Santo Bastidor

Several years ago I was shown a 'santo bastidor' in a tiny mission church in San Antonio, Texas. The priest was actually British! He had come to serve the Hispanic parish for a short time after training in Spain to become proficient in the language, but stayed on for several years. It was sunset. The sun cast its fading rays on the mission bell creating a beautiful image. He graciously unlocked the tiny church and showed us around, pointing to the walls he had painted and the furniture he had repaired out of love for this poor community that had embraced him. The life sized santo (saint) was stunning. It had been stolen and damaged, but recovered and repaired and was kept locked up for safety. When we left the mission it was pitch dark and I recall the difficulty we had finding our way back to the car.

I have been interested in these statues ever since. Originally from Colonial Spain, they were used in religious celebrations as the Virgin Mary or other Catholic Saints. During community fiestas they were decorated in flowers, jewelry, wigs, and handmade dresses which covered the 'cage' skirt. Remaining authentic santos are hard to find and command high prices. They have the beautiful patina of age, sometimes glass eyes, and often stand on ornate carved bases.

Many santo bastidors are from the Philippines, as was this newer reproduction. The carved wood is smooth with a beautifully painted aged finish, the arms and hands are movable. I felt fortunate to come across this santo locally. She is quite striking and fits into my new way of accessorizing with fewer but larger meaningful pieces.

The wings are a wonderful 'extra'. They are metal with a gilt finish, and detachable. I will use them during the Christmas season along with a jeweled pendant and perhaps crown the santo with a woven wreath of holly and ivy.

The face of this santo is almost mesmerizing in its shape and countenance. The eyes look straight ahead, a secret, bemused smile seems held back. A feeling of calm and peace emanates from the figure.

Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.

~ Mother Teresa ~

Bright lights....good friends

Dear Susie & Jenny, find me a lamp, tiny, pretty, and dripping with crystals....please!!!!!!

That was my request last week when I realized the dark Graphite Grey newly painted entry hall needed *****sparkle*****. Having visionary friends, such as the gals at SuzAnna's Antiques, pays off big time. When you keep a wish list of formerly loved treasures you would like to find, they really look out for you. Before I had time to bat an eyelid, there she was at the shop door, Susie, 'the lady with the lamp'. Only thing was it was a fancy smancy candlestick, and I just knew that my DH would prefer to throw a switch for safety's sake!

It was so pretty, the perfect size for the small table, quite old, but still had all its dangly crystals plus sweet little crystal flowers. The brass base was covered with cut glass, and even the drip pans were cut glass, no plastic on this baby. Before I could bat the other eyelid, I was introduced to Ray, who has a booth at the shop, a magician who promised to wave his wand and, within a week, turn this beauty into an electric lamp. I bought it and sent it home with Ray!


Wednesday I went to collect the lamp, thrilled to see it had turned out fine. Fortunately consignor Sam was hanging out at SuzAnna's ~ it was originally his candlestick. Sam finds the best treasures, many he's shipped back from Europe. As we admired it and debated whether the candle bulbs should have shades, Sam handed me two tiny vintage ones, which fit perfectly, and gave them to me as a gift! Thanks Sam, you are such a generous and fun person.



So here it is, my wished for sparkly lamp in its new home. I'm thrilled with it. Many thanks to all at SuzAnna's Antiques who proved, once again, wishes do come true.

"The Elephant in the Room"

Armoire..................that very French word that conjures up huge cupboards of wood with carvings, keys and tassels, created originally to store everything in the French home from clothes and linens, to kitchen utensils and everyday dishes. Do you have one, or a modern day version of one, used for a special purpose in your home?

I've seen some beauties both here and in France. The antique ones are gorgeous and gigantic, sometimes needing to be dismantled and moved through doorways and up staircases in sections before being put back together.

My personal armoire is not French or antique.
It's pine, handcrafted, and I like it enough to have kept it for 20 years. It was not built as an 'entertainment center' with pocket doors, but for clothing, linens or storage. In the top section I have a collection of hand painted Italian dishes and serving pieces, along with my gardening, bird watching and decorating books. Many years ago I wallpapered the interior with a lovely paper depicting luscious grape vines, very Italian. Lower section is smaller with more two doors behind which we 'hide' things such as a few bottles of B&B, Grand Marnier, port and sherry, my stash of English teas, a tin of Belgian chocolate biscuits, and of course more china and glassware. I don't know what I'd do without the 'elephant' in the living room. It's served me well, fitting it's bulky mass into a corner.


I've often thought about painting the armoire.
Elephants are grey, aren't they?
French grey perhaps.........I have lots of leftover paint from the dining room project.
However, perhaps after painting six chairs, this elephant will have to spend another year or so pine colored. Just a thought while I clean paint brushes and spread drop cloths, again!

Piling Up.........

While working on the dining room makeover for about three weeks, things have piled up! Not just laundry and dust......things like veggies and fruits. They were very fresh but now perhaps need to be made into soup!

In case you missed this one in a post last year, it's from my favorite British vegetarian cook book, Cranks Recipe Book.

Parsnip and Apple Soup

Butter ~ 2 Tbsp.
Med. Onion ~ 1
Med. Parsnips ~ 3
Med. Cooking Apple ~ 1
Vegetarian Stock ~ 2-1/4 cups
Parsley, chopped ~ 2 Tbsp.
Mixed Herbs ~ 1/2 tsp.
Milk ~ 2 cups
Heavy Cream ~ 1/4 cup
Salt/Pepper to taste

Chop vegetables. Melt butter in a large saucepan and saute vegetables and apple, stirring frequently, until onion is transparent. Add stock and herbs, bring to gentle boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 mins. Cool slightly, add milk. Blend in a blender (or better still use a stick blender in the saucepan - the best piece of kitchen equipment if you're a soup maker). Reheat to serving temperature, adjust seasonings to taste and stir in cream.

Break off a piece of warm, crusty baguette and enjoy!

Somehow I've ended up with piles of china now needing new homes ~ will have to put on my thinking cap here.

When painting a room everything gets 'put out of the way' and then never seems to go back. Oh well, these need rearranging anyway ~ sometimes all it takes is moving an item to a new place to see it with fresh eyes.

Wish I had time to sit and read, or just daydream for an hour ~ I just keep thinking of six chairs needing a paint job!

But I will take time for a coffee break before tackling the piles...and eventually those chairs!

Enter in Style.....

Entering through the cottage front door you are greeted by this

WELCOME sign ~

"Be Warm, Be Welcome, Be at Home"

.................AND, guess what I'm planning for this rather small space where slivers of wall are tucked between several doorways and stairwell..............something I would only do where the walls ARE minimal. I'm painting with the deepest darkest shade of charcoal. The grey black of hematite. The shade of darkest grey before it deepens and becomes true black. The black of night without clouds or bright moon, the black whose only light is the pinprick of a silver star. Perhaps you think this color a bit daring. Even 'over the top'. Maybe somewhat crazy. But think about it. Small areas adjacent to the palest grey walled dining room. The items shown above should pop against the darkness. So I'll try it with that old thought at the back of my mind......."it's only paint, you can always paint over it". DH thinks it will be a 'black hole'. That visitors will trip, lose their way!


My 'inspiration room' is the little hallway at La Madone, the beautiful house I stayed at in Provence. This special corner was in the private area of the owners' home and I thought it just stunning. Black walls, stained woodwork, gold table and mirror, beautiful chandelier, and bust of a woman reading. So French, so elegant, so perfect in that little space.

See you in the velvet darkness, before the full moon.

What do you think of the idea? Have you ever painted a space black or almost black? Did you like it and live with it.....or grab the can of primer and cover it up again?

A Dream Come True

Remember how I loved it?

The golden sconce with the forty plus crystal prisms. An aging French lady, or a reproduction from some years back, who knows, who cares. It is lovely. I've wanted to bring it home for several months. When I walked into SuzAnna's Antiques again yesterday it was still there. Even with the price reduced nobody had snapped it up. Guess what - those great gals managed to get it reduced again, for me. My knees went weak, my head spun a little in the 90 degree heat...............it was meant to be mine.

Soon I'll show you where it's hanging now.

Sometimes patience pays off...............if you're lucky, and wait for dreams to come true, they do!

Ice House

Icy glass in my cottage front door.

While doing the best to stay cool in the heat of July in the Southeast, I looked around the cottage for icy treasures. Skipping the obvious, such as the trays of ice cubes in the 'frig, I found these items that have a cooling effect when the temperature climbs to 100 degrees or more.

Crystal decorations too pretty to hide away.

The shimmery bowl from Homegoods.

Painted LINEN sign.............................

..........to remind me that linen is the coolest Summer fabric ~ just have to learn to love wrinkles!


White ceramics, etched glass, cool grey zinc lids.

More cool creamware veggies and frosty artichokes.

Take down the heavy window coverings ~ let cool shaded light flood in.

Chilly breakfast ~ Greek yogurt and refreshing raspberries.

The beautiful book cover ~ thoughts of taking a cool dip in a pond with freshwater birds!

All photos, except linen clothing, taken around my home.

Painted Beauties

Time for a little decorative dreaming as Spring cleaning progresses. Although I somewhat dislike the actual cleaning part (believe me it gets more painful and tedious as one ages!) I love to dream about pieces of furniture I might enjoy having move into my home. Luck has it that with a small cottage size house there is no more room for additional furniture. The only way is to replace a piece already here!

"Meubles peints ~ un style reviste"
"Painted furniture - revisiting a style"

According to recent issues of French decorating magazines - I sometimes treat myself to one now and then because they are always beautiful - painted furniture is regaining popularity in France. On this page I found the delicate toile effect on this painted chest really elegant. It would be perfect with my sofa fabric and toile pillows.

Below is another one, similar in color, less formal, can imagine it in a cottage home and would be perfect with these lovely roses I received for Mother's Day.

Love, love this one - the shape, the corners, artwork, colors and...........

..............can you believe this one below is actually mine, purchased several years ago for my dining room. I wanted to 'bring the outdoors in' as the large window looks out onto the front porch. I've found it to be such a great storage piece - guess it's now quite stylish according to the French!

Would love to see any painted beauties you enjoy in your home!

It's done - now the hard part!!

moment to spare so I'm here writing another 'to do' list. Superman painter has gone leaving behind a clean slate for me to work wonders with. Can I be this 'wonder worker'? Can I really turn a little American 'new looking' room into my vision of an old and faded, yet elegant, French boudoir?

It will take time ~ but I'm anxious to get started. Forgive me if my posts slow down ~ a lot of furniture painting and treasure hunting to do!

My dh returns this afternoon ~ the carpet cleaner arrives in the morning ~ and I'm dusting myself off, picking myself up, and getting ready to roll, and brush, that ugly furniture.

Here's the guest room on the first day of the renovation. Superman Bruce loves his messy work..........and he doesn't have to worry that I'll be applying for the position! Note his very own vacuum cleaner - such a neat guy who even put in a brand new bag before doing the final clean up this morning - you can come back any time Superman.

The paint colors I ended up with - shown against the off-white wall in the dining room to give you some idea of the shades we used.

Tonight I'll be pouring over the decorating books and magazines again, gleaning ideas and making decisions.

Off to pick up DH from the airport..............................a quick supper on the way home, then light the fire and relax in this dusty cottage while sipping a glass of red and dreaming in French!


Thank you all for visiting this month of January. It's gone by so quickly. I enjoy hearing from all of you ~ every comment or e-mail is so appreciated. Sometimes it's hard for me to keep up with you all ~ so many wonderful blogs to read and enjoy ~ so I may not always write a comment, but I really do pop over to see what's happening in your life.
Enjoy the weekend, and here's to February.

Rustic and Refined ~ A Makeover

The romance of crystal chandeliers and painted wood.

'Fetch' ~ Hillsborough, NC.

When I read these words........let the rustic and refined rub shoulders ~ go for the gold and the bittersweet...............ideas starting jumping around in my head and I knew what I wanted for the little guest room. A country French feel with a touch of old European elegance.

I like to start a file and a story board when doing a room makeover. Snippets of fabric, paint samples, photos from magazines of rooms I love such as this quite simple one below.

The guest room will get its makeover in time for Spring ~ season of renewal, everything fresh and clean, full of promise. The painter assessed the scene today, will call with the numbers tomorrow..............and then, hopefully, we'll get started later next week. This cold and snowy weekend you know what I'll be doing ~ looking at magazines, decorating books and paint chips. If warmer and drier on Monday I'll head to the paint store. Things I have to start working with which I love include this chair, two aging mirrors from SuzAnna's Antiques, and a length of linen I purchased in Cortona, Italy. The bed, chest of drawers, nightstand and armoire all match ~ changes desperately needed here. Guess we used to buy like that - matching sets, suites. I must decide whether to paint all and keep, sell some and paint the rest, or sell all and start over with a bed such as this................

............old French twin bed at SuzAnna's Antiques ~ if only it was queen sized.

This room above speaks to me. It has everything I love.

This bedroom has the rustic feel ~ typically European with exposed beams ~ and that lovely bed and nightstand adding the elegant touch.

My color palette? Perhaps. Maybe a flying visit to France would help me decide.