I'm Doing It! The One Room Challenge Link Up!

  Yup.  I'm a bit nervous.  I'm linking up to Calling it Home's One Room Challenge  for the next consecutive 6 Thursdays.  If you're not familiar with the ORC, it's a 6 week challenge to make over a space from start to finish.  Very.fun.stuff.

 There are 20 official participants, from designers to bloggers to decorating enthusiasts (view the list here), who are invited to participate by Linda at Calling it Home.  It's become such a source of design inspiration for me, and I have enjoyed it all in the past.  This time around, while the official 20 are showing their progress every Wednesday, I'm joining the Link Up participants who show their progress on Thursdays.  What an amazing treat!  This time, I couldn't resist jumping in.

So, save the date and share the excitement.  You will be blown away by what these fabulous people do, I promise.

See you with the ORC on Thursday!!

A Wallpaper I Love and Bathroom Plans

I'm planning a face lift for my powder room/laundry on the first floor of our 25 year old house.  It's very tired.   Like I'm yawning as I write this kind of tired.

My starting point is this Sanderson wallpaper I fell in love with the minute the rep showed it to me.
Here's the paper against my bathroom floor, which will be staying for this project...

I love the movement and scale of  the wallpaper pattern against the rigid lines of the floor tile.  The room is small, so I didn't want to get too big with the pattern, but I really wanted something fairly large and airy.    I couldn't get great lighting for the picture, so rest assured it's not as cold as it appears.  The background of the paper is a warm white, not quite true to color in this image (the bottom right of the paper is truest to the color).  All the shades of gray are a great compliment to the warmth of the wood in the space.

I think adding an aged brass sconce would be a great addition.  Here are some contenders...

I'm really excited about the lighting.  Right now, there is the cheapest, $2.95 box store flush mount that has been there since the house was built, even though I swore it would go the minute we moved in 7+ years ago.  Why do we do that to ourselves?  Live with what we hate?  Anyway, one sconce will make a huge difference in the room, as will a new ceiling fixture.

Here's a mirror I'm thinking about, but I'm not really sure yet what color direction I will go on the mirror.  I adore the lines of this one, though...

This bathroom has a window that looks onto the deck, so  privacy is a must.  I'm thinking a roman shade with a great trim.  More on that to come.   All of this is just in the "what if I did this?" stage, but I will share the final plan soon.

The need for spring definitely has me thinking about freshening up our home.  Does that happen to you at the end of the long cold winter?

Blue and White and Chinoiserie, plus More Trays are In, Too!!

My love affair with blue and white is getting a bit out of control.  But then, can you really love it too much?   And do you know what's the funniest thing?  I don't own any!  Aside from my Lenox ivory china with a cobalt rim from my wedding days (which I still love), and a few pieces of cobalt pottery, nope, nada, I own none of it.  But that's going to change very soon.

In the meantime, I will continue to bring it to you.  Check out these gorgeous babies...

 I heard you gasp.  Yes indeed.  Stunners.  They are vintage Doulton Burslem in the Madras pattern.  There are three of them, and how gorgeous they would be on a wall.  Maybe around a gold mirror, or my preference would be with something a bit more casual. You can find them in the shop.

 And it those weren't enough, hold on, because I have the platter, too!  Crazy beautiful not only for its pattern, but you can tell it's old because it isn't assembly line perfect.  When I saw it at the dealer I bought it from, I eyed the place to make sure I didn't have to take anyone out if they were going near it.  No joke.

(It doesn't come with the egg, you have to get your own, but I put it there to give you size perspective ;-).   The size is 17" x 14".  You can see more of this platter here.

In other chinoiserie news,  I got another pair of handmade trays in, and I am as excited to offer them to you as I was the first time!  Here they are, the rectangle and the octagonal...

If you would like to purchase either of these trays, please email me at Shop6Wilson@gmail.com, and I will PayPal invoice you as I cannot sell them through Etsy because I did not make them.  Shipping is $20, within the U.S.   You can read more about these trays in this post, and please do so if you are seriously interested, so that you have the details on their unique characteristics.

Here's a reminder of what these trays look like styled...

 And one last little bit of blue and white to start your week...

This sweet little Royal Copenhagen dish makes the perfect little jewelry holder by your kitchen sink or bedside table.    It is listed in the shop here.

Well, my 6 Wilson friends, I hope your week is a good one, filled with what you love (especially a little blue and white ;-) .

Talk to you soon and thanks for stopping by,

Ironstone Inspiration with Abingdon Pottery and Falcon Ware

I LOVE ironstone.  I'm drawn to it, admire it, dream of collecting it.  But, I just don't have the space for it in my own home.  So instead,  I'm bringing you this pretty number in 6 Wilson...

 
Isn't she a beauty?  Her stamp tells me she was made sometime after 1936.   Here's another look at her...

 You can find her in the shop.

And I know you're wondering about the vases behind the pitcher, above.  Well,  I found these for you, too.  Here's one of them...

I'm bringing you two Abingdon Pottery vases.  Let me show you another image, and then I'll tell you the Abingdon story...

 Abingdon Pottery was made for several years starting in the early 1930's, in Abingdon Illinois.  Prior to making decorative pottery, Abingdon Sanitary Manufacturing Company made bathroom plumbing (not very romantic or pretty!)  When the Great Depression hit and construction demands for Abingdon's products dried up, the company reinvented itself and changed production to decorative arts pieces.  They eventually converted back around 1950, but in the meantime, they made some stunning pottery.  These vases are just one example of their gorgeous work.  You can find them here.

In other news, I've been crazy busy lately.  How've you been?  Surviving the bitter cold?  Thank goodness there seems to be a bit of a reprieve coming this weekend, maybe temps in the 40's.  And hello daylight savings, too ;-)

Oh, and I'm linking up to the Etsy marketplace at Common Ground, so come on over!

Talk to you soon,