Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A Portfolio of Floral Still Life






Hiding Hydrangeas 
Among the Cabbage Leaves




Summer's Grace





Red Hot Zinnias




A Bowl Full of Zinnias





Ready for the 4th of July





I'm having fun playing with my new app, Waterloge.


Joining

Waterlogue Wednesday @ Rose Colored Glasses
Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

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Sunday, February 23, 2014

Two Guys Named George




My oldest brother was
born on February 22.
He shares both the name and birthdate
of the first President of the United States.


Cherries make me think of
both of these guys named George.

In their honor I set a table  
with what else but ~
CHERRIES, of course!

Vintage linens, black and white checks, tartan plaid,
and Mary Engelbreit's own cherry inspired dishes.
Definitely a Mary Engelbreit sort of table!

A vintage cloth 
with sassy lacy details . . .

Holds its own below black ruffled
placemats and a bold tartan plaid charger.

Dinner Plate

Salad Plate

Soup or Cereal Bowl

All layered to give 
the classic Mary Engelbreit look.

Add a bit of vintage 
mother of pearl flatware . . .

And a spoon 
with ginkgo leaf detail . . .

A bit more touch of 
tartan plaid for good measure . . .

And a bit more 
black and white checks.

The special touch 
of a vintage toast rack . . .

Paired with the acorn leaf details of my
favorite butter knife finish off the setting.

As you munch on a bite of bread and butter before
lunch, lean in closely, I've a little secret to share.

All the dishes on this table were "thrifty" finds!
"Goodwill Hunting" @ 99¢ a piece. 

Oh, is that bowl still empty?

How about 
a cherry pie . . .

To finish out the layers for this
very cherry table
honoring two guys named George.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I first shared this table in 2011, but brought it 
out of the archives to share again.
Hope you don't mind seeing a repeat.

 Joining





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Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Waterlogue Wednesday


I've long wanted to be a watercolorist, 

but alas I'm not talented at drawing or painting.  

I've tried, taken classes, but no success.  




That is until tonight!

I'm now painting with ease, my friends.

Like many of you, 

I've jumped on the Waterlogue train.





For the modest cost of $2.99

I can transform my photos from this .   .   .




Into lovely watercolor images.

It's my latest iPhone app. 





These are my first attempts.



Quickly transformed

this evening just in time for the following party.
Want to join in the fun?

Download the app, start "painting"

like a pro and share your work at 

 Rhondi's Waterlogue Wednesday.


Rhondi @ Rose Colored Glasses

 I may just print some on 

 watercolor paper and make notecards.

Joining
Vee's February Notecard Party


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Sunday, February 16, 2014

A Touch of Lipstick Red for Valentine's Day







The week of Valentine's 
was busy around here.


Lots of chocolates and 
fun times spent with friends.


This stack of red and white stripe plates,
a sweet surprise from a girlfriend for my January birthday,
 was the inspiration for our Valentine's table this year.

An impromptu stop at Sur La Table 
yielded these pretty new napkins.
The beautiful woven texture, red stripes, and 
fringed edges make me think of vintage French linens.

They fit in perfectly with
my theme of black and white 
and touch of lipstick red.

My go to woven ruffled placemats,
MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Check chargers,
Black dinner plates from Dollar Tree,
Red and white striped salads by Grace's Teaware,
All stack up for a pretty Valentine Dinner Party
with a group of girlfriends.

Small heart shaped boxes filled with chocolates were
transformed with chalkboard paint to use as place cards 
as well as sweet take home treats.

La Rochere 
Napoleonic Bee Glassware

Tossed Green Salad


Spinach and Artichoke Lasagna
Made at home by my personal in-house "chef".  

Hot Garlic Bread

Light Dessert
Lemon Petite Fours 
Camomile Tea and Almond Tarts

Served with 
fresh raspberries and .   .   .

A dollop of 
sweet whipped cream!

Little cinnamon hearts 
on the side for a touch of spice.

The following morning
I hosted my CAMEO group
for our monthly antique club meeting.

I saw this idea on Martha Stewart.
You take dried Calimyrna figs, cut lengthwise, 
and they look like little hearts.  
Tasty, healthy, and oh so cute!

Several of the ladies are gluten intolerant, 
so I like to serve gluten fee choices such as this camomile
and almond tart that I picked up from a local bakery.

The pretty little petit fours, 
while not gluten free,
are a secret I learned from a friend.
You can buy a box of 24 of these at Costco 
for about  the cost of one petite four from a bakery.
They are "lemonylicious" and no one is the wiser!
Sometimes I add a little added flourish on top.

As a take home treat for my CAMEO friends, I bought mini heart
boxes at Michaels, used the chalkboard paint again,
then placed a decadent chocolate heart inside
on a nest of red and pink crinkle paper.

All in all it was a
"sweetie pie" of a week here!
Hope your Valentine's Week was filled with delights too.

Joining

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