Wilcox Estate Grand Rapids Symphony Designer Showhouse May 1-23

Tonight is the opening Gala Preview Party for the Wilcox Estate Grand Rapids Symphony Designer Showhouse. Dan & I did and upstairs bedroom from the old Butlers apartment. We were inspired by "Where Women Create", so we created an artists studio retreat space. We used this antique French Louis the XVI bed , Dan built the bed crown, the ottoman a fantastic industrial lamp and an artists cabinet. The last 2 you have to visit the house to see :-)

I also used my Dad's beautiful antique oak drafting table that I have been using for years now. 

Furnishing our space with antiques is our "thing" of course but it also felt like the right design decision for this fantastic 1920 Spanish Mission style building. The building is fascinating on it's own. It was built as part of the Wilcox Estate as an activities building, housing and indoor pool and squash courts. Build in a square with a center courtyard for entertaining. It ounce had an amazing greenhouse off of one side that they grew fresh vegetables in year round. The Butler and the gardener had apartments here as well as the laundry and equipment garages. This is a wonderful historic adaptive use project. All of the Designers have done a great job. It is a must see! visit the web site for more details   http://www.grsymphonyshowhouse.org/

Allegan Antique Market & Silver Hills in Pentwater

As of May 1st we will be doing a booth at Silver Hills Antiques in Pentwater, Michigan. We are very excited about this. Pentwater is a wonderful little lakeshore community located about 1 1/2 hours north of Grand Rapids on Lake Michigan. The town  has a very large summer resort population. We have been hoping for sometime to find a location that get us closer to the lakeshore community because we feel our look fits well in the cottage community.

The antique mall is open thru October 15 and than closes down for the winter months. We will be located upstairs in a very quaint room with wonderful trim/woodwork original to the building. Stay tune for additional details.

This weekend is also the beginning season of the Allegan Antique Market. Last year was alot of fun for us doing this show and we will be set up  in the same location as last year. We hope to take a real mix of items. I always spend the year collecting urns and any garden related items for this first show so I should have a number of interesting garden items. Hope for good weather!!!!

Spring Fever @ Bluedoor Antique Mall in Grand Rapids

Dan & I both are gardeners so we especially love this time of year - spring, when all things are new again.

We have been busy bees and today added lots of product to our booth at Bluedoor. Bluedoor is one of the malls that we are in here in Grand Rapids. I loved these 1940's diner white ironstone creamers that Dan found recently at an auction. We filled a few of them with springy greens and flowers.

This bright cottage turquoise has been a good seller for us no matter what Dan paints it on. It's the deeper end of the sea glass color pallet.

I talked in one of the previous blogs about the antique prints that we purchased at the last Grays Lake Flea Market. We framed some of them with the picture frames that Dan makes from old house trim. The birds and the bees - oh opps the butterflies!

And just a few more pictures of some of the fun seasonal product and Dan's creations.

OK now, back to work! my head is full of ideas yet to be created. I gotta  lot of work to do to keep up with Dan :> he's on a ROLL!

The Front Porch Part 2

I promised to keep you up to date on our front porch plans. We decided today on the fabrics, the wicker colors and what other pieces to use.   The above photo has been in my photo collection for some time and has become and inspiration for both of us. We are going to use a similar table on the porch for plants but not against the wall but against the railing and may hang an ornamental iron piece so that yo see through it and will add a galvanised top to the table so rain or watering plants does not become a problem. One of the big decisions was, did we want to take the cushions in and out if it was threatening rain ............. Well the truth is if the fabric is wet then so is the inside of the cushion - fading is not such a problem seeing it is a covered porch - so deciding that ,we were  free to use whatever fabric was  our choice. I LOVE vintage fabric and have a large collection of floral and ticking.

So we decided to paint the wicker chair (not this one) and sofa and old fashioned black green from Benjamin Moore called black forest green and use my vintage navy ticking and this yummy lush vintage floral. I also love and have all sizes and colors of boot jack benches. I happen to have a long pink one the we will use and a coffee table. More as it progresses!

Vintage Bottles, Antique Prints & Sewing

Dan & I seem to be fascinated lately by old bottles and all of their possibilities. Dan keeps coming up with lots of them from auctions.

We turned some of them into picture or note holders with antique ephemera and heavy wire.

I love this female silhouette with her hair bow!

I think I was born into the wrong era....................

I also learned this photo transfer process this week from Martha Stewart - you know me and Martha, were like this    X!  It is a process using iron on inkjet printer paper. I copied antique prints that we purchased at the last Grays Lake Antique show and added the images to old sugar sack and  natural linen for pillows and a set of 4 vintage  cotton picnic napkins with a yellow edge. It was so fun and easy. I love the result!

I also have been doing lots of custom sewing for other people these last few weeks. I love spring when everyone is so anxious to redo things in their homes and add touches of nature and freshness.

We also have been working on a plan for our porch and Dan will be painting the porch furniture soon, so I will have photos to share with you in a couple of weeks of our porch - stay tuned!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!

We are having a weekend of visiting family, deviled eggs and daffodils. Hope all of you are enjoying a blessed Easter as well.