Check out this article on vintage shopping in the Frederick, Maryland area:
Vintage, Thrift, Consignment Shopping in Frederick
by Courtney Pomeroy
Thanks for reading!
Virginia
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Chartreuse in the News!
Posted in Uncategorized on June 6, 2015| 1 Comment »
My blog has moved . . .
Posted in Uncategorized on March 7, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Vintage America
Posted in Uncategorized on July 3, 2014| 1 Comment »
Here’s a favorite collection of vintage Americana images from Chartreuse & co.
Enjoy!
Enjoy your summer, and have a Happy 4th!
Thanks for reading,
Virginia
Gift wrapped fun
Posted in Uncategorized on December 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »
I love wrapping gifts. I love the paper, the ribbon, the tags. I love folding the paper around the box, selecting and tying on the ribbon, selecting the just-right tag or embellishment.
We have a great selection of ribbon now, so I totally indulged and wrapped up a few packages – here’s a look:
Kraft paper makes such a great base for decorating your packages. These two velvet ribbons take a twist on traditional Christmas colors – love the effect.
Two shades of brown create a tone-on-tone effect against the brown kraft paper. The velvet really pops here because of the contrast in texture to the paper. Love how the fat little winter bird pulls it all together.
I used printed green paper tape, and then complemented it with these beautiful shades of green and blue velvet. The sweet little birds define it as a holiday package.
Here’s an unlikely grouping, which I think works well. Because the paper is busy, I’ve stuck to just one color of ribbon. The green wreath on the paper speaks to the holiday spirit, and the darling little bird tag spells it out. So pretty.
Truth be told, this one is my favorite. It’s simply the vintage chalkboard wrapping paper we carry everyday, combined with simple, cotton ribbon. The shapes, textures, and colors are just perfect together.
The ribbon is even more fun, as it’s wrapped on these wooden spools.
All in all, it was great fun, and totally put me in the mood to get all my gifts wrapped and under the tree. I’d love to see some of your holiday packages.
Happy wrapping!
Thanks for reading,
Virginia
Counting down to our last event of the year . . .
Posted in Uncategorized on December 3, 2013| Leave a Comment »
With the leftovers polished off, and a good bit of Christmas shopping behind us, we’re gearing up now for the last Chartreuse & co event of the year! I admit it’s a little bittersweet. I love transforming the barn, and watching each dealer re-think his or her vision of the holidays. It gives me such a rush to walk through (as I did last night), shooting pictures of all the beauty. And now, it’s the last time for all of 2013.
Here’s the best of what I saw just last night. There’s more coming in every day, so check out our website, www.chartreuseandco.com, for daily updates.
Thanks for reading,
Virginia
Getting ready for the sale
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged barn sale, buckeystown, chartreuse, chartreuse and co, tag sale, vintage on July 15, 2012| 2 Comments »
Here’s a few items I just photographed today. Enjoy!
I’ll be posting more in a few days.
Thanks for reading,
Virginia
Found a few treasures
Posted in Uncategorized on July 11, 2012| 4 Comments »
I love road trips. And they’re especially fun for me when they involve a little hunting. For Chip, hunting means guns, ammo, and meat in the freezer. For me, hunting means something quite different.
I begin such trips with the Suburban emptied of seats and debris. So it’s basically a pickup truck with a roof (and sometimes I really resent that roof . . .). Next, the requisite Starbucks drive-thru. Essential to my sanity and happiness. And what makes it extra fun is when you’ve got a buddy who is every bit as excited about the day as you are. On this day it was Cathy of Heather Grey Designs.
Naturally, the day we chose was over 95 degrees. But we were undaunted. Loaded with 8 bottles of water, suntan lotion, and granola bars, we were ready for anything. Here are some photos of our finds:
Love this oil painting! I realize that it’s beat up and chipping, but there’s just something about it that I love. (Don’t tell Chip, but I may have to keep it.) The big galvanized tub is cooler than it looks in this photo. It was white washed ages ago, and has such a great patina.
The concrete duck and metal urn are Cathy’s. Both great finds. The carelessly tossed trophy is mine. Don’t let the haphazard-looking packing fool you; each one of these items is precious to us.
What is it about old dress forms that I love so? And the more dilapidated it is, the more I want it. She’s already in the barn!
Such a nice cabinet. It was so tempting, in excellent condition, with all its drawers. But the price was just too high.
This old printer’s cabinet I absolutely loved. All the drawers were there. The hardware was original and so beautiful. But at $700, I just had to leave it behind.
It was a super successful trip, though. We filled the Suburban to the point that the young men helping us pack the last pieces simply did not believe it would all fit. But they didn’t know with whom they were dealing. Cathy and I climbed, pushed, shoved, cajoled, and, in the end, fit 1/2 dozen paintings, mirrors, 4 chandeliers, a chair, 4 tables, books, tags, trophies, china, lamps, a dress form, a 3′ diameter galvanized tub, and a 5′ solid concrete statue. Yes, we know how to pack.
And all that water we brought? Would you believe we drank all of it? And never had to use the bathroom. That’s just how hot it was.
Altogether a great day.
Thanks for reading,
Virginia
Apartment Living
Posted in Inspiration, Musings, Tag Sale Updates, Uncategorized, tagged apartment style, barn sale, chartreuse and co, kitchen, living, small space, tag sale on April 22, 2012| 4 Comments »
Sorry I’ve been so quiet lately. Between the activity of Market Days, late last month, and then getting ready for our tag sale this month, I’ve fallen a bit behind on so many projects. And with graduations looming, there’s even more to think about . . .
Even my laundry room and office re-dux have had to take a back seat to my latest venture, which is much more time sensitive: We’re converting the second floor of our soon-to-be-vacant tenant house into an apartment for our soon-to-be-graduating girls. While we’re sad to say goodbye to our tenants of 10 years, it does offer the silver lining of providing a convenient, affordable living space for our girls. And, of course, the opportunity for me to do some small-scale living decorating!
I’m just so darn excited!!! It’s 3 small rooms: a bedroom for each girl and a very small living/dining/kitchen space.
I see a pair of these on the 'sofa table' behind the sofa as you enter their 'living room'.
The sofa-table/kitchen island transitional piece for the tiny living/kitchen/dining room.
I’ve actually already acquired this one (with their permission), and, naturally, it came in 50,000 assorted pieces! But it’ll be smashing once it’s finished!
Their little sofa is similar to this one. Would you believe I scored it for just $40 at a Goodwill?!?! It's being completely reupholstered in a chic grey velvet.
Check out my Pinterest page, “Apartment Inspiration” for more of my concepts for the kitchen portion of the space. This is like a dream come true for me: the opportunity to decorate a life-size doll house!!!
Thanks for reading!
Virginia
PS Here are some shots of some of the great stuff in the barn right now, just in case you weren’t able to come see for yourself . .
Okay, so I've covered my bedroom, Sasha's room, her hallway (yes, the house has so many rooms and corridors, that my youngest, Sasha, has her own 'hallway'), the exercise room. There's no end to the rug selection, and the great prices make it such an easy decision!
One of my absolute favorite items this sale. So simple. So profound! Where has this easy, charming concept been all my life?
What is it about the Union Jack that so draws me? I suppose it's that I've always been an anglophile. But there's just something fiesty, yet reassuringly steady about it that I just can't put my finger on.
Oh, yeah, and there's TONS of great furniture here this weekend. Just in case you're wondering . . .
With the finish of this month's sale, but prior to my girls' graduations and moving, and all that that entails, Chip and I are running off to the beach for an extended weekend. These pillows and coral kinda take me there early . . .
I love these tea towels from France. I stumbled upon them at the Atlanta Merchandise Market and couldn't live without them. (It didn't hurt that the French guy selling them could say, "Chartreuse!" with that perfect French accent.)
Getting ready for April’s sale
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged barn sale, chartreuse & co, chartreuse and co, tag sale, vintage on April 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Wow! I can hardly believe that it, but April’s nearly over! Between Market Days, Easter, and Spring Break with the girls, it’s flown by.
But I’ve also been busy in the barn and here are some pictures of what’s going on there:
-
- Spring is here at the farm, and our lilacs are blooming. Right now, my favorite flower.
-
- Just plain happy. And I love the flowers spilling over the primitive bench, and against the stone wall.
-
- Don’t you love that the 7th garden chair is orange. So cute!
-
- Perfect for hanging on your porch – candle lanterns.
-
- Can you ever have too much coffee on hand? I think not.
Color Happy!
Posted in Uncategorized on April 5, 2012| 1 Comment »
Yes, I’m color happy right now. I’ve just spent the day at a Farrow & Ball color seminar, coming away inspired and more knowledgeable.
For instance, did you know that when selecting a paint color for exterior use, you should go up to 2 shades deeper than your original choice? Reason: the sunlight/exterior light is so intense that it washes color out. A deep cream or grey will appear almost pure white outside. Fascinating.
And extremely relevant to my upcoming summer project: painting the barns. Here’s some choices I’m considering from Farrow & Ball’s incomparable palette:
Eaves trim, door surround, window lintels: Down Spout
My hope is that it would look almost black, without the harshness of true black.
Surface of barn face, window mullions: Pavilion Gray
(This is not an accurate sampling at all. It’s actually a light grey, not a taupe . . .)
The door, and any shutters? Yup, an excellent shade of green: Churlish Green
It’s a work in progress, and I have lots of time to work it out, as I must wait till it’s consistently 65% and not raining . . .
I’d love to hear about any exterior painting suggestions or successes you’ve had.
Thanks for reading,
Virginia
The Chartreuse Life 