Part 4 Adding Mouldings to the Ceiling; A Wood Carved Ceiling Detail

I’m continuing with the ceiling details and it’s starting to look more impressive. I’m waiting for some more wood carved appliqués to arrive for the section between the picture rail and the cornice; I decided in the end to add more as it looked better. Apart from that I’m nearly at the end of adding the mouldings, next will be completing some paint detail. I’ll update you on whole room pictures when we’re at that stage.

In the meantime another glimpse. The room has gone from plain white like this….

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to this…

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This last section cost less than £50, and was so simple to complete (just like the frieze detail). If you dis-count drying time it took a maximum of two hours!

Paint the wood carved appliqués

As with the details between the picture rail and the cornice, pre-painting the wood carvings mean that you save yourself a lot of mess when you try and paint them in situ.

Mark where the main mouldings will go

With chalk mark where your central wood appliqués will go with crosses. As you do each one start to draw a straight line between each pair, using the spirit level.

To make the placement of the crosses easier I just took the spirit level length, about a meter long, and placed its end flush with the cornice edging. Making sure it was straight I marked the area with a cross. On the corner sections I marked the intersection of a spirit level length from the two walls.

Glue the first appliqué on

I started with one of the middle appliqués first. Place it so it’s over the centre of the cross, then line the ends of the width so they’re touching the horizontal lines. Hold the appliqué in place for about 30-60 seconds.

Glue the wood carved lengths so they start at the furthest length on the horizontal and run along the same line.

When you glue them try and get glue along the length of the length so it sticks properly, but don’t use too much so it squirts out of the sides.

Add a corner moulding

Add a corner appliqué next, but place it on a horizontal angle. As you can see below the two length appliqués have to come out of these at different angles so that they follow the chalk lines.

These is what it had started to look like.

My original intention was to add in half rounds to link the sections along the chalk line. However I started to think that the details were sufficient on their own, and adding the half rounds may have highlighted any inconsistencies in the connections. So I just continued with the details.

Continue round the room like this. Here is a close up of the title photo…

You can see it’s all starting to come together. I’m so pleased with the effectiveness and price of these wood mouldings. If you add wood appliqués in Amazon or ebay you will come up with a grand selection for any project you wish to try.

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Marian Herb Labels – Free Print Out

Have you ever heard of Mary gardens? For centuries, almost since the begining of the Church itself and especially the Middle Ages, flowers and plants have been named for and dedicated to Mary. In particular herbs have been used to represent her.  Soothing and healing herbs ones for her perfect love and mercy, bitter or sour herbs her sorrows and sweet smelling herbs her spiritual sweetness.

When we know what they represents herbs can add a spiritual dimension to our Catholic kitchens; providing an opportunity to reflect on her nature and experiences. Just like outside you can honour Our Blessed Mother in the kitchen, perhaps on the windowsill, with a mini Mary garden of small potted herbs and a Marian statue.

It was this in mind I created these Marian Herb lables for waterslide decals. Like the measurements chart, they’re super easy to do – follow the link for instructions.

You can get a print out of the labels themselves below, but there is also a part of the prayer for the blessing of herb gardens for the feast of the Assumption which I’ve also made into labels for the back. Here’s the prayer itself (of course it s only a small extract which I’ve highlighted in bold);

Our help is in the name of the Lord; 
Who hath made heaven and earth. 
A hymn, O God, becometh Thee in Sion: and a vow shall be paid to Thee in Jerusalem. 

O hear my prayer: all flesh shall come to Thee. 
The words of the wicked have prevailed over us; and Thou wilt pardon our transgressions. 
Blessed is he whom Thou hast chosen and taken to Thee: he shall dwell in Thy courts. 
We shall be filled with the good things of Thy house: holy is Thy temple, wonderful in justice. 

Hear us O God, our Savior, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and in the sea afar off. 
Thou who preparest the mountains by Thy strength, being girded with power: who troublest the depth of the sea, the noise of its waves. 
The Gentiles shall be troubled, and they that dwell in the uttermost borders shall be afraid at Thy signs: Thou shalt make the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to be joyful. 

Thou hast visited the earth, and hast plentifully watered it: Thou hast in many ways enriched it. 
The river of God is filled with water, Thou hast prepared their food: for so is its preparation. 
Fill up plentifully the stream thereof, multiply its fruits: it shall spring up and rejoice in its showers. 

Thou shalt bless the crown of the year with Thy goodness: and Thy fields shall be filled with plenty. 
The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow fat: and the hills shall be girded about with joy.
The rams of the flock are clothed, and the vales shall abound with corn: they shall shout, yea, they shall sing a hymn. 

For the Lord will give goodness; 
And our earth shall yield her fruit. 
Thou waterest the hills from Thy upper rooms. 
The earth shall be filled with the fruit of Thy works; 
Bring forth grass for cattle. 
And herb for the service of men; 
That Thou mayst bring bread out of the earth; 
And that wine may cheer the heart of man
That he may make the face cheerful with oil; 
And that bread may strengthen man’s heart. 
He sent His word and healed them; 
And delivered them from their destruction. 

Almighty, eternal God: by Thy word Thou hast created heaven, earth, and the sea, all things visible and invisible, out of nothing; Thou hast ordained that the earth bring forth plants and trees for the use of men and animals; Thou hast decreed that each germinate according to its natureand bring forth fruit in due time, and Thou hast decreed that these plants should serve not only as food but as medicine in time of sickness. We humbly pray with heart and tongue that Thou wouldst bless these various herbs and plants and in Thy mercy grant a new blessing upon those powers that Thou hast caused to be inherent in these plants. May they, therefore, be a protection against all sickness and tribulation when we use them for man and beast in Thy name whose glorious Assumption we celebrate this day. 

O God, who on this day didst raise the root of Jesse, the mother of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, to the heights of heaven, we humbly pray Thee, that by her intercession and under her protection the fruit of her womb, Thy Son, might be given to us mortal men, that by the power of Thy Son and the protection of His glorious Mother we may be disposed to our eternal salvation by these temporal gifts.

O God, who didst command the children of Israel that they should bring the sheaves of new fruits to the priest to be blessed and that they should rejoice before the Lord, graciously hear our prayers and pour forth the fullness of Thy blessing upon these fruits and herbs which we gratefully present this day before Thy altar.

Grant that, wherever they may be placed, they may be a potent means against sickness and pestilence, against the poison of serpents and the sting of poisonous animals, as also against the deceits, snares, and machinations of the devil. Grant that we may be worthy to be received with our sheaves of good works into heaven through the merits of the most Blessed Virgin.

God bless!

Marian Herb jar labelsDownload

Marian Herb labels prayerDownload

15 Little Vintage, French Country Kitchen Details

 

I’m working hard on the kitchen, so to keep me motivated I browse Pinterest (naturally). Here’s what’s catching my eye…

1. Mary

Queen of Heaven, Queen of the kitchen.

2. Enamelware

Just love it!

 

 

3. Baskets

Full of tasty, wholesome stuff.

4. Herbs

In pots. So pretty, so practical.

 

 

5. Copper

Luxurious to cook with.

 

 

 

6. Plates above chimney breasts

An inexpensive and effective decorative touch.

7. Pictures of herbs,

or botanicals. I love them. They remind me of the Practical Magic movie and that wonderful kitchen.

 

8. Labelled spice jars

I love these.

 

9. Pantry doors

If we had one, this is what I do have.

10. Vintage French Jars

Adorable.

11. Vintage storage containers

Feels like your Irish granny’s kitchen.

12. Boxes of bits

Good to organise counter tops, attractive too.

 

13. Rugs on the floor

In a kitchen!

14. Vintage cafetières

I love these! I don’t know how to use them though. But who cares, they’re so pretty!

15. Cunning ways to store your dishwasher soap

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee Table Decor When You Have Small Children

We’ve only just reached the point where we can risk having photo frames on our side tables – my youngest used to climb on the table, grab the frames and run round with them, throwing them when something else grabbed her attention. Not the best for the frames and, more importantly, for little feet if glass should break.

I’ve been putting more frames up in the last few day as I’ve started to turn my attention to the living room – using up fabric I’d bought some time ago but haven’t had the chance to use to make covers for our sofas. So as a result I thought I’d try a few photo frames and see – they’re still there, so now I’m becoming ambitious.*

I love coffee table decor – it can give a room a polished finish don’t you think? However fingers that love to touch would never be able to resist such a tempting display. To be honest I couldn’t even trust my eldest not to fiddle and break.

Yet as the living room becomes more as I’d like it to be, I sit in it in the evening with candles lit, relaxing and I long for a little grown up glamour. After all, it’s  hard to be on the beck and call of little ones all day – you find yourself somehow disappearing. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing – it’s a walk towards humility after all.

Nevertheless the girls getting older means I’m gradually regaining a sense of myself as seperate from them, and that’s a good thing too. I’ve received regular, and I have to say a little heartbreaking, reminders recently that they are growing and this precious time will not last. I’m becoming more aware that I must treasure the moments we have, without submerging myself within them, in order that I can help them develop into adults.

So – grown up glamour for time to be me, that’s family friendly. This is the tricky balance I’m trying to pull off.

At first I thought of using items that can be played with safely – but if any of you can work that I’d love to know about it. I didn’t even know where to start!

So my next idea was a set of table decor that I could put away and then take out when it was time for me to relax. Not only is this a safer option, but it means that my taking it out is a signal to myself that this now is my time. Or better still, when the hubby’s at home, our time.

My first step then was to clear a space in a cupboard to store my table decor in.

Next step, what would be stylish and suitable for using like that? Here’s a list of things I came up with….

Tray

Of course a tray, otherwise it would take much time to  be moving things around of an evening. Instead of relaxing it would be another thing to do. So whether it’s a simple wooden one, or glamorous silver one, a tray is needed.

I’ve chosen a mirrored silver tray as it’s a bit glamorous, has a little vintage vibe so suits our home and was, importantly, inexpensive so if it’s broken in all the moving around then it’s not the end of the world. You’ll find ‘inexpensive’ and ‘if it gets broken’ used a lot in this post, FYI.

Candles

One or two, these are essential for setting the mood that this is time for relaxation. It’s amazing how a simple candle can add a feelings of comfort, treasured times and evoque memories with their scents.

I love the scent of roses, so this was my first choice. I had a colourful, glitzy one in mind too, but my little tray wouldn’t hold them both with my next item. Again, it’s a case of what practical.

Flowers

I’ve chosen faux flowers due to the need to keep them in the cupboard. However a good display of silk flowers shouldn’t look tacky and adds a feminine feel.

Books

Coffee table books. Sometimes I don’t want to look at a screen, but I want to be inspired so I like to have some good decorating books around. Alternatively keep the novel you’re reading with your tray and bring it out when you’re having ‘me’ time.

My books are based on Art Nouveau decor and one on sourcing items for period homes..

Little glass coasters

As this is grown up time a coaster for a glass of wine on the weekend seems appropriate, no? The ones I have were a gift from my husband’s Aunt and Uncle and they’re not suitable for little ones. This is a perfect way to use them.

An ornament 

I’ve chosen this beautiful little horse, but when season’s change and holidays come around it will be easy to mix things up to reflect that.

You may be surprised to learn that the horse is only a resin, mass produced item made to look old. Again it’s the cheap and, well, not exactly disposable, but if it’s broken….angle.

Now, perhaps it’s time to get the wine out?

Sunday Dining Room

God bless…

Repurposed Armoire Carvings

These actually aren’t just repurposed armoire carving tops, I’ve also used some brackets from a dressing table.

Firstly the armoire top. I’d been wondering in my local brocante when I saw this amongst the furniture in the less, ahem, showy items (yep, the junky section). It’s dirty and my first thought was ‘20€, what a joke’. Off home I went. Then literally in the night it popped in my head. In fact, it was more an image of it above our bifold doors.

I still think 20€ is a lot, but I’ve researched carvings like this to do the same job and they’re at least 130€. It doesn’t seem so bad in comparison does it?

So Monday morning I was there and home it came with me (with a light fitting for our soon to be kitchen, but I’ll tell you about that later). As I was driving home I remembered the arms to a mirror from a dressing table mirror that I’d kept. I was going to use it for a different project, but my plans have changed and I’d spotted them recently making me wonder what I’d now do with them.

I was thinking about the abrupt, dead end the carving would have when I removed the side struts. My initial thought was that I could match the three together. However when I put them in place it was evident this wouldn’t work as the straight sides where too big for ends of the carving.

Looking at them again I realised that if I joined them together they might make a nice heading to the other side of the bi fold doors.

I put the carving above the doors – too big; they hit the dado rail I’d put up in the room. My mind turned to the mirror struts, but then I remembered something else. When my family and I had moved here we bought an armoire for our rented property. Long story short (unlike this one) it broke. I kept lots of bits to use elsewhere, including the top. I sought it out in the garage and, with it’s intericate, traditional carvings, it was perfect for above the door in the dining room.

So this is how we’re looking now. A large armoire top which is going in the hallway, mirror scrolls to be joined together and put above the bifold doors between the sitting room and dining room and another armoire top above the other side of those doors in the dining room.

The dining rooms colours of teal green and blush pink are being used in the doors too. I’m not going to show you a full picture of this yet, as there’s more work to be done in the dining room and the lights not good today. The next thing I’m working on in there is a possible stencilled ceiling.

Id rather gotten bored of finishing this room off, I’ve been waiting for someone to make a patters for a dolly light switch before I showed the whole room, this has ré-energised me.

35 Coffee Table Tray Vignettes To Inspire

No words, just scroll and be inspired….Enjoy!

A Treasure Still

I found this beautiful bust in a Brocante high up on a shelf. It’s incredibly heavy and you can see inside where it’s been worked in the plaster, so I think it’s an original rather than a copy from a mould.

I’d been wandering around looking for something special to fill a little spot in our home and as I walked and looked I noted things that I might come back to. But she just spoke to me in spite of her slightly distressed appearance, or maybe because of it. There was no additional thinking needed, she was the one.

As I walked with her, the weight heavy in my arms, I fell under her charm even more. The gentle blush of her cheeks, the mauve on her eyelid – she’s been exquisitely painted.

She’s obviously of the Art Nouveau period, the lilies swirling around are typical of that style. Further, the pale lavenders and pinks go beautifully with our living room.

After I’d paid for her I noticed a man look at her, then silently catch the attention of his wife and signal to her to look too. They seemed to politely watch our progress, evidently in the hope that I’d place her down somewhere. Alas for them I walked out of the brocante and placed her lovingly in the car to take home.

I was rather perturbed when I was repeatedly asked the question ‘are you going to fix it?’ No! She’s beautiful as she is. It reminds me of Shakespeare’s sonnet 116;

“Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no, it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand’ring bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.”

Love. Beauty. An objective reality pointing to the existence of the divine.

10 Details For A French Period Home

I’ve been doing some posts on some little details I’m adding to our French period home, but I thought I’d do one on other  things to introduce some French period style to your home. Some of these projects are bigger, some small, but they’re pretty much all in the affordable range – particularly if you salvage some of these things from your local flea market, eBay, charity shops etc. So here they are…

Fingerplates And Doorknobs

I’ve been doing loads of posts on these and, believe it or not, there are more to come. There are the brass doorknobs that where already in our home when we moved in, and are a staple of most period homes, which I’ve finished off with these uniquely French style fingerplates.

I’ve started to introduce vintage glass doorknobs, with Art Deco mirrored fingerplates. Also you can find these beautifully decorated porcelain ones, often labelled as Limogés porcelain.

Buying brass fingerplates new was very prohibitive – they worked out at about £20 for an Art Nouveau style one, or sometimes I could find two for the same amountof a style I didn’t like as much. The postal fee to France was excessive though. Buying vintage ones on the UK eBay site was eye wateringly expensive as well! However a quick look on French eBay revealed a whole different picture!

Also I’ve often found going to my local Brocante was far cheaper. I think this may be because a shop has physical space, so needs quicker turnover to pay their bills. Whereas thee are many people on eBay who sell these items just because they have them and as a result it creates a false pricing structure. So shop around and try different ways of buying them to make sure you keep costs down.

Armoire

Every French home needs a beautiful armoire – the  curved detailing and elegant shapes are gorgeous. Living in France they are relatively numerous; I’ve observed French fashions seem to go more towards the new unless it’s an antique piece.

When you buy a genuine French one it’s worth noting that they don’t tend to have a clothes rail, but shelves. Great if you want somewhere to store folded clothes, handbags etc. Not so great for dresses. It’s easily rectified by maintaining one shelf and inserting a curtain pole; though maybe not something you want to do with an expensive antique.

Alternatively you may pay more, but you can buy a purpose made Armoire in the UK, US etc. But, for me, just one of these beautiful pieces of furniture would be worth it.

Lightswitches

These are more a period house addition, not particularly French.

There are actually some Bakelite versions of dolly light switches in parts of the house that were evidently seen as unimportant; the garage, the attic, the old maid’s bedroom (really, there’s a little room in the attic that the maid of the doctor slept in years ago). I love them, but I really love brass versions.

I’ve actually found some of these using eBay and, like the fingerplates, they are a lot less expensive than new ones on the market and even less expensive than the reclaimed ones you can buy in the UK.

However as period style is more popular in the UK (and America I imagine) there are alternatives. I found these dolly switches pictured aboveon this site, they’re a reproduction of an original Art Nouveau design. I love it and even though I have some I’m seriously thinking about ordering just one for my dining room. Admittedly it’s a bit of a waste and it goes outside my attempts to make the house as Earth friendly as possible – but it’s just so gorgeous! It’s the delivery price again that’s giving me pause.

Marquise

I did say some of these suggestions were a little more expensive than others and, depending n where you live, this is definitely in that bracket.

I’ve actually just bought one from the French site leboncoin; a real bargain at 50€. It’s taking a little time to strip the old putty, paintwork and rust in order to replace the glass and ensure it’s protected from rusting further. However it’s still going to be a more expensive outlay as it will need to be put up professionally due to it’s weight.

It will be worth it though as I love these – they’re so typically French! I’d never seen glass porches before I started coming to France and I fell immediately in love with them. They let in light whilst providing protection from any inclement weather for you or your guests whilst you wait to get in the house. Perfect!

Shutter Holders

Since I made my front of the house decor plan I’ve changed my mind on some items. Shutters are really expensive – about 160€ per shutter, not a pair, a shutter. So 320€ per window. We have a lot of windows!

As the front of the house is shadier they’re not essential, so having bought a marquise I’ve made other plans (more on that later).

However lots of the ancient stone houses that still have them have these little shutter holders too. I adore them. You can get them on French eBay super easy and inexpensive – if you’re in another country though it’s going to come down to delivery again.

Baguette Bin

A really inexpensive addition, baguette bins are awesome! They hold your baguettes and have a little draw on the bottom to get rid of the crumbs. Kind of like a toaster draw. Love them! Haven’t got me one yet, but when we start our kitchen it’s going to be on my list!

Chandelier

Did you know each design has a name? They do. Maybe that’s another post though. They’re lovely.

Catholic Statues

One of the things I love to do is keep my out for these and collect them. Then when it’s a particular saints feast we can make a little tray display like this.

Whether you’re Catholic or not these worn, plaster devotionals are beautiful and evocative. Personally I love to have the ones that have belonged to others; it always seems to me a beautiful symbol of the eternal nature of the Church knowing that in my home is something that has probably belonged to someone who either is or are on their way to being a saint triumphant.

Decorated Plates And Soup Dishes

Again, this is more a period touch that a particular French one. They are also inexpensive. I love hanging vintage plates on the walls, and having beautiful soup dishes displayed on shelves. I haven’t actually used any yet, the girls have been too little for them, but that may be happening in the future.

Baroque Gold Mirrors

These can be really expensive – but if you find one a little damaged on the gold plaster work you can get yourself a bargain. I have and I’ve been thinking about what to do to mend mine – if it works I promise to post my method (so subscribe to get that in your feed or inbox).

My mirror isn’t up in our new house yet, I’m patiently waiting for the right place to put it. But here’s a picture of it in the old house.

Little Details

Just the door – don’t look at what’s around it (ha).

The bedroom is still a strong yellow, but I’m planning to have decorative paneling half way up the wall in this dusky pink and toning down the yellow above. But after we broke through the doorway I couldn’t resist painting the door after I did added this glad she door handle.

If you look at the other post you’ll see the door had wall paper on the paneling which actually had a fabric like mesh underneath. The only way I could completely remove it was with a heat gun – the kind you use to strip paint.

The top panel felt funny as I was working and then when I heard a cracking sound I realised why – it was a window. The other side of the door is padded and I didn’t  have a clue.

I carried on carefully working round the broken glass anyway as I remembered I had this ‘Josette’ window film from Laura Ashley tucked away. You can see in the next image the cracked glass which the film is now holding together.

The finger plate is an original, mirrored Art Deco piece and I got it from eBay along with the vintage glass handle.

I haven’t taken the other side of the door off yet so the panelling is behind the glass. It will eventually lead to a walk in wardrobe and then a bathroom if we’re able to get the plumbing in place. That’s going to take a little while yet though. In the meantime I’m loving the little vintage pieces.

What do you think?