Blog Description

A French-Inspired Garden and Home by Judith Stringham

Summer Blues and Whites

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Languid hot summer days 
require cooling blues and whites. 


Fresh white mums, 
blue and white stoneware, 
botanical blue printed jug, 
white ruffle-edged footed cake plate, 
and 
blue etched stemmed glasses 
cool down the kitchen 
in the midst of July heat. 



My kitchen has blue as one of its basic colors, 
but the new botanical jug and etched glasses 
bring new summer blues. 



As much as I like white and 
have added more white all around the house, 
I keep being drawn back to blue, 
my first love. 



These new blue etched stemmed glasses 
will be perfect for summer entertaining 
and for holiday seasons to come. 



Lightweight with graceful curved lines, 
they are easy to hold and 
are large enough for generous servings. 



Summer blues and whites 
fit in all around the kitchen from every angle. 



There are only four sitting out 
to cool down the July heat, 
but I have twelve, 
plenty for company.  



Come on over. 
A nice big glass of iced tea will help us 
beat the summer blues. 

❦
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stemware ~ Sheila pattern, Joss and Main 
Botanical jug ~ eBay

No compensation from anyone, 
just want to share the sources for those 
readers who like to know.

~~~~~~~~~~
Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY
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MONDAY
Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home

TUESDAY
Anything Blue Friday @ The Dedicated House

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Amour de porte française

Thursday, July 17, 2014


Where, you ask, calls to me when summer arrives, and my thoughts long for traveling? 

France! 

Off we go to my dream destination. 

And to the extraordinary doors, 
yes, doors, in France. 

buildings inside the walls of Beynac Château
Pack a bag, just a lightweight carry-on, and come along for the journey to irresistible places across France. 

Read more »
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Tree Top Loft ~ Where Botanic Bleu Creates

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Looking out at a spreading oak tree 
from the second-floor loft window 
allows my mind to wander and 
allows my thoughts to drift away 
from everyday life. 



This is my creative space, 
where Botanic Bleu is created. 

Join me on a tour of my tree-top loft 
as part of  

Sitting in my office loft is like 
being in a tree house that 
looks down into the living room 
and looks beyond to other big oaks in the east yard.





The tree top loft is 
an office space for working, writing, and 
dreaming in my dream house 
that we built by doing much of the work ourselves.  
And, twenty-seven years later, we are 
still updating and maintaining by doing work ourselves. 


For years, this is where I 
wrote lesson plans, typed tests, 
printed six-week assignment sheets, and 
graded tens of thousands of mathematics papers.
(No exaggeration; I taught math for 29 years, 
then became a school administrator.)

Now, 
visions of new ideas, 
of rearranging spaces, 
of creating vignettes and tablescapes, 
of composing blog articles, and 
of finishing old projects 
take hold here. 



The space has transformed from a teacher's at-home office. . .



. . . to a blogger's creative loft. 



The little loft is only 8' wide by 14' long, 
open to the living room below, 
open to the stairs leading up to the top floor bonus space, 
and ends with a small closet at the enclosed end.



The tall mauve-colored cabinet is made from
old recycled doors and
holds reams of paper, computer manuals,
and office supplies.
It is on the list for a make-over inside
to transform it into a more creative space.

The small three-shelf wire basket on wheels
stores the paper cutter on its top and
holds left-over teaching materials.
It, too, is on the make-over list to reorganize
the drawers to hold supplies that I now use.



The work space is two pieces,
an old communion table and a folding wooden table,
positioned to form an L-shape.

The wooden folding table is easy to move around,
is large enough to spread out projects, and
is convenient for using the paper cutter
that is stored beneath it.



The old oak communion table came from the
church I attended in Alexandria, Virginia
while I was a young single working in
Washington, D.C.

Years of neglect had left it in sad shape.
The finish was marred and had a big black spot
that looked like an ink stain.
One of its legs had been broken and repaired.
It was in such sad shape that the elders
of the church would not accept any money,
just gave it to me.

After stripping it with a chemical stripper,
sanding it, and refinishing it with a fruitwood stain,
the little table regained most of its former beauty
and became my office desk.

A few years ago we removed the drawer
and installed a slide-out shelf to hold a computer keyboard.



Desk supplies and files fill the white file cabinet
that was a sale item from Pottery Barn about five years ago.



Wouldn't you know I didn't like the industrial-looking 
drawer pulls that were on the cabinet. 
No problem. 
Buy new iron pulls from Lowes, spray paint them white, 
and replace the industrial pulls. 



Behind the door is a small walk-in closet not ready for its close up. 
The antique pine armoire came from Forney, Texas 
and holds wrapping paper, ribbons, tissue paper, 
bags, and craft supplies. 
Some of the bags have escaped to the top 
where I can see them every day. 

Look closely behind the lit lamp. 
See the rolls of fabric? 
How about the old wrought iron floor lamp? 
Projects in the making. . . 



France has long been a love. 
The framed pastel printed French map 
shows the locations of gardens 
all over France.

The old chair once had cane inserts in the arms, 
had a fruitwood finish, and had green damask upholstery. 
Long before I knew about blogging, 
saw all the remade old furniture, and 
joined the current "love white" trend, 
I transformed this old chair using white paint 
and the rose/trellis print fabric. 

You know, I think I've been a blogger for years. 
Just didn't know about blogs. 
But, within a week of discovering my 
first blog to follow, 
I began blogging. 


Blue and white fabric sits in a clear container
awaiting some inspiration.



The tree top loft is a great place for pondering,
planning, and creating. 
At least some of the time...  
When I switched to a laptop computer, 
I began creating everywhere.

❦
~~~~~~~~~~ 
Don't miss out on all the other 
fabulous spaces where bloggers create. 
 Where Bloggers Create 2014
Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY
Share It One More Time @ One More Time Events

MONDAY
Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home

TUESDAY
Anything Blue Friday @ The Dedicated House
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A Thistle Tale

Monday, July 7, 2014

Drift away to a daydream love story. 
Be caught up in romantic young love. 

Purple thistles blowing in the wind along the roadsides are like the one 
pressed for keeping so many years ago. 


We had dated earlier that summer, 
and then we did not date for several weeks. 
You thought things were moving too fast. 



Our churches had a joint retreat in southwest Virginia for young adult singles. 
You brought a beautiful Canadian girl on the back of your new motorcycle. 
Early fall weather had a deep chill in the night air by the time you arrived. 

The next morning was a brilliant, sunny warm day, and 
you offered to take me riding on your motorcycle. 
Was it my first motorcycle ride? 
Yes, I know it was. 
Life with you was filled with new adventures.



Deep in the woods at a clearing on the gravel road 
we spotted wild purple thistles. 
You side stepped, slid down the slope and picked one for me. 

We spend the rest of the weekend apart, 
across the room from one another.  
You with the Canadian girl, 
both of us with others, 
individually, and in group activities. 



Back home, the thistle was pressed in a heavy book for weeks,  
as a reminder of our time riding together.
I checked on it from time to time, remembering 
how special spending time with you was. 
How much I liked your laugh. 
How easy it was to be with you. 
Weeks passed. 

Then...

You called with front-row tickets to 
Andrew Lloyd Webber's new hit musical, 
Jesus Christ Superstar. 

❦
~~~~~~~~~~
C'est une belle histoire 
(It is a beautiful story.)
Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY
Share It One More Time @ One More Time Events

MONDAY
Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home


TUESDAY
Anything Blue Friday @ The Dedicated House
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Three Easy Designs...Patriotic Deck

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Have you ever noticed how 
patriotic the designs of automobile license plates are?

License plates are one of the three easiest ways
to add patriotic decor any place.
Easy to find...
Inexpensive at antique stores or free after expiration...
Versatile to use... 
Just stand one anywhere,
or hang using the built-in screw holes.
Easy, easy, easy... no drilling.  


Stars, red, white, blue... 
An older Texas plate that once was on my car is 
very patriotic, 
among its many themes... 
state map, space travel, cowboys, oil wells... 



This is one of my all-time favorite Texas plates.  

I grew up outside Huntsville, Alabama, 
the Rocket City in the United States, and 
married a long tall Texan. 
He wasn't a cowboy with a horse, 
but he did wear boots, attended Stock Shows, 
and we have a gas lease on our two acres. 
Don't get too excited. 
The last royalty check was $36.  



Here are four license plates found in my 
haphazard collection of auto license plates, 
and all of them are patriotic. 

Look at the bottom left Alabama plate. 
The background is a flag, and 
the logo is, 
"God Bless America." 



Welcome to my patriotic deck, 
outfitted for summer holidays 
with pillows, colorful drinks, and license plates. 

Independence Day - July 4 
Bastille Day - July 14 
Labor Day - September 1



Sit for a while. 
Enjoy a cool drink under the shade trees. 
True summertime activities... 



Texans in the left Adirondack chair... 
Filled with blue stars and stripes... 
Who says stripes have to be red? 

The second quick way 
to add patriotic decor is with pillows. 

The large pillow came from Pottery Barn last fall 
when it was the last one in the store and on sale. 

No throw pillows?
For talented DIYers,
Confessions of a Serial DIY
shows how to make your own
patriotic drop cloth pillow.
Now, if only my sewing machine would work. 

Then there is always bargain hunting for beautiful pillows.
Watch for end-of-season sales...
Like the European-size blue stars and stripes Pottery Barn pillow...

Or, best of all, outlet shopping. 


Alabamans in the right Adirondack chair... 
With the new Pottery Barn OUTLET pillow. 

I was so excited to get to go to a Pottery Barn Outlet last week. 
The closest one is about four hours from here, 
and the cost of the gas for driving there cancels out savings. 
So, no Pottery Barn Outlet shopping. 

Then, I looked online and found one in Memphis, Tennessee, 
right on the route to my mom's house in Alabama. 

My sister and I stopped there on 
the way home from visiting Mother. 
It was just ten minutes from our highway.  
The flag pillow was not the only bargain I found. 



After all that shopping and driving, 
sitting on the deck is called for. 



A patriotic California license plate tops a rustic homemade birdhouse 
that doubles as a storage box. 



Native of other states?... sit at the table. 
We can round up more chairs as needed. 



Linen and cotton blue napkins with stars, 
more Pottery Barn Outlet bargains, 
are tied with a re-used ribbon. 



Patriotic designed drinks are the third easy, inexpensive way 
to add patriotic decor. 
Classic Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and bottled water 
sport red, white, and blue colors.  

 The navy citronella candle to ward off pesky bugs 
 was on sale at Lowes. 



The drinks in a G. Wolff pot found at The Greenery
look even more patriotic inside a kitchen dish towel
and sitting on top of a star-filled napkin.



Bottled water and Coca-Colas... 
Cool summer drinks... 



What better way to spend a summer holiday?
Surrounded by three easy patriotic decor ideas and ...



Sitting on the shady deck with family and friends,
having a Coca-Cola....
❦
~~~~~~~~~~
Please join me at these inspiring sites...
SUNDAY
Share It One More Time @ One More Time Events

MONDAY
Amaze Me Mondays @ Dwellings, the Heart of Your Home


TUESDAY
Anything Blue Friday @ The Dedicated House
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