The Move is Over, & New Items in the Shop!

If you have been following me you know we have been doing this big move after 14 years of owning the Lake House......well it's over or should I say almost because I still need to do a big trip this weekend and go get my plants and a few misc items. No way am I leaving my plants and pots that I have had forever and the funny thing is that when we had our big moving sale of which we sold some big bedroom sets, the pool table and things like that, everybody asked if they could buy my plants/pots from me. At first I was shocked by how many people asked, but then I realized that I do have some pretty pots that I painted and some great ceramic sculptured ones that I made to look vintage by distressing and etc. So needless to say I wouldn't sell them and now I have to go move them......all of them......uuuggggghhhh! I am happy that it's coming to an end since week, after week it's been one trip after another. We donated a U-Haul truck full of stuff to our church at Lake Tulloch, and it was good to help out the many charities they will give to. It was alot, I really couldn't believe it was a U-Haul truck full, but we don't need it.......I have learned so much and I may have said this before but if I haven't used it or forgot I had it for more than a year or two then there isn't a need for it and I don't "need" it. At first I thought sizing down would be so hard but it wasn't, it feels good. On another note I just listed some new things in the shop that I created and I'm hoping to have some time this weekend to post more. I'm doing customized banners and bunting garlands which you will find on the website. For those of you that have not visited the new website it's www.bellamaisontresors.com and you will find many shabby chic cottage style bunting banners for home decor, special events, weddings, and you can also order customized lettering in any of my styles listed there. Here is one of the many bunting banners, this one is in the 5 x 7 vintage music sheet design......and they are only $15 with shipping!!!

You will also find handmade roses and some pretty little cottage cardstock signs, doorhangers, and other romantic shabby chic cottage decor. Please follow my blog here for some great ideas and projects coming soon...... Have a BELLA Day!

Bella Maison Tresors Website Is Your Online Boutique

The official website for my boutique "Bella Maison Tresors" is open and ready for ordering. This makes it so nice for one stop shopping and will also have both my handmade items and all the flea market finds, antiques, and reproductions that I find and repurpose or design with some "shabby chic" appeal....will all be on the website. You will be able to order my Shabby Chic Cottage Paris Bunting & Custom Bunting here as well.

I will still be posting the DIY projects, pictures, and posts here so you all know what I'm up to. We are also moving to the new place, still in SF but we will be on the outskirt of the Bay, so I have been crazy busy with packing and getting rid of "stuff".......you all know that stuff we aquire after owning a home for so long......my husband has more stuff than anyone would ever know what to do with! Seriously..........he is worse than I am. So now we pay the price of having to go through all of it and at the moment there are 3 "piles", first we have the keep pile, then the donate pile, and then the pile of stuff we want to keep but we know it will continue to sit so we will be posting it on ebay or something........ebay is great but neither one of us have the time to sit and write descriptions, take pic's, and post all of it because it would take a whole week or two of doing nothing but just that. This is when one of those stores "we sell your stuff on ebay" would be so helpful around here but they are not around like they used to be over here years ago when ebay started out. Although ebay is only about 40 mins away, it doesn't help us any, boy do I wish we could load it up and take it over there.....lol......It does feel good going through all of it,and I know there are so many people that can use the donation pile of clothing.....I found stuff like jackets with tags on them, kids warm winter coats that they wore maybe once or twice to the snow........in this economy it makes me realize how much we used to spend and I will never let things get that way again......for sure! So needless to say, it's an early Spring Cleaning for us! I am also excited about getting my work studio set up from a bare room to a working studio.....it feels good to do this once in a while because you also find things you forgot about here too. So I am organizing things a little different than they were to make sure everything gets used and it will all be placed where I can see it, instead of boxes.......maybe some clear containers but no boxes because "out of sight, out of mind" right?..... I hope you all will follow me here and visit the new site and also send your friends over to look. Don't forget I list new things every week to replenish, and you will always find something new. I look forward to hearing from you and posting some pic's of the makeover we gave the place. Another Giveaway!!! For the Month of Feb I'm feeling the love, so I am offering this FREE MINNIE MOUSE BIRTHDAY BANNER! Unless you have the need for the letters KAITLIN you can take those off of course...

All you have to do is follow my blog here and make sure to leave a comment so I can have my friend Sabrina randomly select a winner out of the names in comments. I will contact the winner on February 28th. Thanks for entering, Good Luck, & Have a "BELLA" day!!! You can visit the new website here: Bella Maison Tresors www.bellamaisontresors.com

Making White Stand Out, Shabby Chic Design Can Be Color Too!

The conversation comes up so much with many of my friends and acquaintances, "Interior Wall Color" and so many end up just settling with white. I could never understand when I watch many episodes of House Hunters on HGTV why so many actually make a decision based on the color of the walls, it's just paint. In our minds it seems so permanent but you can completely change a room with a few hours of painting and instead of making that shabby design pop with bits of color through accessories, why not make the white stand out with wall color that will make everybody rave.....

The wonderful thing about paint, and we all know this, if you don't like it change it. I have learned over the years to take risks on color and I may not even like the color but once it's on the wall 95% of the time I love it. It's so hard for us to think of going bold, why, because bold isn't beautiful, isn't romantic, isn't the norm of the Shabby Chic Design.....take a look at some of these beautiful rooms that I'm sure will be getting pinned, and it's not because they are not appealing to the eyes....

It shouldn't be difficult to go for it and paint over those white walls, but the most difficult part is there are so many colors. Get me in a paint store and I can spend hours looking at color, I love color and of course it's always easier to pick colors for everybody else so don't get me wrong it's sometimes still difficult for me to pick just one. Color brings much more happiness, warmth, and romance into a home, and it doesn't matter if it's bold or light, it's color......and it's just paint.
Revoir & Bonne Nuit

Shabby Paris Cottage Chic Birdcages Made to Order At Bella Maison Tresors

If you have been to my etsy boutique you know I design, recycle, re-purpose, and even hand make Paris Chic Home Decor, Photo Props, Wedding Decor, and more. In the Bella Wedding line I have had more requests from Brides for the Paris Birdcage Wedding Card Holders so I'm now taking orders for them here. Many customer like to use them for baby showers, weddings, home decor, photo props, outdoor room/porch, birthday parties, and etc. You can choose from them here and email me or go to my etsy boutique and send me a msg there if you have etsy and would rather do that. You can also look me up on facebook and send me a msg that way if you prefer, I check all msg's on my sites multiple times a day. In the email please list which design you would like (there are 13 photos below so just count from top to bottom and give the photo number), what size (med or lrg) you need, and your name. The large birdcages are $59.99, the medium birdcages are $39.99, and I have small ones that are great for a child's room or bathroom that are $29.99. I will get back to you same day. All of my birdcages from order/payment to shipping have a 1 week time frame. I ship all products priority so they usually arrive within 4-5 days, the cost of shipping is 10.00, if you order 2 or more the shipping is free. Take a look at the birdcages and let me know if you need a particular color that I don't have here and I can customize it free of charge.I can send you an invoice by paypal or list a custom order in etsy if you prefer.
Thank You & Have a "Bella" Day....

......Keep Spreading The Romance.........

New Year News at Bella Maison Tresors

I want to wish all of you a very Wonderful New Year for 2012!

A time for New Beginnings, Dreams, and Goals. I am working on so many things, I just wish they were finished so I could share them all with you today, but in time. One thing I am offering in the boutique is Free Shipping on most of the items. I have taken the shipping off of these items already and also marked certain items down by 30%-40% off, including these Shabby Cottage Chicken Wire Cloche items....

I'm also going to share the Distressed Turquoise Picture that so many of you liked on my facebook and pinterest accounts of the brick and door. I have used this for a blog background or other site backgrounds and it's always been a hit. If you want to use it for your blogger background you can just go into your template designer, click the little arrow on the side of the spot for your picture and upload it there. Follow me here for more great backgrounds and other pictures to come.I'm going to have some great giveaways too!

I will be sharing some pictures later this week of the Floating Home we bought a few months back from the Sausalito (San Francisco) Bay Floating Home HOA. What a project this is going to be, but I plan on designing it into my little piece of "Paris" Cottage so I'm getting excited. I will share some DIY and other design projects. Since it's ours and not a client's design project it will be a little different, but fun.

Speaking of the city, look how pretty it is this time of year with the thick fog clouds...and at sunset it's so crisp.

I will leave you with some beautiful Shabby and Elegant Pictures that I find inspirational in the season of winter....

Keep Spreading the Romance....

Romantic & Unique Christmas Decorating

We all like seeing the latest romantic holiday decor and we can't wait to do something different than the year before, something better, the "Real Conversation Pieces"........you see it and your on the phone texting and pinning a picture of it before you really even finished taking it all in.........like this antique hotel silver decorated tree, I love it!

Over the years many of us have moved on from our same old decorating routine and that can be tough for some because you only got comfortable with the last change....8 years ago.... If you are willing to try something different it will certainly open that door to having some of your own unique displays that everyone will remember and be talking about. One of the most unique displays of a Christmas Tree these days is the upside down tree. I love the display in the picture and makes a room so much more balanced if you have the room to do both, or do one smaller in a shabby cottage like bucket or a table top scene, and they don't have to be close to each other at all. I have to say I wasn't a fan of the upside down tree until this year, now I laugh because it was only a couple of years ago I thought it was a ridiculous display, but I had only seen a few and they just were not decorated to my liking and didn't catch my eye enough yet. Then I started thinking what kind of display I could do with both and just had to try it.

Things have certainly evolved and these days it's hard to pick just one color scheme or just one theme because there are so many different and Beautiful kinds of holiday decorations. I love all the romantic decorations that have sparkle, glitter, and lots of bling, the more the better I say, but I also love and adore the simple and rustic vintage designs like music sheets and rusty garlands. This is why I like to have at least two trees in the house during the holidays.

Whatever romantic decorations, colors, or schemes you go with, just know that anything you put your own style and unique qualities into is sure to impress. Go ahead and use bright colors, be different and let your creative side flow, don't think about things for too long because this is where alot of people get scared into doing the same old.......you would be surprised. I would love to see your favorite decoration or creation, so post a comment or email me, or feel free to ask a question. I'm going to go sit by the fire for a bit and enjoy the quiet now that everybody is fast asleep. Have a wonderful night.