Gabrielle Messina Just a Girl

French Settee Revamp

Good morning, friends! Today I'm linking up with Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Friday  I've been wanting to share with you the vintage French settee I revamped a few months ago. I picked it up for a song almost a year and a half ago. And while there are people who could have built an entire house in that time, I needed to live with it for a while and work up the guts to tackle it. I think it sat in almost every room of my house before I had a clue what I wanted to do with it.  
The very first thing I did was apply gold leaf to the entire frame. It was a very long process that left my kitchen littered with gold specks. I think the cracks in the wood floor still have some glistening gold in them....  

This seems to be the only photo I can find right now of how it came home with me in it's very raw and deconstructed state. It's a very old piece. The burlap of the seat was torn in numerous spots which meant the slightest bump sent excelsior; the grassy, straw-like stuffing used in very old furniture falling all over the floor. Someone had painted it this chalky blue; which wasn't all bad, to a large portion of the frame but the original gold leaf still remained on all the legs and back of the frame. If you're a regular reader, you may have seen bits of the settee in pictures from past posts. Here's a close up of some of the floral detail. You can still see a bit of the blue of it's past life peeking through. I found this amazing cut velvet pink damask fabric. Now, because I am not an expert on upholstery and the fact that the fabric was not wide enough to cover the seat and would need to be stitched, also, that the excelsior would need to be replaced with foam, I brought it to a upholstery shop. A girl knows when she's in over her head. It came back to me looking luxe and feminine. I rearranged some furniture in the house and the settee is now happily residing in our bedroom. 

Some Spring Things

 

I can't say I've done too much Easter decorating this year, but the mantle is looking spring- like in it's candy colored hues, so I thought I'd give you a little tour of the spring things going on here at our home. This large bunny I've had for a handful of years. He's from an old candy store that closed down. They used to use him in their window display each year. How I wish shops like that were still a dime a dozen.... This old iron piece I've had in the garage and decided to bring it in and  use it as sort of a fireplace screen for our "flip switch" fireplace. My husband said he would weld some small legs onto it so that it could be the proper height.

 

Andrea sent me this beautiful pink mercury glass egg! Isn't it lovely? And the wrapping too, it was a bit of Spring itself.....  From one Italian girl to another, she knew I'd love this big, beautiful tin, of which the contents have since been eaten! It was filled with biscotti....   With the exception of an Easter tree all decorated on the kitchen island and few faux chocolate bunnies scattered through the house, this little egg display in the corner in our kitchen just about sums up my minimal Easter decor for this year. Have you decorated for Easter?

I should be back very soon. I have a piece of furniture I made over and want to show you.... Happy Spring! 

 

 

Around the House Today

Hello, hello out there. My posts seem to have months separating them, but I'm here today. I shined my sink today and that's reason enough to snap a few pictures of the kitchen, isn't it? My little guy has already destroyed it and it's not looking so pretty....
Among other things on my "house wishlist" are rounded cane backed barstools and a antique chandelier, but there's always something more important for our funds to go. It's smelling pleasent around here thanks to the freshly washed duvet cover drying over the bannister.With three little ones around, we have stools everywhere and when I saw this one, I knew I had to have it. After all, stools will be at every sink for the next few years. It's sort of like a long term investment, without investing all that much....  It was covered in forest green vinyl(lovely, I know) and last night, proved to be the perfect time to reupholster it. A few weeks after I found the previous one, I stumpled upon this one. The man I purchased it from said a local company that manufactured stoves made these as well. That explains why I found more than one without even looking! They are cast iron and made like little tanks.... just ask my big toe. Another reason I love vintage so much. Made well and made in the U.S. of A. Everything today seems to be disposable. This one was covered in red velvet, equally as lovely as the forest green...One last stool was covered last night, this one for the girls' bathroom. I used a hand towel I had on hand as the fabric. Perfect for a bathroom, I think. It's a rather simple stool.... A bad iron piece from the 80's that was in my bathroom as a kid is more like it, but it does the job. It has been in there previously, but someone laid a wet towel on it and the fabric became mildewed by the time I discovered it.  Well, that's all for today folks! Sort of feel like I don't know how to write a blog post anymore, so if the quality was lacking or I rambled too much, forgive me! 

Our Bedroom

 At some point on most any given day, the rooms of my house begin to look like a pig sty. It's not just the kids, I pile my messes and projects on all available surfaces. This room is different, however. I don't set piles of laundry that needs putting away on the chairs; instead the piles stay in the laundry room or actually get put away. The curtains are pulled back just as soon as we awake. The bed; unless someones ill, it gets made every single day. There's no television and if the kids bring a few toys in during the morning, I make sure they take them out before we head downstairs to start the day. In my experience, they day just seems to go smoother when I walk through a tidy room to get to the laundry room throughout the course of the day. The day also seems to come to a better close when everything's in it's place. It really is a little haven for me, as much of a cliché as that sounds.The bedding is Simply Shabby Chic from Target a few years ago. It was a complete steal and I love it. I know there are lots and lots of companies that sell beautiful bedding out there. They are tempting at times, then I snap myself back into reality and realize I really don't want to have to take out a loan from the bank to get it! There's a fluffy down comforter from Ikea inside that you sink into and makes you feel as if you are sinking into a cloud.  
My husband's side of the bed. I removed a ridiculously large alarm clock and put the Blessed Mother statue in it's place for the sake of the picture. The chandelier, as with most other things sitting around, was a flea market find. The flowers in their pastel shades looked like buttercream roses that were plucked right from a cake in a bakery shop window. The metal is old has a perfect patina and the candles are waxy with drips.
Mary statues.... I could never have enough. Most are from family or a trip I took to Italy when I was much younger. The clear glass one, is my most treasured and was a gift to my grandparents on their wedding day.  And the wall in the background, I have big plans to turn it into a wall of mirrors, it just hasn't materialized yet. It will, though!  Talk about serendipity! This lamp was another flea market find. It is an exact pairing with the chandelier with it's roses of butter cream, perfect patina, and drippy wax.A close up of vanity goods.And the vanity itself. The dusty pink velvet chair is part of a pair. My mom put them in my bedroom as a little girl and I took them with me when I left home. They've been in my bedroom since. They hold an extra special meaning since they came from the furniture store my grandparents owned decades and decades ago.   Well, I think that about sums up your nickel tour of our bedroom. I didn't get a picture of the armoire, but I think you can get a pretty good idea from the reflection in the mirror here. I do hope you enjoyed yourself and I hope that you will come back and visit with me soon! ; ) It's a beautiful day here! 

Ol' Mr. Rabbit....

 With Spring in the air(finally!!) I thought we could really use another Mr. Rabbit around the house.... After two years, and never getting around to doing the original Christmas project, I used the same technique Heather taught in this tutorial for our newest Mr. Cottontail. He's all paper... lots and lots of it, actually with forget-me-not flower ears, Lametta tinsel eyes and whiskers and a bubblegum pink velvet bow-tie! I think he looks like something you could find in the five and dime forty or fifty years ago! It was a simple project that took up a few nights and he's adorning the playroom door. Adding a little festivity in that corner of the house today.   I think he might be in need of his Misses. I guess we'll have to wait and see if I get around to her before Easter comes!  The kids and their wardrobes are in need of a bit of freshening up! Is anyone else loving the D Signed clothing at Target for their little girls?  After a trip to the donation center, my closet's looking rather spring- like too with some new velvety pink hangers and a lot less clutter! Lots of organization and spring sprucing around the house these days. How about you? Has spring fever hit you too?

Party Time!

   Hello, ladies! I thought it might be high time for me to get to posting about my girls' 7th and 5th birthday party! We had a tiny intimate affair, this year. The girls picked a few of their closest friends from school and invited them for an afternoon of girlie fun! As you can see form the above picture, my littlest lady loved her doll and named her Miss Angela on the spot.The night before the party, I set the able with a few paper dolls and a vintage handmade table cloth my mother- in- law gave me.On the cabinet in the corner, I stacked some hatboxes from my bedroom and craft room along with a vintage train case and tacked some paper doily bunting to the ceiling.I made a little clothes line with a sweet selection paper doll attire to festoon the cake.   And individual vases of petite roses at each place setting.I pulled the buffet table from out of my craft room and set it up in the kitchen, once again. Of course, another paper doll.Here's the cake I made the morning of the party. Strawberry buttercream icing, as per requested! And the little clothes line atop! A party isn't complete without cupcakes, now is it?A day filled with smiles galore.

A Messy Valentine

 I'm thinking that this will be the last post I'll be able to write before Valentine's Day comes. It seems it's just getting harder and harder these days to find the time to post. I miss you!! So, Happy Valentine's Day! I'm sorry I couldn't romanticise it a bit more. Around the house, there's lots of work being done...

We're installing some crown moulding in the bedroom. This morning, I took a few thinks off the wall that could easily be bumped and removed things from on top of the armoire. Too much stuff!! That's what I say. Sometimes I wish I was a bit more simpler, more streamlined. But, it is what it is. I'm not a streamlined type of girl. Never was, never will be, I suspect. And, looking at this picture, I think I could definitely use another hat box in our room. Yes, another hat box is in order.

It does look rather pretty there all piled onto the bed. Trying to find the beauty among the chaos of it all.

 

 I'm having all these photo issues too. For whatever reason, when I'm uploading, some are their usual larger size and some are these smaller size. Must find the time to look into that!! Well, I'm rushing off to work, girls! Have a lovely day! xoxoxox

Christmas Card 2010

As a result of finishing my decorating a bit early this year, Christmas cards WILL be mailed out BEFORE Christmas this year. I was able to capture a good picture of all three of my little sugarplums yesterday.(Hallelujah) This was picture number 920565 of 924766 pictures taken.... And of course, my battery died in the middle of the photo session. This was an opportunity for my kids to play on the swings a bit and come back refreshed! Why is taking a picture of all three together one of the toughest things in the world to do?? I wasn't even asking for them to smile of look at the camera.....  This was another favorite picture of our little photo session in the backyard.... This one too... I love those chubby little fingers. I even thought about sending this one out since I got it very early on, but thought it wouldn't be fair since there were two more pair of hands that weren't captured here....LOL

 My little man's been carrying that vintage little elf around him for the past few days. I'm not exactly sure of where it came from, but I'm thinking he swiped it off of my in-law's tree. I'll have to let them know that the elf's now under the care of a certain two year old.....

Wishing you the the start of a beautiful holiday season, my sweet friends.

Jack the Nutcracker

Well hello sweet girls! I hope you enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving with your loved ones! We had a great one this year! We just got done having leftovers for lunch... I love having a little Thanksgiving in the days that follow! 

I've been working on a rather large project, on and off(more off) for much longer than I'd care to admit. This is Jack. Jack's our five and a half foot nutcracker. That's right, he's taller than me!! Jack wasn't always a part of our holiday home, I must admit. He was next door at my mom's house for a year or two and my girls were in awe of him and is giant stature!! Finally, my mom told mt girls they could have Jack for their house. Of course, they were ecstatic; I on the other hand, wasn't so excited....I guess, because Jack looked like this before his dramatic makeover. He was in classic Christmas colors and as pretty as he might have been in someone else's holiday home, he didn't quite fit in with all the pastel and muted colors in our house. Here's his head in the process.... And because my neighbors don't think I'm odd downright weird enough, I dragged this huge, headless nutcracker to my side yard to give him a few hefty coats of cream spray paint. After he was dry, I tugged him back into the house and got started on the fun part of making him a one of a kind nutcracker. I should add, my husband thinks I took away every last ounce of Jack's manhood with his makeover. LOL   I started by making some hundreds of baking cup flowers then added glass glitter for a more festive touch! 
He was foofed and primped, decked and spruced.....Detail on Jack's shoulder... an old rhinestone bit, scraps of tulle and velvet leaves in pink and aqua. A fancy collar of paper flowers and Christmas baubles in the perfect pink! For his torso, I used some of the most beautiful embossed vintage wallpaper Lori  gave to me last year at Silver Bella. I was saving it for a special project and I think this one fit the bill. I trimmed it with velvet ribbon....  and some old rhinestone buttons completed the look.   Even Jack's little friend had a makeover too! I think he's looking much happier now than before....  Do you think so too?  I don't know why it was so hard to get a good shot of him in his entirety, but here he is....
I gold leafed his shoes and dusted with mica then topped with another bauble and I covered the base in cotton batting and sprinkled more mica on top of that!   I saved his crown for the very last. I was a bit perplexed on what to do, but I decided to just remove the velvet jester's hat he was wearing originally. I filled his crown with old glass and velvet millinery berries, and flowers and sprigs of silver pine. I think it has this wintry nest look and that a little bird would find his crown a welcome place in the cold.  I guess that about sums up his makeover. My mom asked for him back now that he's been upgraded... she was totally kidding, but did remind me that she gave it to the girls so, when the time comes for them to one day move out, Jack goes with them. {{I laughed}}

 

on decor, unmentionables and car love

 One  of the things I love about looking through pretty blogs so much is being able to see the peeks into fellow bloggers homes. Sometimes the peeks are little glances of a corner or niche and other times, we get the grand tour of some pretty fabulous homes. I love seeing all the takes on decorating in vintage style. From frou-frou, feminine and French to shabby, industrial or cottage. There are so, so many really talented creative women out there and their style just carries over into their homes.   I have to say, I sometimes covet that style when the objects once used for inndustry is introduced a bit to their homes.... with rusted letters and old signs and clever coffee tables from old carts right up there with their glistening chandeliers. It all blends so seamlessly. I don't think I could pull that off. For some reason, it intimidates me. Such a step out of the box for me..... When it comes to decorating, I tend to like to mix the inexpensive.... like hatboxes with a few splurges, the things from near, with objects from afar... like a one of a kind lamp and the feminine with the ultra -feminine. I tend to stick to the things I grew up. Most of their items in our home aren't much of a stretch from the items I could have found in my mother's, grandma's and great-grandma's homes. I've always admired the furniture, knick knacks and accessories sitting about.{Now, if only I could get my hands on some of that great flocked wall paper my Nana had}I guess you could call it my comfort zone. This is the style I know how to pull off....   What about you? Do you have your own comfort zone? Do you have a name for your style?Ok, transitioning here.... A month or so ago, I planned on incorporating this little bra and panty set of gold charms into a blog post.  I've had them for a few years just sitting in my jewelery box, just waiting for me to take them to the jewelers to have them soldered onto my gold charm bracelet. Finally, one day, a few weeks ago, I put them on a gold chain just to be able to wear them. When I came home I realized they were missing. I had been all over the place that day. I searched and searched my house and my friend did he same at her house since we were there for a visit as well. I'm so sad.... even still. I did a internet search to see if I could find another set with no luck. So, this is a little ode to my beloved charms.  From golden bras and panties, to gummy cars... I am definitely not the best transioner(...... I found these pretty pastel gummy car candies at Ikea the a week or so ago....

I knew they would be this little sweeties new favorite candy. I don't think I ever shared with you that my oldest has this passion for cars. It all started about two months ago. She knows every make and model on the road and can tell you what each teacher in her school and every neighbor in our neighborhood drives. just as soon as her daddy's car magazines arrive home, she grabs them and then goes off to study emblems of the more exotic ones. She keeps me in stitches! I think it is so cute that this that little thing knows all about an ultimately male dominated subject. We have lots of car guys in out family along with my husband's friends and they can't believe it. Their expressions are priceless after quizzing her on cars.Well, lovely ladies that's it for tonight. I'm off to give the kiddos a bath. Over and out.....