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Ooooh Bonjour ladies, we are going a leetle French today with French Larkspur plus we have a giveaway, yeehaw.
I would like to introduce you lovely Beach Cottage ladies to Tracey, you most probably know her if you have been around blogland much ? she is chief editor of the blog French Larkspur and runs the French Larkspur shop too?I warn you though you will seriously have life envy if you spend much time at all over at her place.
So today we have a little chat with the girl that loves all things French & French Larkspur
Tell us a little bit about you, where you live, what you do and what makes you tick?
I live in the Midwestern United States in a small suburb about an hour outside of Chicago.? I have 3 children aged 5 ? 10 and I am a stay-at-home mom.? I have had an online shop, French Larkspur, for about 3 years now, as well as a blog by the same name.
Both reflect my love of decorating and dedication to all things vintage.? Having both my blog and my business have allowed me to find my passion for photography, which has quickly become my very favorite hobby?well, that and shopping the flea markets 
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How did you find your style, it?s French influence and how do you interpret that into your home?
I can?t even say when my obsession with ?French things? even really started, and the funny things is that there was a time in my life when I loathed vintage anything!? Ha!!? Hard to believe now, but it?s true
But, somewhere along the way, my tastes started changing and I have been a die hard fan of using vintage items in my decor, especially French ones, for quite some time now.? Being able to go to the French flea markets, and bring items home, is truly a dream come true for me and I am giddy with excitement before each and every trip we take!!? I love using white, grey and soft colors in my home and prefer painted furniture, as this all makes for a perfect back drop for the antiques and family heirlooms I decorate with.? Other than that though, I really don?t follow any set design rules, I just decorate with what I love and go with what my eye tells me looks good.
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How does your home work in real life, is it hard to keep up with?it all looks so amazing on the blog!
Thank you, you are very kind!? We all present our best view on our blogs, right???after all, no one would get inspiration from a dirty house and piles of laundry
{ Oh so true my friend ? I often get asked the same question, I don?t show you the yucky bits! }
The truth is though, that I have always been a bit of a neat freak and do try and keep up with things around the house, I am just one of those people that functions better when my home is in order and things are fairly neat and clean.? That?s not to say that everything around here runs extremely smoothly or that there?s never any chaos or mess!? It?s a team effort around here.? My kids have a chore chart and my husband helps out tremendously?we all pitch in and that it is what really makes things work around here, team effort!
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How often do you get to visit France?
My husband and I have been to France 4 times in the last 2 1/2 years.? Our next trip will be in early September.? I will be there for 2 weeks this time around, as I will spend a week with my husband in Provence and a week with a friend in the French countryside about an hour west of Paris.? We are also trying to squeeze one more trip to France in in early November.? The plan is for us to be able to go at least 3 times a year from here on out, in order to support my growing business and the success of the French flea market finds section of my shop.? Plus, we simply enjoy it so very much?I feel blessed each and every time I am able to visit France.?
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What?s a typical day like for you, with your business and blog and family?? Run us through how you roll with keeping all that going?
Our schedule is pretty loose around here and that is the beauty of being a stay-at-home mom and having an online business, my schedule is flexible.? Some days I spend time photographing products, tweaking my website, and wrapping orders, other days are spent taking the kids to their various activities and focusing on what they need from me.?
I try and keep up with the house and chores so that things don?t get out of hand, so I always do a bit of picking up and organizing every day.? And, honestly, some days I just feel like curling up with a good book and a latte taking a break from all of the craziness going on, and so I will allow myself this free time to recharge my battery so to speak!?
Right now, I am in the middle of preparing for a new e-course, Creatively Made Home, that I am working on with 4 other friends, and that is my big focus right now and what is taking up most of my non-family time!
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Your top 5 French Larkspur tips for creating a home?
~ decorate with what you love, not what is trendy
~ keep things family friendly when you decorate, it makes for less hassle and, in the long run, it will make your life a lot easier not having to have areas of your home ?off limits? from every day use
~ small touches really do make a home feel extra special: things like fresh flowers in a vase near your bed and using your ?pretty dishes? for a regular week night meal just help to lend a little fun and happiness into the everyday!
~ if there is a room in your house that doesn?t get used, change it into something that will get used.? We have a family room that we all hang out in, but no one was ever using the living room, so a few years ago I switched things around and turned that into my studio?I now have a place to work on orders and projects and the kids also have a place to craft and do their homework!? An unused room now benefits the whole family.
~ don?t be afraid to mix it up a bit and move things around from room to room.? While I might have a bit of an obsession with changing things up over here, it really does help to freshen things up and pick up your spirits to change things around from time to time.? Try rearranging a room by not only moving things around from room to room, but try using items for a completely different purpose than originally intended?you would be amazed at how different a room can look with no budget, just a little imagination!
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Thanks so much Tracey, I love your blog, French Larkspur (go here, it?s beeeyoutiful) and loved hearing a bit more about you and a bit more about French Larkspur and how it runs too?
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Tracey has just announced her e-course too! it sounds fabulous
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Creatively Made Home is an all new e-course about creating a home that reflects your heart in everyday living.? It is about inspiring and encouraging you to create and style a home that you and your family love to live in?
This five week online course is hosted by 5 friends who want to help you to define your decorating style so that it is a true reflection of your heart?everything from gardening, cooking, gift giving and decorating.
This course is about loving your home, loving your family and blessing those around you?.and having fun doing it.
This course will lavish you with ideas, beauty, inspiration, joy and encouragement!
Class begins October 22.
To sign up for Creatively Made Home, go *HERE*
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And guess what?
Beach Cottage & French Larkspur have teamed up to offer five Beach Cottage readers a chance to win a spot in the course.
To enter answer the following question in the comments section of this post
Best answer wins.
What?s your favourite style?? Frenchy, beachy, modern, shabby, English, country cottage?you tell me ladies, I think mine is a mixture and changes often but living here the coastal theme runs through?
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I hope you enjoyed this little Frenchy post from French Larkspur all the way from Down Under and a very sunny Summer House where I am writing this today lovely Beach Cottage ladies?
Sarah
p.s. Winner of the SDC giveaway is Ellie, (brian and ellie @ bigpond.com) ? email and details on the way Ellie, congrats
p.p.s. Barley is back blogging and he just blogged this morning, check it out here
oh & a pic from the beach yesterday that made me smile ? given some Beach Cottage vintage processing treatment HERE
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Source: http://www.abeachcottage.com/2012/08/french-larkspur.html
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