Memories of Love

Do you have certain somethings in your abode that whisper in your ear, tug at your heartstrings, echo in your mind?  I have a collection of vintage cameras that, for various reasons, do just that.

The first one, starting on the left, is a Zeiss.  It was given to me by someone wondrously dear to me.  When I look at it, I remember that one moment of soul shock when I was presented with it, that sense of heart gladness that someone knew me so well, knew what I desired even before I knew it myself.

The Zeiss has that aura of  Old Hollywood glamour, with connotations of paparazzi and the flash of their cameras aimed at some Hollywood starlet standing outside Mann's Chinese Theatre.

Then I have a Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera that I found out thrifting for mere dollars.  The marvellous thing is that it came with the original box, manual and all the accessories.  So when I look at it, I feel again that thrill of the treasure hunt.



And lastly I have a Canon that was once my father's.  I have a whole store of memories of him clicking away with it, wearing a white shirt and tailored trousers, looking totally "Mad Men".

Each camera holds a place in my heart, each valid in it's own right, but it's the memories behind them that are more precious than mere words can describe.

Please let me know about your precious somethings and let us inspire each other!

I'm linking up to Tales from Bloggeritaville, The Thrifty Groove, Vintage Revivals, Common Ground, French Country Cottage, Southern Hospitality,  A Stroll Thru Life, A Beach Cottage

Cutlery Tray Three Ways

It isn't often that inspiration strikes so quickly but when I saw the expandable cutlery tray from Williams Sonoma, on sale at half-price, right away, I knew that I could repurpose it to do many other things.  I rushed home with it and, several gleeful moments later, had an organized jewelry drawer inside a dresser. The marvelous thing is that the tray is lined with cork so the jewelry doesn't slide around and is resting on a cushioned surface.  And the dividers slide out so that I create my own customized compartments.  To the left of the tray are shawls and vintage beaded evening bags.  I am embarassed to admit that I could devote many hours to arranging and rearranging these little shiny adornments.

Then I thought that the tray could work hung up on a wall as a modern interpretation of a printer's tray which is all the rage in the vintage world.  Picking up reminders of Nature and displaying it in my home connects me with the Earth.  Here I have fossils, crystal chunks, pinecones and little woodland creatures.

It would make a great display and conversation piece on a coffee table as well.  Perhaps it would only be of interest to other vintage lovers but, hopefully, I am not the only one who likes oohhing and aaahhing over vintage pretty things?  Here I've filled it with vintage wooden spools of thread, vintage lace, ribbons, vintage embroidered handkerchiefs and vintage mother of pearl buttons.

 As I've got a bit of a sewing and crafting theme going on here, I could display it in a sewing or craft room as well.

But besides repurposing something many different ways, I like the notion of taking a new thing and giving it a vintage spin.

Let me know of things that you've repurposed and we can inspire each other!

Linking up with The House in the Roses, A Delightsome Life, A Stroll Thru Life, A Beach Cottage, Common Ground, and French Country Cottage.

Cherries In The Snow

I want to be very, very lazy.  Thoughts of DIY'ing or anything requiring physical exertion have as much appeal to me at the moment as sitting in a sauna wearing a wool coat.  Although, come to think of it, that's how I feel right now.  The news has been talking about "record high" temperatures.  It's not the heat I mind so much, it's the heavy, pea soup like humidity.  So I need to think of cool things like snowflakes against an aqua sky and cherries in a field of snow or cherries on ice.

Even the word "aqua" has connotations of liquid coolness.

Cherries embedded in ice, a burst of sweetness in the midst of icy cool water, is just the thing.

Or a trail of cherries in the snow...

A snowball fight or two.

And I shall serve up vanilla ice cream garnished with cherries for dinner mounded up on snowy white plates because it is the only thing to eat at times like this.

Sigh...I feel better already.  Ice cream really is the cure for everything.  What is your favourite hot weather rescue? Let me know so we can cool down together!

I am linking up to The House in the Roses, A Delightsome Life, A Stroll Thru Life, A Beach Cottage, French Country Cottage.



White Sails At Sunset

The weather being fine this past weekend, I went down to the nearest quay and saw this:

And this:

Have you ever seen something in your daily travels that resonated deeply with you?  There was that ineffable je ne sais quoi that stirred the soul, that deep wellspring of heart gladness.  And you thought to yourself, "If only I could recreate that feeling in my home." 

The sun, the water, that feeling of freedom inherent in those sails made me feel as carefree and joyous as a bird on the wing.  And I thought as well of that spectacular piece of architecture, the Sydney Opera House.  So I raced home and puzzled (obsessed) over how to bring that look and that feeling into my home.  By a fortuitous turn of events, I came across a series of paintings titled "The Sea" by a talented local artist Brian C. Mayer. This one is titled "Sailing":

And this one is titled "Paradise":

Sigh...I swoon.  Now Art, with a capital "A", is so very personal but these paintings come very close to evoking for me that sense of being lifted far and away from the ordinary.  But surely, there must be other ways, simple yet effective ways, of being transported?  And so I did something for the very first time, I hung curtains!  Yes, simple white curtains to soften the modernity of horizontal blinds.

A vintage fan to recreate a billowing shore breeze.

Now, I have had a longstanding uneasy relationship with curtains.  I grew up with stiff net curtains and curtains that were formal and overbearing, the "look but don't touch variety."  But now I think I have reached detente with these simple white sheers.

They hang in the master bedroom, opposite the bed so I see them when I wake.

So now when I see that cascade of white, I have that same incomparable feeling, of sun on dappled waves, billowing white sails, lovers embracing on a ship's deck, that incandescent lightness of being.

Without tooting my horn too much, I was featured on The Thrifty Groove!  I'm so thrilled and pleased!  If you would like to read the featured post, "Green Is The Colour of My Love," go here or read it on The Thrifty Groove, here.

I am linking up to The House In the Roses, A Delightsome Life, A Beach Cottage, Faded Charm and French Country Cottage,

Playing Miss Chatelaine

I have only come lately to the delights of flower arranging.   Forgive the pun but yes, I am a late bloomer.  For many years, I thought that faffing around with flowers was an unneccessary indulgence.  And as adamant as I was that it was an accomplishment more suited to the Victorian age, I am now a most fervent convert.  There is something so supremely meditative about choosing what blooms will delight my senses the most and then the careful, or in my inexperienced case, the not so careful arranging in a suitable vessel. 

I do realize that carnations have a humble reputation as being cheap and ubiquitous but, at $3.50 for a large bunch at the local flower shop, I didn't mind.  And I  found something quite charming in their pink frilly unpretentiousness.

And humble or not, a perfect bloom can elevate something quite simple and mundane to the level of the sublime.  

Ordinarily, I am not the most serene of persons as I am easily flustered but the cool composure inherent in the silky petals makes me feel wonderfully serene and  ladylike as I indulge in arranging and rearranging bouquets of flowers. 

I admit now that, in this rough and tumble world, this particular accomplishment of the Chatelaine of the home to be a most worthy one indeed.

 Linking up to A Beach Cottage, Between Naps On The Porch, My Romantic Home and Serenity Now.

Green Is The Colour Of My Love a.k.a Fashion Meets Housewares #1

Do you have a favourite "something" that has tiptoed into your life unbeknownst to you?  For years, I thought my favourite colour was blue with lots of white and silver thrown in for good measure.  Then, one day, I realized that green had crept into the mix and that I was continually drawn to that colour when out and about searching for thrifty treasures.  It all started with these Salisbury, made in England, bone china pieces of 1 salad plate, 4 bread plates and 2 teacups picked up at a yard sale, all for $1.25:

I loved the apple green band with gold cherries dancing across it.  And my favourite flower of the moment is the green hydrangea.  However, I noticed that one of the teacups was a bit more used than the other.  I had visions of Miss Havisham in her tattered wedding gown drowning her sorrows in her solitary cup of tea.  Now that won't do at all!  So I dashed to my closet whereupon I discovered more green.

 All of which leads me to my first Fashion Meets Housewares post.  There is something so uplifting and alluring about the colour green.  But not just any green, I prefer a Granny Smith apple green with a blue undertone.  It reminds me of Spring, of eternal hope. 

So please let me know that your favourites in your home have spilled over into other areas of your life and that I am not the only one!

Linking up to Southern Hospitality, Coastal Charm, A Beach Cottage, Tales from Bloggeritaville, The Thrifty Groove.

Frame Me Up a.k.a. My First Time Spray Painting

I have another shocking "first" to share with you.  I've never spray painted before!  The impetus that caused me to pick up a can of spray paint for the very first time was the sad state of my bathroom mirrors in the guest and ensuite bathrooms.  They were ordinary plate mirrors that were glued to the wall.  Removing them for fancy-pants framed mirrors would have meant smashing them off the wall.  And I very much wanted some way of fancying up the bathrooms as neither of them had windows and so no natural light source.

Here is the guest bathroom mirror as it's former unadorned self:

I purchased two lengths of moulding,  a can of Rustoleum Spray Paint in Hammered Silver and a tube of adhesive from Home Depot.  Total cost was under $30.  As it was my very first time, my technique got better as I went along.  Long, even, sweeps worked well.  I did find that, more than 2 coats, and the hammered effect was lost.
Here are both mirrors all fancied  and framed up:

Ensuite:

For under $30, this is a whole lot of fancy.





After it was all done, I admit I had a Titanic moment when I wanted to shout "I'm Queen of the World!" whilst waving victoriously the spray can in one hand.   But this could have been the paint fumes talking.  My euphoria almost equalled the high I felt on using a power tool (an electric staple gun) for the very first time which you can read about here.  Sigh, another milestone reached.  I wonder what's next?

And if you want to know how is it that there are so many "firsts" with me then go to the "About L'Heure Bleue At Home" tab wherein you will learn all about a 6'4" man throwing a tantrum in my living room, my vintage things hanging their heads in shame and 70's brown polyester curtains.

I'm linking up to Between Naps On The Porch, Dittle Dattle, Keeping It Simple,  DIY by Design , A Beach Cottage , Savvy Southern Style, The Shabby Chic Cottage, and Simple Home Life.

Come On In, Take A Seat

I have a confession to make that will shock all the semi-pro DIY'ers out there.  Before this year, I had never owned or operated a power tool!  Yes, never!  The impetus that, ultimately, changed this grievous state of affairs was a vintage table and set of 4 chairs that my father bought many years ago.  I was never very fond of it as it was a little too "country" for me and I secretly wanted something more "rock and roll".  Lately, I have grown more fond of it because it has so many memories of family dinners embedded in it.  And now that we are all grown and scattered to the four winds, this little set has found its home with me.  Do you have pieces that evoke such memories for you?  The problem was that the upholstery looked decidedly drab.  So I took the plunge, bought an electric staple gun after quizzing the clerk at Rona for 15 minutes, picked out a lovely retro-inspired fabric, new batting and set to work.  Here is a chair that's been recovered beside one that hasn't.

And yes, I emerged unscathed with my fingers intact.  While the table still remains its original humble self, it has a mighty secret.  Inside its belly is cunningly concealed an extra leaf that swings up and out so that the table can seat 6.  How clever is that?

Do you think I should repaint the set or keep it the original duck egg blue?  The paint work is in fairly good condition but it is obvious that the set has been well enjoyed and has come by its "distressing" honestly.  Should I paint it white?  Or go for modern glam black?  Your opinion would be greatly appreciated.

I admit that I had so much fun with my staple gun  that, after I was done, I wanted to run around the house stapling everything!  Now I know why the boys love their tools so much!

I think this little country table and chairs is ready for another twenty years of memories, don't you?

I'm linking up to  A Beach Cottage, Free Pretty Things, The Shabby Chic Cottage , Simple Home Life, Serenity Now, My Romantic Home and Diy By Design.

Heart Of A Dragon

Do you remember the lyrics to this lullaby?

Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring turns brass, Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass

Whenever Father's Day rolls around, I find myself thinking of what my father has given me instead of what I should give him.  For example, one time, as I was putting together my home office, I thought that I needed something imposing and majestic that would gaze at my office protectively and give me the necessary verve to do my work.  But what?  For some reason, I thought of the masses of fairy tales and stories that my father used to read to me as a child.  So, naturally, I asked my father for a dragon.  Really, I had no idea what this dragon would look like and didn't think my father would be able to find me one that wasn't a stuffed toy when, one day, he telephoned me and said he had something for me.  It was my very own dragon.

And it was every bit as majestic, beautiful and imposing as I dreamed it would be.

Now I am thinking that, next time, I will ask for my very own knight in shining armour on a beautiful horse.

And, every time I look at it, I think of a father who was asked by his daughter to find her a dragon and without a word, found her heart's desire.

I am linking up to A Stroll Thru Life,  A Beach Cottage and Free Pretty Things.