Enjoying the last of Summer

{my sweet little niece Sophie}

Hello friends!

I know I've been a bit absent lately, but it has been a bit of a crazy time for me here.  The kids and I were trying to enjoy the last of our summer days together before they headed back to school this past Wednesday...I've also been working hard to get all of my videos shot for Creatively Made Home...and it's been a big job to work out all of the details in order for me to stay 2 weeks in France on our upcoming trip.

We are at 10 days and counting until Steve and I head to Provence!!!  I will spend a week with Steve in the south of France, then we head up to Paris for a night, and then I will be meeting up with Jeanne and heading into the coutryside again to spend a week at Sharon's gorgeous little guest cottage!

{still taking advantage of the lovely Queen Anne's Lace...here my little Caighton is the model}

I have never been away from my children for 2 weeks...so while I am ecstatic beyond belief to be able to spend so long in the country I love so much, I am a little bit nervous that I will be missing them terribly.  I have several different family members lined up to watch them and lots of fun things for them to do while I am gone, so I know they will have a blast, but it will be strange for me to be away from them for so long.  I feel so blessed to have my family nearby and willing to help out...and I feel so very blessed to be able to take a trip like this!

If any of you have been to Provence, and have a favorite spot, flea market, or restaurant, I would love to hear about it!!!  Steve and I have worked out a rather extensive flea market schedule and I am giddy with excitement!  We will pretty much hit a few flea markets every morning while we re there and then we are free in the afternoon to explore the beautiful Provencal countryside!!  I promise to bring back lots of vintage French goodies for the SHOP :))  This will be our biggest buying trip yet!

We had originally planned to tack a few days in Torino, Italy onto our trip to Provence, but my husband is starting a new job and can't get away for quite that long, so Italy will have to wait until next year.

Wishing all of you a wonderful weekend!

Tracey

Creatively Made Home E-course

p.s.  

...the September issue of Jeanne d' Arc Living Magazine will be here early next week and so will the new JDL Christmas book, A Touch of France!  All orders placed by Friday, August 31st will go out right away, but please note that the shop will then be closed from September 1st - 20th.  The shop will reopen on Friday, September 21st with all new flea market finds from France!!!

Queen Anne's lace

Hello my friends!

Nothing reminds me of summer here in the Midwest more than Queen Anne's Lace!  It is everywhere, especially along the roadsides.  And with the extreme heat and lack of rain we have had this summer, it is one of the few flowers that hasn't seemed to mind!  I happen to love Queen Anne's Lace...

There is a large field of this pretty flower just a hop skip and a jump from my house...so over the weekend, I asked my oldest daughter, Halena, to help me gather some up.  I brought my camera along, just in case she was willing to let me snap a few photos of her...and much to my surprise, she was almost a willing participant {she is the hardest of my 3 children to try and get to pose for a picture}!

This particular patch of loveliness is just off of a corn field.  Such a great view...

I played around with the white balance on my camera and "warmed" my photos up a touch to give them a bit of a vintage effect {saved me the time doing it in Photoshop!}...

I had a hard time narrowing down the photos :)

The kids will be back to school in just a few weeks, but for now we are hanging onto the last of our summer days together and we have so been enjoying the wonderful break in the hot weather that we have been having the past few days!!

Wishing you a lovely day ~

Tracey

p.s.  I am starting to offer a few select prints of my photography in the SHOP!  I will continue to add to what is already listed over the coming months...you can find these prints in the Beautiful Living section.

Here is one of my very favorite prairie fields that I photographed last summer {which sadly did not look nearly as pretty this year due to the terrible weather}...

{"Summer in the Midwest Print"}

Creatively Made Home E-course

CMH House Tours

Hello!  I hope you all had a great weekend!!  I was busy taking LOTS of pictures this past weekend :)

As a part of the upcoming e-course, Creatively Made Home, that Jeanne, Sara, Kim, Jen and I are working on, we will {among many things} be sharing photos of our homes...complete home tours.  We all share a love of vintage, but our styles are all very different and uniquely our own.  That's the beauty of creating a home that reflects your heart...your design is uniquely yours!  And that is what the course is all about, loving the home you live in...

So, as long as I snapped so many photos, I figured I would give you a peek :))

A reminder that today is the last day to sign up for the e-course and receive the introductory price of $48...after today, the price will always be $58.  So if you would like to sign up and save $10, this is the last day to do it :)  We would so love to have you be a part of the course!!!

Have a beautiful Monday ~

Tracey

{All photos taken by me}

Creatively Made Home E-course

Jeanne d' Arc and a Summer Fete

Hello!

The new issue of Jeanne d' Arc Living Magazine is now in stock and available in the SHOP!

Take a peek at how pretty it is...

{Jeanne d' Arc Living August Issue}

Jeanne d' Arc Living is also coming out with a new Christmas book this year!  Yay!!!  It focuses on the French style and promises to be a gorgeous addition to your decorating and home decor books!  It will be released September 1st...to reserve your copy go *HERE*

{All photos courtesy of Jeanne d' Arc Living}

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I also wanted to share with you the wonderful farm-to-table Summer Fete that my friend Kara put together!  To view this beautiful party set on the lawn of an 1860's farmhouse in Ohio, click below!! 

Open publication - Free publishing - More farm-to-table

Thanks so much for stopping by ~

:) Tracey

Creatively Made Home E-course