Excited Beyond Belief!

The time has finally come for my much awaited trip! Remember "honey" gave me the money for Christmas to go out to California for the Shaker Doll Necklace Class from the talented Jewelry Designer Diana Frey. Above is a picture (sorry it so small) of it! I have been so PUMPED I can hardly stand it & the time is finally here. Check out Diana's http://www.dianafrey.blogspot.com/ site & you will see what a talented gal she is. I just hope a little of that will rub off on me!

And if that wasn't enough... the mailman made my day with the delivery of a package from Italy. YES! Italy! Even the stamps were exciting & mysterious. My precious friend Monica sent me her Easter Swap Box. It was filled with wonder. As she said in her note, "it is so wonderful to make things with love for friends". My box got a bit of a later start & she has not gotten hers yet. But, she wanted me to enjoy the Easter goodies before my trip so come & see what she sent. Beginning with this precious card she made.

Here's the basket all wrapped in cello with the card. Isn't it HUGE!

Monica had known that I was looking for old keys & tied with this fabulous ribbon (that says Pretties for You) there are three BIG skeleton keys. Such a beautiful rusty patina. I just loved the shape & color. OH MONICA THEY ARE TREASURES!

And here is the pretty wreath that she made me. I hung it in the guest bathroom over the potty. You can see my candles to the right. The colors look great together don't you think?

Here's the basket with out the cello. To the left is a bandanna that Monica's sweet Kim sent to my Fur Baby Reba. I told her Reba is not as willing to wear these little"outfits" for photo ops like Kim does. You will find Kim doing all sorts of things to be famous on her Mom's blog. A cone (front) filled with wonderful smelling soaps.

A Bunny Wand for Easter Wishes. I just love him!

This is a little candle & in the back where the tea light goes it is stuffed with Easter grass. Monica said she feel in love with this & bought it for herself but, then decided she had to add it to my basket. Thank you for sharing my sweet friend the grandsons will love this!

And this is Evelyn. She is one of Monica's creations. She hand makes these angels. Pop over to her site http://the-white-bench.blogspot.com/ & see a wide variety of these. Each one is different in little details such as the face, the outfits, what the are holding. Each one unique. Notice how her colors matched the wreath perfectly.

There at the very front left corner is a tiny little china bell that she hand painted & all the goodies sort of laying out on the table.

Now you can see the details of the decorated basket with some of the things moved away. To the left is a cute egg filled with straw, old print, a little bird & the word NEST in Monica's pretty handwriting. And there are those keys again. Notice the pretty silk flower & WISH coupon that decorated the basket. Well, I couldn't have wished for a more wonderful Easter treat! THANK YOU DEAR MONICA FOR BEING MY SWAP PARTNER! I will take lots of photos & learn a bunch in class! Hubby will hold down the fort & I will share all the wonder with you when I get back. HUGS! YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Miracle

Susan is having us all in to celebrate Outdoor Wednesday. Click on the button on the right sidebar to join Susan & the other girls when we are done here. I usually have a lot of pictures & lots of things to show but today my post is simple. This time I want to only share one picture because I think it says a thousand words. This struck me when I saw it! God managed to have this beautiful Viola bloom coming out of this piece of crystal that sits in my garden. I did not plant this. It was a miracle that enough soil filled this tiny crevasse & a seed from another plant blew in the wind & worked it's way into this small space. When I saw this I just had to share. I thought we all need to stop the rushing around. Stop & see this beautiful world we live in. Look for the beauty that is given to us. Before blogging I did not take the time to stop & look & appreciate the miracles we have all around us. Enjoy this Outdoor Wednesday & everyday.

Oh, by the way I have a beautiful group of photos on the last post I did. If you love Wisteria or the color purple go back & check those out. Since we are supposed to only post the link to Outdoor Wednesday & not our whole Blog I didn't want to cheat but... sneak a peek. Hugs

Chocolate Cookie Spring Party

I know I am late... the weekend was terrible. But, one of my wonderful blog friends Cielo of http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/was having a Spring Party & she said even if we were late we could still participate. So smell the wisteria on the breeze & come on let's go (Wisteria is brought to you thanks to the beautiful blooms at Pat's http://mytatteredelegance.blogspot.com/ house).

Who could resist that blue sky & those beautiful blooms? Now Cielo I pulled out some of my Spring treasures & set up a little tea. Let's take out the butterfly tea cup & spoon by Franz.Some Spring items to decorate with. Hmm... this nest is a favorite!And who could resist the little boot planter with these flowers & is that bird perched on the side too cute?This is looking pretty cute. The Elmwood Inn Tea (Wild Cherry flavor)canister is out. The water is boiling & yes, that is Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies (I like mine to be frozen because they crunch & are so minty & cool) on that adorable little blue egg plate. Sorry Cielo I just didn't have time to bake your yummy cookie recipe this time but, I promise to give it a try.Can you see my bunny that is perched on the chair back? I think he wants to join in too.
Alright, the tea is in the cup & I am ready to enjoy the rest of the party with all you other girls. Thank you again Cielo for letting me be late yet still participate & most of all for hosting such a fun event. Now, hurry over to visit Cielo & see all the others.

Happy Monday & have a great week!

Top It Off Part 1

Welcome, please enter my Master bedroom because today we are going to do a combination post. First let me explain where the idea came from... A week or so ago Mary of http://megardengal.blogspot.com/ was talking about the decorating of the top of her large buffet. All the items she used were small & out of proportion. She was asking for help with this from other bloggers. I told her I thought she needed to use more & bigger items. And I promised her some pictures of some of my larger pieces & how I decorated them. So let's get started. And then, this week Susan at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome-to-ninth-metamorphosis-monday.html did an awesome post on her Master Bedroom & I thought hmmmm I could sort of combine a couple of these ideas to answer Mary's question. This is the entry to my Master Suite & you can see on the floor a vignette using blue hydrangea's on the right by the door. Also, this is the side of my large 1800's Dutch or English Armoire. This beauty was made in many pieces so it could be moved up & down narrow staircases in European homes by simply dismantling the piece & then putting it back together when moved to the new location. It is a BIG HEAVY piece of furniture (& I adore this treasure). As you enter you see hung on the side of the armoire a beautiful burnout velvet Tea Jacket that my "Honey" bought me in old town Tustin,California. It is hung on a blue satin hanger & has an antique purse hung with it. This gives interest to the piece instead of having an ugly bare side to look at when entering. Creating Interest... that is the key point. At the top there is a silver candlestick lamp with a silver glass beaded shade (with purple sating bow & silk pansies on the side). I often turn it on at night to create a soft glow as you enter the room. Here's a close up of the Velvet Jacket. Divine isn't it?
This is the vignette with the hydrangeas, a candle, & burnout velvet pillow filled with lavender (on the left) & a beautiful box(right) & pair of vintage shoes with just a touch of lace on the toe. Those shoes are a new treasure found at Lone Star Antiques last week.Are these shoes not the cutest? I got them already done like this. Thought they were perfect for this spot.OK, here's the view of the whole armoire standing next to the bed. Reflected in the mirror on the front of the armoire you can see our sleigh bed with all the pillows & a photo (not a new one I can assure you) of me on the opposite wall. Also, in the picture is my wonderful mannequin that I love!
The next photo I am looking up at the top of this scene.
Now Mary, standing on the bed so you can get a better view of the top of this & you will see I have a huge arrangement in a white vase. The greenery brings a softness to the setting & the white flowers POP & give interest. Also up there are two hat boxes with Victorian Women on them (I happen to love Vintage Women Images) & a miniature mannequin. It helps to use similar items or things in a theme when trying to do a room or piece.Here is another view standing on the bed. I have added some cute vintage miniature hats sitting on antique spools. This pulls the color & theme in with yet another item building on the theme. And here we are back at the left side of the armoire once again, here's the mannequin & the little arrangement next to it. See the hat box with yet a different sized mannequin. Tying all those elements up aren't we? Different colors in this but same theme.
The fireplace, mantle & my wonderful picture I love so much.

Moving around past the fireplace there is a huge picture window (which you can see in the very first photo) & my chaise lounge. This is one of my favorite places to sit & drink my coffee every morning while I watch the birds in the birdbath right outside the window. And as I said, I don't look like that anymore but, my husband loves this photo & it is on his side of the bed so... I hope you have enjoyed the tour & part one of topping off large pieces of furniture. I will post another piece soon. Have a great weekend.

Outdoor Wednesday Mach 18

Susan is hosting another Outdoor Wednesday & I am so sorry I am late in getting this posted. Please click on the button on my sidebar to join her & the others participating today. I Had the Air Conditioning guy here early this morning(for annual maintenance)& that slowed me down getting this posted . Yes, here in Texas it is time to start using them. As you can see in my photos this week... it has been warm & everything is in bloom!

On Tuesday(St Patty's Day) JoAnn & I went out for a lovely day in Dallas. And while in Highland Park we drove by one of my favorite little houses there. This is such an adorable little cottage & I have always loved the big porch. The homeowner goes all out for flowerbeds. And as for the cows... I don't get them but, she must love them because they are always out there in the flower beds. Don't you love the way the American flag shows against that blue blue sky? I do!!!!!!!

This Red Tipped Fatina bush is in FULL bloom. So pretty to look at... So makes me SNEEZE!!

Click to enlarge this photo of the front sidewalk & you can see one of the cows pulling a wagon load of ferns.

Sweet Blue Violas!

Sunny Yellow Pansies!

A bed of pansies & poppies.

And a closeup of the pansies & poppies. I feel like I had the luck of the Irish with me to have had such a wonderful day with my friend & to see such beauty. Stop by tomorrow to see a few more fun things from our day. Happy Spring my friends.

Creating & Finding Treasures

Today I was busy finishing up some things for my Easter/Spring Swap that I am doing with Monica http://the-white-bench.blogspot.com/ & since I had the hot glue gun out... I thought why don't you create that little treasure you have been wanting to work on. Last week I found a sugar bowl that is the same as my Grandmother's "Companies Coming" dish pattern. She had Blue Willow as her everyday dishes & this sweet floral pattern for her good dishes. I made a pin cushion with that little sugar bowl. And put it on the shelf on my buffet. Next to my two china doll heads that I love. The one on the right is just like one that same wonderful Grandmother bought for me & made the doll & her dress. I need to find that doll. She is packed away somewhere.

This a close up of the sugar bowl sitting up on the mantle over my fireplace. See the pretty pins dipped in glitter or just plain in pearl. Do you love the china pattern? I do. I had enough for place settings for 6 but, I gave service for 4 to my cousin (who has the only girl on that side of the family & just like I think guns should go to grandsons... dishes should be with granddaughters). I did keep enough to do dinner for 2 but, when I lucked upon the sugar bowl, I KNEW I HAD TO HAVE IT! Last weekend I went back to Lone Star Antiques & found this wonderful old piece of lace. The tag was marked "1800's Lace". I decided to put the lace together with a couple of Counter Cards that I had gotten from Jamie at Arteology http://readarteology.blogspot.com/ & my favorite dove.This card is so sweet with this baby in his/her Christening gown.

Jamie named this card "Andy Dick Says Hello"

He is a precocious little guys isn't he? :) Go visit Jamie because she has some cool free vintage images that she gives away each week. And also, she sells wonderful things (like these cards) in her Etsy Shop.

And here is just the lace. The work on it is wonderful. Thank you Dorothy for having this treasure in your booth. Hope you have enjoyed my treasures. Hugs!