Hurry...hurry....hurry!

I am so trying to hurry Spring along! A few days ago, these nests arrived, from my friend at Country Blooms . Teemie is a Master Gardener, and Certified Florist, and best of all, a Farm Girl!! She has a Studio/Shop on her family dairy farm in Almont, MI. These little nests are handmade by her, of wonderful Organic English Thyme! Smell so good, our whole office smells "herbal", love these, and I love supporting our American Farmers, too!

I bought some of these great Petunia Wreaths (faux) because they reminded me of the beautiful Petunia's my European Father~in~law always had in baskets in his back yard. I miss him, he was such a kind, lovely "Dad" ~I kiddingly tell my husband I married him because of his great Dad!

The Petunias are not real, but those Pink Cyclamen are! I love their color, the Pink with the bright Green...a tiny touch of Spring by the Front door is enough to make me smile each time I see them.

I am leaving you with these shots of my new favorite "faux" Bouquet.... it has pretend water and everything! I love fresh flowers, but sometimes a good designer Floral can do wonders in certain spots.

Doesn't this look so great? I had to touch this in the Design Showroom to see if these were real, or not. That's the sign of a good Silk Flower Bouquet!

We are off for a few days on a buying trip. Looking so forward to buying a few great things for the shop, having coffee with Mr. Wonderful at a side~walk cafe, the ocean, the sand, and supposedly SUNSHINE, too! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and I'll let you see what I did when I get back.

xo

Victorian Books

Victorian Children's Books are my very, very favorite! They can be found fairly inexpensively, or cost an arm and a leg (thousands!!) I've never met a Victorian Children's Book I didn't love.

This one, Feathered Friends, was printed by Ernest Nister, around the late 1800's, very early 1900's. The colored Chromolithographs are as bright and beautiful as they were 100 years ago.

Since I have been in a "Spring" mode (should that be mood?) I thought I'd share the sweet illustrations.

What an idyllic world they portrayed. Of course only children living in wealthy households would be able to have these books.

These Chromo's show everything I love! Thatched Cottages, Roses growing on a wall, little children, dogs, fluffy ducklings.

ahhhh...see the Nanny in the background holding the baby? Where was she when I was a young Mommy with little girls?

Love this plucky little guy! One of my BF's just got a 6 week old Puppy that looks a lot like this funny little bundle of fur. I went yesterday to get my dose of slobbery licks and puppy breath.

Here you can really see Victorian Idealism at it's best, if this scene was at my home, the cat would be chasing the chickies....I would be screaming and chasing the cat, and my girls would probably be crying hysterically and screaming that the cat would eat the chicks!

sigh....this one, I LOVE.

This one is for my friend Karen Eileen, she loves Chickens.

I am so glad that the chromolithographs stay so well colored....books like this are treasures! Next time you are at an estate sale, antique store or (rarely!) flea market, look at some of these, even if it is just to enjoy the illustrations. You'll probably fall in love like I did!

Birthday Girl

This weekend was kind of cold, and rainy. A great time to spend making a few things in my "studio" ~which in all reality was the kitchen table so I could be close to the coffee and watch old movies on tv!

For a while I have been sold out of these "Party Favors" (and I had a few custom orders to make) so I had a great and relaxing afternoon of cutting, glittering and tying tiny little French Ribbon Bows. Don't you have the best time when you are making things? Give me some glue, a pair of scissors, ribbons and glitter, and I am a happy girl! (okay, preferably mix in some chocolate)
I used images from an antique Children's Book for these...little Rose Babies, they are the sweetest little faces ever.

Sunday was my birthday. Let's just say I'm probably older than some of your Mothers. :) I had breakfast in bed, and read a great mystery for about an hour. The day was spent pretty much doing not much, which doesn't happen all too often around here! We cleaned up a little for our family to come over in the afternoon. After tea by the fire, my girls made dinner for us. Vegetable Lasagna, a Green Salad, Garlic Bread, and Tiramisu Cake for dessert. Perfect!

They set such a pretty table. If this was a professional shot you wouldn't see the cords from the appliances, but I didn't stage it, just took a photo! I love how the girls used the Black & White Runner, and my new Bird Dishes on top of plain white plates (inexpensive Ikea ones~) It looked great!

I love the crisp look of Black & White...
Here's a close~up of the table setting. Love those Bird Plates, I have Bee plates on backorder, too. It's amazing how just a little plate can make your whole table top look incredible!



This page from the Mary Carol Book Stylish Weddings shows a gorgeous Black & White Setting, too, although a lot more formal. I loved her books so much, I ordered a ton of them to sell, wish I had a wedding to plan right now! Well, that's the scoop on the weekend, rainy but very fun!

Twig by Twig

Last week, we had a little taste of spring around here. (never mind that now it's been raining all day for the whole week!) There is nothing better than starting the day listening to the happy chirping of the birds in my garden...oh, could it be? Spring is almost here?

I am so inspired by nature, I love watching little birds fly here and there, picking up little bits and pieces, carefully building their nests. Twig by twig, they craft the perfect place for their family, cozy, safe and warm.

The same is true for me, I spend time trying to make my own nest as cozy, warm and welcoming as I possibly can. I want everyone who enters through my door to feel at home. I love to tuck little visual surprises here and there for fun.

Since I love birds so much, early in the spring (in my mind that's NOW!) I arrange a few vignettes here and there using my Birds Nests, Eggs, and antique Bird Prints. On my kitchen table, a huge glass cloche covers a nest, a few eggs, bright chartreuse moss and a nest. I have it on an old tarnished silver fleamarket tray, so I can move it when we have meals.

Here is a little close~up view of the nest.

For Sunday Dinner, I might make a quick arrangement using one of the many Birds I have, with some moss, the nest, and a few fern fronds from the garden, for the dessert plates. A beautiful dessert, elevated on a cake stand, makes this such a beautiful way to end the meal!

This picture from Mary Carol's Book "Stylish Weddings" shows how wonderful the Green & Nest theme looks for a Bridal Shower!

A few little nests I put together for my Spring customers at the shop. This two tier French Inspired Wire Centerpiece is my new favorite thing!

There are so many low cost ways to "feather your nest" for Spring! How do you put a little touch of Spring in your home? Are you as crazy about birds and nests, too?

Parapluie et Parasol

I am a little sad that in today's fashion world, the Parasol and the Parapluie are not what they once were. The Parasol was such a part of a women's ensemble...I love collecting the antique French Fashion Illustrations of long ago.

They were so elegant, so beautiful! Having bought and sold a few antique Parasols made of gossamer silk, I can honestly say they were a work of art.

Aside from keeping the sun out of your face, a lovely Parasol would give you something to do with your hands, should you meet a certain young gentleman on your walk through the park.

I would imagine that they would also come in handy to protect yourself somewhat from ruffians that would try to steal your Mama's Pearls...they had a very sharp point!

I have yet to uncover an antique Print featuring a "Parapluie", perhaps because the fashion of the day didn't look too wonderful dripping wet?

Spring around the Corner

This weekend was beautiful, still pretty chilly for California, but the sun was out! Saturday we gardened, there is such a lot to do in the garden, trim, replant, cut back, and all those other chores that really should have been done long ago. It would probably help if I did those too, instead of counting on my gardener husband.

But I know my strengths, and watering, buying new plants at the nursery, and arranging things to be "pretty" are my true gardening capabilities! Here is the re~arrange I did on the walkway to my front door, just after you go through our gate. I will put some more pots of Pansies on the rack and by the Antique French Bistro Chair this week.

Our Mexican Sage (Salvia Leucantha) is one of the few garden plants still in bloom. These get so big that in the late spring we have to cut them every week, but they are so hardy here, and such a great color!

Right in front of my little "French" Gardenhouse is my Ice Cream Table Set, this is a fun place to have a few gardening things out, to remind me that it's almost Spring! Since I do all my packaging in the gardenhouse, I love to have a sweet vignette there, using some of my vintage gardening tools, a few plants, and this Tote , which is perfect to use when planting seeds and plants.

I really love the antique and vintage gardening items, and buy them whenever I can! Like this flat, once used in a nursery, before the plastic ones became popular to use!

Since the weather has been sunny, it was a wonderful opportunity to take a few more photos of the garden vignettes. I love these planters, made to look like the "gris~blue" colored things you can see all over the French and Swedish blogs. I bought a lot, I think I have just one left for sale at the shop. (My girlfriends "shopped" them before I even put them on the site, sorry!)

Just some urns waiting for a few pretty spring plants. I will probably grow grass in a few of these so they will be ready for Easter decorations.

Easter is coming so soon! It's an early Easter this year... I love these bright Green Eggs. Here at home I have them all together in a great Glass Container, they look so S P R I N G!

I didn't buy too many Easter decorations to sell, but fell in love with these Faux Chocolate Rabbits! They look so great, and best part is, I won't be tempted at all to eat them! (no calories, either)

Last, I adore these new candles , they burn 100 hours, and the printed glass container makes a killer vase for flowers once the 100 hours are up! These are my best selling item right now....and no wonder, they are just so stunning, love them.



I am excited Spring is around the corner. I couldn't decide on which Pansies to buy, but this week I will go, and I might just buy a few of each color. What are you doing to bring a little Spring in your life right now?

The Secret of Tea

If you really want to, you can grab a cup of tea on the go. Just like your coffee, there are plenty of "drive through" places that will fill one of those foamy cups full of hot tea, slap a lid on it, and you are good to go. You can also put a cup of water in the microwave, and add a tea bag for a quick cup of tea during the day. But I hope that if you are going to have some tea, that you will take the time to put a little cup and saucer out for yourself, maybe arrange it on a little tray, so that you will be warmed not only by the warmth of the tea, but also by a little oasis of beauty and serenity. Even if it's just for 5 ~ 10 minutes.

I took these photos yesterday afternoon, when I made myself a cup of tea. I don't always make it this pretty, often it's just a pretty (china, though) mug here at my desk. But when I take the time to enjoy tea, it really does bring calm back in my hectic day, it really is a great stress reducer!

Cups of hot tea are ladled out here almost every day. Having grown up in Europe, where whole nations drink a cup of tea at precisely 3:30 or so, tea has always been part of our daily routine. My mother's fondest memory of her childhood, after walking home from school each day, was to see the little tea light glowing under the pot through the window of her home. She knew her Mama would be waiting there, with tea, one cookie per child, and ten or fifteen minutes of time to listen to everyone's stories of the day.

On a really good tea day here, you might get a scone like the ones from the recipe below. These are to die for. They aren't inexpensive to make, and you probably won't want to eat more than two at a time, they are filling. But no matter, these are always a sure fire hit. I have frozen them in their "dough" state before, already cut out, popped a few in the oven just before tea time, and they still came out great.

Frenchgardenhouse Chocolate Scones

*In a large Bowl mix together:

2 Cups Flour

1/3Cups Sugar

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

*In a Smaller Bowl Whip:

3/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 large Egg

1-1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

Cut 1/4 Cup Unsalted Butter into the the dry ingredients.

Add to this crumbly mixture:

6 oz. (half the bag or so) of Nestles Premier White

Chocolate Chips (these work the best)

1 Cup chopped, dried Apricots

Gently toss together, then add the liquid mixture.

Fold gently, only untill all ingredients are mixed.

On a floured board, dump this mixture, and flatten into

a large rectangle. Don't mess around with it too much.

Cut into little shapes with a cookie cutter.

I generally use medium hearts.

BAKE @ 350 degrees about 15~20 minutes.

Make sure you make enough for you own family. Mine goes on semi~revolt if I give these all away, and haven't thought to keep a dozen "back" for them. Enjoy!

Valentine Home

I know that Valentine's Day is traditionally for "lovers" ~ but as a young Mom, I realized this put such a lot of pressure on my husband. He not only wasn't really sure what, exactly, Valentine's Day was supposed to be (Valentine's Day having only recently become a known "holiday" in Europe) but also worked on a pretty tight budget! So I celebrated "Love's Own Day" with the whole family, instead of expecting a fancy dinner out.

After getting dressed, breakfast was ready at the kitchen table, served on Red~rimmed plates (inexpensive~also used for Christmas and the 4th of July!) and heart shaped mugs for the hot drinks. Pancakes in the shape of a heart, with strawberries and whipped cream as a special treat was most likely what I served, unless it was muffins and strawberry jam. Each child received a special little gift at breakfast, too. Then it was off to school for them, to their celebrations and exchanging Valentine cards there.

For a fun lunch surprise, I tucked in a funny Valentine note for each of my kids, cut their sandwich with a heart cookie cutter, and added Valentine Napkins. Since I realized they would probably be eating sugar, sugar and more sugar anyway, after school we would have a special little tea party together. Using my best cups and saucers, a silver pot, lace and all the "fancy" things that go with tea, the girls would show me their Valentines Cards, and tell all about the boys who were icky, the boys who were not, and funny things that happened that day!


Once "Daddy" came home, we were ready for our special dinner. Set with the Red Tablecloth (from Christmas, too!) and the Red-Rimmed Plates the table looked special, there were usually flowers, candles, and more of those Valentine's Napkins used in the lunch boxes. The girls really loved to sprinkle those cute little conversation hearts all over the table! We made Valentines for each other the week before (lots of glitter, paper doilies and glue!) and wrote something nice about each person. (some years, it was all our girls could do to write "you have nice hair" in each other's cards!) It took some convincing, but usually everyone read their Valentines out loud, so we could all hear what they wrote.

After dinner sometimes we would all look at our Wedding Photo Album, so that the girls could laugh at Dad's long hair, or Mommy's silly crown of flowers. It was a great way to tell about "how Mommy and Daddy fell in love." This was our family tradition for quite a few years. It wasn't expensive, all it took was some creativity and thought.

I hope you will enjoy your Valentine's Day with your whole family. It's memories like this that will stay with your kids forever, and you will cherish those moments in your heart for a life time.

Beyond Blessed

I'm so sorry I haven't been around much lately, last week was a blur of activity. And right smack in the middle of the whirlwind, I got the flu. ick. But luckily it was a one day only flu, which I was soooo thankful for. (and it was kind of nice, once I felt better, to read a good book under the covers, and have dinner served to me!)

Another thing I was thankful for was that I finally made it to the editorial offices of Cottages & Bungalows, Romantic Homes, and Victorian Homes to pick up my two prizes from the book launch! How blessed can one girl be? Two. and both involving Roses, my all time favorite flower.

The first prize I was so happy to receive was this gorgeous Lithograph of Victorian Roses by Christie Repasy . I have known Christie for quite a while, and not only is she an amazing artist, painting the most beautiful Roses (and other garden favorites) ~ she is a darling and has a deep love for God.

Photo courtesy of Christie Repasy.com

If you have not done so before, please visit Christie's website , or for you lucky Southern California residents, her drop dead gorgeous Store at 3295 Laguna Canyon Rd., Ste D, in Laguna Beach.

The other prize I won was a beautiful Jewelry Package from Erica at Meadow Street . I met Erica at the RH book Launch, and we had such a lovely time talking about all sorts of things. I am thrilled, her work is beautiful. I actually won a pair of earrings, too, but one of my girls has added those to her jewelry box, so they aren't here!
See that gorgeous Silk Rose? Called Pink and Chocolate Rose ~ what a great flower to pin on a Spring bag, or hat. The locket is pretty in pink too, I absolutely love love love the clasp, it features a scrolled Heart! Erica also has a blog, if you haven't before, go visit her!

After all the excitement of touring the editorial offices and picking up my prizes, this weekend was pretty much a relaxing, non eventful one. I did rearrange the front entrance to my home. It looks much better now, I think! I'll post pictures of it next time around. Wishing you a Happy Monday!

ps. My neighbor is doing great! He has to change some things about his diet (don't we all!) and excercise more, but is back to his normal, happy and smiling self. I loved seeing him outside yesterday playing with his kids and puppy, while at the same time trying to mow the lawn.

Love You

Last night two huge Fire trucks and Paramedics rolled up in front of my driveway at ten o'clock. After first wondering if our house was on fire and we were too dumb to notice, we realized they were there to go to our neighbors home. We love our neighbors, a great couple in their early thirties, with two little children, and one brand new Labrador puppy.

It seems that our neighbor had arm pain, and some type of seizure. He is y o u n g.....like I said, early 30s. The ambulance took him to the hospital, but they released him that night.

Once again, this is a reminder to make sure to tell those you love, that you D O ! Life is short, hopefully you don't save all your grand I LOVE YOU's for Valentines Day only. In our family we usually say "Love You" instead of goodbye (or right after) when we leave our little nest. It's a habit that started when the girls were very young, and even now that they are grown ups they say it.

Love You.

Valentines That Were

I think I have confessed before that I have a particular weakness for antique Paper of all kinds, here and here. So this should come as no surprise, really, that I absolutely L O V E antique Valentines of every kind. I am sorry I am having some camera issues right now, these are not as blurry as they appear.

Like these two gorgeous Tuck Postcards, featuring such very elegant ladies in a "frame" of gold. Sent to a lucky young woman in San Franciso on Feb. 13th, the address just has her name, street, house number and the word "CITY". These beauties are from 1909, and wouldn't they fit in just perfectly with some of the Marie Antoinette Art Projects that are being sent from country to country right now by some of our extremely talented blog girls?

Then there is this sweetie, isn't she just so great? Be sure to notice her little gloves, ruffles at the top, and fingerless.

Her fan, her pink gown, her little pearls, parfait! Definately a "don't move, sweetie" outfit.
From the early 1900's, this lovely couple has a sprinkling of glass glitter here and there, the card opens to a sweet sentiment: An Offering of Love.

Now the time has come for love, and tender words,

Such words, I send to thee, Such ones, send Love, to me.

There are so many different kinds of Antique and Vintage Valentines available if you want to start a collection! And at all price ranges, too. From the inexpensive on ebay, to the extremely costly on collector's websites and antique stores. Condition, rarity, and just plain how beautiful they are, these all determine price. But just one of these beautiful cards can make such a great Valentine's Display under a glass cloche, or in your China Hutch.

Okay, it's time to get back to the work part of my business. Sometimes when I open the storage boxes that hold all the Valentine's Day ephemera, I can "lose" an hour or so, as I daydream and wonder who bought this card? For who? Did they find true love with each other? sigh.....(shutting the lid right now!)

You Make My Day!

How perfect...just when I am feeling a little, well, not as chipper as normal, sweet Bari gave me this "You Make My Day" Award. Big smile. :) Isn't it so amazing, this just came at the perfect moment for me, Bari. THANK YOU, friend! So now I am supposed to pass this along~ that's always so very hard for me, since there are so many of you but I will try.


There are some rules: “Give the award to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blogland. Let them know by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.”

Here are just ten, in no particular order:

1.Becky of City Pretties. Becky hasn't had her blog too long. She makes the best jewelry, and has been my friend for quite a while...visit her blog to see not only her own, but lots of other jewelry artists' work that she features. Becky also loves animals, so be prepared to see lots of furry pictures, too. SO glad you have a blog now, friend!

2. Tracie of My Petite Maison. One of the sweetest friends you could wish for, with a heart of gold. I am so thrilled to read more about her on her fairly new blog...so will you.

3. Ginny of Twinkle Pink. To make the visit to Ginny's sweet UK world even better, she has the most amazing music on her blog. A delight, and Ginny is one of those multi talented girls ~ check out her beautiful Sachets etc!

4. Lana of Honeysuckle Lane's Simple Joys. Just visiting her blog makes me feel calm, rested and as if I had a sweet cup of tea & friendship with Lana. She is an artist of great talent, and creates beautiful products with the feeling of "days gone by."

5. Suzanne of Painter of the Past. Another artist who literally "Paints the past" I have learned so much from her about artists who were portrait painters etc. A sweet spirit, Suzanne is an amazing talent and the work she does is divine!

6.Marita of Southern Valley. She paints her lovely flowers on linens to use on special occasions or to make every day a holiday! She always has something exciting to look at on her blog.

7. Miss Sandy of Quill Cottage. If you need a dose of inspiration, a lift, or just a post that makes you think, this is the place to go. Miss Sandy has on many occasions given me just what I needed in the midst of a trying day.

8. The Divine Miss T of {My MiNuTia}. Not much to say that you all don't know. Divinely talented, and uses her talents to bless all of YOU, too! Check out her newest Bella E zine for more fun than you will need to fill up your days and nights.

9. Vicki The Glimmermist Queen herself! If there is a place that scrappers go, this is it. More ideas and inspiration than any scrapbook girl could want. Not only that, probably the nicest scrapper in the universe. :)

10. Clare of Vintage Home. sigh. Clare lives in a place I dream of. and love. England at its most beautiful. When I shop for myself, Clare's website is one of the first places I look. And dream and wish I was going to the antique markets of England myself, but so happy that Clare shares.

Have fun visiting these great ladies and their blogs....each a treat!

And the Winner Is...

Thanks to all of you for playing along! wow... 249 comments ~it IS a gorgeous book, but still. And in MY book, each and every one of you darlings is a winner. I hope you will continue to visit me ~that's really the real prize for me about having a give~away...I get to meet new friends as nice as all of you!

The girl who wins this give away, however, chosen by the random number generator thingie, is the beautiful, multi talented and wonderful..... drumroll please....

JERUSALEM.

You are the Winner!!

Jerusalem has a darling blog, visit her at My Little Life. Jerusalem, please email me your address so I can send you this book. I know you will enjoy it. sorry, no crown, just the book:)

Wishing all of you a sparkling weekend! I am going to try to relax and enjoy this one. After working most weekends in January I am looking forward to some cozy by the fire time. With a fur blankie and a good book! Thanks again for entering your name in this give away. xo