A little weekend randomness...

You all know we've been spending a lot of time in St. Louis for hubby's doctor appointments (hopefully, they will be winding down soon), but when we're there we are so blessed to be able to stay with our daughter and her husband, oh, and can't forget Vinnie, the grandpuppy.

Pic of their 100+ year old home taken last Fall.

I wanted to share this guest room that doubles as Erin's dressing room. She has a relaxed eclectic style; mixing traditional, vintage, and modern pieces. She's not a "fusser and floofer" like me, she loves antiques, but isn't into shopping flea markets. She would like her vintage goods and antiques to magically appear for her decor pleasure. (sometimes I'm her "picker") She's not into clutter, piles of junk, or white chippy furniture. What?...I know.

I've told her that if this white set of vintage monogrammed luggage goes missing, 

that it probably came home with me by "accident".

When the Ritz Carlton in Clayton was renovated a few years ago they bought several sets of Birds Eye Maple furniture with king size beds for their guest rooms for a song. 

Aside from the great mix of pattern, color, and comfort, I just love how she's used this tiny children's suitcase  (or doll clothes case?) to corral some of her jewelry on the nightstand.

They are bulldog lovers and over the years they've found some fun bulldog collectibles, that are scattered throughout the house. If you look closely you can see a set of glass dogs that were popular in the '50's. Keith is an "all things tobacco" aficionado, so she also has this wonderful little Dunhill ladies lighter from the 40's here too.

I neglected to take a photo of her shoes on display.

She's a heels kinda girl, and let me just say that

she has quite the hoarding and shopping gene when it comes to fabulous shoes.

photo by Kortni Wu 

(for more great photos click above)

And for a little inspiration we stopped by The White Rabbit (click here for their blog and shopping) LOVE this store! I could hang there all day, but we were on our way out of town so I kept my visit short, but just had to grab this photo of a wall of moss in the garden area. so wonderful.

And one of our fave spots for a relaxed dinner is Pi. "On the Loop". President Obama had pizza there a year or so ago, and he gave it a rousing thumbs up. yummy. This license plate art is hanging on the wall. It's a good sized piece, and since it's reflective, everything else showed up black on this phone pic. pretty cool.

This will be a working weekend, hopefully we can get the pool opened and the patio furniture out and cleaned up. Our other son-in-law is our right hand man when it comes to jobs around here.

Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend.

I'll be here for The Marketplace on Monday as usual.

Come by for a visit in between cookouts and family fun!

Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings

Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life

Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House

The Scoop at Cedar Hill Ranch

xoxo,

Be Inspired #141 Perfectly Shabby

Hello Everyone,
and welcome to this week's Be Inspired.
Here are some inspiring links from last week's party:

I fell in love with this beautiful bedroom...
Romantic, comfortable, feminine..."shabby";
just a few words that describe this wonderful space.

Morning Inspiration from Becky at One Shabby Old House. Her bedroom has so many wonderful touches, you'll love what she's done to embellish the footboard on the bed.

such a cozy and comfortable space!

Olive Out creates a beautiful setting with her red transferware in a 

Patio Supper Tablescape. Olive has perfected the art of the "Near Tablescape".

Anne of White Lace Cottage shares her beautiful collection
of Sea Glass bottles.

Kathy from Creative Home Expressions

transformed a standing Jewelry Armoire with Duck Egg Blue.
She has some other pieces of the same paint finish that are fabulous!

You'll want to see this Gorgeous Garden Chandy

and her mother's garden, from Amanda at One Girl in Pink

and Erica from Be Book Bound

took us to a family friend's "Country Wedding".

This post is full of wedding inspiration and ideas.

LOVE this adorable sunflower cake!

thanks ladies, for sharing the inspiration!

Today's Be Inspired is brought to you by French Bleu Vintage,

where you will find the most beautiful and unique vintage home goods and decor.

Dee has some wonderful new pieces in the shop that you'll want to check out.

thanks Dee!

Hope you'll join in today, and share what's been inspiring you from this last week. Please have a link back to Common Ground to be featured. Be Inspired is now open to all inspiring posts, not just "vintage". And I finally have a "I've Been Featured" image for you...sorry it's so late. Please feel free to grab it if you've ever been featured here at Be Inspired or Vintage Inspiration.

and while you're out partying please join in with my Friday Party Pals.

 Have a wonderful weekend,
and thanks so much for joining in!
xoxo,

Be Inspired Top Visited Links

You know what happens on Wednesday...

time for the top visited links from last week's party!

Kathleen found "A Perfect Gray" for her towels to accessorize

 a wonderful bathroom  at Faded Charm

Here is "A Sneak Peek at My Farmhouse Style"

from Jann at Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson,

as she finishes up a basement "kitchen".

Dru of A Country Farm Home is

Dreaming of a White Picket Fence

and has it almost completed.

And Betsy from My Salvaged Treasures

shared some of her latest found "treasures".
Don't you love that Campbell's Soup Kid spoon?

Hope you'll join in tomorrow around 11 am Central for 

Be Inspired...

open to all your inspiring posts.

xoxo,

Of Roses and Redoute...

Last weekend I shared some photos of the front yard, and a Knockout Rose bush that is blooming profusely this year. Our yard has two levels and this bush is nestled in a little grotto area that is shared by a much used bird bath and surrounded by Black-eyed Susans.

I thought I'd clip a few sprigs of blooms and bring them inside to enjoy up close.

I thought they'd feel at home in this petite Staffordshire Crown China teapot, trimmed out in a lacy pink pattern of flowers with gold trim.

I  also just recently found this little white chippy box and thought it might work for one of my "Vintage Seed Box" embellishments. Spring and Roses go together beautifully with one of my two vintage Redoute framed prints from the 40's, that I had on my baker's rack on the sunporch.

Below, I included some interesting information about Redoute. Knowing a little about the artist makes these beautiful prints all the more interesting.

 Pierre-Joseph Redouté (10 July 1759 in Saint-Hubert, Belgium – 19 June 1840 in Paris), was a Belgian painter and botanist, known for his watercolours of roses, lilies and other flowers at Malmaison. He was nicknamed "The Raphael of flowers".

He was an official court artist of Queen Marie Antoinette, and he continued painting through the French Revolution and Reign of Terror. Redouté survived the turbulent political upheaval to gain international recognition for his precise renderings of plants, which remain as fresh in the early 21st century as when first painted.

Paris was the cultural and scientific centre of Europe during an outstanding period in botanical illustration (1798 – 1837), one noted for the publication of several folio books with coloured plates. Enthusiastically, Redouté became an heir to the tradition of the Flemish and Dutch flower painters Brueghel, Ruysch, van Huysum and de Heem. Redouté contributed over 2,100 published plates depicting over 1,800 different species, many never rendered before.

 Marie Antoinette became his patron. Redouté received the title of Draughtsman and Painter to the Queen's Cabinet. In 1798, Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais, the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, became his patron and, some years later, he was her official artist. 

What perfection is found within the bloom of a rose.

My heart is heavy with all the devastation in Oklahoma. We are in the same "tornado alley" as they are. Storms start in North Texas and then take the northeast route each Spring. Many of us here in Missouri have basements, but Oklahoma has so much bedrock that basements aren't incorporated into a home's structure; not much comfort, but a little. I'm praying for all those who have lost so much in these storms this week.

I'll be linking up to these parties this week:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
A Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Stone Gable
House Party at No Minimalist Here
Rooted in Thyme
The Charm of Home
French Country Cottage
Shabby Art Boutique
Jennifer Rizzo
Craftberry Bush

xoxo,

The Marketplace; Etsy and Online Boutique Showcase

Hi Everyone, welcome to

The Marketplace!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend, and are you ready to check out what's new in the world of Etsy and Online Boutique shopping? You came to the right place! Time to link up your wares and join the fun of checking out some new goodies. Here are some pretties from last week's party.

Porcelain Rose Basket

from 20 North Ora

Vintage Electric Swedish Brass Sconce

by Western Reserve

Small French Meditations Book

from Faded Charm

Antique Cottage Oil Painting

from LemonVerbena1

Custom Velvet Book Markers 

from Keepings from Kirsty Girl

The gals from Sweet Magnolias Farm Shop have some wonderful new items, just for you from their Farmhouse. Take a peek at a new line of soaps and body lotion. If you need a special gift for someone, or you just want to treat yourself, hope you'll run by and check out all the wonderful Farmhouse Goods!

And I love these great Mason Jar Lid Coasters,

perfect for your outdoor tablesettings and gatherings!

Thanks Abbey and Sara!

If you have an Etsy Shop, sell on Ebay, or have an online boutique, come join in by linking up to three of your individual items from your store. And if you have a shop blog, we'd love to see what you have going on. Please be a follower of Common Ground, and if you have a blog it would be great to have you grab the image below for somewhere on your blog, just to let others know about The Marketplace.

Link up the goods, then stay to shop!

This link gathering stays open all week, so be sure and stop back by later to see what new has been added. Thank you, everyone, that takes the time to join in...