Hearts and Flowers ~

I have been impressed with the very cleaver small wreaths using coat hangers as a form that I have seen on Pinterest: you can twist them into any shape and as a bonus...they come with their own hook for hanging. 

So I thought that I would try to make one myself for Valentines Day. The hardest part was finding a wire hanger, a la Joan Crawford, I seem to have thrown them all out in favor of the plastic ones, but way back in a closet I found one that had escaped the purge.

I thought this window was a perfect place to hang a little wreath, I had one of a similar size here for Christmas.

I already had everything I needed in my stash of faux flowers, and I also had a bag of moss. I attached the moss with florist wire to bulk up the wreath a bit before attaching the flowers and greenery.

My goal was to make something that softly whispered but didn't shout Valentines Day and I think this is it. As you can tell Miss Twiggley approves and who am I to argue.

 

Anyone for tea?

 

This post has been linked to: http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/, http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

Roses, Roses, Roses ~

January for me after the post holiday malaise is over means: Roses ! 

The not so fun part is pruning all of my roses, but the second part, or the fun part, is selecting new roses to add to my garden. In recent years I haven't put in many new bushes but this year I have some  space, after having taken out what I determined were useless shrubs that were supposed to make gardening easier but instead required a lot of work and didn't provide the beauty of...what else a rose bush.

So I am in my glory trying to decide amongst all of the hundreds of selections just what to plant. My favorite source for purchasing roses is The Antique Rose Emporium, their roses are grown on their own roots, something I consider very important and the plants come potted up, well packed, and sturdy.

They also offer a nice collection of old varities of tea roses, which do very well in my climate. The roses you see here however are the last of the roses on my bush of Mary rose, a wonderful David Austin rose. Our colder days have made it much darker in color than it usually is. 

Although my list is not complete, so far I have decided that I need the David Austin rose, Abraham Darby rose to replace the one I was forced to take out several years ago, Climbing Pinkie a florifous climber that is seldom without bloom to wind around my back deck; two Pink Rosettes, another Marie Van Houtte, another Hermosa...and, well there just might be a few more!

Rose fever seems to have struck!

This post has been linked to: http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/, http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/ 

A Touch of Elegance in the Kitchen ~

I love crystal, and particularly crystal candlesticks. When the sun shines through them they are magical.

One of the ways that I think they are the most effective is to group them. Here in my kitchen I have gathered together a few: some odd ones I couldn't resist at Marshall's and the others ones that I have had for a long time.

Now some people might think that crystal candlesticks don't belong in the kitchen, but I love the way that they look on the marble...

adding just a touch of elegance along with the cookware.

 An odd pairing maybe, but I love it!

Incidentally, my Father made the beautiful Lazy Susan that you see in the previous photo. It was hidden in a corner of the barn for decades when I found it one day. I have since refinished it, it is a perfect place to keep frequently used utensils.

 

Thank you for visiting ~ have a happy day!

This post has been linked to: http://sandimyyellowdoor.blogspot.com/, http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/



Absolutely Necessary ~

There are a couple of places in my home where a bouquet is absolutely necessary ~ a space that just calls for flowers.

 

One of these spots is on this little credenza in my living room. Nothing seems to work here for me but a big, lavish bouquet. And here is the one for winter 2013!

 

I dried a lot of flowers last summer and I brought out most of them for this bouquet ~

Statice, Yarrow, Hydrangeas, various herbs, and Sea Lavender among other things.

 

 

I combined it all with Eucalyptus I clipped from the nearby bridle path.

 

 

It is just what I wanted: soft and subdued, suitable I think for these cooler months of winter.

 

When spring arrives I will replace this bouquet with lighter and more colorful blooms from the garden. For now though I am very happy that I took the time to dry these and next year I plan on even doing more.

 

Have you ever dried flowers? If not you might want to give it a try. I did all of these by the hang dry method ~ super-duper easy!

 

Thank you for visiting

 

This post has been linked to: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Anyone For Tea ~

My brother gives me the best gifts, I don't know how he finds these things but they are always wonderful and exactly what I want...even if I don't know I want it.

 

 

For Christmas this year he gave me this quaint and adorable tea set, the pattern is Briar Rose by Copeland.

 

I have never come across this pattern before, but the decoration and the design is so evocative of the early part of the last century ~ and that is indeed when it was first produced but has long been discontinued.

There are: four dessert plates, four cups and saucers, a creamer, sugar bowl, and the enchanting teapot.

 

 

Right now I have it all on display in a corner of my kitchen but I am thinking of trying to find four dinner plates and using it for luncheons. If not it will mix in quite well with my other white dishes.

 

It is so very elegant that it makes me feel elegant too! It looks exactly like something that Mapp and Lucia, from E F Benson's books and BBC series, would use to have tea at Tilling-on-Sea.

 

In the spirit of English china...Ta ta for today! Anyone for tea?

 

~ Thank you John ~

 

This post has been linked to: http://lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com/, http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/, http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

 

The party is over.

 

The confetti has been thrown...the dinner is gone,

 

 champagne has been drunk. Toasts have been made and horns have been blown. The clock has struck twelve.

 

 

Good-bye 2012 and hello 2013!

 

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and wonderful:

 

New Year!