A Beautiful Spring Sunday...

Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed Sunday. 

Until next time,

Laid Back Sunday

Hello Friends,

Just a quick check in to say I hope you are enjoying your Sunday.  I bought a pretty white Stock bouquet yesterday at the store just because.  We are not fortunate enough to have a Trader Joe's around here (although I keep hearing rumors that we will get one), so fresh flowers are more of a "treat" than a regular occurrence around my house.  The stock is a flower that I've never had any luck growing in the garden despite repeated attempts, but I love it.  Not only is it a pretty little stalk, but it smells WON-DER-FUL!  Might be too sweet for some folks, but not me.  Anyway, I put it in one of my favorite old transferware pitchers on the center of my dining room table which is transitioning from the Valentine table to a more springy look.  No major decor just yet, but get ready for my big pink clown Easter bunny coming soon.  I'm really excited since I "lost" him in the ruckus that is my house a couple of years ago and only found him this summer, so it has been a while since he's hopped into spring.

Not that I'm dreaming of spring JUST yet when we have some more winter weather in us, but a little touch doesn't hurt.  The photo below shows you how pretty our town looks with some nice winter snow frosting everything.  I should mention that the view is not from my home, but from the Garden of the Gods Club a few miles away.  A good friend belongs to the club and I get to tag along with her to happy hours now and then again.  I never tire of that view, no matter what season it is.

On a different note, I've put a few new things in both Etsy shops, so stop by and take a peek.

This pretty Wedgwood compote is such a mellow creamy color.  I love the embossed edge.  It is here at Elegant Farmhouse. 

This adorable shelf will hopefully be listed on Elegant Farmhouse this week although seeing how cute it looks all styled up, I might have a hard time getting that little listing done!

Check out this amazing 4 inch wide 1920's lace that is here at The French Laundry.

This beauty emerged from the pile of goods destined for The French Laundry.  Swoon...

Well, laid back Sunday or not, I do have to tend to a few things before we jump back into the work week, so have a great week and hopefully, I'll get to stop by and see what you all are up to. 
Until next time,

If you were my neighbor on May Day...

You would have been pleasantly surprised with one of these little pretties on your front door. Except for Wendy, because she caught me as I was hanging the vase on the door (thanks to Oliver, the Springer Spaniel who had to very loudly announce my arrival). The weather was very gray, misty, and cold, so it didn't feel like May Day, but the flowers cheered me up and hopefully did the same for my friends and neighbors.

I got the idea for these from a magazine last year (Romantic Homes, perhaps?), but never got around to doing it for May Day last year. Just take a tin can (like a soup can), remove the label and wash out the can. Then cover the can with pretty paper. I used Modge Podge to put mine on, but I'm sure you could just use a white craft glue. I wanted to make mine a touch more resistant to water in case the water spilled, so that's why I decided to decoupage. Add some pretty seam binding or other ribbon, tying off a loop on the back to allow the "vase" to be hung, add water and your favorite flowers and voila, you have a lovely little gift for your friends and neighbors for May Day or for any day that you want to make just a little more special. You could also embellish with pretty lace or other trims, but I thought my paper was nice enough that any more would just be too much. Pretty simple, but pretty neat because most people won't take the time to do such a fun little project, so you get style points for being so "artistic" with a minimum of effort! And your friends get a great day brightener. Now that's what I call a win-win situation...

I hope you have a great first weekend in May and if you can break away from the spring cleaning and gardening, pop on over to Bev's at How Sweet the Sound who hostesses "Pink Saturday" and see what other participants have posted-it's usually pretty eclectic and fun with something for everyone!

Happy Spring!

Until next time,

In Anticipation of Spring...PINK SATURDAY

Happy Pink Saturday! I'm pleased to have a guest blogger today, my friend Denise, Head Antiques Maven from Our Cottage Garden and ebay seller winter-garden. She's going to show you how to make this adorable springy valance from vintage handkerchiefs. Thank you, Denise for sharing a great fun and whimsical project to help shake off these winter blues.

Anticipating Spring

Looking for a fun and easy project to celebrate the arrival of Spring? Warmer breezes tease us to open the windows and listen for the cheerful, chirping birds. Here’s a quick and simple way to add a touch of lightness and color to any window ~ a Spring Hanky Valance ..

You will need:

• 8 – 12 vintage handkerchiefs .. colorful, floral, lacey, or simply white. If you’re a “collector” as we are, you probably have a stash of pretty ones tucked away somewhere. If not, they are plentiful, easy to find, and very affordable. You can use colors which complement each other, or the room, or just mix-and-match (which makes it more fun).
  
  

• ¾” diameter wood dowel (cut to the proper width) (you will also need brackets of course)

• Apx 2 yards of vintage ribbon to wrap the dowel. Or acrylic paint and a sponge brush.

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• 8 – 12 vintage curtain clips. Spring-loaded like these are a cinch to use. Or you can stitch the hankies to a variety of other clips.

If you feel creative, you can embellish your clips with vintage millinery, porcelain roses, or other decorations. We added vintage pink velvet roses to some of ours:

This set is available for sale now on eBay:

We decorated another batch with vintage sheer wired butterflies:

This set is available for sale now on Our Cottage Garden.

When you’re ready to redecorate the window, the hankies can be stashed away again (no harm done) .. awaiting their next assignment.

It won’t take long to assemble the materials you need, and even less time to create your valance. If you’re short on time, the materials used to create this valance .. vintage German gilt brass curtain clips, an assortment of vintage hankies, and pale pink velvet ribbon .. are available for sale now on eBay:

Happy Pink Saturday and Happy Spring!

Denise