FFH Story: Day Dream Believer

Eiffel tower, PA flower show

I have always been a daydreamer. It is easy for me to visualize something in my mind's eye, from the details to to the full picture.  What you can picture in your mind is something that can become reality. I wrap my little prayers in pink bubbles, placing them there for safe keeping and they turn the sweetest pale pink. They move up through my mind and I imagine that little pink bubble holding my wishes and prayers as it floats to the sky, passing clouds, believing that each and every wish will come to pass.

little G and her bubble wishes

This brings me here, to Fresh French Home. My idea of creating a beautiful space to imagine and share inspirations, dream up new spaces, a place dedicated to inspired shopping and inspired living.  And it all started with a daydream. 

The Summer Daydream

 Fresh French Home as officially been"pink bubbled"! Now, we wait for the little pink prayers to float back down and give us a good sprinkle.

Big news from France, my sister, Aidan will be contributing to Fresh French Home blog on Monday. She has a lovely blog of her own conjugatingirregularverbs.com She and her family live in the Laungduec region in southern France. She has been sharing her life abroad on her blog for many years and she is a writer ta boot, just wait for her novel! 

aidan and me, circa 1978

The Atelier: A French Original, The Breton Stripe

Atelier: french, pronounced (A-tell-yay), artist's workshop or studio. My table at home and the coming shop for us to create, design and inspire!

When I begin a new project I organize it by a theme, a story I want to tell, visually. Keep this idea in mind when you are in a room or house re-do. What story do you want to tell, what theme do you want to convey? Every element of the design should be connected to that theme or story. It should all "marry", become whole and part of the story you are telling.

The Atelier: French Original, Nautical strtipe

The Atelier of Fresh French Home:

This week the Atelier is dedicated to a true French original, the Breton stripe. The stripe makes for very easy storytelling. Originally built for the French Navy, the stripe was first seen in 1858. The shirts made of thick cotton and wool had 21 stripes, one for each of Napoleons triumphs! In 1917 Coco Chanel visited the south of France, a bit later her new Spring line donned the Breton stripe. Thank you Coco!

Coco Chanel and her stripes, 1917
eviescarlettward.blogspot.com

So, let's translate the popular stripe to home design. I personally love wearing stripes but I especially love them in interior design, even beyond the Breton, stripes have the ability to break up other patterns, add vertical interest and give your eyes a place to rest. Try including them in different widths, wide to narrow. Experiment with vertical and horizontal, use as a trim to "Frenchy" up a solid, mix with other patterns or let bold, wide stripes stand on their own.

my fabric choices for French Nautical

Tidied up for you are examples of what to use and how to use the nautical stripe to create a beautiful interior. All inspired by the sea, stripes and the original. I chose the classic navy and white color palette, in varying sized stripes and patterns mixed with classic green for a nod to this Springs "hot" color. There is a neutral version for those not quite ready to take the sea plunge into nautical. And you can always stripe it up with simple accents to get a little of the French seaside.

French Nautical fabric collage

French Nautical fabric, chair detail

Each of these chandeliers trends towards the nautical theme but each is a very different style.

Three mirrors each very different in style but each can stand on there own within the nautical theme.

Rug options that deliver texture, color and theme consistency through color or pattern.

Neutral options for a more subtle nautical palette. A little more reserved and softer. Use the stripes for large furniture pieces for most impact. Trim with the dots, small stripe and egg blues.

Quite lovely and what could be more French than the nautical stripe! Embrace it, even in small doses and don't forget to tell the story of your nautical, seaside Cote d' Azur.
I would love to know your seaside tale.

Coming Wednesday for FFH Story, my Summer daydream becoming a reality.

Resources:

atelier enamel sign: etsy.com

Lighting: round silver chandy: thebungalowboutique.com

wood chandy:shopcodwelling.com 
blue crystal: curreyandcompany.com 

brass chandy: autumnantiques.com

Mirrors: blue and silver: buyfurnitureyoulove.org 
shell mirror: olystudio.com

gold wreath top: alexanderandpearl.co.uk

Rugs: navy stripe: dashandalbert.com 
stripes 3 color ways: ballarddesigns.com

sisal w/ navy trim: surfacethreads.com

FFH Story: What Design Means to Me

This series of posts, FFH Story, will be dedicated to my thoughts on design, daydreams and what new, wonderful things are in the shop. A sneak peak of my newest finds and custom designs. And a place for continual updates on all things Fresh French Home! It will also be a continuing story of what I hope the shop will become, the sensibilities and character I want bring to FFH. 

Aesthetics (also spelled æsthetics) is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of art, beauty, and taste, with the creation and appreciation of beauty.^[1][2] It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste.^[3] More broadly, scholars in the field define aesthetics as "critical reflection on art, culture and nature." (wikipedia)

I have always been the creative type and there have been times in my life that I got bogged down in something else, distracted and not truly myself. Every time this happens, without fail, I feel a little distant from myself. And I have learned I need to be creating something to feel truly happy. 

Creativity can come in many forms. I can feel content planning a new garden, choosing paint colors, designing a new kitchen or designing a new business. I write all this to tell you more of who I am and where I have started and why and what I want my shop, your shop to be. And I think it should all start with learning how to "see", developing an ability to look at things, color, shape, pattern and texture more keenly. 

In college I studied a number of subjects. My eventual degree was in Art education and I have enough hours in photography to consider it my minor. Art education is comprised of education principles and pedagogy classes and luckily for me numerous hours in fine arts. 

I think I really began to see things in a different way after my first photography course. The assignment; only take photographs of shadows with black and white film. I loved this assignment. And from that moment I never saw anything the same again. Something about the light against the dark, the contrast made everything standout. I would see shapes within shapes, textures and patterns more clear, relationships of space and size changed and so did I. 

http://www.paper-leaf.com/blog/2011/02/elements-of-design-quick-reference-sheet/

In Art history I visually dissected  paintings. Discovering shapes, color and pattern and their relationships to each other and the overall purpose of the painting. I studied aesthetic philosophy for the "Art" in my education degree. The point was to understand and have the tools to implement the ideas of aesthetics in the classroom. This changed me too. I grew to learn how to see the basic function and beauty in everyday objects, how to perceive and untangle the visual layers of design, paintings, pattern and shapes. 

And I believe all of this has lead me to here, creating Fresh French Home. My ideas of design rest here, in the idea of "seeing" more deeply, keenly. And the desire to marry function with beauty. The thought that your home should be functional, beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.

I will post more on aesthetics and ideas about learning to "see" in the coming weeks. 

La Jardin in February: Indoor Terrariums

I have daydreams about Spring and beautiful flowers and new buds forming on the trees and my roses, we have planted 20 here! Spring is my favorite season, maybe because it includes my birthday, wedding anniversary and Easter. Three of my favorite days of the year. Spring also brings gardening back to us. My Rock and I love to garden. Before little G was born we would spend almost every Saturday and Sunday in the yard building up our gardens. Every house we have lived in together, since 1998, has had new flower gardens built from scratch. We tilled the soil, raised beds, and picked all of our plants. This is what my Rock loves to do. And he is very good at it and knows the ins and outs of almost every tree, shrub and flower around. I love him for it. 

But, Winter is still here. A great way to bring the outdoors inside is using terrariums. Terrariums have a wonderful history and their height of popularity was the Victorian era. Terrariums came in so many styles, from simple lines to highly decorated in brass, filigree ironwork, and hand painting. Even today one can find terrariums in different styles, from homemade, glass bottles or elaborate structures to house plants.

For more history click below:

http://www.designsponge.com/2011/08/history-of-terrariums-terrarium-roundup.html

source
Victorian parlor room illustration 

Building an indoor terrarium of your own can be as simple or as complex as you wish. I have links posted below for instructions and a few tips of my own. 

Simple Terrarium:

1- choose your plants, ferns, mosses, orchids and herbs work well.

2- pick your terrarium, as simple as a glass cloche, glass house, covered cake plate or an elaborate antique.

3- water your plants, add soil if un-potting plants and your terrarium base will take the soil. or you can leave the plants in their original pots.

4- choose a bottom layer, if you wish. you can use moss, paper, ribbon, straw anything to make a little "nest" or leave simple and plain.

5- arrange your plants, consider spacing if using more than 1 plant. vary heights and colors.

6- cover and enjoy for months to come and show your children nature at work.

 

my simple terrarium, I added after Christmas. I missed the green of my tree!

The best plants for a terrarium are usually ones that enjoy high amounts of water and can tolerate being indoors. Ferns, mosses and herbs are all good candidates.

Below is a link for the best plants to create a terrarium

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/houseplants/projects/top-plants-for-terrariums/

I added white violas to an antique wall basin in my guest bath.
the plants were placed in a cut sandwich bag for watering and then covered with moss.
VIOLA VIOLAS!

And if you're missing something to house your terrarium, forget the cover and sneak in plants to unusual spaces. I love doing this. It is always a surprise for you and guests. It makes me smile to see violas in January  sitting inside my decorative birdcage or the antique basin shown above. And if it makes you smile, you should do it!

my violas in the birdcage. they smile back at me!

Also, a followup for 5 minute gardens from The Inspired Room. She has a great post on how simple, yet lovely indoor gardens can be.

http://theinspiredroom.net/2012/05/30/five-5-minute-gardens/

FFH  will have gardening posts monthly. I will dedicate one Monday to my love of nature, flowers and digging around outside. 

Vintage Valentines, Waving our Hearts

Momo Valentines, circa 1922!

In honor of Valentine's Day this week I thought I would dedicate a post to vintage valentines. Last year my mother-in-law gave me vintage Valentine's that had belonged to Momo, my husbands grandmother. They are quite cute. They were given to her when she was in the first grade, circa 1922! On the back of each one is a patient mothers handwriting: "To Auvaline".








Momo was a very sweet, strong lady. When I knew her she had the prettiest white hair, sharp wit and she adored my husband and because of that she adored me. I have heard stories over the years of her cleaning house in her high heels. Can you imagine cleaning, dusting and pushing around a 1950's vacum in 4" heels? She worked all of her life to make the life of those she loved better. I am so thankful she was a big part of my husbands life because I know she had something to do with the man he is today. And I thank her for that. I will keep her vintage valentines, tucked away somewhere safe, like all hearts should be, for our little G to have one day.

Momo,
Auvaline Dawson at our wedding, 2002!

Momo valentone, circa 1922

We lost her in April, 2005. I do regret little G did not have the honor to know her and taste her meringue pies. Or hear her tell one of her tall tales. I think they would have adored each other , both bright, tough and sweet as plums. We miss you Momo, and that meringue. Happy Valentines Day, we wave our hearts to you.

Momo valentine, circa 1922

Website is Here!

I have been quiet on my blog, been too busy making so many arrangements! The website is up and running. I still have pages, information and pictures to add but it is designed and it works! Please have a stop by and take a look http://www.freshfrenchhome.com

I have gotten back the pictures of my home and I am happy with them. The slideshow on the website is a small handful. I will be adding more after I build the pages. The blog is about to take a big turn, look for numerous posts throughout the weeks to come. I promise to have updates on the brick and mortar location very soon. I need it finalized for my own sanity! xoxo
Until Monday. . .

Oh the Things You Will Find at Market

The Beautiful Logo! I am so happy with it!

 Market was a wonderful experience. I loved each and every second of it. We walked for miles and miles and my little legs were sore but my heart and mind were so very glad I had the opportunity. I found wonderful antiques and other vendors I fell in love with. I have some big choices to make on what lines to carry in the shop. There are many that work with my aesthetic, so the decision will be a hard one. You would be amazed to see so many wonderful things under one roof, I was. And for a shopper , like me, it was paradise. The people were all so kind, full of encouragement and big smiles. I really felt like I was in my element and loving it. This beautiful sconce is from France, it still has euro wiring to change out. I bought four and know where to get more. They are gorgeous. I just love them! 

About the logo, I chose two to work with. This round wreath above and a linear version of the same fonts, colors and wreath, just made longer. I like both and each will serve different purposes. And now it is time to work on the website. I think it should be fairly simple since we have a logo. I want everything consistent! So, be ready to see this everywhere. 

Oh, and I should have the photos of my home tomorrow. I can't wait to see them. I will post a few when I get them and build the website with choice images. It is all coming together. Wednesday is a big day, we meet with people about the location. And who knows, I might have big news about where I am going to be putting my little shop!

Logos, Photos and Choices

Dried arrangement in dining.

 Yesterday was the photo shoot I mentioned in my last post. I think it went well, he was very detail orientated, a good thing in a photographer. I actually chose him because of his macro work I saw on his website ironsidephotography.com The images are of spices and foods, they are quite beautiful and look very editorial. I thought his 'eye' could do the same with the details of my home. I should have the proofs in about 1 to 2 weeks. It is exciting and I know I will get great stuff!
 Now, the logo situation. This is most tricky! I feel a bit lost on deciding anything or even what to ask the designer to do differently. I got the 2nd version of my options yesterday and none of them really "speak" to me. I actually like some in the first round better. I know she can create something great, I love her work and am confident in what she can give me. So, I hope to decide soon! 
 Next week brings Dallas Market. I have never been before but have often fantasized about going. Even when we lived in Dallas I passed it on the highway all the time. I would think, even then, about all the goodies behind those doors. They have 2 big home shows twice a year, January and June. The regular market is open everyday but at the big shows there are "temp" offerings. New, special, never seen product! My toes are curling! This temp show should be very interesting because they will have vintage and antique items for purchase. I so look forward to seeing this. And luckily my ROCK is coming along to help me. He is quite good at helping. He knows my taste and when I need a break. 

Very exciting stuff to come. Stay tuned!

Paper Work and Then Some

So, when opening a small business there are about a million things on your to-do list. Others can help but if you are a one woman show it is really all in your head and your list. I probably think about every side of this business from every angle, upside down, sideways, on my head and I know I have yet to think of everything. It is constant, I do not waiver. I peel away to be a mommy but I have my list floating back there, in the multi tasking mommy cortex, you know it well! Truth is I love every single moment of it. Every detail, I love it!Tomorrow brings me more paperwork to fill and file. Every signature is one step closer. Next Monday I have a photo shoot of my own home to capture my taste and design aesthetic. I am excited! I actually studied photography in college and did portraits for people before we left Dallas but I can not take interior shots at all. I love capturing people and I have always felt I was good at it. But interiors elude me. It has to be the light. Anyway, I hope he can capture my home the way I can capture people. I will post a few when the process is complete.

Summer Daydream

Bonne Annee, Happy New Year

Today,as it snows I am writing the first post to my first blog. All of this is to tell the tale of my new venture, Fresh French Home. A lifestyle boutique for the heart and home. Since this past Summer I have been daydreaming, whispering about this, my wish to bring something special and different to my new hometown of NW Arkansas. This place, my shop will become my vision of all things lovely with a twist of french, beautiful practicality and a pinch of whimsy! Showcasing fresh designs, upscale furnishings and a lovely place to sit a spell with southern hospitality creating a place of refinement. So, this blog has two purposes. # one, a place to collect all of my thoughts and plans and visions of the shop and # 2 to give someone, anyone,"out there" a glimpse into the shops schedules and a timeline of how it all came to be from day one,or close to day one anyway.
Since my daydream began events have been serendipitous to lead me to gain more and more confidence in my abilities. As scary as this all is, I have wonderful people around me, supporting me every step of the way. How lucky and blessed each of them makes me feel. In my days or moments of being scared each of them believes in me and the possibilities of Fresh French Home! What greater gift is there than people who love and have faith in you?
Happy New Year. Here is to Fresh beginnings!