Does your bedroom soothe you? Is it a haven, a peaceful place where you can rest and relax? I worked hard to give mine that type of atmosphere. Not just because I sleep there, but also because I read there, watch TV, and sew in my bedroom.
It's the little things that make a room special
and give it character.
So pamper yourself ~ fill your bedroom with things that reflect your unique
When I was younger and used to bake cakes, I would eat cake for breakfast, lunch, and dinner ~ until it was gone. Not exactly a healthy diet. I don't do it anymore ~ but mostly because I know better than to bake or buy cakes. I must admit, I have been know to eat a whole package of mini cupcakes in one day. I just have absolutely no self control when it comes to cake.
images via Rhondas Rose Cottage Designs, Ana Rosa and Hepsylone .
But these cakes are just to pretty to eat. Maybe ~ just maybe I could resist if presented with a cake this beautiful.
A few days welcome reprieve from the bitter cold temps of last week. Snow in the forcast later this week, but today my heart feels like skipping, doing cart wheels, and singing.
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Giving thanks for pretty weather, sitting on the porch in January with a friend, and tasty new recipes.
Oh well ~ now that the January thaw is past, it's time to hunker down for thenext six weeks of winter. Spring is just a few calendar pages away. In the meantime ~ stay warm.
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Giving thanks today for 60 degree days in the middle of winter, cheerful pansies, and brave sun shiny yellow dandelions.
Vintage linens are a favorite of mine. I find them so hard to resist. I think it's because they are reminders of a gentler time ~ a time when we as women were allowed to look and act like ladies.
When it was fashionable to be "feminine" instead of "sexy".
While walking through the dining room, I found a small pale yellow butterfly on the floor. I was a little startled since one doesn't usually see a butterfly in mid January.
I bent over and to my surprise, it was alive. So I gently picked it up and set it in some dried hydrangea flowers from last summer.
I ran to grab my camera to capture this surprise and unique visitor.
I wonder where it came from ~ certainly not from outside since it's only 10 degrees today. Maybe there was a cocoon hidden somewhere in the house and it just emerged.
I set the hydrangea on a table so she could sun herself in the warm winter rays filtering in through the window. She seems perfectly content there, but I'm not sure how to keep her alive. I think I'll have to run to the grocery store and buy her some fresh potted flowers and find a way to give her a drink.
How sweet of her to come to visit and bring with her the hope of spring.
Have you noticed that berries are getting less expensive in the grocery stores lately? I think it's a sign that spring is just around the corner. Or, at the very least, it's spring somewhere and fresh fruit is on its way to market at affordable prices again.
I never pay more than than $2 a pound for strawberries and I found them last week for $1.66. That can only mean one thing at my house ~ berries on oatmeal, berries in smoothies, berries on ice cream, and anything else I can think of.
images via jelanie, catch my party, martha stewart, cowparsley
This week they have blackberries 10 for $10. So soon, I'm off to the grocery store to pick up some for eating and some to freeze.
images via tumblr, michaelkhong, kitchen corners, cupcakes garden
I try to eat as much fresh fruit as I can, especially when it is affordable ~ not only because it's healthy, but just because I love it.
Do you ever go through your stash of accumulated stuff and try to make something pretty out of it instead of buying more stuff? I call them my "someday projects".
Well ~ I picked up a box of these old plastic frames at an estate sale several years ago and never did anything with them until now.
Started out by painting two coats of Caromal Color "bright white" on them. I used this paint because it sticks to anything. Even with two coats of paint, there was some bleeding through, but it came through as a very soft and subtle aqua color and really looked rather lovely.
The inside of the frame came with an old velvet maroon mat with a raised edge. I wasn't sure what to do with the velvet mat at first, but I started by painting the raised edging white to match the frame.
Then I had to decide what I was going to put in this frame since I wanted to sell it on Etsy. I finally decided on some vintage wallpaper that I downloaded and printed in two separate sizes. I've had this download for quite awhile, andyou can find it at The Graphics Fairy website.
The inside paper was sized through Photoshop to be 3x5 inches and the outside paper I sized at 5x7 inches. I cut out the inside of the 5x7 piece and glued it onto the top of the velvet mat and then taped the 3x5 piece onto the back of the mat opening.
And here is how it turned out.
I love the softness of thiswallpaper combined with the frame. The pastel colors make me long for spring and summer roses.
It pairs up beautifully with this vintage doily I found at the Scott's Flea Market last year. They make the perfect wedded couple ~ don't you think?
I can't even imagine the time and skill it took to make this lovely doily.
I'm a mother of one "out-of-college" daughter, inheritor of one cat,a dog and four chickens, full time medical secretary, gardener, painter of furniture, fixer-upper and handy woman around my house, passionate about decorating, lover of flea markets and yard sales, restorer of old things, but most importantly, a daughter of God. Blogging is a way to journal and share my life, passions, and journey with anyone interested enough to follow along.
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