Down the Rabbit Hole

"The sweet calm sunshine of October..."

 What a glorious October this is turning out to be! The cool air is very much welcomed here.  The fall garden is coming along splendidly and is such a joy to work in with the autumn breeze.  Above is a little project I worked on yesterday, a wreath made of unbleached coffee filters.  So easy and I just love the look!  I tucked in a bird's nest filled with moss, a doily and a skeleton key with a ribbon.  No one has been able to tell at first look that it is made of coffee filters! 

 This was simple to make!

My cooking area is finally finished!  The little shelves in the corner are the old shelves that were by the sink. I painted them and my DH put them up, which I think just finished this area.  He also made the mantle, I think he did a great job!  My mother cross-stitched the two cotton boll's on either side of the rabbit picture.

I bought a top in Santa Fe this past summer that has gotten so many compliments.  I am posting the photo's below for my aunt Lois, who is the most wonderful seamstress, to see.  Yes, she can look at this photo below and make this top, no problem!   The cut looks very similar to what the ladies in France are wearing now.   It is also a very sheer cotton.

 

I just love it, it is very comfortable.   It is really a simple top that ties in the middle, with one huge ruffle across the bottom. 

 

There was a muted red top that was the same style but I chose the blue.  Now I think about the red one quite a lot!  That is always the case!  I am going to try to make this...I have already bought the material. Wish me luck!

"The sweet calm sunshine of October, now
    Warms the low spot; upon its grassy mold
The purple oak-leaf falls; the birchen bough
    drops its bright spoil like arrow-heads of gold."
-   William Cullen Bryant

Autumnal Bliss!

 

Autumn has made her grand entrance and a definite chill is in the air. The frost crept in one night on icy feet and now my dear garden does sleep.  My angel trumpet is still beautiful and is gracefully nodding and perfuming the air with the most heavenly scent. It is usually the first to go in a frost, but somehow she was spared!  Already there are dreams and plans for next spring with more excitement than ever.  So many catalogs and gardening books to look over!  What joy a garden brings, indeed!  Meanwhile, I have been busy in my studio creating.

 
A toile apron for a dear friend.

 

Tassels are being made with these sweet birds! The tutorial is on the side bar if you would like to see how these are made.  The tray and doily are thrift store finds.

 

This sweet Alice was found at an antique store for a song.  The real Alice is in the photo behind her. The crystal shaker was bought to hold glittery fairy dust! 

I could not contain myself when I found these lovely old books, well over one hundred years old.  The little lady sitting on top of them was lovingly made by my dear friend Paula at Southern Rose Cottage .  This is Paula's new blog and such a treat for the eyes!  I am especially fond of the sweet birds she makes. 

He hangs from a lamp on my painting desk and cheers my heart every day!

 

The tole tray above was found at a thrift store, it just sang to me.  The flowery mess you see above is the deconstruction of thrift store flowers! Millinery flowers are impossible to find around here so I thought I would make my own and use antique jewelry, silk ribbon and such.  More of that at a later time! 

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with many blessings!  

Calm and deep peace, on this high wold;

And on these dews that drench the furze,

And all the silvery gossamers

That twinkle into green and gold.

Calm and still light on yon great plain

That sweeps with all it's autumn bowers;

And crowded farms and lessening towers,

To mingle with the bounding main.

Tennyson

 

Dreams of Ireland...

Raeann of Lady Farmer Parables is the winner of my last give away!  Congratulations Raeann!   Just email me your address and let me know which tassel you like and I will ship the package out right away!  I am just blown away by all of the sweet comments.  You all are wonderful and brighten my day in so many ways!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day!  Now that it is over, I am so looking forward to St. Patrick's Day!  It is also my husband's birthday and since this is a big one (40) we are spending it in Ireland!  We are both Irish and are so looking forward to spending time there.  We will also be traveling to England and France.  I plan on taking a lot of photographs, be prepared!  ;O)     
We have a new member of our family!

His name is Seamus Flynn and he has already stolen my heart.  He is three months old,  has reddish hair and amber eyes.  (Sorry for the blurry photo but he will not sit still for too long)  His name should have been Rowdy Red...He has kept me very busy, indeed.  I have stolen away  while he naps,  to the sewing room and have been making these:

Shoe sachets filled with lavender.  I love lavender and have an abundance that I harvested last year.  My sewing room smells divine...
I have also been working on a little doll.

She is quite small.  I will show you more of her once I have finished her clothes! 
I hope you all have a lovely week and I will leave you with this quote:

Finish each day and be done with it.  You have done what you could.  Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely...
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Another Give-away!

I just had a birthday and my blogging one year anniversary!  Thank you to all of my dear friends (and family) near and far that have been so generous for my birthday!  (I have not been able to post for a bit because my computer crashed.)  My husband, knowing my gardener's heart, loves to surprise me with flowers around my birthday.  I love having fresh cut flowers in the house and usually try to have them in every room throughout the growing season...but in the winter, as the flowers sleep in my garden, I have to depend on the local market for a little indulgence ever so often.  There is such emotion and beauty in fresh cut flowers, they just make my soul sing!  Here are a few photo's that I would like to share with all of my sweet friends.

Roses in my studio.

To keep flowers fresh longer, add a little 7-up or Sprite (lowers PH level) to the water and to counteract the bacteria that the sugar may cause add a little chlorine. 

Flowers in the bedroom.

Lilies on the piano.
 
Okay, I know it is parsley but I still think it looks pretty in the refrigerator!  I love opening up the door and seeing flowers or herbs sitting in a little jar!  

Roses on the tub.  I had a wire rack across the tub that just did not quite fit (too small)  so I thought and thought about what I could do...I asked a friend where she bought hers and she said her husband made it.  Well, it came to me that when I bought my antique dining room table, I was given an insert that did not fit.  It now fits perfectly across the tub!  I try to be frugal and I love to use what I already have. 

I said in my previous post that I would put up a tassel tutorial and have another give away.  The tutorial will be posted this afternoon.   I have been blogging for one year as of January 29!!!  I will be giving away another tassel and charm, with the winner's initial,  and a couple of little surprises!  It is my way of saying thank you to all of my dear reader's that come here. 


I use a little Swarovski crystal and a fresh water pearl  on the bottom of the initial.

The back of the charm.

Just leave a comment to be entered.  I will be announcing the winner Tuesday February 17.  Good luck! 

Flowers have a mysterious and subtle influence upon the feelings, not unlike some strains of music.  They relax the tenseness of the mind. They dissolve its rigor.

~  Henry Ward Beecher

 
 

The Winner is...

Lady Laurie of Rose Cottage!!!  Congratulations to Laurie!  Just send me an email with your address and pick whichever tassel you like the best.  I want to thank each and every one for their sweet comments!  I wish I could send you all a tassel!   I  have had so much fun with this that I think I will have another give away at the end of the month, which is my one year blogging anniversary!  I have had several emails and requests from friends to show how I make these and I am going to put together a post on that soon!   Here are some more that I have made:
 
The seahorse tassel is rather large ~ 12 inches long,  not including the ribbon it hangs by.  When I picked up the seahorse and told my husband I was going to make a tassel out of it, he shook his head, but now it is his favorite. 

I made this one out of a salt shaker.   There are a number of things you can use to make tassels with!
I also want to share a photo of these little peach cookies I made.

I got the recipe from Medena of Cafe Chocolada.   My husband had a fit over these.  I altered the recipe just a little and added rum and almond flavoring in the filling.  I also used a little more flour than suggested.   I used a clove for the peach stem and some leaves off a vine outside.  Aren't they adorable!? 
I have been busy  planning my garden for spring.  I don't know about you but I am so ready for Spring to be here!  I am hoping to plant all heirloom plants by seed this time.  I have been busy sitting by the fire, looking through my gardening books and drawing out the plans!  I do love all aspects of gardening...the planning and planting! 
I hope you all have a lovely weekend and stay warm!

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Tassel Give Away!

Hello, Dear Friends!  I have been busy making tassels for the past two days!  I just love creating these.  I keep finding more and more things to make into tassels.  They are really fun and easy to make.  I have so much extra ribbon and trim, and thought this would put that to good use.  I think these will make nice little gifts.  Let me know what you think! 

My son's love this one the best.  I made it in the spirit of one of my favorite movies ~ Amélie. 

I found ribbon that exactly matches the sea foam green paint of the little bird house.  I added the antique prism to the bottom. 

~Bird in a nest ~
If you would like to see more of the tassels that I have made just click the tab titled  "Creating..." on the right side bar.  I will be putting more up as I make them. 

I have been touched by the kindness and sweet comments of so many in this land of blog, that I am having a give away!  Just leave a comment on this post and you will be entered to win a tassel ~ on Friday, January 16,  I will announce the winner!  

Amélie is a shy young woman with a pronounced taste for all life's small pleasures : immersing one's hand in a sack of grain, cracking the crust of a crème brulée with the back of a teaspoon or skipping stones on the Canal St-Martin. 

~*~*~* From the movie Amélie*~*~*~

Fairy Gardening

I have been very busy planting perennials in my fairy garden such as Meadow Phlox, Baby's Breath, Russian Sage, Yarrow, Coral Bells, Bell Flower, Hosta, Bearded Iris, Mums, Asters, Southern Charm Mullein, Blue Lobelia, Lady's Mantle, Fern's, False Solomon's Seal, Blue Ice Amsonia, Baby's Pink Dianthus, Tulips (pastel mix) Freesia's, Daffodils, etc.  I am sure I left something out.  ???  We are busy building a fairy house for children to find when they visit.  It is so much fun.  I love the world of miniature.  I will post when I am finished!

A Butterfly Bush in my garden. There is lavender in the right foreground about to bloom. 

 

The flowers above are thrift store finds. 

The weather here is considerably cooler so I have been in doors a bit more working on projects.  I got the idea for the painted file holder from Heather Bullard of Present Past Collection, months or maybe a year ago from her lovely blog.  (she is on my sidebar)  Below  is the metal file holder that I bought.  It used to be gray unpainted metal.  I spray painted it beige and then sponged a little gold over it and then added this purple rose (one from the thrift store) and ribbon.  I love how it turned out. 

 

It sits on my desk and as I look through magazines I clip pictures and articles and place them in one file or the other and I later use them for my home journal or for reference in my art.  I have huge folders in my library stuffed with photos for art reference. 

 

Here are some file folders that I found that I love. 

 

I went antiquing and found these treasures:  a rose tea towel, a vintage hand crocheted table cloth that is just absolutely beautiful for $10(!!!!), an Irish linen handkerchief and two other yellow vintage handkerchief's and a little tea towel with yellow embroidery. 

I hope you are all having a most lovely week!

"To express the things of the spirit in visible form":   it's my belief that our spirits are most honestly expressed not by sofas, curtains, and carpets, but by the stack of favorite mysteries and gardening books on a side table, flowers on the windowsill, or porcelain's displayed in the dining room.  These "telling details" - our objects, bibelots, whatnot's, and knickknacks - say the most about who we are.  They are as honest as a diary. 

~Charlotte Moss

A Piano with a View...

Yesterday my husband brought me home these beautiful sunflowers for our anniversary.  I put them in a pretty crystal vase and sat them on the piano while I played.  My husband loves for me to play for him in the afternoon, usually classical selections, while he naps in a chair.  I sit and gaze out the window and play.  The view at this time is of a simple beauty, with yellow roses blooming around the window and a gentle breeze blowing.  They bow their little heads at me through the glass.  Beyond the roses I see my vegetable garden with grapevines standing tall behind.  I sometimes feel overwhelmed with joy as I sit and think that for this moment everything is alright in the world. 

 (I played a few songs from the book The Piano by Michael Nyman.  I love the music and the movie, so beautiful...)

I have been working on some projects...

I am making these pendants for friends.  I usually hang them on gifts like a tag.  I put dried flowers, bits of antique lace, ribbon, art, bible verses, initials  and poetry between the glass.  I solder them and make a charm to hang from the bottom and string a ribbon through the top.   I love creating these little vignettes between two pieces of glass. 

I have made a few but I have yet to solder them.  I will post when I complete!  I do have a few pictures of completed pendants in the "Creating" page on my sidebar if you wish to see!

Here is my little doll head that I have just completed.  Now she needs a body!  Then after that I cannot wait to make her a little doll sized wardrobe with bonnets, dresses, petticoats, shoes, gloves, and aprons! 

I am also making copper tags for my plants next year.  I have yet to put the India ink on them to make the letters stand out.  I plan to solder these to a strong stake and stick in the ground next to my herbs.  I also want to make tags for different plants such as my clematis. 

If you look closely you can find "peace" in the corner.  :o)

I am so enjoying the writing of Mark Helprin.  Beautiful and so lyrical...  I am currently reading A Dove of the East and Other Stories.  Here are two little excerpts from The Legitimacy of Medium Beauty:

In the beginning autumn there is a wind which comes on high clear days and grips the trees, drawing them out and shaking them beyond several of their breaths, while their leaves rattle like a wind in themselves and seem like jewels or green water.  These winds are chainwinds, never ceasing, and on those days they scourge all the land and water with peace and clarity and sun and coolness. 

...And when she looked up at the blue through the red wood she saw the clouds moving like ghosts and their horses, making the upper branches shudder and hiss.  She often wandered here, and to the south in the valley...

Aprons and Lavender Wands

I made this apron for a dear friend's birthday and machine embroidered the "S": We had so much fun on this day.  We went out to eat and antiquing.  She spotted Tasha Tudor's, The Doll's Christmas for me.  I felt like it was my birthday indeed! A Summer Hymnal is a very lovely book also.  It is about nature musings and has poetry throughout.  I also found this apron that I think is oh so pretty and feminine.  I bought it so I can copy the pattern and make some for friends! I have been busy sewing a Mary Jane apron and making these lavender wands to put in gifts and such for friends.  They are so easy to make and I have been blessed with such an abundance of lavender this year.  Here I am cutting lavender in my new apron: As I was cutting, I heard a familiar noise and immediately looked up to this beautiful sight:     They take off from a field not too far from our home, and came so close that I could almost make out their faces.  My DH took this shot through the roses as I was waving hello!  Hot air balloons always make me think of The Wizard of Oz and that brings a smile to my face!  Well dear friends, I am off to iron my material for my aprons, cut out the patterns, and then make dinner.  Tonight we are having Panini's with potato salad and a green salad.  After dinner I plan to work on my little doll's face!

To see a World in a Grain of Sand,

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,

And Eternity in an hour.

~William Blake