Autumn Decor + 2 Winners!

It's that special time of year again! You know . . . pumpkin time!! To celebrate the first day of autumn, Tom, the doggies and I paid a visit to the great pumpkin patch over the weekend. Sadly, we missed Linus, Snoopy and the gang, but we did find some spectacular pumpkins. 

Before I share my pumpkin beauties, let's get to the results of the drawing for the painting by Liz Floyd.

WOW, so many of you took the time to enter the drawing - many, many thanks!!! Your support and kind words regarding Liz's work mean a lot to both of us. There were a total of 250 comments, but only 237 qualified. Some comments posted twice (in which case the second was stricken), and some were replies / follow-ups / clarifications. I printed out all the pages for review and numbered each comment. Because there was such a positive response, Liz and I decided to draw two names and give both paintings away.

 The deadline to enter the giveaway was at 8:00 PM Eastern Time on 8/24/13. 

The first number drawn at 8:00 was #19 - above scan of screen print. That number matches the comment left by Lori. Lori chose "Still Life with Fruit and Cup."

 The second number drawn at 8:01 was #22. That belongs to Anonymous (NKBrown), and he/she gets the second painting by default.

Congratulations to Lori and NKBrown! I have your email addresses and will be in touch regarding shipping. A million thanks to Liz for the paintings. And, thank you all for participating. I plan to host more giveaways of original art, antiques, pillows, etc. Please stay tuned.

Now for a bit of fall decor at Tone on Tone. Enjoy!

 An autumnal tone-on-tone vignette! Here we have a pair of 18th century Swedish windows, garden statues depicting the seasons, and two Lumina pumpkins on a French painted console. Under the console is a large basket perfect for keeping birch firewood.  

 In the antique English copper fish poacher is a group of warty gourds. Kinda ugly, kinda cool. I love their lumps and bumps! The vitrine cabinet is Swedish. The English Regency looking glass hangs above a French etagere.

 Keeping it cool for autumn: blue pumpkins with lavender-bluish mums. I believe these are Australian Queensland Blue pumpkins.

More Lumina pumpkins in the vestibule. Actually the mound was a bit big, so I moved two inside.

 So there you have it - my little touches for the season! Let's keep it festive and fabulous for fall!!
Cheers~
Loi

Still-Life Painting Giveaway

It is my pleasure to host this special giveaway of an original still-life oil painting by my friend and artist, Elizabeth Floyd. This is such a treat as I greatly admire Liz personally and professionally. And, I am quite drawn to the quiet beauty of her work.

Liz and I first met last year after corresponding via our blogs. We immediately connected on many topics - from art to design to nature. Trained as an architect, she left that structured world to nurture her dreams of becoming an artist and, essentially, for a gentler pace. To read her complete bio, please visit here.

From an interview for the Lorton Patch, February 2013:

"The objects that populate our lives have the means to speak to others, and I hope I can encourage people to pause and find something to appreciate. I love art because it gives me an opportunity to show and express what I find so remarkable and beautiful in this world." 
  
~ Elizabeth Floyd

Artist Elizabeth Floyd with daughter Naomi.

After discovering her lovely paintings online, I wanted to visit Liz in her world. Here are my photos of her home and studio.

Two simple but evocative still-life vignettes being painted at the time.

Liz paints only in natural light. Her collections of props, bottles, dishes, and natural curiosities are fascinating!

A few of my favorite paintings. To see works currently available, please visit here.

The following paintings spoke to me, and I have paired them together as such.

Now for the giveaway. There are two paintings available (see below), and the winner of this drawing gets to select one. Here's how to enter, etc:

1) Visit Liz's portfolio and have a look at her paintings.

2) Come back and leave a comment on my blog stating which one of the two paintings (below) you would like. 

3) Please leave your name and a way for me to identify or contact you.

4) Only one entry per person.

5) All are welcome, whether you have a blog or not - including readers outside the U.S.

6) This drawing ends September 24, 2013 at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. One name (by comment number) will be drawn randomly via Random.org.

7) I'll announce the winner on September 25, 2013.

8) The painting will be shipped free of charge to the winner - no PO box address, please. 

Option #1: Still Life with Apple, Silver Cup and Bottle. I had it custom framed in a Victorian style silver frame. 

This little gem measures 5 1/2" x 7 1/2" and is propped in front of the art books in our library. It's meant to be picked up and admired. 

Option #2: Still Life with Fruit and Teacup. At 8 1/2" x 8 1/2" it is a perfect little square, and can be hung or propped. It was photographed in our shop on a Swedish Gustavian commode.

So those are the two paintings, and one will soon go to a new home. Many, many thanks to Liz for her generosity!! I hope you will visit her blog for inspiration, and perhaps, include her lovely painting(s) in your home. And, thank you for taking the time to enter this drawing! Cheers, Loi

A New Leaf

Hello ~

Welcome back! How was your summer? While I am sad summer break is over, I am looking forward to seeing everyone again. Fall is the season to catch up, reconnect, and make new friends. If you are in the DC area, please visit us at the shop!

Over the summer, I attended a few antiques shows - always fun and interesting! I already have quite a number of antique pottery pieces, and was lucky to find new additions to my collection of leaf dishes. The leaf form dish is very popular, and can be found in all categories of ceramics - from creamware to ironstone to majolica. They were originally made for serving hors d'oeuvres, olives, relishes, sauces, sweet meat, and bon-bons. However, I enjoy finding new ways to use these naturalistic pieces. Let me show you my collection.

While visiting a friend in the Shenandoah Valley, I found this smear-glaze leaf dish at a bric-a-brac shop nearby. It's charming as a soap dish in my bathroom. The bud vase was a gift from a client - thank you, Anne!

Notice the little feet. BTW, I love the soaps from Santa Maria Novella. This one is their Sapone Alla Menta.

Below is another smear-glaze leaf dish from my collection. I wrote about smear-glaze pottery here.

On my Swedish Gustavian bedside table is a pair of green Majolica dishes - perfect for pocket change, etc. I found the oil portrait at an antiques shop in Switzerland 15 years ago. The oval tub is a creamware footbath from Wedgwood. The headboard is upholstered in Peter Fasano's Laundered Linen, and the 16" x 36" pillow is covered in Raoul Textile's Victoria. I like to jazz up the headboard from time to time, and here it is draped with a cashmere throw.

Do you remember these creamware leaf plates I featured last year? They are actually from a set of 10. Yes! 10 fabulous leaf dishes in perfect condition :)

 The little ones make great dipping dishes. That's olive oil with a sprig of rosemary - so good!

All together now! Just for fun, I gathered everyone in the dining room. The "real" foliage is scented geraniums.

Over Labor Day weekend I picked up this little Majolica leaf dish. The colors are so lively and beautiful against the Robin's Egg Blue of the Swedish secretary at our shop. Can you picture the dish holding paper clips, thumb tacks, etc?

Also at our shop is this Ca. 1860s white ironstone relish dish in the form of an acanthus leaf. The lipped-top tea table and bergere are both Swedish.

And that's my foliage display. I love this time of year, and can't wait for the real show of fall foliage. 
Bye for now! 
Loi