Shabby Sweet Celebration

Of all things hearts and flowers, I think I am most sentimental about sweet frosted sugar cookies.

To me they are the ultimate symbol of St. Valentines Day.

No doubt that the feeling is a hangover from a childhood past when I was first so enchanted with them.

In fact they are the first thing that I ever learned to bake.

These beautiful versions come from Le Chantilly, the best French bakery in town. (Or maybe just plain best bakery!)

It's time to get out the sweetest china in the house too.

Hard to say which is sweeter. In fact a little rosy plate or teacup makes a fine little gift for the holiday too!

Who could pass up this sweet little cake that even tastes pink as well?

Having a house full of little girls this weekend makes for such a convenient indulgence! (And yes we have a chocolate version too!)

But all the sweet prettiness is also for YOU!

(I have never used the word SWEET so many times in a post in my life!!!)

Thank you so much for all the sweet bloggy love throughout the year.

I am so blessed to have you!

Happy Valentines Day!

I hope it is just as sweet for you!

Jacqueline

Mix and Match & A New Transferware Bowl

 Brilliant light streams into the dining room with the rising sun. What more could you ask for in the morning? We have guests coming in for the long weekend and I need an early start today. A few decisions must be made. (Like where to start cleaning first!)

A large linen basket sits on the floor at one end of the table, full to overflowing. It's not a bad thing to wake up to every morning.

This table is really at the heart of things when the house is full. People gather at their own pace and refresh the coffee as they stagger in one by one in the morning. 

One of my collections is this Rose Point china by Pope-Gosser. I don't think I have ever passed up a piece.

As you can tell by the marks, some of the pieces are older than others, and there are slight differences between them.

There are subtle differences in the pattern, but what I want you to see is the size of the centers. . . .

The older saucers don't cradle the newer cups properly for a good fit, as you can see here.

But a cup with a broader base works fine and makes for an interesting mix.

One of the new arrivals is this footed transferware bowl that I found a couple of days ago. 

It made me want a timeless table setting that looks like it could have be set in another century.

A favorite old biscuit jar mixes in with the new (but classic) French porcelain soup bowls.

While the tablecloth is antique, the grey linen napkins are from Williams Sonoma. Plain and fancy, old and new. It all works together.

But now that the fun part's done, there's a ton of work to do! Better get going!

So nice that you came by!

I hope you have an enjoyable weekend lined up  too!

Jacqueline

Join me at

Between Naps on the Porch~Tablescape Thursday

French Country Cottage~Feathered Nest Friday

Winter Inspirations

February is the shortest month, but is also a time for longing. Longing for love, for spring, for inspiration.

It's all hearts and flowers online awaiting another season, but just outside the window my views are still brown. 

Nature is all in cold suspension, its invisible workings gone underground.

For now my own imagination feels unseeded.

 Like the ticking of a clock in an empty room, 

there is only the rythm of the winter days. . . .

and the gatherings from a faded past for inspiration. . . .

  

As I am prone to do, I have cocooned myself in brown. Pondering vignettes of an earthy color.

Stirred up only by ticking stripes and percussive graphics.

With even the birds and bees in a quiet landscape.

I love that my china echoes the winter offerings!

Far from feeling bleak, I just can't stop collecting twigs from a brambling ramble.

And am cheered by something so small it will fit into a teacup. . . .

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead,

 no matter what you see outside your winter window!

Jacqueline

Join me at

Coastal Charm~Show & Share

Between Naps on the Porch~Metamorphosis Monday

Savvy Southern Style~Wow Us Wednesday

Vintage Nest~Share Your Style

Shabby Art Boutique~Shabbilicious Friday

The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

Shabby Valentine Bunting

I still love to make valentines, and this year I got the idea to make a quick and easy "shabby" style  bunting that reminds me of old love letters.

 I cast around thrift stores for old papers. Not only are they super cheap, but they already have the aged look that craft stores can only replicate. I used cards from an old recipe file that already had the holes punched in them, and got out my stash of ink stamping stuff. I kept to a pale design and only used faded black ink for the look I wanted.

It's very overcast, and this is all set up under a sky light in my back hall. It's all fuzzy, but I wanted the bunting to show against a blank wall.

The doilies are from a vintage box that probably came from an old restaurant supply. Each is simply folded in half, laid across ordinary string, and secured with a glue stick along the fold. I kept it simple with only a single stamp design at the center of each doily.

The old valentine candy box (vintage Nabisco) is also a thrift store find.

This is a single large stamp design already composed on a large block. I can stamp the whole thing,  as I did here. or only a portion of it somewhere else.

The cards are held in place by knotting ribbon along the string to keep the cards from slipping. I like the curl the ribbon makes coming right off the spool. I used what I had on hand, but was glad to find the  super thin pink satin and a sheeny white stripe ribbon in my stash. I knotted one of each strand together at each place with a single tie, being sure to leave random ragged lengths.

Welcome to February!

I hope it's a fun and beautiful month for you!

Jacqueline

Join me at

Shabby Art Boutique~Shabbilicious Friday

The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

Shabbyfufu~Share it one more time