Holiday Blessings

 

What an amazing holiday this has been for me! I thought it would be rather difficult but seriously WOW!!! With God's blessings, it turned out to be one of the best I've had in a very long time.

My best friend and her entire family were in town to celebrate her Mother's 90th birthday so my daughter and I were with them all weekend.

 

 We were in Downtown Disney and we could see fireworks from Disneyland.

 This is my best friend's family who are all very loving.

 Then on the 24th, joined my own family. These are my two very cute nieces.

Christmas Day, we went whale watching in Newport Beach. We didn't see any whales but saw tons of dolphins. Soooo much fun!

My daughter, doesn't get any better than this

These two photos are my money shots!

Mom, daughter, aunts and cousins

 And how cute is this house among all the huge houses lined up on Newport Bay, this would be mine if I lived there.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday as well and once again, thank you for all your very nice comments from my previous post.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2013!!!

10 Things I'm Thankful For

It is Thanksgiving week already, and as I write this, I keep questioning myself if there is any reason why I should celebrate Thanksgiving this year. As of my last post, my divorce has not been any easier. I'm still going through an emotional roller coaster every day. However, I must admit that the heartache has now been less painful although the feeling of sadness is still strong. I have read once that the best cure for improving negative emotions is practicing the Art of Gratitude. Therefore, I have decided that I will celebrate Thanksgiving this year and have made a list of things I am and will always be thankful for.

1. Thank you God! Thank you for giving me the strength and courage for surviving a very difficult challenge in my life. I know You are taking care of me so thank you for leading me on this healing journey one step at a time.

2. Thankful for my good health. For the last 8 weeks since the separation, I have not been sick, I have managed to go to work every single day, I have been eating better and sleeping better. The best part is, I have lost 24 pounds. I've received quite a few compliments for this weight loss so thank you!

3. Thankful for my daughter. My daughter and I has been closer than ever. She has become my biggest supporter and listener just like true best friends.

4. Thankful for my parents. My parents especially my mother has been truly amazing these last 8 weeks. Even at 46 years old, she still takes care of me like I am her little girl.

5. Thankful for my family. My brother, sister in law, cousins, aunts who are constantly calling me up and checking on how I'm doing.

6. Thankful for my best friend. I seriously think that my best friend from Utah is the sister that I never had. She knows everything about me, what I'm feeling at every moment of everyday. She listens, consoles and gives me hope and joy that things will turn out for the best. She hooked me up with this amazing room at a recent trip in Asheville and even surprised me with tea and cookies. 

7. Thankful for my friends. Going through divorce has made me realize the importance of real friends. These past few weeks, I cannot believe how much friends I have who really care about me and what I'm going through. I'm especially thankful for one friend who makes me laugh all the time when I'm feeling sad, and who is so caring that I was given home cooked healthy food for a week. Thankful to friends who take me out to the movies, happy hours, parties and other fun things because I deserve to have fun! I have also reconnected with old friends and have met new friends through support groups. It's a great feeling to have a connection with people that understand what I'm going through.

8. Thankful for my job. It's amazing how supportive everyone is at work. My managers, my co-workers, they have been so understanding!

9. Thankful for vacation. During last week's trip to Charlotte for a conference, I drove up to Asheville, NC and was finally able to visit the Biltmore Estate. It's amazing! It's my first vacation as a single lady and I must admit, I had a good time.

10. Finally, I'm thankful for the Gift of Hope. There is no doubt in my mind that there is hope beyond this pain. That this is simply the end of my marriage, not my life. That after this transition, I will be an even better person and that the best is yet to come.

Here's to hoping for the best Thanksgiving everyone! May you be surrounded with its true meaning.

Falling to Pieces

Fall has always been my favorite season of the year. The two trees in each corner of my picket fence that produce bountiful blooms of yellow flowers are a definite reminder that Fall has arrived.

Sadly, the Fall season that I love is something that I wish I could skip this year. Just four weeks ago, I experienced death. Death of a relationship that is. My spouse announced after a weekend trip that he no longer wants to be married.

What a life shattering announcement! To this day, I feel like I was kicked in the stomach, stepped on my chest, and my heart ripped into pieces. The words that were uttered were the most painful words I have ever heard, and all I can do is listen.

How does one recover from hearing these painful words? How can I recover from hearing the finality of a phrase which in simple terms mean, "goodbye, this is the end of us."

I had no idea this would happen to our marriage.

My feelings are a mix of hurt, betrayal and deception. I feel like our story was just another fictional story from the many poems and stories written by him. 

So now, how do I move on?

How do I continue my life without the person who I thought was my best friend...the person who I thought I would grow old with?

These last four weeks without him has been an emotional roller coaster for me.

What do I do? I'm falling to pieces.

I pray to God for strength every hour of everyday for the pain to go away. I ask Him to lift my spirit and heal my broken heart. I ask for peace and happiness and to someday be glued back together in one whole piece.

I have been seeing a therapist and joined a support group. Also, got a new dog who is so loving and sweet whom I named Zoe. The name is of Greek origin meaning "life" which is so appropriate because she is so full of life.

I am so thankful for the support of my mother, daughter, and family members who are constantly reminding me that "this too shall past." I am so thankful for my friends and co-workers who are helping me "have fun" by taking me to happy hours. Lastly, I am so thankful for my best friend whom I have known for 27 years, who flew in from Utah just to simply take care of me and listen to what I had to say.

Yes, my life will go on, slowly I know I can move on!

For now, I ask those of you who know me here through Marie's Maison to pray for my bleeding heart. Someday soon I will heal with many of your prayers.

Decor en Vogue

Have you ever decorated your home using clothing and accessories? I'm sure some decorators do it all the time especially using vintage vogue fashion. This type of styling is hard to pull off but really it's all about your own sense of style and what you think looks good in your space, non?

Here's something I did using vintage costume "Jane Austen" style. Love this costume which I actually used two Halloween seasons ago.

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My inspiration started with this free old mirror door. My new neighbor was giving this baby away and I was the first one who asked for it, lucky me :-) since I always have a thing with old doors.

Love the old brass door knob and how the mirror is already starting to show its age

 This old door mirror really looks perfect in my bedroom next to my European vintage shutter closet doors.

Then an idea popped and thought about cutting a piece of tree branch to bring in some natural element and add a bohemain flair

And thought that grouping some of my handbags would make a nice vignette

 Then another idea popped...hey I have too many handbags, better start selling them in Etsy.

And there you have it, another idea is born...decorating Marie's Maison en Vogue, why not?

Stay tuned for my upcoming new shop in Etsy selling vintage clothing, handbags, jewelry and other accessories. Merci et au revoir for now!

French Enamelware

I seriously have a weakness for French enamelware, j'adore them, but really who doesn't??? I mean look at these amazing beauties!!!

Via Pinterest

Via Pinterest

Via Pinterest

This French enamel lavabo in beautiful turquoise blue was for sale in my Etsy shop. This product was my most viewed item, over 5000 views from the time I listed it about 6 months ago. It was featured in over 30 treasuries and it has also been posted in Pinterest over and over. I'm a little sad this item sold, but to a well deserved customer of mine.

This shabby white French metal washstand and enamel pitcher also had tons of views from my Etsy shop.

And this French blue washstand had been pinned in Pinterest so many times. Just like the lavabo and the washstand above, this one sold as well.

So here are the last few enamelware items I have for sale in my Etsy shop. 

This pink lavabo is really amazing especially for its vintage age. This came all the way from France as well. Love the floral design which is truly a rarity. This still holds water and the spigot still works.

Love this French white body pitcher with the red and white checkered lustucru pattern

And of course, a beautiful French blue milk bucket, another really rare piece.

 So wondering where the turquoise lavabo and washstand went? 

Here they are! Sitting very pretty in my customer's really lovely home. She was so nice to share some photos with me and I just love how these pieces fit her home perfectly!

This customer of mine really deserves to have her home featured in a blog. I mean, look at this hall table she built from an old salvaged door! She and I have a thing for old doors and was just amazed of this awesome transformation. We have a project together, I will give her a tutorial on how to start her own blog. She really has to showcase that natural talent!

Well, if any of you ever want to start collecting French enamelware, please stop by my Etsy shop. I'm having a 10% discount promotion until middle of September.

Fabulous Weekend Getaway

Mon cheri et moi had a short getaway last weekend. First we visited my daughter who now lives in Venice Beach. She was so sweet and took us to a really nice antique store in Santa Monica called Wertz Brothers. After taking her to lunch and buying her groceries (you know, Moms always has to make sure their babies are eating well no matter how old they are), we headed down south and stopped in Laguna Beach.

We stayed at a beautiful and romantic B&B called Casa Laguna Inn. They have a sort of Spanish Villa theme with a majestic ocean view. After fighting with L.A. traffic for over an hour, mon cheri et moi decided to get a "sunset" side by side massages on their garden patio. Check out that view.

Source: Casa Laguna Inn

Our room had a private patio and a partial ocean view.

  

 

We even had our own entrance to the room

This is an entrance to a private cottage in the property which has very charming steps.

Love the vintage stained glass windows in some of the rooms.

This is their outdoor breakfast area

 

The reason we picked this B&B is because of their breakfast menu. They have a french chef and our breakfast was really delicious and gorgeous!

After breakfast, we headed inland and stopped by the Irvine Flea Market. It was pretty cool to see a huge variety of vendors. 

I really liked this booth, she had a Frenchy look to it. Love these couple of French chairs she was selling, but couldn't afford it after staying at the expensive B&B (haha!).

 

 Anyway, speaking of French chairs, I sold this antique French style chair via my Etsy shop about three weeks ago. My customer contacted me after and showed me how she transformed the chair from drab to FAB. Wait till you see below...

BEFORE

 Doesn't this look AMAZING!!!

AFTER

 I really love that she used the chair as a planter for her beautiful porch. And I was specially tickled that she shared these photos she took of the transformation with me so that I can blog about it. Merci beaucoup dearest!