Coffee Bags Chair

I love girly things.  I do.  I love anything that exudes romance and whimsy.  I think it is kind of apparent by our house.

We love anything lace and gilded.

We believe in waking up like princesses...minus peas under our mattresses.

 
Surrounding ourselves with abundant of flowers.

A girl can never have too many fancy chairs.

Why should we wait for special occasions to get all dolled up?  Shouldn't we celebrate everyday?

A romantic swing to takes us to far away places... then there are times when I find myself constantly falling in love with leather chairs.  You know the really beat up masculine ones?  I love them. I wasn't sure if a chair like that would ever really fit into our decor.  Luckily I got a chance to find out when the owner of our favorite coffee shop asked me if I could reupholster one of their chairs.  Now when I tell you this chair was in bad shape...I mean the fabric was literally disintegrating.  I wish I took a before picture but as usual I got too excited and went to town on the chair.  Here is the chair after I stripped it. 

First I thought I would do my usual velvet and paint the wood lighter color but decided it would make no sense for me to use that kind of fabric for a coffee house.  So I decided to go with a really nice vinyl that has a nice leather feel and very durable.  Speaking of leather, what is your take on it?  Do you ladies like leather chairs??  First of, it is ridiculously expensive at almost $300 a hide and I would need about three hides to recover a nice wing back.  B has been wanting a nice leather chair of his own in our over the top feminine home.  I thought it would be nice to make him a leather wing back but at over a grand for one chair???  I don't know about that.  I told him if I ever make him one, it is his only for the duration of our relationship. : )  Here the chair after it is all done up.

I think it fits right in, don't you think?  I like the idea of putting on my make up in a leather chair like a BOSS.

I decided to upholster the back and the bottom with coffee bags.

I am not going to lie.  I kind of felt sad when I had to drop it off at the coffee house.

At least I got to enjoy it for one morning.

Now I just need to add a nice leather wing back to my list of chairs to do.  I will get to it one of these days.


Love,
Victoria


Linking up with:
http://www.cedarhillfarmhouse.com/
http://www.modvintagelife.blogspot.com/
http://shabbyartboutique.com/
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/
http://missmustardseed.com/

New project and Hometalk

Are you feeling the summer slipping away??  I do.  I am loving the cooler mornings and nights.  The girls are so ready to start school.  My baby Bella is going to be a kindergartner.  My tiny Aurora is going to preschool.  We are done with back to school shopping.  Now we all have identical clothes.  They are not very happy with me.  They love anything bling bling and pink.  I am all lets be all menswear inspired chic.  Oh, girls problems.  I have a lot of exciting new changes coming from Trois Petites Filles.  I am thinking of switching from blogspot to my own website... a new online shop to go with the website and etsy shop...I might just be a bit overambitious here but what else is news.  So my next project.  This one is going to be the very piece that will go on sale on my new online shop.  I want it to be very me.

I got this tete-a-tete a while ago and they have been sitting in my hoarding room AKA a room filled with chairs.  If you know me, you know I can't just leave things alone as they are.  I want this piece to feel like a piece of art that you can actually sit on and enjoy your morning cup of coffee.  Here are a few of my inspirations.

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This beautiful settee is what sparked it all.  I was blown away by the shape of the settee and also the fabric.  I mean look at that sketch on the upholstery.  It is the kind of piece that demand attention.  This brings us to my next inspiration.

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You all know my obsession with daybeds.  It only makes sense that I would turn this tete-a-tete into a daybed.  Not only for its comfort but I need the larger space to use as my canvas.  So I am going to be building a middle section that will fit in between the two chairs.  The chairs will be facing each other like the picture.  Instead of the ottoman, here is what I am thinking.

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The middle section will be a chair of its own.  I am going to build a completely upholstered chair with a curve back that will flow seamlessly between the two tete-a-tete.  Did I lose you?  I know.  I am a bit crazy.  Now here is the most exciting part about the chairs.  Since I was first introduced to sculpting and art, I have been crazy about Michelangelo and Sistine chapel ceiling.  My most favorite part of the ceiling is the creation of Adam.

I love this sketch.  I don't know if this is possible but this is what I am thinking.  All three pieces are going to get upholstered in a thick canvas.  I am going to print this sketch onto the canvas and somehow make it flow from one chair to another.  What do you think??  Do I even make any sense?  Probably not.  Anyway, this is what keeping me up at night.  On the less crazier note, we are still loving our daybed.  The girls are constantly fighting over it.  Here is Aurora.

Just in case you might be interested in building your very own daybed, I put together a Hometalk "DIY Daybeds" board.  Are you on Hometalk?  I love it so much!  I am always blown away by amazing home and garden projects on there.

Hope you are enjoying the last days of summer!  We are so ready for Halloween!  We kind of do it big here.  : )


Love,
Victoria

The Blog Tour

About a month ago my sweet friend Lin from A tiny cottage in the woods asked me if I would like to be apart of the blog tour.  Of course I said, Yes!!  I have been blogging for almost eight months now and it has been the most amazing experience.  I love meeting such inspirational women who are amazingly kind and talented.  So I felt very honored that Lin has asked me to be apart of the tour.

Here are four questions that I am supposed to answer.

1. What am I working on?

Hmm, what am I not working on?  I usually have two to three big projects going at once.  Since I just got done working on my French daybed project, I thought maybe I will take a few days off. One of the projects I am excited to be starting is my bathroom vanity mirror.  I have one of those plain double vanity mirror and I am planning to turn it into something very French, gilded and feminine.  We will see.

2.   How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I don't think I have a genre?  I guess I love French romantic with a touch of whimsy and definitely feminine.  Perhaps my work is different because I use my house as my artist canvas. And I don't have anyone to say No to me. : )  I don't think there should be any rule when it comes to decorating a home.  A home should represents who we are as people.

3.    Why do I write/create what I do?

Because that is the only way I know how to live.  I live in my head and my head is filled with ideas non-stop.  Sometimes I can't sleep.  When I was in high school and college, I did sculpting and I was obsessed with it.  I didn't want to sleep or eat or do anything but sculpt.  I lost a lot of weights. I was good at it but it was not good for me.  I feel lost when I am not creating.  In another life, I would be a starving artist...you know a bit delusional, eccentric and probably smelly.  The good thing now is I have two little girls who keep me in checked.


4.   How does your writing/creating process work?

Well, it always start with an inspiration.  A picture.  A book.  A song.  A person.  A feeling.  Anything gets me going. I obsessed over it for a few days and I can't sleep because I am trying to figure out how I am going to make it happen.  Then I do research...whether it'll be the history of a piece or the technical part of making it.  I usually don't stop until I make it happen.  I am nothing if not always overly ambitious.

Here are two amazing bloggers who will be continuing with the blog tour.

Mary

Mary blogs at Orphans with Make up.  Mary never ceases to amaze me.  She has amazing sense of style and her furniture make overs are always inspiring.  Here is a little bit about the blog from Mary herself.

 Hi!  My name is Mary Vitullo. I live in Saint-Hubert, Quebec (a suburb of Montreal in French Canada).  I am a wife, and mother of 3 boys. I have always been passionate about home decor and can never seem to quench my thirst for it!  I have always been resourceful in decorating on a small budget and one of the easiest ways to do that is to repurpose and repaint vintage and antique furniture pieces, or my little "ORPHANS" as I like to call them.  "Orphans With MakeUp" is just that, abandoned furniture pieces given a new makeover with paint, "MAKEUP".  I use photography and styling to show them at their best.

And Darrielle

Darrielle is the amazing blogger of the blog D.D.'s Cottage and Design.  This woman can paint!... and she does it so amazingly well.  I am excited for you see her works.


Love,
Victoria

Many lives of a little green footboard

One of the greatest things about having a crazy imagination and living as the only grown up in a house is being able to do anything I want.  It is true.  Our house is like a scratch book of an artist who may or may not be just a bit crazy but we love it.  One of my obsessions is French daybeds.  Who doesn't love them?  I have been wanting one for so long but why must they be so expensive? I guess I could save up money and buy myself one...oh you know in about ten years but where is the fun in that?  Do you remember my dream bed?  It all started with my fifty dollars green French bed frame.

The moment I saw this bed, I knew it had so much potentials.  Literally a week after I bought the bed, Amy of Maison Decor introduced me to the most amazing Efex appliques.  I added the appliques with contact cement and painted the frame in a mix of Chalk Paint® in Old White and Paris Grey.  You can read about how I created my dream bed here.  So my little green bed frame became all fancy and turned into this beauty.

I wish our love story ended there but it didn't.  I was told it was a queen size bed frame but in truth, it was a full size.  I cried...like real tears.  So I am keeping the headboard for my bed because I just love it so much.   I decided to turn the foot board into a French daybed.  For months now I have been taking an upholstery class with the most amazing teacher.  The man can do anything.  He said he will help me build anything if I promise him I won't paint any antique furniture.  Hmmm...we will see about that.  So the two of us started working away.  Here is our beauty in every step of her make over.  Get ready for lots of pictures.

Listen, if I can do this, anyone can do it!! Shoot me any questions and I will try my best to answer them.  Are you ready for the final reveal????

I am in love...like seriously in love.  The details make this piece extra special.

It is so amazing to have a vision in my head then to make it happen.  It truly is the best feeling in the whole wide world.  I am really excited about the daybed not just because I created it but because now I finally have enough chairs to replace my old couches.

 I can remember a cold December night three years ago.  It was our first night as the three of us.  Things has been moved out.  Goodbyes were said.  I remembered sitting on our living room floor...watching Bella who was two and a half then playing with six months old Aurora.  They just looked so happy unaware of all the life changes.  I think I wanted to cry then.  I didn't because as usual I didn't allow myself to dwell on my emotions or what ifs and what now.  I was afraid to even think about the unknown because it was too scary for me to even consider. I wrote down a list of everything I was going to do in the house.  It was my goal to create this world for the girls where their imaginations can take center stage.  Damn with all the rules.  This house was going to be our blank canvas and it was going to be limitless.

Replacing the couches was on top of the list.  They were ripped all the way to the wood frame and just plain ugly.  I didn't want to just buy a couch either.  I always knew I wanted to make it myself.  And I did.  Today when I brought the daybed in the house and placed it in the living room, Bella came right over with pillows and started to redecorate the whole living room.  She wanted to make sure one of her paintings will be in the pictures.  : )  After she was satisfied with her work, she sat on the daybed with a smile and said, "This is wonderful, Mommy.  I want to do things just like you.  I think I want to be you when I grow up."  I am not going to lie...the tears that I held onto that cold December night came rushing out like a flood.  I found myself on the floor...sobbing while holding onto my daughter's legs.  It wasn't tears of sadness or lost.  They were tears for the unknown.  The unknown that I was so terrified of that cold December night turned out to be this precise moment.  This moment of pure happiness.  We made it...the three of us.


Love,
Victoria


Linking up with:
http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/
http://www.findingsilverpennies.com/
http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/
http://www.astrollthrulife.net/
http://elizabethandco.blogspot.com/
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/
http://www.cedarhillfarmhouse.com/
http://www.homestoriesatoz.com/
http://www.frenchcountrycottage.net/
http://shabbyartboutique.com/
http://www.craftberrybush.com/
http://www.redouxinteriors.com/
http://missmustardseed.com/

I am alive!

Hello friends!  I am still alive.  It is already August.  Where have the summer gone?  My parents are still with us and all we do is shop.  It is true.  My mother can shop like no one else.  The girls and I just tag along and hold her bags.  It is fun to be able to walk into stores that I would never have the budget to even window shop.  Now every time someone says I like fine things in life, I can say blame my mother.  One of the things both my mother and I love is skincare.  I think as a culture, Asian women are obsessed with having beautiful skin.  I had my first facial at twelve years old.  I was already doing the three step skin care process before I knew what a bra was.  I was told to wear sunscreen everyday and not use any products with alcohol. 

 My mother always said, "treat your face like silk. You only get one for the rest of your life."  Through out the years, my skin care routine has changed and I have tried pretty much every type of skin care product out there. Because I wanted to understand the science behind skin care, I went to an esthetics school.  I worked as an esthetician for years before I decided to be a stay at home mom for Bella. My skin care ritual is more than just a routine.  It is my time to relax and pamper myself.  We all need a little bit of that, don't you think?  Here are my must have products.  

I don't always wash my face in the morning.  I think most people over cleanse their faces and in term, they are stripping their skin of its natural oils that keep it healthy.  I usually wipe my face with an alcohol free toner to prep my skin.  My first step is to use an antioxidant treatment.  I have been using Skinceuticals C E Ferulic since I was 20.  Nothing in my routine ever stay the same except this.  The serum has 15% L-ascoebic acid which essentially is Vitamin C.  It protects against the free radicals induced by the sun.  All I know is this product keeps the sun spots away.  I don't buy any more shoes or bags because of this serum.  It totally worth every cent.

As long as I have been using C E Ferulic, I have been using this Hydrating B5 serum.  It keeps my skin hydrated and plumped.  It is wonderful during cold harsh winter time.  

Both of these bottles last me for a year.  Now my most important step of the morning routine is my sunscreen.  I have tried every brand of sun screen out there.  This is the BEST mineral sunscreen I have ever used.  It applies like silk and doesn't leave any white residue.  It doesn't leave my skin a greasy mess either. I will use this product forever and ever.  

I used to wear foundation almost everyday.  Since I have been following this routine, I only use foundation on special occasion.  On daily basic, I use Sunday Riley's Tinted Primer.  It is sheer and gives my skin just a bit of color.  A little bit of concealer over the primer and I am good to go.

That is it for my morning routine.  I know this is probably a lot more than most people but I love it!  During the morning, I usually have the girls sitting on the bathroom vanity staring at what I am doing and waiting for their turn.  It actually is a funny sight.  The three of us all lined up in front of the bathroom mirror with our turbans on.   Night time is my time.  The house is quiet and the day is almost over.  I don't have to fight for the counter space.  I start my night ritual with a cleanser.  I don't have a favorite cleanser.  I am always in search of the perfect cleanser.  So far no luck.  Right now I am using Shiseido extra creamy cleanser.  It does the job.  It works really well with my Clarisonic face brush.  Oh if you don't have a Clarisonic brush, please get one.  I promise it will be the best investment.  It is like getting a mini facial everyday.  Imagine that.

I follow that by toner.  I love rose toners.  I just imagine bouquets of roses on my face.  The next step is new for me.  It is called essence.  It is very important step for most women in Asia.  It affects skin on the cellular level and helps speed up your cell turnover rate.  It leaves your skin smooth and glowing.  I used to use SK-II Facial Treatment Essence.  It was ridiculously expensive and dry out my skin.  Now I am using this Korean brand called MISSHA Time Revolution First Treatment Essence.  It is amazing.  

Follow that by the best thing ever made since Annie Sloan chalk paint.  My beloved Sunday Riley Good Genes Serum.  It has even out my skin tone and make it glow like no other.  It smells beautifully fresh. I finish off my routine with Sunday Riley Start Over eye cream and Bionic night cream.  I am not crazy about the eye cream but the night cream is my downfall.  I love it sooo much but I don't know if I can afford it again.  If you ever see me disappear for a month from the blog, it probably is because I run out of one of my skin care products and I can't afford to do any project. : ) Sacrifices.

I realized I use a lot of Sunday Riley products.  This isn't even a sponsor post.  I just love her products so much.  Once or twice a week, I use Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Peel for exfoliation.

  I can't even tell you how many facial masks I own.  That will have to be on a different blog post. Of course how our skin looks and feels is all about what we eat too.  I drink two liters of water a day.  I try the best that I can to keep a peaceful mind.  My skin always look like crap when I am stressed or angry or just plain grumpy.  Our outside appearance is a window to how we feel inside.  How do I feel inside...?  My main man, William Shakespeare, wrote, “With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”   Well, heck, I am in trouble.


Love,
Victoria