How To; Door Mouldings and Details

I’ve had a terrible chest infection, it’s something I’ve been susceptible to since forever, but this one has been very hard to shift. It still lingers, but I’m starting to be able to join the land of the living -even if I limp away after short periods of time.

However as it’s the feast of the Sacred Heart today I thought I’d give you an update on the hallway, with its dedication to the Sacred Heart, and in particular the doorways that I’ve painted. The hallway isn’t finished so you’ll see some snags in the paintwork amongst other things which I’ll touch up prior to those final details.

The doors originally looked like this…

I’d already added the vintage fingerplates and I knew I’d paint and gild the doors as I did in the dining room, but as you can see from these picture I’ve also added a feature on the top….

These were wood mouldings bought here that I didn’t painted gold. They tie in with the wood carving over thee main door. Those of you who read the blog at that time will remember that I’d bought this old top from an armour and put it above the door (the post is here).

As you can see I’ve highlighted this in gold too. I’m considering hand painting some roses in the panel that is bare as I did with my secrétaire. When I have more energy I’ll get to it.

On the doors you can see I’ve filled the gaps between the armoir carving with these wood mouldings bought here and spray painted gold.

You can also see that I’ve added additional flourish mouldings bought here and, again, spray painted gold. I’ve also highlighted details on the door in gold too. I did this as these doors are original Art Deco, which would be great in a more modern scheme but doesn’t really go with this. I took a chance that the details would bring it in line with the rest of the room and I think they’ve worked.

Previously I’ve given how tos on the panelling (here and here) but these were literally paint, glue them on and then repaint any details that need it. I haven’t done that last part yet due to my illness and you can see that when I remove the masking tape a little extra gold and blue came with it. It will be done.

You can see the little, porcelain door handle that used to be in the dining room that I’ve now moved here as I thought they went so well with the decor theme and colours.

I gave you a sneak peak of the marble relief picture, but here it is in more detail…

You’ll notice I’ve used the picture rail. The picture is so heavy I’d taken it down for fear of it dropping and smashing. I’d ordered the wire and picture rail hooks from here and here and it had taken some time to get to France (I hadn’t seen an equivalent here). They’re the brace to the belt of the picture hook and eye system that I’d already used. I’m a little more confident now that it will remain there.

The Queen Anne chair has been pictured on both sides of the room as shortly after I took the photos my husband came in and complained about its position. He thought that as it was just in front of the door it was an inconvenience. So I moved it to the other side.

Here’s a close up of the ceramic umbrella stand which is an original Art Deco piece and suits the colouring of the room superbly. I think it mimics the central chandelier with its pink candle cap light shades and the ceiling rose that reflects the stained glass design I made (see here).

In these shots you can see the cornice I’ve added and, unfortunately, the unfinished side panels. The one drawback of ordering the wood carvings from China is that they take soooooo long getting here and I’m waiting for two more pieces.

I was going to add some more wood carvings on the ceiling and above the picture rail, but it looks ‘enough’ now, and I don’t want to spoil it by adding more. Some of them have already arrived and I think I’ll use them in the dining room where I’d intended to do something similar.

What I am also waiting for is some crystal droplets to arrive for the chandelier – I’ll post with the other details as well as one more little thing I want to add.

So I moved the chair on the other side. I covered this about three years ago and had considered recovering it in gold damask as I have some material upstairs just waiting to be used. However seeing it here I’m not so sure I’ll rush into that.

Here’s a reverse shot of the chair. I’ve always loved the rose pattern on the reverse of the chair. I think the umbrella stand looks good here too.

Above the radiator, which I’ve spray painted pale blue along with the gold shelf, are some old dress design prints. One is from a collection in 1914….

or season one Downton, and the other is from 1922….

Now is that season three or four? Doesn’t the old telephone suit them?

Anyway I think they’re beautiful and the black and gold seems to tone down the cutesy girliness of the room as does, I hope, the muted pink and taupe.

I’ve replaced the photos of my great grandmothers, again. Whenever I decorate a new room they are ceremonially moved into it it seems.

Here’s a close up of that beautiful clock. I haven’t even tried to get it going yet. I don’t think it has a key. I know I won’t be winding it up every day so why fuss?

Finally here’s a close up of my Sacred Heart statue. I’ve added some tea light holders and flowers so it doesn’t look so bare as before. I’m dedicating all my family to Him anew today. Are you?

Little Details In The Hallway

I haven’t been posting or even reading other blogs as I’ve been hard at it trying to complete the front hallway.

Do you remember when I said I was only going to do a little bit at a time? Ha! I’ve put up a cornice, a picture rail, painted it, added details to the doors….I’m aching 😩, but now it’s taking shape and I’m so happy and excited 🤩.

With lots more to do I thought I’d take the time to share these little glimpses of how it’s taking shape.

Here are my beautiful, vintage Sacred Heart if Jesus and Mary statues on a gold shelf…

Without intending to it seems that the décore of the hallway compliments them beautifully.

This relief is marble and incredibly heavy. I bought the little lights when we first started coming to France. As I dreamed of living here I tucked them away. Now they’re on our wall!

This Art Nouveau holy water fountain is perfect here isn’t it? It’s in pewter and compliments the doors superbly. As you can see I’ve yet to finish the first set of panels as I’m waiting for some more pieces.

I’ll post on the details I’ve added to the doors soon.

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

Painted Doors

I know there’s has been a lot of decor posts lately – I feel like I’ve been living in between Church feasts, but I am starting to look toward All Saints and All Souls in terms of decorations I want to craft and share. In the meantime though I’ve been finishing off the dining room as well as doing some upholstery in the living room.

So I thought I’d share this quick post that shows you the full dining room doors (the close up off the salvaged carving above the bi-fold doors you can find here). Here’s the painted bi-fold doors….

I love the slight gold highlight and the colour makes the handle stand out beautifully. The bolts I’ve just spray painted gold as they’d been painted white previously.

The latch is actually a modern one that I bought here; it wasn’t expensive, but I’m really pleased with how it fits the period of the doors.

The other door in the room is this one…..

Here’s a close up of the handle….

It’s actual the sign for Mary, with an ‘A’ for ave interlaced with the ‘M’ for Mary and the inscription ‘the most blessed’. As this is going to be the formal dining room for celebrating Christmas, Easter and other feasts it seems appropriate. Particularly when the main feature in the room is the medallion here.

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.