TOILE

Good morning, friends,
Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Have you seen the new cover of Country Living magazine?

Can you believe it? Timeless, traditional, red toile is now for the shabby, country home.

I love it! I have always loved toile and have some touch of it in almost every room of our home, so I thought I would share some of my toile with you.

But, first, how about a little history of this gorgeous French fabric?

Toile de Jouy
A Fabric with Roots in the Eighteenth Century

by Patricia Cummings

What is Toile de Jouy?

Toile (pronounced twahl) means "cloth" in French. “Toile de Jouy,” or “toiles de Jouy,” are terms that refer to fabric that was first manufactured at a factory in Jouy-en-Josas, a village located southwest of Paris, near Versailles. Founded in 1760 by German-born Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf, (1738-1815), a textile entrepreneur, the factory site was chosen primarily because of its proximity to the clear running water of the Bièvre River. Oberkampf knew that water is a crucial element in the dyeing process. Only the highest quality goods were used in the production of the factory's printed fabrics made of cotton, one reason for the enterprise’s success.
Taken from:  http://www.quiltersmuse.com/toile.html

Toile is fabric made with an elegant printing technique that tells stories in engraving-like detail. The initial toile was a monotone, one-color print,  on a white or cream-colored background. As my youngest daughter describes it "the fabric that tells a story". I love that.

For a more complete history of Toile, you can visit Design Sponge here, who did a detailed post about Toile last March.

Yeah, now we know how to pronounce it (twahl).  "Toile de Jouy" ~ sounds so pretty. Don't you just love French? 

Sharing some toile around our home . . .  

Red toile guest room

pillow shams made from kitchen towels {I like the plaid and toile together, 
and the towels were just the right size for a standard pillow and easy to make}

pillows made from Toile napkins {cloth napkins are really just the right size for pillows}
 

In the study . . . 

This black background toile fabric works great in Kevin's office, 

and gives it a more masculine feel.

It's on the windows and a bench.

pillows made from decorator fabric sample squares from Jo-Ann's purchased for $1 
{again, just the right size}, and the back side is different  (black plaid on this one)
so you can totally change the look whenever you want

In the kitchen . . . 

on the walls

 dishes  . . .

Waverly blue tablecloth

In the laundry room . . .

In the foyer . . .

Toile wallpaper in the downstairs guest bathroom

 And, of course, more pillows . . . 

in the family room

in the living room 

{blue floral ~ it doesn't tell a story but has the toile look}

For me, toile will never go out of style.

Hope you made it through the long post.

Thanks for visiting. I love and read all of your comments.

And, if you're a follower, thank you. I hope to get to know you better.

Have a great weekend!

~ Julie


I'm linking with:

http://www.freckledlaundry.com/2011/02/air-your-laundry-friday-link-party-15.html
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/02/bedroom-inspirations-welcome-to.html  
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/02/vintage-inspiration-friday-25-where-to.html 
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/02/time-travel-thursday-33-laughter-is.html 
http://charmbraceletdiva.blogspot.com/2011/03/come-on-over-to-my-house-do-you-toile.html 

Still Winter Whites . . .

Today we woke up to snow!!!! 

I know many of you are tired of your snow, but we rarely get snow;

and some winters we don't get any. So today was a happy day!

AND

the power was out, 

so Kevin built a fire, and we had hot chocolate 

cooked on the wood stove and sat enjoyed the quietness

(no tv, no internet, no heater or refrigerator running . . .  just quiet) 

by the fire.

The snow makes everything so quiet and beautiful,

and the brightness shines through the windows and fills every room with light. 

I needed the brightness today; a change from the darkness of gray clouds and rain. 

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of fresh fallen snow.

So . . . the first task of the day . . . 

walk through the snow and take pics so I can share them here, with you, 

and now I have a post for White Wednesday.

We only had an inch, and it's already melting.

I'm still dreaming of spring . . . 

Hoping you have a wonderful day!

~ Julie

Today I'm linking with:
http://fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com/2011/02/white-wednesday-87.html 

Dreaming of spring . . .

Just dreaming of springtime and roses . . . . 

Happy Valentine's Day!

~ Julie

Linking with:
http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/2011/02/cottage-flora-thursdays-7.html
http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/2011/02/216-outdoor-wednesday-110.html 

Chandelier love . . . . .

I love chandeliers,

and today Funky Junk's themed party is chandeliers.

Over the past few years, we have replaced some of our basic lights with these:

the dining room

our bedroom

added the rope crystals ~ love it!

the master bathroom

this one is petite, only 12" across, still with the vintage glass center;
we added the old style candle covers

the shabby chic guest room

 the lamp shades say "Sweet Dreams"

Love all the crystal prisms. 
They just add a touch of romance to every room.
We purchased them from ebay and craigslist.

What's your favorite lighting?

To see more inspiring chandeliers, check out

Funky Junk's Saturday Night Special ~ Chandeliers here.


Thanks for your kind and wonderful comments!
Have a wonderful day!
~ Julie


Also linking with:
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2011/02/show-and-tell-friday_17.html

More vintage treasures . . .

Hope you've had a great week!
Today we are going antique shopping in Aurora, Oregon. 

Just sharing a few new vintage treasures . . .

 WWI nurse's trunk

[sold]

 Old Stube scale (don't know what type of scale this is;

let me know if you know anything)

 Putz houses

 An enamelware chamber pot?

and some vintage number flash cards

 A country board you  can attach papers to ~ I know it looks bad now . . . 

but how would it look painted chippy white 

or as a chalkboard with black chalkboard paint? 

Wouldn't it make a great sign for the shop? What do you think? 

White or a chalkboard or a combo of both?

Thanks for visiting. Would love to hear any input you have on any of the above.

Off to Aurora . . . 

Have a great weekend!

~ Julie

Linking with:
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/02/time-travel-thursday-32-cottage.html

A few more vintage Valentines . . .

Sharing a few more vintage Valentine inspirations for Vintage Inspiration Friday.

Aren't these just the sweetest images of children. Some are from The Graphics Fairy

and other free image blog sites.

 A Victorian banner with vintage sheet music hearts,

sweet little girl pics, German glass glitter, and vintage lace

 These little baby pics were so precious; I just had to give them angel wings

and adorned them with vintage lace corners and attached to old card stock;

and now they're ready to be attached to a gift

Thanks for stopping by. 

I appreciate your comments, and look forward to visiting you.

Hope you have a wonderful vintage Valentine's Day!

~ Julie

These items are available in my etsy shop as well as other Valentine items on my last post.

Today I'm linking with:
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/02/vintage-inspiration-friday-23-valentine.html 
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2011/02/show-and-tell-friday.html 

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/02/red-silver-feathered-nest-friday-no-20.html
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2011/02/sunday-showcase-party-with-devines-foot.html

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I want to link up with the French Cupboard's Vintage and Handmade Valentine Party, so I'm sharing some of the things I've been working on for Valentine's Day.

Some LOVE banners and garlands . . . .

Vintage image Valentine tags . . .

A new heart sheet music wreath . . .

And this little sheet music bird we all loved so much during Christmas, 

now sitting on a nest for Valentine's Day ready to pass on an "I love you" message to a special Valentine . . .

All of the above items are available in my etsy shop. You can go there by clicking the etsy pic on my side bar. If you are interested in an item, just email me, and I can make a custom order for you.

Wishing you a special day with your Valentine!

XOXO

~ Julie

Today I'm linking with:
 http://frenchcupboard.blogspot.com/2011/01/handmade-valentine-party-join-us.html
http://www.freckledlaundry.com/2011/01/air-your-laundry-friday-textile-link.html