HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Happy Tartan Day!

bluebonnets

~ Tartan Day ~

April 6, 2013

~ Tartan and Bluebonnets ~

We are having a beautiful spring in Texas.

A bit more tartan

recently found its way into my life.

Sharing some sister time out and about

in a few Texas antique shops,

this happy bit of tartan caught my eye.

Then I saw the

lovely brass details.

I knew immediately this

little gem was going home with me.

Price $15

All because of this French plug!

Easily fitted with an American plug,

the petite French beauty with its tartan shade

was a perfect fit for my office book shelf.

Now focus in on these.

~ iPhone Case ~

~ Wooly Scarf ~ Spectacles ~

Oh, and a touch of

Courtly Check for good measure!

Click here to revisit

last year's Tartan Parade.

Happy Tartan Day!

Joining

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings of the Heart
Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally
Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage
Pretty Things @ TwelveOeight
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Your Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With An E
The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
My Happy List @ Art At Home
Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life
Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here
Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time
Feathered Net Friday @ French Country Cottage
Be Inspired @ Common Ground
Festive Friday Fiesta @ The Home Girl
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Monday, April 1, 2013

Lamps ~ Little Works of Art

Favorites on the 1st

Favorites on the 1st @ The Polohouse

~ LAMPS ~

Both functional and decorative,

lamps are often works of art.

An eclectic mix can

add visual interest to a space.

Simplicity of Wood

Whimsey of a Figure

Touch of Color

Elegance of Crystal

Hand Painted Details

Texture of Carved Alabaster

Vintage ~ Traditional ~ Contemporary

Lamps offer warmth and a

special touch to the aesthetic of one's home.

Joining
Favorites on the 1st @ The Polohouse

My Happy List @ Art At Home

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With An E

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Be Inspired @ Common Ground

Festive Friday Fiesta @ The Home Girl
Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings of the Heart
Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Saturday, March 30, 2013

Hoppy Times with Girlfriends and A Spring Tussie Mussie

daffodils

Last Wednesday I had dinner with a

group of girlfriends at my friend, Susan's.

Susan loves holidays and always

has her home beautifully decorated

for every special occasion throughout the year.

Among her treasures are many

hand stitched needlepoint figures.

Susan sets a gorgeous table

and creates the most adorable centerpieces.

This year's centerpiece included

fresh yellow daffodils, a large paper maché bunny,

glitter eggs, and cute little bunnies dressed for spring.

Each place setting featured a white linen placemat

and details in shades of green and pink.

The bunny plates are in the Provence pattern

produced by The Haldon Group many years ago.

Look at these adorable white linen napkins

with the eyelash embroidery details.

They make me think of a spring meadow.

It is tradition for this group of friends,

that each of us brings a small gift or

favor for the holiday celebrated.

I decided to make my gifts this year

when I saw this adorable tussie mussie that

folk artist, Johanna Parker, recently shared

as a free downloadable pattern

of one of her original designs.

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

You'll find a complete tutorial on Johanna's blog

on how to make your own spring tussie-mussie

with the free printable pattern.

Just click here.

You can see more of my friend Susan's

beautiful Easter decor here towards the

end of a post I created in April 2010.

~ Happy Easter All ~

May your Easter be filled with joy!

Joining

Seasonal Sunday @ The Tablescaper

Mosaic Monday @ Little Red House
Monday Link Party @ Chateau des Fleurs
Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage

Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With An E

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
My Happy List @ Art At Home

Let's Dish @ Cuisine Kathleen

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Open House Party @ No Minimalist Here

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Open House @ Bernideen's Tea Time

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Be Inspired @ Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Festive Friday Fiesta @ The Home Girl

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound
Sunny Simple Sunday @ Sunny Simple Life
Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings of the Heart

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Hippity-Hop Easter's On Its Way

Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage leaf

Hippity-Hop Easter's On Its way!

Aestas, the work of artist Marc Burckhardt,

hangs in our stairway and was the

inspiration for my Easter table.

I set the table with the feel of the

fresh greens of spring and the

warm earth tones of the soil.

A few of my Easter bunnies finally

hopped out of storage and settled into

a grassy meadow down the center of my dining table.

I wanted the rich wood of the table to set the stage,

then layered the Pottery Barn chicken wire chargers

on top of lattice motif linen placemats in a spring green.

I nestled Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage Leaf chargers

into the chicken wire pieces for some added green.

White dinner plates in Wedgwood Nantucket Basket

were the perfect choice to pick up the woven design

in the center of the salad plates of Limoges by Laure Japy.

~ Marche Aux Herbes ~

I topped it all with a bowl of grass

and a natural egg, long the symbol of new life.

Talisman, by Christophe, was my choice of flatware.

The stack is a nod to the

layers of one's spring garden.

I like the textures that the stack offers -

the cross hatch lattice of the linen,

the wire of the chargers,

the nubby cabbage leaf, and the

basket weave on the dinner and salad plates.

Vintage linens in soft yellow are presented curled

into tall stems of soft green glass.

They remind me of the happy

yellow daffodils popping up in the garden.

We'll have Easter brunch out with friends,

but can enjoy our spring table for meals here at home.

And Remember . . .

"You'll wake up on Easter morning
And you'll know that he was there
When you find those choc'late bunnies
That he's hiding ev'rywhere."
From Peter Cottontail by Beatrix Potter

Tutorials, Tips, and Tidbits @ Stone Gable

Every Christmas and through the winter, we receive boxes of fresh citrus fruits with the oranges and grapefruits nestled into nests of shredded green paper. I put the packing boxes out for recycle pickup, but the soft shredded paper goes into plastic bags to be used in spring Easter baskets.