CHEZ FIFI

SALE WAS SUPER SUCCESSFUL....

....it really was! Thank goodness for my friend Sue's PRICELESS help that day. It began early and went on all day. It was lots of fun. Darling KIM came down from Lakeland (outside Tampa) with her handsome husband, Kevin. They arrived bearing gifts! A pretty aqua tray filled with iced pumpkin cookies (made by Kim) presented on a delicate vintage platter, coffee ready to brew, a lovely napkin with a cherub napkin holder, a mug filled with nuts and a tiny pot of, of course, white daisies! Needless to say the cookies went first......

Ruth of The beautiful Life, also from Tampa, took the time to drive down to Sarasota to get some things. It was truly a pleasure to get to meet her in person. She, like Kim, is lovely. I can't tell you about everybody. It would take too long. Suffice to say they were all so gracious and it was all heart warming.

I also received hundreds of emails (220 to be exact!) inquiring about things that I might ship. The truth is that everything went with the exception of the following 3 items. All are pastels on handmade paper. The "girls" are $50 each and measure 40'' x 18''.

The large painting of "Nights and Her Children" measures 56" x 45" and is $150. The "girls" would be easy to ship but the large painting would probably be better off taken out of the frame. Anyone interested please let me know.

Thanks again to all for the many emails and comments. I am sorry I probably missed to answer a few but I have been trying to catch up........................Oh, by the way, one of my youngest "customers" was also one of the prettiest....she left wearing a head piece I got in New Mexico.................

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So, did you have a yummy Thanksgiving? Mine was very quiet. Spent the day with the kitties and doggie watching me refinish furniture............here are the end results..........

before setting down PAL debated whether or not to eat the pansies...but, wisely, opted for sniffing them.................

Sometime back I found this flashy gold chair and, finally, did it over...

Since the cushion was in good shape I painted it with fabric paint...................

.....including the upholstery nails..........why not??? The crown was a bonus............now it's fit for a royal behind (or mine!)

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Also refinished 2 armoires. Cut out the top panels of the first one and replaced them with chicken wire. Waiting for the right fabric to put behind the chicken wire.................It's a cheap armoire (plywood) so I wanted to give it an aged patina (haven't painted the inside yet...maybe never....)

I am using the panels to make a pair of shutters with "Bonne Nuit" stenciled on......cool!...

The other armoire is pine. It used to be in the guest room and was painted yellow....

...also added these cool little zinc pieces in the corners.......................

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I had the base of an old potting bench. I bought a piece of plywood that I covered with a table cloth so I could use it as a table for the garage sale. After the sale I thought of making it into a "vintage" potting bench........here is  how it developed, kind of took a life of its own.......

First, the original rustic base got a coat (or 2 or 3...) of leftover Ralph Lauren paint (don't ask the name of the color because I don't know it....)

Then topped the plywood with 2 metal ceiling tiles I had bought for another project but never had a chance to use (I must have 50 more....they will come in handy again one day..)

I finally splurged and bought an electric stapler that doubles as a nail gun (being very careful not too staple my fingers to the tiles....)

After stapling the tiles to the plywood, they also got several coats of gray.......

Glued (with Liquid Nails) a piece of wood left from a dresser to the back of the table........

....also glued some of the architectural fragments to the front legs..............

.............and: VOILA! my new/old potting bench. All done.......

......Just what I needed! Love it!........

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Next project was to disguise an iron chandelier for Christmas........... .....strung 3 beaded garlands to the existing candle holders and wrapped the top with a sparkly netting i got for $3.00 in a junk shop.......added the bling heart I had for more sparkles. .... bought the candles when I was in France..............

....the beaded garlands really did the trick...........

........This brass thingy below (a $5.00 find also from a junk shops) was transformed with.........

......several coats of gray and white acrylic paint. You can't paint metal/brass with a brush as the paint won't stick...i "sponged" it on and let the paint dry well between coats...

It's now a great candle holder...........................

The little numbers came from France and I wasn't sure where to use them until I realize they would be great for these little milk bottles. They are simply attached with some light wire.......................

TERRIFIC CHRISTMAS PRESENTS IDEAS...........................

DO YOURSELF A BIG FAVOR..............................................TAKE A LOOK AT TERESA SHEELEY'S ETSY SHOP................. 

Teresa Sheeley Designs

www.teresasheeley.etsy.com

www.teresaksheeley.typepad.com

....FOR THESE ( AND MORE) LOVELY AND INEXPENSIVE GIFT IDEAS........... I JUST ORDERED ALL THESE AND THERE ARE OTHERS JUST AS DELIGHTFUL FOR YOU TO GET............

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!

I FORGOT! I AM LOOKING FOR A BED LIKE THE ONE OF THIS PHOTO TAKEN BY HEATHER BULLARD AT THE ROUND TOP/MARBURGER MARKET IN TEXAS. IF ANYBODY KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND IT PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THANKS SO MUCH!

........AND ON A LAST, BUT TASTY NOTE, HERE ARE SOME ABSOLUTELY YUMMY MACARONS YOU CAN ORDER FOR THE HOLIDAYS..................

THAT'S IT FOR TONIGHT! 

XOXOXOXOXO

FIFI

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MORE FABULOUS GARAGE SALE GOODIES....

I PROMISE I WILL GET BACK TO ALL THE EMAILS BUT RIGHT NOW I HAVE TO KEEP AT THIS MONSTER JOB....MAN! I WISH I HADN'T STARTED. THE THING HAS TAKEN A LIFE OF ITS OWN....I ADVERTISED IT LOCALLY AND I WANTED IT TO LOOK GOOD SO I HAVE ORGANIZED BY COLOR (AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE) I HAVE STUFF INSIDE AND OUT IN THE COURTYARD. THANK GOODNESS WE ARE NOT EXPECTING ANY RAIN AND THE TEMPERATURE SHOULD BE IN THE LOW 70S TOMORROW....

OK, ENOUGH FOOLING AROUND. HERE ARE A FEW MORE PHOTOS...............

 

A BIENTOT.......

FOOLISH FIFI.................

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BIG, BEAUTIFUL GARAGE SALE...............

Yes, I made up my mind and will have the garage sale this SUNDAY 9-5.

I spent all day sorting through "stuff" but I still need the next 3 days to complete my "search and organize" mission......I am not even sure I will have gone through everything by then.....meanwhile I am posting photos of a portion of the stuff that will be in the sale so that anyone who lives locally can get an idea of what there is.  I am also thinking that I could ship some things to those of you interested in an item or 2.

So, here is the deal: if you see something you want, email me and I will tell you the price but, with the exceptions of a few pieces (old French things or unique items, it will be CHEAP) the idea is to get rid of everything. And, considering the economy CHEAP has to be operating word. OUI?

As far as my local friends go, if you want to come to the sale I am going to advertise it on CRAIGS' LIST so the address and time will be on it.

i took these photos in a hurry so they aren't the best but you will get the idea. Here we go...............starting with the Welcome sign

 

                           

  ............................some CHRISTMAS items ........................................                     

                             

                         

                          

........................................LAMPS AND LAMPSHADES...................................

                         

...PAINTING.....CABINETS.....SHABBY SHELVES....ANTIQUE FRENCH FIRE PLACE TOOLS......

                                                              ..........WOOD SCREEN....OLD DOORS........

                            

....BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE VASE............AND ELEGANT IRON & WOOD CANDLE SCONCES......

                           

........VINTAGE CHICKEN WIRE DRESS FORM.........ANTIQUE (ELECTRIC) LANTERNS....

                          

............OLD BOXES.........AND CARVED WOOD..........

           

...........SHABBY WALL COAT/APRONS/TOWELS/WHATEVER YOU WANT TO HANG/ RACK...

.............PINK IRON WALL SHELF..............

                      

.................................STONE BABY.......

                      

                      

.......STUNNING ART: A PAIR OF LOVELIES (PASTELS ON HANDMADE PAPER.................)

     

..............AND THE MOST GORGEOUS PAINTING (VERY LARGE, I HAVE TO GET THE DIMENSIONS) OF "NIGHT AND HER CHILDREN"....ALSO PASTELS ON HANDMADE PAPER, FRAMED...........MY VERY FAVORITE......................

                 

.......ANOTHER STONE ANGEL..........AND............A SPECTACULAR PAINTING ON WOOD.....

                        

.......A LITTLE FAIRY HOUSE, TALIAN CHERUB PLAQUE, CANDLE STICKS, HURRICANES.......

              

ANTIQUE CAST IRON FRENCH BED (VERY HEAVY)........PILLOWS...........

  

 WALL CLOCK, DECOUPAGE MAGAZINE RACK HANGING LANTERNS........................MORE SHABBY SHELVES........................

ANOTHER ANTIQUE IRON BED (MUCH TOO HEAVY TO SHIP....WOULD COST A FORTUNE) AND A QUEEN SIZE TOILE BED SPREAD WITH MATCHING SHAMS.....................

 

THE WHITE WOOD CANDLE STICKS ARE OLD AND FRENCH, THE LITTLE CHANDELIER HAS METAL SHADES. THERE IS ALSO THE SAME IN PINK WITH TINY WHITE FABRIC SHADES

 

.................................ONE MORE BABY (BROKEN WING GLUED BACK)

                             

GREAT SHABBY HEADBOARD (FULL, NOT QUEEN) --WOOD PAINTED WHITE WITH GRAY SCROLLWORK, 

VINTAGE TABLE CLOTHS.................................... REAL STARFISH AND BOWL.................

 

LET'S NOT FORGET CLOTHES!!!! I HAVE JUST BEGAN TO TAKE A FEW OUT....MUCH MORE TO COME..........................

 

TOPS....SKIRTS.....JACKETS......KEEP IN MIND THAT MOST OF MY STUFF IS FOR WARM WEATHER. I HAVE VERY FEW THINGS SUITED FOR COLD AND I NEED TO KEEP THEM. IN FACT, IT HAS BEEN RATHER COLD HERE: DOWN TO FREEZING AT NIGHT IN LOTS OF AREAS, AND NOT OVER 60 DURING THE DAY...BUT THIS WEEKEND IS SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE LOW 70S. AT LEAST THE SUN IS OUT!

NOT ALL MY CLOTHES ARE PINK! THERE IS A LOT OF WHITE AND PALE BLUE, STUFF WITH SPARKLES AND OTHERS WITHOUT. SIZE WISE: MOST TOPS RANGE BETWEEN 2 AND 4. SKIRTS BETWEEN O AND 4, DEPENDING ON THE STYLES..........

THIS IS JUST A SMALL SAMPLING. IF I HAVE A CHANCE I WILL TRY TO POST MORE PHOTOS TOMORROW OR FRIDAY.

OK, TIME TO GO BACK IN THE CLOSET(S)...........MORE DIGGING AND FORAGING TO DO, INCLUDING UNDER THE BEDS TOO.......LET ME KNOW IF ANYTHING YOU SAW SO FAR  "FLOCKS YOUR BIC" "TURN YOUR CRANK" OR, IN OTHER WORDS: APPEALS TO YOU.

XOXOXOXO

FIFI

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ANOTHER TRIP OVER........

IT SEEMS THAT I NEVER HAVE MUCH TIME TO BLOG ANYMORE. SO, I AM GOING TO MAKE UP FOR MY LACK OF POSTING WITH A VERY LOOOOOOOOOONG ONE........GO MAKE A CUP OF TEA AND SETTLE DOWN TO ENJOY (I HOPE....) A LOT OF PHOTOS.....

AFTER COMING BACK FROM FRANCE I WENT ON ANOTHER SHOOT THEN TO NYC TO EDIT THE NEXT ISSUE OF ROMANTIC COUNTRY (SHOULD BE OUT MID-DECEMBER.) WE HAVE REDESIGNED THE LOOK OF THE MAGAZINE AND IT'S QUITE LOVELY. SINCE THE ISSUE COVERS VALENTINE, LOOK FOR SOME DARLING IDEAS---THE TYPE YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF FOR PENNIES. IN THIS ECONOMY IT'S A REAL BONUS. SPEAKING OF THE ECONOMY, THE ISSUE ALSO FEATURES MANY WAYS TO MAKE DO WITH WHAT YOU HAVE (RECYCLE, REUSE, REIVENT, REFRESH....) SO GET READY FOR ROMANCE ON A BUDGET...............

JUST BEFORE I LEFT FOR FRANCE, WE SHOT SEVERAL HOMES INCLUDING MY HOME.....HERE IS A PEEK.......

I MADE THE "CROWN" SHELL ABOUT 7 YEARS AGO. IT HAS BEEN OVER MY BED ON AND OFF OVER THE YEARS. I PUT IT BACK UP FOR THE PHOTO SHOOT......I DRAPED A BELLA NOTTE CURTAIN PANEL IN WHITE "WHISPER LINEN" ACROSS  THE TOP AND PINNED  YARDS OF WHITE ORGANZA FROM THE INSIDE OF THE CROWN....

                        

                        

                        

GOT SOME FRESH BLUE HYDRANGEAS (WHICH DAISY ENJOYED...)

I MADE A COUPLE OF BLACKBOARDS (WITH BLACKBOARD PAINT--THE HOME DEPOT-) ON THE KITCHEN PANTRY DOORS.....THEN "FRAMED" EACH PANEL WITH WOOD TRIM AS I DID FOR THE LR TABLE.....

OF COURSE IHAD TO USE A LOT OF MY FRENCH STUFF.........

THE DR TABLE WAS SET WITH ETCHED GLASSES AND MANY OTHER GOODIES....

BY THE WAY, AS I WAS SORTING OUT SOME OLD MAGAZINES, TO MY SURPRISE I SAW MY LR TABLE ON THE COVER OF TRADITIONAL HOME (2006) ! TAKE A LOOK AT MY TABLE BEFORE I TRANSFORMED IT AND THE ONE ON THE COVER. THEY ARE IDENTICAL. SO MAYBE I HAVE GOOD TASTE AFTER ALL......

                   

                   

THEN AFTER I PAINTED IT AND ADDED THE TRIM...........................

I DID GET SOME PRETTY ROSES FOR THE SHOOT (THOUGH THEY ENDED UP ON A LITTLE BENCH IN FRONT OF THE FP ..................

             

AND ALSO REPAINTED THE SMALL TABLE..........

             

AND DISPLAYED THE LITTLE MERCURY HEARTS I GOT LAST YEAR IN CALIFORNIA.......

I TOOK ALL THE BOOKS OUT OF THE BUILT IN BOOKCASE AND REPLACED THEM WITH SOME OF THE MERCURY COLLECTION. I JUST HAVE TOO MUCH STUUF SO I THINK I AM GOING TO HAVE A GARAGE SALE. MORE ON THAT AT THE END......

HAD TO GET ORGANIZED, FOR A CHANGE................

THESE ARE NOT THE FINAL PHOTOS ONLY MY EXPERIMENTING WITH STYLING THE SHOTS..

OF COURSE THE CABANA WAS ONE OF THE FOCAL POINTS.....................

THAT DOOR LEADS INTO THE GUEST HOUSE, WHICH I AM IN THE PROCESS TO DO OVER...YES! ANOTHER PROJECT......

...I ALREADY HAD THE OLD TIN ROOF REPLACED.......................

 AS WELL AS SOME OF THE WOOD UNDERNEATH......

IT WAS ROTTEN AND WHEN THEY TOOK IT OFF THE MESS WAS INCREDIBLE....

I FINISHED THE COMPLETE CLEAN UP THIS WEEK END AND NOW I CAN START FROM SCRATCH. FIRST THE WALLS WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED AND A LITTLE KITCHEN AND BATHROOM ADDED. I HAVE KEPT SOME FURNITURE BUT HAVE BOXES FULL OF ITEMS TO SELL AT THE UPCOMING GARAGE SALE...HOPEFULLY THIS WEEKEND....

WELL, I WAS GOING TO CONTINUE BUT I AM ENCOUNTERING A PROBLEM SO I AM GOING TO STOP HERE AND PICK UP WHERE I LEFT OFF IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

MORE PHOTOS OF FRANCE, HOUSES WE SHOT, AND NEW CREATIONS FROM MY SISTER TO COME.....

A BIENTOT......

BISOUS,

FIFI

OH! BY THE WAY I WILL EVENTUALLY RESPOND TO THE EMAILS I HAVEN'T ANSWERED YET, EVENTUALLY......BE PATIENT....MERCI BEAUCOUP.

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Bonjour..................

I am back from a fabulous trip and totally refreshed, relaxed, and even ready to get back to work....well kind of....it would be nice to keep a slower pace like the one I had for 2 weeks. Though we did have some shoots it was nothing like the intense schedule I am used to.

I slept a solid 10 hours a night, ate like a piggy, drank my share of red wine and took in quite a few flea markets. With the exception of 2 days the weather was heavenly.

I flew from Sarasota to Miami and met up with Sunday who had left Los Angeles that morning. We got on the same flight to Paris where we arrived at 9.00 AM the following morning. At 11.30 AM we grabbed the fast train (TGV) to Avignon where my sister, Sylvie, picked up us. Went to her beautiful B & B, dropped our luggage and---by 4.00PM-- quickly proceeded to go to a flea market..... as you can see below, it was full of goodies.......

Sylvie (right) is always ready for flea market adventures........she takes the very elegant cart that I am holding on every trip to facilitate carrying new found treasures. You can tell we had just arrived as I look pretty tired but you wouldn't know by looking at Sunday because she always has a big smile................................

 OK, I tried to get rid of this photo but I couldn't......sorry

Of course, we had to stop for croissants and coffee...................................

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We took Sunday on lots of day trip so she could get to see as much of the area as possible...

This is in the lovely historic town of GORDES.....................by the way, that's wisteria growing on the building..........

............we walked up and down steep cobble stone streets...........................

visited galleries and enjoyed local food in charming little restaurants.................

............climbed up meandering stone paths............................

discovered amazing shops (wish I could have brought back this dresser....love the finish on it...)

...........this one too...............

Neat how they painted the steps to let customers know what awaits them upstairs (table clothes, boutis, dishes, paintings...)

GORDES is a beautiful town built right into the rocks. Here are several views......

The trees and vines had started to change colors..........................

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ROUSSILLON is another breathtaking town. The colors are amazing. They reflect those of the surrounding earth that is reminiscing of the Grand Canyon's.......................

The beauty of nature and the way the homes fit with the land is overwhelming....I think you will agree.............

..........love the red on red.......................

..........and the way the Virginia creeper drapes over the walls.......

...........and how the grape vines hug the stones.................

..........or the tangles that look like a sculpture..................

............and fallen leaves look like confetti.................

..........well, there is a lot more photos to come but I need to sort them out....so, as far as the trip goes, that's it for today.

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Just before leaving for France, we shot 4 homes in Sarasota, including my cottage.

May be you remember when I was redoing my courtyard and little cabana a couple of months back? Well if not, here is out it went and how it ended..........

First I got rid of the wood deck, the bamboo roof of the cabana and all the furniture.....................

..........next, added 3 feet to the "room", put up the bead board, enclosed, the top over the fence and had a new tin roof put over the space..............

then painted everything white and "refurnished" ................

..........really like the way the cobble stones look and the cool feel of white, green and blue.............

I did the pillows with stencils I got from THE STENCIL LIBRARY, a company in England, but I ordered them on line from here.................I used fabric paint so they are washable.....................

The bench used to be in my kitchen..........................and the Chic Shack sign in my bedroom....................

Well, I think that's quite enough for today......I will post more photos of the trip and the shoots in the days to come but I am off to New York this weekend to do the final editing of the coming issue of ROMANTIC COUNTRY so blogging will happen here and there.

I hope you have enjoyed the last issue of ROMANTIC COUNTRY. Would love to get some feed back so, please, let me know.

Thanks!

Nice to be home again, even if it's for a short time....missed you all!

xoxoxo

 Fifi