Brigitte ~ Garden Lady in Blue

Today I'm sharing something blue in our home that has morphed through changes.

So please join me for Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally's and Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch.

Welcome back and thank you to all who participated in Barb's Rooster Party last Friday. It was a huge success. I'm still working my way through the list of parties. I may be late, but I'm not going to miss a one!

Stitching is a favorite pass time and yet another passion in my life. I'm one of those travelers who pulls out the yellow pages when I arrive somewhere and check out the needlepoint shops in town. Anyone else out there do this?

Wall of Needlepoint Canvases @ Needleworks

When I first saw Linda Ragno's Garden Ladies by Cooper Oaks Design, I was totally charmed. French Country style simply makes me happy. (Click here to read more about this artist and to view a catalog of her designs. Her work is available here at the Needleworks.)

I just had to stitch this lovely 
flower lady with her basket of lavender.

Every stitch brought sunshine 
to my days as Brigitte came to life!

With Brigitte stitched, I shopped my fabric stash and pulled out some of my favorite Souleiado fabrics from Pierre Deux. With only a small remnant of the blue, a patchwork idea quickly began to evolve.

I worked up a plan,

gathered everything together,

and took it all to my friend who is a master finisher.

I was so excited to get a call this week. 
 Brigitte was ready to be picked up!

Voilà, Brigitte completely finished!

With this sweet face and French fabrics,

I decided she must share the upstairs guest room .  .  .

with another young French lady who 

loves to pick flowers from the garden.

Sophie, handmade limited edition doll - Fitzi-Contini Collectionr

Sophie has always been content to while away the days in her antique Thonet rocker, but I thought perhaps she might like to join Brigitte on the wicker settee and visit about gardening.

These two were getting along splendidly, 

when all of a sudden 

mademoiselles Gabrielle le chat 

and Zoé le lapin called

out from across the room.

Le Petite Chat and Le Petite Lapin by Ilonka

They begged and pleaded. They insisted that Brigitte join them in their comfy spot atop the quilt on the bed.  These two captured my heart back in the 1980s, and they always seem to get their way with me, so Brigitte happily snuggled in between these two charmers.

My heartfelt thanks for stopping by for a visit. Thank you to all of you who take the time to leave a comment. I read and appreciate each and every one. Your notes are the only way I know who has stopped in for a visit. Happy Monday to each of you!

Don't forget to stop by Smiling Sally's and Between Naps on the Porch for more Monday posts.

Pink Rooster Saturday

Time for Pink Saturday hosted by

Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound.

Le chef is here with a delicious

cupcake iced in creamy pink frosting.

Enjoy!

Yesterday's Rooster Party at Bella Vista was a huge success. I'm still working my way through all the delightful parties. I never realized that there are so many different roosters out there. Hardly a duplicate in the bunch! Thanks, Barb, for hosting this hugely successful event. It was great fun!

A big thank you to each of you who visited and left a comment this week.

Pink Saturday is a day for posting something pink and in keeping with celebrating The Week of Roosters here at HFTS, here is my PINK Rooster.

Small French Faience Dish, Unsigned

Singing Heart

A Haiku for Lovers

by Hyacinth

With each new season

My love for you grows stronger~

My heart sings with joy.

August 2009

"Quand ce coq chantera, mon amour finira."

"When this rooster sings, my love will end."

The French saying is a declaration of undying love, since this particular rooster will NEVER sing!

This sweet sentiment is found on various items that one might give a friend or sweetheart. I also have several French faience snuffs in my collection with this quote. You can see them in the slideshow posted at the top of the sidebar. The haiku was written for my husband. Sunday we celebrate 34 years of marriage.

This little pink rooster is the finale of my week of roosters on parade. Another huge "Thank You!" to Barb for hosting yesterday's Rooster Party. It was definitely a party to crow about! An amazing 200+ participants.

Please click on "Comments" below to leave a note to let me know you stopped by today. I so appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!

Then click here for more Pink Saturday Fun.

Happy Pink Saturday to All!

Come back on Monday for a double post with both Metamorphosis Monday and Blue Monday.

Have a great weekend!

It's Rooster Party Time!

It's Friday and time for the SHOW US YOUR ROOSTERS PARTY hosted by Barb @ Bella Vista. I've been having lots of fun with my roosters all week long, but I'm eager to see everyone's roosters. 204 participants, now that's a party!

Let the

Party Begin!

Small tray of petit roosters, mostly gifts received from friends over the years.

For some reason roosters have always been a favored creature in my imagination. Perhaps it is the rooster's long association with France as a symbol of of vigilance, hope and faith. Or perhaps it is simply because roosters can be both regal or whimsical. What ever the reason, I find myself enchanted by these fellows.

This tiny box is English and includes the quote: "Outward appearances can be deceptive."

Paper Maché Hen and Rooster by French Artist, Aude Goalec

I don't often think of something as a favorite because I enjoy most everything in life. But these two are very dear to my heart. I spied them in a shop window when in Paris years ago. So these two birds have flow across the Atlantic!

Aude Goalec's "wordy" couple is made from French newspapers and includes clever details, like the "e" for the eye.

Morning room corner with French hanging pot rack, copper, & French faience.

Our home is rather eclectic in furnishings. We've always bought what we loved and mixed things in as we acquired them. As France is a favored travel destination, French faience has become one of my passions.

Birds of a feather flock together!

French Faience Plates Made to Commemorate World War I & II

Group of Yellow Quimper with English Hen on Nest

Limited Edition Plate from the Collection Musée des Faiences de Quimper with Sigma Hen on Nest and Mc Coy Rooster Vase

Sigma Les Petites Fleurs Rooster Pitcher and Tray, Hand Painted in Italy

Large Wooden Bowl by Susan Winget with Glass Rooster Filled with Peppers

Warren Kimble Glasses, MacKenzie-Childs Sugar Bowl, Simon Pierce Glass Pitcher, Plymouth Rock Rooster Hand Painted by Lefton China

This set of charming rooster glasses was a recent thrift shop find along with the Lefton rooster. Don't you just love recycling!

The tall glasses are a perfect size for ice tea on a hot summer day.

The rooster is a Plymouth Rock. It is hand painted and signed.

Group of Folk Art Items from Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, and Africa

I've always appreciated the charm and whimsey of the folk art of various cultures. If I'm traveling in a foreign country I seek out something small to bring home as a souvenir.

Notice the rooster riding among the produce atop the bus. The buses in Guatemala are actually much like this little figure. People and animals and all kinds of goods are loaded on top of the buses as well as packed inside.

Whimsical Long Necked Rooster Among Nantucket Baskets

Hand Carved Rooster by New Mexico artist, Mark Kluck

Clay Mural by New Mexico Artist, Priscilla Hoback

This sunny guy is right at home on our sun porch. Priscilla Hoback certainly captured this morning alarm clock!

Detail of Hoback Rooster

The Pink Adobe Cookbook, Favorite Recipes from the Past and Present

Artist Priscilla Hoback is the daughter of Rosalea Murphy, who opened the famed Pink Adobe Restaurant in Santa Fe, NM in 1944. Rosalea, an artist herself, wrote that she opened the Pink Adobe "to give herself the independence to "cook, paint, and support herself all under the same roof." Rosalea passed away in 2000. Her family published this cookbook to honor Rosalea Murphy's creative genius with both food and art. In addition to many personal photographs and amazing photos of prepared dishes, this book also features many of Rosalea's paintings. Needless to say, the one featured on the cover is a personal favorite. This book is a treat of both food and art!

Needlepoint in Progress with Rooster Scissors by WASA

I'm at work on a wonderful canvas that depicts the various motifs found on Quimper pottery. A friend and fellow collector designed and hand painted this canvas for me to stitch. I hope to complete it in the coming months!

THE ARTFUL THE CHICKEN by Linda Arnaud

If you are a big fan of roosters and hens, then you may want to add this delightful book to your bookshelf. This is a book of "great recipes and splendid objects for the passionate collector". This book is the ultimate SHOW US YOUR ROOSTERS PARTY!

Once again, thank you for joining me and my rooster fellows. It's been fun week of Rooster Celebration! There are more of these guys roosting around here at HFTS, but I'll save them for another time. Right now I'm eager to get to all the great Rooster Parties out in Blogville. See you there! Just click here to go to Barb's @ Bella Vista to see a list of all who are participating in the SHOW US YOUR ROOSTERS PARTY.

See you tomorrow for Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly @ How Sweet the Sound. Yes, there will be a

Pink Rooster!