Shadow Shot Sunday... Folly...

Have I mentioned
I love my work
I shop every day
my quest for the prize
is unquenchable
my thirst for trophies
undeniable
my love of old
remarkable
as I long for the
cherished possessions
of a lady past

her bead work
her sewing
her hair remembrances
all twisted and braided
charms for a lover
to hold near a heart
a craft of
an era past

parlor chairs
threadbare
from years
of ancestry
winding their tales
of travel
to captive audiences
all in a row
I'm not a sack of potatoes
Uncle Frank
I squeal
hanging over
the shoulder
of the elder's folly

China
with fine floral trims
the chips don't tell lies
dish towels
and rough hands
polished and pampered
porcelain pretties
shattered teacups
and cracked platters
and Grandmother
may I eat my pudding
from the
butter pat dish
oh please

I long to feel
the old burgundy mohair
pricking my cheek
as I lay on the
old settee
feeling
the bars of sunlight
caressing
my sleepy eyes

I'm at Grandma's house
shhhhh
do not disturb
the princess
dreams


s.wilson
I can't believe it's SSS already, wasn't it just yesterday, but that means Spring is moving in...however it's a little bittersweet, as Fall and Winter are creeping ever so close to Australia...sorry Tracie, but at least you don't have to deal with the snow!

Define you...

I have a perfect palette...the Pink Chateau...
I look to the European blogs and the ones I'm drawn to over and over again are the ones of the mansions and estates that are left in a decrepit state, as if history is still being made there...
I explore all the options at my lil' home and I've noticed a pattern again and again,
maybe it's my age, maybe it's the muted, faded charm of each piece I drag in and the particular lure I see in the bedraggled state of decay...
can't put my finger on it, but it works at the lil' pink shack.
I love all the colors people are painting their rooms,
yet I balk at giving my rooms that polished bright white finish.
Yet again, I think many times I do it, because I can...
I'll never forget the day Theresa and Craig, Time-worn Interiors, walked into my house...
Theresa said...Craig, look at them walls!!!
original plaster, who would'nt drool!
So...it is what it is...as I transform my little abode into the ancient cottage of 'Victorian America gone wild'...
Either you love it or you hate it, makes no matter to me, I am part of it's history...
it is part of me!

Do you believe in magic....

Well, I sure do, however...you know me and my love of the weathered, decrepit finish of these old relics...just how far will I go to improve the look...be afraid...

I love the old ticking used in the lining to hold in the horse hair and excelsior wood shavings...

One of the things I like about these two chairs is the fact that they're 'big butt' chairs, they have a wider than normal seat, making them more comfortable to sit on...right...

However, this chair appears to have had too many big butts in her day...

A new addition to my room at Sisters'...my daughter finally has a candle presence up there.
Her soy candles in the new recycled tins...MADE IN AMERICA...what a novel idea...
are now upstairs at Sister's in a cubby that I want to thank the girls for hauling up there for me!
The scents available right now are...
Lilac, Peach, Froot Loops, Chestnuts & Brown Sugar, & Australian Bamboo Grass...which
is now my new fave!!! The soap is to die for!!!

I'm still in love with the dove greys...sigh...

and my lil' blue chairs fit in perfectly with the coming Spring..
at Sister's Garden and Bloom!

OK Spring...we're waiting!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM...LOVE YOU!!!

Chair love...puppy love...

I have a thing for old farm chairs...
who came up with all these designs anyway.
They just scream farmhouse don't they and what better color to ring in Spring than Robin's egg blue...with matching demi-lune table, you may have a porch vignette in the making...
except for the snow!
Going to Sisters' this morning, a drive in the sun I'm anxious for...
do you think I'll spy signs of Spring???

WHAT...

Meet Ella Jo...she is a Shorky, a Shihzhu-Yorky mix and a bundle of fuzzy love all in one lil' petite package...awwwwwww...

I'm in a trance...hey, this grooming isn't so bad...
Due to all the attention lavished on this lil' furry heathen,
Ella was one of the best puppies I've groomed to date.

TA DAH!!!

Ella was recently spayed, so the time was right for her to receive her first professional grooming
and what a champ she was for the whole process...
and she had to endure all the fuzzy hugs and smooches a lucky groomer lavished on her...

Who could resist!!!

...and remember...spay and neuter ALL your pets, they'll have a longer, healthier life because of it...and don't forget to watch
'The Dog Whisperer'...
he's fabulous and it works!!!

A Princess and her Father...

A little girl grows up...

...and becomes a woman, the reflection of her parents, yet a personality all her own.
I was a single mom, divorced from her father many years ago, yet Piper maintained a relationship with Rick, an understanding, though not around each other much, as their separate lives moved on, in his last days, they talked and released all that would've torn them apart...they had a connection that they just knew in their hearts was true.

They expressed their love for each other and felt closure in their souls...
her dad passed away Sunday evening
leaving his only child with a heart filled with love

and loving memories...

I found a little cottage...

I found these pictures the other day at work and thought I would share.

When I took Pops down to see the little shack I wanted to buy,
the first thing he said to me was...

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND!!!

Well, maybe...

Long story short...
My daughter, Piper and I saw the vision that was opening a second shop in the country.
It was only 2 miles out of the city and 6 acres bordering the newly finished 4-lane...
great biz potential right!
However, years of tenants slowed progress because of all the neglect and trash!

The lil' shack needed a lot of TLC...YA THINK!!!
So me and my 'X', the carpenter, my daughter and her husband and Pops
all started to work on the place...
The first words out of my husbands mouth were...
TEAR IT DOWN!!!
NOT!!!

Then Piper had the brilliant(literally)idea to paint it pink...
WHY NOT!!!
I mean, look at it, do you think it would really hurt it...
so let the games begin...

As we started the painting, the little shack was really starting to transform,
then the new metal roof really made all the difference in the world!

Trash was gone, spring flowers were popping up all over and my lil' shack
was becoming the home of my dreams...
however I had no clue of that as of yet...

Curtains were hung, trim was finally finished...

We were ready to fill the lil' shop with candles and stuff...however,
as the days and years went by, every day in the shop was pure torture...
I never wanted to leave...
So the decision was made, I would live in the little dream home
and the shop would move to the city...
There you have it, I'm still here
and I love every moment I spend
in my little pink shack...

The Pink Chateau...
MY HOME SWEET HOME!

Shadow Shot Sunday...Crow Talk

I am the child
behind
the screen door
sheltered
and fearful
of the shadow
of the next day's
light

you can't make
me come out
I'll be fine
in good time
the crow told me so
in a dream

he flew low
o'er my pig-tailed mane
and whispered
I've set you
free
then flew
into the sun

follow me
down
this winding brick road
put your
heart in hand
and you shall become
the woman
in front of
the ol' screen door

out of the shadow
and into peace
with the one
in the dream
and the maker
of the road
on the path
to the sun
sharing
faith

and crow talk



s.wilson



A porch engulfed in shadow is for my fellow shadow shooters to ponder...check out Harriets' down in Australia...she has a fun game to play...OK...

This was an actual dream I had 17 years ago...and it set me free...
I followed my heart down the road
and again, it did set me free...
how lucky was I
to have met
my guide
the crow
in a dream

thanks Richard...

I have a little collection...

OK...I have a thing for old lampshades...right...
but there's something about bed lamps that really strikes my fancy.

When did these all come about and why...were they just nightlights...
were they just fancy baubles to decorate one's boudoir...

...cause it's not like your gonna read a book by them...at least not with these bifocals...

Many, many designs and color combination's embellish these lil' jewels,
but oh, the work that went into sewing them.

This is an art form called 'sugar shade'...first the silk is hand-painted,
then coated with a thin layer of glue.
Next step is sifting tiny beads of glass all over the shade,
shaking off the excess, then the shade is allowed to dry,
then trims are applied.
I've restored a few of these shades for clients, even hand-painting on new floral designs.
The end product is beautiful and client is delighted!

Back in the day, they had a little machine that you could run the silk chiffon through and it would instantly pleat the fabric...
cause let me tell ya, pleating every lil' fold is a ginormous pain!!!
Right Cathie...
C. Conz...a fellow shade maker and dear friend/soul sista has been making shades
as long as I have.
Her shades embellish her home and are to die for!!!
Though neither of us does much anymore in the shade biz,
because, as artists, we have to explore all media
to fulfill our need to create stuff.

So, this lil' relic sits on it's perch, awaiting it's turn to evolve...
it'll be a while lil' friend!!!

Make it stop......................grey amour!!!

I'm just so in love with this French grey color, I see it everywhere these days...
and this new little feed sack lampshade
bedecking a bridge lamp proves my addiction...

Off to Sisters' it goes!!!

Then, while we(Barb, Deb and I)were goofing off...that's code for we had an antique sofa to move out to the garage...it was in the middle room...and for those of you that have frequented Sisters', you know what a chore that can be,
cause, it's bench-pressed up and over all the furniture that is currently in the room...
For those in the biz, you can chuckle at what this sight must've looked like,
cause you've been there...HA!

Anyway...back to my point...
The new FLEA MARKET STYLE magazine has arrived!!!

...and as you may have noticed, Sisters' has a mention in Ki's new magazine...
you simply must pick one up...

it's FABU!!!

However...be forewarned...
You'll be very inspired...we were!!!

Sister's Garden and Bloom...go here...

Just a dreamin'.........................

Today is just one of those iffy days, kinda crappy outside, still predawn, STILL COLD!!!
So I went to the archives and pulled some shots of one of the shops I had after
moving back from Florida...

Isn't it just the cutest...can you tell I lament for SPRING...

MOTHER NATURE CAN YOU HEAR ME!!!

SIGH...

Things and things and house things...

...do you see it...Spring is creeping ever so close...

For those of you that frequent Sister's Garden a lot, you may have noticed some changes in two lil' rooms upstairs at Sisters'...
Barb has allowed Brandon and myself to play in our own lil' spaces...
Brandon and I have discovered that our tastes run a very close path
right along side Barbs' vision.
So the quest to fulfill our dreams, can fill yours with the fun house stuff
we all crave...

Ooo la la...as bits of France peek through and lux galore,
we all play with the current trends of the market...
this ain't your momma's house any more...

Over the top is the name of the game, as women(and guys) seek to make their worlds
foreign to the norm, with mix-match and rescued treasures,
we trim our nests in the trends of Marie Antoinette or Rachel Ashwell...
All in the name of fun and comfort in a zone we call
HOME...

DREAM...DREAM...DREAM...
in luxury and style...

and play with all the HOUSE THINGS found at Sister's Garden and Bloom...