Talk About Summer Looks.....

I think my home refelcts summer, I love blue, gray, white, and architectural! I have changed my home so many times over the last 4 years, I felt like I was never going to finish. Slowly but surely I have found my way, and love all the pieces I have now. I am not ready to reveal my house yet, but I will over the next couple of months.
Here is what my living room used to look like when you walked in

Here is what my dining room looked like before I changed a few things (see below)

Below is what my bedroom was 3 years ago

Here is what my bedroom was 2 years ago (see below)

Here is what my bedroom was this past year (see below)

Okay so the reveal of my new living room, dining room & bedroom will be done soon. I promise.

I will also post pictures of the boys rooms as well.

Oh, I will also be posting some garden photos, as soon as everything is in FULL BLOOM!

Off to baseball, so I will be back next week with some more eye candy.

Simple Summer Designs Contest

The beauty in simplistic designs,  see how a comfortable slip covered chair, with a dark painted rustic cabinet, and homespun linen pillows create a soft clean palette, its pretty, its sophisticated, and country at the same time. This looks like summer to me! Send me photos of your country summer look, and the winner will get a free Barclay Butera BEACH candle. We will choose 1 winner by April 15th, so please submit your photos to us at info@fullbloomcottage.com

Full Bloom Cottage is now open inside of Country Roads

Finally....... At Last..... it is all finished, and full of goodies. I brought as much as I could into the shop today, and I must say it is overloaded. Lots of great textiles, old grainsacks, Homespun linen sheets, French Chairs, Beautiful Settee, and bedding.
Come see us, if you can't make it just go online and shop http://www.fullbloomcottage.com/
NEW ITEMS COMING TO FULL BLOOM FRIDAY MARCH 19th, 2010.
Yes we do have beautiful pillows that are coming soon to the website, all linen, I am sewing again, and making the kid pillows! Yeah! We are so excited to bring back some of our classics, and new designs exclusive to Full Bloom Cottage.  Thanks for all your nice comments!

Does your room or design have it? When you look into your room, does it amaze you? Most people would say, "No." We are always our own worse critic. My suggestion is when you are going to buy a piece of furniture or accessories for a room, you make sure that you absolutely love the piece. Some how or another it alway works itself out. Cut out pictures of homes from magazines, put them into a binder, then go back and look at that binder, you will see a style that you like come foward. Are you cutting out mostly modern? Traditional? Country? Victorian? I find myself liking that whole clean and modern style, but I always go back to a relaxed country style with a little bit of European flair. I love roses, and I love pretty carved furniture, but not on everything. You will find some industrial and some primitive in my home as well. I do not like stuffy furniture that you cannot sit back, kick your feet up, and enjoy. I have spent the last 2 years trying to figure out how to do this in my home, and I think I am almost there! I will be posting photos of my home soon! But for now here is some photos that I find to be inspirational.

Fresh Classic Looks for Summer

I have brought in some new pieces for spring, I always love to add the beach into a summer/spring look. At Country Roads, I have added some classic ticking pillows, and some vintage Batik pillows, also made some gorgeous Blue patched boro ticking pillows, Lots of Coral, and great architectural mirrors.

Romantic French Bedrooms

I can't tell you how many times I have changed my bedroom furniture in the last 4 years, well actually, ALOT. We are finally finishing up on a mini master batrhoom remodel, and I can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a few more structural changes I would like to do, but the the bad weather, cold and rain, I dont really want to put large holes in the house right now. And doesn't 2 weeks seem like 2 months when you are living in construction. It has only been 2 weeks since the start, and I am already growing very impatient with the whole remodeling thing.
For now I want to share with you some of my inspirational photos, and I will be posting before and afters soon!

Carmens Room Remodel Before & After

This was a little bit of a challenge for me, as I have never decorated a purple room. When Carmen emailed me asking to help her redo this room, and she has already painted it in a soft lilac color, I was a little bit apprehensive. Lilac, Purple, not an easy color to work with. I was excited and ready to take on this challenge. I started by going to Carmens beautiful home, to take measurements, and some photos.
Here are the before:






Move in day. Approximately 6 weeks later, it was time to move in. I searched high and low for the perfect antique French pieces. I was so lucky to get this beautiful antique French Sofa, and we did paint the frame a soft cream. I made the floral and grainsack pillows for the sofa. Next I found this perfect bench that I used as the coffee table, if Carmen wants to put her feet up she can, or if she wants to use the tray to set a glass of wine on, she can!
Across from the sofa, are the most perfect pair of chairs, that we painted in the same cream color, and upholstered in a cream canvas. And I made the grainsack floral pillows on the chairs as well.
The curtain panels that hang, are the linen mini ruffle Charlie Curtain Panels. (you can find them on my website for sale)
Most of our budget went to the furniture, and we had just enough to get a few smalls, and I think this room came out perfectly romantic, just like Carmen wanted. She asked me for a romantic girly room, and this is what she got!
Oh, by the way, yes there is a chandelier, with beautiful glass crystals, and silver charms, that look like rosaries, to hang in the middle of the room. We just didnt get to hang it quite yet.

The Work Begins on Opening Full Bloom Cottage inside Country Roads Antiques

This is the room before, we started to do some work, a million holes in the wall, and I don't know if it has ever been painted before. I bought some paint from home depot called creamy white, and it has primer in it, so hopefully it will cover the green walls, and patched holes.
Here are some before photos:




Midway through, we have painted, and thank goodness the paint with primer worked, and we are bringing in some furniture;





Soon it will all be done, and I will post all of the photos of every nook, and cranny for you all. I will also be listing all of the furniture shown in these rooms so you can see better photos, and prices.

LIBECO HOME

I am please to announce that I will be selling some of the worlds finest linens, Libeco Home. It is so luxurious, and the finest quality of hand loomed linen from Belguim.