Pink, Gold, and Silver Tablescape

Happy First Day of Winter my bloggie friends!  Today I am sharing my dining room Christmas tablescape which is lots different than in years past. When I started pulling out my Christmas goodies this year, I remembered some pale pink vintage ornaments I had and decided to set up a pale pink, gold, and silver theme rather than my usual burgandy and gold.  I found some gold chargers at a yard sale this summer which made a nice underlayer to my mix and match Limoges dinner plates that have pink flowers on a white background with gold accents.

My little French cherub candleholders are regulars at my table and are perfect for this tablescape since they aren't terribly tall, avoiding having to peek around them to see your table mates.

The pretty vintage balls that were my inspiration ended up in a round Limoges casserole dish and then were set on a vintage Italian florentine tray.

I used pretty pink roses and mixed them with some Christmas greenery in what are usually mercury glass votive holders I got from Pottery Barn a few years ago.

I typically always do this embellishment to my chandelier.  I drape vintage mercury glass garlands and then hang vintage ornaments from them.  Sometimes I have ribbon bows to attach them, but this year, I went simple and just used ornament hangers.

My mom and dad had a few pieces of gold Pickard china which I inherited and incorporated...a cream and sugar, salt and pepper, and a little dish.  I also used my mom and dad's silverware, King Edward by Gorham in addition to some antique silver plate napkin rings. 

Moody lighting compliments of Mr. Cloud. LOL!



I love to tie tulle on the back of my chairs.  This time I used a pale pink tulle and alternated between sparkly silver tulle and sparkly gold tulle.  Lastly, I added a little ornament on each one that I got at Hobby Lobby when they were half price.

A fun little vignette on my dining room sideboard featuring a couple of my great aunt's hand painted plates flanking a pretty maiden plate that I got at an antique show a number of years ago. My little snow angel makes appearances here and there during the Christmas season.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas.  I'll be working right up until Christmas Eve, but then I have a 3 day weekend with my family and friends.  Enjoy your time with your dear ones as well.  My 16 year old got his driver's license yesterday.  YIKES!  Time goes by so fast, so enjoy them while you can.

Sharing with Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday and Bev's Pink Saturday

Until next time,

Beautiful Things...

Hello friends,

First let me say that I got to spend the day handling beautiful things which is always a pleasure.  But why am I so tired???  I don't know about you, but photographing and editing and measuring and listing just take it out of me.  Maybe I'm just getting soft in my old age!  Anyway, after looking at all of the beautiful photos I had just taken for items due to land in my Etsy shop The French Laundry, I decided I'd love to make a beautiful collage since I like making those and haven't done so in a while.  THEN, lucky you, I decided to share with you as I do a drive by post (my nickname for a quickie-definitely NOT done while driving though).  Some of these treasures are already in the shop and some will get there this week, but even if you don't stop by the shop, you can get some eye candy right from your armchair.  YOU'RE WELCOME... LOL!

I've also been busy listing some pieces from one of my favorite artists/designers, Robin Brown who created the Magnolia Pearl line of romantic wear.  These can be found on eBay if you're interested.  If not, do feel free to feel the love right here anyway.

These beautiful pieces can be seen for auction here.

Gotta run...those things won't list themselves!

Until next time,

Poor Me...A Tale of Gratitude

Hello Bloggie Friends,

I have been feeling every so slightly put upon lately.  Not horribly, but just a little whiney.  Not enough time to devote to my Etsy shop.  Poor me...Not enough time to make art.  Poor me...House always needs cleaning.  Poor me...Summer is going by lickety split and I feel like I haven't soaked up enough of it.  Poor me...Not enough time to do my blogging (reading or posting)...yep, you got it...POOR ME!

So today, I was walking to work on a particularly lovely summer day here in Colorado.  I'm lucky that I get to be close enough to walk to work, especially on a perfect sunny day, not too hot, not too cold, but like Goldilocks said, "just right".  As I walked, I passed all of these gorgeous flowers on my way and had to catch a shot with my cell phone.  That's pretty awesome.  I also ran into 2 neighbor friends and got to exchange a few words with these lovely ladies on my way.  That made me smile.

When I got to work, I passed by a couple of our beautiful statues at the hospital.  Pardon the glass glare as they had to be encased to protect them from vandals (UGH!).  Glass and all, I find them so beautiful and serene.  Hard to be in a bad mood when looking at these precious, almost life sized figures.

Playing with my phone editing.  Not too bad for a quick effect...

The color of the Madonna's cloak is just the same as the robin eggs we have in a nest out in our hanging geranium plant on my back porch.  LOVE it!

When I got to work, I opened up my office and was greeted by the roses I'd brought in the day before.  They smelled SOOOO good.

How can you not smile with these pretty faces looking up at you?

By the time I put my purse down and got ready to get busy, I was feeling pretty darn happy and blessed.  All of this attitude enhancing goodness AND did I mention that I got to work right on time?  No more "poor me's" for this girl.  I'll get to the stuff I need to do when I get to it.  It will get done, even if not as soon as I would like.

All in all, I'd say I had a great start to my day and the rest of the day was not too shabby either.  I hope you take the time to notice the goodness all around you.  It'll change your life...or at least your day!

Until next time,

A Pretty Pink Solution...

By now, you may have pegged me for the type of girl that would be attracted to vintage millinery flowers. If not, I can save you the trouble of figuring it out. I AM ATTRACTED TO VINTAGE MILLINERY FLOWERS. I got really into it some years ago after I attended an estate sale of an antique French fashion doll dresser (yes, there really are people who do that). This lady loved all of the beautiful antique textiles that I do-ribbonwork, millinery flowers, ribbons, wonderful fabrics, linens, and lace. She also had a huge collection of Victorian ephemera, but that's a whole other post. Anyway, to say that I had achieved antique textile Nirvana when I went to this sale was an understatement. I left happy, but broke, with bags and bags of great things, one of which was a plethora of millinery flowers. At the time, I used to set up regularly at a local antiques show, so I sold many of the flowers there. But, there are always those holdbacks. The ones that I just couldn't part with. Then, there were a few more that I had picked up along the way at various venues. All well and good, but what the heck do you do with all of those pieces? I was pretty sure I wasn't going to become a doll dresser and use them to adorn the dolls...I was pretty sure I was not going to start wearing hats and dolling them up (although maybe for a girlie tea party in my garden sometime...but, I digress). Then one day, I happened upon this cool small dress form at my local craft store (Hobby Lobby, I think). It had a distressed pink wooden top and a chicken wire like skirt. Hmmm, on went the thinking cap and in the cart went the dress form. This is what I came up with.


My girl is as pretty from the back as she is from the front. I added the ribbon "cumberbund" and lace "shawl". Many of the flowers were just stuck in through the holes and the ones that wouldn't stay for the most part were held in place with one of my favorite accessories, twisty ties. Pretty simple.



Gotta love a pretty vintage pink rose...


And a deep pink velvet rose...


I really love the pink velvet berries...


This ended up being one of my most favorite inspiration pieces. And the best part is, no vintage millinery flowers were harmed in the making of this project! I hope you enjoyed seeing it on Pink Saturday. When you have the chance, go over and visit Bev at How Sweet the Sound for loads of other fun and PINK offerings.


Until next time,

Pink Saturday and New Pretties

I thought this little handpainted drawer was just divine with its old green paint, pretty pink handpainted roses, and glass knob. But then as I was setting up my pictures for listing it on Ebay, I thought it would be fun to show it with some of the pretty items I have procured this week after visiting some wonderful online shops which I have actually come across by blogging...who knew? Anyway, many of those items just happen to be PINK, hence the relevance for a PINK SATURDAY post, hosted by Bev at How Sweet the Sound. My creative juices start flowing just looking at this box of pretty ribbons, millinery, and wish tickets from Andrea and gorgeous Paris inspired gift tags from Amy . The beautiful handpainted drawer is available by clicking here. I think I'll organize my creative bits and bobs something like this once my art studio is finished being built. Organization AND beauty = a winning combination, don't you think? Well, I have an antique sale to attend tomorrow, so I simply MUST cut this one short.

Until next time,

To pink or not to pink...

I may be treading on thin ice with today being Pink Saturday and all, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't think pink is the beat all to end all color when it comes to interiors. Having said that, I will admit that I have a fair amount thrown in here and there in collections, paintings, and accessories because I am a girlie girl after all.

However, even I must admit that when I saw these two rooms that used pink liberally, albeit as an accent, I could see myself living in a pink room. I think the shades of pink that were chosen as well as the addition of some "grounding" chocolate brown make these spaces smart and sophisticated, but still very livable and family friendly. I'd probably have to 86 the pink hutch in order to maintain some semblance of marital bliss, but I think the big guy could probably live with everything else. He was the one who found this Pepto Bismol pink ruffled top Fenton vase some years ago at an antique mall and just had to have it, so I know he doesn't hate pink. But he did make ME go to the counter and pay for it! Oops, I think that may have been priveledged information, so could you do me a favor and keep it just between us? Thanks. Anyway, back to the rooms...

I think the fabric on this chair is TO DIE FOR...

This room makes me want to curl up with a good book and just lounge!

So, I guess I'm going to have to reevaluate my views on pink. Hmmmmmmm...while I mull that over, I think I'll pop on over to Bev's blog to check out the other participants in Pink Saturday. Why don't you join me?

Until next time,

A Plethora of Pretty Pink Ribbons

Okay, I admit it. I'm a "hoarder". Have been for years. I hoard vanity pieces from the 1920's, vintage fabric, old rhinestone and glass jewelry, broken antique china, unbroken antique china, shells, chandeliers and sconces, architectural salvage pieces, pretty old papers, silk ribbonwork, old tin cookie cutters, pottery, Victorian rose paintings, all manner of vintage bits and bobs, and ribbon...

I hoard LOTS and lots of ribbon. I have loved ribbon for years and have never quite managed to break that desire to accumulate it. Old, new, doesn't matter, as long as it's pretty. Being Pink Saturday, I thought I'd share a photo of a small amount of my stash that happened to be glorious and pink. Not anywhere near all of it and not even all of it that is pink, but you get the idea.


What do I do with all of that ribbon, you ask? Well, mostly...I look at it. Once in a great while, I make a silk ribbon flower with it or use it in some way, but for the most part, it is one of those collections that brings joy just by its being in proximity to me and I periodically pull it out and touch it and love it for what it is. Okay, now I'm even scaring MYSELF! But, if you share this affliction, known as "Acute Ribbonophilia", you probably totally get what I am talking about. You should know that there is no known cure for this malady, so just embrace it and deal with it as best you can.

Since it is Pink Saturday, I thought I should also share with you one of my favorite pieces of all time, the pink silk box which the ribbon is in. When you are done having a peek, stop by and visit our Pink Saturday host, Bev at How Sweet the Sound for more links to bloggers participating in Pink Saturday.

Until next time,

Pink Saturday Rolls Around Again

Happy Pink Saturday! I hope this finds you well...my second Pink Saturday appearance, thanks to Bev at "How Sweet the Sound" who is hosting this event. As I was taking pictures for an item to be put on Our Cottage Garden, I said to myself, "Self, wouldn't this painting be just ADORABLE for next week's Pink Saturday?" And apparently, Self thought it would, indeed, be adorable, so here it is for your perusal. It is a painting from a gal in my local area. She does really pretty and sweet little vignettes, among other things. I love the fancy kitty in the bottom left. Cats just seem to make a house a home, but that's probably a personal bias I have...I'm a Leo, born in the year of the Tiger, how could I NOT like cats?! But I digress. The painting was just so cute and, well, PINK! AND it had all those cozy elements like a big comfy couch, lamp, roses, and the aforementioned kitty. It evokes a smile when you look at it, doesn't it? I must admit, unlike lots of ladies, I don't think pink is the beat all to end all, but I do enjoy throwing it around here and there to inject a little femininity to my surroundings (much to my boys' chagrins). A TIP FROM THE QUEEN: I do tend to buy pink tools for myself because then my husband doesn't inadvertantly take my stuff and put it in his toolbox. A big man with a pink hammer would definitely have some SPLAININ' to do to his buddies! Hey! I just got some inspiration for next week's Pink Saturday post.

Until next time,

Welcome to PINK SATURDAY

Last week I was cruising through Blogland and found Beverly at How Sweet the Sound who is hosting "Pink Saturday". Basically, its just a fun time where you post something (anything) that is pink that you'd like to share. I thought that sounded like a hoot, so here I am. These boots are so fun...I bought them at an antique show one time and have always loved them. What girlie girl wouldn't love these beauties??? Especially one like me who was born and raised in Texas. Okay, I admit it, until I moved to Colorado and started taking country dance lessons, I'd never owned a pair of cowboy boots in my life. But its not where you start, its where you finish, right? And they are even comfie, so you don't have to sacrifice happy feet for cute shoes. It's a match made in heaven if you ask me. The belt buckle is one of my sparklies that I made this year out of vintage jewels-a great way to use all of those single earrings and brooches with broken backs,etc. Be sure to pop over to Beverly's blog and check out the list of all the participants in this week's Pink Saturday as you have time this week and have a great weekend.

Until next time,