a new French chair

We picked up this chair 
for free on craigslist.

It had a break in the back scroll piece 
and needed some love.

The Captain 
glued and clamped the back piece,
and I made a simple seat slipcover 
from a canvas drop cloth.


We started out with this . . .

then this . . . 

then this . . .

and now it looks like this . . .

I love the way it turned out.

Now . . .

do I keep it or sell it?

It does look nice in our living room . . .

kinda adds a French flair to the traditional.

Have a great day!

~ Julie

P.S. I've decided to keep the chair for now.
Thanks so much for your comments.

Linking this week with some of my favorite parties:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/05/pottery-barn-bedford-office-update.html

http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2011/05/mantel-makeover-and-wow-us-wednesdays.html
http://frenchcupboard.blogspot.com/2011/05/voila-french-inspiration_19.html 
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/05/vintage-inspiration-friday-38-paper.html 
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/05/feathered-nest-friday_19.html 
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2011/05/show-and-tell-friday_19.html 
http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/2011/05/furniture-feature-friday-favorites-link.html 

Maui, Hawaii ~ a few of our favorite things

As promised, here's a little more

info on Maui, Hawaii.

FAVORITE RESTAURANTS

Penne Pasta in Kaanapali ~ quaint, casual Italian faire

Bubba Gumps, Lahaina ~ all types of seafood available served up with some fun

Aloha Mixed Plate, Lahaina ~ authentic Hawaiian food; great for lunch

Leilani's, Lahaina, Fisherman's Wharf mall ~ seafood and steak on the beach

Hula Grill, Lahaina Fisherman's Wharf mall ~ seafood and steak on the beach; tables on sand
Ma-La Tavern (a restaurant) Lahaina ~ best food, coffee and ocean view in Maui

Ocean view from Ma-La Tavern

 MUST SEES
a Luau ~ you gotta go to one ~ most are the same ~ Old Lahaina Luau or check at hotels

Biggest Banyan tree in Lahaina ~ 137 years old (amazing)

The Banyan tree (Ficus sp.) is an example of a strangler fig that begins life as an epiphyte in the crown of another tree. Its roots grow down and around the stem of the host, their growth accelerating once the ground has been reached. Over time, the roots coalesce to form a pseudotrunk, eventually strangling and killing the host. ~ from Wikipedia


These pseudotrunks are amazing and support this tree that is almost the size of a Lahaina city block. I am glad they have not killed this host tree (I'm not sure how that works.)

BEST SUNSETS

Kaanapali Beach

Lahaina Harbor

BEST SHOPPING

Fisherman's Wharf ~ large commercial outdoor mall

Lahaina ~ quaint shops and galleries

BEST PLACES TO STAY

Kaanapali or Lahaina

lots of hotels to choose from

If you have a chance to go to Hawaii, Maui has a lot to offer.

It has lots of sea activities, which we did not do this year.

We have enjoyed the Maui Princess Sunset Dinner Cruise 
in the past ~ not too rowdy; 
a nice dinner served on the top deck with the sunset.

Our favorite thing . . . lying in the sun, beach combing 
and walking on the beach.

Enjoy your summer travels!

~ Julie

Time with Family and a little Thrifting

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

We got to spend it with our kids and granddaughter.

So, we got to do some of this . . .

and give lots of hugs and kisses.

 We got to do a little thrifting and will be 

adding some new items to my etsy shop.

 Next week is going to be baby week on my blog.

I'll have a tutorial on how to make a diaper cake, 

since I'm making one this week for a friend, 

and some easy to make baby shower

decorations and pom pom tissue flowers.

Hope you all have a great week!

I'm enjoying our new garden blooms 

and can't wait to get outside 

to work in the garden.

~ Julie

Happy Mother's Day!

A mother's love has no bounds.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

~ Julie

Beautiful image from The Graphic's Fairy.

French Burlap Bags

A little more French inspiration . . . 

I found these burlap bags at a sale

I stamped some of them with

French images

And added some vintage ribbons.

Great bags for gifts, tied around a small 
potted plant or a bouquet of daffodils or tulips, 
or make into a pillow.

These are available in my etsy shop.

Hope you're having a great week!

~ Julie 

Linking with:

http://frenchcupboard.blogspot.com/2011/05/voila-french-inspiration.html

Happy May Day!

spring snowflake

 ground phlox

 daffodil

grape muscari

 candytuft

purple hyacinth

 narcissus

forget-me-not

In spite of rain and morning frost, spring is here!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog today.

I appreciate all of your kind comments 

and look forward to visiting your blogs.

~ Julie

A French Estate Sale

While estate sale shopping a few weeks ago, 

we discovered we were at the estate of a French teacher. 

She had a wonderful collection of French books and other items, 

and we came home with these.
 

French books, maps, and Paris post cards 

 Love this beautiful print that is the cover of

a dated menu at a Paris restaurant from September 10, 1952.

Can anyone translate French?

{click photo to view larger}

If you can, please let me know. I would love to know what this handwriting says.

Sharing today with Voila French Inspiration at the French Cupboard
and Vintage Inspiration at Common Ground.

Thanks for stopping in for a visit!
Hope you're having a wonderful day!

~ Julie

Linking with:

http://frenchcupboard.blogspot.com/2011/04/voila-french-inspiration_28.html 
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/04/vintage-inspiration-friday-35-british.html 

Treasure Hunting . . . . at the beach

We just returned from a wonderful 6 days in Maui, Hawaii;

 just enjoyed time together, relaxing in the sun, walking on the beach, 
and trying not to sunburn our pale northwest skin.

I am a big beachcomber.
I'm the one you see on the beach searching for seashells.
I have a small collection of several tiny, dime-sized

sand dollars found on the Oregon coast,
but I've never found anything on the beaches of Hawaii.

While eating breakfast at a restaurant on the beach,
we noticed another lady beachcomber
picking up little treasures and putting them in a bag.

Curious to know what she was finding, we talked to her after breakfast.

Her treasure . . . . . "beach glass".

This was a new term to me.

What is beach glass? 

Old broken bottles that have been tossed into the sea and

washed upon the seashore after years of tossing to and fro

and being sand-worn into smooth little pieces of glass,

in pretty shades of blue, green, amber, brown and clear.
Also called sea glass.

Now I was in search of this new found treasure,

on the beaches of Hawaii . . . how fun!

After two trips of "beach glass treasure hunting", 

the Captain and I have a bag full of beautiful 

sand-worn, pieces of glass.

What can you do with it?

Put it in a pretty bowl for decorating, a vase, or make jewelry pieces.
Personally, I'm going to put some in this gorgeous, whole

shell the Captain found on the shores of Kaanapali.

 I love it! ~ it will be a treasure to keep!

Of course, I still had to look for seashells, and we

found so many, little miniature shells that are so detailed and beautiful.

Most are smaller than a dime.

I'm bringing home some of our treasures to share with you.

If you would like any sea glass or miniature shells, or a few pieces of

coral, just let me know. I will be listing them in my etsy shop.

Hope you enjoyed this glimpse of treasure hunting on the 

beaches of Maui.


I will be doing another post on some things to do and
favorite restaurants on Maui later this week.


We also attended a wonderful Easter service on the beach.
Kaanapali Beach Ministry does a church service at the Hyatt every Sunday.
Ke Akua Mana E 
[How Great Thou Art]

Have a wonderful week!


~ Julie

Linking with:

http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/2011/04/427-outdoor-wednesday-120.html
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/04/time-travel-thursday-42-its-sick.html 
http://www.bluecreekhome.com/2011/04/treasure-hunt-thursday-4.html 

Vintage Shop Tablescape

A few weeks ago, I shared this beautiful tablescape inspiration 
from Victoria magazine,

which was my inspiration to do an

outdoor tablescape with items from my vintage shop.

 The sun was shining . . . the Captain was able to mow the lawn . . .

and help with the heavy stuff . . .  
and we came up with this

We started with our outdoor table, a vintage tablecloth, 
some vintage chairs [love the old hotel chairs] and a wicker loveseat;

added vintage dishes and hankies for cloth napkins.

For Easter, we put eggs in the silver candle holders and candelabra 
instead of candles, added birds with paper bird nests,

some silver jello molds that I thought looked like flowers,

and put together other items to make up vignettes.

We added a side drop leaf table with a couple more chairs,

a vintage coffee set, an old book stack,

a rusty end table with a silver bowl full of old glass floaters,

 some fresh daffodils, and more paper nests.

I'm just a beginner at this shop stuff. All of you experts,
feel free to give me any input and advice :).

Thanks for stopping by. 

Hope the sun is shining where you are and you're 

enjoying the first days of spring.

~ Julie

Linking with:

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-bunnys-magic-compass-welcome-to.html
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/04/vintage-inspiration-friday-34-inspired.html 
http://www.atthepicketfence.com/2011/04/inspiration-friday-no-12.html