Flea Finds Archives - French Country Cottage

VINTAGE BOTTLES

Courtney — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 13:49:00 +0000

I love the sweet pale green

of these vintage bottles

A soft opaque barely there color

that reminds me of bits of worn sea glass

that washes up on the shore

This petite inkwell is a most lovely pale blue…

so pretty paired with the pink of a camellia blossom

and the silver of the vintage pewter plate.

So excited to find 4 pewter plates ~

they will be wonderful hanging on the wall or at the table.

Such pretty green stripes with the pale creamy color on this vintage linen~

it was the bargain of my thrift store finds at .25 cents.

I tried some sepia tones on a couple photos this week.

Hope you all had a wonderful Blessed Easter!

Our extended family was in different areas this year

so instead of a big gathering ~

it was a quiet celebration of Easter blessings.

Bunny pancakes (with chocolate chip eyes),

egg hunts, & Easter dinner

Sharing with

A Stroll thru Life

My Romantic Home

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TATTERED SUNDAY

Courtney — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:19:00 +0000

Imagine a whole street blocked off ~just filled with

gorgeous vintage treasures…

Faded linens, shabby furniture,

lots of bling and rusty crusty fabulous finds…

Sundays weather was wonderful for a fun filled day of junque shopping in Roseville.

My friend Sandy and her partner Erika of The Tattered House

host a most fantastic flea market on the street in front of their store twice a year.

Their store is amazing…

It’s filled with garden treasures, architectural salvage, shabby elegant finds

and such gorgeous furniture and displays.

(Sandy ~ I think I might need this sweet little wirey table! )

I could spend hours just taking it all in!

As I was gathering up so much inspiration,

I found my friend Heather selling her shabby vintage wares~

loving that green birdcage!

Look who else I found?

This is Betsy from

My Salvaged Treasures

(So much fun to meet a blog friend in person!)

She and her sweet mom were selling together~

I just loved her display of silver in the pretty pink enamel

(the picture of the necklaces at the top of the post is hers as well.)

Sandy told me I just had to go over and meet

The Lipstick Gypsies

Don’t they look like so much fun?!

They really were so sweet!

I love that sofa in the back and their mix of shabby and elegant.

The Red Door

from Elk Grove had a display of shabby treasures & galvanized treats

Ummm,

I’ll take the whole lot of galvanized bins, please…

& this sweet painted cupboard came all the way from Reno

with the lovely Carol from

Viva Home Furnishings

It was an absolutely beautiful day filled with treasures,

friends and lot’s of inspiration!

The next market is in the fall~ hope to see you there!

Happy Monday Everyone!

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LA REINE ~ (THE QUEEN)

Courtney — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:00:00 +0000

This is the

piece de resistance…

a beautiful storybook armoire

fit for a princess…

maybe even A Queen.

She has a royal air about her…

and wears a most fantastic frenchy crown…

Gracefully adorned with hand painted flowers

with gorgeous carved shell handles

She wears beautiful carved flowers accents

& has a bombe chest bottom with a slanted top drawer and sides.

Of course, every lady needs a bit of mystery about her…

Inside the top doors, there’s a little surprise…

dainty shelves & three lingerie drawers decorated with a flower bouquet.

She is just as pretty from the sides as she is from the front.

She’s most definitely a drama queen and loves the attention she gets.

This is my absolute favorite piece of the furniture I have been sharing recently

(shhh.. don’t tell the other pieces)

here they are if you missed them~ Sideboard, mirrors, frenchy stands

I just about fell over when I saw this armoire. I literally had to stop and compose myself!

lol!

The set is all made in Italy~

around mid-century but definitely has an elegant french look to them.

Soft creamy paint (though it looks more yellow in the pictures)

gorgeous teal accents, pastel florals and

of course,

a bit of pretty gilding for a little glam & drama.

She holds court in the little sitting room/ hall area off the bedroom.

(I apologize~ The lighting in this room is not good for taking photos

and it has been snowing and raining all weekend which makes it even darker)

*sigh*

All hail the Queen!

HAPPY MONDAY EVERYONE!!!

Hope my French is correct in this post! lol!

I am so excited that it is officially spring

though you wouldn’t know by looking outside

snow. snow. snow…

and more rain and possibly snow on the way…

wait a minute…

I thought I was living out here in SUNNY CALIFORNIA?!?

What a strange winter…

sharing at the parties over at

Blue Creek Home

Les Chateau des Fleurs

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THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL

Courtney — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Mirror, Mirror on the wall…

whose the fairest of them all?

A pair of french fairytale mirrors…

This is one of the mirrors that came with the set of painted furniture

I have been sharing over the past couple of weeks.

Tons of details~

curves, carvings, gilding…

Rococo styling and a french painted finish.

I have nicknamed them

Beauty and the Beast Mirrors

they remind me of the fantasy type mirrors in Disneyland.

They are incredibly detailed and sat upon the dresser that I am using as a sideboard.

I think they would be wonderful in a fairytale or fantasy

themed bathroom above two sinks.

Flowing draperies, romantic wallpaper, chandeliers and elegant touches…

Perfect for a wee or grown up princess!

I have thought of painting them,

so that they are a bit easier to incorporate into my home

but I love them as they are.

For now,

they wear the same finish as the other pieces.

Just one more piece to share…

what could it be?

sharing with

Funky Junk Interiors

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PETITE TREASURES

Courtney — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 02:33:00 +0000

A delightful pair they are.

Delicate in old teal blue & cream

Graced with hand painted floral bouquets

sprays and accents

With detailed carvings-

flowers & crest and moulded shell handles on the doors.

These are the sweet dainty little stands that came with the

sideboard/dresser I shared last week.

You asked to see more,

so I am sharing each piece of the set I purchased bit by bit.

Tiny in size but not in details

Love the cabriole legs and carved accents.

They are Italian made- stamped ITALY.

Though they look and feel very French to me.

I actually have not currently been using them in my home…

they have been stored.

So I brought them in the house to photograph-

they are so incredibly pretty now that they are out and about again

perhaps if I moved a couple things around

or rotated a couple pieces out…

A bit over the top…

a bit glitzy and glamourous…

Makes me think of the gorgeous pieces you find in a delightful french room

that bring in drama and elegance…

Love them!

Excuse the picture quality-

I apologize!!

Rain, rain, and more rain today!

It was a bit dark for taking pictures~

so I had a bit of fun changing the focus of the pics, etc.

Sharing with

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FRENCH LAVENDER & CHOCOLATE

Courtney — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:58:00 +0000

French lavender.

I love the sweet, intoxicating smell of french lavender.

With it’s soft sage and faded dusty purple colors

it is so pretty as well and is a favorite in my garden.

I love shades of purple mixed with green and white-.

These dainty lavender colored blossoms

dance across the delicate porcelain of this french piece.

Delightful embossing and touches of brushed gold accent it perfectly.

So beautiful and elegant on the outside…

and with sweet surprises waiting underneath the cover.

This Limoges tureen was a recent thrift store find.

I wandered into the S.A. and found it was half- price day-

don’t you just love that?!

I was happy to find that this large vintage tureen was just $14.00 too!

It reminded me of a special something I have sitting inside

the hutch in my bedroom.

Though I think they are different ages,

the tureen nearly perfectly matches the

antique Limoges Chocolate pot set I found at a yard sale

several years ago.

The chocolate pot, cups & saucers are early 1900’s era Limoges

I had no idea what a chocolate pot was when I found it,

but I loved how dainty and sweet it was.

It’s delicate, paper thin saucers

& tiny cups for chocolate

all decorated with gorgeous bunches of

lavender flowers & leaves.

I adore the ribbon handle on the pot.

With the tureen added in for serving soup or as a centerpiece for seasonal blooms~

the set is perfect for a spring gathering with friends.

Just a quick post today

Happy White Wednesday!

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

LINK WILL BE UP THURSDAY EVENING

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Sharing at

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TATTERED ELEGANCE

Courtney — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:27:00 +0000

I was shopping around the thrift store recently, just looking for a few special treasures.

I looked down every aisle, up on the wall and over in the furniture section,

but nothing was catching my eye.

Just as I was getting ready to leave,

I walked past one of those big rolling bins filled with all the stuff

they have yet to set out for sale…

and saw a thick wooden frame quietly mixed in with a stack of pictures.

I love old, crusty frames

especially ones with chunky architectural details and this frame was looking promising, even

before it was all the way uncovered.

After maneuvering several things out of the way,

I pulled out a large, thick and HEAVY

antique wood frame mirror with layers of gesso,

tons of cutwork details

and perfect shabby paint.

Tarnished gold, covered by faded white and then pale aqua blue…

it was worn and weathered and shabby perfect…

It was marked

$20

The mirror looks to have been replaced,

but that didn’t bother me… I love the frame just by itself.

Right now, it is sitting on the mantle in my bedroom just waiting

for me to find the perfect spot for it.

Layered together,

the two mirrors mixed with hydrangeas,

starfish & a petite

stack of books tied with cotton rope

brings a tattered elegance to the room.

Thinking I may remove the mirror…

I think the frame alone would be just gorgeous above the mantle,

or with a twiggy wreath in the center of it or

old shabby painting …

Perfect!

Happy Monday Everyone!!

sharing at

The Thrifty Groove

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FRENCH INSPIRED MIRROR

Courtney — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:15:00 +0000

I found this little old mirror sitting atop a high shelf

at a thrift store a couple of weeks ago…

There it sat…. all alone…

looking forlorn just waiting for someone to see it’s potential,

pick it up & bring it home…

It is a modern reproduction

might possibly be vintage at the most-

with all wood construction & a beveled mirror.

I got out some of my soft gray-green paint and gave it a quick coat of paint…

and shabbied it just a bit.

I am planning on doing one more layer-

either a cream or french gray.

It reminds me of the gorgeous details that are on French Trumeau mirrors.

How I dream of a gorgeous antique trumeau in my home one day!!!

They are so incredibly beautiful! I have a few plans to make one myself-

probably after the holidays…

but would just LOVE an antique one!

Though this is a small mirror – compared to a monumental sized trumeau…

it has lots of charm and is the perfect size to place nearly anywhere.

I placed it atop the sideboard where my chalkboard usually goes for now…

Right now our power is out (arggghh!!) with the latest wintery storm that has come through…

So I came into Starbucks to enjoy the modern world,

grab a nice hot cup of Christmas blend & do some browsing.

We don’t usually get a ton of snow where I live – we are in California- but we do get some.

Whenever a wet, cold storm makes it’s way through, we seem to get a bunch…

This time, the leaves were not all yet off the trees,

which has caused quite a bit of tree damage and power problems for a lot of people.

We have already gotten probably 6″- 8″ and more is expected tonight.

:-/

It is being photographed here to get some decent light coming in from outside so you can see it.

I do have a regular spot planned for it, though and I’ll share the finished paint and where it goes –

once I can take pictures that are not in the dark!

Feathered Nest Friday Holiday starts this week

Linky up Thursday evening and all through the weekend

All holiday decorating as well as everyday decorating and inspirations are welcome

Hope to see you there!

Sharing with Kim over at Savvy Southern Style for Before and After

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SEASIDE COTTAGE

Courtney — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:44:00 +0000

Down a sandy, bumpy road,

an old weathered cottage with silver shingles & shabby blue painted shutters

sits and waits for the weary travelers to visit.

There is lots of sand, surf and fun to be had

and every cottage has a view of the ocean.

On the porch,

is a shabby old willow basket filled with faded hydrangeas

that were cut from the garden…

a fisherman’s old chippy wire basket

filled with creamy white seashells collected on lazy day walks

& a few little starfish & white pumpkins too…

A twig wreath covered in berries and weathered vines

welcomes you in and invites you

to stay awhile & make yourself at home.

Welcome to the Seaside Resort!

Between all the running around we did this weekend and all the rain,

I didn’t get too much done…

but decided it was time to get working on some of those projects that I have been neglecting.

Remember these?

These are the old piano side pieces I found at a flea market and they have been

patiently waiting to be painted and shabbied up…

I loved their curves and details and envisioned them on the sides of a mirror or as shutters or who knows… I just knew I liked them!

I also knew when I bought them that I would paint them-

the finish was bubbled and uneven and they were talking shabby to me from the start.

Once the rain took a break for a bit,

I got out my paintbrush and painted them a mis-tint gray

thinking weathered, worn, bleached…

The color I painted them is gray…

and they did look gray-

outside.

But when it started raining again,

I brought them in the house,

and they looked blue.

Hmmm…

I will probably be layering a white paint on them as well but for now

I was kind of inspired by the blue…

It made me think of a charming little beach cottage,

blue sunny skies

the sounds of the ocean…

warm sand in between my toes & the salty sea breeze in my hair…

So I gathered up some of my beachy inspired bits

& put together a quick vignette atop one of the fireplaces.

I think I am ready for a warm beach cottage weekend !

sharing at

Funky Junk Interiors

Miss Mustard Seed

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FADED SILVER CHARM

Courtney — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 01:40:00 +0000

Faded mercury glass,

vintage silver candlesticks ,

delicate creamy whites

and a little bouquet of flowers from the sweets.

I was inspired to gather each of them up and place them together

on a little rustic shabby antique table.

Dainty reds, pinks & whites in the bouquet mingle

with acorns and the faded silvery color of the mercury glass.

Lacey cutwork silver mixed with vintage flea find monogrammed white plates

with delicate gold edging.

Lots of white candles aglow add a warm and inviting ambiance as early evening falls.

Happy November Everyone!

Go visit for some fantastic inspiration!!

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