Classic Bedroom With A

Classic bedroom with a

With Glamor Furniture

With Glamor Furniture

Happily Ever After

On the eve of the Royal Wedding 

my own Prince Charming and I popped a bottle of champagne.

We were celebrating 

True Love and Happily Ever After.

We had tied the knot that day in April, four years ago.

The Royal Wedding was a fantasy to watch,

and it reminded us of how we felt at our own wedding.

As my eldest son, Justin, walked me down the aisle,

 seeing my betrothed at the altar was exhilarating.

My prince stood waiting with his only brother, just like Will and Harry.

However this prince was watching the bride come up the aisle.

Our church was small and modest, unlike the Abbey.

Also unlike the Royal Wedding, 

we had a guest list of only 34 people.

This was to be an intimate affair for us,

and somehow I think Kate and Will got the same result.

Kate looked beautiful.

Our tiaras were quite similar, though mine was not Cartier.

I remember feeling beautiful on my wedding day, 

as every bride should, 

and as I watched Kate those memories came to me.

I searched for a dress that would be just right and kept it hidden 

in a closet so it would remain a secret.

Our own wedding theme was

"Happily Ever After"

Our Rehearsal cake topper was none other than

 Cinderella and her Prince Charming.

Our wedding was our own private fairy tale come true.

Candlesticks at the rehearsal dinner 

were tied with Happily Ever After ribbons.

Even our wedding rings have the inscription:

Happily Ever After

I married my Prince Charming on April 28, 2007.

The best day of my life.

Bedroom Contemporary House

Bedroom contemporary house

Modern Bedroom Interior Design

Modern Bedroom Interior Design

The Royal Wedding :: The Goring Hotel, London

I am actually staying in the UK at the moment and along with many millions of people yesterday watched with delight The Royal Wedding.

Now when Buckingham Palace is full the 100 year old Goring Hotel is used as an overspill for guest accommodation. Yesterday the Middleton party booked out all of the rooms for their family and friends and held their own party there for those not invited to the Buckingham Palace bash.

The luxurious Goring Hotel opened in 1910 and was the world's first hotel with en-suite facilities and central heating to every bedroom. This was revolutionary for its time!

Here is a few pics of the it's luxurious comfort and glamourous interiors. 

spot the sheep...

images courtesy of The Goring Hotel

Have fun.

Bedroom Furniture Designs

Bedroom Furniture Designs

Bedroom Furniture Designs

Bedroom Furniture Designs

Washroom Editing and Fluffing

 After any new decorating project is finished there is always a

number of things that get adjusted, and the washroom is no exception.

Before blogging I had never heard of the term "fluffing".

Fluffing is making things a little bit fresher and better.

 This project involved the tin wallpaper ceiling

 and changing up the finish on the cabinets.

A soft two tone distressed finished with a crown molding 

gave this room the shabby vintage feel I was looking for.

But some things weren't quite right.

This is a detail pic of the cabinet distressing and the knobs.

I painted and distressed these knobs in the Habbersham way!

 The mirror is now hung vertically so Mr. Maison can see himself.

I removed the large towel hanger 

and replaced it with a pretty shelf I found at an antique shop. 

The hand towel now hangs off of a bronze robe hook.

A decorative display for pretty bottles, some old, some new.

That tall green bottle was on a stone wall on 

the New Hampshire home we sold last year. 

It was filled with dirt and moss and is a fond reminder of our former home.

This is how it looked after I finished the wallpapering and cabinets.

Too much going on in that space...

Keeping a wooden box holds the things my family likes to leave

on the counter top. For the photo I have hand soap and a pretend vintage bottle,

but in real life the man soap in a can and the iPhone charger find there way

into this box and it keeps me happy.

 This box came from Hobby Lobby and it corrals countertop items.

A hooked rug of roses in browns and blues

 is perfect for this shabby pretty room.

Toilet pictures are not my favorite, I will say.

Blues and greens and galvanized metal are the common thread.

Decorating a toilet area~it has to be done.

The metal toilet paper holder came home with me from Hobby Lobby too.

The wall behind it needs to be painted, but this was a needed improvement.

The linen fleur-de-lis kitchen valance replaced 

the mosquito net drape I originally hung.

This is the before fluffing.

 I hated the placement of the toilet paper roll holder.

Who put that there??

Right under the window in such an important spot~

I couldn't find anything that would fit 

this shabby vintage washroom until I went to Hobby Lobby!

The other changes were adding the valance and the rug.
Here is a reminder of how far this room has come:

Yes, its the same room!
Ahh the power of paint and wallpaper.

And little adjustments that make it just right.

Chemical Dyes

chemical dyes

Montague's of Montville :: Queensland, Australia

I hope you all had a relaxing Easter break. 

We spent a few days walking the Sunshine Coast Hinterland Great Walk, which is a 3-5 day walk 90km north of Brisbane. 


It's a fantastic walk that winds its way through the Blackwall Range and traverses scenic natural areas including warm subtropical rainforest, tall open eucalyptus forest and many picturesque waterfalls. 

We have camped near this walk before but this time we decided to stay in a local rainforest retreat, Montague's of Montville, at the base of Kondalila Falls Road. 


The owners, David and Geraldine have looked after us with hearty breakfast provisions, quality cosy accommodation, soft fluffy robes and providing lifts in the morning to start the walk. 

This is a perfect place for that indoor-outdoor experience or a special romantic break with the local wildlife dropping in on your deck, listening to the sound of Kondalilla falls and star gazing from your deck.

Many thanks to David and Geraldine for looking after us.

Have fun.

Early Garden Tour

Today is so nice I just had to get outside and do some yard cleanup.

Gardening is one of my favorite things to do.

Our house is a sideways house~it sits sideways on the lot.

The pink swing hangs by the basement door, 

and our front door is up the granite steps.

I sprayed this old bike I found at the dump. 

Our walkway border has tulips blooming.

And more tulips in a small garden.
The garden house I built sits up high and holds a flower basket.

 I filled it with pansies in a pretty colorway called "antique".

This week the squirrels ate about 40 of my tulip blossoms

 right before they were ready to open.

I really hate squirrels now.

Squirrels may look cute, but they wreak havoc 

with the bird feeders and they destroyed my tulips.

I have never lost my tulips to squirrels before. 

They also dig up the pansies in the planters looking for bulbs I think.

The garden is just coming out of the bleakness of winter.

Pansies are the first touch of life. As soon as I can get them

I add them to my planters.

The big urn holds pansies and english daisies.

The cherry tree is in full blossom along with the forsythia.

I have too many chairs in my garden, so I will be playing around with 

the new vintage garden chairs and finding the right spot for them.

The garden is a little rough around the edges right now.

By mother's day it should look a lot nicer.

Hope the sun is shining where you are!

I'll be back to painting kitchen cabinets tomorrow.