Not Pink, But Blue

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



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

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



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

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

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


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







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

Have a beautiful day!
Jil
xo

Ribbon Embroidery Pillow

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

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

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

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

Wishing you sunshine and happiness....
Jil
xo

For All You Cottage Style Magazine Addicts~~~

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

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

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






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

~I Just Can't Throw Away Flowers!~

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



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