Homemade Chalk Paint

Here’s a quick recipe that I use for mixing a homemade version of Chalk Paint.

Living in the Wine Country

Sometimes in the fall in Umbria, I would make the girls stop in their tracks and smell the air of pungent fermenting grapes.  I would say that is the smell of the crush, the smell of home.  Elisa and Lucia would undoubtedly respond, “but Mama it’s GROSS”.

Love Wins

I’m sorry that I have been away for more than a hiatus.

What is more than a hiatus anyway?

My daughter recently told me that in medieval times a moment was measured as 90 seconds.

The dictionary describes a hiatus as:

 1.  A break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

 2.  A missing part; gap or lacuna.

I like it that a hiatus refers to space and action.

Small Spaces

The Simple Life

Now since we live in our little California cottage I need to force myself to think small and organized.  The days of rambling around our huge Gothic Italian apartment are gone. Guests used to actually get lost and not find the way out.  There were a lot of doors!

I like to play with scale and so I set up this pretty scene just for YOU.

A little chest of drawers, a silly tiny ice cream swirl chair and a bunch of flowers.

A big rosemary topiary.

A Starting Place

Hello Sette Design readers,

I found this phrase the other day and it humbled me.  It is so simple and perfect.

Start where you are
Use what you have
Do what you can

I'm sure it has been said before and should be said again.  Wouldn't you just feel better if you followed that advice?

Natalie 

Painting Furniture

Happy Weekend Everyone

For Inspiration

Today I’ll show you some of the furniture I have been painting.

I always want to keep all the pieces for myself.  This is silly because it is supposed to be my job not a hobby, but it is like they are my babies.  This little five drawer dresser I really could have put anywhere in our cottage here in the wine country.  It would have even fit up on my loft bed right below the eves.

Bohemian Loft

Here is the loft I finished painting a while back.  Everyone who walked into this space wanted to move in.  I called this loft the House of Doors.  There are five doors exiting the bottom of the loft and no inner doors at all, except one going to the bathroom.  All the doors lead to the huge garden and courtyard area.  To me this is a Bohemian Loft because of the mix of elements in the design and also because I know the people who own it will fill it with books, art, wine and unmade beds.  The Bohemian life we all want.

Oak Tree Galls a Creative Display

The Simple Life

Hi everyone!

I’ve finished the loft I was painting a while back.  I call it the Californian Bohemian Loft. I plan to show you it in the next post. Today some strange and splendid inspiration, Oak Tree Galls and garden flowers.