Mary Engelbreit's magazine,
HOME COMPANION
was, by far, my very favorite magazine.
I actually cried a little bit when she closed it down and is no longer published.
I love every single thing she does...
and I love this look in one of her magazines.
When I try to stack things beneath tables and etc.,
mine ends up looking like clutter instead of design...:(
I love the carefree look in so many of her olden copies of the magazine....
(her adorable drawings are works of PURE ART...and I just love them.
I would dearly LOVE a wall I could paint
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES
on....
would you...???
"decorating"...
I don't even like the word DECORATING...
it sounds way too structured and stiff to me...
I prefer
"Lovingly Layering"......
because I like to layer in those things I really love.
I don't want ANYTHING just for the sake of "being in style".
But, I NEED HELP.......
For instance...I need a little fairy to tell me what SHADE of gray to paint this little baby hutch.
While I know the IN thing is chalk paint...I'm not sure I want this piece in chalk paint. I'm not very good at it...daughter does a super job so I may give it another try....
I want a light, soft gray to make this little hutch
STRUT HER STUFF...
ya know?
****************************
I've removed her doors and
she is standing ready for a new gray dress...with sparkles....
and earrings....and a new pair of shoes....
Until we can afford to have our rooms painted,
I am using all the white I can muster to make it lighter and brighter.
*
*
The TUSCANY GOLD of the walls in this room isn't BAD..
it's just not ME.
THE ABOVE is another picture out of ME magazine.
I just love the way they are using TWO tables here...
showing off all the little BOX COLLECTION...
it all looks so good.
But when I try it, again, CLUTTER
While I think this is a cute room,
it doesn't say COMFY to me.
I do want comfortable seating and my room to feel welcoming.
(another cute painting from her magazine)
...the wall waiting for the sofa to be sit in front of it.
(those little pigs don't seem to be one bit bothered that I moved them to
that golden wall..)
...don't u think this room would be great with light walls and
white paneling...?
The paneling is really, REALLY pretty but not in the reddish shade.
...don't u think this room would be great with light walls and
white paneling...?
The paneling is really, REALLY pretty but not in the reddish shade.
I moved my PARIS LOVERS canvas to the mantel wall and we love it there.
(i am still so in love with my black and white mantel scarf that Stacy gave me...
it just MAKES the room)
*
I also found frames
(Walmart)
to fit on this very narrow section of wall....and again,
BLACK & WHITE prints.....
but this time smaller and in white frames.
....family snaps chock full of love....
that makes my heart sing.
Of COURSE I would want them in this room.
This is actually 2 frames but they are made so as to look like one
if that's what you want...
and perfect for 4x6 prints.
This was a perfect spot for my little vintage stool
with Mr. Sweet's high school FOOTBALL NUMBER
on it.
"....go, 57.....gooooooooo"
Pink Sat
I think you would like the walls a different color also - wait and see how the sofa looks then decide.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE all Mary E stuff - I gave away all of her magazines a few years ago as I was de cluttering. I still kept all of her hard cover books and read them over and over again. She has a way that doesn't look cluttered. I really wish she would start the magazine up again. I purchased so much of her material and have made a quilt out one of her fabrics and coordinating balloon curtains.
I am excited for you to get the sofa - I know you are going to love it.
Have a great weekend....
Mary
I don't think I have ever seen a Mary E magazine,. I hope you saved all the ones you purchased! I would not use chalkboard paint on that cabinet either. It just doesn't seem right!
ReplyDeleteOh, Jeannie...not chalk BOARD paint...just CHALK PAINT.
DeleteCharming! Painting a room is always such a big project. I recently saw...was it you?...someone who does one wall at a time without tearing the entire room apart. She gives it a month doing only one section every few days or so. BTW, I never think of your lovingly layered style as cluttered. Nope. No way.
ReplyDeleteOh dear what a cute magazine:) I would love to flip through those pages! LOVE that frame, I am off to Walmart:) Enjoy your day my friend, HUGS!
ReplyDeleteWhite would be lovely, to me. Because I see those who do all white (like Cherry Menlove, here and here) and I love the look.
ReplyDeleteBut being married to a woodworker, who loves natural wood and natural brick, it's not in the cards, for me. :-)
Btw, if you are not familiar with Cherry Menlove, please do click on those links above. I just know you will be "in love"...!!!
Tessa
You are such a darling Bj....how I love Mary Engelbreit....you always inspire...always! Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Why oh why are we still SO hot???
ReplyDeleteFabulous as always! I agree about the wicker settee - I used to have one in my living room, and the cushion was covered by a dresden plate quilt my grandma made in 1927. It was beautiful, but totally uncomfortable to sit on! Have a great weekend, BJ! <3
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are busy and will stay busy with all the projects you have going on. Have a blessed day and a wonderful Labor Day weekend. Madeline
ReplyDeleteI love your family pics collage. I may try to find those frames. Great look. Sheila
ReplyDeleteI have my Mary Engelbreit magazines hoarded away and every once ina while I pull them out. LOVED that magazine and couldn't believe it when it went under. I never thought the gold walls were you, I think white would be wonderful with all your black and white and colorful accessories. If I were looking for the right grey I would search Grey hutch on pinterest. You are bound to come up with a lot of photos that would inspire you!
ReplyDeleteLots to love here, BJ. I love those new frames you bought -- I need to check those out. And I still have MANY of my Mary Mags and have pulled out tons of pages of the ones I finally discarded. I think it started to lose its popularity when she went from her drawn covers to the home-dec covers. Too bad - it was magical.
ReplyDeleteI'm chalkpainting a little desk right now. It has its quirks and I'm not sure if I'm loving the technique (but I do love the color I chose!) I'll post on it eventually!
Oh how I enjoyed my subscriptions to Home Companion! The ME style was definitely not "us," but maybe a little bit "me," but I just savored every page. When I finally forced myself to purge many years of that magazine, I went through every single one and cut out all of the cutest drawings. I have a special file to keep them in and have enjoyed framing some to use in my craftroom....that's my "me" room!
ReplyDeleteI think your pretty little hutch would be very sweet dressed up in a pretty gray, but grays are not as easy as you might think. It took us a long time to figure out a good warm gray to paint our kitchen cabinets.....went through several of those sample paints before we chose. Good luck!
I was a ME nut case . . . I think I owned everything she ever made, did, write, designed. I started collecting her Home Companion when they first came out. My favorite part was cutting out the paper doll she had in each magazine issue. I had many of her sweaters when that was a faze. Oh my were they delightful. I love, loved her cards. I can still find them sometimes and I have many saved. Thank you for stirring my ME memories. Wouldn't you love to visit her home and studio! Mary Engelbreit'
ReplyDeleteI attempted writing her name at the end of my comment . . . was I correct?
DeleteHello dear Lady....
ReplyDeleteWe used to strip off the old "coating" from many pieces of Wood work... and then re-finish...
The stripping away of the old used some toxic vile corrosives (more than a few chemical burns)... Best to add a base to the existing finish and the custom Finish from there... From what we have seen ... you do very well at these "projects"... Good work and such pleasant images above.... The set of small white frames with B&W pictures looks very nice...
A great Labor Day Weekend to You and Yours...
I like how you put two of those 4x6 multiple frames together. Makes such good sense. That little cabinet would look great in grey with all those white pieces. I really like your mantel cloth...
ReplyDeleteWhere's the food? LOL! Have a wonderful weekend!
A wonderful home you have, and what lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteBJ, I like what you said about decorating. I agree, comfortable seating and layering in the things you love and not worrying about what's trendy is the way to go! Lovely.
ReplyDeleteSuch a whimsical post, BJ....I would love to be so carefree with decorating as you have shown. Not my style at all, but I really do admire people who have the knack.
ReplyDeleteBJ, I always loved Mary's things too. On painting your walls. Paint the focal one first to see how it looks and if you love the color. In case you don't ...you will not have to re-paint the whole room. I love the family group pictures. Blessings for a fabulous weekend, xoxo,Susie
DeleteI loved that magazine too! Thanks for stopping by my blog today!
ReplyDeleteGlad you get your inspiration from ME; I get mine from BJ!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I'm tellin' you we're sisters. I loved the magazine too. I only have a few copies but I keep them. I still love your pig.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Not familiar with the magazine, but no doubt you will create something just as well. You have great taste and use it nicely.
ReplyDeleteThat hutch would be so pretty in gray. How about French gray? I am sure whatever you end up doing will be beautiful. Thank you so much for prsyers for Rea and your knd words. It gets better seeing her so well but I can't help get nervous when she gets scans until we get the negative results, but I have faith in God. He will continue to make her well....Christine
ReplyDeleteI used to play baseball when I was little. I had the number 2 on my back a few years. Which was kind of weird because it was always random. So I always considered it my jersey number
ReplyDeleteI don't think you need much help ... Your home always looks beautiful and full of happiness! I think the problem with things like those two tables for collections in ME is that as soon as you put anything else on it ( like keys or whatever...) then it doesn't look so good! And you know nobody can actually walk by a flat surface without wanting to put something there!
ReplyDeleteOh I love golds and canary yellow!!!! I never heard of chalk paint. Is that like matte nailpolish?? I think I'd like the shine of the glossy paint. :)
ReplyDeleteI think you have some very nice things. I think that the hutch will look wonderful in a soft gray. I need that fairy to come help me at my house. Loved looking at the ME pages. Dianne
ReplyDeleteBJ, your little hutch full of ironstone will look wonderful in a soft gray. Good luck! I've not tried the chalk paint.
ReplyDeleteYou and I both adore ME designs and that wonderful magazine. I still have all my old issues.
Happy Holiday Weekend!
ooooooh i do have much to say. i think the hutch would look great in gray, a lighter gray, i have never used chalk paint but you will figure that out, it's a beautiful piece of furniture.
ReplyDeletei don't like a lot of clutter, especially on the table tops. one pretty dish, one scrapbook opened to a favorite page that matches the current season and maybe a picture frame. although i do like the pictures you shared, i think the tables look too cluttered!!
i am into white myself these days, with no energy to repaint anything. not that i would actually paint.....it the before and after work i'm not up for. i LOVE the 2 stools. the white on and the last black one!!!!!
I too am a huge fan of ME. I saved most of her issues too and in fact have the same ones you showed at the beginning of your post. I remember her very first issue. I poured over it again and again just soaking in every charming pic and illustration. Did you enjoy her paper doll inserts? I think I have every one of them in a little ME suitcase that my mother-in-law sent me. It's my treasure chest. I too am into cozy. I am crazy for the lovingly layered look. I don't have anything in our home that is without meaningful memory or just because we love it. So enjoyed this post!
ReplyDeleteBig Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
Hello bj, Love your post from start to finish. Your fireplace with the mantel cover is so attractive. The Paris painting is perfect for the accent. Art not decorating...that is you all the way. The black and white photos in the totally fun white frames is awesome. I love that photo of beautiful you in black hair. I think I will have a glass of wine to celebrate me having time to visit today. YAY!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Jeanne
Love your wall of little frames with b/w photos. ME is one of my favorite people also and I have all of her magazines and just could never get rid of them. I love just looking thru them ever so often and always see something new. I wish she still had her magazine
ReplyDeleteJudy
I've always loved ME and was so sorry to see the end of her magazine publishing. I'm with you ~ I try something like the photos and it ends up looking like I took everything I owned and put it in one place! :) Love the pigs! I would totally paint the walls and paneling in light colors ~ would lighten the room and seem more spacious. I so wish I could change colors here!
ReplyDeletexo
Pat
Well whatever you do, I'm sure it'll look lovely as always. Please don't stress too much about it :)
ReplyDeleteI had a grand time catching up with you and I can't wait to see what the "new" room looks like when you share your new sofa.
love to you,
rue
I love all of your white dishes in your soon-to-be-gray cabinet. Are you going to paint your walls white? If you can stand looking at it for awhile, you can get some paint samples and paint a few swatches of white and a few swatches of gray on your wall and then decide the combination you like the best. Can't wait to see what you choose!
ReplyDeleteRobin
Love M.E and so stupidly threw away my old magazines...(sob, sob!)
ReplyDeleteDid you know that anytime I am out shopping and I see something in black and white, be it polka dots, stripes, chevrons...I think of you! :D
I loved her magazine! Can't wait to see the finished hutch!
ReplyDeletekarianne
I loved her magazine, too. Such inspiration and fun! Your hutch will be wonderful in her new coat of gray. Can't wait to see her. I always love seeing the things that make your home so special. You're an inspiration, my friend.
ReplyDelete~Adrienne~