What Really Happens…..

 …behind the scenes of taking pictures?  Well, it is the really good stuff – the stuff that makes my day and makes me laugh.  It’s not about the staging of this, that and the other for pictures (though that is tons of fun), but rather the companionship and love that come from my two little shadows, Mr. Duhgall and Miss Fiona.   These little ones are right there, smack dab, in the mix and so curious as to what I am doing.  Oh, and they LOVE to have their picture taken, too.

Yes, placement is key, eh Doogs?  I think I got a nod of approval… …and a good sniffin’ is important, too. 

It’s all G-Double O-D good when Duhgall gives the sniff of approval. My buddies, my pals. 

I love you, too, wee lass and lassie!  Thank you for being there, always.

*muah!*

Life is better having a pet to share your life with!

Finding Beauty

 While I was watering my flowers this morning, I was daydreaming about the new flourishing buds of color and taking note that each flower was so different from the others.  The pink roses had drops of water on their soft petals and the reflection of their blooms looked back at me in the pool of water that had gathered at the base of the bush. The pink mop top Hydrangeas are pushing out their voluminous blooms and the bees are loving the Lipstick Salvia plants that seemed to have tripled in size this past year.   A red breasted hummingbird did a buzz drive-by over my head as if to say “good morning!”   The garden is peaceful – even in it’s randomness.

Tiny flowers of the violets are fading away… …only to be replaced with other seasonal offerings of Columbine and Marigolds. Someone once said that my garden had potential and I just chuckled.  Yea, it isn’t perfect, but it is my garden, little weeds and all.   It is our little patch of dirt to do as we wish.  It always amazes me how seeds from last year’s plants will randomly pop up here and there.  And I like just where they happen to peek up their pretty little heads.  I call it “God’s garden.”

There are so many influences out in the world that can have both positive and negative impacts.  Being original and believing in yourself and the things you do are important and to not let influences around you sway what is lurking inside your heart and soul.  There will always be obstacles and hurdles along the way, but persevere and stand up for what you think is right and follow your inner voice to do those things in life that bring you joy.  Life is sweet and each of us are individuals – with our own dreams, our own ideas and our own spirit.  We may have common threads, but we are just who we are – one of a kind.

Yes, there will be things in life that we will not be able to follow through with for whatever the reason, but at least we can make the attempt to put our best foot forward.  Nobody can run our course of life for us, it is up to us to make the most of each day and… …find beauty in all things.

(note:  I was inspired by my dear friend, Judy Clark, to make the pillow shown above.  Judy gave me one of her “memory pillows” as a gift and her pillow is shown in a previous post and she sells them on her etsy site, 20Northora.)

Not Just For The Pen

 The old saying goes that “they just don’t make things like they used to” and that is certainly true when it comes to having the convenience of a BIC ink pen to write with and one that comes in different colors, too.  Imagine times before all of the electronic gizmos and social media when somebody actually took time to sit down and write a letter using a pen and fountain ink.  Those times were not that long ago either.  My goodness, how things change so quickly! The antique “Fountain Pen Ink” bottle was a little find last month and I just love the shape of it and the writing along the base.  These little vessels are great for holding a single fresh cut flower, or in my case, a paper one made from vintage sheet music.  Tomorrow I’ll pick some fresh flowers to fill up several little jars around the house.  Fresh cut roses sure add cottage charm to the house and smell wonderful, too.

Enjoy your day everyone!

What’s In Your Cabinet?

 It is always enjoyable to flip through a magazine, Pinterest or a blog to see how other people display their collections in cabinets – large and small.

I don’t like having a lot of “little” things laying around, or more specifically cluttering up the house.  However, I do like grouping my favorite collections in a cabinet.  Last year I found a wonderful antique cabinet with original wavy glass paneled doors and funky cool trim down the center of the doors.  I saw it at my friend’s primitive sale and it was “love at first sight.”  It is one of my favorite pieces that we now have in our home.

 What I liked most are the graduated spaces between the shelves which allows to arrange smaller items on top and larger groupings below.  Though the doors don’t stay shut all of the way, I just place a little boudoir lamp in front of them so that they don’t fly open.

My collection of silver plate children’s cups, ironstone, transferware…

 …ink wells, antique bibles, clocks and miniature squirrels fill the shelves up rather nicely.

One of my very favorite of collections are the antique bibles and song books, as shown below.  Some are in other languages, but I like that and the fact they they have been used and loved on over the years.  They date from the late 1800’s.  The Hymns book belonged to my Great Grandmother.  Now I am off to dust all of the little objects before it heats up in the house.  It is has been rather pleasant here in Central California the past few days and makes for a nice day to get some “spring cleaning” accomplished.

Till next time,

xo.

A Beautiful Seaside Home

One of our lifetime dreams is to own a home that is in close proximity to the ocean.  For now it is only a dream, but I did find a beautiful home that is for sale in a Northern California ocean side town.  If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you may recall that I am in love with old wood sided homes – particularly white ones with a farmhouse feel to them. When I came upon the photo of this home, I fell in love with the setting and the yard.   The yard is large enough for the Scotties to run around in and there is plenty of land to have a gorgeous cottage style flower garden.  

Not only is the outside adorable, but the inside is exquisite.  Gleaming wood floors, white moldings, a large foyer, a river rock fireplace all shout out farmhouse style.  The home exudes a peacefulness to it and is inviting as soon as you enter the front door. The room above would be a wonderful TV room and home office.  However, I do like the baby grand piano that the homeowners have in place.  

Below, soothing pale blue walls make for a serene contrast to the white furniture and draperies.  I can imagine the gauzy fabrics blowing into the room as a cool ocean breeze filters through an open window.  There is an organic feel to the room with fresh cut flowers on the bedside and the leaf patterned rug on the floor. Clean and crisp white beaded board and an antique claw foot bathtub scream farmhouse style.Plenty of bedrooms for guests….  …and an antique stove to cook up some wonderful buttermilk pancakes for breakfast.  Love the hickory cabinets and white subway tile backsplash.  I think I’d add a rectangular shaped farmhouse table as an island in lieu of the bistro table and chairs.The dining room has plenty of natural light and overlooks the backyard garden and is large enough for entertaining family and friends.

There isn’t one thing I’d change about this home.  It is totally our style, down to the colors of the walls and wall papered foyer.  It is pretty much move-in ready and just gorgeous through and through.

For more information on this in-town historic home, just click HERE to navigate you to the listing agency. 

I think I will buy a lottery ticket this week.  Shucks, you just never know!  It never hurts to day dream about things, right?

Till next time….

xo

Union Jack Pillows

 Some of my favorite quiet times are when I am sewing at my machine – or tootling around in the garden.  This past week I’ve been focusing on getting some Union Jack pillows made for the shops.  The pillows are quite fun to make and I’m able to dig into my stash and use up some of my favorite fabrics.Mini Jacks are made up in sweet floral fabrics in pinks, blues… …and shades of cottage reds and yellow. Because springtime is all about flowers, I thought that the little rose print would be sweet.  A little bit of lace was added to the edges for texture. Making the little Union Jack pillows is like paying homage to my English ancestors – and I hear that there is a Lord who is on my mother’s side.  Do I feel royal?  Well no, not really. 

Off to take a load into the shop!

Have a lovely day, y’all!

(And thank you for your kindness shared with me in the comments you left.  Things are getting back on track and I am learning how to cook Gluten-Free!  I miss all of the regular foods, but the change is important and we are feeling much better because of it.)