French windows - where to buy the real thing!

Yesterday I showed you my favourite pictures of the beautiful œil de boeuf windows on the rooftops of France. and  I promised to tell you where they can be found today if you want one in your home.

These window frames look beautiful hung on a wall as they are or used as mirror frames.  The very heavy pieces look great propped up against a wall.

 It is unusual to find œil de boeuf frames for sale in brocante fairs.  The only reason they would be dismounted from their rooftop would be if a house was being pulled down or if the window frame was badly damaged  and in need of repair.

But I do know a good address  ......   Atelier de Campagne is a name known to many in the blogging world.  The team of Trinidad, Martin and Johan work tirelessly to find, restore and supply to their discerning clients all over the world.  Their blog and their facebook page are fun to follow and a good way of keeping up to date with sales.

 I have never had the opportunity to visit them in California, but we have spoken on the phone and  I'm looking forward to meeting them here this summer.

Trinidad and Martin are based in California, taking care of their clients at the Center Street Antiques store and fielding all enquiries.  Johan is Belgian and he does a lot of the sourcing.   We joked on the phone about the joys of getting up WAY too early, or even missing a night's sleep to be sure of finding the best pieces at a fair.

But look well how it pays off!!

They fill a container in Europe and ship it back to California where it is unpacked with care and prepared
for their famous sales.  In fact the next container sale is quite soon; April 7th and 8th.

If you love the authentic French look, and want the real thing, not reproduction then this is the address for you.  Just take a look at the photos of the goodies already on their way back and if you need any details give them a call or drop them a line.  You can also sign up for their newsletter here.

New Set Of Wheels

I would love to have the office one step closer to "finished" and I believe the next step is figuring out the chair situation.  The reupholstered cushions came in but I want to have them sprayed and use them as the desk chairs.  The problem is they are not tall enough for the desks and I really love a desk chair on wheels.  

 I thought adding casters would be easy but the base of the legs does not allow anything to be screwed in from the bottom and the tapered legs add another difficult element.

One solution is casters made for antique chairs with cups that cater to the tapered legs but so far all that I have found have been at least $13/caster like these.

However, I am unsure of these are made for heavy use and when you multiply them by 4 legs on multiple chairs- chairs that I love but not worth spending too much on- it becomes more than I want to put into these particular chairs.  So, if you know of any options I am not thinking of for these legs please let me know.  I would love to be able to use the chairs if possible.

l'œil de boeuf - the oh-so-French window

The French term 'œil de boeuf' literally means 'bulls eye', but in architecture refers to the round or oval window most often found peeking out of a slate grey roof.

My favourite œil de boeuf are zinc, sometimes simple and sometimes gloriously ornate, with motifs such as this oak wreath.

 There are country versions of the window too, more modest, less imposing but just as French and equally charming.

I love this shot with the curtains behind, makes you wonder what sweet room is hidden here.

In Paris if you walk around with your nose in the air as much as I do, you'll spot œil de boeuf carved into the stone facades.

 

or in symmetrical rows

Tomorrow I'll show you some great ways to use œil de boeuf indoors, and tell you where you can buy the real thing!

Segreto Part II

Yesterday I posted about a book I love Segreto, Secrets To Finishing Beautiful Interiors.  However, the book is so full of beautiful spaces I had to share some more (although there is a lot more to be seen in the book).

To purchase “Segreto: Secrets to Finishing Beautiful Interiors” from the website click here or to purchase through Amazon click here.

living with patina

One thing I have learnt through buying beautiful brocante pieces full of character and patina is that it's one thing to buy, it's another to use the treasures in a home without looking like a showroom or an antiques mall!

The pictures are from a home south of Paris, belonging to two devoted collectors.  They bought and restored the house with their brocante pieces in mind.  There are good ideas to borrow in every picture.

 In the bedroom they use at least four gold mirrors , the colours are kept soft and provide a perfect backdrop for the shine of silver candlesticks  and gold frames.

In the kitchen they have made a backsplash to the sink with an iron decorative plaque orginally designed for a fireplace.  Central to the wall, above the tiles, is a 'fronton', a piece of carved wood that has been taken from the top of an armoire.

A lot of 'things' in this room, maybe a little too many.  I spy fishing floats on the side table, gold frames inside gold frames on the wall, antlers, antique paintings and lamps.  Still the soft colours to keep it calm.

I love the use of this large urn, designed for the garden but brought inside and used as a planter on the table.

How pretty are these turquoise plates urns and bottles!  Used in the wrong way they would just look cluttered, here they stand out beautifully against the muted grey of the open armoire.

My favourite part of this inviting vignette is the zinc 'faitage' originally used to decorate rooftops and used here to disguise the join between the glass veranda and the rest of the room.

Thank you for stopping by, hope your week is off to a good start.

all photos with thanks to Campagne et Decoration

A little of this and a little of that ~ Kids, Hats and Dresses

Life has been very busy around here and I've been meaning to share some pictures of the kids I took recently.  These were taken a couple weeks ago.  Caspian Finn is getting into that adorable chubby, smiley, almost 6 months phase and I could just eat him up.  Of course I think he's just too cute, I'm sure I see him differently since I am his mama, but even as I look at his picture right here, I just want to snuggle this little guy.

Here are some more pictures of Mr. Caspian at 5.5 months old:

I ordered these hats for the kids for Christmas from my lovely blog sponsor, The Hook Up.  I heard about her through a fan/friend over on The Cottage Mama Facebook page and have been in love with her work ever since.

And one more shot of my little snow bear.  I took this when I was in my studio working and my husband came to the doorway to tell me they were going out in the snow.  I couldn't believe the cuteness and had to reach for the camera.  Caspian got those mittens for Christmas and they actually look like little bear paws.  So cute!!

Here are a few shots of Miss Savannah (who will be 4 one week from today):

And here are a couple of Matilda (who is very difficult to photograph these days):

This tongue is what I get most of the time these days when I ask her to smile for me.  I guess we'll call it her 'signature look'.

The girls hats are also from The Hook Up and they match their winter coats just perfectly.  The Hook Up will be participating in our Giveaway Day coming up on March 1, so if you like these hats, make sure you come back and enter to win.

Another few pictures that I've been meaning to share with you are these adorable dresses that my mom sent the girls for Valentine's Day:

This dress is my 'Janey Jumper' pattern that my mom where my mom added a sweet embroidery piece to the front.  We got this embroidery pattern by Aneela Hoey at our trip to quilt market last spring.  I ordered several bolts of this fabric line, Little Apples, and just haven't had the time to cut into it, so I'm so glad Mom was able to start putting it to good use.  Mom made the girls matching dresses in size 3 and size 5.

Mom added a bow with a button to the front of the girls matching dresses.  But rather than sew it onto the dress, she made it on a safety pin so that it can be removed before washing.  Smart idea, huh?  We are really getting into embroidery over here, so you can expect to see some more things in that department soon.

On another note, I just sold my 1000th pattern!  I seriously cannot believe it ~ I am beyond excited.  When I ordered my original shipment of patterns, I was honestly a little nervous that I would be sitting with these for several years, but went ahead and took a chance.  It seems hardly possible that I'm almost ready for a re-order on both of the first two patterns.  A big giant thank you to all of you that have purchased patterns from me and another thank you to all the online and brick-and-mortar stores that are now carrying, 'The Cottage Mama Sewing Patterns.'  Without you, I could not do what I do ~ you are helping make my dream a reality.

So now I'm in 'orange' party planning mode as Miss S's party is this weekend.  Savannah's dress is cut for the festivities, but not yet sewn together.  This dress has more pieces then I have ever cut in my life.  Not sure what I've gotten myself into, but I'm hoping to make some serious headway on it today.

That's what's been going on over here.......a little of this and a little of that.  I hope you all have a great week ahead!
Happy Monday!