Field Trip: CHATEAU CHIC

An inviting façade....

     The weather has turned, Spring has finally sprung! In a fit of cabin fever, I decided to take myself out on a field trip today. In my travels, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon a luscious, little jewel box of a shop that has escaped my notice on many a trip up and down Boston Post Rd. in Old Saybrook. Caught at the traffic light out front today, I finally saw it ....Chateau Chic...it's door wide open & inviting. 

Love at first sight.

It is light, it is bright, and it is floor-to-ceiling gorgeousness.  My jaw was on the floor the whole time I was there...this place is beautiful! Its a perfect balance of crystal, linen, and lace, with a drool-worthy selection of vintage beaded purses, fragrant and elegant candles, sparkling lighting, delightfully packaged soaps, and so, so much more.

Delightfully packaged soaps and stationery.

     The shop's offerings involve an enchanting mix of antique, vintage, handmade, found, upcycled, and shabby chic style furnishings and accessories. A team of artists brings new life to much of the provincial furniture currently offered, and will happily customize a hand-painted piece for you.To expand the line of elegant offerings, an inclusion work from local artisans and vendors is planned for the near future.

French Country Tabletop.

      A collector for many years, owner Jeannie Fillatti was encouraged by friends to open a shop to showcase her abundance collected goods and great taste. She and Shop Manager Lindsay Whipple, who gracefully manages the day-to-day operations, look forward to celebrating Chateau Chic's one year anniversary in May. Happy Anniversary, Ladies, and Congratulations on a job so well done!

     I can't say enough good things about the beauty and ambiance of Chateau Chic. My visit was thoroughly delightful, and I encourage everyone to experience it first hand! For a sneak peek into the shop, visit the Chateau Chic Facebook Page or Etsy Shop.

 Vignettes of creamy white and cool grey....

What shop is complete without a beautiful fashion model?

My favorite corner....

Hand-painted Antiques

Have to include a shot of Robin's Egg Blue....

Mixture of Rustic and Elegant

A pop of color in a vintage beaded purse.

In the Pink

I'm filling the shop with lots of lovely pink things... pink and red; for Valentine's Day, of course! Blank note cards, vintage buttons and bridge tallies. Check in often, and soon... I'll be adding from my recent acquisition of gorgeous vintage grosgrain ribbon. A milliner's lot, I believe, in reds, and raspberry-s, and chocolate browns.
Have you been to the French Hen Facebook page? Shop updates, product photos, and promotions will posted there. Become a Fan today!

Recent Aquisitions

Greetings! I want to share with you some great antique and e-bay finds I've aquired over the past few weeks. First is this lovely wooden doll form. I keep wanting to refer to her as "angel" rather than "doll", I don't know why. Maybe because she seems kind of ethereal? Anyway, I think she's so chic-shabby chic!


Next up is this awesome spice cabinet! I just fell right in love with it. It was already this perfect shade of robin's egg blue and I just love the look of it-so country charming. What I especially appreciate in this piece is the repair work on the back. It reminds me of what a disposable society we've become. Nowadays, I think we'd just as soon replace it rather than lovingly repair it. (I'm as guilty as anyone) These little drawers are perfect for stashing supplies and it makes a great addition to the studio.



Finally, some additions to my growing collection of vintage bling. Theoretically, these are to be used for embellishments on future products, but I'm not sure I'll be able to part with them!

New Goods, New Shop

BAD, BAD Blogger! I was going good with consistent posting for a while there, but then I fell off the wagon... But, I have been pretty busy lately-I set up a new shop on Etsy, MSD DESIGN Art & Artful Goods This new shop exclusively sells products featuring my original art; Mixed-Media and Illustration. You'll find prints, note cards, home decor items, and more. There's some nice spring art newly listed there. My original shop, MSD Design Illustration & Inspiration still offers all of my yummy vintage and vintage-style supplies-Paris items are hot right now.

Vintage Goodness @ the Etsy Shop

Good Morning! It is once again snowing here in New England, and rather bleak. Time to light some yummy scented candles. I always go for the ones that smell like baked goods; Buttercreme, Creme Brulee, Spiced Pumpkin , Yum!!
I've added another lovely collection of vintage ephemera to the shop. This is the Paris Parcel-all Paris-themed items. Also, I was able to rework the price on my Vintage Ledger Packet; it's now $15 instead of $20. Yay. And I still have a couple of my popular French Paquets left.

So excited...

Hello All! I'm so excited to have my "French Pacquet" chosen to be among Etsy's top sellers of 2008. A winning vote will provide MSD Design with much needed and appreciated publicity & honor. Go here to vote. Only five days left! Thank you for your support!

Valentine's Products

Hello All! Just jotting a quick post to tell you that we're adding Valentine and Heart themed goods to our Etsy shop and our CafePress Shop. Check 'em out, and stay tuned for more...

NEW Hallowe'en Goodes @ Etsy

Yay! Today my shop is featured on the Holidays Showcase at Etsy. For the occasion, I've added
some new Halloween and Autumn-themed goodies...







Enjoy! My fave is the Jack O'Man Hanger.

Just for Pretty...

French Paquets, available in our Etsy shop



My husband surprised me w/ the most gorgeous teapot I've ever seen after his trip to Florida.




An antique crocheted dress yoke that hangs in my office.







My doily collection, gathered and stacked, with a little nest perched on top. I got the inspiration to stack my doilies on a cake stand from Country Living.













A sweet handcrafted baby card. This will soon be among our offerings at Etsy as well.










"Shabby Chic" Rabbits

Self-Indulgence...

Greetings-I want to show off my new paper doll! It's been awhile since I did a creative project for the sheer fun of it. I indulged myself w/ some paper-doll parts stamps that I recently purchased from my new favorite rubber stamp store, Beautiful Impressions.




Isn't she lovely? I was in vintage heaven while making her...an old postcard, vintage lace and sheet music, plus antique buttons-LOVE IT! I also ordered a few more sets of Character Construction stamps from Terri. Very Marie Antoinette-can't wait.

Note from Michele

Greetings! With my husband's encouragement and favorable response to recent work, I've decided to throw myself wholeheartedly into my collage work. I'm so excited-I plan on creating a whole line of collage art that will incorporate my recent obsession-vintage elements. Look for more old keys,antique lace, and beautiful time-worn sheet music and letters. It'll be fun for us at the studio to create new products based on the new work. Wish us luck!