Gathered Inspirations While Romancing Winter!

Greetings Friends~~ I think you know where this post is going. It's cold, it's winter and this is the time of year I love to work inside. Well, I have been busy working on my redo's and they are well underway. While I am still deep in creations from my studio, I am amazingly fitting in my decorating ideas too. Not sure how this happens sometimes, but I glad when it all comes together!

I have been decorating, redoing and gathering my inspirations for decisions. Our old world kitchen remodel has begun. It's exciting and messy, but so welcome as the process goes along.

So while I have no pics of the kitchen yet, I do have living room changes to share. We still have the half walls to paint and then I really can call this spot complete.

Now you may be asking. You are painting after the redo? Well I know this is sort of backwards, but in this case, I had to pull the room together to get the direction for the wall color.
In the end it worked and I have come to a custom selection for the wall color called Chocolate Curl. It is so yummy, and, my sweetheart will paint for me since I am still trying/watching not to overdue my shoulder. He is a real gem and loves to paint, so I am very grateful! Plus, he gave me strict orders, no swinging paint brushes or rollers on the walls! Okay then!!

In the meantime, for this room, I started with an inspirational find with this little Dream journal from Hobby Lobby. I had 40% off coupons and over two visits,found a few treasures to help this redo along.

From this point, I found the most gorgeous rose garden fabric to design a new stationary chair I found at Lazy Boy after the holiday. They have the best quality furniture and fabric selections. I have never been disappointed working with them.

The chair finished!

Now adding another bit of inspiration with my 40% off finds. The Belle Fleur pillow. And I must say, this chair has already become the most comfortable chair in the house! So comfy!! I am also a fan of sitting on a piece of furniture, not in it.

Moving along I always order extra fabric with a redesign. So I had extra rose garden fabric to make pillows to tie in the sofa, which is another story.

You may remember my past sofa of microfiber in a soft mocha. Well, pretty in it's own right, but it's time was over for me. While still in "like new" condition, I traded it for a pretty sagey green love seat from my son's home. He was so happy to receive my old sofa and I was over the moon happy to acquire his sofa. So we both saved money and that is always fantastic. I must say, his home is amazing and since his living room is far bigger then mine, it worked out perfect.
To my DS~~ Thank you so much Ryan for going along with my idea. You are a gem of a guy and so kind to go along with the plan. Girls, he is still single too.

Anyway, I made a few pillows for the sage sofa to tie the look together in my new room. I added the rose garden fabric to a vintage pillow using my grandma's vintage handmade lace and tea stained lace to finish.



For me, my ideas always start with an inspiration which leads to the finished creation. I have always found that even the smallest of changes can make a big difference. It's not always about, totally gutting a room if you don't have too of course, but rather, making choices that really make a room pop.

Gathered Inspirations come from many sources in my ideas, from books to objects and even music. The following pics are a few more sources that gave me direction and comfort to turn too.

Roses in dark pink with hydrangeas top my piano, gathered on an iron piece for an anchor.


An Urn full of the same floral inspirations on the hearth.

Adding a keepsake Paris box to hold little treasures while staying clutter free. I tend to go with, more is less with anchor pieces. It's nice for the eye to have a place to stop and take in the pretties.

This design is from a little tilt table top I have enjoyed for 30 years. It is perfect for a cup of tea or tilt back in an empty corner.

And of course there is always lots of books to inspire, like one of my favorites by Frances Mayes.

Antique colored lace on the windows over look the winter garden.

So while my sweet red bird stays cozy and warm sitting by a pretty hydrangea, my fun continues.
I hope your days are filled with Gathered Inspirations while you Romance the Winter days still to come. And, if you are in the mood to shop, remember today is the last day of MMP's Friday shopping day of Winter Romance for the month of January. Click HERE to visit my shoppe with themed treasures to browse and the shopping bag at the top for other shoppes sure to offer great treasures.

Before I say so long for today, I want to give a big THANK YOU to Jill from Blessings of a Stay at Home Mom. Jill recently passed on 2 awards to me that I will display on my sidebar. While I do not take part in the awards any longer in blogland for lack of time, I am still always appreciative of those that think of me and pass them on. Take a moment to visit Jill. She is a dear sweet lady and shares wonderful adventures with her daughters and family. Jill is a beautiful spirit and wonderful mother. You will enjoy your visit to her lovely blog. Tell her I said hello!
Thank you so much Jill for these two awards.


In honor of Jill, I pass these two awards to all of you. Fill free to copy them and add to your gift awards if you'd like. I think you are all deserving!

Till next time, enjoy this day and may your Gathered Inspirations and Dreams all come true.

Blessings, Celestina Marie

Cottage Roses from Vintage Patterns~~French Chic

Greetings my friends, WOW it has been ten days since I have posted and I have really missed you all. My painting arm is doing better and I tried to get the rest necessary to heal my shoulder from overuse and an old collar bone fracture. We shall see if the rest worked as I am busy in the studio again.

However, if you know me, you will know, that I never really stay still for long and even with the rest, I kept my creative juices flowing. My dear guy, has been such a help and gave me strict orders to behave. I don't always listen!! LOL~~ But he is right.

Today is another MMP Friday themed shopping day and for the month of January it has been the theme of Winter Romance. Click on the MMP pic to visit my shop for treasures in this theme.
So in the meantime, I have lots of new treasures to offer in my shoppe HERE and sharing today a little project you might like to try.

Last Summer I collected a few vintage dress patterns to make paper cottage roses.

Not the petal type, but rather the old fashion paper flowers we made many years ago to decorate a car for a wedding. Do you remember this? Are you familiar with these flowers? We typically created these with Kleenex tissues. Many years later, I designed a way to create the same flower with white garbage bags and they really held up to the elements, like when making a white Christmas wreath for the door.

Now fast forward to the year 2011 and a new style created in the same manner but with vintage pattern papers. The tea stain is already built in, the pattern lines, give some chic style and the paper is easy to work with like the tissue used to be.



Glitter glue was added on the top edge after the flower was created for a little sparkle.

Start by opening the pattens in full, cut 12 inch or smaller squares about the size of a Kleenex tissue. Layer about 3 papers and proceed to fold the paper into a fan till finished across. Fold the fan in half and tie with jute, ribbon, or string in the middle. Cut the folded end and begin to fluff out till all the layers are open and arranged.






Shape and style adding the glitter to the edges if you like. Set aside to dry and then decorate as you choose.




For my tussie mussie creation, I added a flower to be removable at the top of the tussie for easy filling with valentine candy, special gift or a little note.
I created the valentine on the tussie front from a vintage valentine I copied to black and white. Then I added a bit of color with colored pencils and added glitter to finish. It is backed with stiff cardboard to stay strong and not bend with display.




These cottage flowers are so much fun to create and the color reflects the french chic style with distress and a shabby look. For a little color you can glitter in different color shades. Great for wrapped gift embellishments or flower arrangements too.

I'll have a few creations using these fluffy flowers in my shoppe soon and the tussie mussie is already available.

I hope you will try these flowers using vintage patterns and let me know what you think.

Have fun.

Till next time, have a wonderful winter day.

Hugs from Texas, Celestina Marie

IT'S A SNOW DAY!

Yes, it's a snow day in Texas. With cold temps, sleeting rain and flurries, this was the look from my studio window.

Later accumulating to this~~

Okay, I know you are saying, that's not much snow. I agree having lived and growing up in the north, but for us, this is something in the lone star state and such a cozy sight it is.

So what does one do on a snow day? You probably already know what I might plan.
Paint, design, decorate, cook, read, dream or all of the above?

Okay, let's put on some background music to warm the air.

Make a pot of chili.

Count my many blessings.

For the warmth of Home Sweet Home.

Let my little mouse sleep.

Enjoy a pot of tea.

Gather my design books with inspiration for my newest home projects and dream, dream, dream!

And reading now for my kitchen restyle!

and more books~~


ahh and more to dream with~

Then study paint chips for another bathroom restyle.

And dream of this rose floral look with this fabric on a chair for my living room and the sofa with the other.


Every year after the holidays, my designer blood boils to decorate and restyle some area of my cottage. So this winter, painting a bathroom, upgrading my kitchen and sprucing up the living room are in order. I have gathered all I need to do the work myself and with my sweethearts help, we are anxious to get started. I will share pics along the way with before and after when complete. I love decorating with treasures I already have, including a little paint and flea market finds.

So with Spring around the corner, this is the way I spent this snow day and loved every minute planning my home decorating projects. The cozy and relaxing day gave me the time to rest my painting arm a bit more and with this rest, little by little, it is feeling much better. I will be back to swinging that paint brush full steam soon!

Oh I hear Miss Beazy at the door~
She is dusted with fresh snow. Shake, shake Beazy, before you come in!

Well, she did not shake, so with beach towel in hand, I dried her off and she is happy to be back inside.

Now before I get back to my snow day and decorating dreams, I will share a few Spring inspirations I placed around this snow cottage.




Thank you for stopping by and blessings be yours this beautiful winter day.
Hugs from Texas,
Celestina Marie

Winter Romance

Today begins shopping for the month of January with the shoppes of Make Mine Pink, themed, Winter Romance. A time when we spend cold evenings curled up with a warm throw, a good book and a cup of tea in a favorite teacup.


What does winter romance mean to you? For me, I also love to romance the idea of redecorating my home after the Christmas decor is put away, bringing out decorative decor with a hint of Springtime to follow.


Cleaning out cupboards and rearranging places for everyday items. Catching up on little projects waiting to be finished sitting beside a warm fire. Cooking wintertime meals for a romantic dinner by candlelight. And my favorite, cleaning out my studio after the hustle of the Christmas season and putting in a special touch of decor to inspire new creations.


Weekend mornings find my best guy and I enjoying our morning coffee or tea with calm music in the background while we visit about the week past. Walking with Miss B on a brisk winter morning only to hurry home for that second cup of tea.
The soft glow of my favorite lamp early in the morning before the sun comes up or late evening, is pure winter romance.


However you romance the wintertime, I hope you enjoy the little details that make this time of year special in some way. Whether we are trying to stay warm in the cold temps or shoveling snow, viewing life and our surroundings in a romantic way can bring memorable joys to share with our loved ones.


Blessings to you for Winter Romance and a month of cherished times.
To visit and view Make Mine Pink Friday shopping with a twist, click HERE and till next time~


Winter Hugs from Texas,
Celestina Marie