Say It With Roses

A Southern Belle Pink Saturday

2012-01-27T14:42:00.029-05:00

Hello and Welcome to this weeks Pink Saturday....When leaving here, just pop on over to Beverly's to find all the other Pink loving blogs...Oh, the beautiful blogs you will see! Beverly would love to have you leave her a comment...she is our wonderful hostess and we thank her very much for her sweet dedication to our event! ♥

I thought I would a share a few of my Southern Belles.....I am not sure why I am so intrigued with them and sometimes spend far too much on them, but I do love them. And I am picky...I am a face snob, I guess, as I no matter how pretty the piece, if the face is not done well, I leave her.... on occasion I have taken out the stitching of the face and redone it, but I hate redoing another's work. It feels like trespassing!
*Please click on the pictures to see more detail*

These darling and pristine pillowslips can be found at My Website

Note the lovely bullion roses...
These Belles will be turned into pillows...maybe porch pillows as there is some yellowing in the middle of the runner...

And one...not in the pastels, but more in the Prairie Style....you will be able to purchase this in my Etsy Shop.
See a close up of the embroidery below....it is exquisite and not a stitch out of step!

I hope you enjoyed your little stroll through some of my Southen Belles....they are still out there, but pretty ones in perfect condition are getting more difficult to find!
I am so happy you stopped by and now I am off to visit you!
Blessings To All!
Jil ♥

Join me, too, at Show And Tell Fridays

Help Needed In Choosing A Printer

2012-01-23T13:04:00.013-05:00

Hello Ladies,
I hope this finds you all well and busy creating or doing what brings you happiness as we begin a new week. ♥

I need input from those of you that print images onto fabric. My printer just won't cooperate any longer. I won't go into boring details, but I am not going to waste anymore time coaxing her..... I am just going to get a new printer ... and, mine is an old lady, She needs to be retired anyway.

Could you, please, advise me as to the printer you think I should get for these projects? I do not need a fax, but if one is included that will be OK.

I thank you in advance, for taking the time to answer me. I have been online looking and looking until I am cross-eyed! Canon is my favorite brand, but I am open to others...
♥ Jil

My Silent Love Affair With Glass

2012-01-19T12:39:00.088-05:00

**We sadly lost a legend and a great in the music world today to complications with leukemia. Etta James. I grew up listening to her music as my parents loved blues and jazz of that era. Her rendition of "At Last" has always been my favorite by her...**

I love glass. For me it is the sparkle in the house...the bling when the light catches it just right... When we lived in Manassas, Virginia, almost every Saturday hubby and I and sometimes the children, would head over to the most wonderful antique market I have ever been to! Laws Auctions. They held regular auctions of which I/we were a regular bidders, but most Saturday's and Sunday's the whole place was opened up to antique vendors. This was in the 70's. I ohhhed and ahhhhed over depression glass which was expensive, even then, I might add. Hubby was not impressed with it or the prices, as he remembered his mom building sets of glasses and dessert dishes from laundry detergent boxes and from movie tickets. I found that to make it even more desirable and....romantic!

Isn't this cool? I found this years ago and felt rather blessed as you don't see this type of thing often...When I found it, the antique vendor told me it screwed on to something that released the soap powder. For the life of me, I can not remember his explanation and probably I wasn't paying close enough attention as I was too enthralled with the piece.

I don't have any memories of soap boxes and the such, but I do remember one grandmothers sugar and creamer in a delicate pink and in her butlers pantry sat a beautiful pink glass cookie jar always full of her delicious cookies. My aunt Ethel, who was educated in Paris, has some lovely art glass by Tiffany and an amber glass bowl with a beautiful design. That gorgeous bowl sat in an East facing window in her gorgeous home. She knew I loved that bowl and among all her china and many other treasures, she left that bowl to me. I treasured it and it always brought back such happy memories when I looked at it, but one move, it did not make it and broke into four pieces. I cried as I threw them away.....such a loss! But that bowl lives on in my mind!

I don't have anything rare or expensive....I pick up pieces that touch my heart for one reason or another...And I like to put them in groupings or alone to stand out.

The above, olde medicine bottle was a buried find and after many soakings, whatever is in the bottle is just going to have to be part of its charm, as I could not remove it.

This Peanut Glass olde oil lamp has turned purple with age. This was one of my wins at an auction at Laws. The catalogs listed it without the matching globe at $500.00. I found one of these, in clear, for each of my children. I just loved the pattern. When the children became adults, some wanted theirs, others did not....

I have no idea about the small perfume bottle above. I just liked the etched design. I found it on a table in a deplorable yard sale for a dime....I need to find a pretty stopper for it. I like to think I rescued it!

This sweet little hand blown glass paper weight was found in Vermont with the grandchildren and our daughter one hot summer day. There were two and and Miss A. the oldest of the girls got the other one as it says St. Clair on the bottom. They lived in St.Clair Shores, just below us, before they moved to NY and she got excited thinking it was from there.....in time she will get this one, too.

There is a story about these two pieces...
When we were in Texas, on our last trip to see our son and family, I found these in what was once a great antique store. The store had closed and a kind of flea market junk store had opened, but.....sitting on an incredibly dusty shelf were a wonderful collection of olde glass bowls and compotes. One bowl was especially lovely and I saw the double H on the bottom for Heisey. Each of these bowls was ten dollars!! What a steal! I brought home five and gave the Heisey bowl to my daughter-in-law as a gift from me. We looked it up on line and sure enough, there it was. She wound up with quite a treasure!.
I am enjoying these two, one in the window and the pedestal bowl or compote filled with fruit and sometimes floating flowers....

And just up the street, not many feet, was a real antique store and I found ten of these. I purchased them for my website, but so far have not been able to part with them...a very real problem with me!

A darling little creamer I keep sitting in the purple creamer below...

My husband is an avid flea market person. Before I joined him in his enthusiasm I tagged along one day. This was in San Diego when we lived there. The flea market was huge and held regularly in the parking lot of the stadium. Some vendors had their wares spread out on cloths on the ground and that is how I found this. It was already lavender, but I have always kept it in a window and the purple is slowly deepening....

This little lavender sweetie was found in Canada on the North side of Toronto. There is a big apple alongside the road advertising apple pies made right there. The big apple, when open, has winding stairs to the top for a pretty view of the countryside and highway. There is a newly discovered antique store on the turn off to the apple store. Outside they have tables of many things...glass, pottery, china and here and there was something of interest and charm and for mere pennies....I found this...I love the shape and the scalloped foot. Inside the store were many beautiful treasures and it was featured on a past blog post....

This pretty milk glass hobnail bottle, once held heavenly Lily Of The Valley cologne long ago. I remember as a little girl, going with my Dad to get Mom a present for her birthday or Mothers Day and getting her a whole set with this pretty bottle. I loved those bottles then and I do today. They are just plain pretty! I have a granddaughter, Miss J., who liked this bottle on a visit here, last year, and it will someday become hers...

This beautiful olde Venetian glass apple was my mothers...I am guilty of breaking the stem, but I can not, will not, throw it out. This is over fifty years old now and the gold flecks throughout the apple are flecks of real gold....

I found the tall pink depression glasses in Kentucky twenty two years ago and have eight. The other glasses I have several of each and were found exploring back roads and antique stores when we lived in Manasses. They give such pleasure to just look at and especially to use!
I could share more with you, but I think this is the longest post I have ever written and hope it was not too long for you all....since there is a bit of pink here and there this will also be my Pink Saturday post over at Beverly's on Friday starting at 3:00pm. Be sure and come join the party as there are so many fabulous blogs celebrating our favorite color...PINK!

As I come across more pretty pieces of glass, I will be sharing my finds, here, with you all!
Have a happy day and thank you for stopping in! I love reading your comments!
Jil ♥
Maybe a glass loving party would be fun???

Lets Party Among The Flowers...

2012-01-15T19:55:00.014-05:00

What could be better to chase away the gloom of dark winter skies, than to engross ourselves in sunny pictures of gardens and flowers? It was a pleasurable time, this afternoon, going through my pictures revisiting last summers blooms! Even though it only got to a chilly 20 degrees today in my part of Michigan, I could feel the warm sunshine as I enjoyed these pictures. They gave me that happy, hopeful feeling knowing that it would not be too long before we saw the first blush of green on the trees .... the the first tips of tulips and daffodils pushing up through the soil. Images to remember as we are shoveling snow and dealing with the cold.

So, please join us at ETSY COTTAGE STYLE for a sweet party in the gardens of our members...Guaranteed, it will lift away the winter blahs and remind you what is not that far off...I have already begun my list of flowers and plants for my spring trips to the nursery! One of life's true pleasures. ♥ Enjoy!

Look at those beautiful healthy buds! And, petunias, pink and white, waiting to be planted....

And one of my sweet Columbine plants. They are so special, I always imagine fairies playing among their pretty leaves....foxglove in the background is one of my favorites...

A few raindrops from a passing spring shower....

And, of course, beautiful bearded Iris...

And bright pink Carnations with a spicy fragrance...

More Iris that came with the house...

This was a "curbside" find. Hubby found this and spoke with the man that had put it out to be sure he was really giving away this treasure....the man told him it had belonged to his father long ago. The paper is still on the front with the name of the company that made it. That was a bonus day, as he also surprised me with a beautiful olde wicker rocker for the porch from the same house ....It is our most comfortable porch chair!

One of our beautiful Spirea bushes in bloom....

Beautiful Baby Blue Rose...she did not do well last year and hope the year to come will be better for blooms!

Our gorgeous Bleeding Heart bushes among the Lily Of The Valley! They get twice this size and are the prettiest things! I wished they bloomed all summer long!

One of my new Star Gazer Lilies....they were huge!!

Dainty Bleeding Hearts and Wood Columbine among the
Ferns and Violets...

Flowers in one of the hanging baskets on the front porch...

Our daughters home by Lake Champlain...
And I will end this little trip down my memory lane of last years flowers with my beloved Eden Rose:

I hope you enjoyed your visit and that all the flowers and their loveliness, warmed your heart!
Now I am going to go and enjoy yours...
♥ Jil

First Pink Saturday In Too Long

2012-01-13T12:52:00.014-05:00

Hello All Pink Sweeties! I have been been remiss with my blogging....Do you ever get kind of burned out with all there is to do? I am talking all areas, not just in blogland. Well, that has been me for a little while. I think I was coming down from all the holiday activities and not sure just what I wanted to do. Maybe I just got lazy! Well, whatever the reason, I am working to get back in my old groove! :)

Just a little reminder to visit all the other amazingly wonderful blogs today, just run on over to Beverly's at How Sweet The Sound and you will find the party going on.

And before I run over to do the same, here is some of what I have been doing....

And a little pillow grouping with the new and pretty pillowslips I just found....the pinks are so dainty and soft and I fell in love with them the moment I found them...
Click on the pictures if you wish a larger view.

I am off now ...
Wishing you Happiness Today And Always!
Jil ♥

Christmas Pink Saturday

2011-12-23T14:45:00.002-05:00

Hello All and Merry, Merry Christmas!

Isn't this just the sweetest and merriest? I am the happy and surprised winner of this sweet set from Cindy at http://artbookstea.blogspot.com. I have already enjoyed a cut of my sugar free hot chocolate and a cup of Cherry Vanilla Honey tea! Thank You! Thank You! Cindy! It sat right by me while I sewed, something I haven't been able to do for a couple of weeks with all the busy of Christmas!
Be sure and visit our dear friend Beverly who is the hostess for this fun Saturday event....you will find all the other pretty Christmas blogs to enjoy for this week. ♥
I still can't grasp just how swiftly this year passed. It wasn't the best of years, but it wasn't the worst and we seem to have somehow survived. Now we are looking forward to our Christmas dinner together and already planning for 2012!
Many Warm And Wonderful Blessings to Each Of You!
Jil
♥

Pink Saturday

2011-12-09T14:50:00.001-05:00

It's Pink Saturday again and Christmas is drawing nearer....Be sure to visit Beverly's to see all the lovely pinks and pretty Christmas decorations, too!

We woke up to snow this morning and while it won't last, it is pretty as it sits on all the branches and the roofs. The cardinals were by to try out their freshly filled feeder and of course a squirrel had to try, too. He couldn't figure it out and so went on his way....lol! He wasn't hungry enough to try to figure this anti-squirrel feeder out. As we get deeper into winter and they get hungrier, they finally are hanging by toes to get a few seeds.

I did minimal decorating this year, just enough to say Christmas.

The balls with the roses go back more than twenty years. They were my mothers and I remember when she found them at the grocery store, of all places. Little then, did I know how much roses and pink would become a part of my life!

With my mug of sugar free hot chocolate, I am going to go strolling through all of this Saturday's pinkness..
Warm Thoughts....
♥ Jil

Pink Saturday With A Little Snow

2011-12-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

Hello All and Welcome! This is our day to immerse ourselves in PINK and have a little get away from the daily grind....sit back and relax and have fun as you roam through all the pinkalicious blogs found over at Beverly's

Yes, it snowed. Not much, but enough to make everything white and COLD! Brrrr! winter is here.

It has been a quiet week just working on things like spraying a green Christmas tree white. I found one, but it was quite expensive and more than the budget would allow, my ingenious husband said he would be happy to spray paint the one we have. At first I wasn't sure....after all I really wanted that pretty one in the store. Sometimes we just have to do with what we have and so, I took him up on it. When you spray them, I have learned several spray cans later, it will never look as white as the white trees for sale, but it is pretty with its dark shadows. It is still in the garage as I am letting it "air" before bringing it in to get rid of that awful paint smell! When I have it up and decorated I will post it for you to critique. ♥

Aren't these just the prettiest quilted ornaments? I found these on eBay at an old friends and a friend to many of you, too. Kathy Flav. I immediately thought how pretty for our Pink Saturday ..... so shabby and sweet and romantic country,too. She has many pretty things listed, so why don't you take a minute to run over and look...
KATHLEENS CELTIC COTTAGE

And, here is what I have been up to ...

This is listed at my < Website > where we have lots of pretties and lots of pretties marked down...hope you will come browse.

It is December now! Isn't it hard to believe! Have fun with your shopping and decorating and party going and 'til next time
♥ To All Of You Dear To My Heart Friends
Jil

2011-11-25T14:45:00.004-05:00

Hello All My Blogland Friends ♥ I hope you had a wonderful, wonderful Thanksgiving day and are enjoying all the left overs! I know I am. I had a turkey cranberry stuffing sandwich for breakfast. MMMmmm!!! Hubby? He opted out for a traditional breakfast. I told him he was a sissy. lol!

This is our day to celebrate pink, so go to Beverly's and you will find all the wonderful blogs to put you in a PINK frame of mind!

Just a little reminder to hop on over to SHABBY COTTAGE SHOPS BLACK FRIDAY SALE Our sale will last through Monday. You find so many treasures that you will not find at the mall and many shops are offering Free Shipping, too.
Here are some new ornaments I just finished and they are at my WEBSITE

I have to tell you a little story about my roses....Yes, I make them from clay, mixing colors and having fun doing them, but .... you will never see my finger prints on them. I had a job where I had to be finger printed and this was done at the Police Station. They tried and tried in vain to get a copy of my print. Each finger was carefully rolled in ink over and over...supervisors were brought in, but all to no avail. My print can not be lifted as my lines are too fine and shallow. Now, if that will just hold true for my face as well I will be a happy gal!

The leaves are mostly all raked and the big machine with the vacuum on the back has come down the street and sucked them all up for the city's compost pile. I took a couple pictures before they were swept and raked up as I thought they were so pretty scattered about....I wished I could leave them that way, but we had to take advantage of a warm 60 + degree day! :(

I keep our burning bushes very trimmed because of the space, but they were pretty anyway with their pinkish red leaves....

Our beautiful holiday season has begun! I wish for all of you a season full of happiness and joy ♥♥♥
Jil

Pink Saturday With A NEW Computer :)

2011-11-18T14:56:00.004-05:00

Hello All...
Goodness, it has been a while since I posted! You would not believe the wildy busy days we have had and just when I thought all had calmed down, something else would come around the corner. I thrive on busy, but when it gets to the point that you find your shoulders up around your ears with stress and a throbbing headache to get everything done before the end of the day, well, that is just way to much "busy."

And to compound things, I have had lots and lots of computer issues, but no more. I have a new Dell with dual cores and I can not begin to tell you how heavenly it is that when I sit down to do something, EVERYTHING WORKS! I am not used to that!!! The printer works on command, the computer does not freeze, the pages do not roll, Photoshop behaves! Oh, I feel like a Queen in command of her realm! Thank you Debie our leader at Shabby Cottage Shops, for guiding me to what I needed and thank you to my hubby who tries to always see that my needs and my wants are pretty much covered! How did I get so lucky!

This being Pink Saturday, you better get yourself a cup of tea or coffee, or like me, a Dr. Pepper and pop on over to Beverly's where you find great gals sharing their beautiful pinks today and have a little downtime enjoying all the pinks.

This is about half of an order of cupcakes and cookies that I, Whew! finished and shippped. All their sweet pinkness was pretty on the table. I always feel so relieved when a project is finished and on its way! :)

A pretty and practical canvas bag with handpainted roses on each side....see more of this one and others at THE RUFFLED ROSE

Paris inspired cream stockings with handmade muslin roses and a touch of bling....

I am off to go visiting. It will be fun to see what you all been up to since I last posted!

Happy Pink Saturday and have a great weekend and Happy Thanksgiving! I know I can hardly wait for our dinner and then snacking on the left overs with turkey and cranberry sandwiches! Yummmmmy!

Jil!

Autumn Pink Saturday Fun

2011-10-28T13:40:00.021-04:00

Hello Everyone And Happy Pink Saturday! Are you enjoying the fall colors? I know I am. Especially where there is a large grouping of big trees and there are lovely soft colors all mingling to give a tapestry effect! Greens, bronze, golds, wines, peaches and reds. I think it is the most beautiful sight.

Before I go any further....be sure and go to Beverly's to find all the blogs showing not only their pinks, but their fall colors as well....it should be a marvelous show!

**And, I am a proud and happy member of Shabby Cottage Shops. We are having a truly Pinkalicious Christmas Shoppe event with many adorable shops offering so many wonderful things for gift giving and for yourself....I invite you to visit every day to see the featured shop and to hunt for the hidden Christmas tree to win a $25.00 gift certificate as well as to enter in the Pink Present giveaway that will have something from all the participating shops, of which the Ruffled Rose is one. Just click on one of the buttons at the top or the sides of this post.....happy shopping!**

I would have more pictures to show, but my computer and I are at odds and I now have Vista and that changed how I edit pictures. I am slowly getting it, but I do not like it! When they have a program that works, it hate it when they make changes that are not as efficient!

Santa, are you listening? I need a new computer, printer and camera! Really I do!

So, here is a picture or what I have done on our porch. I found this old window a couple of months ago and I never got it dry brushed with white and now it will have to be a spring project, but this window will be decorated for all the holidays and the seasons.....I am looking forward to planning for each window dressing change!

Sending warm fuzzy hugs....
Jil

PINKALICIOUS CHRISTMAS SHOPS OPENS TONIGHT

2011-10-20T14:53:00.009-04:00

Hello Sweet Friends.....I want to invite you to come to the opening night of our THE PINKALICIOUS CHRISTMAS SHOPPE It starts at 6:00pm EST tonight.

You can visit the first shop featured here... MARY'S COTTAGE TREASURES

There are many shops in this event and every day one shop will be featured to you to browse to your hearts content.

There will so many beautiful things to choose from for all of your Holiday gift giving as well as for you!

See you there!
Sending Pinkalicious Hugs!
Jil

A Beautiful Fall Pink Saturday

2011-10-07T15:04:00.013-04:00

Hello, again, Pink Saturday Peeps! I hope your week as been fabulous in every way! The weather is so perfect.... in the high 60's and 70's here, so each day it is a toss, do I work in the gardens getting them ready for what will be coming, we won't mention the "S" word..... or do I keep my nose to the grindstone working on my sewing, etc. Oh, yes, and keeping the house clean and hubby well fed! lol! :) You know I would not trade any of this for anything! I am happy the Lord has given me all He has and so when I feel over burdened, I try to slow down and just say "Thank You." Life is far from perfect, but I feel thankful for what I have been blessed with!

I thought I would share some fabric with pretty,pretty pinks....I have this out looking and thinking what I will do with it....What do you see made out of this? A pretty tea cozy perhaps?

And I just had to share this beautiful Chintz teapot and cup of tea.....I adore china in the chintz pattern and especially when it is in these heavenly colors....

And look at these dainty little sandwich rolls.....I am not an okra fan, but these look quite yummy and with the little ham sandwiches very enticing on the pretty chintz plate.

Happy Pink Saturday, sweet friends. Remember to dash on over to Beverly's for all the other Pinkalicious posts to enjoy!

Smiles and Hugs....
Jil

Fabulous Product And Pink Saturday

2011-09-30T14:59:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends....I want to introduce you to an old friend of mine and an old friend to many of you from eBay a few years ago. JannyKathleen. Jan is a fabulous stained glass artist and designer. She also creates the most scrumptious Christmas stockings, pillows and so much more with fabric. She sold fabrics, too. The beautiful ones we all love. And, she is the nicest person!!!!

The last few years she turned her creative talents to developing a bath salt from the finest of ingredients.....one that had a lovely scent to relax, was silky to our skin and very luxurious. Well, she did all of that and more. I am in love with her product and after using it, will never consider any other bath salt in my tub!!!

Do you hate the rocks that all bath salts are? How many times have you uncomfortably sat on them? Not with Essential Bliss! These salts are ground fine so that the moment you put your toe into the water, to when you sit down, there is only lovely fragrance with soft foamy bubbles and silky wonderful water you never want to get out of.....
**Click On The Picture To Make It Larger To Read The Pretty Packets**

Above are the pretty and generous sized packages with all the delicious scents....so hard to choose just one.....
Do you see the 25% off coupon?? Well dash on over to visit her BLOG and take advantage of the coupon for the celebrations of her opening and visit her Etsy store where you can choose the packets, wonderful stocking stuffers, or the jars....wonderful gifts, too.
I just visited her Etsy Store and found she has a 50% off, one time only, coupon for your entire order. What a deal with Christmas fast approaching!

And, with this being Pink Saturday...don't forget to visit Beverly's to find all our pink and wonderful participants.....and leave Beverly a comment to say "Hi."
With Happy Thoughts....
Jil

~Autumnal Equinox And Pink Saturday~

2011-09-23T14:55:00.001-04:00

The first sign in our beautiful Maple tree that Fall really is on the way and Geraniums blooming happily unaware on the porch below...

Hi All.....Welcome to Pink Saturday and the first day of Fall....The Northern Hemisphere's Autumnal Equinox of this year and .... did you know the reason we are a day late this year? It is because during the month of July, the earths rotation was a bit slower....somehow this will make Spring one day sooner and an extra day of Spring is always a good thing! And, did you know that this is the only day of the year that earth is straight on her axis and all the countries will have the same amount of light and darkness? Aren't I just a book of information? lol!!
We mustn't be late to Pink Saturday, so be sure to buzz on over to Beverly's to find everyone's posts.....thank you Bev for this special PINK day!

And, if you would like to read more about this amazing phenomenon,the Fall Equinox, here is the link to the National Geographic site to read all about it..... http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/09/110923-autumnal-equinox-northern-hemisphere-first-day-fall-2011-science/ it is truly fascinating. I am going back to read it again, as I am a bit confused about the difference between the equinox and solstices....

Did you all have a good week? I hope so.....here are a couple of new things I was busy doing this week and you can see more of them at MY WEBSITE

Click on the pictures to see them larger and with more details....

I am getting ready for the Fall holidays and Christmas. My sewing room has patterns and fabric all stacked and ready to go...a busy gal I will be!

Wishing you happy Fall days 'til next time....
Jil
xo

2011-09-16T14:13:00.025-04:00

Hello Pink Saturday Friends......I hope this was a great week for you and you are ready to stroll through all the sweet pink blogs. You know to run over to Beverly's to find everyone....Be sure and leave her a comment so she knows how much you appreciate this event! I know I do! Thank you, Beverly!

Another quiet week. Nothing wrong with that!! A little yard work, a little painting, a little sewing. Just a little of this and that. And, quite a few little naps. Mid afternoon rolls around and I find I have heavy eyes that a little shut eye takes care of. Do you suppose it is "Fall Fever?" lol! :-) With Christmas coming I am going to have to really step up my working and my cutting table is stacked with patterns and the fabrics I will be using.....my painting table is ready and waiting.

I have been working on spoons and have some listed on my WEBSITE Here is one of them. The pretty spoon rack it is hanging in was done by Celestina Marie and, of course, is not for sale. I will never part with it and in time it will go to one of my Texas granddaughters, Jacquelynn along with part of my collection of pretty and unusual silver spoons. Many belonged to my grandmother on my dad's side of the family.

Some of my Zinnias. Somehow, I only purchased seeds for the petite Zinnias. I love them, but I wanted some of the luscious big ones, too. I will have to be more careful in reading the seed packets next year! I was late in planting them because of our chilly and rainy spring, but they are in glorious bloom now! Along with the Morning Glory's!

Aren't these laces pretty all piled on one another? It is a little stack of beautiful vintage Southern Belle runners that I am deciding what to do with....

I hope you had a nice little visit....I am now off to make my Pink Saturday rounds!
Happy Pink Saturday my sweet friends!
Hugs!
Jil
oo
I have linked to Cindy's
OH-LA-LA PARTY

~ONE NATION UNDER GOD~

2011-09-09T10:16:00.029-04:00

Hello and Welcome my Pink Saturday Pinkies...When you leave my post, run over to Beverly's to find the list of all the wonderful blogs and their show of PINK...

And, let us never forget the horror of September 11, 2001 and all those brave, innocent souls that perished at the hands of evil. God Bless America and keep her safe and free from the radicals that are trying to change her.

God Bless America,
Jil

~42 Years And Pink Saturday, Too~

2011-09-02T12:35:00.047-04:00

("T" for Tom and "J" for Jil )

**Click on pictures to see them with more detail** )
Happy Pink Saturday everyone! Guess what! Today is our 42nd wedding anniversary....42 years! WOW! Those years cover a lot of territory....they started when my first four children were small and now they are grown and have families of their own. We had one of our own and her oldest is almost 17. Some are empty nesters with one, right now, in the US Border Patrol Academy and others in college. My oldest granddaughter is on her way to Cambodia to work for a short time with missionaries and learning to live off the land....she wants to see and feel another culture....I pray she will be safe in this dangerous world of today and especially in that part of the world.....with hubby's job in Federal Law Enforcement, we have lived in many places in our amazing country....he was overseas for long periods of time on special narcotics assignments and I was at home trying to keep the home fires going with nine children....did I say we were a blended family?

These years have had their up and their downs like all marriages do....I have to say that all the downs probably came from me...He feels quarreling is a waste of time, that through communication and patience all things can be worked out....well, almost all things...I am an Irish gal and not so patient, very emotional and extremely quick tempered, hard headed and excitable as he likes to say.....I am better now with age, more mellow I believe...I hope....I am blessed with a very centered man....intelligent and knowing who he is....kind and patient. He has been so good to me and mine. I came into this marriage with way too much baggage from the volatile first one and he just quietly is always there through stormy weather as well as all the beautiful days.....he is and will always be my hero!

Today is also our celebration of one of our favorite colors in the universe! PINK!
Please pay Beverly
a visit to find all the other blogs you will want to visit and I hope you will leave Beverly a little comment....without her we would not have this grand event!

I was thinking I was out of pinks to show you, when my eyes fell on my set by Laura Ashley from over twenty years ago...I am not sure if they even make this any longer as we do not have a Laura Ashley store anywhere close and....do they even have stores any longer?? I used to frequent the sweet one in La Jolla, California often....I had all the beautiful accessories for the bathroom, including the shower curtain in roses with the matching balloon shade and towels edged in the same fabric.... I have always loved roses!!!

Soaps from a dear granddaughter...see, she knows my colors!

Sweet sentiment stones found at The Cracker Barrel a couple of years ago...

Have a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend, my dear friends....the last "Hurrah" of summer...where did it all go???
See you soon!
Jil

Summers Sweet Pink Saturday

2011-08-19T15:00:00.002-04:00

Hello My Pink Saturday Friends....Here is the link to Beverly our hostess with the mostess for doing this for us faithfully each week....you will find all the other great blogs to visit and be sure to leave Bev a comment too, to tell her how much we appreciate her!

What a lazy summer week this has been....the cicadas are singing, the zinnias finally blooming and the watermelon and all the fruits and veggies from the Farmers Market simply delicious....

A bowl of saved rose petals....so pink and pretty.

Heavenly summer days and believe me, I am enjoying each and every moment as I watch the evenings slowly becoming shorter, I know that Fall is just over the hill...
We leave a little earlier in the evenings, now, for our two mile walk on the boardwalk by the St. Claire River, and when we finish our fast walk we enjoy sitting on one of the many benches and watch, hopefully, for a freighter to come steaming by. They can come in from the Atlantic and go through the St. Lawrence Seaway to a chain of magnificent Great Lakes and rivers to get to the Mississippi and out into the Gulf of Mexico. I always dream of getting a ticket on one and taking that journey...having a bag of books I never have time to read and maybe some needlework....I have put it on my bucket list. lol! The weather on the Great Lakes can be fierce, though....many freighters have broken up and sunk through the years in wild storms....like out on the oceans....infact, under our Blue Water Bridges lies in extremely deep water, a freighter that sunk there many a year ago. There were no survivors and the ship lies intact on the bottom where other freighters and super tankers travel over it.....that tells you how deep it is.

Looking North to the bridges, we are where we turn around and walk back....it is a mile each way...it is such a pretty place to walk and so much cooler on a hot evening. This is the St. Claire River and on the other side of the bridges is the mouth of gorgeous Lake Huron.

This has been a week of worry, too. One of our darling granddaughters, our Miss H. came down suddenly, and I mean suddenly! with pneumonia last Friday. She is not improving as she should.

She went back for more x-rays a couple of days ago where they showed she was worse, not better. Her meds were changed and yesterday she texted me the congestion in her chest is starting to break up and she was feeling bored, always a good sign, so I pray she is on the way back to her healthy self....this young lady had been running three miles a day in prepartion of her schools soccer season. She wanted to be the fastest on her team as they run those three miles a day in practice. I know she is anxious to get back to it and I hope she knows after this illness she is going to have to be very, very careful to pace herself and not play in the rain or it could all come back on her...Today she has an early morning appointment at the doctors where her Mom is going to ask for another chest x-ray. I hope they find that she is improving...She is a very precious girl.....I have found I worry as much about my grandchildren as I do with my own....I am sure all you Grandma's can relate!

Have a wonderful summery Pink Saturday! I am always overjoyed when I read your sweet comments and now I am off to leave you some!
With Loving Thoughts to my blogging friends....
Jil
xo

Miracle Makeover on Pink Saturday

2011-08-15T11:40:00.017-04:00

Sadly, I have not been able to post, as I have not been able to access my blog until right now and so I am days late in joining in with this wonderful event. Miracle Makeover. This makeover is for a dear and giving little boy, Charlie, who has cancerous brain tumors....when you are at Beverly's, you must watch the video of how he was chosen to be this years recipient, so sweet, and to see the amazing makeover created just for him and his personality and dreams. And, not only did they redo Charlie's room, but they did his loving sisters as well. Charlie shares a room with his brother, Liam, and his dreams were incorporated in the room as well....I know I had tears running down my face as I watched and I am sure you will, too!
I am joining Beverly and these other blogs for MIRACLE MAKEOVER.
Each comment you leave at Beverly's and at each of the other Miracle Makeover host blogs earns a $1 donation for the next Miracle Makeover.

The goal this weekend is 5,000 comments.

One Comment From You Left at Beverly's & at the 4 Blogs linked below =

$ 5 Donation on your behalf from Design Gives

Design Gives Back @Design Gives Back/Kelee

Spiritual Sunday @Spiritual Sunday/Charlotte & Ginger

Country Wings in Phoenix @Country Wings in Phoenix/Sherry

Metamorphosis Monday @Between Naps On The Porch/Susan -

comments on Monday Only

As for my blessings? I have many! I feel blessed each morning to wake up to a new day and to have the husband I do and the children that have chosen to stay in my life. I feel blessed with my grandchildren and that all are healthy and in good homes with loving parents. I feel blessed that the EKG that had a little something wrong, turned out to be nothing and my heart is strong and healthy..I feel blessed that I am able to keep my diabetes under control with no meds.....I feel blessed that my husband came through all of his skin cancer operations and we don't see anymore lesions popping out....I feel blessed that I had such a wonderful childhood and mostly, a good life and have gotten to see much of our amazing and beautiful country. I have small blessings everyday...my orchid has given me a new leaf...(I love orchids and this one was gifted to me by my husband on Mothers Day and it is truly a blessing that it is still alive. I have a brown thumb when it comes to them.) I feel blessed when I hear the birds sing and the flowers, that I so love, bloom in the garden..hear raindrops on the roof and thunder rumbling.....I feel blessed for a very good and dear friend that is like a sister and I feel blessed that God has been good to me in so many ways and while I do not understand somethings in my life, I am learning to trust in Him, put my troubles in his hands and know that all in my life is part of His plan!

May your life be filled with many Sweet Blessings!
Jil

Getting Thinner...Not An Easy Task!

2011-08-10T09:54:00.030-04:00

No, getting thinner is not an easy task. When I was younger I did not have even an extra ounce..... having five babies? A breeze for me. I could gain 65 pounds and before they were a month old I would have my slim figure back. I was lucky if I weighed 100 pounds. And today? Ha! Mother Nature took her revenge and I have to admit, that through the years I helped her as watching children leave home and the pace slow down, food became a comfort. I was always busy, but it was a different busy and I missed the kids so much.....

Then several years ago I got dizzy while shopping in Michaels....we had recently moved to Yuma, AZ. and did not have a doctor. I found one that would see me and when my blood pressure was taken it was over 200....Scared? You bet! The doctor said I needed to loose fifty pounds and I needed to exercise. Yuma has the best walking park I have ever found.....it is by Kofa High School and is up hill and down dale! We waited for the sun to go down and then we ( dear hubs and me and sometimes the grands )walked and walked.

We did this every day and the weight slowly came off, but the BP stayed a problem and during all this I found I had diabetes, too. My fault! My fault for not staying active and eating wrong and certainly by not getting the exercise all our bodies crave. I had a warning in my life...my Dad. The whole family was shocked when it was discovered that he was diabetic. No one else as far back as one could remember had this....

Why am I telling all this? Well....I think this dear country of ours is in a lot of trouble in a lot of ways and too much weight and unhealthy habits is certainly one of them. I have read more than one article that has stated that with the overweight children of today, when they are of an age to enter our military, a large percentage could not be accepted because of their weight. They would not be fit to perform. I found that shocking. Not just to be able to defend this country, but to live! I think it is a very sad situation and I put much of the blame on lazy and to some point, uninformed parents as to what the future will hold for these youngsters!

All of this was brought to mind while we were at Lowe's last night waiting for a storm to pass and with my recent wake up call with the EKG because I really had slacked off.....I saw a magazine that took my eye. Not because I am diabetic, but because the cover looked good enough to eat!!! :) I showed it to my hubby and he mentioned it would be a good thing if everyone ate like this... (BTW..I am not on any meds and keep my sugar where it is supposed to be by watching what I eat. I eat everything from a piece of Lemon Pie to a cheeseburger, but I do use portion control and I balance what I eat through the day and I exercise. ) So, back to the magazine...I purchased it after looking through the recipes....It is a Better Homes And Gardens publication and it was $9.99. A hefty price, but well worth it as I needed some new inspiration in the kitchen and I wanted it to be healthy inspiration....

I have not had real sugar in my kitchen for years.....there is no need for it. My personal choice after trying all on the market, is Splenda. It is wonderful for baking. Just taste my chocolate chip cookies and then ask the hubby and the grands what they think of them....they can't keep out of them. And fudge? No one can tell the difference!

And, lots and I means lots, of fresh vegetables and fruits and now is the time to really enjoy them....I know the heavenly NW cherries are winding down, but like blue berries, their dark meat is so beneficial....

Fresh from the garden...yuuuuuum!

Michigan Peaches....the tastiest of all!!!

I did not mean for this to be so long... :( but it greatly saddens me when we are walking down on the boardwalk by the water, or at the mall or anyplace, and see more morbidly obese children and grownups than I do healthy slim ones....Since I have gotten myself back on track, I feel so much better. I have much more energy and I feel happier, too. And, I can't say there is anything I miss eating!

From time to time I will put a recipe on from the above book....this post got a bit too long to do it this time!
Talk soon and cheers to living healthy for us all! It will make a better America!
Jil

After The Storm....

2011-08-09T19:48:00.018-04:00

This was quite the day.....
First a doctors appointment...never fun! Five weeks ago I had an EKG and the doctor saw an abnormality and so I had to have a stress test..Yuck! I thought of not doing it, and I thought that was not fair to myself or my family so for three weeks before the test I tried to get myself in shape by fast walking two miles each night, hot and steamy or not! I am not sure it helped me on the treadmill as it was set on an incline and it did not move at a pace I would have liked! I made it through, though, huffing and puffing....lol! This test involved the dye and the imaging and was three hours long!
Today, the doctor came in smiling and handed me the report saying I was just fine....not a thing wrong. Well, I tried to tell him that in the first place! Really, I did! I hadn't been worried, but it is always nice to get good news!

And, the doctor handed Mr.S his report from his CT Scan on his neck....it, too, was a thumbs up! (With all of the skin cancer surgeries he has had, he wanted to be sure the huskiness of his voice was not due to something more serious than allergies.) So, this has been a day full of sweet blessings!

After the doctor it was errands and hubs was with me as he had to stop at Lowes for a new garage door opener. We almost did not get the van out of the garage this morning! :( Then to the store and then to the farmers market for fresh homegrown tomatoes and corn and Michigan peaches....I say this every year,....you have not eaten a peach until you have eaten a Michigan peach!

As I was putting the groceries away, Mr. S was working on the garage door opener only to find the one he purchased was not for our door, so after dinner, off we went again to get one compatible with ours....when we left home we saw that a shower was brewing, heard the ocassional thunder and thought nothing of it and went on. When we arrived at Lowe's we saw that it was more than just a little shower, but you know men, and on we went into the store. Shortly, the lightening and thunder began crashing and the rain, well, it was a mega burst for sure....I wandered around looking at Orchids and hubs sat with others in the lawn furniture until it abated enough for us to dash to the car. Once home, it stopped and then it started up again with the sun shinning and I knew that somewhere I would see a rainbow....
I remember my Mom telling me once, that the rainbow was the sign of good things....well, good things did happen today and so very thankful I am. This time we were lucky!

Wishing you all many blessings and beautiful rainbows,
Jil

Pink Saturday And A Garden Party

2011-08-05T10:56:00.059-04:00

Hello Sweet Pink Saturday And Etsy Cottage Style peeps....I am joining both Beverly for PINK SATURDAY and Etsy Cottage Style for their Garden Party with pictures of members gardens this year....It was a slow spring because of the weather in so many different spots throughout the country, but now that summer is here there should be some fantasic flowers to admire...Do come and stroll through our gardens...

I have been showing some of my flowers through the year, but here are some new with some of the old pictures....I hope you enjoy them!

Landscape roses that are so hardy and just bloom and bloom! Love them!

Two different plants of Pinks....

One of my Hydrangea bushes. I purchased three about six or seven years ago...the instructions said they were for indoors only. Well, as you can see I put them out and they are huge and doing well! All three are this pretty pink, but I would love to have a blue one and will have to learn how to adjust the soil acidity to have one!

A little rose like Begonia...I just love this variety and have several.

Sweet Violets....of which I suddenly have way too many and they will have to be greatly thinned!!!!

Precious Bleeding Hearts

I have been enjoying thoroughly, each and every new bloom in the gardens as I know this season does not last nearly as long as I wish it could.....when the days are short, dark, snowy and cold

I will be thinking spring and summer and just waiting for Mother Nature to wake up all her beautiful works of art that are sleeping beneath the ground.

Happy Pink Saturday, Happy Gardening and Happy Summer!!!
Smiles :-)
Jil
xo

~Pink Saturday~

2011-07-29T14:59:00.005-04:00

Hello again, Sweet Pink Saturday! Before I say another word, I want to give you the link to Beverly's where you will find all the other blogs dressed in their pink finery! Be sure and say "Hi" to Beverly to let her know how much you enjoy this special day! I can't imagine a week without PINK SATURDAY!!

And, another week that has flown by. I can't make up my mind if this is a good thing or not.....the week was not unusual in any way....working in the gardens, creating, talking on the phone with friends and family, visiting with the neighbors....just a nice easy summer week. Sitting on the porch with a drink and a magazine and letting life drift by..... The kind of days you yearn for when the snow drifts are high.

I didn't know what to do this week for today, but I am painting and studying the roses I have, both real and painted. So, I was taking pictures and as I was printing them out to pin on my inspiration board I thought I would share them with you as they are so pretty....I am so happy God made roses for us, aren't you?!

Some of my roses that I want to improve on....

There are so many different ways in painting roses....each artist has their own unique style. It is so inspiring, to me, to just sit and study and absorb each different rendition.....I just yearn to paint them and hope in time I will finally get a rose that will satisfy this rose loving soul!

Before I leave to go Pink visiting....I want to leave you with this thought. There are times in all our lives when we get hurt by those we love....do not understand why ...or feel that it is deserving. In a lovely book I am reading I found this and just wanted to share it with you:

Forgive And Forget.
Our Lord we thank thee, for so much.
We bless Thee and praise Thy Glorious Name.

Fill your world with Love and Laughter. Never mind what anguish lies behind you.
Forget, Forgive, Love and Laugh.
Treat all as you would treat Me, with love and consideration.
Let nothing others do to you alter your treatment of them.

Wishing you a lovely and peace filled week!
Jil

Hot PINK SATURDAY

2011-07-22T17:00:00.014-04:00

Hello Everyone....Are you all enjoying the heat wave? No. I didn't think so. Much as we yearned to be rid of the long winter with all the snow, I think we were not thinking of so much heat! I am blessed with central air, and believe me, it is a blessing, but we take a two mile walk every night and that is not fun right now. We walk on the boardwalk right next to the water and while it is a bit cooler, when you are trying to walk as fast as you can you get so hot and tired! I do it, though, with my water bottle! I really push myself and I was hoping for a fifteen pound weight loss by Monday, but I will be lucky to get to ten pounds. :( The older you get, the harder it is and I am determined to loose my "muffin top" by winter and sweater time.....

To get to all the other pink and sweet blogs just go to Beverly's and you will find them all for this Pink Saturday. While you are there, be sure and leave Beverly a comment.....we are so grateful to her for hosting this fun venue!

The little gal in the top picture is a memento from the craft show days....I keep her out to remember all those good times....

The cream stocking below, I just finished.....I love the sweet look of the tone on tone of creams.....it says many things to me, shabby, pretty and classy. I love making the muslin roses and am making some to offer in my Etsy Shop soon.

This stocking has a picture pocket, lots of lovely vintage laces and can be seen HERE I have several more in all creams coming very soon....I invite you to stop by and look.

*SOLD*
Off and Running To Say Hi To YOU!
Smiles,
Jil

~Happy Rose Drying~.

2011-07-18T10:47:00.017-04:00

Good Morning Peeps.......I have something to share with you that is so exciting to me!
You know by now that I am so in love with my Eden roses.....I, even, lately purchased another big healthy bush of them. In time I hope to have them wandering beautifully over our two, not so pretty, chain link fences.

What I want to show is that I picked three of their heavenly blooms and put them in a pretty vase. I showed them off to you on another, earlier, post....Here they are, again....

Just like the white roses from a bouquet I gifted myself, last winter and just let rest in the vase I arranged them in....

My glorious Eden roses gave me the same gift....Left alone, not even changing the water, they dried on their own.

If you love dried blossoms as I do, just try cutting a few of your roses, put them in water and just leave them. Some roses will do this, some will not. I have found those roses that have many layers of petals, such as Eden, and some of the tea roses as the white ones, are your best bet.

Now I wish I had cut all of the blooms and let them dry....I love making wreaths and that is what I will be doing with these three.....when I have one created, I will share...
Have a happy day creating!
Jil
:)

~JULY PINK SATURDAY FUN~

2011-07-15T14:54:00.001-04:00

Hello Sweet Friends.....My, this week just whizzed by! Did it for you, too? It has been full of working in the yard with all the pleasant sun shinny weather we are having, still painting woodwork, etc. around the house and trying to get a few things made, too. This is our special day to indulge in all the pinkness we can find and we do that by going to Beverly's and visitng all the marvelous blogs showing their pinks for Pink Saturday....

And...SHABBY COTTAGE SHOPS is in it's 6th day of Christmas In July and you can click HERE to see todays feature shop which is Tequila Bay Boutique. Isn't that an intriguing name? It just invites you to go and see what they have to offer, which, of course, will be wonderful! Each day a new shop is featured with their offering PLUS a beautiful gift and all with FREE SHIPPING! You can't beat that! Two gifts for one!
Here is a list of the participating shops...you will want to visit them all and you can by clicking this link.... CHRISTMAS IN JULY

The Ruffled Rose
The Shabby Crafter - Etsy
5 Dollar French Marche - Etsy
Vintage Paris Market - Etsy
Little Luxuries of Va.
Little Bit Old Lil Bit New
Belle Inspiration
Celestina Marie Designs
Dusty Oak Ornaments
Holly And Glitter
Sassy Beach Jewelry Designs
Laurie's Doggie Carriers
Creations With Heart
Debi Coules
Sweethearts Nest

Below are some pinks for you this week .... a few of my china tea or coffee mugs...

And some pretty pink lilies in my back yard.....I love the white in the centers, just like petals...

....aren't the Hydrangeas at the top, pretty? They were such a soft faded lavender pink and so pretty I could not pass up taking a picture as I was shopping at my favorite nursery!

Thank you for stopping by...it is always wonderful to read my comments and see who visited and now I am off to visit you!
:) Jil
xo

Whats New.....

2011-07-12T13:51:00.039-04:00

Hello...I hope you are all having a great summer afternoon! I can't make up my mind whether to open more windows and forget the air conditioning, or close them all and just leave it on.....it is that kind of day. 82 degrees is not all that hot, but here in Michigan we have the humidity factor. : ( It can make it pretty miserable!
As you know SHABBY COTTAGE SHOPS is in their third day of Christmas In July. Todays feature is a cute Etsy Shop, 5 Dollar French Marche. I hope you will pop offer to see her wonderful offering with a free gift and free shipping, just for today only!

And besides painting all through the house, here is what I have been up to...

This is a darling vintage glass butter pat dish coupled with the sweetest small ( 3 1/2" ) vintage candlestick. Now it is a cute cupcake holder, faux or real as well as a votive candle holder.....The candlestick has a prettiest details...just click on the picture to make it larger....

And a pretty teacup and saucer I recently found....

You can see more HERE

I am thirsting for a glass of lemonade with a sprig of mint. Oh, I wish I had remembered to plant a little bit of it....We have the lemonade, just no mint, so I am off to pour a big glass with lots and lots of ice and then to find my paint brush!
Bye For Now....
Blowing Kisses....xxxx Jil

Christmas In July Free Gift From Me To You

2011-07-07T21:16:00.022-04:00

Hi Girl Friends......I just have to tell you, we are so excited at Shabby Cottage Shops to announce our Christmas In July event!
It starts Saturday, July 9th......We invite you, each day, to come visit the featured shop and see their beautiful ONE DAY offerings.
We begin on Saturday and it starts with our shop... THE RUFFLED ROSE I created the Teddy In A Teacup just for Shabby Cottage Shops and this fun affair and.....there is a sweet surprise that goes with it, but just for Saturday....

just this one day, at The Ruffled Rose You will receive the pretty white eyelet sachet booties....made from a vintage eyelet dresser scarf and all of it is SHIPPED FREE! Thats right a beautiful free gift and....Free Shipping. My thank you to all my wonderful friends and customers. Each day a different shop will be featured with the same offer so come often to see the shop of the day!

THE SHABBY CRAFTER
5 DOLLAR FRENCH MARCHE
VINTAGE PARIS MARKET
LITTLE LUXURIES OF VA
TEQUILA BAY BOUTIQUE
SASSY BEACH JEWELRY DESIGNS
DUSTY OAK ORNAMENTS
LAURIE'S DOGGIE CREATIONS
CELESTINA MARIE DESIGNS
CREATIONS WITH HEART
BELLE INSPIRATION
DEBI COULES
SWEETHEARTS NEST
HOLLY AND GLITTER
LITTLE BIT OLD LIL BIT NEW
Enjoy!
xo
Jil
This is also PINK SATURDAY and to find all the other funtastic PINK blogs just go to
Beverly's
See you there!

A Pretty Vintage Find

2011-07-06T12:32:00.013-04:00

~SOMEONE ELSE LOVED IT TOO....IT IS SOLD~
This is such a beautiful day! I wish there were time to walk down to the beach, but I just have too many things on my "to do list." Not fair! :(

Here is a find I wanted to share with you.....I think it is sooooo beautiful and the pictures just do not do it justice. It is a generous sized vintage linen for a table or dresser....the exquisite crochet and embroidery are at each end and the color is rich and very, very French.....French Country or Farmhouse. The fabric a wonderful linen.

I have to admit that I purchased this for myself, but it is a bit too long and so I am offering it on my WEBSITE

Hope you will come and take a peek and starting on the 9th, Saturday, Shabby Cottage Shops is starting a marvelous event that you won't want to miss.....More details to come!

Back to my list....Ho Hum!
Smiles,
Jil

COLORS PARTY

2011-06-29T11:59:00.034-04:00

Hello Sweet Peeps....I am joining the monthly blog Colors party at ETSY COTTAGE STYLE and I hope you will come join me by clicking on the link and visiting all the blogs showing their "whites" this month.....this is the month for brides and beautiful weddings, so it just had to be a "white" month.

It has been so cool, cloudy and even rainy here that I don't have much in my garden. Nothing is really interested in growing or blooming. I have lots of green and my Eden roses had their first gorgeous blooming but nothing white.....yet. So, I took my camera inside and shot a few of my inside whites....I use white and wood as I think they compliment each other and keep it from getting boring. I love colors, especially soft pretty pastel colors and white is a perfect backdrop for them...I admit to a love of red and blue, too, and use the stronger colors mostly the kitchen, I just have to sneak some in. lol!

Have a beautiful day and have fun wandering through our "whites!" Here are some of mine:
The first picture, above, is one of the guest rooms and where my computer is. I love all the comfy pillows and this is "my reading spot". Those two pillows in front are 20 years old!!! I could not believe it when I figured back to when I purchased them in Prescott, Arizona. They are by Waverly and were very expensive which goes to show you get what you pay for. They are made of polished cotton and have wide eyelet ruffles....the pillows behind them mostly have vintage cases....

I love this white picket fence shelf....it holds sweet olden baby shoes in black and other mementos.....I did the watermelon slice years ago.....sold hundreds of them it seems at shows...

A darling and very old little shelf above and another of my "picket" shelves, below....note the pretty white and glass terrarium...inside, it has the daintiest little wrens nest...all the twigs as fine as thread. One of my darling granddaughters, Miss Allie, found it and saved it for me a few years ago. I found a Robins egg that was mostly intact and it gently rests in that little nest....It is one of my favorite possessions!

A wall of white and olden plates with white backgrounds, a part of my olde Kitchen Hoosier and a beautiful spoon rack painted by Celestina Marie....Isn't it a beauty?

And, my last picture is of the dining which is mostly white with white lace curtains and swag valances...only a maple corner cupboard that was my Mom's, a grandfaher clock and my olde Singer sewing machine cabinet and an lovely olde oak chair were not painted....I am still debating on the corner cupboard...
Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed your visit!
Bye For Now....
Smiles and Hugs,
Jil

Come Smell The Roses

2011-06-24T14:41:00.029-04:00

Welcome Sweet Pink Loving Peeps! Here is the way to Beverly's and all the fun and amazing blogs that love PINK as much as I do.....Be sure and leave Beverly a comment so she will know how much you enjoy this venue! Thank You Beverly! We just LOVE you!

Finally! The roses are blooming and the rose that holds the key to my heart is Eden. We have had a chilly and wet Spring and beginning to Summer and without the six hours of sun she loves, she has been taking her sweet time to burst forth, but here she is. Isn't she gorgeous?

Even though I use a Bayer product for my roses that is supposed to discourage all buggies, with all the wet we have them anyway. So, they are not all absolutely perfect, there is a little nibble hole here and there, but then, that is just Nature at work! Right?

Below are my hardy and pretty landscape roses.....never any bugs and they survive any weather, it seems. They just grow and bloom and make Mama happy!

I hope you enjoyed some of my roses!

I am planning my first ever GIVE A WAY! I would have had one long ago, but I had to figure out how make the little button for you all to take back to your blogs....so, When I get to 325 followers I will celebrate my first one....stay tuned!

Have a very Rosy Pink Saturday!
Love To You All!
Jil

Crazy Week

2011-06-23T19:09:00.036-04:00

Oh mercy! What a week this has been. It seems like one thing after another, but thankfully none of them serious, just a bother!

Yesterday, my mail was hijacked and all of my addresses gone! I got that straightened out, but now I have to gather addresses again.

And, I lost my post I did earlier this week. I don't know where it went, but it is not here! lol! I have been having lots of problems with my computer. In fact, I have to come to my blog through Google Chrome if I want to stay on it. If I come in on Yahoo it just keeps loading and reloading and reloading. It wants to install a Flash of some sort, yet all it does is freeze up the computer.

So, on a happier note, I had said in the post that went missing, I have gotten enthused to go back to some painting.....here is the picture of a piece I did for a craft show that started that enthusiasm. I kept it by putting a stupid price on it. I did that because I had such fun painting all the hills and cottages and lost myself in it so much I did not want to part with it. Silly, I know! I did other paintings that sold, but this one will stay mine.

I had thought I would start with an old window that I lugged home from somewhere. I knew hubby could do any mending it needed while keeping it all chippy and shabby. He finally has "got" that down and it is so hard for him. He wants everything looking perfect and like new. :-) It looked like it would be a good day to work on painting the porch, so he did that instead and I worked on the little piece below which is now in my WEBSITE

While he was painting the steps, I was down in my basement "studio" painting this.

I am pleased how it turned out...it is just a sweet little accent piece!

Off for a walk.....our evening is just beautiful!
Bye For Now!
Jil

2011-06-17T14:31:00.019-04:00

Hello All....This is our day to show each other our delicious PINKs, so be sure and go to Beverly's to find all the blogs to visit for this Saturday! Isn't she a sweetheart to hostess this for us? Thank You! Beverly.....

I have been doing a lot of this and that and when I look back over the week I don't think I accomplished much! lol! I didn't do any creating as I have been kind of "brain dead" in that department. Do you ever get that way? Or maybe it is just a touch of Spring Fever. Once in a while it hits and I have found the best way to deal with it is not to force anything and just roll with it....inspiration will come back in its own time!
I did do a little treasure hunting and found these two pretty plates...

They will probably wind up in tiered dessert servers....

And this little beauty I found somewhere on our way back home, last year, from Texas and California. I love this plate as the glaze is very different. It is a satin and it makes the roses and designs on the plate very soft and so pretty.

And here is a preview of what is to come....this is one of many buds on my climbing rose bush, Eden. The bush is just covered and I will be so happy to look out one day and find one has opened up.....this is a beautiful English rose and one of the most beautiful of all the roses!

A hanging basket I planted with bright blue Lobelia and pink and white Fuchsias. They have not been growing very fast or as well as they should with all of our cloudy and chilly weather! This has been such a different spring!

These are my pinks for this week so I am going to wish you all a wonderful and happy PINK SATURDAY and go and visit each of you!
Bye For Now,
Jil
xo

PINK SATURDAY ~ No Matter What The Weather May Be !

2011-06-10T15:00:00.005-04:00

Hello Pink Saturday Bloggy Friends! And, how was your week? Just fine, I hope! It has a been a great one here, but the weather is strange, to say the least!!! Yesterday it was in the high 90's and it was HOT~ HOT~ HOT with lots of humidity and then today is so chilly it is back in jeans and a long sleeved shirt. The air conditioner went to off and the windows stayed closed! lol! When I came home from mailing boxes, this afternoon the car said it was 53 degrees!

One thing about this unusual weather is the flowers and lawns thrive in it! My gorgeous Eden rose is covered and I mean covered in buds! And, long ago, say seven years ago, I planted a Columbine in dainty pink. It just did not do well and I thought it had died....not so! It was waiting for a winter with more than twice the normal amount of snow and a spring full of rain to show off! As you can imagine, I was more than delighted. I walk out to just look at them. It is like a lovely gift! I wish the pictures did it justice. (* To see them up close, just click on each picture *)Aren't they graceful and sweet?

And, aren't these Pinks, below, pretty? They are not perennials, but they think they are as they nestle among my Arizona rocks. They come back every Spring! They are like an old friend!

And some Carnations that smell so spicy and good!

The Peonies are a different story this year....I have many big healthy bushes of them and a total of two blooms! I have been flabbergasted as I adore Peonies and could hardly wait for them to burst out in all their gorgeousness. One is out....

And I have this one to look forward to and then that is it! lol! :((((

Hubby knows of my distress over this and he, who always reads the Shopper, saw that there was an article by Martha Stewart on Peonies, and he sweetly brought it to me. It seems my problem is probably caused by a lack of Potassium. Next trip to my favorite nursery I will remedy that problem! In the article MS writes that with TLC you can sometimes coax them to bloom TWICE! Wouldn't that be heavenly?

This is all of my PINKS for this week! Now I am off to be inspired by all of yours!
Bye :-)
Jil
Be sure to visit our Miss Beverly for this Saturday's list of wonderful blogs celebrating PINK.....

Two Sweet Little "Belles"

2011-06-06T10:46:00.041-04:00

Hello Sweet Friends.....
Do you love Southern Belles as much as I do? The pretty ones are few and far between, but these two are little charmers! I couldn't resist making a sweet pillow with them....
The pillow is newly listed at THE RUFFLED ROSE

~ JUST SOLD~
and is so pretty with the soft pinks and white with feminine side ruffles....

( If you click on each picture you can see them in more detail )

I want to share with you one of my beloved belles on a small doiley that I was lucky enough to win on eBay from a lady that collected them. She was downsizing her collection and now this lives happily draped over a pink and white stripped cushion on a chair in my dining room....note the tiny stitches and all the exquisite details in this piece....

Hope your week is starting out well.....I don't know what is going on in town, but sirens are going all over the place......I hope it is nothing serious, but I think it is a good time to stay home and start a new project! It is supposed to get warm again after, once again, donning sweaters. Maybe even a thunderstorm or two, today, too. That I would like!

I am getting over a little "bug." I thought I had severe allergies, but when it went into my chest, I figured it must be a little infection. I need to get over it so I can go and plant flowers.....this is a year we will have a short window of opportunity!

Sending Happy Thoughts to you all!
Jil

Pink Saturday And New York

2011-06-03T14:55:00.001-04:00

Hubby aka Pa, Nolan And Allie,Lilly and me, Jack is in front and our daughter is taking the picture. This is at Lake George on our day of much fun!

Hello and Welcome Bloggy Friends! I hope your week has been delightful! I have been absent the last two weeks....we went to see some of the grandchildren and our daughter. It was Grandparents Day for the sixth graders and we drove to upstate NY to join in the fun. Believe me, that long, 500+ mile trip, was well worth it. We muched on sugar donuts and drank lemonade and decorated our kite. After it was decorated we put it together and once done we all went out to test them! It was a beautiful day....the forcasted thunderstorms knew they better stay away and they did! The kites flew perfectly in the breeze and when the afternoon was over we all went home happy!

Our darling Lilly, isn't she cute?, and her Grandpa who is known as "Pa." Thank heavens we had him as he can tie any kind of knot!

This is the greeting waiting for us done by Jack, our first grader grandson....wasn't that sweet? We were charmed for sure! It says, "Hi Mo And Pa HI" We are Mo and Pa to most of the grands.....

Before I go a dot further, be sure you visit our hostess Beverly to find all the wonderful pink loving blogs and do leave her a comment to let her know how you enjoy this event she so sweetly provides for us.

Much of our dear country has suffered through severe weather causing all sorts of misery as well as loss of life. Lake Champlain was over burdened just as the ole Mississippi was. More water from all the snow and rain than it could handle and so it spread out into fields, eroding the banks and leaving people homeless. It is hard to find words to express this kind of devastation, but I had a lot of tears in my eyes as I looked and wished there was something I could do. They have a long hard row ahead of them!

Water everywhere it is not supposed to be....huge bolders brought in to save the shoreline drive...

Thankfully our daughter and family live on higher ground near the lake and so they were not flooded.....the lake had 12' waves at one time during all of this that washed out cement walls, decks and docks. The damage is horrendous. They showed me a little house that was almost surrounded by water where an older lady lives. She refused to leave and I felt so sad for her. Her property is always so pretty with grass out to the water and lots and lots of flowers.... I hope the water stopped rising before it seeped into her house....

Allie and Pa

Lilly and Jack riding their bikes on the lane next to their home as well as flowers blooming.....the day was so warm and beautiful and the mosquitoes the size of elephants!!!

I helped our daughter weed one of her many gardens....then we had a delicious spring dinner and relaxed in the evening. It was truly a beautiful day!
The next day we all went to Lake George to play miniature golf and roam the shops and play! We found an arcade and had a blast! I walked and walked and believe me, I need to be doing a bit of that every day! It felt so good!

Kym teeing off and a hole in one, but the amzing thing was Jack! He had never played before, he is seven and he made one on a very difficult hole! The picture I took of him turned out all fuzzy! :((( Sorry Jack!

Miss Allie.....she played with her nice boyfriend of two years! This was their 2nd anniversary!

This is the prettiest bush with these white blossoms, but I can not remember the name and I have not had time to look them up in one of my many gardening books....

"Pa" and he made a hole in one, too!

Miss Lilly....she made a hole in one!!!

Our Miss Hannah left with her Dad on Friday for NY City and the weekend. She belongs to the schools drama club and they chartered this amazingly comfortable bus with several drop down big tv's and left to see three Broadway Plays.....They saw Wicked, Jersey Boys and Billy Elliot. What an experience for a thirteen year old and they stayed in a luxury hotel, too! Plus they met behind stage, the cast of Wicked...learned one of their songs and did a few dance steps....this will be a trip both will remember forever!

Arriving is always the best and saying goodbye so hard, but aren't we lucky that we can visit...We hope they can come for some of the summer and then our minds will turn towards Texas.

On the road again.....Driving the 401 headed SW to Toronto, Ontario, CA and home....
We found an antique where we stop to make sandwiches....and now I have a place to always stop on our trips North....

And we arrived home, it had rained so much the lilacs were not looking very pretty and they were tight buds when we left, but the Lily Of The Valley are beautiful and so are the Bleeding Hearts and Columbine.....we still had some pretty tulips and the roses are budding.

This has been a long post, but I hope you enjoyed seeing a bit of our trip and now I am going visiting....
Happy Pink Saturday and have a beautiful week!
Jil
xo

Things That Have A Bit Of Sweet Yellow

2011-05-30T14:14:00.017-04:00

I am late, late, late. We were away and when we returned it seems that there have just been many things to get caught up with.....this fun party is one of them.

Etsy Cottage Style has a Colors Of The Month Party going this year and I love to see what everyone has each month for that color. This month is the color of yellow. I love yellow as it makes so many colors "Pop", but I have to say I am a "yellow snob." It just has to be the right hue of yellow or I turn away and do not want anything to do with it..soft, barely there, buttery yellow.....so, better late than never, are some yellows I have.....

LADY MOUSE FROM THE BEATRICE POTTER COLLECTION..... I have had this well over thirty years....she has a bit of soft yellow on the skirt of her gown....

A bit of yellow in one of the dainy crocheted falling flowers....I have this since we lived in Blaine, WA. upteen years ago!

Beautiful handpainted plate....one of my favorites just because the yellow is that devine shade I love!

A sunflower frame with a darling and precious little granddaughter who is 16 now and horrors of horrors....driving! ( Have you noticed we worry as much about ours grands as we did and do about our own children? Thing is, we are not supposed to let this be known, though! lol )
Note the little terra cotta pot....when this darling girl was five years old, she already knew that her "Mo" loves flowers! When she lived close we would craft together and she cut shapes from paper and drew flowers on them and pasted them in the pot. She gave me the little pot and told me, "Now you will always have flowers." Believe me words were hard to find for this sweetest of sweet thoughts and the cleverness of it all. Love you precious Allie!

And lastly...some pretty hankies that can be found in my Etsy Shop....

Enjoy and have a wonderful day!!
Jil

Sweet Tulips And Other Things....

2011-05-18T16:08:00.039-04:00

Hello sweet blogger friends....How have you all been this week? For me it is a quiet week...lots and lots of rain and chilly temps here. Today is the first warmth we have felt in a very long time! The tulips are just gorgeous and I love just looking at them! I know they can't last too much longer and how I will miss them when they are gone. The bunches of lilac blossoms are growing bigger every day and on the West side of the porch a few are opening and Ohhhhh the fragrance is to die for! Heavenly! The Lily Of The Valley are starting to send up their bloom shoots of exquisite little creamy white bells and their fragrance is heavenly as well and their leaves so big and green....just gorgeous....

I decided to add among the flowers from the gardens, the sachets I have been working on....You can see more of them at THE RUFFLED ROSE I invite you will visit SHABBY COTTAGE SHOPS for Thursday Marketplace.....we have so many new members and lovely and unique shops for almost anything your heart desires....

Yes, this is a dandelion....not in our yard! They wouldn't dare! When we were walking I took my camera to get a shot of one because this year, the blooms are so big! The whole plant large and healthy...I am sure it is all the snow we had!

This beautiful pink rock is one I brought back from Arizona. I found it under a bridge on a back road outside of Prescott....

I won't be doing Pink Saturday this week as we are going to be busy, but I will catch up the next Saturday.....
Blowing you hugs and kisses!
Jil

Hello Pink Saturday

2011-05-13T14:55:00.015-04:00

Hello sweet pink loving peeps! It is Pink Saturday already and you can find lots and lots of delicious pink blogs by visiting our beloved hostess Beverly Be sure and leave her a comment....she likes to know you have visited.

The mosaic, above, is a bit of what is finally going on in our yard....the Lily Of The Valley have their gorgeous full green leaves with stems of tiny closed white bells soon to open.....the lilacs have small tight clusters of purple and I think that within two weeks we will have their beauty and their heavenly scent....now that it looks like warm weather is here to stay for a bit, I will be off getting hanging baskets and lots and lots of bedding plants and enjoy sitting on the porch with a glass of sweet tea and a good book!

And here is what is happening on one corner of our front porch roof.....I hope I will be able to capture pictures of the little ones....in case you did not know, Robins can be vicious when they have young....I know by experience! We had one nest in a hanging basket and in order to water the flowers, a visiting granddaughter would madly wave the broom around to keep mama away.....Oh, the scolding that went on from the nearby tree and some dive bombing, anyway! I was glad to see that bunch fly away as there was no sitting on the porch during the little ones growing up!

And, Please remember, with prayers, the suffering of many with the horrific floods and the tornados and fires to say nothing of those out of work.....our country is in such a sad place right now!
Smiles and Hugs,
Jil

~Two Sweet Days~ Pink Saturday And Mothers Day

2011-05-06T16:30:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday and A Happy Mothers Day to all you Mama's! To make our Pink Saturday rounds of luscious blogs celebrating these two special events, just go to Beverly's and there you can roam to your hearts content! Just scroll down to where all the little buttons/links are. Thank you, Beverly, for being hostess to our favorite event!

These days have been full haven't they? Pink Saturday is to be a fun day with no heavy troubling drama, but we can't forget those who have lost so much in the wake of horrendous tornados and now massive, crippling floods. They need our support in any way we can give and they need our prayers to stay strong. I have been happy to hear that the Red Cross and the people in the area that were not affected by the tornado have come out strong with everything from water to p.j.'s.

Our daughter is in an area that is not getting much attention, but the flooding is great. They are by Lake Champlain on the NY side....they are elevated so flood is not a threat. I know the area from visits and she has sent pictures and it is so hard to believe the lake came ashore and has surrounded houses, businesses and ruined so many lives and that it has gone so far beyond the lake. The Chazy River and the Great Chazy River like the lake, are at flood stages not seen for many years.

She did have her own unexpected emergency, tho.... they woke up one morning to find their sump pump had failed and several feet of water in their basement ruining all that was stored down there plus washer and dryer, hot water heater and I don't know about their furnace.....the basement was a horrible mess to clean up, so can you imagine if it were your whole house.....I would not know where to begin! And, it is still raining there!!

And Hurrah to our Navy Seals for taking out the monster...Thank You! Thank You! I can not imagine what it must have been like to face such enormous danger, but I thank you for your devotion to this country and the enormous sacrifices you make as well as all the training that pushes one beyond all limits. You are my heroes! May God bless each and every one of you as well as all our servicemen and women and keep you safe!!

My loving Mom and her parents, my beloved Grandpa and Granna....They have all been gone many years, but will always live in my heart and put a smile on my face! Happy Mothers Day, Mama!

Isn't this egg adorable. This was a Christmas present from my oldest granddaughter, Adrianna. This is one of my favorite treasures and I just wanted to share it...yes,it is a real egg.

And a bit of pink in a little arrangement on a shabby shelf....the old glasses? Well they were salesman samples and came from Grandfathers office. He was an eye, ear and nose specialist. They, too, are a real treasure and I will write more, why, on another post.

God Bless and have a wonderful happy and safe weekend and week!
Jil
xo

Did You Watch The Royal Wedding?

2011-04-29T16:52:00.008-04:00

Did you set your alarm very early so you could be up to see the festivities of the Royal Wedding? I did. I slept in my sewing/guest room with the little TV and woke up to see Prince William as he was leaving for Westminster Abby.
I found it to be all beautiful and just perfect. The gowns gorgeous, the hats outrageous and I must say not very becoming to their wearers, but I understand the pomp and protocol. The music was heavenly....and the sermons inspiring. Wouldn't it be a good thing if all couples could hear such words from time to time to remember the love and devotion that brought them together in the first place...maybe it would keep more couples together....

And the kisses on the balcony....weren't they sweet and romantic? And the planes of William's squadron flying over head gave me goose bumps! I wish this couple a long and happy marriage and life!

Years ago, I stayed up all night, when we lived in Washington State, to watch Diana marry. Am I wrong in saying that todays wedding was much lighter and happier in feel? After following Diana and watching her little men grow into fine young adults I couldn't not watch the wedding of her eldest.

I hope those of you that watched this happy event in a world that is fraught with problems, enjoyed as thoroughly as I did! It was nice to have something happy to watch!

Be sure and visit Beverly's for this weeks list of pinkalicious blogs to visit. While over at Beverly's, do leave her a comment. We wouldn't have this special day if it weren't for her and all her hard work!

And please remember to keep all the people in your prayers that lost their lives and all their possessions to the tornados that tore apart the South this week and all of this spring. Sadly, so many tragic happenings in the world just in the few short months of this year. Do you think, perhaps, He is trying to get our attention?

Happy Pink Saturday and have a happy weekend and week!
Jil

Etsy Color Of The Month Party

2011-04-25T12:43:00.014-04:00

Hello Sweet Friends and Welcome....
It is time for our Etsy Cottage Style Color Of The Month Party and this month is a favorite color for many of us...PINK!
I wish I could show you some fresh new spring blooms from my gardens, but spring is barely here....this is the first week of warmer temperatures for more than one day in a row and really....the trees and bushes are not out yet! They are trying with their teeny green buds, but we need some warm sunny days and some warm rain.
I went to my files and am going to show you a few pictures that you may have seen before....

These storm clouds at the beach down the street, were quite pink. The camera washed them out a bit, but they are still beautiful....

Pretty pink petunias

My "Baby Blue Rose"....a lovely pinky lavender

One of my large pink cupcakes with handmade clay roses...
These are my pinks and now I am off to see yours!
Many Blessings!
Jil

2011-04-22T16:49:00.010-04:00

Hello All and Happy Easter, Happy Spring and Happy Passover! This is a special Pink Saturday and when you go to Beverly's you will find all the pretty Springtime blogs to browse through....

Flowers from our gardens last year and the cross beside the road that we always watch for....I believe this one is in Missouri. Isn't it magnificent?

Spring is very slow in coming to us this year...right now it is raining, which I love, but it is chilly, chilly, chilly....which I don't love! I do hope that Sunday will have the sun shinning and warmer temps so all the children can have fun finding eggs outside.....so much more fun than finding them inside.

We will be celebrating just the two of us, but we have much to be thankful for. The West Texas fires swept through the town our Texas family lives in....Ft. Davis. It swept through the area of their home and when they were evacuated they went out on the highway where they could watch. It was all high flames fed by the high winds and dense smoke, but hours and hours later, when it all cleared, their home was OK! There was only a small bit under the fence in a portion of their property. Many were not so lucky....I believe, the last I heard 43 homes were lost in that area and sadly a fireman is in the burn unit of The University Medical Center in Lubbuck. He is fighting for his life with 60% of his body burned.....I hope you will remember to keep him in your prayers.....having been in the US Forest Service with my first husband, I know how treacherous and deadly even a grass fire can become!

And, another blessing....our Texas grandson has had the grafting on his hand completed this week. He is waiting to find out when he will be released to finish his therapy and recovery.....Three weeks ago he had a serious dirt bike accident where he wound up being air lifted to Lubbuck to The University Medical Center and that is where he is now after the surgery.....A freak accident caused him to fly over the handle bars with the bike landing on top of him. He was knocked unconscious and his unprotected hand rested on the hot exhaust pipe causing third degree burns on his hand and wrist. I know he learned a valuable lesson to always be wearing your safety gear...all of it, not just some of it. Thank heavens he had his helmet on or it could have been much, much worse!
This special young man graduates from college next month and has been accepted into the US Border Patrol and is waiting orders. We are all hoping and praying he will get his hand healed and working before they call....

So, these last few weeks have been a bit stressful, but with luck and prayers, all seems to be on the mend!

Wishing you all many blessings,
Jil

Faux Cakes And Dancing With The Stars

2011-04-20T13:57:00.011-04:00

Hi everyone....I think Spring has forgotten us.....I hear that Massachusetts is expecting twelve inches of snow, so I mustn't complain too much! lol! We do not have any leaves out....the lilacs are trying with teeny, about half an inch, buds and the tulips are not being eager to send up their bloom shoots.....So, since it is much too chilly for any outdoor activities, I have been working away....

I wanted to show you this sweet and pink little cake I fashioned while watching the elimination on Dancing With The Stars, last night! (I was sorry to see Petra leave and I am betting on the football player, Hines Ward, to take home the mirror ball....I know anything can happen in the next four weeks, so really who knows, but I never expected him to have such grace and ability! He is amazing to watch!) Then after Dancing With The Stars was the new show Body Of Proof. Have you all been watching it with Dana Delaney? It is wonderful....a serious subject, but presented so well and entertaining at the same time...I love this show and and its characters and hope they have the good sense to not cancel it....the same goes for Castle....Missed it this week because they put in that goofy show Cougar Town which I, personally, think they could cancel....not my taste in humor.....Mercy I sound like a reviewer for TV sitcoms....lol!

So, here is my little faux cake and now back to work.....

Have a happy day!
Jil

So Sweet Pink Saturday

2011-04-15T16:55:00.011-04:00

Hello and Welcome Blogerettes to another Pink Saturday Party....To find all the other fabulous pink blogs to visit, all you have to do is click on Beverly and while there be sure and leave her a comment.....she loves them!

Hope you all had a fine week enjoying Spring.....here, it is just resisting getting warm and pleasant. The spring flowers are paying no mention and they are coming right on up, but I stayed inside with a sweater and heat on and worked away Faux Baking. I have said before that it is so relaxing and just plain fun. So, here are a few faux goodies just listed in my Etsy Shop Enjoy! And, I am always delighted to do a custom order for you in the color of your choice ....watch for lots more shapes coming soon!

The roses are my handmade clay roses....aren't they sweet? And, a nice change from the paper roses.....

These two cupcakes are larger....almost like little individual cakes and the tops are soooo sweet with my handmade clay roses, vintage and new posies and pink faux icing....just scrumptious! And, they look amazing on a pretty plate because they are larger with more blossoms....just more "prettieness" to savor.....

~SOLD~

Wishing you the happiest weekend and week!!
Sweetest Regards....Jil

More Pretty Fanciful Eggs

2011-04-09T15:25:00.025-04:00

We all love spring and Easter for so many reasons. The lovely colors of the flowers and the greening of the grass and trees is a soothing relief after a long cold and snowy winter.
And all of that falls right into creating, too! Working with lovely and happy spring colors and making things for our Easter decor is just plain Fun!

I took the time to finish embellishing these four eggs this morning and you can see more detail at The Ruffled Rose
They look so pretty in this Mikasa glass heart that I have had for so long, I know I will have to make some for me!

I love making these pretty eggs and like the velvet eggs that I have been making, they are really nothing new. All of us that have been crafting for years, made them for home and craft shows years and years ago. The velvets then were richer in color and the blossoms on them were not from vintage millinery or the handmade Mulberry paper roses, as they are now. I also, had these as well as the velvet eggs, in a boutique in Rancho Bernardo, CA. when we lived there.

And, I am in a faux baking mood, so watch for cookies and cupcakes coming soon!

If any of you would like to know how to make them, just write to me for instructions. I will be more than happy to help you!

Have a happy and fun weekend!
Jil

2011-04-08T16:45:00.012-04:00

Happy Pink Saturday, Blogerettes...When you go over to Beverly's who is our dearly loved hostess, be sure and leave her a comment and then travel leisurely through all the other wonderful blogs celebrating PINK! You might want to have a cup a of tea or your favorite drink at hand, so you can enjoy a bit of time for yourself and...have fun!

I want to thank all of you that have been ordering my velvet eggs! I have been soooo busy creating them and loving every moment! It has been a challenge keeping up with the orders and the shipping!!! It is truly such a blessing to me and makes me so happy that you like them, and, especially at this special time of the year! Thank you! Thank you!

I haven't had time to add more to our Website but there is one, very pretty white one still available....

~SOLD~
And for something pink....my original little egg bunnies...

I made this pattern and sold these little bunnies with a big bunny at craft shows in the West. This was long before we moved here or I knew how to even use the computer! lol That seems so strange to think there was a time that I cared nothing for the computer and only discovered eBay five years ago! I was going through my hand drawn patterns and discovered this little guy and I am so glad I did! They are so much fun to make and will stand on their own with their little fluffy bunny tails!

Wishing you a happy weekend and week!
Jil

WooHoo It's April AND Pink Saturday!

2011-04-01T18:34:00.020-04:00

Today was rush, rush, rush and so I am late, late, late!
I hope you all had a great week. I think I did...it went by rather fast! lol! Atleast the snow is now melting and, fingers and toes crossed, there will be no more!!
Be sure and go and say "Hi" to Beverly our ever so nice hostess and to roam through all the other lovely blogs that are pink and sweet....
That is where I am headed, but first here is what I did this week and of course, it is in pinks! Hope you will stop by the The Ruffled Rose and see all our new offerings!
Click on the picture for a larger view of these two sweet velvet eggs full of vintage millinery.
~BOTH SOLD~
Have a happy week!
Jil

Spring Cleaning And Creating

2011-03-30T11:02:00.016-04:00

The weather doesn't say Spring, but my internal clock says it is time for some spring cleaning and that is just what I have been doing. It is kind of a good thing the weather is too cold with snow on the ground to even consider any gardening. When the weather does decide to play nice, I will be all ready to go out and do some work in the yard knowing the inside chores will be done and that monkey on my back will not be there! After months inside, you can't begin to imagine, what a pleasure that will be!!! Ahh...fresh air and sunshine, sitting on the porch with some sweet tea and thunderstorms....I can hardly wait! And, taking some much needed walks....I hate to say it, but this winter put a little weight where I do not need it!!! I have even purchased, in anticipation, some of those new shoes to work your legs, butt and tummy....

Besides cleaning and straightening I have been working....the day does not feel complete unless I have been creating and here is what is new at My Website

~SOLD~

I am taking down some curtains today to wash and iron and that will my project in the cleaning department for today!
Hope your day is all you want it to be!
Jil xo

Chilly Pink Saturday

2011-03-25T16:59:00.003-04:00

Hello All....Wherever you are I hope it is not as cold as it is here. Brrrr! It is almost April and last night it got down to 9 degrees and the high today, so far, has not made it to 30! The less than one inch of snow of the first of the week turned out to be more like four and it is frozen to the ground and trees. Even though tulips and other spring flowers seem to be hardy, I wonder what this frozen snow is doing to them! Some were up about six inches ....Oh, where is Spring and some warm air????

But to happier matters....this is Saturday and you all know what that means! We are celebrating our favorite color, PINK, with Beverly . Be sure and run over to see all the wonderful blogs taking part....

I feel kind of lacking in pink this week to show you, but I did these three little "egg" bunnies and they come in this very pink wire basket...They turned out pretty cute and they sit by themselves, too. You can see more views of them at My Website

And, then while I was at it, I made three more that I listed individually on My Etsy

This is one of them....

I am keeping the noble people of Japan in my daily prayers and I hope you will join me....they are now fearing a serious breach in the reactors that could spill uncontrolled amounts of radiation....how horrific on top of all they are having to deal with! And then there was another good jolt in the ground in Myanmar which took lives....

I was saddened too, this week, by the passing of one my all time favorite actresses...Elizabeth Taylor. I have read that she had suffered great pain for some time and while I will miss her, I am happy she is now painfree and in a peaceful place.

Lets hope that next weeks news will be a bit cheerier!
Happy Pink Saturday!
Jil

Hello Pink Saturday

2011-03-18T17:41:00.016-04:00

It can't be Friday already.....It seems like it was just Monday. Oh I do wish life would slow down for a bit....
I really believe our winter is ending as our tulips are poking through the soil and a lilac bush has big green swollen buds....such a welcome sight! And we saw our first Robin....Oh, that was a happy moment! And to find more happiness, be sure and visit Beverly and all the wonderful blogs loving pink!

As I say goodbye to winter I have to say this is a winter I snuggled down and really enjoyed! I told you in an earlier post, how I was having a love affair with my warm and cozy bed...looking forward to getting comfy and cozy under the quilts and my special "blankie" and my hotwater bottle....such a comfort! I never have had a winter like this and I am grateful for it. It is hard to explain, but I needed just what it gave me...comfort, peace and some much needed healing of the soul! I hate saying goodbye to the long nights, but I welcome the longer evenings when we can be out enjoying the yard and the birds....each season offers such delights.

Do you like Southern Belles as I do? Pretty ones that are in great condition are getting harder and harder to find. Here are two I just listed on the Website

Click on the pictures and you can see them up closer....aren't they sweet?

Now I am off to say "Hi" to you!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Jil
xo

The Wearing Of The Green

2011-03-11T17:00:00.004-05:00

Happy St. Paddy's Day to all my dear friends! Don't forget to go and visit Miss Beverly for all the blogs celebrating Pink And Green! It should be a blast!

I don't have much green in my home, but there are some touches as there are many hues that I just love like the green hubby painted this screen ... and of course the beautiful green leaves of the plant...

A Vintage plate with a band of soft green....

This hand blown Venetian glass apple was my mothers. It has many flecks of real gold and is so pretty with the light streamng through....

More pretty green courtesy of Mother Nature...

And this was courtesy of Mother Nature this morning...6 more inches!

A teeny artichoke teapot that I have had for years....

And a pretty little plate I found at the Salvation Army for .50. I was so delighted and surprised it was still there.

Well...these are my greens and I can hardly wait to see all of yours...

Jil
xo

Meet Miss Jacque B. Bunny

2011-03-09T19:15:00.012-05:00

*SOLD*
The fun part of spring is that you get inspired to make different and cute things....like bunnies and dolls. Things that are cute and whimsical in pretty colors of spring.
So, here is Miss Jacque B. Bunny just finished today. You can see her at The Ruffled Rose She is looking for a new home and comes with a pretty pink Gerbera Daisy and a carton of six colored eggs .... So hope you will hop on over to see more of her.

Be Happy ....
Jil

For The Love Of Lavender

2011-03-03T12:56:00.026-05:00

Hi Everyone....As usual I am a wee bit late....I get so busy and busy I have been trying to sort and rearrange my supplies so they are more efficient! This is a bit hard to do when you live in a very small space....cute, but small!

Anyway I am joining in the fun at Etsy Cottage Style for the Cottage Colors Party and you can too by going to Etsy Cottage Style where you will find the other participants who love purple, this months color.... it is one of my favorite colors and I love soft lavenders and the dusky, smoky lavenders best....my sewing room/guest room is painted such a pretty and relaxing color and I don't think I will ever tire of it...

The lavender wall color and the border with lavender....sweet and soothing. I found the shelf at a craft fair on the Court House lawn in Prescott, AZ. many years ago. A father and daughter did this scroll work and they had many beautiful shelves to choose from....
And more touches of lavenders in my sewing room.....

Vintage millinery bunch of violets...I adore these!

A storge box above my sewing machine....

Quilt with lavender blooms....The soft white coverlet I purchased at one of Prescott's antique stores and it said it was Matelasse ....t is so hard for me to tell that from quilting....I know it is a type of weave....so, is this just a vintage quilt or is it Matelasse? Can you tell?

I can't put all my pretty hankies in a box...I just love looking at their laces and dainty embroidery, so I have some scattered here and there throughout the house...peeking out from a drawer, hanging over the edge of a cabinet....you get the idea... and here in my sewing room....The bigger frame has pretty lavender blooms and while it has a crack, I can't throw it away!

Well, these are some of my lavenders/purples and now I am off to see yours...

Hope you are all having a great day creating something beautiful!
Jil

PINK ROSES FOR PINK SATURDAY

2011-02-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

I am so happy you came by to say "Hi" and I hope you enjoyed these lovely pink roses!
If you are a Sam's shopper they are having a special on a bunch of roses for $5.49 and they are in all hues of yellows, oranges, reds and pinks. This pretty pink I could not pass up!

I am wondering if they will dry like the white roses that I showed last Saturday. I have a feeling they will not as these roses are dainty in their look and the white ones had many rows of petals and looked more "hardy."

I am off to say "Hi" to as many of you as I can!
Happy Pink Saturday and be sure and visit Beverly to find all the participants that love pink, too!
Jil
xo

SWEET PINK SATURDAY

2011-02-18T17:00:00.000-05:00

Hello and Welcome, pink loving friends....
This is our day to have fun visiting each other and enjoying all things PINK! You know that if you go and visit our dear hostess Beverly you will find all the sweet pink blogs to visit.

I just had to show you these pretty dried roses...I was so delighted with how they turned out....I picked up a bouquet of lovely white roses at our grocery store about a month ago...they have a marvelous selection of fresh roses as well as other pretty flowers and I can always find something perfect to suit my mood and without breaking the bank. They lasted several days and when I went to remove the roses that I thought were wilting, I discovered that instead of wilting, they were drying on their own.

So, I just freshened the water and left them alone. One by one they each dried so prettily and I saved them all and divided them in pretty bouquets, tied a pretty bow of sheer soft white ribbon around each bunch and scattered them about in several rooms....They are in such good condition, that I may put them in a wreath....many years ago I did so much with dried flowers, growing many and getting them from the gardens in California and turning them into all kinds of pretty accents from wreaths to bouquets. These roses make me think I just might want to do that again...

Sometimes the roses will do this and other times they just fade away and drop their petals. Weren't they a pretty and unexpected "gift?"

Thank you for stopping by...Thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment! I enjoy them so much!
'Til next Saturday...Have a happy week!
Jil
xo

PS Here is my newest, just finished pillow that you can see more of on my Website

WHAT IS IN MY COTTAGE CUPBOARD

2011-02-16T15:04:00.036-05:00

Etsy Cottage Style is having a party this month....a fun party all about our cupboards and what we keep in them, so I am starting with my large Pie Safe.....
This is a very old pie safe that came out of a hotel in Vancouver, BC, Canada, many years ago. When I had my own little boutique I went to an auctioneer outside of Bellingham, WA. to find display pieces for my shop and..... I had this budget I had to pay attention to. I needed a large piece and so he took me out to his barn and there sitting in the dirt, with a tangle of weeds growing up around it, was this old pie safe. I fell in love! He told me how he went to Vancouver when he learned they were tearing down an old hotel and he rescued it among other pieces. Let me tell you this piece is h-e-a-v-y! It takes about four strong men to lift it. I brought hubby and friends and we got it loaded into a truck and then to our home to clean and paint. Two years ago, I repainted it and about eighteen years ago I had hubby put in the chicken wire to keep grandbaby hands from playing with the china....and I have to say I love the look. Bless, hubby's heart, he is never sure of what the outcome of what I want will look like, but he nicely goes about doing it for me.
My blue collection sits on the top and the top shelves are full of my Rose Chintz china by Johnson Bros. I love this old piece....In one of my early posts I show the before and the after of the recent redoing of it.

Then, I have this wonderful maple corner cuboard that was my Mom's. She purchased it in the late 40's among other sweet maple pieces....I have been debating about painting it white....It is full of china I just love...

And this is my beloved old Hoosier cabinet that I purchased for this little bungalow of ours....it was almost too big!

And last, but not least, one of my kitchen cupboards.....I know you probably think how outdated this looks. For me, it is exactly the look that is me! When we had been here a short time, we took off the cupboard doors, papered two walls in my favorite blue and white checks and painted the cupboards and did much more. I am showing you just one of the cupboards as the other side of the sink is quite messy with my painting things....it is too chilly to paint in the basement so I moved my little project up to the kitchen....

I guess you can tell by these pictures, that I am very much the cottage style gal!

Be sure and go to ETSY COTTAGE STYLE BLOG <

Hope you enjoyed looking at my cupboards and now I am off to look at yours!
Jil
xo

Pink Saturday & Valentines Day

2011-02-11T19:28:00.025-05:00

Happy Pink Saturday and Happy Valentines Day to all....
I had such good intentions of making all my Valentines this year .... something handmade and from the heart says L-O-V-E most of all. Well, I am feeling so disappointed in myself because that just did not get done!
I purchased a Cricut when they were on sale, last weekend, and I got bogged down in learning how to use it. It is not hard, but there are several little things to learn and the time flew by with me not getting one Valentine done. Sigh! I hope all my sweeties will understand and I promise that I will make it up at Easter....I am getting started NOW!

I did manage to get two new things done and on the The Ruffled Rose

And a pillow with the sweetest little girl by Ellen Clapsaddle....

Atleast this week was not a total loss and we only had to shovel twice, too! lol!

I hope you all have a happy and romantic Valentines Day!
Jil
xo
Be sure and visit Beverly's for this weeks list of sweet pink blogs all celebrating pink and Valentines Day!

The Wonder Of Winter ~ Icicles

2011-02-08T16:21:00.022-05:00

Hello Friends, Warm And Cold! This is the first day in a very long time that the sun is shining....the icicles on the front porch were melting merrily and the clear ice looks so pretty against the blue sky...They were melting quickly and I tried to slow the shutter to catch the drops, but I need to study that much more as you can see I failed...And, our little icicles just do not compare to those around us....When I took some boxes to the Post Office I grabbed my camera and here are some grand icicles to see...

These are next door to us and I worry about the children that live there...when it is warm and they are melting, if one fell off and hit you on the top of your head, it could kill you. I do hope their Mommy and Daddy are careful about watching these....

And at the school up the street, they are so heavy and at all the windows around this school it makes me think of fringe....isn't it pretty?

And, then since I was out and had my camera I took a few more pictures of winter by Lake Huron...

At the mouth of St. Claire River, where the white ice and snow stars, is Lake Huron. Needless to say, there is no shipping going on right now....it usually starts back up sometime in March. I miss the sound of the big ships motors and the toot of their horns....

The oldest lighthouse in Michigan where we have so many...this is just a couple of blocks down the street at a pretty sandy beach. The buildings are the older US Coast Guard buildings....

A cold day for a walk through the snow...it was 14 degrees when I took these pictures.

Going home....

When you have the winter we have been having, the only way to survive is to see the beauty in it all and think of shoveling as great exercise.

And now, back to learning more on my new Cricut....it is quite the machine!

Keep warm and cozy,
Jil
xo

Pillow Talk And More For Pink Saturday

2011-02-04T18:12:00.028-05:00

Hello All.....All week I have ment to come and post...I don't know where the time went. Oh yes,.... I was out shoveling, and then out to shovel some more and in between that I was drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream and sewing....pillows, and then out to shovel a bit more! I know I was not alone in the shoveling! What a storm it was, but nothing here like some got in Missouri, Oklahoma, Chicago and other places! My husband thinks our total was right at 14".

The fun of Pink Saturday is to roam around looking at all the pink and pretty posts and you can find them all at Beverly's so don't be shy...go have some fun!

Here are a few pinks around the house....

A lamp I painted a few years ago....

A favorite antique bowl with a paper mache heart ornament that I have had for more than 20 years...I have two and they were sold as Christmas ornaments, but they are too pretty to put away, so they have always had a spot somewhere in the house all year long!

Pretty hankies that I keep out to make me smile ...

Storage containers in my sewing room....I try to always keep the storage, that stays out in sight, pretty to inspire me...and make the room pretty at the same time!

And pretty fabric squares for a project...
Well, sweet friends, that is all the pink for this week! Now off to see yours!
Be Happy!
Jil
xo

SNOWY PINK SATURDAY~

2011-01-29T10:03:00.025-05:00

Happy Pink Saturday, Dear Friends.....Busy, busy, busy is what I have been this week. You know, you see a dust bunny and then start to notice more and then you are in it...cleaning and organizing and when you are all through...you look around and feel twenty pounds lighter....stuff you don't use is gone, things are looking good and you are ready to get back to work....well, that was me this week!

BTW...do go and pay Beverly a visit and you will see all the marvelous pinkalicious blogs to visit...

Here is what we woke up to this morning...Isn't it pretty? Until the snowblowers started and people started shoveling, it was so quiet, so peaceful....

I love my little yard angel out in the snow....you can see the snow still falling....I know she will be happy when the Iris she is standing in reappear!

And, yes, I did get something made this week...one of several small heart boxes I have been having fun with. You can see more of this one at my My Website

Wishing you a fun and cozy winter weekend.....Jil

Etsy Cottage Style~First Colors Party~

2011-01-24T13:24:00.014-05:00

I am late, very, very late. Sigh! To begin with, I did it backwards. I signed on to our get together before first posting and then.......my computer must have known it was Monday because it got stubborn.....long story short, four hours later all is now running smoothly...atleast for the time being!

The fourth Monday of each month, at Etsy Cottage Style, will be a different color for our year long party....For our first color, for January, is one of my favorites, BLUE!

Here are few of my blues from around the house, plus a pillow I am working on with roses and blue and white check....the portrait was painted by my Mom when I was ten...Click on the picture to see it with more detail...

To see more pretty blues click on COTTAGE COLORS PARTY

See you next month for our next color....have a happy week!
Jil

Pink Saturday

2011-01-21T18:40:00.021-05:00

Hello Sweet Pink Saturday Friends....
We would not have this day to celebrate our favorite color PINK if it were not for Beverly . She has lots of wonderful blogs for you to visit, just click on the link and you will be swept away to PINK heaven...

Did you all have a great week? I hope you had fun creating and maybe finding some wonderful treasures or like me, going thru some pictures and reliving some times past...

While I was going thru old pictures I came across a book from my childhood, given to me by one of my wonderful grandmothers....my Mom's Mom. The name of the book is "200 Best Loved Poems For Boys And Girls" compiled by Marjorie Barrows....Oh, the book is so old and the cover gone, (kind of like me...lol! ) the pages an amber color and some of the front pages in tatters....I remember my Grandmother reading to me and me memorizing my favorites. This is where I opened the book...

"Little Orphan Annie"
By
James Whitcomb Riley

Little Orphan Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups and saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an earn her board-an'-keep,
An' all us other children, when the supper things is done,
We set around the fire an' have the mostest fun
A-list-nin'to the witch tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' The Gobbl-uns 'at gits you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!

There are four more verses and I used to love to hear this...just before I went to bed. lol! This is one of my favorites. Did you hear this poem growing up?

We have lots and lots of tea parties, but maybe it would be fun to share poems we love...A Poem Party??? Maybe a Tea Party with Poems??? If you think this might be fun and a bit different, let me know and I will try to learn how to do the Mr. Linky thing....

I haven't gone out in several days but I have been busy and here are a few things I have gotten finished...

Faux Cake on a beautiful plate

I listed this charmer on my website along with more china....~SOLD~

And this three piece set that is soooooo cute! The cloche is only 4 1/2" tall!

I would love for you to visit our website < THE RUFFLED ROSE where you will see these and much, much more!

It was a warm 14 degrees here today....More snow, a light dusting really, fell during the night....our driveway is a glaze of ice, even with the ice melting granules on it....we are enjoying all the birds that are at the feeders and the silly squirrels trying to steal all the seed they can, even when they have several ears of corn on the back porch...
Hope you are all enjoying winter...I will be so glad to hear the Phoebe sing again!
Smiles And Hugs,
Jil

2011-01-19T03:00:00.003-05:00

Hello Sweet Friends....I have not posted for several days.....I have been so lazy and not terribly motivated. Sleeping late, going back to bed earlier than usual. It feels so good to snuggle under the covers and just let the wind blow and the snow fall! I know this is very sloth like behavior, but I do not feel guilty...I have needed some rest. Last year was brutal at times and the rest is so healing....
I have not been completely idle, though...I have been faux baking...that is always so relaxing and delicious fun...

Making pillows...

SOLD

And here is a two cup teapot with cozy, coaster and tea wallet full of delicious teas...
all of which can be seen on my website Hope you will come by for a peek...

Wishing you all happy and cozy winter days!
Jil

2011-01-07T18:54:00.012-05:00

Hello Happy Pink Saturday Friends...Be sure and visit Beverly our most gracious host of our fun pink event for all the other pinkalicious blogs taking part today...

The holidays are behind us. For me, all decorations have been organized and safely packed away for another year. This has been a week of thinking what direction I want to go in creating....what new things I want to learn. Lots of contemplating. Lots of pouring over my vast collection of books and thinking, too.

I love painting and I especially enjoy making the Spindle Ladies and know I will be offering more in many sizes with their bases in mosaics....I intend to do lots more painting, especially in the spring as things warm up.
Oh, I have ideas and things I just want to try my hand at....I am excited!

And, on one of the PS blogs I read an idea that really appealed to me. Take a word, just one word and make it your word for the year instead of a resolution that can so easily be broken...My word is going to be Content....In the face all the stresses of today, I want to find that I can accept all that comes my way and be thankful for all that I have and well...just be content.

Wishing you a week of contentment!
Smiles,
Jil
xo

Sweet 16 And Tubing....

2011-01-02T17:34:00.032-05:00

Sweet Sixteen...a Passage. A step towards adulthood...so much to look forward to. The world is out there and waiting and it is an exciting time and.... for old Grandma, or Mo as I am called, a time for extra prayers as she takes baby steps to growing up....I took care of her for the first 2 1/2 years of her life and what a special time in my life it was....she is a gifted singer that performs, a high honor roll student. Even tho she is a Sophmore, the paper she wrote for her Model UN class earned her a spot with the upper classmen to go to Harvard later this month to debate with other high school students from all over our country. Next year, a trip to China with the same team...

***Click on the pictures to see everyone better...***

Our Birthday Girl with her friends for a day of tubing to celebrate...Miss Allie in the center...Where did the years go? She is 16 today! Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

The whole gang..Mom is taking the picture and Dad and two little sisters and brother are in the front....

Ready...Set...Go....

Our Miss Lilly pushing her tube back up the hill....that would be one looong climb back to the top...

The Hill...doesn't it look like fun? I know I would love to go sliding with them...

Allie's Mom, our NY daughter, with sisters Lilly and Hannah...

I bet they drank a lot of hot chocolate at the lodge...don't you? It looks c-o-l-d!

Warm Fuzzy Hugs,
Jil

To A New Year And New Beginnings

2010-12-31T06:30:00.004-05:00

To all the dear friends I have met and learned to know this year in blogland, Thank You for hours of sweet pleasure!

May 2011 bring to each of us all that we dream of....good health, close families,friends, prosperity, renewed faith and love.

Happy New Year!
With Love,
Jil
xo
Don't forget to visit Beverly for a walk around this Pink Saturday posts...

I Found Them~I Found Them!

2010-12-30T15:51:00.015-05:00

Woo Hoo...Thanks to Donnie and her instructions from her son, I found all my pictures! Thank you, so much Donnie, you saved the day! Be sure and thank your son for me, too!

If any of you would like to find lost pictures or files in your computer, just follow her instructions in the previous posts comments and hopefully it will help you as it did me.

This has really taught me a lesson to put my pictures and graphics in files and then on CD's for safe keeping. It will be a major project as I never found my already set up files, so I will have to start over with the 7,000+ pictures and graphics. It will take me months as I don't have the time to just sit and do it....I will try to do 100 pictures a day.

I love the heart shape and have various hearts scattered through the house, so I am having great fun creating these crazy quilted small heart pillows or door charmers...Here is my last one created for a customer....
**If you click on the pictures you will get a better view.....**

Today is almost 40 degrees and the ice and snow are turning all mushy and messy. It is amazing what a little warmth will do....People are out walking, dogs are barking, they most likely are not enjoying the slush!, and it just feels "more alive." The children that sled at the parks hills, just down the street, are not too happy, I am sure. This would be impossible to sled in, but you know that will all change with the next snowfall.....
Off to make some turkey noodle soup and then all the turkey will be gone....it sure was good!
Warm Hugs and Smiles,
Jil

Where Oh Where Did My Pictures Go?

2010-12-29T13:41:00.022-05:00

Hello Dear Friends....Have you ever lost your pictures in your computer? Well, I have and it is paining me greatly! Just before Christmas I was playing around...never a good thing I am learning... with my computer. On my home page, with my screen saver I have several icons. One of those was Picasa 3. I never use it as I much prefer PhotoShop. I thought to myself, I wonder what all is in it, so I clicked on it. When it opened I saw many pictures I had not seen in a long time and then a window opened up and more pictures came whirling in. I did not think much about it, until.....I went to get pictures from one of my picture files in my documents and found it EMPTY! Horrors! So I went back to Picasa and found in the thousands, a picture here and a picture there from my one picture file. In this lost file were many images such as my banner for my blog...all gone. I had my computer guru come over and he said to me that they are somewhere in my computer....three hours later there still was no sign of them. So....I found instructions on creating my own blog banner and we will see if I can come up with something. It is time I learned to do my own designing, anyway! And, to put my pictures in files and then on disks....

So, while mulling this all over, here is what I have been up to these cloudy winter days since Christmas and tomorrow I think I will start taking down the Christmas decorations.....I always have to get used to the "bare" look when all is done and packed away.

SOLD

This 2 1/2 cup teapot comes with it's own cozy, coaster and tea wallet full of yummy teas....You can see more pictures and details at THE RUFFLED ROSE

I am off to make myself half a turkey and cranberry sandwich while there is still some turkey! It is going to be ham for New Years.
Cozy Hugs,
Jil

Christmas Eve & Pink Saturday

2010-12-24T11:52:00.015-05:00

Like everyone else, I am busy cooking the dishes we love so much and that make Christmas so special....*be sure, when you have a spare minute, to hop on over to < Beverly > and see what all our pink loving friends are doing this Christmas day... unfortunately, I thought I had everything I needed, but found I have to make a mad dash out in the cold, to the store for four more items! Bah Humbug! Not the store again!! The pies are done and it is all I can do to not slice myself a generous piece of pumpkin, but I am using great discipline....lol! Oh, I thought to myself, the house smells like Christmas....so wonderful....such a good place to be....

I want to tell you about this darling wreath....Many times through the year I think of a friend that I cherished....Claire. It was Claire that made this adorable wreath that will always be a part of each of my Christmas's ....I met Claire at a craft show many years ago...she was the Mom of another crafter and both of them did the cutest things....Claire was so gifted and always sold out at each show....She lived in Utah and she and her hubby drove to the shows in Holtville and Brawley, CA. Her daugher and family lives in Holtville. Claire and I just connected...it was one of those rare occurrances... and we kept in touch with lengthly phone calls between craft shows.

One afternoon, Claire went out to get wood for the fire....a strong wind was blowing and, I still cry when I think of this, a heavy branch blew off and hit her dear face, killing her.

A freak accident that brought a great loss to so many....I know sweet, good Claire is in a good place where she is an angel, for that is what she was here, on earth....

I look at my little wreath and I see her sweet face and feel so fortunate to have known this good woman!

Merry Christmas to All!
Warm Hugs,
Jil
xo

2010-12-23T15:23:00.010-05:00

While Snickerdoodles are cooling, I wanted to share something I thought was kinda cute....I was waiting for the "ding" of the oven timer and was gazing out the front window when my eye caught this...I looked and then looked again....it couldn't be...could it?

OMGosh...that is not a leaf...that is dried corn I put out for our funny and often naughty squirrels....I am so sorry I missed seeing it left there....and, it won't stay there for long as the wind will toss it to the ground and it will be hidden in the snow...
Well, back to a bit of baking.....I bet most of you are in the kitchen, too!
Cozy Hugs,
Jil

Merry Pink Saturday

2010-12-18T00:00:00.005-05:00

I think I am ready for Christmas...the house has all the decorations that I will be doing this year...just enough to feel Christmasy to hubby and me. Like Thanksgiving, we will be "just us"...

that is OK as we have discovered we don't mind. We started married life with a passle of children, eight and added one, and have had very little time through the years of "just us." I am not saying I do not want to spend holidays with family, I am just saying it is OK when we can't....We will have a delicious Christmas dinner, enjoy each other and the day....so long as we don't have to shovel, that is. lol!

The little snow people candle holders, where gifted to me from a dear granddaughter in NY. She was in the lower grades (she is almost 16 now )and picked them out at the schools Frosty Shop. (The schools PTO, has a gift shop for the children to come and pick out a certain number of gifts and they are gift wrapped for them, too. My daughter in NY, was the head of it this year....she and her team raised money to purchase over 2,000 gifts. I believe they were free to the children and what a wonderful thing this is, as many of those gifts will be the only ones under the tree this year.

I love these long glittered silver balls and am running back to Mary Maxim's for many more for next year when I will do a proper tree instead of just a small one...

I have had these dear little "Shell" angels for many years...they were a gift to me from my Texas sons wife's Mom....they aren't made any longer as the designer...Margaret Furlong, moved on to other designs, so now they are even more precious.

I don't believe a year has gone by that I do not have this little cottage, which covers a votive candle, out with all the pieces that go with it...it is by Fitz and Floyd and the date on each piece is 1983. I remember how excited I was when I found it in a store that handled my Christmas handpainted items, in La Jolla, Ca....it had a darling little train that my sister talked me out of. I often wish I had kept it.
Be sure and go to < Beverly > and click on the links for an enjoyable cruise through many pretty, pink and Christmasy blogs.

I wish each of you the Merriest, Happiest Cozy Christmas, ever!
Jil
xo

2010-12-03T17:18:00.000-05:00

Well, my pink loving friends....another week has somehow flown by and here it is Pink Saturday, again. I love PS mornings as it is so relaxing to sit in my pj's and robe with a cup of coffee or tea, or a Dr. Pepper, and go visiting. Especially since the days have grown cold, dark and wintery.....Be sure and visit Miss< Beverly >

for all the other pretty pink blogs to visit....

When I am chilly, I curl up in this fabulous soft and warm throw.....

I walked into one of my favorite haunts to shop...T.J.Maxx, and heard it calling my name.....I could not believe how incredibly pretty and soft it was....there is a deep ruffle at each end which just made me swoon....the price was perfect and it is b-i-g, too. I have my first "blankie". LOL! I can not go to sleep without this over me....I know my hubby thinks I may have gone over the edge, but thats OK! It not only takes the chill away...it makes this ole girl happy!

And, I don't think I have shown you this pretty plate that I found years and years ago in an antique store on Whiskey Row in Prescott, AZ. (That is a famous street in downtown Prescott....the cowboys would come into town, so the story goes, and would dare each other to see who would still be standing after drinking all the way down this street to the last saloon.....I love that story!)

And lots of pretty pink in these lovely Shops.....Shabby Cottage Shops December ad in Romantic Homes.....we invite you to all come shopping and to register for our Pink Present Give A Way.....

Have a joyous weekend and week!
Jil
xo

2010-12-02T14:38:00.022-05:00

These may be cozy winter days, but the clouds and sun going further South each day, makes it soooooo difficult to take a picture. I have so much I wanted to get accomplished today, but taking pictures and editing them and then taking more because the quality is far from what I want, is keeping me from my goals...lol!

The fabrics in this stocking are so pretty and the image so enchanting, I wanted to share it with you....the quality of the pictures...not what I wanted....The first of the year I am going to upgrade my camera...I want the new Canon that takes great pics in low light.....hint, hint, Santa....

I think is my favorite of the stockings I have made, so far, this Christmas season. With the gorgeous fabrics, olden laces, a bit of vintage bling and this precious child, this really is a pretty stocking....

Hope you are all having a nice day and keeping warm and cozy if you live, as I do, where it is now, with these temps, officially winter!
Jil

HOHOHO Santas

2010-11-29T16:15:00.020-05:00

~SOLD~
Just popping in to show you the newest of my Christmas stockings and one of my favorites....I love, this now retired fabric by Susan Zulauf, I know many of you do, too...And knowing that, I made the entire back these little cuties...
Click on the pictures for a larger and more detailed view )

And for Christmas sparkle, what better than a rhinestone Christmas Tree pin???

Even if you are not in the need of a new Christmas Stocking....these little guys are just fun to look at....but if you are, you can see more of this fun stocking at The Ruffled Rose

We have a big rain storm heading in and I hope and pray it stays rain and does not turn to snow...I know it will one of these days, but if we can put it off a little longer, that would be a joy!
Toasty Hugs,
Jil

2010-11-28T13:11:00.016-05:00

Sunny and bright, I can actually take a picture inside today! We have lots of windows, but facing South and the sun going South, more everyday, does not lend to good picture taking....it does lend to lots of frustration!!! lol! Smile!

I am working away on stockings to add to The Ruffled Rose as well as my Etsy Shop
AnniesShabbyAttic

As I said before, I am a slow starter with stockings this year, but here is another I just finished....

SOLD

Back to the trusty sewing machine for another.....
Hope your Sunday is bright and cheery!
Jil

2010-11-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome Sweet Pink Loving Friends...Be sure and visit Beverly to see the list of wonderful blogs celebrating our love of pink...

Thanksgiving Day was quiet and cozy...just hubby and me. The house smelled delicious with all the cooking...the day was dark, rainy and very chilly, but we didn't mind. It was our day.

Almost ready...

We had decided to eat in mid-afternoon, so we could snack on the left overs in the evening....I got so busy getting the dishes to the table that I forgot to take a picture of our feast! Just take my word....everything turned out as it was supposed to and it was a perfect Thanksgiving! I hope each of you had such a special day, too!

And...a Christmas Stocking just finished today...more pictures at The Ruffled Rose

SOLD
Rachal Ashwell fabric, an embroided Blue Bird and sweet ribbon embroidery...I am just starting to hit my stride making stockings and you will find them at my Etsy Shop, too. New ones almost every day! I am a bit behind because I just had an awful time letting go of summer and couldn't find my Christmas mood!

Have a sweet Saturday!
Jil
xo

Rainy Day Pretties

2010-11-22T14:45:00.030-05:00

Hello Pink Blog Buds.....I have pulled our turkey breast from the freezer and started the thawing process in the refrigerator...It might seem like a day early, but this is one b-i-g breast. Want lots of left overs for turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwiches! Yum-my! I am looking forward to those more than the dinner! lol! And the pumpkin pie with oddles of whipped cream! Can't forget the pumpkin pie....

I was going to go shopping for a bit today, but it is rainy and DARK and I just didn't feel like making the effort...rainy days are lazy days to me, so I thought I would stay home and work and show you what I finished instead....Three pretty sachets...didn't they turn out sweet?

SOLD
Three Fanciful Ornaments

SOLD
You can click on the pictures for a closer look....

And, you can see more pictures at THE RUFFLED ROSE

Shabby Cottage Shops is having a special sale to kick off the Christmas and Holiday Season....click on the picture on my right side bar to take you to each of the pretty shops Christmas Shoppe page..The SALE starts Wednesday, so this is just an early heads up...happy shopping!
xo Jil