The Monument: A Shabby Chic Masterpiece!

For those of you who enjoy shabby chic this is either a very familiar photograph or a new discovery,and I call it The Monument! When I found this kitchen in google.com I think it stated that it was a French kitchen. I am not certain and I have since misplaced the direct link. Regardless of its origin, the creator/s of this kitchen have brought many of us endless moments of happiness and I wish to thank you at this time!

ARPON: COLOR COORDINATION

If you are not a 'pink' gal, blue is a good combination cooling down the warmer, soft pink. Make it shabby and let it chi, that is, simple cotton fabric and make it chic, make it stand out by adding a lovely combination such as blue and pink. I like calico, too. Sturdy cotton material is ideal. I have fabric for an orange/green apron. I have not yet found the fabric for an apron using pastel blue and pastel pink such as on the image presented on this blog. There is something special added to homemaking when one wears an apron, but not just any apron. Choose a model and color scheme that you enjoy! Color and style and comfort make a difference.

Shabby Chic: A Matter of Personal Taste in the Shabby or the Chic

If you like the country look, then add more of the shabby. If you like to create 'a look' and enjoy elegance and/or a focus area, then add more of the chic. Eclectic Shabby Chic blends the old with the new, the classic with the romantic, the stripes with the flowers. Create your own look and make it work for you!

Style, Design, Color ... Eclectic and NOT Proud of it

Mix and match and you have the shabby and the chic, Shabby Chic. The world of flora and color charms our lives. I am a mix, French Shabby Chic, Retro 1970s Americana, and early American. I wish I could be defined in one category and not in more than one selection, but that is what I enjoy. I like avocado green which I call olive green. Yet, I like refreshing, uncluttered Shabby Chic and cozy, comfortable Retro 1970s. Many times I see Shabby Chic and it reminds me of the Art Deco I grew up with as a kid. When I see the exquisite style of sophisticated and gentle 'Marie-Antoinette' Shabby Chic. I identify with the style and it gives me great pleasure. I also like Boho / Bohemian Gyspy so much, primarily for its colors.

The solution to one like me who enjoys four different styles would be to display each style in one room. Ah, but I do not decorate with any of the four styles that I adore and just mentioned. The reason is that I like peach walls and some of the green, too, and that I have many books which distracts from decorating the interiors the way I would like it. I like the French sofa, but I do not like its texture or style. Shabby Chic uses so much of the whitewash that I do not like ... In fashion the answer is simple, house-dress and robe or Boho, but when I go out it is always stylish with a French-look.

My style in fashion is classic and French, and that is easy, but in terms of home decor, one has to consider what the husband likes, too. I wanted dark brown walls and colored ceilings. He wanted white ceilings and all white dolls. The bathroom appliances were not made in emerald green and my green bathroom became blue and white. I do not like it, but everyone else likes it, and my husband likes blue, and therefore I am happy. I used cobalt, very soft sky blue, and navy, added white to the crown moldings and bathroom closet and voila! It is lovely, but I wanted green. My husband likes it in the blues and it is a beautiful bathroom. It worked out. There are options and I am flexible. In my heart, I would have enjoyed the house in early American primitive design with one room in Shabby Chic, Parisian style!

Hey, Live a Little ... The Old-Fashioned Way!

We have phone texting, blogs, and live in a society that is very affluent. We have our basic needs covered and yet, do we value nature's beauty? Every flower and ever tree, and what about humor? Do we laugh or do we simply feel that we deserve more? There was a time when we had less in life. We were children and our world was limited due to our age. We had fun with basic games and doll-playing. Do children today invest hours playing with old-fashioned dolls, play stick ball and enjoy a basic little cupcake without the trimmings, today' fondant? Isn't this bag pretty? Shabby chic furniture, fashion, decorative items, hat boxes, and so much more that is of beauty bring us aesthetic blessings. I have two shabby chic boards on Pinterest. I decided to blog on this lovely and refreshing style.

~The Serenity of Pastels, Tres Chic~

Enjoy the merry month of May. For now, enjoy beauty in art and prose. The lovely painting in pastel is beautiful and tres chic! Dressing up makes one feel accomplished! A tribute to The Darling Buds of May, a sonnet by William Shakespeare.

SONNET 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

Wearable Shabby Chic, tres chic!

Wearable Shabby Chic ... Remember that in Retro television Mothers used to wear aprons? Donna Reed wore pearls as well. This stylish apron is one of many embracing the loveliness and quiet elegance of shabby chic. I will present a few additional aprons on this blog by and by. Bring out the sewing machine and 'shabby' your 'chic,' that is, your own style and have fun with this project. If you do not like wearing aprons, there are others who enjoy or need to wear them constantly. These make pretty and personal gifts that your friends/family will appreciate receiving. Think about it. www.socialmoms.net