This was the inside of the tea roon

We had lovely cream tea with scones! It was fabulous!

The kids had their own table and they even had a nice juice with tea sandwiches and a gingerbread man!

Dawn and I at the entrance to the tea garden-thanks lady for a lovely afternoon!

This was the old English church in the town

Here is the stained glass window that I adored

Some parts of the Harry Potter Movie was filmed here-inside the Abbey

We went out for a yummy meal-I had traditional fish and chips-it was great! Thanks to Dawn and Jeremy for treating our family

12 June-We started off the day by driving into Bath which is about 25 mins from where we stayed. This is a picture of the coutryside overlooking Bath.

Jeremy pointed out a head of time, the train tunnel that served as the inspirations for "THOMAS the TRAIN". It looks exactly like it does in the cartoon. We also passed the house that the Rev. lives in who created Thomas, but I wan't able to get a picture as we passed too quickly.

We made it into Bath and parked. We walked through this park to get to the center. They do lots of outdoor concert here.

This Cresent of houses is very famous.

This was a beautiful English garden infront of a row house
Love this shop

Looking down the streets of Bath

Yeah! I love Cath Kidston and I got to go into my first store! It was amazing! I wanted to but a ton of stuff, but it is quite pricey. The lady that worked there was from California and she was so nice. I did get 2 samples of fabric which I will use in a picture frame. Chloe and I got matching purses, I got some tea towels and some handwash!

Their kid's are was amazing! So beautiful

The kids playing in the famous red telephone booths. I would love to buy one at auction.

We went to this FABULOUS store called Walcot. They tear down old houses, churches, buildings, etc and sell it by the pieces. It was huge! You could but anything from old bathtubs, to crown mouldings, balasters and windows and much, much more. You will see my pics below-but I did get 1 stained glass window for 17 pounds, one large window for 25 pounds and an old antique cupboard door with original hinges for 10 pounds. I saw an old fireplace surround that I could have used in my house, but I thought 3 items were enough for now! It was a great place

Loads of English items to choose from

Beautiful windows!

After eating lunch a McD's. We walked around Bath more. These are the famous "Bridge Shops" as they are built on the bridge.

More bridge shops

The cresent water fall Noggle Family in Bath June 2009

The Bath Markets is an enclosed Market place with all sorts of stores

I love the ceiling in the Bath Markets

Love this little tea shop in the Bath Markets

Here is Sally Lunn's the Oldest House in Bath

Here is the beautiful park in Bath-you had to pay to play! So we just took pictures

A beautiful church outside of the famous Roman Baths

This was the entrance into the Roman Baths. I would have loved to go in, but it was 11 pounds per person and it took about 2 hours. I think if Scott and I come back alone, we would do it!

This was taken in the famous fudge shop-and the samples were so good!

We stopped into the Jane Austen house. This man was dressed up greeting people. I die buy a poster

The Jane Austen greeter and me!

As we were walking back to the car, Scott spotted an Austen Martin (?). He loves these cars, so this pic was probably as close as Scott will ever get to driving one!

Back at the Johnson home for dinner. Dawn prepared a yummy chicken feast with greens, corn, string beans and potatos. For dessert we had lemon meringue pie. All of it was wonderful!

13 June-Dawn, Jasmine, Arian and I went out shopping for the day. We started off in their town of Calne, where we went to several charity/second hand shops. Dawn works at the British Red Cross. I got a NEXT shirt for 2 pounds.

This was another store and I got a beveled mirror in here for 1.50 pounds and a lamp shade for 2.99! Woo hoo!

Yet another charity shop that I got an old clock in for 1.25 pounds and a shirt for 2.75 pounds.

As we were driving into Swindon to shop, we passed through Wooton Bassett. Annually the town crier comes out and today was the day. So many of the people were dressed up, it was really neat, and such a beautiful town!

A man dressed up for the day

Love this store!! Couldn't afford anything, but nice to get ideas

A dream store!

Next we hit Matalan's! It is like a Target without the food! So nice. Their home decor sections was amazing. I did get 2 adorable dresses for Chloe!

Ahhh! The best store ever. Of course if you live in America, you can go to TJ Maxx, but since we have lived in Germany for 4 years, I miss this place!! It is justlike TJ Maxx, but with English wares!

Look at this hatbox aisle! I did get a Paris hatbox for the bathroom for 5.99 pounds!

This one had a Maxx cafe-so you could shop and eat! How great. I spent the most money here! I got 4 pieces of Le Creuset cookware since it was so cheap. I also got some linen spray, tea cozies, tea towels and apron and notecards. I could have filled a shopping cart that is for sure. I will be back. Oh and I got Au Lait (Swiss) handwash and lotion for 8 pounds! That stuff is usually very pricey. I am so glad we drove to England so I could load up my car!

We stopped in another small town before heading home. Here was another man dressed up in his costume for the day!

Of course, more charity shops!

Look at the man leaving the store!

Yet another charity store! I am loving all this

This was not a charity shop, but I love it! Called the Strawberry Patch and it was lovely

So girly and just my style

After a wonderful day of shopping, we went home to relieve the guys from childcare! We headed into Avebury for a drink at the pub and to see the stones. We did not go to StoneHenge as there is man who is actively practicing witchcraft out there. I did not know that StoneHenge has always been known for that-so we stayed clear. These stones in Avebury had a similar look.

More Avebury Stones

Avebury

We had drinks and chips (fries) here at the Red Lion Pub. It has an old thatched roof! So cool.

The kids enjoying their drinks

Good friends and fellowship!

We came back to the Johnson's for pizza! It was so good and we stayed up until 11:30pm just talking. We have been richly blessed by these few days in England. It was hard to say "see ya later" but we know that we will see them at Christmas if not sooner! Thanks again Johnson Fam-you are AWESOME!

14 June-Sunday-in the que (line) ready to head home

Row 175, heading up the ramp to drive onto the ferry

The white hills of Dover-this was taken from the ferry

We went over on the Pride of Calais and returned on the Pride of Dover-both similar and beautiful ferries! We will travel by ferry to England as it is so reasonable and the kids love it!

Good bye Dover for now!

My TK Maxx purchases-my Le Creuset cookware, my Paris box, Au Lait set and Paris notecards

Chloe and my matching Cath Kidston bags, my tea towels and handsoap.

More TK Maxx stuff-Cherry blossom linen spray, tea towels, apron and cozy

My charity store clock for 1.25 pounds and we did pop into the Christian book store in Calne, were you could buy used books for 10p ( a little more than 10 cents). I got this old children's hymnal!

My charity store lamp shade for 2.99. I need a really tall pencil lamp for it now

My 1.50 pound beveled mirror and the antique cupboard door that I got at Walcot's for 10 pounds. I also got this amazing old sugar bowl with the tongs built in at a charity shop in Bath for 1.75! Thanks to Dawn who pointed it out!

And finally, my 2 windows. The smaller with stained glass was 17 pounds and the bigger one with chippy white and green paint was 25 pounds!!

We certainly had a wonderful time! It has been awhile since I posted as life has been busy. I still have a whole post to do on our trip to Provence, France, but since that was 1 week long, I have tons of pictures to sort through. I am almost done with my Paris Bath and working on the boys rooms as well-so more to come! Thanks for popping in!

French Market Bathroom Redo

2009-05-16T23:15:00.001-07:00

I love France! My bathroom is about to get a makeover and I have decided to do it French-Parisian. The rest of my house is shabby chic, so I thought I would do something different. I repurposed a glass front cabinet from my son's room and now I just have to paint it.

I bought some border to cover the very "german" tile that is currently in my bathroom. Thankfully I have all white tile and a white ceiling so most of the transformation will be accessories. I will post a picture of my current bath.

Oh and what great timing to start this whole "French" thing. We are leaving on THURSDAY for Provence, France!!! EEEHHHH! I can't wait. I have printed off several markets in Nice, and all the surrounding areas! Oh yea, and I hope to come back with just 1 celebrity photo since the Cannes Film Festival will be going on while we are there. We are staying in Frejus-which is only 30 mins from Cannes.

So I searched forever to find vintage french wallboarder and I finally decided on this one:

(I like the old vintage postcards)

I purchased these french tags from Etsy this morning-I am going to use them to label my baskets with towels and other baskets with accessories

I did not buy this, but I love it-I think I can make one myself-or atleast I will try. Maybe I will find a real sign in Provence this weekend

I am going to get baskets like these at Ikea and use them for my towels and of course label them with my new labels. Would love to find vintage baskets at a market-I will be on the hunt!I like these buckets as well to put in the cabinet to hold all my medications and bathroom necessities

I love french style hooks, whether to hang a towel on, or an old burplap bag with fresh flowers-a must for any french room

I am looking for pulls like these to replace the old ones on the cabinet. I am trying to do everything at minimal cost-but I think these were a steal at $1.99 per knob!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you get discouraged

Because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints

On furniture and walls.

But every day I'm growing -

I'll be grown some day

And all those tiny handprints

Will surely fade away.

So here's a little handprint

Just so you can recall

Exactly how my fingers looked

When I was very small.

I am so thankful for my children, being a mom is the best gift on earth that I have been given.

FRIENDSHIP

2009-05-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

I thought about finding an appropriate poem to describe friendship and all that it means to me, but I decided to just speak from my heart. Even though I won't meet most of my "bloggers" in person, it is sometimes hard to bear your soul to complete strangers. I suppose it is just more humbling than anything, but Lord knows I need to be humbled.

I have never been that person who had tons and tons of friends. A lot of times and even still, my heart is broken over such things as not being the "one invited". On many occassions I will pour my heart out to my husband through tear-stained eyes, asking the questions "What is wrong with Me?" I am saying all of this because the friends I do have " I cherish and treasure". I get much joy from spending time with those that I call friends. A simple phone call lights up my world.

Last night I was blessed to have dinner with my wonderful friend Allison. Allison is a person that I have bore my heart and soul to, we have talked about everything, and I mean everything. We have laughed and we have cried. We share our joys and sorrows of work and marriage and everything in between. She is a rare and beautiful treasure and I am so thankful that the Lord put her in my life. My heart is breaking that she is leaving. We shared a fabulous meal. She went and picked lovely tulips from the blumen field just for me. Thank you again Allison for your friendship-I know that the Lord put you in my life for such a time as this!

When you have a person in your life that you can truly call as "friend" make sure that you tell that person how much you appreciate them! Love ya Allie!

Afternoon Tea in the Castle Library

2009-05-02T23:02:00.001-07:00

What is more lovely than spending the afternoon sipping tea with friends? Maybe taking the time for afternoon tea in the castle library! That is exactly what I did yesterday with 4 lovely ladies. As a surprise birthday gift for my friend Jill and myself, our other friends surprised us with afternoon tea at Schloss Kronberg (www.scholsshotel-kronberg.de). About 20 minutes past Frankfurt Airport sits this lovely castle.

Below is the entrance into the castle

The beautiful lobby

We had afternoon tea in the library

Angie and Jill selecting their finger sandwiches-they were all so wonderful!

First we started with champagne, drinks, and sandwiches, then we had our decedent scones and sweets, our tea, and then either port or sherry. We all had the PORT and it was so good.

Heather refilling on champagne

The piano player was amazing, the ambiance was so tranquil, I felt so special

At the end of the tea, we were able to take a private tour of the castle, below is one of the display cabinets in the breakfast room-the castle is amazing, you can stay at the hotel for as little as 4oo euro a night or take the exec suite for 1500 euro a night!

The ladies on the grand staircase following the tour
Andrea, Jill, Angie, Jenna and Heather

Heather, Angie, Jill, Jenna and Andrea by the fountain outside the castle

The grounds were beautiful, there is an 18 hole golf course and rose gardens-all very beautiful

Thank goodness for timers on cameras! We captured some really lovely moments.

The gals having a good time!

Even the bathroom was beautiful

It was so awesome to have someone wait on you-even just for an afternoon!

It was quite an afternoon-I feel very blessed to have friends like these-what a rare treasure! Thanks ladies!

MY NEW KITCHEN!!!!!

2009-04-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

It is finished!!!! But we can't forget where we started......

Remember where it all began? Dark cabinets and floors and a small, closed in space?

Even with the cabinets out it was still small and dark

Wow, much improved with white walls and light colored floorsAhh! The finished product. The lovely archway really opens up the space. The light colored cabinets are exactly what I have always wanted! Even though I couldn't fit the farm sink into the cabinets-I love my new sink and classy faucet!

See how the cabinets are taller? I am so happy that we chose to close them to the top with crown molding.

I think this is my favorite part-We have already used both ovens! The middle cabinet is the largest refrigerator that we could get that matches the cabinets and the bottom part is a 3 drawer freezer. The cabinet to the far right is filled from bottom to top with food-we made good use of space now that we have no walk in pantryThis is to the left of the ovens, when you look directly into the kitchen you can't see this as it is recessed about a foot back which is great since I am not completely fond of the white microwave, but for now it does the job. I like the 3 built in shelves for decorating!

We have 2 lazy susans and tons of corner cabinet space. The 3 sets of drawers below the cook top are all huge drawers that are made to look separate.

This 90 cm cooktop is amazing!! It works all by touch-no dials! It is twice the size of our old cooktop.

The large build-in spice rack is great and the hood pulls out whenever I need it for cooking or for light.

We changed the countertops to the woodgrain and I am so happy that we did! I love it with the stone tiles.Another nook that houses my fav french milk bottles. You can really see the contrast of the stone in this picture.

I purchased this antique light at a flea market when we first arrived in Germany 4 years ago! Who knew that it would go so perfect in my kitchen. We purchased the lamp shades at my favorite french home improvement store. The lights are on a dimmer and add the perfect ambiance to my new french style kitchen!

32 going on 25

2009-04-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

A picture from Katjwick Am See in Holland-just thought it was too cute!

Today I turned 32!! First of all, I want to thank all of my friends that took a moment out of their busy lives to call me-if you know me at all, you will know that I cherish a simple phone call!! I have to admit that I don't feel 32 . And most people usually tell me that I don't look a day over 25, so I am thankful for youthful aging. My family made it a good day as usual, Scott even got home from work @ 2pm:) We have been traveling a lot and will be doing more in the next few weeks so I asked them to not get me anything. The kids made cards-which all you moms know-are the BEST gifts ever!! Scott did buy me the new perfume "DREAMING" by Tommy Hilfiger-it is awesome! We had a bday party with my family before they left and when Scott's folks arrive tomorrow, I am sure we will celebrate again. Looking forward to a birthday tea on Thursday and something in the near future with some girlfriends from church. Even though birthdays aren't as exciting as they were when you were younger-it is always nice to be remembered! Vacation pictures to come soon from the past 10 days with the Malichs!

HE IS RISEN!!! He's Alive!

2009-04-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

What an awesome day for believers! Our Lord is Alive and He is Risen from the dead!
While traveling abroad while my parents were in town, we spent one lovely day in the Alsace Region in France (a must see!) It is composed of several villages, all beautifully unique. We went to 2 this past Tuesday; Molsheim and Obernai. While in Obernai (my favorite!) I captured 2 scenes that represent this glorious day. The first was a larger than life scene outside this lovely church in the cemetery. As you can see below,

Jesus is praying in the Garden of Gethsemane

And then as you gazed off to the left on the top of the hill stood this massive cross!! What a beautiful reminder of what our Lord did for us! I pray you all have a blessed Easter morn! Up from the grave He arose!

Picture taken in Obernai, France (Apr 09)