The Beautiful Life

Merry Christmas To My Sweet Blog Friends :)

2011-12-25T22:28:00.000-05:00

It's a lovely, peaceful evening here in my house:

the movie "The Ultimate Gift" on tv after returning

from a nice long ride to look at Christmas lights

all topping off a generally perfect Christmas day.

It's hard to believe that once again, this special time of year is now

pretty much passed and we're perched on the edge of 2012!

This month as been SO busy -- not only with the store and

orders for magazines and shop items, but in the personal realm,

my sweet daughter, Olivia, graduated last weekend (12-17)

from college.

I seem to remember that not that long ago I posted about her

FIRST day at college. So I ask you, WHERE has the time gone??

Well, in all fairness she did move at a pretty accelerated rate and

graduated early, but still... :)

This is the girl who spent 6 weeks this past summer on her own

in Israel working with an organization that reaches out to Palestinians.

She traveled several times into the West Bank/Gaza Strip delivering

food relief aid packages to needy Palestinian families.

This is the same girl who only AFTER she was safely back at home

let me in on the fact that the church-owned guest house she stayed in

had just been re-opened after extensive repairs due to arson at the hands

of some extremists in the area.

She knew about this before she left, but chose not to share this

nugget of info with me -- it didn't change her mind and she figured

no point worrying me... Oh my...

She absolutely fell in love with Israel -- I think she left a part of

her heart there...

(Olivia, in the library of the guest house)

I believe, if given the chance, she might well have

stayed there and asked for her things to be shipped to her.

Israel was a perfect fit for her -- the foods,

the surroundings, the "feel".

(Sitting at the Sea of Galilee)

So now, she has her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts

(concentrated in painting) and for the next 1/2 year she'll

take a breather until she heads off to pursue a Masters Degree in

Intercultural Studies.

I'll be trying to soak in and savor every single minute with her until

she leaves next year... *SIGH*

If you've followed my blog for a while, you have to know that she and I are

linked -- tightly linked. I'm so happy for her -- so proud of her... but when she

takes off next year... a HUGE piece of me goes with her. Ouch.

But it's a "good" ouch. If that's possible. :)

Well, I digress... This is a post to say

Merry Christmas to you all and to thank you,

from the bottom of my heart,

for sticking with me this past crazy-busy year!!

We've grown quite a bit this year, and I'm thinking up

some fun new changes for the new year for the store.

All in all, life is wonderful and I am blessed.

How about you? :)

All is calm, all is bright...

Merry Christmas to all

and to all

a good night.

Love,

You Know That Feeling When You Get To Pass That LONG Line And Go Straight To The Front??? Consider This Your All-Access Pass To Jeanne d'Atc Living!

2011-12-06T16:03:00.000-05:00

By now, I hope all of my customers know that all you pretty much have to do is

ask me for something and if it's at all within my power to do it,

it's done.

Well, after years of fielding daily calls, emails and

Facebook messages from many of you

asking if you can just buy a subscription

to Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine

(instead of ordering each issue one-by-one

throughout each year)

we are happy to (FINALLY)

announce that we are now offering

a subscription service for that gorgeous magazine.

And what better time of to begin your subscription!!

The 1st issue of 2012 will be here and shipping out

in January and we can get your

1 year subscription

started with that issue!

Of course we still offer the magazine on an

issue-by-issue basis so you can buy just the issues you want

as they come out.

But...

For those who always buy each issue and know they will

continue to do so,

a subscription is the way to go!!!

Here are just a few reasons why:

1.) No more "waiting in line" so to speak...your name is

always "on the list" and in line to get the next issue!

You skip having to always try to be on alert to

when each issue is coming so you can be sure to

order your copy -- now you can just make one

purchase (the subscription) and sit back and wait

for each issue to appear in your mail box.

2.) With a subscription, you enjoy a bit of a savings by

buying a year at a time Your price per issue goes from

$26.00/each to $24.00/each.

Same free shipping as always.

3.) You will be guaranteed that you will not be caught

without an issue in the event a particular one sells out

quickly. This has become the rule rather than the

exception lately! And when we go to try and order more

from Denmark, we're finding that now even they are sold out!

Your purchase of a subscription will have secured each and

every issue of the year -- no worries.

What better time to put a subscription to

Jeanne d'Arc Living on your list to Santa?? ;)

Or, what about giving a year of beauty to your mom,

sister, daughter, best friend, etc..?

Place your order for them online and we'll do the rest --

all year long they will get issue after issue of some of the most

inspiring, breath-taking beauty they can inagine.

If you have any questions, just let me know!

But really, if you are a regular buyer,

THIS WAS MADE FOR YOU!!

Hope your December is off to a lovely (chilly?) start!

We're still unseasonably warm here in Florida

(well... "normal" for Florida, but not at all

Christmassy weather). ;)

Here's the link again for ordering

your subscription:

SUBSCRIPTION

Hugs,

It's A Christmas Miracle! :)

2011-12-02T10:11:00.000-05:00

NEWS FLASH!!!!

Santa's elves came early and guess what they dropped off

here at The Beautiful Life?????

ONE

LAST

CASE

of the Christmas issue that

WAS sold out

(until the magic of Christmas struck)

but is now available again while they last!

Many of you have called and emailed frantically looking for a copy

and I've had to give you the news that we sold out.

If that was YOU,

head over to the site now

CLICK HERE TO GO

and grab your copy

while they're still available.

What a great way to start December!

Yes! Returning Again This Year From Uganda! Handmade Nativity Sets To Help Support Students & Mothers...

2011-11-20T22:35:00.002-05:00

So very many of you have begun asking "Will you carry those beautiful African
nativities again this year??"

I am SO VERY happy to say "YES WE WILL!"

Hand made African Nativity Sets

How many of we ladies here in the west would say that the seemingly simple act of learning to sew,

and having your own machine would

COMPLETELY TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE??

How many of you reading this actually don't own your own sewing machine?

How many of us have walked through JoAnn's or WalMart and seen the endless rows of

bolts of fabric -- at realllly great prices?

For us, it's commonplace.

Not so for the women in Uganda pictured below...

So.... an idea was formed. We want to help these women as well as young college students who are

striving through education to better their lot in life, but who struggle to even pay the tuition

and who are also relied upon to help support their families.

Last year, through a friendship with a sweet man in charge at the college in Uganda (Mathias),

the college students there at his school to learned how to make these Nativities

and they were brought back to the U.S. with one of the many teams who go to
minister to them throughout the year.

The local women go daily to a central, usually open-air spot under a roof, to learn the skill of sewing, so that they can support their families and send their children to school.

They travel mainly by foot each day -- often toting their children along on the journey --

to sit and be instructed in sewing -- often using only paper (empty cement bags, etc.) to

practice on.

Fabric is a luxury, not in abundance like here.

But even if they master the art of sewing (and they DO!), it isn't much

help if they don't have a machine to work on once they finish their training....

This sweet woman, Prossy, just received her sewing machine.
But there are many, many other women who are still waiting...

Here, Jenipher receives her machine... if that isn't genuine gratitude and elation,
I don't know what is. ;)

Just look at this assortment of raw materials ready to be
transformed into the nativity sets!

And you won't believe the finished product that can come from this:

Wood, corn husks, plant materials, natural leaf-based twine, etc...

Cutting out the base for the nativity "house".

The work begins!

I love these pictures -- kind of reminds me of some of my own crafting times --
blissfully surrounded by all manner of materials!! :)

I can't even imagine working in this kind of detail -- and when you see the actual
sets, you'll know what I mean... it is amazing.

I love that the young men are trained to use their hands creatively --
this is a skill they can use throughout their life.

The sets are nearing completion...

The little handmade nativity pieces are carefully tucked inside and readied for their
trip to us!

Packed up and ready to board the plane! :)

When you buy a nativity, you help poor students AND assist in the great need for sewing machines for women in villages in Africa.

Completely handmade out of corn husks and every piece fits neatly into the little nativity "house" that showcases them for display.

Nativity "house" (box) measures 8 1/2 inches high x 6 inches wide x 3 3/4 inches deep.

Figures - tallest about 4 1/2 inches

Set includes these pieces, tucked neatly inside the door of the "house":

3 wise men, 2 musicians, 2 shepherds, 1 Mary, 1 Joseph, 1 baby Jesus in manger, 2 animals.

Click HERE to go to the nativity sets in the shop!

The PERFECT gift for the person who already "has everything" ... because we'll just

bet you they DON'T have one of these.

And, if they do have "everything"... what better reminder to them (and us all)

that there are still many across the world

who do not "have everything"

and just the simple purchase of a nativity can truly be

LIFE-CHANGING.

One Of The Jeanne d'Arc Living Issues We Wait For All Year -- The Fall Issue!

2011-09-21T20:43:00.000-04:00

The Spring and Summer issues are always light and lovely and fresh...

They offer us airy, sun-filled ideas and inspiration and we love those issues!

But...

wouldn't you agree,

there is just something about the Fall issue ...

it marks that long-awaited transition into the months that

bring us nothing but comfy, cozy, roasty-toasty,

cuddle-up, snuggle-up inspiration.

And,

it is the issue that brings the promise of the issue

AFTER it --

the coveted

Christmas issue!!

(Coming in mid-November).

If you wish to pre-order a copy for yourself

(our shipment of the magazine is due to hit our

doorstep THIS WEEK!)

HERE

and get yours!!

Also new from our friends at

Jeanne d'Arc Living in Denmark,

here are some amazing new items in the shop:

BEAUTIFUL, large ceramic bottles with swing stopper...

Metal tags/badges in three color choices:

These VERY large zinc trays (set/2)...

Just cannot even describe how amazing these are:

Below, the parcels of reproduced French script ephemera are back in stock,

BUT we now offer these parcels both in the paper-weight as well as

now in heavy card/board stock!

Each weight has a variety of applications!

These aluminum bottles (screw-on stopper included) are so unique...

HUGE, commercial sized roll of some of THE MOST GORGEOUS

giftwrap ever made...

We're on our 3 re-order now of this incredibly popular item!

These

fabulous ceramic jars are on their way to us and

will arrive along with our shipment of the Fall issue!!

Be looking for them on the site SOON!

We have a small supply of these GORGEOUS and elegant

linen/flax Christmas stockings and will be adding them to the site

soon!

Check HERE for details!

Other just as fabulous new additions are:

Galvanized metal lidded tins with cheese label graphics in red or blue:

These most amazing LARGE and intricately, dimensionally sewn utensil banners!

Wonderful, fun cotton napkin sets!

Sets of assorted zinc leaves -- great for place settings

and adornment anywhere!

Super fun, large zinc "medal" -- write on the

medal whatever you'd like or decoupage a

lovely image or insignia!

One of the newest items I still cannot get over --

the detail work that went into making each of these... you cannot imagine.

Each one is COMPLETELY unique (the picture here is just a sampling)

and each one equally breath-taking.

These items are easily found by clicking

HERE.

Well, that should keep you busy for a while anyway. ;)

It has been CRAZY-BUSY here... all good, just busy.

One of these days, I'm going to sit down and write a sort of

"what I did this summer" post...

Yeah... should be good. :)

Thanks for the visit -- enjoy the crisp Fall air if you have it already.

Keep praying for it (like I am) if you don't!

With Warm Hugs,

I Never Said That!!

2011-09-19T08:28:00.000-04:00

Seems being misquoted in the media isn't a new headache for

the celebrity set...

See how many of these famous quotes we've all been repeating

somewhat incorrectly.

Kind of fun to see how they were originally

stated! :)

Happy Monday to you all!!!

{CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO
GO TO THE SLIDE SHOW!}

http://www.life.com/gallery/65041/image/78011596/famous-quotes-that-were-never-said#index/0

Where Angels Fear To Tread: Giant Catalogs, Reproductions vs. Originals, and Whether Restoration Hardware Is A Design Scapegoat

2011-09-04T23:00:00.003-04:00

We tend get things late around here... in the mail that is.

I routinely get my magazines a good week or so after I begin hearing about

my blog friends getting theirs and true to this, I am one of the last to

have finally gotten my copy of the MUCH talked/blogged/Facebooked/Twittered about

Restoration Hardware BIG catalog.

It's their biggest ever -- in physical size as well as "buzz".

But the buzz has not been all good.

Let me say now, that if you didn't already know it by my many recent posts about

our home renovation, I am a HUGE fan of Restoration Hardware.

In fact, the space of our home that we recently gutted and restored was done to

almost 100% mimic our local Restoration Hardware shop.

So, I say upfront, as I sheepishly put my toe into the almost angry waters of this

Restoration Hardware debate, I am completely baffled by the wave of

angst that this catalog and RH as a whole is suddenly being engulfed in.

As I read the various posts and comments out there (and there are too many

to provide links to --- possibly just Google Restoration Hardware new catalog

for a selection of posts that appear for you to check out) - the REAL problem

seems to stem from the backlash against true antiques and vintage pieces being

copied or "knocked off".

This is not new to RH -- and it's not a recent phenomena at all.

I love this hat form...

And I can guarantee you, as a resident of Central Florida, there are

NO fabulous outdoor antique fairs ANYWHERE around here

in my future where I will be able to unearth the authentic version of this...

I think many of the blogs I read forget that not ALL of the US has access to

the kind of vintage items and antiques that perhaps they have come to

take for granted.

Hence, we do not think it bad or morally corrupt to buy our version

of "vintage" from stores like RH.

Which brings me to the whole idea of what is apparently

now the verboten idea of reproduction furniture...

If you own any "new-ish" furniture at all, it is probably a reproduction of

some design or another from the past.

So for Restoration Hardware to suddenly be the "it" company to vilify for reproducing

antiques ... well, it just ain't right.

It may be a bit too put-together for some, or formal, or whatever,
but if you are a follower of interior design at all, you HAVE to admit,
Restoration Hardware has it in SPADES when it comes to
timeless, casual elegance -- and tasteful themes that,
whether embraced fully or picked and chosen here and there,
cannot be rivaled almost anywhere.

Tonight I was trying to catch up on weeks of blog posts from the blogs I follow

and I will share a comment that I was going to post on YET ANOTHER

blog post condemning Restoration Hardware,

but I decided to cut and paste here instead...

here is what

I had written as my comment, but did not publish:

I really think there is room for both repro's and true antiques.

I happen to live in an area of the country that has almost NOTHING in the way of the kind of antique/vintage fairs that we read about on a lot of the blogs, etc., so I'm always amazed at the fabulous stuff people can find that is totally inaccessible to me here locally. Sooooo, for me, I'm totally willing to buy the repro's from RH or the like.

Also, there are probably situations where a renovation is underway and there just isn't time to scour fairs and shops for "the real McCoy" and it is preferable to the customer to just buy a fitting repro for the same "look".

There are consumers who have a certain look in mind and want a slightly more refined, polished look that, while nods to the vintage look, does not have all the roughest edges and chippy qualities that a lot of true vintage can have. In this case, it's simply a matter of taste/opinion -- no right, no wrong, just a matter of some not caring for quite the ruggedness that much of the chippy/peely/distressed vintage can hold.

It's a look -- it combines the best of both worlds: new, but with a sense of the past. Kind of like those who build a new home that could be mistaken for a 100-year old home because of the details and even "aging" that went into the careful construction.

Last, some vintage items just may not lend themselves completely for hard use and in those cases, a well-made, new, sturdy piece that looks older is best.

I personally like a mix -- true old, and the made-to-look-old. And my home contains both.

I suppose, in the end it's almost akin to someone outfitting their home in a totally French look with loads of knick-knacks about Paris, the Eiffel Tower, etc... but never having even been to France. Are they being fakes? Or, just showing their love of a look/ambiance/region when they may or may not ever be able to personally visit it?

That's my spin -- I don't see RH's approach or look as a ripoff of anything -- just a collection of things in a company that is presenting it's trademark look. They will always have their demographic that they appeal to and that is as it should be. Just as the Anthropologies and the Pottery Barns of the world have their demographic that finds them breath-taking. And I'd bet that the typical customer of RH would not feel at all genuinely comfortable with the very bohemian, mismatched look that is Anthro. :) Perhaps somewhere out there in some blog circles there are die-hard RH fans bemoaning Anthro and what must be, in their opinion, the craziness that passes for design and fashion in those stores. (Wouldn't it be fun to run across some of those blogs!). :)

I'm cool with them all -- RH, Pottery Barn, Anthro, Williams Sonoma... they all have plenty that tugs at my heart(and purse)strings when I pass through their doors.

So, I guess I'm like Switzerland -- I'm neutral. Okay with it all.

I wrote all of that and realized.... I have an entire blog post here.

Why not just DO a blog post?

;)

Yet another area of criticism seems to stem from the scale of their

furniture...

Again, I don't know how THAT becomes a valid point of

almost hatred for a company.

When we subscribe to a shelter magazine and drool over page after page

of homes on a scale that many of us will never live in,

do we cancel our subscription?

No...

We dream, we imagine, and we gain inspiration.

Much like with this new Restoration Hardware catalog.

My dining room may not easily accommodate one of their largest

tables, but if so inclined, I could order one of their smaller models

(they do offer many of their furnishing in varying sizes).

Or, I will be inspired to begin looking for something like one of their

tables...

Even if we don't live in a home of Belgian castle proportions,

one can glean ideas and inspiration from the collection

they offer.

And on the subject of size/scale...

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse serves obscenely sized side dishes --

baked potatoes the size of footballs, more broccoli or asparagus

than one person can truly call a "side". But... they have a

devoted following and many love to go there for a special meal.

Should they be called to task for their portion sizes?

They serve a demographic and meet a desire that's out there.

Personally, I couldn't care less if I ever step foot in a Ruth's Chris again,

but I wouldn't feel a need, either, to set about calling for them to

close or call them obsolete or "out of touch with the masses".

And what of the almost deified Anthropologie?

Has anyone checked THEIR catalog lately???

Just got mine in the mail yesterday... saw the shoes/boots tipping the

scales at $400.

Saw the dresses, sweaters, and skirts for hundreds of dollars --

each.

Saw the upwards of $5,000 leather sofa,

pictured below... $4,998.00.

And I'll betcha for that price it's not nearly the size of one of

the 'SCANDALOUSLY LARGE' sofa's from Restoration Hardware...

the ones that so many hate the store for because of their

huge scale and "high prices".

(The sofa below, from RH, same size as the couch above from Anthro, is $3,845.00.)

Hmmm.... me thinks this is a fairly one-sided debate.

Anthro can put something in their shop that looks like it was

dropped from a 10 story building - then kicked a few times for good measure --

and charge a price that is out of the stratosphere for it.

But... if you are Anthro... you can pull it off.

They can charge $80 for what amounts to a knit tee....

but.... if you are Anthro....

If your name starts with an "A" and rhymes with "apology"

you can sell this dress for just south of $400.00:

This is a sleeveless dress, people...

and Fall is coming...

How about a pair of t-strap shoes made up of

3 mis-matched, uncoordinated colors charge $278 and

they are ALLLLL the rage.

Or...

a pair of goodness-knows-what-you call-'em shoes for

over $500.00:

Honestly,

as a shop owner,

I wish I had an OUNCE of whatever

magic Antho seems to have unearthed to allow them to

put pretty much ANYTHING out there and charge

hundreds for it and it be the MOST COVETED

THING ON EARTH for almost every young

20 to 40-something.

I guess what I'm feeling is....

and PLEASE DON'T HATE ME FOR SAYING THIS....

anyone who has vilified Restoration Hardware

recently but has also shopped at Anthro...

owes RH an apology.

MYSELF INCLUDED.

So Restoration's new "look" isn't "you"....

is that a reason to launch a campaign against the entire company?

"It's too dark." "Too monochromatic."

"Too big!" "Too expensive!"

"Too pretentious."

"Caters to the over-indulgent rich with no clue..." (??? really? Again, I bring up Antho...)

I cannot ever see myself furnishing my home from

Ikea.

Or Design Within Reach.

Or in the of-the-moment

all white with chippy details...

All too light, too cold, and just not "me".

But.... I see no reason to write extensively about how

"far too modern" or "awfully lacking in color" or

"WAY to white and bland" they are...

It's a matter quite simply of taste.

And... as I always say, it's just STUFF.

This isn't about world peace. Or hunger. Or life-altering matters...

It's furniture and accessories.

And in the end, it really doesn't amount to much.

If I don't care for the offerings in a particular catalog from a

particular store,

it goes in "File 13".

Period.

How did poor RH come to be the point of such

contention? It's just a store.

Filled with stuff.

And it's ALLLLL just stuff.

Just like Anthro's full of "just stuff" too...

But I don't think we should draw a line of conclusion

from where a person shops for their home

to their character.

If that's the case ... as I said...

Those of us who frequent Anthro owe

RH a HUGE apology.

Antrho is no discount store -- and what passes for

design (homewares as well as clothing) sometimes just makes

my head spin.

I've seen outfits in their catalogs that make me laugh --

and ask, "Did a 2 year old dress you? Blindfolded?"

NOTHING matches!

It's almost their badge of honor at Antho:

the more mis-matched the better.

i.e.:

Purple blouse under green/ivory striped cardigan,

paired with a red checked skirt ... and yellow shoes.

Really?

Okay... I'm done.

I'm just saying... where is the love, people?

Some will not care for RH's current monochromatic themes

and heavy Belgian influence... sweet. No prob.

But they have a LOT of customers out there who love it

and for whom a trip through that GIANT new catalog is almost heaven.

RH's typical demographic is allowed to furnish their home

or condo or townhome or vacation home in whatever manner

makes their heart sing and thank goodness there is a store

out there with all that they love under one roof.

And not all hearts "sing" to the same tune...

One soul is lifted by the all white room with bare floors

and furniture with paint just falling off it.

One soul sings in a room full of a Parisian influence

-- all dainty and full of Eiffel tower themes and

French sayings.

Someone else craves roses and chintz and dripping lace...

all things floral and uber-feminine.

Yet another loves a Farmhouse look...

But I would hate that the one whose heart beats a bit faster

when they step into a Restoration Hardware has to feel shamed into

silence of admitting it for fear they be labeled as

"pretentious" or "snobbish" or "cold" because for them

nothing is more serene that bare wood and linen

and shades of grey and khaki...

Style, scale, and color truly is not a

character statement...

merely a design preference.

I may run into you at Ikea, or Anthro, or Pottery Barn or... GASP...

Restoration Hardware (I promise I won't tell anyone I see you in there...).

Let's be able to shake hands and shop -- design is no reason

for a great divide. Too many other things in life

vie for that billing... let's all get along over what really just

amounts to "stuff".

New In Store: VAKRE HJEM & INTERIØR & JEANNE D'ARC LIVING Magaines

2011-07-27T20:20:00.001-04:00

Yes, the brand new, hot-off-the-presses issue of

VAKRE HJEM & INTERIØR magazine

Just dropped off by Fedex today!

Below, one of my favorite new things...

a very special piece from Jeanne d'Arc Living --

a VERY large, fabulous zinc tray set...

giant handled tray with a wonderful

divided insert... so versatile and so unique!

And some new

natural hemp cross-shoulder bags

that you will LOVE!

In no time at all (maybe another week) our huge shipment of

the next issue of

Jeanne d'Arc Living (issue #6)

and

Jeanne d'Arc Living (issue #6) and their book French Atmospheres (in English this time!)

will be hitting the doorstep

along with a fresh, feathery supply

of those

gorgeous white angel wings

Oh how beautiful they are!!

Hope you're having a wonderful week so far!

Winner Of The SimplyMeArt Giveaway!

2011-07-22T23:40:00.000-04:00

As promised, time to announce the winner of

the giveaway of

any piece of jewelry in the gorgeous shop of

SimplyMeArt.

The winner is......

"Lolo" from

The Adventures of Stig & Lolo

Yay for you! :)

And now the fun begins... what piece from Jamie's shop

to narrow it down to!!

Congratulations to our winner and thank you to all

others who played along!!

Happy Weekend, by the way!

Get Ready For Our Most Glamourous Giveaway EVER...

2011-07-19T18:59:00.004-04:00

((Commenting is now closed for this giveaway.))

Ladies,

n-o-t-h-i-n-g

is more glamourous

than

the creations that

Jamie from

SimplyMeArt

brings into being in her shop,

SimplyMeArt

I have been buying pieces from Jamie for years

and WITHOUT FAIL whenever I wear

my treasures from her shop,

I get so many compliment on each piece.

I can be found wearing jeans just about every day of the year,

but it's what I put WITH those jeans that makes the difference.

I love to pair Jamie's elegantly glitzy jewelry with jeans

as my "statement piece"

rather than opt for getting allllll dressed up.

It just says "me" and still allows me to be "me" wearing

my jeans at the same time.

Rather than hoard this info about all this

fabulous jewelry for myself,

I'm THRILLED to do a giveaway offering the VERY LUCKY WINNER

the piece of her choosing from the shop.

A-MAZING!

Simply leave me a comment here, on this post,

and your name will be entered to win

whichever item in her shop your

sweet heart desires.

How incredibly generous of Jamie.

But then, that's Jamie. I've known this for years.

Now you can find out for yourself. :)

Here's the run-down on where you can find Jamie online:

SimplyMeArt, etsy shop

(GO BROWSE IT-- SEE WHAT CAPTIVATES YOU!

YOU JUST MIGHT WIN IT!!) :)

SimplyMeArt's Facebook page

SimplyMeArt's blog -- where you get to know Jamie herself as well as her jewelry

The giveaway will run through this week and a name picked Friday afternoon,
so just leave your comment here -- that will officially enter you.
Pretty, made EASY! :)

GIVEAWAY ENTRY NOTE:
Please make sure I have some way to contact you if you win,
meaning, if you comment anonymously, you might want to include your
email address in your comment as well,
or
email me directly (but still comment here, too!)
and that will give me a record of how to contact you.
My email: info@thebeautifullife.com

I warn you, though...

once you have even one piece of the beautiful things she creates,

you

will

hooked!

And that's not such a bad thing... ;)

Shop Updates & New Temptations From Jeanne d'Arc Living! (And a coming giveaway!)

2011-07-14T12:54:00.001-04:00

Hi there, friends. :)

I wanted to keep you up on some of the new things now available

ON THE SITE...

Yes - those are "THE" wings... the ones we've swooned over for years in so many

issues of the Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine!

And now YOU can have the very same ones to display as you wish in your own home!

(click HERE to go directly to them).

We've also gotten in these wonderful trays... (better pics coming when we put them on the site tomorrow)!

In magazine and book news...

The coming issue #6 - the late Summer issue...

coming in early August and pre-ordering available now!

(click HERE to pre-order!)

And then there is this...

the first NEW book from Jeanne d'Arc Living

in quite some time, and it is going to be FABULOUS!

All about the most unique Summer homes the ladies at Jeanne d'Arc Living

could find to bring to us in the lovely new book.

To be released in mid-October, but you may pre-order YOUR copy now on the

site -- click HERE to place your order.

Below are a few of the things you'll find on the

LATEST ADDITIONS page ... some new to the store, some

re-stocks that are back by popular request. :)

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

The shop will be closed all of next week -

July 18 - 22.

The last day to order to insure your order ships before

we close for that week is TOMORROW, July 15 by midnight.

All orders received by then will ship Saturday. :)

You may still order next week, of course... your order(s) will just

be held for shipping until Saturday, July 23.

Work will be going on in the building that will make it impossible

for us to operate, so... INSTANT VACATION! ;)

I'll be back in a day or so with a giveaway...

A very wonderful and VERY generous giveaway!

See you soon and thanks for letting me share some of the new

beautiful things with you!!

Wondering What To Bring On Vacation To Read??

2011-06-21T22:35:00.002-04:00

One of the things you want to be sure and bring when you're packing up for a

getaway is some wonderful reading material, right?

We can totally set you up...

We've got TWO new issues available to order and take with you

where ever this summer is taking you!

The new issue of the FABULOUS

Vakre Hjem & Interior magazine is in!

LOVE IT!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And the new beautiful SUMMER issue of

Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine (Issue #5).

CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As we've been doing for some time now, we are also receiving some

BACK ISSUES with this shipment of the new issue --

we will have some from 2009, 2010, and 2011.

These sell out FAST, so you might want to check out

THIS PAGE

and make sure you get yours if you have

been looking for any back issues! :)

They can be ordered by

CLICKING HERE!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ALSO!!

Guess what???

Remember that FABULOUS book published by Jeanne d'Arc Living

a year or so ago called

"French Atmospheres In The Nordic Way" ?

We sold out of all we had and then sold out our second batch of them.

Wellllll.... it is back again and reprinted in ENGLISH!

Gotta LOVE that!

It is slated to be released by the publisher in mid-August and we are

taking PRE-ORDERS for it now!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER!

We are getting in another shipment from Jeanne d'Arc Living this week and it will

be made up of not only the new #5 issue & the assorted

BACK ISSUES but also some NEW DECOR PRODUCTS!!!!

(That's for another post).

Stay tuned!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In personal news....

My sweet dad -- is just not having the best time right now....

He's been in the hospital for days now (spent Father's Day in there)

and isn't doing so great.

I just love that man and this makes my heart so sad...

I hope that if you are one who has left a phone message or an email

that hasn't yet been returned, you'll understand...

I've tried to scoot over to see him a couple of times now

and been trying to keep orders flowing at their normal rate of

mail-out, and it's been a bit busy...

I WILL CALL YOU BACK! ;)

PROMISE!! :)

Take care!

You guys ROCK!

~RUTH~

You've Heard The Expression "Go Through The Roof"? For Us, It Was The Floor...

2011-06-09T20:38:00.016-04:00

It all began a little like this...

Ummmm, nope, I'm not kidding.

120 years of termite damage (old damaged combined with
new activity) had finally taken it's toll and things were
getting pretty bad...

Want proof?

There were WAY more holes, but I decided

to spare you the ugly details...

Everytime someone's heel or a chair leg would go through the floor

(yes, it got to the point where I was

truly afraid to sit on a chair in our family room -- I'd check the

integrity of the floor under the chair before sitting down)

I'd cover the gaping hole with...

(YES, I do realize this is tacky....)

a piece of tin that I'd cut with tin snips to fit

and then nail down securely,

hoping to flatten out any sharp edges so no one would

slice their foot as they walked across the floor barefoot.

Yes... a lovely site, I know...

We lived with this "tin-chic" look for years...

Gorgeous, huh?

;)

Well, after the entire family room was becoming a patchwork quilt of

oddly shaped pieces of tin crudely nailed to the floor,

and no end in sight to the new damage happening almost weekly,

we knew it was time to bite the bullet and rip out the flooring...

SOOOOO....
Here's the old gal's "BEFORE" pics...
I did love it all, but with floors caving in, it was time for some
MAJOR cosmetic surgery.

Hey... after 120 years, she's earned it, right? ;)

Family room:

There were three rooms involved, starting from the front of the house back
to just before the kitchen.
(THAT will be yet ANOTHER remodel...).

Since all three rooms' floors were coming up, we decided it was
NOW OR NEVER to take out the wall dividing the living room
and dining room. Neither room was EVER used -- mostly just a walkway to get
to the family room and kitchen.

Day 1: the wall comes down, and the two huge
paneled doors are saved to be used at another time...

Day 2: the flooring from almost the entire right side of our house is removed.
Since there was never a sub-floor, we were looking at good old terra firma... yep,
dirt.... Nice... That night, I was SURE to seal off any openings to the rest of the house
until they came again the next morning to begin installing the plywood subfloor...
The LAST thing I needed was a snake, raccoon, possum, or any other manner of
vermin to decide to try and "check in" to Harsham House Hotel! ;)

Once the project got under way, we made a discovery that put us in the position of making a
pretty big impulse decision:

We found that beneath a heavy coat of plaster on the ceilings, were the original
beadboard ceilings! BUT... only about 6 inches of them was "revealed" from where the wall
came down. Who knew WHAT condition the bulk of them was in beneath the remaining plaster?
Maybe the part we saw was the "good" part and the rest was all damaged and rotten?

After much consideration, we decided to GO FOR IT.

The rest of the plaster was yanked and crow-barred off and this is what we were
rewarded with:

Basically perfect wood! By "perfect" that just means, no gaping holes,
no rotten wood. It wasn't "pretty" by any means, but the condition was stable
and they would look great with a good coating of caulk and paint!

The work progressed...

COUNTLESS trips to the paint store to try out SOOOO many shades of the same color!

One of THE COOLEST things uncovered was the original
handpainted wallpaper that was hidden underneath the plaster on the walls.
We found it on the area of the wall that was revealed when the wall came down.

I saved the little bits of it that I could salvage as well as some cool hand-forged
nails that were in some of the trim work that came down...

FINALLY, paint-day...

The ceiling in the new dining room kept it's plaster -- but underneath...
beadboard, if we ever want to reveal it! NOT! ;)

The wooden ceilings in the new family room space (below) looked SO great sporting their new
"flannel grey" color. So handsome!!

Below, my attempts to reclaim my home after it being torn up for so long...

I found a chair and stuck it in there... I HAD to see

that there was going to really be a light at the end of the tunnel! :)

FLOORING DAY ARRIVED
and that is when things REALLY began to
fall into place...

The new floors are hickory wood reclaimed and scraped.
I could not be happier with the choice. It is as though it was
MADE for this house...

Due to a shipping delay, things came to a grinding halt while we waited
for our base moulding to come in...
So,
I pulled a few things from around the house and stuck them in the room --
And in the mornings, I would sit in my one little chair and
dream of the finished product.

My buddy also settled in as well...
He wasn't sure what to make of being photographed,
so he dropped his rawhide treat for a moment and
stood there for me:

Yeah... he's found his little spot as well...

So... we went from three rooms - to two rooms -- one large family room and a very nice-sized
dining room (which we still don't really use....) and it all blends beautifully.

One color dominates the two rooms --
Restoration Hardware's "Slate"... it envelopes the rooms from the
ceiling to the floor, with the exception of the wall below the chair rail
in the dining room (that color is Restoration Hardware's "Cappucinno").

Even the crown moulding is painted Slate so that the line is not broken up at all.
It isn't for everyone, and I don't know that I'd do it all over, in every room because I do love
the look of a crisp white band of crown moulding in a room. But in this application,
where I was going for cozy, warm, handsome, and masculine, it works.

Come walk around the new spaces with me...
We can start here in the dining room...

For now, this is inside the china cabinet.. not what I'm loving, but
one Saturday afternoon, I'll play around in there and get it "just so".
I want to line the back of the cabinet with player piano roll paper...
to lighten it up a bit.

Swinging door going into the mud-room/kitchen area...where it is not so
all-gray and dark... ;)

In the photo below, is my favorite dress form...
Shipped to me all the way from France...
via Le Trip France.

I named her Vivien -- in honor of my mother.

She is wearing a genuine leopard stole...
Bought in Africa in the 1950's - long before the days that having such things was
verboten... And see the matching pocket book?
LOVE!
I don't use either of them, of course.
They were purchases of my father-in-law when he lived
in Africa. He brought them back for his new bride...
my husband's mother. :)

The FABULOUS French hatmaker's sign on the wall
is from Lisa, at
Urban Farmhouse

More dress forms, decked out in
vintage men's collars...

You can see, we did NOT opt to pull the plaster down off this ceiling...
maybe one day... maybe not... ;)

This one is my next favorite dress form...
so heavy and I love her iron stand.

These two "gals" get along well, so I was able to put them
together here in their own corner...

Are you spotting a theme here??
Player piano rolls???
Hey, you use what you have, right?? ;)

Okay, so I have a lot of dress forms...

This one is from Kasey of Lola B's when she was
selling things from her store.
I love it!!

Hey... for the record, not ALLLLLL of my house is grey... ;)

I love this corner of the dining room...
one lone chair with a vintage straw purse...

Well hello up there, gorgeous... ;)

Now, from the dining room, into the family room...

Some of my fave things that made "the cut" to be put back in
the new space...

Below, a vintage French price sign from sweet Tracie
at
My Petite Maison

One of my vintage hat forms... I love these!!
Crazy, I know... :)

LOVING using my collection of antique player piano rolls...

You knew I couldn't NOT put something old, architectural and chippy in here...

A "matched pair flanking the tv cabinet...

"My" spot... I love sitting here... I knew I would, even before the
furniture ever came back in. Remember where that lone chair sat
back when we only had plywood subflooring in??
Yep... right about HERE..

Behind my chair is an antique French map and two sketches
done by my daughter in her first year as an art major...
All hung from decorative metal hangers bought from my
friend, Lisa, at
URBAN FARMHOUSE

A beautiful old German pewter clock...new to our home,
as it has been in my husband's family for years and we recently
received it. It's perfect in the room...

(One problem when you take pictures in

"cozy" warm, handsome-colored room...

NOT ENOUGH LIGHT FOR PICURE-TAKING!

Sorry for the poor quality on a lot of these!!)

Antique Chinese stand from hubby's grandparents... it was part of a
wedding gift to them back in the early 1900's...
Perfect for a mug or glass next to the chairs.

One of many Sarrguemines yellow-ware pieces I have -- I love
the creamy, mellowed colors of this French pottery! The strange
faces on some of the pieces are a bit odd, though. :)

The "sister" spot next to "my" spot in the front of the house...
No one really ever uses this chair... it's waiting for YOU to come
visit and sit with me and talk...

The little powder room in the photo below
still sports the "old" colors that went with our old dining room...
I may get the nerve to paint over all this hand painting/glazing/stenciling...
It is soooo pretty, though... and it goes okay with all the gray, right??

This little bathroom has a door on it that has a large panel of glass
and therefore I always have had to come up with something clever to
cover it... I mean, being a bathroom, and all..

SO... I commissioned sweet Andrea Dickerson from
her Etsy shop,
FADED PLAINS

I just LOVE what she came up with for me!!!
One for each side of the glass... each slightly different.

She incorporated our monogram as well as the year the house was built.
PERFECT!!

So now on to the "living area"...

This is where we "live" now... plenty of room to stretch out and chill...
the big tv is on the right (out of view) and is a fave
of the hubs...

See the funky-shaped wooden thingy on the right on the
table below? It is an antique African HEADREST!
Can you even imagine using such a thing to rest your head on????
Another treasure from my father-in-law's time in Africa...

This is a very old solid ebony head that my father in law brought back from his
long stay in Africa. It was a favorite of my husband all his life and now
he has it to cherish in his own home...

This whole group (table, pictures, etc. has always been in our
entryway. but I knew this would be perfect with all the gray,
and I just LOVE it in here now!

In the photo below,
see the giant funky ceramic hand-shaped glove form
on the right, on top of the victrola?
That fun piece came from sweet Dawn at
ShabbyChatue

This bunch of heavy, rusty antique floor grates/vents has always just been
displayed on my old grain cart, but when I just couldn't find anything just right
to put in the awkward space over the big tv, I looked over at them and knew they
were just the right thing -- not too busy, not too patterned (to compete with
what's on tv) -- just right.
And so now they're hung and I love them there!

I "filled in" some of them with bits and pieces I already had laying around
and some I left plain...

So, on any given night, as I'm Facebooking
from my laptop,
this is the general vicinity that I will be in...

Sitting here -- chatting with you guys online,
(those of you on Facebook, anyway...)
and just resting...
A lovely place to chill...

Don't you just love the wooden ceiling?? I will NEVER
regret taking the chance to yank down all that plaster and see
the beauty that was beneath!!

Well, thanks so much for allowing me to have you in
for a little bit.

I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out.

A BIG change from their former looks, no?

Much more suited to the equal sharing with the man of the house, I think. :)

He is tolerant of anything I come up with,
but this time, I wanted to honor him with less floral, less pastel,
more handsome, "men's-suiting" look.

And it's fine because I really love that look too...

Love ya!

~Ruth~

Nuts & Bolts Of Creating...Amazing What Can Be Created From The Least Likely Bit & Pieces...

2011-06-06T09:11:00.001-04:00

I thought this was so inspiring.

I've been feeling like getting back to my

"creative roots" more and more lately and

this video definitely

added to that feeling! :)

Hope you enjoy it, too.

Happy Monday!

W Hoboken "Manhattan Mettle" By Ann Carrington from tinklevision on Vimeo.

You've Asked, & Now This Here Is One Last Chance!

2011-06-03T07:59:00.000-04:00

I promised my friend in Denmark that I would alert you to the

RE-LISTING

of the two auctions for complete sets of

Jeanne d'Arc Living magazines

being offered on Ebay

which are ending today.

I "did the math" on these sets and it turns out,

even with shipping costs

(and trust me a whole set amounts to one heavy package!)

the price-per-issue is still right at what each issue

has cost at any given time, right here in the States.

If you are AT ALL INTERESTED

in getting your hands on

EVERY SINGLE ISSUE EVER PUBLISHED

from the magazine's beginnings in 2009,

through Christmas of 2010...

PLEASE don't wait and go check out the auctions

HERE!

I'm not sure they will be re-listed again and by way of

a little "FYI",

I cannot get all the back issues anymore.

There are not many to choose from anymore when we go to place

our orders with the publisher, which tells me that

as much as we've been happy to offer them to you

(and they SELL OUT immediately every time we get them in!)

I don't know how long we will even be able to get them in.

SOOOOO...

big heads-up here...

If you want ANY back issues but especially

if you want to be able to say you

have all issues starting with the

coveted first few ever published...

I beg of you --

click over to

THE TWO AUCTIONS

and put your bid in.

And a little Ebay hint:

just because it says 0 bidders... doesn't mean a dozen or so

people don't have the auction bookmarked and are waiting to pounce at the

last minute of the auction.

If I had a dime for every auction I lost out on because I thought

I had no competition in the wings...

Haha!! :)

Okay, on another subject...

the next post up in the next day or so will be the

FINAL INSTALLMENT,

the

"BIG REVEAL"

of our renovation at home. :)

Ladies -- seriously... if you want those mags,

this is probably the last chance.

And for the record,

I have no vested interest in urging you to buy them --

no kick-backs, or anything.

I just know that here on our end, we get endless

emails and phone calls from ladies

begging us for back issues.

And now there are two complete sets up for sale

at reasonable prices even including the freight...

I just want to try and see that you get what

you've been asking for.

Hey! Did I mention it's

FRIDAY?!?!

See back here with pics of what's had me sort of busy

for the last couple of months... ;)

TICK-TOCK, TICK-TOCK! Last call for a chance of a lifetime auction!

2011-05-20T07:45:00.000-04:00

As I check my clock here on the east coast, it looks like there are only about 5 hours left

in the two eBay auctions from Denmark that are offering up

COMPLETE SETS

EVERY ISSUE

Jeanne d'Arc Living Magazine

from it's beginning in

2009 all the way through the last issue of 2010.

Considering the emails and phone calls we get from people

frantic to get their hands on

"any and all back issues you have!"

I would seriously consider watching this auction in it's

final hours now...

So many people wait and watch an auction like this,

and then

POUNCE during the last couple of minutes.

You may want to get your foot in the door before it closes. ;)

BELOW IS A RE-POST OF THE INFORMATION

SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT IS "AT STAKE".

You can skip down to the bottom of the post to find

the two separate links for the

2009 set auction and

and the 2010 set auction:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PSST! You there! Yes! You!

SHHHH!!!

I wanna let you in one something!

You ready??

If you are an avid Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine fan

(and who isn't?)

and if you have ever wished too late that you had thought to

secure one of EVERY issue every published,

you are going to be very happy!

I have a friend in Denmark who is ready to

part with an

ENTIRE

FULL

COMPLETE

set of Jeanne d'Arc Living magazines

from...

{ARE YOU READY FOR THIS????}

The first copy

EVER

PRINTED!!

The entire 2009 set -- issues 1 through 6

AND

the entire 2010 set -- issues 1 - 8.

How 'bout that?

This is pretty much unheard of.

I mean, we have been carrying quite a few of the back-issues

as we can get them

(not all are even available to us, as retailers)

and now even some of the issues we've been able to get even as recently

as our last shipment are now all gone.

FOREVER.

Sooooo....

I say all this to say...

If you are one of the MANY who have emailed or called us

begging for any and all back issues possible,

only to find that we have only a handful of various issues available

-- that which we can get our hands on...

JUMP

LEAP

RUSH

at this offer!!!

My friend just set up the eBay listings for both sets

and here are the links:

CLICK HERE FOR THE 2009 SET!

(issues 1-4 are in Danish; as you will recall, English text was not

introduced until the 5th issue).

CLICK HERE FOR THE 2010 SET!

Each set will ship from Denmark to the lucky winning bidder

and before long, some very happy person will possess what I think

we ALL wish we'd thought to create back when this incredible magazine

first appeared:

An ENTIRE set of ALL the issues!!!

Just had to let you in on this auction, since it's

such a rarity...

You're welcome. ;)

The Humble French Bottle Drying Rack Is Elevated To Haute Art!

2011-05-19T09:31:00.000-04:00

It all began with an email from NYC artist BO JOSEPH

inquiring about purchasing quite few of our

French Bottle Drying Racks

as well as some of our

"Perfect Setting" paper place mats.

He indicated he needed about 7 for a project he was working on for the

Brooklyn Artist's Ball

in which he was to be an exhibitor.

His exhibit would pay homage to

Marcel Duchamp

(the one who created the bottle rack as his first example of "ready-made" art)

and Bo wanted to cover them with images of works from the museum collection

& incorporate lighting on each rack.

Sooooo....

We furnished him his bottle racks & place mats,

and he promised to send me pics of the finished project.

Weeks later, the email came with some of the

MOST AMAZING PICTURES.

The gala was attended by the likes of Sara Jessica Parker,

Liv Tyler and more than a few other celebrities and NYC socialites. :)

What a fun night it seems to have been!

Just look at what Bo did with our

bottle drying racks and place mats:

The BEST PART?

As Bo put it in his email to me,

"It was a huge success and a great party. I ended up throwing a curve ball into the project and wore a suit I silkscreened with the same imagery I used in the rest of the project."

Take a look:

Will you LOOK AT THIS????

Genius!!!!!!

But then, that's what artists truly are, no?

Geniuses, in the truest sense.

Oh, here is a fun New York Times link

that shows some

great pics from the night.

Thanks to Bo Joseph for sharing his big night with me

so that I could share it with YOU! :)

If nothing else, let this inspire YOU to always RE-THINK the

ways you use things that you use everyday....

Thanks for stopping by!!

Love,

2011-05-16T23:29:00.000-04:00

If you've been waiting patiently for the next issue

Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine,

you are going to want to know that

the new issue hit our doorstep

today!

Pre-orders will begin shipping out tomorrow in

the order they were received and we'll work

feverishly to get them

all out

ASAP.

If you have't secured your copy, but wish to,

you can just CLICK HERE

and get your own beautiful issue

Jeanne d'Arc Living! :)

Take care, friends!!

After A VERY Long Wait, Jeanne d'Arc Living Decor Products Are BACK ON THE BLOCK! :)

2011-05-13T13:54:00.000-04:00

I'll make this a short one, since

the "star" of this post is

HERE!!

Jeanne d'Arc Living products have hit our doorstep for the first time in

almost a year and a half and their wares are more gorgeous than ever.

The old familiar words were being spoken once again as item by item was

plucked from the shipping container:

"Ohhhhh my...."

"Wow...."

"Ummmm.... this is a-m-a-z-i-n-g...."

and on and on...

Not one single item that arrived was in any way a disappointment.

Not one.

I hope you are all as excited and happy as we are about the

reinstatement of the

new JEANNE D'ARC LIVING DECOR section

on our site.

I have a feeling this is the beginning of a very good thing... ;)

Happy weekend to you!!!

Please give the new JDL things a look-see!!

Hugs,

Some things come along only once in a blue moon... (HINT HINT.. THIS is one of them!)

2011-05-10T20:52:00.001-04:00

PSST! You there! Yes! You!

SHHHH!!!

I wanna let you in one something!

You ready??

If you are an avid Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine fan

(and who isn't?)

and if you have ever wished too late that you had thought to

secure one of EVERY issue every published,

you are going to be very happy!

I have a friend in Denmark who is ready to

part with an

ENTIRE

FULL

COMPLETE

set of Jeanne d'Arc Living magazines

from...

{ARE YOU READY FOR THIS????}

The first copy

EVER

PRINTED!!

The entire 2009 set -- issues 1 through 6

AND

the entire 2010 set -- issues 1 - 8.

How 'bout that?

This is pretty much unheard of.

I mean, we have been carrying quite a few of the back-issues

as we can get them

(not all are even available to us, as retailers)

and now even some of the issues we've been able to get even as recently

as our last shipment are now all gone.

FOREVER.

Sooooo....

I say all this to say...

If you are one of the MANY who have emailed or called us

begging for any and all back issues possible,

only to find that we have only a handful of various issues available

-- that which we can get our hands on...

JUMP

LEAP

RUSH

at this offer!!!

My friend just set up the eBay listings for both sets

and here are the links:

CLICK HERE FOR THE 2009 SET!

(issues 1-4 are in Danish; as you will recall, English text was not

introduced until the 5th issue).

CLICK HERE FOR THE 2010 SET!

Each set will ship from Denmark to the lucky winning bidder

and before long, some very happy person will possess what I think

we ALL wish we'd thought to create back when this incredible magazine

first appeared:

An ENTIRE set of ALL the issues!!!

Just had to let you in on this auction, since it's

such a rarity...

You're welcome. ;)

A (Pretty) "Bright Idea" -- Thanks Mr. Edison!

2011-05-05T08:43:00.000-04:00

Sometimes bringing the a little bit of the past into the present

can be a bright idea...

As is the case with these fabulous

Edison Bulbs!

We've just added them to the site (along with QUITE A FEW other new things)

and I've added the bulb to my own home en masse!

I've decked out a chandelier, two wall sconces,

and soon, quite a few lamps.

I am LOVING the look, too!

Hope all is well with you!

As for me, the remodel is for all intents and purposes "done" --

there are a few "tweeks" that need to be addressed by the

flooring guys, but we have our furnishing back in the house

and I'm having fun setting things out in their new locale around the

new space.

And let me tell you, I've been BAFFLED by the fact that

though we should theoretically have more space...

why doesn't everything we had in there 2 months ago

now "fit"??

I'm making piles of things now to give away/donate because

for some strange reason, what came out

won't all go back in!

Hope you'll take a look at the

new things on the site --

I've been remiss in getting on here to post about them all as

we've added them...

SHAME ON ME!! :)

Have a great day!

It Is Time Once Again For Another Beautiful Issue Of Jeanne d'Atc Living...

2011-04-27T14:46:00.002-04:00

This beauty can be yours by clicking

HERE

to pre-order. ;)

We expect to get the shipment by about mid-May (or so...)

and immediately thereafter start shipping out all

pre-orders we've received.

It looks like another LOVELY issue!

And.... in case you missed our recent announcement,

we are again able to carry the Jeanne d'Arc Living

product line as we did a couple of years ago!!

YAY!! :)

Our order of products has been placed and will be

here before we know it!!

Here is a taste of what Jeanne d'Arc Living has been up to

(and what we were shopping for) since we were last

able to carry their delightful furnishings...

Almost everything in the pictures will be in our shop before too long!!

Have a great day, mon amis!

I think there actually IS a light at the end of this renovation tunnel! :)

2011-04-22T17:36:00.001-04:00

I know it's been a while since the last renovation post, but unfortunately there

hasn't been a lot to tell...

Seems we made great strides and then

things came to a

SCREECHING HALT...

Let's see... last update was about paint colors, I think...

Well, the painting is done, and boy does it LOOOK GOOOOD!

The flooring is down and again... OH MY it's GORGEOUS!

That is the most beautiful flooring these eyes have ever seen.

It's such a perfect fit for this old house with it's

scrapes, dings, knots, and varied board widths/lengths.

We are STILL waiting for the final trim pieces for the floor to arrive --

via slow boat from California, I think... Ugh.. :)

But once that arrives and is installed, the furniture gets moved back in

and we have our home again!!!

We landed on "Slate" from Restoration Hardware for about 95% of the space.

We added "Cappucino" from Restoration Hardware below the chair rail

in what will be the dining room.

{NOTE: MANY OF THESE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN ON-THE-SPOT
WITH MY CELL PHONE, SO... PLEASE EXCUSE THE
LACK OF QUALITY.}

Other than that, the walls AND the ceilings AND the crown mouldings

are all Slate... And it really looks so handsome and elegant.

The sconces in this pic look soooo great now against that slate color.

I have some old-fashioned "Edison" lightbulbs coming that I ordered for them.

Can't wait to see how they look!

This ceiling medallion used to be painted in tones of

verdigris and golden mustard to match our dining room scheme of

French/Provence tones decor...

I repainted/glazed it to now match the new scheme of

slate and stone colors... It looks fabulous now against the Slate ceiling.

We lived with plywood underfoot for a couple weeks while other work was being done...

I finally reached a point where I just HAD to put SOMETHING in the space

to remind me that there WILL be a time when we can actually live in here again. ;)

I grabbed a chair from the entry way and plant, etc. and

it really lifted my spirits each time I walked through the otherwise

torn apart room. I recommend this "therapy" to you if you find yourself

in the midst of a reno that seems never-ending! :)

Then FLOOR DAY came! :)

It took a couple/few days to put it all down, but boy

does that wood look AWESOME!

There have been set backs a plenty, delays, delays, delays...

BUT I can see a brilliant light at the end of the

RENOVATION TUNNEL! :)

See it? Shining there through the window?? :)

I have carved out for myself a corner of one of the rooms where I've brought in

a few things from around the house to make homey.

I know, I know... the minute I get the word that the carpenter is coming back out

to istall the trim moulding for us, I have to quick take it all back out...

BUT FOR NOW...

Ahhhh.... feeling more like home again...

LOOK WHAT I "FOUND"...

I had this rug stored in a closet under the stairs since last year...

back when I was hunting for the perfect cowhide rug for the family room

I ran across THIS BEAUTY online at Williams Sonoma Home

for A SONG!

I snapped it up -- just in case we couldn't find a good cow hide. (WINK WINK)

But now I see it was meant to be all along...

just look how PERFECT it is in this new scheme!!!

And don't you just know it...

Look who has claimed it now as "his"...

Dude's got good taste...

Back soon (I HOPE!) with good news that it's

DONE!

Jeanne d'Arc Living Has Re-Opened Shipping Of Their Products Again!!!

2011-04-15T10:00:00.003-04:00

Patience is a virtue and those who possess it shall be rewarded...

And the latest example of this?

I awoke to the good news via email from Jeanne d'Arc Living that they are now

officially set up and ready to resume shipping of their fabulous home decor

products to the U.S. again!

And guess who has ALREADY BEEN SHOPPING?? ;)

Many lovelies will be on their way to the shop and subsequently

on to YOU should you desire to order them.

(And who wouldn't??)

Let me say first, that this time around they have pared down their offerings

and though they still have quite a lot to choose from that they will ship to the U.S.,

it is somewhat limited --- they are trying to keep freight & customs manageable

for us all and therefore many of the larger, heavier items do not appear to be

order-able at this time.

But that's okay -- there is still PLENTY of beauty to choose from!

Here is a sampling of what they ARE willing to ship, though...

Take a breath... yes, I know, it IS gorgeous, no?

{CLICK THE PIC TO ENLARGE IT}

Okay -- off to run the store and shop some MORE! :)

Just wanted to stop in and make your weekend a bit brighter with this news!!

Let me know what you think!

Me and Ladders and Sawhorses...

2011-03-30T10:19:00.005-04:00

Off to a very good start this A.M.

So far I've managed to display my genius to the trim person who showed up... Here's how it went:

Carpenter: "I may have to leave again to go get my other ladder... I knew I forgot something."

ME: "Oh that's ok! We have one -- you mean this kind, right? (I use my hands to make an upside down "V")

CARPENTER: "Um... y-e-s..." ME: "Well I mean this kind (hands make the upside down "V" again) not this kind (arm goes straight out and up)" CARPENTER: blank stare...

ME: "You know, those... I don't know... those... straight kind... the big kind you don't fold..."

CARPENTER: (Looking like he's trying not to laugh) "Oh you mean an extension ladder. No, just the regular kind." (and I could have SWORN I almost saw his hands start to make the upside down "V" like I did). ;)

Then, about 3 minutes later, as he's setting up his saw horses....

ME: "Oh wow, that's cool... (pointing at the metal part where the legs join what looks like a big oversized loaf pan)... "kind of like an inverted trough! Did you make that? That's so neat!"

CARPENTER: "Ummmm... no, they sell these at Lowes. They're called saw horses."

ME: "Oh, and so you added your own wood to the top, though, right?"

CARPENTER: (now, truly not knowing what to do with anything I'm saying) "Yes... makes it a lot easier to use them if you add the 2 x 4s to the top..."

ME: "Well, thanks...I guess you can tell that it doesn't take much to amaze me... I think I'll go inside now, if you need anything."

See... What makes perfect sense to me seems to be totally nonsensical to everyone else. (Reminded now of what my husband said to me last week... "We aren't being mean, we're just trying to make sense of the silliness that comes out of your mouth.")

:)

But again, I think if I just keep those chocolate chip cookies coming, they'll be willing to put up with whatever comes out of my mouth, right?
But I will try to just let them go about their work and keep my questions to a minimum... like "Can I get you guys any more water or cookies?" :)

Have a great Wednesday, everyone... I'm gonna go head over to the office and get out of this poor carpenter's way. :)