Archives for January 2017
Valentine’s Day is near
Stop by the store to see our selection of Valentine’s Day gifts and decor. We have lots of signs, banners, pillows and so much more.
We look forward to seeing you soon.
Photography I
One of my goals for a while now has been to improve my photography skills. I would love to take crisper photos with a sense of the story I am trying to tell. Sometimes, I think I like too many different styles and cannot nail down the style that is most “me”. I love to use Instagram because the filters can make a big impact and who doesn’t always have their phone to snap a pic? I did a little study of some of the bloggers/artists I follow on Instagram and I’m going to show you a sample of their feed and what I like about them…
First, my mentor and friend Marian aka Miss Mustard Seed:
I like her closeups and subject matter (obviously the blue and white!). Her photos have a softness to them that appeals to me and I also like how you feel like you could reach out and run your hand over the furniture or pick up one of the dishes.
Next, one of my fellow MMSMP retailers, Wendy at Front Porch Mercantile:
Wendy lives in Atlantic Canada and visits her little cottage by the sea quite often. This town is so cute, I cannot stand it! Wendy focuses on the brights and old, worn sea scenes. As an added bonus, she will often share the professional photos of her husband, John. I think he should do a photo book — his shots are breathtaking. Wendy’s images give me the feeling of walking down by the docks in her little town ( I can’t wait to see it in person some day!)
Next, Zionsville’s own internationally-known artist, Nancy Noel:
Nancy’s Instagram feed is an eclectic mix of her animals and artwork. Look at how she captured the light in the eyes of her live subject on the left and the light in the eyes in her painting on the right. She is an amazing artist I was lucky enough to meet recently! Her photos make the animals, live or on canvas, show us a little glimpse of their personalities.
Next up is Kriste of the Rosemary and Thyme blog:
Kriste helps Marian at her studio and I was lucky enough to meet her when I went to PA last year. She is a youngin’ and has a fresh perspective on photography that I am really inspired by. That table, the clothes shots and the little nooks around her house or the studio are given a fresh vibe when Kriste is behind the lens (or phone).
Finally, Vibeke Design blog:
This lady is the ultimate #photographygoals for me. I love it all: the staging, the lighting, the textures…I can’t get enough! Each image is more beautiful than the last.
before and after: sideboard in Grain Sack
before and after: short and sweet
before and after: back in black
This piece held our awesome Zionsville and Indiana ornaments over the holidays and we finally finished cleaning the glitter off of it! Whew, I have certainly broken the no-glitter rule, over and over and over again!
Anyway, this piece is fabulous with its tall legs and doors and drawers. We replaced the hardware and gave it a coat of Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in typewriter with a coat of antiquing wax to finish.
new products: outback petticoat and stencils
We are really excited about the latest MMSMP products. If you know me well, you know I love orange. I have an orange room in my home (actually, we have two now that my 12 year old convinced me his room should be orange also). So, imagine my excitement when I hear Miss Mustard Seed has come up with an orange! It is a great orange to boot. Not too orange but not too coral. We are excited!
When I attended a retailer event at the Miss Mustard Seed studio last winter, I got a little preview of the stencils and I’ve been keeping it to myself all this time. Whew, we can finally share…they are all named after ladies in Marian’s family. How sweet is that? And, how sweet are the stencils?
before and after: small secretary in MMSMP grain sack
before and after: sideboard in MMSMP trophy
Hygge
I have read several articles about hygge (pronounced HOO|gah) and I am completely smitten. Hygge is not a concrete item, but more a feeling given this name from the Danish. It can roughly be translated to contentment in English. It is a distinctly Scandinavian concept though it has been making its way across the Atlantic to the US.
Hygge is a sense of togetherness and fulfillment of simple pleasures. It means different things to different people. Some talk about taking walks by a lake with their boyfriend and others cooking an old family recipe. Because it originates in the Scandinavian countries, it is also feeling warmth inside while it is cold outside. All images are from Vibeke Design, a Scandinavian blogger whose images, to me, exemplify hygge.
One defining characteristic of hygge is creating a sense of home, for yourself and your guests. What things surround you? Are they meaningful or just things? Some carefully chosen items to surround yourself with are: plants, heirlooms, books, music, a defined workspace and corners to recharge.
The idea of a corner to recharge is especially appealing to me. Nothing is more hygge to me than to sit for a few minutes in a tucked away space with a good book. As a working mom with four boys, these moments are few a far between during the school year and busy months at the store. However, I am making an effort to cut away little snippets for myself and having a beautiful space just for me is a top goal for 2017.
This spring, I also want to immerse myself in learning more about flowers. I know what I like, but would love to learn more about when certain flowers bloom and how to creep through the spring and summer with new growth throughout the season. When we lived in The Village, we purchased our first home from an elderly woman who had her flower garden timed so beautifully. I still think of it in awe.
One of the many beautiful aspects of Vibeke Design’s photos are her use of light in the pictures. I’ve honestly not given much thought to soft lighting, but it certainly provides a mood, doesn’t it? As I focus more on my photography, I want to include more interesting and natural light. I also want to create a more naturally lit home and store to see how it changes the feeling of living and working in natural light.
2017 is going to be the Year of the Hygge for me. I have already scheduled to focus on photography and floral. I hope you will be involved in my search for contentment and start one of your own!
before and after: favorite piece for a favorite lady
We finally found the elusive pew….and we painted it in MMSMP grain sack…and it was lovely…
…and that’s not even the best part!
I got a text from the girls who were at the store on a Sunday. The pew sold! But there’s more. Phil bought it for Mandy for Christmas and he left a note saying, in a nut shell, “don’t tell her.” People, these are the things I live for. We are going to surprise Mandy on Christmas morning with a 54″ long pew! Yesssss!! And she loved it! Double yessssss!!
colors of the month: ironstone and bergere
Our January MMSMP colors of the month our Ironstone, our original true white, and Bergere, a soft blue with lots of gray undertones.
My favorite use of ironstone was on a french provincial bedroom set we did a year or so ago. We finished the pieces with white wax to make them pop even more!
I don’t have a picture of my favorite piece in Bergere. It was an empty frame and we finished it with a full coat of antiquing wax. The finish looked more gray than blue and it was gorgeous ( I guess you will have to take my word for it!!).