Top 5 Decor Sites

Hey Folks!

It’s definitely feeling like summer here in the sunshine state- and although I’m loving that my little garden is blooming-I definitely do not like the sweat dew that accompanies April. Thus the life of a Floridian, I suppose…

But back to the important stuff. Cue the music… Yup, it’s the post I was talking about! The one where I share my top five favorite decorating sites that inspire me to make my little cottage- cottage chic.

1) The Old Painted Cottage

This is my absolute favorite website for decorating inspiration! Jennifer owns this site that is both a blog and an online store. Every month her accompanying blog, Cottage of the Month, features a brand new home that showcases truly elegant and magazine perfect “cottages”. Each home has different collections and themes, from primitive to shabby chic to nautical to classic modern. If you haven’t visited this site yet- GO NOW!

2) The Graphics Fairy

A few years ago, this was the best kept secret on the web but since this site is so fantastic it’s pretty famous now. Karen owns this site which offers over 3500 free- yes, FREE graphics- to use in your craft, art and design projects. Karen really has amazing style and uses the highest quality ephemera (vintage paper memorabilia). She also offers tips on DIY projects that are perfect to sell, keep or give as gifts. I especially love the French Typography since a small part of me wishes I was Paris chic!

3) Rachel Ashwell

Now, this one may seem like a no-brainer since Rachel Ashwell coined the Shabby Chic brand back in the late 80s but I love her blog because her passion behind her fabulous hotel THE PRAIRIE just permeates her online adventures as she searches for vintage treasures.  And although as a bargain hunter I think she charges too much for her couture furniture- I do get inspiration as a furniture painter on how to fix up my own Goodwill and Salvation Army finds.

4) Paint Me White

Paint Me White is a smaller website that showcases Australian furniture painter Sandy and her shop on the Gold Coast in Brisbane (at the Woolloongabba Antique Center if you’re in the area 🙂 I love this site not only because it lets me know what’s hot in another part of the world but because it  inspires me to be more simple in my decorating since Sandy’s pictures of her own house are so beautifully minimal.

5) Country Sampler

Now, this one technically is a magazine but I had to include it because Country Sampler actually offers advertisements on where to buy their showcased pieces. I also have gotten some amazing inspiration from their vignette features because it pushes me out of my shabby/cottage comfort zone. And sometimes our style gets stale so we need to incorporate something different now and then.

Whew!

So, now that I shared all my secret places to visit for inspiration- please share some of yours!

If you’ve been following my posts then you know that I recently moved into a brick and mortar shop inside an antique mall. Something I’m super excited and scared to death about. But aside from doing my signs and flipping my trash to treasure furniture pieces- I’m always on the look out for stuff for my own house. Some of the pieces I am always on the look out for is book shelves or kitchen hutches since they offer great storage and display value. I picked up one such piece last fall for five dollars and had no idea how to use it at the time- (but how could I pass up five dollars, right?) Well, after my amazing boss and owner of the antique mall gifted me some vintage kitchenware I knew just where to put it!

I just couldn’t resist adding that piece of vintage gingham behind this open shelving to create the illusion of a back.

Well, that’s it for now folks! I’ve got Project Runway on the DVR and a glass of Baileys waiting for me. Please leave some comments so I know you’re out there!

Ya’ll come back now,

Rachel

The Find: Part 1

Welcome to Southern Hill Cottage! I’m Rachel and I’m here to blog about all things antique.

Ya’ll I have a serious antique addiction- and my husband just doesn’t get it. We’re originally from the land of plasticity- a.k.a Los Angeles- now, don’t get me wrong California can be picturesque but I’ve always had this yen for living in a little old farmhouse in some country nook. So.. years ago when we were newly hitched the hubby and I headed south. And now we live across from a citrus farm in the beautiful hills of Clermont, Florida. And I love it.

But anyway, enough about me and back to this serious addiction of mine. Antiques. I don’t know if it’s the fact that my grandmama grew up in the Appalachian Mountains but I love objects that tell a story. Unfortunately, most of these objects are pretty expensive and this Mama don’t have the funds to support my habit. This is where THE FIND comes in. I love a bargain. So my rule is when I go on the hunt for something truly fabulous- I can only spend twenty dollars or under. It’s difficult but I’ve furnished most of my house this way. Rooms don’t always get finished quickly but boy is it a rush when you buy something amazing without the guilt of a huge bill.

So, settle in, gulp up some sweet tea while you follow me on the look out for The Find.

Where are we heading? Well, we’ve just left behind the green pastures of the local farms and are heading north to Mount Dora. I prefer to roll down the windows and let the cirtus-sy goodness waft in while I sing very off key to Kelly Clarkson.

Once you hit the dirt roads, the suburban houses disappear and you start seeing places that can only be described as plantations. This is where I start having my Scarlett O’Hara fantasies and feel delightfully feminine. Oh fiddly dee!

Alright back to reality. The sign announcing our destination is near and I start to get that little flip flop of anticipation in my belly. I always get that feeling like I better get out and get pickin before everything good is gone; which ya’ll is just plain ridiculous when you’re heading to a place that has over 40,000 square feet of antiques. Yup, if you just goose bumps then we’re going to be really good friends. So, now that I’m parked like a frantic sinner at church we’re ready to head on down the dusty hill to RENNINGERS TWIN MARKETS. Up the hill is the flea market (which I’ll save for another post) and down the hill is heaven, er,  the antique mall.

Now, some people who have this little thing called money like to just jump on the first thing that catches their eye but since we’re picking cheap today (and most days, let’s face it!) we’re going to take our time.

Now my style is shabby chic all the way baby- Miss Rachel Ashwell may have coined the term but this way of decorating in chippy white, pink or pastel was invented way back in the age of the first royals when castles needed to preserve a look of integrity with basically no funds to redecorate. Thus grew the style we know today and why the weathered chippy-ness works so beautifully with all things elegant.

Since this ain’t my first rodeo at the lovely Renningers- I’m going to save the indoor vendors for another day since glass cases and pretty much any place with air conditioning  equals more money.