Groovy Shadows

How do you like one of our newest finds?
These vintage tumblers are heavy & very hip...
they also make some fun shadows!
Head on over to Hey Harriet for some more groovy shadows this weekend!

Tea for You

It's snowing.....
again...


So, today, we're sipping on some of our French Vanilla Tea


mmmmmmmm







....and looking at our new Tea for One boxed sets





Such lovely spring patterns






*sigh*


Spring will be here soon

and we'll just have to be content with that!

Wednesday Words

" A well-spent day brings happy sleep"

~Leonardo da Vinci

Wednesday Words are brought to you by our Wall Enhancers and Alphabet Images...Got words? Get them up on your wall!!

Tools of the Trade

We've been busy!

The past two days we have been working on wallpapering Karla's bedroom.

(Now...we just want to clarify...we are NOT professional wallpaper gals...

but we do get the job done!)
We do, however, use the "tools of the trade" and the most important ones are:

The Level - this is a MUST - especially in an old house!

The straight edge and knife - to cut the top & bottom off straight

Then, the scissors, the wallpaper brush...to get out all of those bubbles and...of course, the paper!

You may remember that Karla is having a king headboard made out of a full headboard that was in her attic. It was from the original owners in 1905. (See the post here) Well, the headboard has been assembled, now it is ready for our favorite faux finisher, Jill, to distress it next week....so that means....

priming the walls, painting the ceiling, trimming around the woodwork, baseboards & ceiling with a base color from the wallpaper (that way if we mess up around this woodwork - it might not be noticeable!!)

Many people have a fear of wallpaper - but with patience around corners like this

and light sockets like this

(by the way - that tan color was what it was painted before....forgot to take the "before" picture!)

But in the end, it really is worth it. We love adding pattern in certain rooms - and we are so in love with this paper right now! It flows into the hallway so nice...and even brings out the color of the bathroom. Geese, it even goes with the old bedding, curtains & sheets right now - we couldn't go wrong bringing this pattern in!

Stay tuned for the finished pictures...complete with the "new-old" headboard!!

Unlocking the Shadows

Today we found a shadow on one of our initial plates. It is setting in a drawer from an old lock box....complete with key!

See what other shadows people have discovered from all over the world over on Hey Harriet for Shadow Shot Sunday!

It's Friday...and We're in Love....

Last night we had our Rosemary Class

We made some Rosemary Air Freshener

We made some Rosemary Wood Cleaner

We learned facts about Rosemary.

Did you know that Rosemary is associated with helping ones memory?


Then, we tasted Rosemary

Rosemary Chocolate Truffles...hello!

Dark Chocolate with a hint of Rosemary...so decadent.

Boy will our memory be sharp after this!


Catherine made fresh Rosemary Foccacia bread.

It was still warm...

The smart balance melted right into it...

but, we were missing something....



It was this.....

We had the most lovely Rosemary Apple butter.

We can not tell you just how delicious this was.

It was amazing. Sweet, tart, and oh-so Rosemary.

Yum.

You need this recipe - we are serious!

We will be posting the recipe for the Apple butter on Facebook - you really will want to try it out!

It's Friday....we are obviously in love with Rosemary Apple butter, well, everything Rosemary for that matter!

It's Friday...what are you in love with today?

Sunshine Comes In Many Forms....

Spring doesn't seem so far off when you see these vintage linens!

There are just some things that brighten our world...today these are it!

Wednesday Words

"A good laugh is sunshine in the house."

~William Makepeace Thackeray

And we could sure use some sunshine today! Wednesday Words are brought to you by this lovely Aruba sunrise...ahhhhhh....oh...ya...and also our Wall Enhancers and Alphabet Images!

Got a favorite quote? Put it above your favorite pictures!

Hot & Steamy?

We knew we'd get your attention!

If you didn't get your chocolate fix from Valentine's Day...you will with this concoction!

Here's the recipe for the most delicious Hot Cocoa - we made it two weeks ago for our chocolate class.....

HOT COCOA INFUSED WITH BAY LAUREL

1/2 cup half & half
1/2 cup skim milk
1 bay leaf 1 1/2 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoon bittersweet chocolate
Vanilla extract
nutmeg
whipped cream for topping

In a non-reactive (stainless steel, glass or ceramic) saucepan, combine cream, milk and bay leaf. Place over medium heat and cook gently, just until hot.

Whisk in cocoa, sugar and chocolate. Keep stirring until sugar dissolves and chocolate melts; do not allow mixture to boil.

Turn heat to low and whisk to create a froth on top. Remove from heat and stir in a few drops of vanilla and a few dashes of nutmeg, cover and let sit for a few minutes.

Whisk, taste for seasoning and remove bay leaf. Pour into cup and serve with whipped cream.
Deeeee-lightful!

Heavenly Shadows

They may be heavenly...but they sure are heavy!

These iron angels are the store casting a celestial shadow show today!

For a bit of Heaven on Earth....visit our friends from all around the world today for Shadow Shot Sunday over on Hey Harriet

Now We're Picturing It!

One of our lovely customers, Carolyn, purchased this reclaimed piece of wood at the store several months ago.

She sent us a picture of what she did....isn't this darling? She inserted a picture from her wedding day...and will hang it above her bed.


It is so wonderful to see what happens to a piece when it leaves the store.

Thank you for sharing some inspiration Carolyn!!

Sally's Style

Sally Stitch is sporting some of our scarves and a new Stephanie Dawn purse.


Isn't Sally SASSY?!!



Stay warm....and
wrap yourself in something lovely today!

Wednesday Words

I've fallen in love many times...
always with you

Isn't this a romantic picture?
We just love it....perfect for St. Valentine's Day.
We're so curious as to what their conversation is.....what do you think?
Wednesday Words are brought to you by our Wall Enhancers and Alphabet Images.
Do you have a favorite quote or saying? Put it up on your wall!

Sam Says

Sam Says







Mr. Winter Go Away!






...Soon?

We're Getting Butterflies....

....Dragonflies & Hummingbirds too!

We've been getting in new shipments every week now.

We predict that these little garden picture holders will be a hit!

Pictures, place cards, recipe cards -whatever your heart desires - what a fun little item to make you smile....

Enjoy your Monday!!

Terrifying, Towering Shadows

Terrifying Towering Shadows makes it sound frightful, doesn't it?

Why, it's just a tower of glass tea cups.....

However....it's terrifying for a mother of preschoolers when they come into the store!

Today, we thought we'd meditate on this happy, spring-like shadow...being that there is snow, snow everywhere

"think spring thoughts....think spring thoughts....!"

For more fabulous shadows - head on over to Australia and visit Hey Harriet...where you can escape the snow, (even though it may be for a moment!)

Smitten Mitten

You might cry if you'd loose one of these darling mitten change purses!

Karrie keeps change in hers

Karla puts packs of gum in hers

Perfect for gift cards & little gifts.....

What would you stash in your mitten?

Poppy-Talk

We had a tea party in the store yesterday....and served this delicious Poppyseed Dip with some fresh fruit. We thought it was worth sharing (and oh-so easy!)

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1Tablespoon honey
2 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon poppyseed

Stir together the ingredients in a small bowl, serve with fresh fruit.

Wednesday Words

The ornaments of a house are the friends who frequent it.
-Emerson

We found an old picture of Grandma & Grandpa (center) and their dear friends Clarence & Irma (left) and Ernestine (right....Ed must have been taking the picture!) It made us smile. Whenever we would visit them, we'd see many of their friends. If Wall Enhancers were around at that time...we are sure that this would have been one that would have graced their walls!

Why don't you give an old friend a call & make their day today!

Wednesday Words are brought to you by our Wall Enhancers and our Alphabet Images....

Got words in your head?

Put them on the wall!

Planting Some Love

Challenges.....
we love them!

Our Grandpa has entrusted a shelf to us that we must decorate seasonally over at Bethesda Care Center.

Fall: Pumpkins, black vases with wheat in them
Christmas: Wrapped Presents
Winter: ______________

{Well, we wanted snowballs to carry us through till March, but Styrofoam balls were soooo expensive}

We're on a budget, see, so we looked & looked and decided on a Valentine theme.

So,

we grabbed

our trusty

Mod-Podge,

Paper Doilies,

Left-over

Christmas

Wrapping paper,
and cardboard heart boxes....

We created

We love creating

We patiently love creating

Hey...who's idea was this to do all of this creating again???

Oh ya....me!
We pieced

We glued

We pieced

We glued


Until we got all four boxes patched up & glued

{We'll interrupt here and note that this is NOT the greatest craft project for kids...why, I barely made it through it all!}

While the boxes were drying we worked on our LOVE

No, we are not fighting right now!

We were painting some cardboard LOVE letters

We planted those LOVE letters into pots {painted of course!} and mossed them up and put some sparkling heart garland up them

After we placed the boxes around we tool some left over doily hearts out & placed them about with some rose garland, which we cut up and placed around.

We think it turned out cute...what about you?