Gardening & Bidding

Dollhouse Wooden Delft Firescreen

 

I had a very successful day yesterday. I hand pruned my 15!!! Eugenia topiaries and they look wonderful. My gardeners do not like taking the time to hand prune so I did it myself. My English shears do such a better job than that awful power one they use. They look just like English boxwoods (that do not grow here) and they are in single balls, double balls and poodle shapes. And I ordered 125 bags of black mulch from Lowe's to be delivered.

Having Way Too Much Fun

Georgian Style Red and Gold Japanned Secretary - 1stDibs

A chinoiserie piece I have long coveted is a red and gold lacquered secretary. Fine antique versions are tens of thousands of dollars and excellent reproductions can easily be over $10,000.

Baby Palm Trees

Baby Needlepoint Palm Tree Shoes

It was crazy hot here yesterday and I decided to stay inside for a while in the heat of the day and play on eBay. I was not really looking for anything in particular and seeing what little treasure I might find. Some of my favorite things I have found quite accidentally like this. I ended up getting these brand new ByPaige needlepoint palm tree baby shoes in pink and green. Aren't these too darling?

Lanai Inspiration and an eBay Find

Don Easterling

As part of my exterior painting project, the lanai will be painted inside and out and the ceiling will be painted haint blue. 

Halloween Decorating & Cooking

Amanda Lindroth - House Beautiful

I'm excited to start planning some outdoor decorating for fall and Halloween. My inspiration is this wonderful space above by Amanda Lindroth - I love the orange and white cabana stripe awning. 

Stay At Home Shopping

Brass Palm Tree Sculpture

I have been trying to to enjoy shopping online as an alternative to shopping in person at stores. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention....

I have been looking for a great palm piece for my coffee table and fell in love with this brass and lucite palm sculpture at Williams Sonoma Home. It was even on sale. So I put it into my shopping cart and starting checking out and it tells me that it is not available online, but just in stores, and all their stores are closed. A corona conundrum. Customer service confirmed this. I tried in vain to find someone selling it on eBay or Poshmark or elsewhere. Have you had the experience of finding something you just had to have and it was discontinued or out of stock or whatever? Very frustrating.

Brass Palm Sculpture in a room

Brass Palm Sculpture - 2 sizes - Williams Sonoma Home

Years ago, Lonny featured the bedroom of Lonny founder Michelle Adams with the Kate Spade Cloverdale Rose Bowl. People went nuts over it. Unfortunately, it had been discontinued. Bloggers were posting their own DIY hacks, and bidding wars erupted on eBay when one was listed.

Lonny

I was patient, and kept checking eBay after the sensation calmed down, and eventually found a brand new one on eBay at a great price. It took me five years of hunting, but I finally got one.

Kate Spade Cloverdale Rose Bowl

In the meantime,  I found it in its other cylindrical style at HomeGoods. Here it is in my previous home office.

My Office

These are my favorite vases and two of my favorite pieces. Hopefully, I will have the same sort of experience with the brass palm. At least I am safe at home. Have you had a similar experience hunting down an elusive piece?

And I am making progress in my walk-in closet as promised. Here is my bracelet drawer -

Brown Background Wallpaper

I won on eBay 10 unopened rolls of this beautiful Dorothy Draper & Company wallpaper called Birch Trees Brown. The labels say it is "A Carleton Varney Rose Cottage Design 1996." The 10 rolls were $65.00 including shipping. Crazy cheap. I had saved these pictures of rooms with brown background wallpapers that I really liked. I thought my wallpaper would be great in my downstairs hallway that does not have much natural light, but has lots of crisp white doors and woodwork. My paper reminds me a bit of this by Tom Scheerer room below although mine is obviously on a smaller scale. I am going to call my wallpaper hanger to get on his schedule and I will take some before and after shots. I'll be on the lookout for a mirror too. This wallpaper will be a change for me as all my other wallpapers have a white or off white ground.

Tom Scheerer

2013 Hampton Designer Showhouse

Palmer Weiss

Miles Redd

The ceiling is wallpapered too

Now I am Sick

 

I posted on Sunday about some pieces that I lost out on that I still think about, like this pair of lamps that sold on eBay for $250 shown below. They are now on sale on 1st dibs for $5800. Now that's quite a mark-up! I think I'll pass.

My High/Low Mottahedeh Chinoiserie Epergne

My Etsy Find for $39

Above, a Rare Mottahedeh Blanc de Chine Vista Alegre Chinoiserie Epergne that I got on Etsy for $39. Below, a Rare Mottahedeh Blanc de Chine Vista Alegre Chinoiserie Epergne currently up for auction on eBay - current price is $455. Don't you just love Etsy?

Bidding is underway on eBay - currently $350

Using Antique Saris

This Antique Indonesian Bamboo Table and Stool Set available on Etsy is quite lovely, but what intrigued me most was that the stools have been upholstered using antique quilted saris. Remnants of antique kimonos and saris are quite easy to find on places like eBay and Etsy and using them to upholster stools, benches, ottomans, and the like is a wonderful idea to borrow.

My Dressing Room Reveal

About a month ago I started a little sprucing up of my dressing room, motivated by a wonderful pair of gilt Art Nouveau ballroom chairs I had just won at a local auction at The Potomack Company, a great source here in Alexandria, Virginia. My two goals were to make the room a bit more Chinoiserie and a bit more glamorous. I'll take you on a little tour, pointing out my changes. Click photos to enlarge.

Here are the gilt Art Nouveau ballroom chairs that I reupholstered in velvet leopard. Boa pillows are from Anthropologie. Fabulous, don't you think?

I relocated this pair of blue and white ginger jars from elsewhere in my home.

The Brunschwig & Fils print ad I have posted about I had framed in gold bamboo.

The Greek key bolster from Furbish Studio on my ghost chair.

A little antique stool I won at the same auction.

Four antique camellia engravings I framed in gold bamboo.

A set of three mint condition mid century brass faux bamboo nesting tables I just found at a local thrift store for $75. A perfect perch for my handbag or accessories as I am getting ready. Hope you enjoyed.

Chinoiserie Pillows

Pillows in very high end Chinoiserie fabrics available here, including many of our favorites. Many of these fabrics retail for hundreds of dollars a yard.