Saturday, September 11, 2010

A mismatched life.........


As you can see, I love stacking up pretty things such as china, old French books and silver here in the dining room.  For some strange reason, walking into this room always gives me the feeling that this is how life is, stacks of small things, mismatched, piled up, waiting for something to happen.


Not that I don't like this look and the feeling it conveys.............actually I love it and don't want to change a thing right now.  It's informal, crisp and clean despite the age of many pieces, and a lot of the items are very meaningful to me. 


The small silver cups and silver capped bottles are from a fabulous brocante in Aix-en-Provence.  Ruffle edged paperbacks from the little back street used bookshop in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.  Three antique Doulton grey floral plates were an amazing gift from Susie of SuzAnna's Antiques.  The handwritten menu from a tiny restaurant in Figueras, Spain, brings back memories of lunch with my family at the sidewalk table in the heat of a July day a few years ago.


Everything here does have a purpose of sorts.  Sometimes I change things around, removing and adding.......some may be used daily, others occasionally, some are just to look at and remember a special day, place or person..........but they all seem perfect together and make me happy.
Remember, always live with what you love.

Taking a weekend break and trying to clean up a bit. Sitting here in an oasis, my little dining room. The chaos from sanding ceilings, fresh paint, white dust everywhere, and plain old dirt surrounds me......and we still have to face week two on Monday when inside should be finished and outside started......and wouldn't you know it, a carpenter is now needed too!  Why do we do this to ourselves? 

13 comments:

  1. Beautiful and I love the feeling you convey...Always live with what you love. Happy weekend to you...

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  2. I love how you have arranged everything on your hutch! So artfully done. Would you please come and work your magic at my house!?

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  3. I remember how hard you worked on your dining room and painting that beautiful cabinet...I love the colors and love seeing all the treasures you have displayed. I feel that way in rooms of my home...all of my pretty things...waiting for something to happen.

    Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Mary!

    xoxo
    Jane

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  4. What a beautiful presentation of your gorgeous treasures.
    Have a beautiful weekend ~
    TTFN ~ Hugs, Marydon

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  5. Love your comment "Remember, always live with what you love". I think I also want to add "only eat what you like" but that's for another day.....lol...It sounds like a lot of stress redoing like you are but it should be beautiful when it's done. Love your photo's- kind of calming to me.

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  6. Stacked up, mismatched. Now those sound like my place. The stacked up is on my kitchen where it has turned into Santa's workshop. It is amazing how all the last gifts I wanted and didn't know what to make are beginning to serendipitously fall into place. A few trips around the thrift shops and consignment places and I am finding things. Loving you make over. Watching and waiting.
    QMM

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  7. Hello dear Mary, I just checked out your previous post and you are right. What a mess. Are you scraping the popcorn ceilings away. Oh, I fell for you in that mess. Think about the big picture. Smile.

    Your dishes on your hutch are lovely in a mixed up way. It is useful and fun to put things of interest together. It is called organized clutter. I love every single thing on your shelves. Perfect arrangements are boring. I agree, do the things you love and enjoy. Pleasing yourself is the most important goal of all.

    I am constantly thinking about going to Penny's on Oct. 16th. I can't wait to meet every one and most of all, visit you and Penny once again. It has been way too long.

    I wish you luck with your 'redo'. Try to stay sane. HA!
    Love you, Jeanne xoxo

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  8. Oh, Mary, what a treat it is to see your stacks of pretties. I think I'd feel right at home here.

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  9. It looks fabulous. Good luck with the decorating. We have that ahead of us in Paris.

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  10. Mary,

    I love your stacks of dishes and stuff! Just beautiful. Thanks you for sharing. Hope this week goes well.

    Carol

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  11. I love seeing your mismatched things. How can we not surround ourselves with those things we love. I found one more stoneware plate to go with my other one, one is cream and one is white; but I will love them just the same in my three tiered stand. Now I need just one more plate. I think mismatched is just perfect.

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  12. Oh how beautiful...you really know how to arrange things! It is amazing!! Thank you for sharing! Hope you had a blessed weekend...

    xoxo Gert

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  13. You have such beautiful things! Love them all!!

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