The New Antiquarians

Oooooh - have you seen this article? It is all about the "dark nostalgia" decorating style. Just my cup of tea!

Ephemera Lady

Art Nouveau Chairs

I found three fabulous Art Nouveau chairs from the late 1800s at the Orange Circle with very old swirly mohair fabric! I'm not sure if it is the original fabric (might be), but it certainly goes beautifully with the curvy lines of the chairs.

So then the search was on for a table that would go with them. I found this fabulous table on Craig's List and I like the curved lines of the brackets and the whimsical ball design too.

I had the chairs reupholstered using the old mohair fabric and now I just have to find the right gimp and trim and I will put that on myself.

Having only three chairs actually works perfectly for me because where the fourth chair would go is the walkway through to the kichen. Ah the joys of a tiny house!

I'm liking my new table and chairs!

Moonlight

Here is a new creation of mine. I love walking in midnight gardens, which is the inspiration for this.

I love the red flowers, which I found at Paper Whimsy. They have the most amazing images! I found the moth, moon and crown there also.

Now on to the next project!

Enchanted Cottage

Lately I've been pondering paint choices for my house and I was doing a Google search for "purple house" when I stumbled upon the wonderful website of a very talented lady, Lucinda Hutson. She writes books about cooking with herbs and specializes in organic gardening and garden design.

Her house and gardens are absolutely magical! I sent a link to her website to a bunch of my friends and we all agreed that we want to live in her house! Her fearless and beautiful use of color is a joy to look at.

She has many gardens, including an area called the Mermaid Grotto.

Also, an entertaining area where she hosts her famous Dia de los Muertos parties.

I want her to design a garden for me! She is a wonderful inspiration, be sure to take a look at her website. Another fun link is this gardening blog that did a piece on her - check it out!

After the Christmas Decor is put away ...

Well, Christmas is over and the Christmas decorations are packed away ... now there is more room for my collections :-) I recently found a fabulous 1920s Wilton carpet for my living room and I love love love it!

The colors are perfect for me! And the deco take on the persian design is so fun!

My parian statue of Flora is glancing over at the bare breasted lady in the photo ...

And a recently acquired relic from Theresa at Time Worn Interiors - fun!

A little display by my front door ...

I added an Aesthetic velvet fabric piece for my possum and laughing baby statue to sit on ...

A few old photos of pugs next to the couch ...

And a beautiful silverplate frame for my dresser with a picture of Mary Miles Minter in it.

I love to surround myself with old things!

Fantasy Art for the Holidays

Are you looking for the perfect whimsical holiday gift? How about a lovely original watercolor by my favorite artist - my dad David Irvine!

I love to tuck these paintings in among my collections where they can shine with their jewel-like watercolor washes.

My favorite one in this group is his mermaid with baby sea otter!

Add one to your collection of beautiful things, or to give as the perfect gift.