for the love of bunting

Like many of you, I've become a little obsessed with bunting. For weddings, baby showers, kids' rooms and parties, or anywhere else you want to add a festive touch, the charm of colourful fabric bunting has a timeless appeal.

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Starlit Nest Gifts, from Santa Cruz, California, USA, offers a huge range of bunting banners, as well as other fabric garland, baby quilts, and other custom fabric creations, for parties, weddings, interior decoration, and photo shoots. I'm smitten with their adorable creations. I love the colours and prints of the fabrics used, and the sweet details, like tiny white pompom trim on baby quilts. You can see more of their gorgeous wares here, on etsy. They ship worldwide, so even those of us who live in far-flung places can enjoy their lovely things. 

{This post was sponsored by Starlit Nest Gifts. I only post about products I sincerely like and believe that my readers will like, too.}

Sweet Dreams

I think I would drift off to dreamland quite happily in these beautiful bedrooms... Zzzzz.....

{image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 unknown, 6, 7 unknown, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12}

blossom beauty

When I first saw these images by the Cherry Blossom Girl, shot amongst beautiful summer blooms in Normandy gardens, I was utterly captivated. It was the middle of winter here, in July, and such carefree, romantic photos filled me with hope for warmer days ahead. I'm sure that those of you who are in the Northern Hemisphere are feeling that warm hope. I still get a little mixed up with the seasons, actually, and I've been finding myself in a spring-like mood lately. I hope that these lovely images will make you smile today--wherever you are.

{See the entire spread and find sources at the Cherry Blossom Girl}

A fairytale French chateau under restoration

This is the stuff that dreams are made of...

An Australian couple has undertaken the massive task of restoring a 94-room 18th century neoclassical French chateau, in a small village in the Midi-Pyrenees. Following their hearts, Karina and Craig Waters are renovating this hauntingly beautiful chateau, to make it their family home. 

The Chateau de Gudanes, in the village of Chateau Verdun, was designed by Parisian architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, known for the neoclassical architectural symmetry in his designs, including Petit Trianon and Place de la Concorde. The chateau was famous, in its heyday, as a place for lavish entertaining and rural ambiance. Built for Marquis Louis Gaspard de Sales, the stunning home was spared during the Revolution, and later bought by a local family. It sat uninhabited for many years, left to decay.

The Waters family were nearly out of hope for finding their dream home in rural France, when they finally discovered the chateau. The crumbling yet alluring chateau cast its spell upon them. They bought it in 2013, and waited a number of months to have building permits approved. Now that work is progressing, the chateau is coming back to life.

Karina has been writing a blog about the chateau's restoration, so we can all follow the journey of this home, alongside the Waters family. I'm very excited to see how this enchanting fairytale ends!

{sources: Messy Nessy Chic and the Chateau de Gudanes blog}