Happy Saturday!
Hi girls! Sorry I've been MIA lately. I've been busy tidying up (o.k., cleaning like a mad woman!) in preparation for my parents visit next week. I'm so exited that they are coming! I'd better get back to cleaning. Hope you all enjoy your weekend! Here's a little eye candy from my favorites on Flickr!

1. Old Victorian houses in Eureka, CA, 2. Maude Fealy, 3. Jan - Fading Beauty #2, 4. My finds this weekend........., 5. Journal page , 6. Rhinestone Buttons, 7. Pay It Forward ATC Swap, 8. Vintage postcard - artist Catherine Clein, 9. Aqua Blue Ruffled Prom Dress

White Wednesday!
(Click to enlarge photo)
Some favorite whites from around my home and from my favorite antique malls. Thanks to Kathleen from Faded Charm for hosting this weekly blog party fun!
Michelle xoxo

Sneaking in some blogging time...while the little one sleeps. It's hard when they start only taking one nap a day and even harder when they stop napping altogether! So I'll just be grateful that he still takes one a day! I love vintage tablecloths and I found a really beautiful one a few weeks ago and have finally taken some photos to show you. Isn't it gorgeous? I love the colors and how soft and faded it is. Well, really I'm using the backside because it's even more soft and faded looking. This is a close up of the right side. And this is part of the pretty border. Jadite green, soft blue, faded rosy reds and pinks, buttery yellows... these colors just make me happy! Hope you find some happiness in your day!
Michelle xoxo

Missing you!
Hello, dear blog friends! I know I've been gone a long time, but it's been crazy around here. Summertime = three little boys at home all day long to keep busy and happy. Also, the past week we've all been suffering from an awful bout of the stomach flu. We're mostly recovered now and I hope to be blogging again very soon.This is a cute photo of my mom having lots of fun at the beach in a frame I altered.
And this is a collage I made with another photo from that day at the beach. Hope you are all having a fun summer!
Michelle xoxo

Sneak peek
Hello dear friends! I've decided to keep my first wall color after all. It is very pretty even though it wasn't what I first wanted and (with a crazy little 1 year old running about) I just don't have what it takes to paint it all over again!
I still have a lot to do before the room is done, though. Like finding pretty bedding and a chandelier. I've been eying this lovely vintage inspired bedding from Pennys.I'd prefer to find an old one, but there are some really gorgeous new chandeliers on Ebay for pretty cheap if you're willing to add all the crystals on yourself! lol! I just might do that.Since I'm not ready to show my room yet, I'll just give you a sneak peek. I've been having fun decorating my fabulous Simply Shabby Chic (found at the Goodwill for $30!) bookshelf with some of my favorite vintage treasures. Here's a little sneak peek of the wall color too, behind this chair! This is my mom's baby dress on an adorable vintage baby hanger. I embellished the glittered "C" with a photo of my sweet mama as a baby.
I love this vintage hanger! My mom gave me two like this and I think they are too pretty to leave in the closet! I added the rhinestone button because I just can't have enough sparkle!
Thanks for coming to visit today!
Michelle xoxo

Pretty inspiration...
Hello girls! Remember how I was going to buy some aqua paint for my bedroom makeover? Well, I did buy some.... and I painted the whole room.... and it's just way to bright and too blue. So I'll have to find a better color- hopefully one that looks a lot like the one in the photo below.
I love this bedroom so much!!! It's from the book "Garden Style" by Better Homes and Gardens. I think the very pale aqua color is just what I want. The vintage floral prints on the bed are so pretty! I love how they used the garden trellis and plant stand for display.This photo is from the same book. I have drooled over this photo for over 10 years now and I just noticed that I now have two of the lovely McCoy pieces that are in this photo, the swan and one of the flower pots! Anway, just sharing some lovely vintage style decorating inspiration while I try and sort out my painting problems.
Michelle xoxo

Romantic Bedroom Inspiration....
There's a reason I named my blog Rose Garden Romantic and my Flickr account Seaside Rose Garden. I love the sea. I adore roses because they remind me of my sweet mama's garden. And I'm a hopeless romantic. So it's no surprise that when it comes to decorating, those are my favorite themes! We moved into the house we are renting 4 years ago and I still have not decorated my master bedroom! Since we have always moved often, I don't do a lot to the houses I live in. But since we've lived here 4 years now and there's no sign of that changing anytime soon, I've decided to stop staring at those ugly dark green walls in my bedroom everyday when I wake up. I want to wake up to something beautiful and cheerful. So this weekend we are off to buy some paint! I have made a fun little collage for inspiration for my room's new look.
It's going to be a use what you have makeover for the most part. I already have a cottage style white bed, a vintage white dresser and a large mirror just like the one you see in the above photo. But the one in the photo is from Pottery Barn and costs hundreds of dollars. I got mine for $15 dollars from the Goodwill and painted it white! I even have a pretty barkcloth floral print pillow similar to the one on the bed. All I really need (o.k. want!) is a pretty chandelier, pretty bedding and some paint. I am terrible at making decisions and choosing paint colors is so hard. Wish me luck!
Michelle xoxo

Happy....
I love collecting! I collect so many things. One of the funnest things for me to find are vintage toys, children's books and baby items. They are just so cute and whenever I see them around my home they make me happy!
Ever since I first saw Jenny's cute vintage pianos (here and here and here)I wanted to find one of my own. I was so happy to find this toy piano, but it was an ugly dark brown wood. I painted it a cheerful aqua blue color and I think it turned out pretty cute, but I may not be finished with it yet...
This sweet baby sheet was made by my husband's dear grandmother. I was so happy to have it passed down to me. She was excellent at embroidery. The back looks as good as the front. It was an extra treat that it has bluebirds because I also collect anything with sweet vintage bluebirds on it! I'll have to show you that collection another day.
This copy of "A Child's Garden of Verses" has one of the prettiest covers I've seen! It's copyright is 1917.What do you love to collect? What is it in your home that makes your heart happy every time you see it?
Michelle xoxo

I Love the Goodwill- Part 3
Hello, dear readers! It's time for installment #3 of "I Love the Goowill"! I'm very exited about my latest find, this cute, clean and comfy checkered chair! I was very happy to find it was also a recliner. I covered the seat with some pretty vintage floral fabric to make it more fun and more me.
My new purchase inspired me to redo this whole corner of the living room in a whimsical cottage style. The cute Alice in Wonderland bunny is one of my favorite Marshalls finds from years ago. The lampshade with the ruffle and the silver vase with roses are from the Goodwill. The vintage hat covered in soft peachy pink flower petals is one of my favorites.
I filled one of my new (to me!) vintage suitcases with lots of pretty treasures.
Tucked inside are all sorts of goodies. Vintage lace, millinery, buttons, a sweet half doll, a charming little creamer and a fabulous old copy of "A Child's Garden of Verses". Don't you love the blue polka dot paper inside? I even like how it's partly torn away.
A close up view of all the loveliness!A sweet embroidered linen my sweet mama gave me. The colors are so soft and the lace edging is so pretty!
My favorite little rusty alarm clock. I love collecting them.
Lastly, a view of my half wall behind the chair. The photo is of my mama and her parents. I adore the sweet photo and the gorgeous frame (another great Marshalls find!)
Thanks for stopping by today, dear friends! I'll have to come visit you all later tonight after the 3 sweethearts are fast asleep!
Michelle xoxo

White Wednesday!
Oh goody! It's White Wednesday! I haven't participated in a long time and I've missed it! I promised to show you all the rest of what I found on my Mother's Day antiquing jaunt and some of it just happens to be white!
I have been searching for white suitcases for years and I've actually found several, but never wanted to pay $30 or more each. Since I wanted at least 3 so I could stack them, that would really add up fast. So I was very happy to find these small size ones for less than the price of one big one and they fit nicely on top of tables for a lift! Also, the little men in my life are more likely to leave them alone if they are high instead of stacked on the floor. I also found the photo of the lady, the pretty piece of crochet lace, an old bottle that I'm exited to embellish with lace and rhinestones and the faux fur collar, which I really only bought for the rhinestone clasps on it!Now I'm off to visit the other White Wednesday participants. Thank you to Kathleen of Faded Charm for hosting this fun weekly event!Michelle xoxo

A Lovely Day......
Lucky me! I had the loveliest Mother's Day! My sweet little guys gave me the cutest cards, homemade presents and my favorite candy! Then my sweet husband took me to one of my favorite places- the antique mall, of course! This is what I found.....An adorable Easter booklet! It tells the cutest story of a ducky who lived in Easterland. He was sad because he wanted to dress up for Easter, but had nothing to wear. So the other animals in Easterland help him out- each giving him something to wear. I will share more of this book another time. It's just too cute!I found some pretty aqua blue buttons for crafting. A girl can't have too many vintage buttons! And my favorite find of all... this amazing vintage quilt! I adore the colors, the vintage prints, and how it's faded to such a soft look!
And can you believe it was only $20!? Yes, it true! It does have a few small spots that are coming apart, but for the most part it's in great condition and not a single stain. Here is the yummy fabric on the backside.
My four handsome guys... adoring me, showering me with candy, hugs and kisses and taking me antique shopping! It doesn't get better than that! The only way to make it better is if I could have spent it with my sweet mama! Miss and love you, Mama!!! I found a few more things, too, but I'll save those for my next post. What did you do for Mother's Day? Michelle xoxo

Happy Mother's Day!!!
These are the gifts I sent to my dear, sweet Mama for Mother's Day this year. A pretty vintage journal, crochet lace, a millinery flower and some gorgeous rhinestone pieces!I also sent this lovely brown transferware plate and cute vintage photos!
It is so fun and easy to shop for her because we love all the same things!And for your Mother's Day gift, dear friends is something I know you all love... some gorgeous eye candy from my Flickr favorites! (Click to enlarge and see all the beauty up close!)
I hope you all have a lovely Mother's Day with your loved ones!
Michelle xoxo