HOW I DO PERFECTLY IMPERFECT DECOR

Do you do weathered and timeworn in your home?  I do.  It's one of my signature styles.

Take a tour of my perfectly imperfect decor that I use inside and out in my home.

When I bought this chair, it was nothing more than a chippy frame. 

 I left the chair frame as found and had it upholstered in a leopard print.

WEATHERED FRENCH CHAIR WITH LEOPARD FABRIC

The chair pairs perfectly with my equally time worn French desk and leather books.

FRENCH DESK

Between both of them is a flaking column.

ARCHITECTURAL COLUMN

This crumbling mirror adds an elegant decadence to my powder room.

ELEGANT AND DECADENT MIRROR

Chipped vintage gold finials contrast perfectly with the flawless pearls.

TIMEWORN GOLD FINIALS

I also have an oil painting on the landing of my foyer.  I embrace its curling canvas corner.

OIL PAINTING WITH CURLED CANVAS

Have you ever purchased a deconstructed chair.?  I've not only purchased a chair,  but I also couldn't pass up an equally worn chaise.

MY DECONSTRUCTED CHAIR

DECONSTRUCTED CHAISE IN MY LIVING ROOM

This peeling religious statue is very special to me.  It was a gift from my Mom.

PEELING RELIGIOUS STATUE

If you follow along you know I have a thing for well-used bread boards.  The more battered the better.  A repair is always sought after.  This grouping is in my pantry.

MY BREAD BOARD COLLECTION IN MY PANTRY

I do perfectly imperfect outside too.
These fabulously flawed orange shutters flank the french doors on my patio.

CHIPPY ORANGE SHUTTERS ON MY PATIO

I rescued several sections of a vintage iron fence and added them to my garden as they were found.  If you look in the background of the photo, you'll see my equally worn chinoiserie planter.  They're one of a pair.

WEATHERED FENCE AND CHINOISERIE PLANTER

In another garden bed I have a rusty cupola and garden chair.

RUSTY GARDEN CHAIR AND CUPOLA

Do you add perfectly imperfect to your home?

Holiday Decor With Hermes Boxes

Several years ago I purchased a stack of Hermes scarf boxes.  I've mostly been using them as risers when styling my chrome bookshelves in my family room.   For the holidays, I scooted one of the bookshelves over to one side of the fireplace and styled it for Christmas.  

I added some sparkle with a vintage Christmas tree, some stylized silver deer, and a sequined table runner on the mantel.  The  disco balls are from the living room floor.  I gathered them up and placed them in and around my Chinoiserie planter and filled the gaps with magnolia. 

The mantel was too narrow for the magnolia branches, so I placed a few magnolia sprigs in some flat-backed urns and layered them in front of the architectural posters.  The branches are from my back yard.  (I may have painted them orange.)

What's a room without some fur?

Stacked Hermes boxes, shed antlers, and wooden ornaments, purchased long ago from West Elm, fill the shelves.

More boxes under the tree and another sequined deer.

Here's a peek through the tree branches.

I'm really down to the wire here for Christmas.  I still have to decorate our tree.  It's only been in the stand for two weeks waiting for me.  

How is your holiday decorating going?

Easy Landscaping With Vines and Ferns

I'm all for little-effort landscaping.  I've found that vines, sometimes ones that are volunteers, and ferns will always be a part of my landscape.  And, as you'll see in the photos, I always have weeds in the mix.  It's okay.  They are green and easy maintenance.

 Since we moved to this house we've been trying to eradicate the ivy.  Recently it decided to climb the patio wall.  I'm thinking that I like it next to my chippy shutters.  I just may not dig this one up.

IVY AND SHUTTER ON MY PATIO WALL

I so regret planting this ground cover.  I thought it would be so pretty under my shrubs and thought it would keep the weeds down.  It's called houttuynia and it has taken over.    It's a variegated vine and it's everywhere.  You can see it to the left of the cement garden piece.  (It actually was the center of a victorian garden fountain.)  Believe me.  It's pretty but don't ever introduce it to your landscape.

GARDEN FOUNTAIN, HOUTTUYNIA. AND WEEDS OF COURSE

Ferns have become my favorite garden plant.  They're very inexpensive, need little care, and look lovely the entire summer into Fall.  I sometimes bring them inside and enjoy them all winter.

This fern is very happy in its chimney pot.  Chimney pots belong on a roof, but of course they've come down to be part of my landscape.  They make indestructible planters and are the perfect size for a fern.  I never take the fern out of its plastic pot. I just drop the whole thing into the chimney pot and it wedges at the perfect height.

FERN IN A CHIMNEY POT SURROUNDED BY PERENNIAL BEGONIAS

I have ferns in a pair of urns at the end of the walkway to the patio.

FERN IN A LARGE URN

 I haven't written about the huge vintage Chinoiserie planters I found.  I have a pair of them in front of the garage.  The large iron sphere keeps them from falling into the planter.  I put a plastic tray under the pot for easy watering.  Next to the planter is the metal clock I have yet to hang on the wall.

FERN INSIDE IRON SPHERE AND CHINOISERIE PLANTER

The ferns in the next photo are my rescue ferns.  My neighbor was digging them up and discarding them.  I asked for a few and over the years they've become one of my favorite perennials.  FYI, there's another chimney pot in front of the ferns.  I usually plant annuals in it but I just didn't get to that this year.

PERENNIAL FERNS ALONG THE PATIO WALL

What easy-care plants do you have in your garden?

Glitter Deer and Antlers

For our latest sale I decorated a tree with deer ornaments and antlers and wove some upholstery webbing through the branches.

I liked it so much that when the sale was over I decided to bring it home and make it part of my holiday decor.  I replenished the deer population on the tree and

 placed it inside a hunter green chinoiserie planter.  It's perfect on my front porch since our out-of-control deer herds frequent our front yard.

I think it looks just as good on the porch as it did at the store.

I wonder if the deer will notice the next time they're grazing in my front yard.


Kathy

Chartreuse and Co. Market Days and My Recent Shopping Finds

Yep, I've been shopping and wanted to share my finds.  I'll be taking many of these to
 Chartreuse and Co. Market Days this Labor Day weekend.
 I'm so looking forward to being a guest vendor at this fabulous shop.

I have this pair of Mid Century Modern chairs.  

They have their original upholstery, wonderful curved backs, and brass caps on their feet.  

How cute would these be in a breakfast nook with a small table.  

I've never had a dress form quite like this one.  Isn't the twisted wire wonderful!!  See those snaps---you undo them and adjust the wire mesh to conform to your body.  Very clever.

I always love to find pairs.
These European pot cupboards are a perfect height and have a shelf inside with lots of storage.

I found four of these versatile Mid Century Modern chrome footstools/small seats/individual coffee tables.  They also have their original fabric covers.  Love them.

You all know I love old typewriters.  How could I pass up an orange one?

I bought this chippy black and gold leaf mirror for my family room.  It may be too big for the space and I'll have it at the sale too.

How fabulous--and comfy--is this vintage chair!

I'm going to fill this brass bar cart with all sorts of bar ware.

I painted this bookshelf gray and just for fun added a snakeskin back.  It's a perfect size.

This stainless cart is from a restaurant.  I recently saw it on Pinterest used at the foot of a bed.  Why not as a night stand or end table?

I feel very lucky that I've been able to find drafting tables for many of my sales.  I found another for this sale.  Every time I have one it's always the first thing sold.  The T-square is also for sale.

One more Mid Century Modern find.  I love this pair of glass horse head bookends.  

I also purchased this brass trophy.

If you've been following along you know that I found several fabulous shutters a few months ago.   You know how I love orange.  I've finally wrestled a pair from my greedy fingers and they'll be for sale too.  The vintage swivel medical chair will be on the block as well.  It would look great with the drafting table.

I love to mix new with vintage.  I recently found two new lines to carry in the shop.  You'll be the first to see them at this sale.  I just love these felt purses.  Perfect for Fall.

Yes, I also have added new bling to my vintage bling.
(The driftwood and the santos are also for sale.)

But wait, I have tons of vintage accessories packed and ready for the sale:  vintage books, spheres, trophies, urns, prints, chalkboards and cork boards, cloches, shells, cameras, antlers, wooden drawers, bar ware, maps and globes and more furniture that I didn't photograph.


The barns will be full. Guest vendors will be on the property.  They'll be food as well as great finds.
 I hope to see everyone there for a fabulous weekend.  I'll be in space #6.

Please make sure you say hello if you come to the sale.  I'd love to meet you.

Kathy

Chartreuse and Co. Market Days
4007 Buckeystown Pike
Frederick, MD

Sale Dates
Sept. 1 from 9-5
Sept. 2  from12-4

This a not-to-be missed event.