A boudoir for all seasons~

Well my blogging friends, I think I have finally completed my all season bedding collection! I just picked up a set that I had been hunting for, it was in JC Penny's years ago for over $400. I had searched the bay off and on, but it still went to high for my frugal self! Finally, yesterday I went to haunt one of my favorite resale shops and as I pulled up I saw it!! It was on the sidewalk with many other sets. I had a 10% off coupon and snagged it for $26!

This will be my spring set me thinks~ but of course I'm putting it on the bed now just to see it! Nova and I went to the laundromat today to wash it up in the big ol' commercial sized washing machine~
He had never been to a laundromat and was quite impressed. It cost a whopping $7.75!!

Of course what he was more impressed with was the snack machine since it's like the one on "Over the Hedge", lol!

Ok, ok... so here's the set, it's called Lucerne~ Gorgeous buttercream background with floral swags and rose bouquets, with a crystal pleated bed skirt.

SO~ that's Lucerne for Spring. Here is my summer quilt, Lucy by Armoire. I found the shams at Home Goods a few years ago on clearance. Didn't really want the quilt.... Until it was no where to be found. Searched and searched and finally found the last one left on the planet. A lucky find as it was not listed by name, I just searched for shabby chic robbin's egg blue. And it was NOT cheap. I choked as I hit the "buy it now" button.

Will have to wait till next summer for pics of that on my bed!
Let's move on to my fall ensemble... which you've already seen in previous posts. The Ralph Lauren Chaps Welbourne~ shown with vintage pink taffeta shams and a round accent pillow that did not come with the set. This was at Kohl's and I searched the net trying to find it cheaper to no avail. I did land it on clearance tho, but it was still steep at 60% off!

Ah, my winter set. My first REAL bedding set ever! Kevin bought it for me for our first Christmas in this house. This is also from Penny's, Romance Tapestry. I don't like matchy-matchy, so I only wanted the shams and the comforter. I use a burgundy bed skirt and draps with it. So rich!

I saw this set at the same resale shop last year for about $30 and it made me sick! I almost bought it for a backup, lol! Yes, I have a bedding fetish.

We recently bought some crown molding for a boudoir project, will post about it soon! Click here to see the original "before" bedroom post, and feel free to click on the labels below to see more~

Cottage goodies!

Oh my goodness, do I have something pretty to share with you! New sheets!

No ordinary sheets mind you...

Vintage sheets.

Beautiful, glorious, vintage sheets!

Just look!! Aren't they cottegy-licious?! C'mon, say it out loud~ you know you want to!



My friend at work loves to go to yard sales and estate sales, and has recently rented a booth in an antique mall. She had these sheets there and I told her if they were still there the next time she went in, to please bring them to me. I thought for sure they would be gone... (they were only there a day or two). I was in luck! ( I had to pay her quickly before SHE decided to keep them!!) The price tag you see is what she paid for them at the estate sale.

Thank you SO much Mary Beth!

The photo is one that she had sent me, so I'll get some more later with them on my bed.

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OK.... next up is a little Christmas present I bought myself. I love cottages, and I love vintage needlpoint purses. Could a girl get any more lucky than this?




















I thought surely
it would go over $60...
maybe even $100!
But alas~
I got it for $30!!
Woohooo!


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Now for some bad news, or perhaps blessings in disquise?

You may have wondered what the floral motif is from in my blog banner. Well my friends, it's a photo of some vintage drapes that were on eBay about a year ago. I bid high... I wanted them terribly....but I was outbid. I am still mourning the loss. Here they are~




Sniff.

Here's a recent loss. I was SO in love with this vintage needlepoint bag... pristine, in the box!! I have had it on my watch page since December. But I couldn't justify spending so much during the holidays. The auction ended without any buyers twice. Then it was listed again, for a lower starting price! I couldn't let it go this time! Once more, I bid high. But not high enough. Farewell beautiful bag.....



Wait till you see the inside.....................
Pink.....
vevlet.....
lining.
Complete with a pink velvet change purse. Yah, I know.... here's a Kleenex for you too!


Now I've lost my fair share of auctions over the years, but those two I shall never get over~
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*Wipes eyes and shakes head*
Ok, on to the next sob story!
Remember the border I wanted to hang in La Boudoir? Well, guess what. It's discontinued.

Believe me, I have SCOURED the net till I thought my eyes would bleed. There is none to be found. I even saw it on two different sites...put orders in and they emailed me back saying the border was no longer availabe and my card was not charged. I bet somebody SOMEWHERE has it, they just don't have it labeled right for me to find it. Grrr.

What really makes me mad is that it is STILL availabe in OTHER colors!

Alright, so the good thing is that I do have one roll of it. I love the color. I can have it color matched and go ahead with my crown molding. But I really wanted that embossed look of a lincrusta frieze, you know? Oh well. Sniff. I suppose I could save my shoe money and get the real thing. We'll see. I'd have to give up a lot of shoes.

Thanks for listening to me gloat and rant! If you missed out on La Boudoir and bedroom pics, please click the labels below this post~

Marie Antoinette Birthday Soiree and La Boudoir Episode Three~

Welcome to a Birthday celebration for Marie Antoinette!

Joy at Cupid's Charm

was kind enough to host a wonderful soiree that you're sure to enjoy. Please visit her so that you may sashay over to the rest of the participants! Please, EAT CAKE and grab a glass of champagne!

If you'll scroll a few posts back (please!), you'll see I've been working on my boudoir. It is quite inspired by Marie Antoinette; along with other vintage eras. We started working on it last year, ripped out a closet to make room for an armoire; and painted the floor, walls, ceiling, and trim. Still much to do in the decor department.

I'll add a few photos here again, so I apologize for those of you who have already viewed them!

This is a vintage bedding set from the 30's. I think Marie would've approved! The head board was a yard sale find for $20. We painted it gold and raised it about 15 inches to look more majestic~

Purse with colonial scene~

Now on to something you haven't seen before! This is a fabulous french foot board. I bought the bed at an auction for $15. Termites and/or moisture have taken their tole on the feet. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? I've been wanting to use it for a cornice for quite some time. I just can't make up my mind about the finish. The grain is so beautiful, but the peice needs a lot of work. Plus, I want to somehow make two smaller copies for the other windows. There are just ugly boards trimming out the windows currently, as all the original trim is long gone. Doing cornices would be easier than putting in all new elaborate trim!

This floral motif is extremely fragile and I'm not sure if I'll be able to save it. If not, I plan to buy an applique to replace it. Click to see detail~ it's a very fine cut vaneer.






Here is the head board that goes with it. Can't decide what to do with it either. I thought about just changing it out with the gold one when I get bored once in a while. But, while viewing the pic just now I had a revolation that might work.... putting a mirror in the oval part and hanging this above my mantle in the parlor. Hmmm. I'll have to do the measurments to see if that would be a possiblity!

This is a lovely print, another auction find. I think it was around $35. I'm on the prowl for the perfect chandelier sconces to flank the sides!

I plan to use this wallpaper border and gold crown molding. I had ordered 6 more of these velvet drapes and they just came in yesterday~ I haven't had time to mess with them.


The following are a few random boudoir items, with no place to *go* yet!










$15 night stand from a flea market. I don't think this little beauty is going to fit in my room. : (

Hey! There's a before pic of my PINK bike, I didn't think I had one! Woohoo!

A $75 auction buy~ I need to revamp this finish somehow without *changing* it. It's worse than it looks.






Ok Antoinette lovers... onto some things that are not boudoir related!






Let's start with SHOES!

(I hope to have another Marie Antoinette inspired shoe hoarding post soon!)

I wish this pair had a french heel~ but I still LOVE em!








These are my wedding shoes. They were black brocade and I covered them with the velvet from my dress. The bows are made of corduroy, also from my dress. Horrid pic, it's an old scan. I looked far and wide for louis heeled shoes and could not find them anywhere at the time. I finally found these (in black) at a thrift store. They were too small and I forced them on like an ugly step-sister, let me tell ya!

Interested in Marie Antoinette inspired shoes of your own? Perhaps I could help you! Visit my shop at www.scarlettrosegarden.etsy.com!

Here's my gown. I designed it and had it made. I wanted victorian, colonial, and civil war influences; I think it turned out quite nice! That house in the background is where the french bed came from. We had a contract on it but our inspector told us it had the worse case of termites he had EVER seen, so we passed!







I got out my gown recently, as I wanted to embellish it and wear it for a Marie Antoinette look on Halloween. It didn't happen tho~ the gown is just too big for me now and doesn't hang right. I didn't have time for alterations, and we didn't have any "big" plans anyway. So I'll put it off till next year! In the mean time, here are a few detail shots~

I was SO excited when I found that chenille trim that seemed to go so perfectly with the panne velvet and fine wale corduroy. I'm all about texture!

And lastly folks, a few TEASING glimpses of my parlor goodies. This room is not even started yet. We want to do the upstairs bathroom first, and the plumbing runs through the parlor ceiling. Le sigh~

This armoire actually came from France. The mirrors unfortunately didn't make it. I do plan to have beveled mirrors cut, but they are mighty $pricey$. Yet, had the piece arrived with mirrors in tact the selling price would've kept me at bay.



I have had people ask me if I'm going to paint this. Um... that would be a NEGATIVE.

I'm sure I could go on and on, but you've got other people and places to see!

I hope to visit Versailles one day.

Happy Birthday dear Marie~

La Boudoir, Episode Two~ Inspiration!

Good news folks! After writing my post about the Shauna Velvet drapes from Bed, Bath and Beyond I went to their site once again. I typed in the UPC code and still nothing. I've searched google and ebay many times; nadda. So this time I emailed BB&B. They wrote back saying that I could order them, there were still some available at other stores! Woohoo!

Not only that my friends, but they are now clearanced down to $9.99. Original price was $29.99. I had three coupons and they let me use them all! I'm so excited!

In other boudoir news, a bedding set that I have been drooling over at Kohl's since it came out has finally gone on clearance for 60% off! Same thing there, I searched the net and ebay forever and never found it cheaper. It is just starting to trickle into ebay, I suppose from being clearanced at the stores and people are gobbling them up.

The set is called Welbourne from Chaps; Ralph Lauren. Kohl's was listed on the cleaning tag, so no wonder I couldn't find it anywhere else!

Here's the advertising pic, and a closeup of the fabric. It's 100% cotton sateen. Lucious.

I wish the bedskirt was the same ticking looking stripe as the reverse of the comfortor and shams. Oh well, a girl can't have everything!

So now you'll see I'm toning it down a notch, we can't have Kevin living in the "land of precious" as he calls it. At least not *that* precious! Besides, I can't leave that vintage set on the bed, the cats would tear it up. It's for *display purposes only* SNORT!

The fabric draped across the bed is some yardage I had bought to redo a chair. I really need some new FLUFFY pillows for my shams. These look sad and saggy.

Now, with more drapery panels en route, I'll show you some of my inspiration photos. So rich looking!

Most of these photos are from The George Glazer Gallory. Stunning lithos you can purchase; if you are well off.

This first one is my favorite, *I think*

I also like the windows on Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby. Crummy pic, sorry...best I could do! I like the whole bedroom setting.

Then naturally there's our beloved Marie Antoinette's Versailles~ Le Drool.

This is a border I plan to put up, with gold molding. Over the top? Gaudy? Yes. Me likey!

What is the definition of boudoir? This is from Wikipedia:

A boudoir is a lady's private bedroom, sitting room or dressing room. The term derives from the French verb bouder, meaning "to pout"[citation needed].

(to pout!! *snort*)

Historically, the boudoir formed part of the private suite of rooms of a lady, for bathing and dressing, adjacent to her bedchamber, being the female equivalent of the male cabinet. In later periods, the boudoir was used as a private drawing room, and was used for other activities, such as embroidery or entertaining intimate acquaintances.
In Caribbean English a boudoir is the front room of the house where women entertain family and friends.
Latterly, the term boudoir has come to denote a style of furnishing the bedroom that is traditionally described as ornate or busy. The plethora of links available on the internet to furnishing sites using the term boudoir tend to focus on Renaissance and French inspired bedroom styles. They have, in recent times also been used to describe the 'country cottage' style with whitewashed styled walls large heavy bed furniture and deep bedding.