While all of the preparation for Lucketts has been going on, I’ve been working some on my house for an upcoming photo shoot as well. (And 10 Christmas freelance articles, but that’s for another post.) April and May are just busy months for me, as I’m sure they are for many of you as well. It’s just how things stack up and it seems to happen this way every year. So, we buckle down and push hard, knowing it’s just for a few weeks and then things will get back to a more manageable pace.
I think spring is pushing along my desire to feather my nest, despite the pressing to-do list for work. I have never been much of a gardener, but I think it’s because I never really put forth the effort. I’m really trying this year…inside and outside the house. I’ve brought in a few live plants like these French lavender topiaries…
Kriste spotted them when we were out shopping and I immediate swooped up a bunch…a pair to keep for myself and eight to sell at Lucketts.
I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep them inside, but I’ve been putting them outside in the sun for a few hours and trying to take good care of them.
I also bought some indoor plants. This little mossy guy for the kitchen counter…
(He’s nestled in an ironstone mold.)
…and an ivy plant for the living room.
And I’ve been adding some things here and there as I find them, like this beautiful blue & white antique quilt I bought off of Etsy for about $100.
The piece work and quilting on this old quilt are amazing. It was a super price for the size, condition and quality.
I’ve also kept a few ironstone pieces that are really special. I loved this tureen, which is the “Berlin Swirl” pattern, I was told.
…and a pitcher that is unlike any that I currently have in my collection.
And I’m working on other finishing touches, like the pillows in our master bedroom. I bought some gorgeous antique European shams a couple of years ago and have never used them! I finally resized them (they were huge) and put them onto some feather forms.
I love the simplicity of these shams. They have some detail, but aren’t too frilly.
Pine Cone Hill sent me the Seychelles Dove White shams that match my quilt for the pillows in the back. The texture of the quilting looks really pretty against the vintage linens. I think that’s the key to a white bed…texture.
We also did a bunch of work on the outside…put boxwoods in my concrete planters, flowers in the window boxes, flanked the house with evergreen topiaries and planted (and transplanted) hydrangeas along the west side of the house.
It’s all looking so pretty and I’m enjoying working on the outside of the house more than I have any other year. I’ve started trolling Craig’s List for an outdoor table and chair set, but I’m patiently waiting for a set I like at the right price.
I finished up the hand painted signs today and took pictures of the rest of the painted furniture, so I’ll share those this week, along with a guide to shopping my space at Lucketts and I’ll answer some questions readers have been asking over the past few weeks. Until then, here’s a sneak peek…
23 Responses
I love this new interior decoration. I like how white and clean looking everything is. I could hardly see the tiny white tiles by the window. They were so subtle, yet elegant. I believe you have a great eye for detail. Thank you for your post, Marian.
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I’ve been bringing plants in as well! The little mossy one you have in the ironstone….you may already know this, but it took me killing one and then finding out upon buying another that you do not spray/mist them (even though that’s what the sign at the nursery said to do..go figure) it will turn it brown and kill it…You gently lift the edges up and give a little drink all around the edges. I’ve been doing this and mine has gotten huge in just a few weeks!
Your home is beautiful as it is, but plants liven up any space even more, and I think the addition of them in your home looks great! I also love your window box. Planting flowers is one of my favourite things to do, and one of the reasons why May is my favourite month of the year. 🙂
I don’t know where you find the time, but I totally understand the draw to bring some plants indoors to brighten things up. I love your newly found quilt…the colors are awesome. I saw a similar one at auction last week. You have done a great job with everything in your home.
Whoa… everything at your house looks amazing! I love the “Green Grocer” sign above the sink… and that quilt is Gorgeous! I love the all white flowers in the window box, so pretty against the brick.. and the swirly tureen is so sweet, such pretty curves. It must feel so good to you, to have your house looking so pretty, the yard getting all dressed up with flowers and coming together, and having all that work done and ready for Lucketts.
Cindy
I am so proud of you…. your window boxes look great! (Now don’t forget to water them! ha)
I know in past years you haven’t devoted as much time to the outside of your home and I think you really have a lot of untapped value there.
My iris and azaleas are blooming beautiful right now but my favorite flower to cut from the garden and bring inside is peonies which will be blooming in about another week. I always put them in a tall vase of water on the dining room table where they look gorgeous!
absolutely beautiful ! Such a treat to see all the pieces you show us bit by bit come together and the final result is certainly more than just the sum of the parts. That quilt (Feathered Star by name) is a complicated one to piece and quilter did it justice with the patterns used for the quilting itself. Wonderful addition to your stunning room.
You do know that those of us who live too far away to get to the Luckett’s sale are in pain with every picture you show us of the treasures we can’t access?
Thanks for sharing the name of the quilt. I didn’t know it, but I knew it was a beautiful pattern and quilting.
I know! It wish I could have a “virtual Lucketts” and beam stuff to people, but that’s just not going to happen any time soon. 🙂 We will most likely list small items that are left over online for those who aren’t local.
Doesn’t it make such a difference to add a little greenery around the house? I especially love the lavender topiaries you found. This time of the year I can’t get enough of green. Looking forward to hearing more about your space at Lucketts, my ticket arrived on Saturday!
I have a question for you… How do you keep the feathers inside your feather pillows? I have feather throw pillows and the little buggers are always poking through and I have them everywhere. Any suggestions?
Amy
I so wish you could have a ‘virtual Lucketts’ too! I love everything you do and with each post can’t wait for the next! You are so very talented, and each new post confirms that!!! Loving all of the your new plantings especially the French lavender topiaries! I am on a mission to find some:)
I just found some at Walmart for $14.99 🙂 Look just like hers above!
You do have amazing talents when it comes to decorating and combining colors. Your sense of scale is pleasing to the eye. I look forward to reading your blog and wish like crazy that I had never moved from maryland, where it was only 45 minutes to Lucketts’s . I totally enjoyed making that part of my adventures and really miss something like that here in Massachusetts
Hi Marian,
Your home is so pretty! I really like the green containers your lavender topiaries are in. Can you share where you got them? Thank you.
They are antique and I think they are for measuring grain. I’ve seen them referred to as “grain buckets” and “grain scoops”, although they aren’t really scoops. I happened to find them a few months apart at different antique stores.
Everything is beautiful. Just wanted to let you know that the French Lavender is not hardy here in Central Pennsylvania. You’ll be good till fall, but then be sure to bring them in. If they freeze they will be done.
Did you ever have the “name the rocking horse” contest? If so, I must have missed it and I have a name I’d like to suggest.
Have fun and sell big at Lucketts. Wish I could make the trip but I already have another trip (the opposite direction) for a high school graduation celebration. Maybe next year.
I love all of the plants you’ve you’ve added to your home, and that blue and white quilt is simply beautiful! I’m actually in the process of something similar- adding more plants inside and taking better care of our garden beds outside. I’m already pleased with the result of some work outside, a little has gone a long way. Your plants look awesome!
Love all the pictures of your unique treasures! You are one lucky and talented girl! Please keep these fanciful pictures coming!
Everything is so pretty–I love looking at your home and it was a treat to see your outside accomplishments! What kind of green pots are the lavender topiaries in–by your sink??? I love them. Wish I could find some…..
I just read the comments and see that someone else asked the same question about the pots!
Hi. I just love your Blog and have been following you now for almost a year!! I was so excited over your painted dresser by your bed that I had to do one for myself with my old dresser and it turned out great! I want to enter a piece soon on your Furniture Friday. I wanted to know what kind of wood do you have for your kitchen counters and how you keep it looking so beautiful and shiny clean?? Thank you
Just found you, and love this post! Looking forward to catching up!