Happy Halloween

A few autumn images to start off your Halloween...

Black and white is one of my favorite looks at Halloween. 

I love warm textures and colors during the fall. The only real Halloween decorating I did was in the kitchen, but I think rich details work for both Halloween and Thanksgiving.

These are real autumn leaves that have been preserved. I'm selling them at The Cottage, but added this bunch to a basket of wheat for a bit of nature. I think they are so unique!

Matt and I are pretty excited for tonight. We live in a neighborhood where tons of people come to trick or treat, and it's so fun to hand out candy to all the kids. We were out of our big bowl of candy in less than an hour last year!

Have a happy Halloween!

{live beautifully}

Courtney

A Breakfast Nook

So, remember the church pew I found? The one that's really a bit too big for our house? Well, I think I came up with a solution!

I turned our little kitchen eating area into a breakfast nook by adding the bench under the shelves.

It actually fits...and I love it!

It adds a lot of vintage character to our little eating corner, and doesn't take up too much room, thankfully.

Almost time for the Halloween decor to come down!

But I'll enjoy it, and our new nook, for just a little longer!

{live beautifully}

Courtney

Linking to Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo's, Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage, Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed's

Many Thanks

Happy Monday friends! I wanted to say thank you to Lisa at Fern Creek Cottage for writing a sweet feature about my blog. She was very kind and wrote some lovely things about our  home. Lisa has a beautiful blog where she features her own lovely vintage style...be sure to pay her a visit!

I also wanted to thank Melaine of My Sweet Savannah and the folks over at the Love Feast Shop. I won Melaine's giveaway for these gorgeous velvet pumpkins, and I was so excited when they arrived on my doorstep.

They photograph beautifully, so I had fun snapping a few photos of them on the wicker trunk in my living room.

The pumpkins are made with real stems, which are so unique.

They are each made with rich, quality velvet and great attention to detail.

These would make a gorgeous centerpiece for a Thanksgiving table. Love Feast Shop carries them in an array of colors, along with velvet mushrooms and acorns, if you'd like some for your holiday gathering!

{live beautifully}

Courtney

A Gift for Our New House

No, we're not moving. But yes, I did buy a gift for our "someday" house. I found this vintage church pew at an antique show recently for a steal, and just couldn't pass it up. It's 55 inches long, which is waaaaay too big for our tiny apartment, but I figured if we couldn't find anywhere to store it I could always sell it (though I don't really see that happening any time soon : ).

Here it is in our living room, though we moved it after photographing it to our bedroom. I'm still trying to decide whether to keep it squashed in the house or make it live in the garage until whenever we move.

The white paint and curvy details are what sold me.

Don't you love the arms and the arched detail? I can really see this in an entryway, with baskets underneath for storage.

We can just replace our tv room daybed with this, right? I'm sure Matt wouldn't mind watching football on a wooden bench all afternoon : )

{live beautifully}

Courtney

A Very Small Collection

Do you ever collect things for "someday"? One thing I've started to pick up when I see them are vintage silver napkin rings. Someday when we have a house and the Thanksgiving hosting duties have been passed on to me, I can see a holiday table set and ready for guests, each with a unique napkin ring at their place.

These little rings have so much character, many of them engraved with an initial or name. I pick them up for a dollar or two at flea markets and estate sales. I only have four now, but it will probably be several years before I'm hosting any holiday gatherings, so there's plenty of time for the collection to grow.

I have actually seen similar rings in antique stores for $25-35 each, but I've never paid more than a few dollars for mine. They're always on their own, mismatched from their original set, but I don't mind. I think they're each charming in their own way. 

It's hard to see, but the middle one says "Adin." I love that I have such a personal piece of history!

It's just a fun little something to keep my eye out for, and to save for someday gatherings with friends and family.

What about you, do you collect any unique items? What makes your holiday table special for your family?

{live beautifully}
Courtney

Flea Market Finds

I found some wonderful things while out picking this weekend! Here are a few of the items you'll see in the shop this week...

A vintage locker basket with numbered plate.

These are getting harder and harder to find, as I discussed with the man who sold them to me. I've heard that from many dealers lately. Locker baskets are so popular now they can't keep them in stock and they're difficult to come across. I was glad to at least find this one!

My favorite way to use them is still to store linens, though there are a million uses you could come up with!

I also found this great old street sign.

I love the rust, patina and pop of black and white.

I love vintage finds paired together. I also found several old windows with chippy white paint similar to this one. The two pieces would make a statement on any wall.

My favorite find of the day was this large chippy old corbel.

Its shape and patina are amazing!

I definitely wish I could keep this one for myself : )

If you're local, these lovely finds will be up for grabs at The Cottage. Come on by!

{live beautifully}

Courtney

Linking to Feathered Nest Fridays at French Country Cottage

Registry Favorites: Our Towels

Good morning friends! I thought I would share another favorite product from our wedding registry, our towels. I never thought I had an opinion about towels until I used these. They are super thick and soft, and don't seem to fade or shrink.

They are the Suite Platinum brand from Bed Bath and Beyond, and we chose the sea glass color, although they come in just about every hue.

They are the priciest towels at Bed Bath and Beyond, but I think they are well worth it for how well they hold up. We have towels from other places that are already shredding and fraying after a year of washing, but these still look and feel new.

I love this soft aqua color, and use pops of it throughout our bathroom. These towels are a great addition and I can honestly say I will not ever buy another brand. If you're registering or just looking for new bath towels, I can't recommend these enough!

{live beautifully}

Courtney

New Shop Goods

Since closing my etsy shop, I have really missed getting to do product photography. I love styling vintage items and getting great shots to represent how you can use them in your own home. So I decided to bring the photography back with what's going into the physical shop. So here are a few of the finds headed to The Cottage this week...Enjoy!

My favorite find was this gorgeous old gray scale with gold-rimmed face. I paired it with a square ironstone bowl I also found this weekend.

The face on this is so great, and I love the gold and gray combo. $32

This awesome rusty bin. You could do so many things with this! 

Here I filled it with some fall naturals, but the possibilities are endless.

The little label plate is my favorite part, along with the rusty black patina.

I also found these beautiful old books. From the early '20s I believe. Their covers are so lovely.

And a petite ironstone sugar bowl (the larger one is from my own collection). Again, these are so versatile. I use mine all the time for flowers, silverware, etc.

I think books add so much history and patina.

And last but not least, this spring green flower frog. Perfect for holding bits of paper, recipe cards, whatever you can dream up.

If you're local and any of these fun finds catch your eye, come on in to The Cottage this week, there's always a lot to see! I've been busy working on my Christmas line, as our Christmas open house is November 19. I'm planning on doing a shoot for my holiday products also, so look for those coming soon!

{live beautifully}

Courtney