2012 March

I feel the earth move under my feet..I feel the sky tumbling down…

March 29, 2012 By Shirley

Now…..for those of you “oldies” out there…No….I am not going to sing this song by Carole King….

But if you did feel the earth move…….it is because I took this contraption out of the pantry:

Yes, contrary to popular belief…..I do own this beauty..

I bought this when I needed to make gingerbread cookies for my granddaughter. The recipe required using a mixer with a dough hook…so off I went to Williams Sonoma..the most expensive cookies I ever made..but it was worth it!

I took it out to bake a cake!…..A Hummingbird cake..no, I did not have to catch one of those fast flying beauties..

I have been “nagged”, NO…. more like “encouraged” (that’s better) by my friend Linda to do a “foodie post”..she says “everyone does one….especially with tablescapes”…

This is Linda….thought I would make her a famous…..now, I did not get her permission to make her famous….. So what is that saying?……just do it and then ask for forgiveness…..

So here it is…..my “foodie debut”…and what better than to link up my first “foodie post” but with Micheal of

Designs by Gollum….so folks you saw it here first…

Here is my inspiration…..The Hummingbird Cake on the cover of Southern Lady magazine, March/April 2012 Issue
So love this magazine..great recipes, travel and decorating features…

The bunny approves too!

Gathered my ingredients…

Showing pictures to show that I am REALLY DOING THIS!!…

Gathering icing ingredients…

The icing is a whirling…

Hello my lovelies…Now the recipe calls for 3 layers..but I just did two and saved the extra batter to make cupcakes…

So here it is…I want to say that I NAILED IT…but NOT…I can never make anything to look like the picture..
Well, I do have an excuse, I only did 2 layers…next time…

So I decided to take pictures of it in a beautiful setting, so there is distraction from the cake!!!

And here are the cutie cuppies..I thought I would display them on my Rose Chintz plate to make them look more delectable…:) But I think the turtle approves….

Oh..I almost forgot!!…Here is the recipe if anyone is interested!!..

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE BY SOUTHERN LADY…

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups of butter, softened
2 cups of sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
6 large eggs
2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of whole buttermilk
2 cups of mashed bananas
2 cups of finely chopped pecans
1 (8 1/2 oz can of crushed pineapple, well drained
Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees..Grease and flour 3 (9 inch) cake pans

2. In a large bowl,combine butter, sugar, and vanilla..Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition…

3. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture
alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Gently stir in bananas, pecans
and pineapple. Spoon batter into prepared pans. Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted
in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely
on wire racks..

4. Spread Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting evenly between layers and on top and sides of cake.

PECAN CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup of finely chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
7 cups of confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, pecans, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg at medium speed with an
electric mixer until creamy…Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

SO THERE YOU HAVE IT…TA DA!..MY FIRST RECIPE POST!!!…

Joining:

At the Picket Fence Bunny Blog Hop

Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Designs by Gollum Foodie Friday (finally!!)

Debbiedoo’s Blogging and Blabbing Newbie Party

The Tablescaper Seasonal Sundays

Under the Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party

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Overwhelming Faith…The “Pass It On Project”….

March 27, 2012 By Shirley

Did you ever have a day, when everything went wrong?

..Like the car wouldn’t start and then you finally get it going and you head off to the grocery store and…..

……you forget your wallet!!…then they have to put all the groceries in the “big cooler” and then you…..

………get home and you are locked out?…Now, that’s a day anyone would hum along to the tune…………..

…………..”SO YOU HAD A BAD DAY”…

Well, that did not happen to me, (actually something similar happened to Stacy @ Conspicuous Style..read about it HERE…)…

However… when something does go wrong and I have a “pity party”….

….I reach into my “Ruthie Perspective Box” and say to myself, “What are you thinking..Snap out of it!!…things could be so much worse.”

This package arrived at my door…It is the “Pass It On Project” sent to me by KariAnne of Thistlewood Farm.
You can read and learn about this wonderful project HERE

KariAnne made canvases with wonderful quotes..this one is her favorite…
“Life is a series of moments called Now”…This canvas will be “passed on” to my friend Ruth.

And the second canvas was for me!..It read, “It’s all about the hospitable home”…that’s my quote and so love what she did..it was such a surprise…I cried…yes, I get emotional, sentimental…always have..This will be
placed in a very special area of my home…

So now I will tell you about my friend Ruth..the recipient of “Life is a series of moments called now”…for she
exemplifies that term…

For you see, Ruthie has been a dear friend of mine…a lifelong friend. I have known her since Jr. High…Our weddings were two weeks apart…Our sons were born within a month of each other…She is one of the most upbeat people I know…

Here we are..(oh my, I forgot how long my hair was!)..this was taken about 5 years ago..I was visiting my brother in Fla..Ruth came to pick me up and go for a day of shopping..(hubby had the car seeing clients)…She came directly from her treatment…It is funny as she arrived and we were color coordinated…it ALWAYS happens to us!..So my sister in law just had to take a pic!

However, Ruth has been battling a congenital kidney disease for over 25 years…She lost both her mother and very recently her sister to this disease…But when you see her..you would never know what she is going through..

When you ask her how she gets through all her trials and tribulations related to 25 years of dialysis…Ruth would adamantly tell you..HER FAITH…She is the most faithful person I have ever come to know…I can honestly say that without her FAITH and her tremendous medical team, she probably would not be here…

By her bedside…

She recently had complications and was brought to the E.R…she coded…the medical team brought her back..

When she regained consciousness 48 hours later..the first thing she told her husband, was that she saw the Heavenly Father…Ruth said that she wanted just to crawl into HIS lap…HE told her that it was not her time and she must go and be there for her family…her earthly mission was not complete..

Ruth said the warmth of HIS presence was something you cannot describe….If anyone was chosen to see and feel the love of The Heavenly Father, it would be Ruth….

When she got home from the hospital, I traveled down to visit her..I only had one day, as my hubby was on a business trip and had to leave the next day…In the one day, I had a mission..to refresh her bedroom where she spends so much time on that machine…

I want to share with you my gift to her…However, she is a gift unto herself…..Her spirit and attitude is a gift that I have received to remind me how precious life is….TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT….“For Life Is A Series of Moments Called Now”….

So, as I “pass it on”, I pass it on behalf of my dear friend Ruth…SHE IS MY INSPIRATION!!..

I want to share with you some the of photos I took when spending the day with Ruth and freshening up her rooms…
I told her that I am not sending her flowers..I am sending myself to come down and do something we talked about and never got around to….

I had one day, actually one afternoon, to “refresh” a room she spends a lot of time in..her bedroom…where she goes through her treatment 5 nights a week…

Before..Ruth recently purchased this new bedding set…I took a quick inventory of the room and headed to HomeGoods to gather some items for the room…

Found a coverlet to go with the comforter..actually, went with another cream colored one with somewhat of a herringbone type stitching…

BEFORE….bed and night stand…

AFTER….sorry for the pic..forgot my camera and had to resort to my iPhone!…
Added the coverlet…the comforter is set at the foot of the bed and added a new lamp on the nightstand.

BEFORE…..

AFTER…..placed the lamps that were originally on the night stands on the dresser and grabbed the shades from the living room..(exchanged them)…placed the jewelry chest to the other side of the room and put her grandmother’s chair next to her dresser…Will be working on artwork the next time I am there…

One of her sons decided to use the chair as a stool and put his foot thru it!!..So we just put a antique quilt pillow on top!

Where the jewelry chest was relocated. The window valances will be taken down and plantation shutters are being ordered…

As I was leaving for HomeGoods, I noticed this by the door..it was a comforter she wanted to return…I looked at it and realized that it would go great in her guest room…so went to the guest room and discovered this:

The underside of her quilt was the same shade of green as the comforter..so the wheels started turning….

THIS IS THE BEFORE…..

AND THIS IS THE AFTER…..just turned the quilt and shams over and added the comforter set with shams..Her existing bedskirt was the sage and it matched perfectly…Divine intervention…I love the pencil post bed..I should..it was in my one of my guest rooms in Florida..when I relocated to NC I did not think I needed a second guest room…so I was happy that Ruth gave it a good home…and it is a good home…

THE DRESSER TOP BEFORE…..

I am lusting after her grandmother’s beautiful cow pitcher..I added a sage ceramic tray that I purchased from HomeGoods that morning..

THE BEDSIDE TABLE BEFORE…..

AFTER..It started getting dark..and I only had my iPhone..the other side of the bed..you can’t see it well, but there is a silver pitcher from when her dad worked in a hotel in the Boston area when he was a teenager..It is a great piece of very old hotel silver…

A closer look of the bedding…

On the guest room dresser..It is hard for Ruth to travel often…so she asks everyone to send her a post card from their travels so she can live vicariously through them..what an attitude..I love THIS “post card”…

Not a great image as I had to take a picture of a picture..but this is Ruth and her hubby in front of the Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia..where her hubby’s family is from…She loves this picture as it depicts her motto:
“IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE”…Again, her attitude is amazing!

FAITH.….this is the word that defines Ruth and her perspective on life..She is grateful for her blessings of a wonderful husband, 3 sons, and 4 grandchildren…never asking for anything more..

I so love my beautiful friend, my inspiration..I cannot imagine life without her…

So, I pass on this beautiful message on canvas made by KariAnne, to Ruth who defines this message…..

“LIFE IS A SERIES OF MOMENTS CALLED NOW”…..

And last…I pass this on to Barb of Grits and Glamour.. to keep this beautiful “PASS IT ON PROJECT” going..to pass it to someone who has inspired her, had shown her acts of kindness, or any beautiful thing that touched her heart….

Joining:

At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

A Bowl Full of Lemons Tuesday Link Party

Katherine’s Corner Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop Party

Ivy and Elephants

Mrs Hines Class Show and Tell

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34 Comments

Overwhelming Faith…The "Pass It On Project"….

March 27, 2012 By Shirley

Did you ever have a day, when everything went wrong?

..Like the car wouldn’t start and then you finally get it going and you head off to the grocery store and…..

……you forget your wallet!!…then they have to put all the groceries in the “big cooler” and then you…..

………get home and you are locked out?…Now, that’s a day anyone would hum along to the tune…………..

…………..”SO YOU HAD A BAD DAY”…

Well, that did not happen to me, (actually something similar happened to Stacy @ Conspicuous Style..read about it HERE…)…

However… when something does go wrong and I have a “pity party”….

….I reach into my “Ruthie Perspective Box” and say to myself, “What are you thinking..Snap out of it!!…things could be so much worse.”

This package arrived at my door…It is the “Pass It On Project” sent to me by KariAnne of Thistlewood Farm.
You can read and learn about this wonderful project HERE

KariAnne made canvases with wonderful quotes..this one is her favorite…
“Life is a series of moments called Now”…This canvas will be “passed on” to my friend Ruth.

And the second canvas was for me!..It read, “It’s all about the hospitable home”…that’s my quote and so love what she did..it was such a surprise…I cried…yes, I get emotional, sentimental…always have..This will be
placed in a very special area of my home…

So now I will tell you about my friend Ruth..the recipient of “Life is a series of moments called now”…for she
exemplifies that term…

For you see, Ruthie has been a dear friend of mine…a lifelong friend. I have known her since Jr. High…Our weddings were two weeks apart…Our sons were born within a month of each other…She is one of the most upbeat people I know…

Here we are..(oh my, I forgot how long my hair was!)..this was taken about 5 years ago..I was visiting my brother in Fla..Ruth came to pick me up and go for a day of shopping..(hubby had the car seeing clients)…She came directly from her treatment…It is funny as she arrived and we were color coordinated…it ALWAYS happens to us!..So my sister in law just had to take a pic!

However, Ruth has been battling a congenital kidney disease for over 25 years…She lost both her mother and very recently her sister to this disease…But when you see her..you would never know what she is going through..

When you ask her how she gets through all her trials and tribulations related to 25 years of dialysis…Ruth would adamantly tell you..HER FAITH…She is the most faithful person I have ever come to know…I can honestly say that without her FAITH and her tremendous medical team, she probably would not be here…

By her bedside…

She recently had complications and was brought to the E.R…she coded…the medical team brought her back..

When she regained consciousness 48 hours later..the first thing she told her husband, was that she saw the Heavenly Father…Ruth said that she wanted just to crawl into HIS lap…HE told her that it was not her time and she must go and be there for her family…her earthly mission was not complete..

Ruth said the warmth of HIS presence was something you cannot describe….If anyone was chosen to see and feel the love of The Heavenly Father, it would be Ruth….

When she got home from the hospital, I traveled down to visit her..I only had one day, as my hubby was on a business trip and had to leave the next day…In the one day, I had a mission..to refresh her bedroom where she spends so much time on that machine…

I want to share with you my gift to her…However, she is a gift unto herself…..Her spirit and attitude is a gift that I have received to remind me how precious life is….TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT….“For Life Is A Series of Moments Called Now”….

So, as I “pass it on”, I pass it on behalf of my dear friend Ruth…SHE IS MY INSPIRATION!!..

I want to share with you some the of photos I took when spending the day with Ruth and freshening up her rooms…
I told her that I am not sending her flowers..I am sending myself to come down and do something we talked about and never got around to….

I had one day, actually one afternoon, to “refresh” a room she spends a lot of time in..her bedroom…where she goes through her treatment 5 nights a week…

Before..Ruth recently purchased this new bedding set…I took a quick inventory of the room and headed to HomeGoods to gather some items for the room…

Found a coverlet to go with the comforter..actually, went with another cream colored one with somewhat of a herringbone type stitching…

BEFORE….bed and night stand…

AFTER….sorry for the pic..forgot my camera and had to resort to my iPhone!…
Added the coverlet…the comforter is set at the foot of the bed and added a new lamp on the nightstand.

BEFORE…..

AFTER…..placed the lamps that were originally on the night stands on the dresser and grabbed the shades from the living room..(exchanged them)…placed the jewelry chest to the other side of the room and put her grandmother’s chair next to her dresser…Will be working on artwork the next time I am there…

One of her sons decided to use the chair as a stool and put his foot thru it!!..So we just put a antique quilt pillow on top!

Where the jewelry chest was relocated. The window valances will be taken down and plantation shutters are being ordered…

As I was leaving for HomeGoods, I noticed this by the door..it was a comforter she wanted to return…I looked at it and realized that it would go great in her guest room…so went to the guest room and discovered this:

The underside of her quilt was the same shade of green as the comforter..so the wheels started turning….

THIS IS THE BEFORE…..

AND THIS IS THE AFTER…..just turned the quilt and shams over and added the comforter set with shams..Her existing bedskirt was the sage and it matched perfectly…Divine intervention…I love the pencil post bed..I should..it was in my one of my guest rooms in Florida..when I relocated to NC I did not think I needed a second guest room…so I was happy that Ruth gave it a good home…and it is a good home…

THE DRESSER TOP BEFORE…..

I am lusting after her grandmother’s beautiful cow pitcher..I added a sage ceramic tray that I purchased from HomeGoods that morning..

THE BEDSIDE TABLE BEFORE…..

AFTER..It started getting dark..and I only had my iPhone..the other side of the bed..you can’t see it well, but there is a silver pitcher from when her dad worked in a hotel in the Boston area when he was a teenager..It is a great piece of very old hotel silver…

A closer look of the bedding…

On the guest room dresser..It is hard for Ruth to travel often…so she asks everyone to send her a post card from their travels so she can live vicariously through them..what an attitude..I love THIS “post card”…

Not a great image as I had to take a picture of a picture..but this is Ruth and her hubby in front of the Barter Theater in Abingdon, Virginia..where her hubby’s family is from…She loves this picture as it depicts her motto:
“IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE”…Again, her attitude is amazing!

FAITH.….this is the word that defines Ruth and her perspective on life..She is grateful for her blessings of a wonderful husband, 3 sons, and 4 grandchildren…never asking for anything more..

I so love my beautiful friend, my inspiration..I cannot imagine life without her…

So, I pass on this beautiful message on canvas made by KariAnne, to Ruth who defines this message…..

“LIFE IS A SERIES OF MOMENTS CALLED NOW”…..

And last…I pass this on to Barb of Grits and Glamour.. to keep this beautiful “PASS IT ON PROJECT” going..to pass it to someone who has inspired her, had shown her acts of kindness, or any beautiful thing that touched her heart….

Joining:

At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

A Bowl Full of Lemons Tuesday Link Party

Katherine’s Corner Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop Party

Ivy and Elephants

Mrs Hines Class Show and Tell

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35 Comments

Burlap Chalk Board..Have you ever heard of such a thing?..

March 25, 2012 By Shirley

I made this project for 3 reasons:

First reason: Cuz it was easy..as in “easy peasy” “it’s a cinch”….gonna join the Cinchy Project
Party at Thistlewood…on Tuesday, March 27th

Second reason: Needed to do a burlap project…
Other than my burlap curtains, thanks also to Thistlewood Farm..See HERE..
You see…..EVERYONE in blogland is doing the burlap thing…

Third reason and most important: This is my project for the “Pass It On Project”. Read about it HERE…
I will be posting about this in my very next post…

So here is how the Burlap Chalk Board started:

A framed cork bulletin board I purchased from HomeGoods..actually, I purchased 2 of them for the “Pass It On
Project”

1/8″ plywood was cut to 1/2 of the size of the cork board area and then 2 coats of primer were rolled on…

Then 3 coats of chalkboard paint were applied…

Two strips of pre-painted trim molding were cut to the size of the chalk board pieces…

Then applied using wood glue to separate the sections and finish the edge of the chalkboard..

I kept the cardboard protectors on to avoid any “boo-boo’s”…

I then took fringed burlap ribbon and cut them into four strips and glued them down onto the cork board…
So..were you wondering where the burlap was in this project??..

So, what do you think??…Looks so much better than cork..and burlapy things are just so “in”….

So here it is…My Burlap Chalk Board…now you can say, “you have heard of such a thing”….

I am passing on one of my very favorite quotes and song…”I Hope You Dance”…As when “I grow up” I want to be a “Dancer”…so I Hope You Dance in every aspect of life, from the deepest depths of your heart and soul..

Joining:

Thistlewood Farm Mission Possible It’s A Cinch

Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphosis Monday

Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Debbie-Doos Newbie Party

From My Front Porch to Yours Treasure Hunt Thursdays

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesday

Serendipity and Spice Manic Mondays

Under the Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party

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30 Comments

St. Patty’s Day Birthday girl…

March 25, 2012 By Shirley

My very precious granddaughter was born on St. Patricks Day…yes, she does have the “luck of the Irish”…

I usually set just one table for St. Patrick’s Day specifically for her birthday; however, since I started

to blog, I set two of them this year…I posted the previous one here….

After the “Lego Birthday Party”, we came back and celebrated her birthday, again…

The Birthday girl’s place setting…

She chose the astro turf “tablecloth”…wanted to eat on grass!

I took the top hats off of a “headband” and used them as napkin rings..

The hats were secured to the headband with pipe cleaners and I added a covered wire and to tied it around the napkin..I stuffed the hats with tissue to give them more substance…

What’s a party without the balloons!..

There’s her St. Patrick’s Day Fairy again…

Tea set, platter, cake plate, and pitcher by Godinger…purchased these right after my Granddaugher was born..

Here we are..my granddaughter invited one of her BFF’s and her parents to join her for dinner…

The birthday girl decked out with her Lego shirt..with mommy and daddy…and her favorite cake..Baskins and Robbins Oreo cake..really good!

Next up..will post a tutorial on the Lego speedway ramp that “Pop” built upon request…and of course anything for the “sweet pea”…Here’s a sneak peek…

The kids at the party made Lego cars and to raced them down the speed ramp…an idea we got from going to Legoland…

Hope you enjoyed my “sweet pea’s” birthday tablescape…

Joining:

A Stroll Thru Life Tabletop Tuesday

Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday

Cuisine Kathleen Let’s Dish

The Style Sisters Centerpiece Wednesday

The Tablescaper Seasonal Sundays

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19 Comments

St. Patty's Day Birthday girl…

March 25, 2012 By Shirley

My very precious granddaughter was born on St. Patricks Day…yes, she does have the “luck of the Irish”…

I usually set just one table for St. Patrick’s Day specifically for her birthday; however, since I started

to blog, I set two of them this year…I posted the previous one here….

After the “Lego Birthday Party”, we came back and celebrated her birthday, again…

The Birthday girl’s place setting…

She chose the astro turf “tablecloth”…wanted to eat on grass!

I took the top hats off of a “headband” and used them as napkin rings..

The hats were secured to the headband with pipe cleaners and I added a covered wire and to tied it around the napkin..I stuffed the hats with tissue to give them more substance…

What’s a party without the balloons!..

There’s her St. Patrick’s Day Fairy again…

Tea set, platter, cake plate, and pitcher by Godinger…purchased these right after my Granddaugher was born..

Here we are..my granddaughter invited one of her BFF’s and her parents to join her for dinner…

The birthday girl decked out with her Lego shirt..with mommy and daddy…and her favorite cake..Baskins and Robbins Oreo cake..really good!

Next up..will post a tutorial on the Lego speedway ramp that “Pop” built upon request…and of course anything for the “sweet pea”…Here’s a sneak peek…

The kids at the party made Lego cars and to raced them down the speed ramp…an idea we got from going to Legoland…

Hope you enjoyed my “sweet pea’s” birthday tablescape…

Joining:

A Stroll Thru Life Tabletop Tuesday

Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday

Cuisine Kathleen Let’s Dish

The Style Sisters Centerpiece Wednesday

The Tablescaper Seasonal Sundays

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19 Comments

We have a winner!….

March 24, 2012 By Shirley

The winner of the beautiful monogrammed tote of your choice from Arnold’s Monogramming is:

Lucky #8…Jane of Cottage at the Crossroads!!

Jane, I will email you with instructions to obtain your beautiful tote!!..

Congratulations and thank you to all those who have entered to win!!…

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A Gift From The Heart…

March 19, 2012 By Shirley

IT’S THE EGG-XELLENT SPRING MANTELSCAPE PARTY!!!..COME AND JOIN THE FUN WITH BARB FROM GRITS AND GLAMOUR AS YOUR HOSTESS!!!..

As I gathered materials to set the stage for my Spring Mantel, my heart can’t help but skip a beat…
as I decorate the mantel against this backdrop of a beautiful work of glass and lead…

My heart skips a beat because of the story behind this wonderful piece of stained glass…

You may have read this before, but I love repeating the story..

I had just left my job in the healthcare field..had enough…so my dear hubby said..consider early retirement..
Woo Hoo…

While accompanying my hubby who had a client to see in Mt. Dora, Florida, I ran into some antique shops while, “he worked”…

I entered a shop, and there it was…the piece I have been searching for…for years…to hang over my sofa…

I walked slowly toward this grand piece…did not want to make the store owner feel I was anxious…my knees weak from the anticipation….oh, how much is that beauty…? Love at first sight!!

I saw the price tag…OUCH!!..I tried to “bargain” with the store owner…He did not budge much from the price..
I left and met my hubby for lunch…I told him about what I had found..He knew I had been looking for one….

After lunch, we walked over to the shop so that he could see my beautiful treasure of a find….He liked it, it was rather expensive…he agreed, the timing was not the best…

The hour ride home was a little sad…but I snapped out of it…My hubby gave me a gift of retiring at an early age..to do what I have dreamed of for years..So what more can I ask for?..What I left behind was just a “thing”..

The next week, this amazing piece..this beautiful work of art..appeared in my living room…
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Honey”..he said…I cried..and cried..and cried..

He had called the store owner..did some haggling and went back and got it for me….

KariAnne of Thistlewood Farm blogged today about “where you blog”..I blog, seated behind a large curved sofa table in my Great Room, by a window of a beautiful view..but when I commented on where I blogged, I failed to also say, that my view in front of me is my treasured piece of stained glass…

HAPPY…the keyword..

The containers of the topiaries were originally brown, I painted them white for a fresher look…
Added a burlap ribbon banner…Used white puffy paint for the lettering…
Plates by Pottery Barn…

Floral arrangement in a painted tin container..added the birdcage..Have used this previously in a tablescape..

I am joining Barb at Grits and Glamour for the Egg-xellent Spring Party “Mantelscape Party”. She has a great giveaway of a Blog Header…Have you seen hers?..She is so very creative!..Her headers are always so very beautiful…and if you do not happen to win..She can create a custom header and other great items for your blog….So hop over and join the party!!!

Also joining:

A Bowl Full of Lemons Tuesday Link Up Party

At the Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

Coastal Charm Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday

Debbie at Debbie-doos Newbie Party

French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

From My Front Porch to Yours Treasure Hunt Thursday

The Lettered Cottage Spring Mantel Party

My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday

No Minimalist Here Open House Party

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

The Charm of Home, Home Sweet Home

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Come Fly With Me…A Butterfly Tablescape

March 15, 2012 By Shirley

I thought I would present a Spring Table today…My inspiration came from the strands of crystal butterflies..They look so wonderful in the light…

I then remembered my daughter-in-law’s beautiful Lenox Butterfly Meadow china collection….so I asked permission to raid her china cabinet…She graciously agreed and I now present them to you…

I used “astro turf like indoor/outdoor carpet” for the table cloth..wanted to mimic the look of grass…

These are a set of three strands of crystal butterflies..I cut them in half to get more impact..

The place setting…Lenox Butterfly Meadow..the napkin is in a “rice bowl” and I used the place card holder as a knife rest..

When cutting the stands of butterflies, I made certain that I had 4 individual butterflies left to make napkin rings..Luckily, there were two holes at the top of the butterfly..I cut a piece of a wired ribbon to use as a tie and wrapped it around the napkin…when the tie came around, I tied a bow and then cinched the loops together to form a “feeler”…I did this totally by accident!!!..Nice accident!!..I use the wired portion of a lesser price ribbon to use as a covered wire..I use this procedure a lot when decorating for christmas…I tie lots of ornaments to the tree using this method…A sort of a micro pipe cleaner…

I think you can see the butterfly’s “feelers” better in this photo

The container is a the Large Canister of the Butterfly Meadow collection..I used silk hydrangeas and faux branches along with silk dogwood blooms on the table

Used a combination of white and light green hydrangeas…I try to use quality silks when I can..I have a favorite store that I go and purchase quality silks at very reasonable prices (Dales Greenhouse in Sanford, NC)

Actually, all the florals, branches, and butterflies were purchased at Dale’s Greenhouse…

I so love this tea set…I think this is my daughter-in-law’s favorite..she loves having tea in her china tea cups

A covered butter dish in the background…

So practicing my photography…

So I end this with my Granddaughter’s favorite butterfly…I wish you HAPPY SPRING!!!

THIS PARTY WILL BEGIN, THURSDAY, MARCH 16TH AT 1:00PM, E.S.T.

….And now to the GIVEAWAY!!!

I am giving away a beautiful monogramed tote of your choice..choices on the style of tote and monograms are
available on: Arnold’s Monogramming

Here are the rules:

1. Be a follower…

2. If you “like”, you can “like” me on Facebook..I love to be “liked”…This will give you an additional chance..

3. Leave a comment…

4. Then, pop over to Arnold’s Monogramming..”like” her on Facebook.

5. Leave a comment as to which style of tote you would like to win!..

That’s it…GOOD LUCK!

…And, thank you so much for joining my very first “linky party”..Thanks again to Barb of Grits and Glamour for
giving me the opportunity to be a part of this party!!…

Beginning Thursday, March 15th, at 1:00pm E.S.T., you can link up to the party and ends March 20th at 11p.m.

Barb of Grits and Glamour will be hosting the next party on Spring Mantelscapes…So get your creative juices flowing and spruce up your mantels for Spring and join in on the fun on Tuesday, March, 20th. Barb has a great sense of design and presents it so well with beautiful “southern style”…

Following Barb will be Michael of Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday, on March 23rd. She has the most amazing recipes and tablescapes..both truly works of art. I will be doing another “first”..my first “foodie post” for her party.

The thumbnails will not appear on the front page of the post..a WordPress thing..Click to enter and it will take you over to another page….

Also joining:

A Stroll Thru Life Table Top Tuesday

At The Picket Fence Inspiration Friday

Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday

Cuisine Kathleen Let’s Dish

French Country Cottage Feathered Nest Friday

From My Front Porch to Yours Treasure Hunt Thursday

Ivy and Elephants What’s It Wednesday

Katherine’s Corner Blog Hop Party

Mrs. Hines Class Show and Tell

My Romantic Home Show and Tell Friday

No Minimalist Here Open House Party

The Charm of Home, Home Sweet Home

The Tablescaper Seasonal Sundays

The Style Sisters Centerpiece Wednesday

Under the Table and Dreaming Sunday Showcase Party

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: astroturf tablecloth, Butterflies, Butterfly tablescape, crystal butterflies, Grass tablecloth, Lenox Butterfly Garden China

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A Sneak Peek..Tablescape Party and Giveaway

March 14, 2012 By Shirley

Just a reminder that the Egg-xellent Tablescape Spring Party will begin on Friday, March 16th….

….Here is a “Sneak Peak”..or a “Sneakie Peekie” as Barb would say….

So please join in on the fun…So looking forward to seeing your great tablescapes!

…..AND…Don’t forget I have a GIVEAWAY!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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