Loving lustrous linen

Growing up in England with a dressmaker Mother meant living among beautiful fabrics. Heavy silk embossed bridal fabrics, sheer chiffons, crisp cottons, soft brushed wools, and my favorite, Irish linens. Linen is as ancient as the Egyptians, so sturdy it has survived intact in their tombs. Linen breathes and cools the body in hot weather. As it ages it softens, becoming lustrous and even more wonderful to handle. Its strength allows daily use in the home as tablecloths, placemats and napkins, curtains, and those beautiful antique French bed linens.

Neutral colors of linen are all you need - natural fabric made from the flax plant doesn't require colorful dyes.

Ooh! Linen shirts and tunics - how cool and refreshing - just need the swimming pool, or even better a long stretch of sandy beach to stroll along at sunset.

Love this linen window blind and the adorable French iron birds.

Plan to get my linen clothes out of Winter storage soon. Do you iron your linens? Or, like me, just let them look a bit rumpled - that's part of the comfy cottage look anyway.

Run Rabbit, Run

Well, seems like we are all enticing those cute little bunnies back to our homes................Easter must be around the corner and Spring is officially here at long last. I love these china rabbits which I started collecting a couple of years ago. They are quite large so when the kids see them they want to hold them and pretend they're real. This year I haven't had time to look for new additions to my rabbit hutch - must get out there and start hunting.

I love the Mommy with the pretty porcelain flowers around her neck.

I'm sure this pair, after seeing the daffodils in bloom, know it's that time of year to crank up the bunny factory!

Soon I'll see the nibbled plants in my garden - they love those tender new shoots all juicy and fresh - and you'll find me chasing them off. But.................they are SO cute.

Heading out right now on a rabbit hunt!

"Spring Fling Tea"

The big day - the Spring Fling (virtual) Tea Party at ArtsyMama's "house". I have my tea tray ready - more cups available if hoards of you come by around 4 p.m. I have tea to suit everyone - Earl Grey, Harrods No. 16, P.G. Tips, English Breakfast, Assam, Constant Comment, Lemon Verbena, Peppermint etc.

There will be tiny cup cakes for tiny appetites, however my special Gateau de Mamy au Poire will be going into the oven around noon, ready to slice for you at tea time - served with real whipped creme and sliced almonds.
I love to serve tea in my Victorian gazebo. Looking forward to meeting you, serving you, and sharing special tea tales on the first day of Spring 2007.
For those of you wondering what this is all about - visit ArtsyMama at http://artsymama.blogspot.com/ and enjoy the party!!

A new day - a new friend

Awoke this morning to a gorgeous sunrise and snapped this picture from my front porch looking down the street - click to enlarge.

Then, when I went online I found a new friend, SOUTHERN HEART, who would enjoy hearing from you soon. She, like all of us when first time bloggers, wonders how people will find her and share her interests and news. Do visit her at http://truesouthernheart.blogspot.com/ Give Southern Heart a real Southern welcome.....................and for those of you up North, we down here really love to hear from you too as you well know.
What you give you get ten times over...........

Sewing beautiful fabrics

Cranked up the trusty old Singer last week and stitched the deep ruffled toile de Jouy European sham.................... at long last.

I special ordered the fabric in this colorway over two year's ago when I decided on the bedroom makeover colors. My paint is a perfect blue gray which changes in the different light during the day, and then deepens at night to a really relaxing, sleep inducing, chalky shade of warm blue.

The chocolate brown accent color is great with this blue and gold. The damask cloth on the round table (temporary nightstand until I paint an old sewing machine table I inherited) was aqua! Dyed in RIT dark brown it came out a really stunning shade which you'd never find on a bolt of fabric in a store. I've fallen in love with burnout velvet at the windows - so romantic and Bohemian - and when the light shines through the shadows cast on the walls are lovely. Loveseat is slipcovered in cream quilted cotton with seat cushion in cream matelasse.
At my favorite funky SuzAnna's Antiques, this already painted blue tin piece called out to me. Thought it perfect balanced on this little shelf where I display a favorite photo of me with Mother, and chocolate iron letters in those always wonderful "L" words.
I love this room - warm, romantic and feminine for me, with the chocolate accents making it comfortable for masculine hubby.

I guess this look could be called "Bohemian Cottage" for want of a better description.

Pretty Faces

Today, my always smiling granddaughter, brought home her latest school photo - another lovely shot to frame and make a new scrapbook page.

Meanwhile, out in the garden the Spring blooms are really bursting forth - this Pink Impression tulip is one of my favorites.These purple and white pansies are in my kitchen window box and I love looking at them when working at the sink!
More tulips and violas in pots in the back garden - such gorgeous colors.

Hope those of you still snowbound will soon be out enjoying your gardens too.

Shall we dine in tonight dear?

A few dining room pictures to share. I love having a true dining room even though it's small. We use it mainly for intimate dinners - max. of six, other times it becomes my cutting out table and scrapbooking desk! Cottage living means using every space available, when available!!

A Pink Bee found corbels this week and she mentions using them for a window treatment. I did this in my dining room - they hold a pole which in turn has held, at different times, curtain panels, formal top treatments, and my favorite - silk organza placements embroidered with gold dragonflies! At present I have a lovely grapevine garland with those tiny glass "raindrops" from Smith & Hawken dangling here and there - quite pretty at night when the lights are on.



Thank goodness for my Welsh Dresser with plenty of shelves in the dining room - I bought it unfinished, painted and distressed it for a shabby cottage look! I do love china - doesn't have to be expensive bone china in formal place settings, just anything pretty with Nature themes, writing of course, or pretty colors. The pink teacups are for afternoon tea with a girlfriend who may stop by - the cake plates don't match exactly but that's OK, they are pretty. The green china with shells and seaweeds is an old English pattern reproduced here in the USA. It's named TORQUAY which is my hometown in Devon, UK so of course I had to have at least a few pieces - it's terribly expensive. I often use it for tea when I'm on my own.

This sugar bowl and creamer, with another pitcher in back, are part of my large collection of Noritake's "The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady". I love the illustrations of flowers, birds, insects etc., all named in English and Latin, and different on each piece. The plates, saucers etc. have lovely sayings and lines of poetry around the edges. I started collecting this set in the 1980's when I received an unexpected pay raise - a present to myself!

Hope you can visit me for tea some afternoon.