SWOON: pale and interesting

I have a Country Home magazine from February 2009, that I revisit almost weekly to pour over the article, fresh vanilla. The pages give a tour of the country home of Atlanta Bartlett and her family.

I enjoy looking at Atlanta's adorably ruddy-faced and coolly named boys, her simple style, her unexpected sparkling touches (a disco ball in the living room). Little did I originally know that Atlanta is the author of many home dècor books, all illustrating her easy and elegant style.



Atlanta has just launched the beautifully presented online shop Pale and Interesting. I am on a self-imposed spending freeze but a girl can look ... and SWOON. Here are some favorites:




Sigh ...





Hope you enjoyed the tour!



Also, THANK YOU so much for the sweetest comments ever on my blogthday giveaway post. Reading everyone's messages is like sitting with a stack of birthday cards. I'm overwhelmed! For anyone who hasn't entered, there is still time. Click here for details.

xo

1st blogthday giveaway

My Mother's Day cake

Greetings!

In a little less than 2 weeks, my blog will turn 1! It seems like just yesterday that the boys started school and I decided to create a blog. Who knew all of the positive elements, new ventures, and wonderful surprises having a blog would bring?

To celebrate, I am having a Blogthday Giveaway!

Included in my giveaway will be this glittered canvas {like the ones I sell at my Etsy shop}:



and a bag of surprise crafty treats and tinkered treasures!



To enter, please leave a comment on this post.

For a 2nd entry, simply add this little button to your blog along with the link to this post:

The winning entry will be selected (using random.org) on August 28th, the date of my first post.

xo

pretty as a pit

Much cuter than my plastic laundry basket. Source: Cath Kidston

It's gray and cloudy here in the Ocean State but that's okay. I thought I would catch up on some laundry ... but the boys are so engrossed in a TV show, I just have to sneak in a little post-writing fun!

Have you visited Erin at Fairie Moon? Erin has a wonderfully eclectic blog and a very cool Etsy shop. I am almost embarrassed to share this (because I have been so very "gifted" lately) but after commenting about her cute cherry pit dolls, Erin sent one to me!



So cute and wearing a sweet little dress! Plus beautiful packaging and a business card with a great tag line: Purveyors of fine hand-crafted woodens, sparkly baubles and whimsy



Of course I had to name my new, tiny doll: meet Pitunia! She is just 2 inches tall and has moveable arms and legs. What detail in miniature!

Thank you so much, Erin! {goodies for you are all set to go!}


Pitunia's baby picture

I have also been fitting-in some tinkering and adding new items to my Etsy shop.



Will that laundry ever get done?

Speaking of laundry, the new Cath Kidston magazine is available. Free at the online shop!

xo

fresh picked

fresh flowers

The other day I was driving along Hope Street in the East Side of Providence, a beautiful section of the city: full of large homes on tree-lined streets, cafés, shops, parks, colleges and universities and ... a flower cart! I wish I had my camera with me but alas, I did not.

So there was this adorable awning-topped flower cart on the sidewalk in front of this manse of a house. In the cart there were vibrant arrangements fresh from the garden in spray-painted silver Starbucks cups. Please leave $5 a bunch Since I only had a $10 -- I bought two! I hope to return this weekend to take photos to share. For now, here are some I snapped of the bouquets back at home.



fresh paint

Here's what I brought in from my backyard. Spray-painted at the picnic table, dry and ready for tinkering.

fresh dècor

GASP! Look at this new garden wall dècor from Pottery Barn Kids! PBK is a great place for shabby and cottage finds and as you can see, it's not just for kids.

fresh colors

Laurie Star is having her first giveaway! I told her that these are so much fun, so please visit the talented Laurie to enter. I am planning my own blogiversary giveaway so stay tuned for details!

fresh sigh of relief

Hooray! My I Thought of You swap partner Debi received the goodies I assembled for her and I'm so relieved to find that she is very excited about everything. {I was worried} I used these little Martha Stewart goodie bags (love them) to package up some of her treats.









xo

debi thought of me

Recently I took part in the I Thought of You swap hosted by Stephenie at Just a Little Bit Pink. The premise of this organized exchange was to buy things that made you think of your assigned swap partner. Stephenie advised that we tell our partners what colors we like, what items we collect, and to gather inspiration from our partner's blog. I was thrilled when Debi and I were paired-up because it was GASP at first sight when I saw her blog, Life in My Studio. Debi and I share similar favorite colors and collections and I knew that shopping for her would be like shopping for myself -- only more fun -- and it was!

Today my package from Debi arrived! {You may click-to-enlarge any photo}


The parcels (sounds cuter than "packages," doesn't it?) were wrapped so sweetly.




So very Marie!


Ooh la la!


Debi enclosed the prettiest card with the nicest note.


GASP ~ SWOON ~ FAINT


This prettiest box filled and topped with millinery flowers in my favorite colors is especially meaningful because in one of the first posts of Debi's I read, she used this decorative paper in a project and I went bananas over it. She gave me the product info and I ordered some at once.


I blogged about swooning over these at Brimfield.


Gosh, months ago I blogged about a photo of bottles oxidized over time to a lavender hue, and wanting to begin a collection. I have one now!


Vintage wallpaper in pretty florals


A stack of beautiful fabric squares, a glass flower frog, a full box of vintage clothespins and China plates!


As I began to put my new treasures into piles, the trims and toppers from once-wrapped parcels looked so lovely that I had to do something with them ... immediately!


Well, no, I didn't use them to embellish a gown ...


I prettied-up a lampshade. {Kind of like children playing with the empty boxes on holidays!}

THANK YOU so very much to Debi for thinking of me and assembling the most delightful box of beautiful treasures! Thank you also to Stephenie for organizing this brilliant swap!

Blogging has touched my life in so many heartfelt, creative, generous and wonderful ways. For this I thank and am thankful for all of my blogging friends.

xo

a secret for pink saturday

Pink as roses


Pink as sweets


Pink as a peek at my swap partner's treats! {tee hee}

Happy Pink Saturday!

xo

ps
dearest friends, please note that the top 2 images were found doing a google-image search. source links are attached to each photo.