New "Rosey" Offerings....

Two Little Canvases, Handpainted By Me....One To Sit In An Easel Or Shelf...The Other, Embellished With Many Sweet Little Roses And Jewels, To Hang For A Touch Of Romance....

These are available to purchase at The Ruffled Rose
Wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend ....Jil xo

2nd BIRTHDAY FOR PINK SATURDAY! WOO HOO!

Thank you, thank you, Beverly for having the brilliant idea for this pinkalicious event! And, can you believe that two years have passed, already???? Well, we sure have had fun and met lots of sweet new friends....that is the best part! And, Happy Birthday Wishes for many more Pink Birthdays!



You will find this fun and fancy frame with a vintage birthday card inside, at our new website....I hope you will visit and take a peek... The Ruffled Rose
A Bit Of Pink From My Gardens...

The Angel In My Garden....I Made Many Of These For Craft Shows

Sweet Little Bird Bath Among The Bleeding Hearts


Carnations...and these have that wonderful Carnation scent....

Delicate Foxglove blossoms with water drops....

Where I love to sit with a book and a glass of Sweet Tea with Lemon or just sit.....

*Lets pause for just a moment and say a prayer for those brave men and women and their families, who served our country and gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can have the freedoms we have today....We must stay united and strong so they did not die in vain....*


Now I am off to other Pink Birthday Parties.....
Sending Hugs.....Jil xo

Prayers Needed~Please

Good Morning, all my dear friends.....Prayers are needed for a lady in Vermont by the name of Debbie Connors.....This woman is wife, mother, daughter, and sister and is loved deeply by her family.....she was rushed to the hospital in Burlington with profuse bleeding to learn she has stage 4 cervical cancer.....the tumor is the largest the hospital has seen and surgery is out.....a procedure was done where chemo is inserted directly into the tumor and yesterday her doctor calmly told her that he thought they had "blown a hole" in her bladder in the process by getting the probes to close!

She blames herself, as she has not had a Pap test done since her last child was born 24 years ago....and, this woman is a nurse.

All prayers are very much appreciated and if anyone would like to add her to a prayer chain, that would be wonderful!

This is a reminder, to all of us women, it is not only mamograms, (which you can go to the button on the right and click on it to give a free one )but we need those Pap Tests regularly, as well!

Thank you all!
Many Sweet Blessings,
Jil
xo

Not Pink, But Blue

Good Morning....and it is a good morning! As I walked into my sweet little kitchen I thought how much it pleases me....there are no Granite counter tops nor is there a five burner stove....just my blue and white checks, which I adore, and many pretties to keep me company as I start breakfast....



Our home is a tiny Craftsman bungalow.....we had a BIG one in Washington state with many of the lovely built ins and lovely features that go with that style and.... that house was on Puget Sound and the views breath taking....out the sun room were views of the water and out our daughters upstairs bedroom was Mt. Baker.....this little one, not so many details, but it has its own personality and there is a wonderful wall in the upstairs hall, of a floor to ceiling cabinet that I would not trade for anything....the attraction to this house was how close it is to the water....walk out to the sidewalk and look down the street and there it is....and if you are in the mood, grab your beach chair and go sit a spell on the sand and watch for sail boats and freighters and pick up some pretty stones to skip.....

A few posts back, I told you I had taken in hand a brush filled with white paint to our antique dining table...I have been tired of it for years and once even tried a different antique set, but when it came down to it, it was my husband who quietly said..."but, Jil, all the children have eaten at this table." With that said from a quiet man who lets me do as I want with the house, I knew this table ment something to him. The other set went quickly back.



I am getting used to, and loving, this new fresh and very Cottage look...but not everything in my eclectic dining room is white....a maple corner cuboard that was my Mothers,.....

my antique sewing machine cabinet with the working Singer machine inside and a spindle back chair and DH's Grandfather clock....I will paint the old mirror frame from a dresser, (that hangs behind the sewing machine cabinet and frames a pretty mirror from my daughter) that I found up in the Adirondacks in NY on our way home from our daughters in Chazy a few years ago. I haven't made up my mind about painting the corner cupboard or the sewing machine cabinet.....

Well, as I rambled on...I got away from my kitchen....not all will like it. It is still country you will think...well..yes and no. I don't have much that is dark in it....my appliances are white and so is the new porcelain sink we put in....I think it is very Cottage with all the white and checks and I am able to add little accents I like in either pink or blue....I have a bowl full of vintage potholders in pinks and pale greens..


And before fall comes the cabinets will have a new coat of white paint...I had hubby remove the kitchen doors when we did the redo....he kept them, of course.....he is not brave with all my ideas....lol!







Anyway, with the quiet warm morning....just the hum of the pool being cleaned next door and an occasional bird song.....I took some pictures to share....

Have a beautiful day!
Jil
xo

Ribbon Embroidery Pillow

This is my first ebay listing in over five months...

I did a lot of ribbon embroidery while away...it is an art that I think is lovely and very rewarding to do!
This piece was worked on a pretty Mary Rose fabric with roses, roses, roses....

I followed the design adding ribbon posies among the little roses....there is a vintage rhinestone flower shaped button....four different hanky points on the front with sweet lace, two are tatted....two more vintage hanky points on the back....
This little darling has a very French feel with the soft pinks and greens and the beautiful blue....

We are having such a quiet, nice Sunday....the birds are chirping, the sun is out with big fluffy clouds...maybe a thunderstorm later?...people are mowing their lawns and I am loving padding around the house in my BARE FEET!

Wishing you sunshine and happiness....
Jil
xo

For All You Cottage Style Magazine Addicts~~~

Here is a new magazine that I adore.. FLEA MARKET STYLE ...You can go and check out their delightful blog....I am waiting for the Fall edition, but am not sure when it will hit the news stands...it may say on their blog...I need to read it more thoroughly!
I have put on several pages of the the Summer Edition for you to enjoy and get a sense of the magazine....they, sadly, do not offer subscriptions, yet. :-(

I have two favorite magazines...Flea Market Style and Romantic Country...both are new and fresh with their ideas....

When I picked this up I was just thrilled with the contents...it is a bit more pricey at $9.95 per copy, but look what we pay for the Stampington Magazine collections....I found this magazine to be very satisfying to an old soul that loves and gets excited about vintage and antique items and ways to incorporate them into our home....and, of course ways to repurpose them.....
Enjoy!






Off to get the van serviced from the last leg of our 9,000 mile winter journey....It is an hours drive and while down in that area it means a trip to Michaels as well...Woo Hoo!
Be Happy!
Jil

~I Just Can't Throw Away Flowers!~

Are you like me and just hate to toss a once beautiful bouquet because someone you love gave it to you? I do and so I try to save what I can for a later project by drying and some to put in a small vase to enjoy a bit longer.
These are from my Mothers Day bouquet from my NY daughter.....when they were fresh and new and oh so beautiful, you can see them a couple posts below....I wished I could have saved that lovely evergreen filler with the little pink rosebud looking flowers, but they do not allow you to save them....they quickly fall apart. I love them and wish I knew what they are! I am going to call the florist and ask....if I will just remember! lol!
I took the little roses and tied the ribbon from the bouquet around them to dry and I will use them in a little wreath later for my computer room....I used to work with drieds....I grew many of them when we lived in Washington state. It was a passion of mine...statice, yarrow, roses, straw flowers and the list marches on. We also went on gathering trips and brought back basket fulls of Queens Anne's Lace and Baby's Breath, which grew wild there.
So, by arranging your roses so they don't touch too much, putting a rubber band around them, not too tightly, hang them upside down and leave them to do their magic....you won't be disappointed. You can dry them in a silica, too, in the microwave, but unless I want them in a hurry I just hang them...I love the look of flowers drying, hanging from various pegs around the house.
The few daisies that were still good, I put in a little vase....there is something magical about daisies...they just look so sweet growing in their clumps in my gardens and then I adore them with roses and lilacs....
So, I hope you saved some of your Mothers Day flowers to enjoy for the months to come....and...
Below is a pretty Vanity Bottle I added to New Things at our website....go take a peek! It is just the prettiest bottle with touches of Blue...I am so pleased with how it turned out.



I hope all you sweet peeps are having a lovely afternoon....I am, with a glass of wonderful sweet tea with a touch lemon beside me!
Jil

SOUTHERN BELLE RIBBON EMBROIDERY PILLOW

I just listed this Southern Belle pillow with my ribbon and other embroidery, at The Ruffled Rose....
Below is another pretty pillow that has just been listed on the new website, too. to visit, just click on the My Website Button to your right.


I have so many pretty things I am working on....not just with sewing, but with painting, too. Just keep checking back to see what is new!

Hope you are enjoying the afternoon,
Sweet Spring Hugs To All....
Jil

Rain, rain, rain and then more rain.....this is what it has been doing up in my little corner of the world....Port Huron, Michigan. We have not had, knock wood, the terrible storms that Okalahoma and Tennessee have been experiencing, just a steady rain. How terrifying those storms are! I know because I was born in Iowa and raised in Omaha, NE. and I well remember the force of the spring and summer storms. Those storms are how I wound up out in the deserts of Arizona. No, I was not blown there, my sweet Mom could no longer take them. My Dad traveled and she was left with my sister and me to weather those storms. She never showed it, but they nearly undid her! We had a finished basement the opened out onto the patio and back yard.....I can't tell you all the nights of mad dashes with our pillows for the downstairs! When she knew storms could occur she made up our comfy couches that were also day beds, just in case.

Not only has it rained and rained, but it is cold, too. So, inside projects are what we have been doing.....I had just finished the top of the end table, in the picture, and just took my brush and swiped it on the table.....then I had to get it done. hehe You see it here getting a second coat on the pedestal and the legs. It looks 100% better white and I am sorry I did not do it long ago. The only thing is, now I have to do those four dining room chairs....mercy, 100+ spindles. :-( I know my DH will be helping me as he always does even tho he has a not so great project going in the basement.....evidently I knocked two drain pipes coming from the second story, loose when I mowed the lawn. That basement wall let a little stream of water in. Our basement does not leak, but with all this rain and my carelessness well.... I made a lot of work for hubby. He had to move, with the crowbar, a huge workbench made with all 2 x 4's. He estimated it weighs about 1500 pounds! The only way to even get it to move was with his big crowbar and now he is sanding the whole wall in preparation to seal it. That one wall is the only wall in the basement not sealed and this is the first time in the eight years of being here it has leaked. Oh, I am so sorry.....but, that wall did need to be sealed.

Wishing you all some sunshine.....
Jil

MOTHERS DAY FLOWERS AND SWEET MEMORIES

Sending wishes to all the sweet Mama's out there that this day is perfect in all ways for each of you!


These gorgeous flowers were delivered this morning....I slept in a bit and my hubby had them waiting for me to see the first thing as I entered the kitchen....I was so surprised and pleased...they are from my NY daughter, Kym, and her family. She picked out the perfect bouquet...beautiful roses in two shades of pink and daisies with a filler with pink rosebud type flowers..(does anyone know what these are??? I would love to have some in my yard)...I love roses and daisies together....how did she remember? And, I love the polka dotted ribbons running thru it...another favorite of mine....polka dots....Thank you, dear Kym, and I hope you are having a happy happy Mothers Day!! (She is Mother to four amazing, smart and beautiful children!)
More pictures of these pretty posies....





My Beloved Mom 1908 - 1997 And Her Mom And Dad:


My dear Mom has been gone for many years now....13 this July, to be exact. I thought she was an amazing person as well as a Mother. This little picture of her which I keep on our old Hoosier Cabinet, is when she was 18 year old. Her parents are in the photo behind her....her Dad a country doctor that never turned anyone down, even in a blizzard or thunderstorm and her Mom, my beloved Granna, a registered nurse and a teacher. She gave readings and loved poetry and gave me my first lessons in embroidery and knitting.....

My Mom graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in the arts....there is a little story there, as her first love was music. She started out as a music major with an English minor. Mom was always a bit of a tomboy and she was on the womens basketball team as well as on their rowing team. During a basketball practice she broke her little finger. Knowing that her Dad, the doctor, would not allow her to play until he had set it and it had healed, she took matters into her own hands. She set her own finger and went on playing. Well, it did not have a happy ending.....The little finger on her left hand grew bent and stiff. You can imagine her Dad's reaction! Back in the 20's medicine is not what it is today, and they had not yet learned how to rebreak it and set it properly, so, she had to change her major because she no longer had the reach to play the piano and that was the instrument she was majoring in. Her new major became art.

Growing up, we always had a piano and Mom played it every day....beautifully, finger or not and she learned to reach those octaves anyway, and....she was a fabulous artist. She could draw and paint anything. She never needed books for inspiration....she had a head full of ideas and she was a true colorist!

She was very gifted in both music and art and when her nest grew empty, she became a Master Potter. At another time I will show some of her hand thrown pottery and some of her art. We had a theft at our home and all my paintings by her were stolen. It has taken me years to get over that and especially one little seascape of a beach in La Jolla that we spent many summers on with her and all my children. I do have the portrait she did of me when I was ten. It was not hanging at the time of the theft.

Mom and I were best friends and I treasure so many memories....she passed away of lung cancer in 1997 after ten years of not smoking. I still miss her soothing voice and her soft touch....her skin was always smooth, warm and soft. Do you know, that to this day, sometimes I will see something and immediately think...I must tell Mom, and it is still, today, with a start that I realize I can't. I was blessed to have this woman for my Mother and my friend! I love you Mom and I value all you taught me. I will never get over missing you!

Have a beautiful Mothers Day!
Jil

FLOWERS AND MORE FLOWERS.....

The storm clouds are moving in and I need to get out and cut the grass before it rains....I don't think it has even been a week since it's last cutting! Thank heavens we have a postage size yard, but it still takes me about half an hour...lol!

I went out to check my new rose...Baby Blue Rose..Above..and decided to take a few pictures...Spring posies do not last that long and you better enjoy them and soak in their beauty while the moment lasts.....I thought I would share some of natures finest....anything to keep away from that lawn mower...hahaha!

The lovely lilacs do not have the thick clumps of flowers they usually have, but they are as fragrant and pretty as always....Lilac is one of my favorite colors and these are beautiful! I wish they could bloom all summer!!








Bleeding Hearts, Violets And Lily Of The Valley

Sweet Violets and A Yard Ornament I Gifted Myself With A Few Years Ago


And, while we are talking flowers....here is my beautiful granddaughter, Michelle, last week for her senior prom...she is our youngest in Texas....


Michelle and James 2010

Well...No more dilly-dallying....out to that grass!
Enjoy The Day!
Jil