~ merry white wednesday! ~

merry white wednesday to you!

just a quick little post today ~

been very busy around here

not necessarily with all delightful Christmas decor

but a little banking angst

and dealing with some people

who are a tad too Grinch-like

but

on a 

lighter

whiter 

note

here's a peek 

(just a peek, mind you!)

at some of my 

French-inspired Christmas joy

around the house!

In my loo, white pine boughs replaced the lavender in my fav French tote.

Service berries nestle with cedar sprigs in the kitchen.

Vintage books made to look even older by ripping off the covers and binding with twine - laying in a bed of rustic linens on top of the living room armoire.

I must tell you that

i am really loving peeking into your beautiful homes 

to see your awesome Christmas decor!

your creativity continues to 

inspire me

move me

touch me

and your sweet comments

always

always

bless me.

{ hugs }

~ laurie

~ A Before & After ~

Good day, lovies!

I hope that you all had a great holiday weekend!

It was a wonderful weekend here at Heaven's Walk ~
Thanksgiving with our kids and grandkiddos,

lots of yummy food,

lots of laughter,

and lots of full tummies.

We were ALL feeling turkey over-load
and ready for a nap after dinner ~
even little Maizie...

dreaming about Christmas, of course.

(*sigh*.......she's such a reindeer wanna-be.)

So, to keep my little girl happy,
I hauled out the Christmas totes yesterday and sorted through all the 

glittery balls,

sparkling tinsel,

green boughs,
jingle bells,

and ribbons

to transform the house for Christmas.

(anything to keep my little furball happy, you know...)

However......

you're going to have to wait a while to see what I did.

(bwahahaha!)

Today I want to share with you what I purchased from CSN

with my winning gift certificate 

from Julie at

Saltbox Treasures!

(Thank you, Julie! It was so much fun!)

Nope.  That's not it.

That's the BEFORE entry light.

Pretty in it's own Victorian-like way.

But certainly 

by no means

French-inspired country farmhouse.

THIS is what I drooled over 

and ended up buying.

Delicious rustiness

You can see the other new light I purchased over the sink.

(We love the way it casts warm light downward

and from outside

it lights up the brick path to the deck.)

The new entry light looks like it's been there for decades.
It fits with the French farmhouse feel weaving it's way slowly through this old house.

Little 

by 

little

Heaven's Walk 

is coming together

...and becoming her own.

I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch 

for Metamorphosis Monday.

Be sure to visit her and see all the other 

"before and after" inspiration there!

{ Hugs }

~ laurie

~ Goodwill Goodies ~

Good day, lovlies!

After hearing all of your stories about the great finds you've uncovered at your local thrift stores, 

you inspired me.

I decided that I had to make a visit to the Goodwill store that is located about 15 minutes from my home.

I really didn't know what to expect. 

I had never been to one before.

But I tell you - the parking lot sure was full.

What I found delighted me

and I nearly danced out of there, squealing and grasping my treasures -

to the sideway glances and mutterings of 

"That girl is one cookie short....."

from the people in line behind me.

But back to when I first entered the store.

My radar was set on 'High' as my eyes scanned the entire building.
Front to back.
Side to side.

People were scurrying around pushing carts brimming with goodies.

"Ok, Self.  Time to dive in!"

After cruising around the entire store and feeling disappointed that I had not one thing clutched in my anxiously sweaty mitt, I found myself standing in front of a large wall covered with framed pictures.

Pictures and paintings of flowers so ugly that no one would want them in their garden much less on their wall,

(ick),

 of bunnies hopping merrily down a road

(a road? really??),

some strange alien-looking place on another planet painted on velvet,

(Elvis would not be happy),

and an abstract of two people facing each other 

who obviously had had too much to drink

(can you spell "u-g-l-y"?).

I really didn't want anyone to know I was actually contemplating purchasing one of those incredibly ugly incredible works of art,

as I casually pretended that I was not looking at them at all.

I plucked the ugly picture I wanted off the wall

and tried to hide it under my coat without looking like I was stealing it.

As I rounded the corner,

my eyes landed on some white treasures neatly stacked on a shelf. 

Be still my heart! 

I swiped them off the shelf, and balancing them precariously on my hidden picture, 

ran awkwardly gracefully to the check out gal.

As I pulled the ugly picture out from inside my coat and laid it face down on the counter,
she casually mentioned that a woman had purchased a very very ugly painting there a week ago.

When she got home, she peeled away the backing,

and discovered a $2,000 savings bond.

Now....
if you must know,
at that point I actually contemplated going back and grabbing all of the ugly pictures off the ugly wall.....
but common sense stopped me.

This is what I took home off the ugly wall for a mere $2.99.

Cute, huh?  Not!

After an afternoon of this ~

it morphed into this.

(...with a little love....)

...and a little chippy-ness...

A vintage looking chalkboard.

(Please forgive the weird looking photo!)

(I haven't a clue why the frame didn't show up in these photos..!)

A nice place to leave sweet notes to my hubby.

Oh, and the great white find that caught my attention?

How does a gravy boat for .99 cents

and a stack of eight little saucer bowls for $1.99

strike your fancy?

Yup.  It did me, too!

I'm so grateful for Goodwill stores!  

Happy White Wednesday to you ~

and may you all  
have a blessed Thanksgiving holiday!

{ Holiday hugs }

~ laurie

~ Part 2: The Loo ~

Good morning, my fellow bloggettes!

Before I share my latest project, I wanted you to know how much I deeply appreciated 
all of your sweet comments after my post on how Heaven's Walk got it's name.  Your encouraging statements and wonderfully touching stories about the furbabies who you love and care for melted my soul.
We are blessed that they have left paw prints on our hearts!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The refloofing and refluffing has continued into my loo.

The main floor loo.

The loo that our guests use.

I adore this room 

because of the high ceilings 

and

the glazing technique the previous owners did on them.

I'm in love with the floor to ceiling beadboard

that is painted creamy white.

I'd have my entire house done in beadboard and/or horizontal wall planking

if were up to me.

(But then I'd end up just spending my days walking around 
and sighing

and I wouldn't get a thing accomplished.)

What I've never understood, though, is why the previous owners

(who were 75 years old btw)

hung THIS on the ceiling....

Yes, friends -
that's Lady Godiva....
in all of her stunningly naked glory.

I know - I know -
I know what you're thinking.....

but, I just don't have an answer for you.

Seriously...

But we've kept her up there.
She's quite the conversation piece.

Ok......refocus people!  

Back to soaring ceilings

shimmering glaze work over creamy white paint

a boatload of beadwork

buckets of lavender

vintage brown cheese box

a beloved French tote bag

and fluffy white towels.

Here's the BEFORE ~

and the AFTER.

I bought the bucket for $1 at my friend's antique shop.

I used it for a "pickin' pot" this summer in the veggie garden.

When I was Hobby Lobby the other day, I literally cleaned out their inventory of lavender 

(which was still 50% off).

(Yes....that was me behind the armload of purple, screaming like a little girl 

as I skipped my way out to the car...)

The lavender even found it's way into my favorite French tote

purchased from Tracey at French Larkspur.

 

Vintage bottles were a Hobby Lobby find for a mere $2.

Vintage cheese box was found for a song on Etsy.

Believe it or not, I found this French soap at a local grocery store!

Someday, I would like to put wood floors in this room to tie in with the rest of the original oak flooring in the house. 

(I haven't a clue why they installed carpeting....in a bathroom
...really? )

Anyway, so there you have it.

A simple pre-holiday French farmhouse loo
done for a song and a dance.

"Refloofing: Part 2 - The Loo" is officially completed!

Onward to Part 3...

{ Hugs }

~ laurie

Linking with Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday!

~ Great White Hunting ~

With all of the hunting and gathering of treasures,

and all the refloofing and refluffing

that this Great White Hunter has been doing lately ~

and yes....

some sawing was recently involved

(using a handsaw I'll have you know)...

I thought that maybe I deserved a pair of these

Yup.....cashmere....!

with a nice warm set of these

Love my fingerless gloves!

to go with this

You'll never see me in a hat....but this IS cute....

(ACK!  And THIS is NOT!!!)

which would look lovely with these

Adore these snowflake earrings!

all on a wonderful White Wednesday at Faded Charm!

{ Hugs }

~ laurie

(You can find all of these treasures on Etsy!)

~ Refloofing: Kitchen - Part 1 ~

Bonjour, ma jolies!

If you read my last post, you know that I've been busily

tossing

throwing

moving

fluffing

floofing

and slacking no more.

Well, maybe just not as much....

I very much needed to make some changes in my house.

Small, affordable changes that would make a big, beautiful impact.

I very much wanted to feel like I'm living in a francais du ferme (French farmhouse) close to the sea.

Oui, etre intime!

The very first thing I did was change out out the striped, summery, beachy looking rugs for indoor/outdoor sisal rugs in a warm caramel color. They instantly provided a calm atmosphere to the room. Two new farmhouse lights, one over the kitchen table and one over the sink (that hubby so kindly hung last week after days of nagging by his loving wife) were the next additions.  I purchased them with my CSN gift certificate I won from Jo's (at Secret Garden Cottage) giveaway quite a while ago.  I was in such merchandise overload upon my first visit there, it took me this long to decide how to spend it!
(Thanks again, Jo!  xoxo)

So, following Jo's suggestions from her sweet email as closely as I could  
(see my post from November 12),
I tackled the kitchen first ~

1. Removed the large mirror over the buffet table and placed the vintage gray shutters from the living room on top of the table. (I know - sounds weird and I thought that Jo was off her rocker, but wait til you see...)
2.  Removed most of the bottles of flavored olive oils from the counter keeping only the ones used on a consistent basis.
3. Added white ironstone pitcher filled with our wood cooking utensils next to a cute little vase with herb sprigs in it.
4. Removed wood block knife set from counter (which hubby won't dare whine about - especially after I inform him what bacteria carriers they are!) and placed constantly used ones in a nearby drawer.
5. Removed framed beach-chaise picture which will be replaced with a vintage wire hook rack (that I am actually making!) where some sweet things will hang from twine.
6. Added AWESOME faux lavender discovered at "my second home" (Hobby Lobby) to French body pitcher. (You won't believe how realistic this stuff looks!)
7. Added white ironstone bowl filled with green apples on buffet table next to the vintage scale.
8. Removed valances from windows - which instantly brightened the room and emphasized our tall ceilings.                          

Oh.....you wanted to see photos?
All righty then!

Here are a few BEFORES ~

Okay.....but no wow factor.

And here are the AFTERS ~

(Looking forward to hanging some vintage pages, seasonal decor or something from those shutters...Oh, and the brown pillows will eventually be grain sack pillows with a soft caramel stripe in them - which will just scream French farmhouse!)

(Should I move the shutters together.....?)

(Does this look real or what....?)

(Purchased the cute hanging soap dish at Farmhouse Wares,)

(I still may distress that little buffet table - or replace it with a vintage one.)

Small changes? 
Yes. 
Big impact? 
Yes.

What did I learn from Jo?

1.  Don't be afraid to declutter and put things out of sight that aren't used frequently.
Less is more.
2.  Don't be afraid to just move things around from room to room.  I never would have thought to put those shutters on TOP of that buffet table, but it works.
3.  Use color-unified textures to create a serene feeling in a room.
4.  Look around your house to repurpose things you already have - and use them in a room that you wouldn't normally use or see them in.
(No, that does NOT mean that you put your clawfoot bathtub in the middle of the kitchen....unless you have some very friendly friends who aren't shy...)
5.  Be sure to incorporate nature into your home in some way.  It keeps things real!

As I continue to refluff, be sure to stay tuned for "Refloofing: Bathroom - Part 2".

Have you refloofed a room recently?

I'm joining Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday!

{ Etreinte } { Hugs }

~ laurie

~ Slacker and a Second Home ~

1.  Yup, that's me.

2.  Just call me slacker

3.  because I have.

4.  Been slacking, that is.

5.  I admit it.

6.  But for a good reason!

7.  I've been popping in and out of your beautiful homes

8.  stealing ideas

9.  because I needed some inspiration

10. because I'm bored with my house right now

11.  and it needed some refluffing and refloofing

12. and I didn't know where to start.

13. So I whined and cried

14. and threw myself at my friend Jo's feet from Secret Garden Cottage

15. begging her for guidance and advice in making my home look more like hers

Jo's incredible kitchen

16. and making her promise to be brutally honest with me.

17. I emailed her photos of my unhappy, unfluffed, unfloofed house

18. and waited for her to lay her expert eyes across them and spew her decorating wisdom.

19. She happily did.

20. After reading, rereading, and again rereading her critique and ideas

21.  I immediately threw my laptop down and started tossing things around the ktichen

My unfloofed kitchen...

...in need of floofing (but WITH a new farm light over the table!)

22. in a good way, mind you......not at Jo.

23. I was still tossing at 12:30am

24. when I noticed another email from my head-stylist

25. asking if I was still talking to her or not.

26. Oops.

27. In my juvenile anxiousness to instantly make the changes she so sweetly suggested

28. I forgot to drop her an email and thank her.

27. Slacker.

28. After making the proper amends with her, I finally headed to bed

29. only to be up 7 hours later raring to go to make a trip to

30. which can now be defined as my new second home

31.  because I'll be spending a whole lot of time there, you see,

32. due to the fact that they carry everything under the sun for a house in need of refloofing.

33. So if you don't see various sundry items being tossed out of my windows

34. and I don't answer my phone

35. you'll know that I'm at 

36. loading my cart carts with treasures tagged with little stickers that say 50% OFF.

37. Oh yeah, baby.

38. This slacker won't be home for a while.....

39. and she might be a great BIG slacker for a few more days

40. before she reveals the changes she's made thanks to her super-duper stylist friend, Jo.

{ Hugs }

~ laurie slacker