Wednesday, July 22, 2015

J is for Jester




J is for Jester





Jester ~ historically an entertainer; 

  a professional joker or "fool" at a royal court,

typically wearing a cap with bells on it and 

carrying a mock scepter.




André Derain Harlequin


Picasso, Chagall, and Derain are but a few artists

 whose paintings of jesters or harlequins delight my senses

 while visiting museum exhibits.





Some years ago, I purchased the charts to stitch 

these cute French valentine characters.

Do you see him,

the little boy dressed as a jester?





A whimsical valentine jester spied 

at my friend Susan's home last February.





Cock - a - doodle - do!

A handsome rooster jester has hung on 

our Christmas tree each Christmas

for the past 20 years.




Patience Brewster, Inc. ~ Image Used With Permission


Meet  Josie, Joker of Hearts.

 She is one of Patience Brewster's adorable creations.

 Want to add her to your Christmas tree?

 I do!

 Available here.

 Don't forget, Patience Brewester

 is hosting a Christmas in July

Instagram Contest.  Details at the top of my sidebar.






Character or Toby jugs have

 been produced since the 18th century.

 The French refer to these as Jacquots.

 This is my jester Jacquot made in Desvres.

 He's perfect for a bookend, a bouquet,

  or simply a smile!




Never, circa late 1800


In 2003 while shopping the


located just outside of Paris, France,

I happened upon this French faience menu.

It was love at first sight!

 I've never seen another piece like this one,

 and never once regretted this purchase.




Jaure Japy Dinnerware, Paris


In honor of Alice in Wonderland's 150th birthday,

 my friend Judy hosted an Alice themed dinner party

 to celebrate my birthday this past January.

 Harlequin Plates ~ Don't you love it?





A little harlequin for 

 our neighbors' dog, Sophia, too!





I hope you have a jester or

 two or three in your life to keep

  you entertained!


Joining


Continue Reading....
34 comments
Labels: , , , ,

Monday, July 20, 2015

Pass Along Plants





Pass Alongs Shared By My Readers



Last week I shared a post

on a few of my iris plants that bloom

here in the gardens at Hyacinths for the Soul.





I mentioned that most of my iris

are "pass along" plants like these

beautiful Japanese rooftop iris transplanted

from a friend's garden last fall.

I was thrilled when several of my readers responded that

that they too enjoy "pass along" iris

in their own gardens.






was the lucky recipient of these stunning iris. 

They were passed along from her mother's garden,

 but the original pass along had come 

 from Gina's great grandmother's garden.

 Wow, four generations have enjoyed these iris!






wrote to say she inherited these yellow iris 

 when she and the senior partner moved into 

 the 16th/18th century former Presbytery

that is their beautiful home in the Normandy countryside.

Maggie says she sees their relatives happily blooming

about the village in the gardens of her neighbors.






shared this vibrant yellow iris passed along

from her mother's garden. 





These deep purple beauties grow in the gardens of


She said they were pass alongs that she now

needs to divide and pass along to a new garden.

 Some lucky gardener is going to be thrilled!





Patti @ Pandora's Box

 shared her lavender iris that were

 passed along from her friend, Rhonda.


Thank you to all my readers who

 shared these gorgeous heirloom pass along plants.





If you missed the Mad Tea Parties 

 hosted throughout Blogville last week,

 you can find a list of parties here.





If you'd like, stop by my party here.

 Leave a comment,  and you'll be entered in my

 Celebrating 150 Years of Alice Giveaway.

 Tell me which Alice character is your favorite.





Hurry.  Don't be late.

 You have till July 25th 

 to leave your comment.





Why, oh why think of Christmas in July?

Well, because our friends over at 

Patience Brewster, Inc. are sponsoring a 

Christmas in July Giveaway.

Click here to get all the details for a chance to

win this grand Nicholas Santa Candelabra.

Contest ends July 31, 2015.
.

Joining


Continue Reading....
30 comments
Labels: , , ,

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

I is for Iris





I 
is for Iris

In Greek mythology, Iris is the goddess 
of the rainbow and messenger of the gods.


In classical legends she traveled the rainbow down to
earth to deliver messages from the gods.

There is a tradition in Greece to plant purple iris
on the graves of women to summon the goddess to
guide the soul of the deceased individual to her heavenly home.

Irises, popular garden flowers,
take their name from this Greek goddess
because of the variety of colors
found within the species.

In Victorian times, an Iris meant
"I have a message for you."

The fleur-de-lys, modeled in the shape of an iris,
 and used by the kings of France as their royal emblem,
has been a symbol of France for centuries.

Digital Image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program

Irises, by Van Gogh, was painted in
1889 while at the asylum in Saint-Rémy, France.
One of the first paintings Van Gogh painted
while a patient there, his brother, Theo, immediately 
recognized its quality and submitted it to the
Salon des Indépendants in September 1889.
Today this painting is in the permanent collection of the 
J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, CA.

Iris are perennials
that grow from rhizomes.

My iris are mostly "pass along plants" from friends.
I grew up in a family of gardeners,
and it was common practice with my mother
and aunts and their mother before them to divide plants
growing in their gardens and share them with friends
and family who then planted them in their own gardens.

I rather like the tradition!

Beautiful as they are, 
cut iris only last a couple of days.

I usually just enjoy 
them blooming in my garden.

One of my readers, 
wrote to tell me that 
she has these wonderful "pass along" iris 
from her grandmother's garden.
How special is that?
Thanks, Gina, for sharing this beautiful heirloom with us.


Joining


Continue Reading....
40 comments
Labels: , ,

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Mad Tea Party ~ 2015





It's the 8th Annual

Mad Tea Party 

with Vanessa @ A Fanciful Twist
Hooray, Hooray!





Come along and join the fun.

It's the 150th Anniversary of Lewis Carroll's

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND.





Tea is ready and

just so you know, I checked.

There wasn't one dormouse in the tea pots!





Come along, please.

Don't be late!




 Oh, what a perfectly

mad party!

Mad about sweets, don't you know!





Yes, Alice is here,

and so is the Mad Hatter.





The White Rabbit, too.

But, where is that grinning cat?





Ahh, there he is!

I knew he wouldn't miss this party.




Oh, look!

Even the characters in 

Robert Sabuda's edition popped-up

for this party.





Help yourself 

to some sweet treats.





You can lounge on the chaise

and take it all in.





Go ahead and indulge yourself.

It is the 150th anniversary!





What's this?

Well, it is summer in Texas you know, so

you might find it a bit too warm for a cup of hot tea.

What about an icy cold cherry limeade?

It is a Mad Party after all!





Before you leave, tell me about

your favorite Wonderland character.

Everyone who leaves a comment with  

an email link will be entered in my 

Celebrating 150 Years of Alice  Giveaway.

It's a surprise, but you can be certain

it will be something Alice.

Winner announced July 25, 2015.







Click here if you missed this post on the exceptional

exhibit celebrating the 150th anniversary of Lewis Carroll's

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND.





Just follow the Mad Hatter to join
all the other Mad Teas.

Click the link below.


Thank you Vanessa for hosting this fun event!


Also Joining



Continue Reading....
81 comments
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)