Bringing French Country Home : Lavender Dreams

Nothing says French Country like lavender.
The gorgeous purple color. The intoxicating scent. The memories it evokes.

I dream of riding my bike through fields of lavender in Provence. 

Just imagine the delightful perfumed air.

Or strolling between rows and rows of lavender with my basket and clippers.

Fairly easy to grow, lavender needs a sunny spot with good drainage. 

If you have clay soil, you can try growing it in a pot. 

I've heard lavender is short-lived but I've had mine for many years and it gets better every season.

These fresh green buds soon turn purple.

Planting lavender near pink or silvery-hued plants 

such as sage, artemesia or these pink winecups is a pretty combination.

I like to display fresh or dried lavender in an ironstone vessel,
a vintage silver pitcher or a simple basket.

It even looks charming during the drying process, hanging from a nail or a beam.

It's easy to dry your own lavender.

Here are a few tips:

Harvest lavender as the buds are just opening when the color is most striking and the fragrance is strongest. The best time to harvest it is mid-morning when the morning dew has evaporated. 

If you live in a dry climate, it's safe to harvest anytime as long as it's been dry for a few days.

Cut lavender at the base of a long stem.

Strip off the leaves as you would with a bunch of thyme.
by sliding your fingers down the stem from top to bottom.

Trim the ends so they're mostly all one length.

Gather into a bunch and secure with a rubber band until tight. 

A rubber band keeps stems from slipping as they shrink.

Dry in a dark, airy place to retain the purple color. 

Hang upside down on a nail using a straightened paper clip as a hook 

or on an old coat hanger with clothespins.

Let dry an average of two weeks.
Then, inhale and enjoy!

Ahhh. 

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When in Rome . . . (or anywhere they don't speak English)

I would love to learn to speak French. Such a beautiful, romantic language.

In fact, before my trip to France, I took an adult ed class called “French for Travelers.”  

I got pretty good at saying Bonjour Madame and that was about it 

although I felt intimidated every time I said that.

The French, though, are most appreciative when we Americans at least try 

to speak their language and are gracious when we mess it up.

I’m re-reading one of my favorite books about living in France called “I’ll Never Be French.”

If you haven’t read it, it’s hysterical. One of the best parts is when the author, Mark Greenside, 

is desperately asking a French person where they bought their baguette.

“Ou est lapin?” he asks, thinking he has mastered “Where is the bread?”

 Finally, he realizes he has actually asked: “Where is the bunny?”

I laugh out loud every time I read this. 

Maybe it’s because it reminds me of traveling through the Alps. 

Here's a funny story about language challenges. 

We were in our bright yellow VW Beetle with our large German Shepherd Dog 

who we had brought to Austria with us for a two-year job assignment.

Having figured out the whole zimmer frei business (it's not a free room just waiting for you; 

it's a room available for you to pay for), we parked in front of a charming Alpine house and addressed the owner with what we thought was: “We have a dog in the car. Okay?” 

This was accompanied by lots of hand movements meaning can we bring him inside. 

I remember the look of confusion on the poor man’s face. 

Turns out our “Wir haben einen hund im auto,” was actually “Wir haben einen huhn im auto.” 

"We have a chicken in the car, okay?”

The man didn't laugh but I think I saw him hide a smile.

My point is making the effort to speak the native language is never easy or really comfortable 

but it is appreciated by the locals and funny later when you tell the story to your friends.

Bon chance!

(Good Luck!)

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French Country Patio Restyled ... Again!

I know. I know.

I just got my French Country patio just the way I wanted it.

And now, I went and changed it again.

Here are two "Before" Pictures I showed you about six weeks ago.

The bistro table by the fence.

The garden bench by the house.

The arrangement before was pretty and Frenchy-looking 

but the morning sun on the bistro table was so hot, we couldn't use it. 

And all the patio umbrellas we saw were too big for the little table.

I kept looking around the space trying to figure out a better arrangement.

That's when I wondered if the garden bench might fit under the window box on the trellis.

I checked it out with my tape measure and it fit perfectly.

So I moved everything around . . . again.

I moved the wooden garden bench to the other side of the patio and it looked perfect there.

The two big pots of baby boxwood got nudged about a foot closer to the bench, 

making the vignette seem more intimate.

Here's an "After" Picture.

Can you believe someone threw these beautiful pillows away?
I found them while riding my bike down an alley and made a quick U-turn to check them out.
They'd been placed very carefully on a clean piece of cardboard atop a dumpster.
You should have seen me with a pillow in each hand riding my bike home!
I knew they'd be perfect on the patio.

The bistro table is now nestled into a corner of the house and it's in the shade 

until about 2 p.m.so we can use it for breakfast and lunch and evening cocktails.

I like it better there anyway. Funny how that works out, huh?

Here are some "After" Pictures!

I also added another honeysuckle vine to the patio for more greenery. 

I've read hummingbirds love honeysuckle flowers. 

Wouldn't that be cool to have those little jewels darting around the patio?
Dog TV.

This corner of the patio is perfect for a gathering of
watering cans, an old ladder and more plants.
I'm trying a cherry tomato for the first time in a new Home Depot pot.
Love the curvy edge.

I found this Mason jar lid with a built-in solar light at a local shop.
Just put it in the sun for a few hours to charge and
it makes a pretty patio light at night.
I put some dried hydrangea blooms inside for an accent.

One last change was the little cement cherub that had been by the corner of the house. 

With the bistro table there now, it was just too crowded

so I put it behind a couple of pots of flowers by the stairs. 

Hmmm. Like it better there too!

Now, everything is just right . . . until I move it again!

Lesson Learned:  Don't be afraid to change something if it isn't exactly what you want.
Like Goldilocks in The Three Bears, keep trying until you get it just right.

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Estate Sales and Dreamy Mansions

We arrived in the Capital Hill neighborhood for an estate sale but were too early

so we decided to take a walk while we waited for the sale to start. 

And that turned out to be the best part of this outing!

The house where the sale was held was gorgeous itself 

and the street was lined with lovely old homes.
I could spend all day admiring these beauties. 

But as we turned the corner, I gasped.

I recognized it immediately. The famous Castle Marne Bed and Breakfast.

I'd read about it before and had always wanted to see it but wasn't quite sure where it was.

What a wonderful surprise that it was just around the corner from the estate sale.

A massive gray stone mansion built in 1889, Castle Marne claims the entire corner of this block
and is the essence of turn-of-the-century Romanesque elegance. 

It even has the original horse hitching post . . .

and a rare carriage mounting stone
(the raised stone platform where passengers would step out of their carriage.)
Just be careful opening your car door!

When I pressed the intercom on the front porch to ask for permission to photograph the garden,
the owner, Louis, graciously invited us inside and then went out of his way to give us
a fantastic tour brimming with historical facts and details about the structure.

We learned how they made the rare wallpaper and that this registered castle's name
was inspired by the River Marne in France because it resembled some of the castles there.

Everywhere we looked inside was beautiful woodwork and lovely furnishings.
Just look at this elaborate six-foot stained-glass window in the staircase
that echoes a peacock with his feathers extended.

Not only is the castle amazing, but a charming patio and garden
are secluded on the side of the house.

I had to sneak a peek.

A fountain played in the courtyard and
a climbing rose completely covered a metal arch at the garden entrance.
Romantic Victorian elegance. So very pretty.

If you're looking for a wonderful B&B in Denver, check out the Castle Marne website at
www.castlemarne.com. 

We still had some time to kill so we walked around the block before heading back to the sale.

I'm so glad we did!

There is a well-known writers' workshop here called The Lighthouse 

that I'd heard about but, again, wasn't sure of its location.

As we walked down the tree-lined street, 

I spotted a small sign on another gorgeous Denver Square that read "The Lighthouse."

Oh my gosh! Two places I'd always dreamed about and there they were on the same block.

Sigh. But enough old house lusting. Time to head back to the sale. 

Sometimes I don't buy anything at these sales 

but still enjoy seeing the insides of these old mansions.

I noticed this house had some good old bones
but it had been "renovated" and had lost some of its glory. 

Still, the original tiled fireplaces were breathtaking as were the chandeliers.

I did find a couple of little treasures at the sale, however, 

including a monogrammed hand towel . . .

and some vintage books with lovely covers.

On the way home, we stopped at a couple of yard sales
and a few more goodies came home with me.
A silver water pitcher destined to hold fresh flowers,  a pretty silver bowl . . .

and three hand-painted bowls from Italy . . .
winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Total Expenditures:  $17.00.

Plus an incredible free home tour!!
My kind of perfect day.
And it just happened to be my birthday!

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Alley-oop! Urn Transformation

I almost fell off my bicycle as I was cruising a neighborhood alley

and spotted these two cement urns next to a dumpster.

The generally accepted rule of alley etiquette is if it's by a dumpster, it's OK to take it.

So, while Ron road back to get the car, I guarded my new steals, I mean treasures. 

Here's a Before and After picture!

They were quite heavy and in excellent shape. 

Except someone had painted them a sickly yellow color.

So Ron sprayed them with a graffiti remover and let it work.

Then gave it a good scrape with a stiff brush.

And finally hosed it off.

Wow! They looked brand new!

Actually, Ron did too good of a job.

The urns were bright white with no character.

They needed to be "aged."

I know you can use moss spores to get this look but where the heck do you find them?
I'd read about aging concrete with coffee grounds so I thought I'd give that a try.
Just rub wet grounds across the concrete and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
You might have to do this a couple of times until you get the color base you want.

The coffee gives it a subtle brownish-gray hue.
Brush off the coffee grounds and throw them in the garden. Worms love coffee!
Then I smudged some brown concrete stain here and there with my finger.

Finally, I took a dab of black acrylic paint and mixed it with the watery brown cement stain.
Using an artist's brush, I outlined some raised features to define them.
I also smudged the darker paint here and there for a mottled look.

It will take years for the urns to become pitted and worn
but at least they don't look brand new anymore.

And you can't beat the price!!

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