Trimming the Tree, Literally

Hoarding has its privileges.

                                                                                mrs. V

I’ve said it before and I will say it over and over again. It pays to hold on to things.  Well, maybe PAY is a bit ambitious.  My husband wholeheartedly disagrees, vociferously.  But if I didn’t have a fabric or Chinoiserie addiction, I would not have been able to trim the tree this year or deck chez V’s halls.  Well, maybe NOT is also a bit ambitious, so let’s just say without spending mucho dinero.  And that is a lot like paying, no? 

With that in mind, I have taken the whole ‘trimming the tree’ bit rather literal this year.  Rather than buying new trimmings, as I often do each year, I raided my stashes to pull off a fresh look for Christmas.  Armed with loads of extra yardage of my very favorite Greek Key trim, I literally trimmed my tree with it.  Additionally, I used remnants to make up some new stockings, complete with lining and trim! These are now officially my most favorite things ever.  I may never take them down.  Cheers, it’s Christmas every day of the year!

In true chez V fashion, I corralled some of my blue and white collection together, pairing ginger jars and cache pots with bright accents and greenery for a very colorful Chinoiser-V Christmas look.  Much like my very Chinoiser-V Easter look from last year.  Blue and white is a lot like bacon and animal print, in my book.  Makes the everything better. 

It also makes linking up to Jennifer’s blue and white bashes over at The Pink Pagoda very easy because blue and white is a staple at my house, like bacon and animal print.  Thanks for having me, dear!

To further prove my hoarding resourcefulness, I fashioned my own Chinoiserie ornaments using sharpies and extra white ornaments I had on hand, which, as it turns out, seems to be all the rage this season.  Tons of great examples floating around.  I used my own collection as inspiration and simply free handed them.

I have yet to tackle my fresh garlands or the rest of the house, but I think this is off to a smashing start.  Check back in the next few days for a proper holiday house tour when I’ve gotten things buttoned up and photographed in better light.  For a taste of last year’s holiday shenanigans, go here and here.

Cheers to a great and colorful holiday season!

All design, styling, and photos by Emily Vanderputten

kisses,  mrs. V

Friday's Flowers and Gratitude

Happy Friday.  Friday for me is always about flowers and spiffing up the joint for wknd festivities.  Momma always gets fresh flowers from the market for her home for the weekend and it is a ritual that I have happily carried on at my home – whether it is picking up fresh cut flowers, cutting something from the yard, or grabbing an orchid when my fancy strikes.

Thanks for the One Room Challenge™ love yesterday.  There is some serious talent and inspiration in the bunch.  Your comments truly make my day.  Truly.  As in I walk around most of the day chuckling about email convos with all my interwebs friends - which can prove to be a little awkward at times.  I find myself referring to so and so during a conversation with my mister or my sister about such and such, and they are usually like, ‘who the hell is xxxx and how do you know her/him?’  Um.  

‘My friend from the internet/instagram/blog/blahblahblah…she/he absolutely adores booze/chinoiserie/art/gold/glitter/brass animals/green/vintage/animal print/tiny weird cat lols and would LOVE this, I must take a picture immediately.’  

This is often followed by a very awkward pause and serious side eye. ‘I’d really rather like to get on with the actual act of enjoying my food/wine or getting to our actual destination already as opposed to you always taking damn pictures of it.’  Rude.

But so’s anyway, I love y’all and mean it.  Just know I appreciate you appreciating my jam.

Have a great one.  I’ll be out searching for ORC shit today with visions of wine plums dancing in my head.

All design, photos, and styling by Emily Vanderputten

kisses,  mrs. V

Living - Our Table

Enjoying these last days of Summer.  My late blooming hydrangea bushes are still going bonkers and our table is all the more beautiful for it.  These will dry beautifully.

In other news, I finally got around to adding tassels to one of my Fantastical Beastie pillows that is long, long, long overdue to a dear friend.  I printed this pillow more than 6 months ago.  Sheesh.  Now that I have proper time, I am devoting more energy to my block prints.

Off to roast a chicken for that table.

All photos and styling by Emily Vanderputten

kisses,  mrs. V

A Rerun Of Our Chinoiserie Easter Table

With my kitchen all torn up because of The One Room Challenge™, I am not doing a beautiful Easter table this year.  But I am still so smitten with the table I set last year that I am sharing these images again.  I had so much fun making these eggs even though I set out to make pink ones at the outset.  Call it a happy accident that I ended up with these gorgeous deep blue beauties.  And as with all things in my life, all roads lead to Chinoiserie. It's like we are the ChinoiserVs with my mister as a reluctant but indulgent bystander.

Click here for more detailed info on how I actually made these.

An example of the pink color I was originally trying to achieve but I wasn't happy with the speckling and splotching.  That is when I shifted to the blue colorway but of course I could not resist slamming some gold on that pink.   Imma one trick pink and gold, chinoisy, animal printed pony.

Speaking of Chinoiserie, have you guys seen this goodness that Emilie is cooking up over at Shell & Chinoiserie for her ORC room in the link up? Living for these chintz chairs against that Imperial Trellis wallpaper!

via

Be sure to head over to Calling it Home to see what all the linking participants are up to this week.  So many great spaces coming together!

Have a good Friday on this Good Friday!

All photos, layouts, and styling by Emily Vanderputten unless otherwise noted

kisses,  mrs. V

I'll Have Mine With a Side of Blue and White

No better reason to return to regularly scheduled blogging than with a bang.  I mean, a bash.  The lovely and talented Jennifer of The Pink Pagoda is hosting another blue and white bash today and I’m crashing the party, albeit late.  Seems fitting as blue and white seems to be a staple in my design diet.  Seriously slam the blue and white shizzy sauce on errythang.  Case in point…

Blue and white makes a great vessel for flowers.  Duh.

here we have a side of blue and white aka blue dub anchoring a vignette

scattered, smothered, and covered with blue dub

a towering blue dub confection

that blue dubs is a logo ho as she requires liberal slathering on all serving pieces

holidays bring out the best in blue dub

she pairs nicely with a full bodied chinoisy dish

she can be a bit of a camera hog though

eager to prove she's no diva, she is willing to give brass her rightful place as the one true saucy dish

not content with just lamps and plates, she must flaunt all her glory on candles too

admittingly the underdog come turkey time, blue dubs was thankful to be served up with dessert

she's a right tasty amuse bouche in the sack, as blue dubs insists that I print my textiles in blue

just like msg, blue dubs is a tricksy ingredient that can sneak in, even in the tiniest doses

And now I am out of food references.  You get the point.  I use it everywhere even though I gave it up like carbs for a few years in a fit of granny rage, meaning I felt it was too dated and overused.  But here I am again, claiming to enjoy it in moderation, but in reality am full force on the blue dub sauce once again.

Click on over to the bash to see how everyone else serves up their blue and white sauce.

All photos and styling by mrs. V

kisses,  mrs. V