Still Feeling Romantic Prairie Style

I got the sweetest little bouquet for Valentines Day with baby's breath and a single rose. It seems at times that just one bloom can demand more attention than a whole bunch together! A small gesture goes a long way.

So pretty with just a touch of faded color.

I am needing the serenity of white today after a lively holiday weekend. And a cluster of embossed white china with a bit of vintage lace can lift my spirits as much as flowers.

Besides, my Wedgwood Queensware has been tucked away for far too long!

The puff of linen making a fluffy bed for everything here has come fresh from the wash. Doing up a few batches of laundry and folding them up again puts my mind back in order as well as the house.

The soft light and furnishings lend a moment of tranquility in a day that is getting back to business.

Did you notice the new edition of Romantic Prairie Style? Same book. Only the cover has been changed in the reprint. But isn't it just gorgeous?

Makes me feel like keeping more of a Romantic Prairie Style myself!

I hope you are settling into a beautiful new week!

Our recent days here feel just like spring.

Jacqueline

Join me at

Savvy Southern Style~Wow Us Wednesday

The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

Shabby Art Boutique~Shabbilicious Friday

French Country Cottage~Feathered Nest Friday

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