and the winner is...

the paper rose!!!

Please send me your mailing address and I will get these beautiful tea towels sent off to you~

Congratulations!!!

bon weekend~

Don't you just love Fridays? Mind you, they aren't as fabulous as Saturdays, but it is like they are a little teaser to what is coming... Today is especially nice as the boys are home from school which means I have their company for the day.

We don't have any big plans for the weekend, other than one of my favorite flea markets is on this Sunday, and I am going to attempt to sneak in the Ballard Market on my way home (which is completely NOT on my way home - not even slightly...).

I also hope to spend some time in Mabel, as she is coming along nicely and I have a few more things I want to finish up in her. And speaking of Mabel, this little treasure arrived in the mail yesterday~

Thanks to Jules at the Diversion Project, (she saw it and remembered how much this girl loves an good airstream) I discovered Leah Giberson - an incredible artist to gives life to her amazing mid-century paintings. *love* them! They make me want to run out and buy a tiny 1950s bungalow (no, it is probably not a bungalow, but I don't know what one calls these darling little homes). Couldn't you just move right in???

I highly suggest you visit her etsy shop as there are a number of really fabulous pieces - the colors are so vibrant, and they have such a sense of realism!

Wishing you a deliciously marvelous weekend, whatever you happen to be up to~

bisous mes amies,

xx

a give-away!

Wow, can you believe it is nearly February??? I honestly don't know where the time goes. Things have been so busy here on the farm - what with the nice weather and outdoor clean-up, baking, sewing, and dressing up Mabel, the days seem to fly by. Before I know it, April will be here, as will my trip to FRANCE which I am giddy with excitement over. I have been trying to study my french as much as possible but again, my free hours are few and far between. Maybe I need to begin a date-day with myself and book an hour in here and there to go to my favorite coffee shop to study...

In honor of my upcoming travel to one of my favorite places on the planet, I am doing a GIVE-AWAY!!! My sweet friend Teresa Sheeley has donated two of her FABULOUS tea-stained frenchy tea towels to one very lucky follower. I received mine last week and they truly are wonderful. I know you will LOVE them~ Have a peek at her Etsy site - she has a number of lovely things~

If you want to be entered into the draw simply leave a comment. If you are a follower, please note that in your comment and I will enter you twice~ I will be doing the draw on Saturday, January 30th.

Bonne chance mes amies!

bisous~

sewing projects to come...

I have been doing more sewing as of late ~ Mabel inspires me. Last week I made her one new duvet cover for the front bed, this week, if I can find fabric that I love, I will make one for the back bed.

On date night, handsome husband bought me a fabulous new little book on sewing fun things - namely skirts, and it got me thinking. I am going to attempt to sew a number of skirts for myself to wear this spring. I love wearing skirts - especially different ones. I want to design a few of my own, and this new little book has all sorts of tips on the basics, which should then allow me to alter the designs to make them my own.

I am sure that most of you already know Cath Kidston, but as I am working with fabrics so much these days, I had to visit her site as I really love her fabrics - especially when I think of decorating Mabel. If only they weren't so expensive when you work in the shipping... Doesn't she just epitomize femininity???

~I think I need these for the eggs from the girls

~I would love this for hanging clothes on the line this summer

~these little melamine cups would be perfect with the pink melamine plates in Mabel

Have a lovely Sunday mes amies,

xx

a day of whimsy

This past Sunday I spent the MOST GLORIOUS day with two of my incredibly inspirational girlies. I knew it was going to be wonderfully magical, but it exceeded my expectations in ways I couldn't have imagined.

This Fancy Farmgirl went above and beyond in her role as hostess-with-the-mostess. From the delicious and gorgeous food, to the outings she had planned between working in her BEAUTIFUL studio, the the fact that she is, by far, the most generous lovely I know - from sharing her knowledge and skill, to sharing her home, to sharing every bit and bob that she has collected over the years in her studio. She is incredible.

The other guest to this delicious day was this Modern Prairie Girl. She is another artist, with a gentle soul, and a warm heart. She is an amazing inspiration to me when it comes to photography (both girls are) so it really was the best of both worlds - talking photography while creating beautiful fun art. She posted about our day here and let me tell you, her photos are fabulous!

Tummies full with delicious food, ballerina cupcakes, mimosas, and wonderful friendship - what more could a girl ask for? *sigh*

Fancy's studio is what dreams are made of, for me anyway. It is like immersing one's self in pink bubblegum/cotton candy/fields of strawberries/ribbons and bows heaven! I think we ALL know how much of that I have around here... :)

This day really was incredibly recharging for my girlie soul. I didn't realize how much I had needed it until it came time to leave and I didn't want to go. I am already looking forward to our next get-together - my heart sings at the thought of it!

xx

floating on a cloud of happiness

would you believe that I WON this???

Well, clearly, I must have some good karma because I DID! Jen over at folie a deux had a draw last month and my name was drawn - and a more excited girl you could NOT have found ~ what with my camera collection and all (and most of those cameras don't even work!) I can't begin to tell you of the endless variety of boxes of fabulous (and fairly foreign for the moment) film. I can't wait to finish reading her instruction manual and start shooting!

It is a Lubitel - and if that name doesn't sound familiar, you should check out this web site as it is FULL of information on this little gem. The prize package even came with a wonderful book on Lubitel photographs~

Right now I am nearly beside myself with giddiness as this is definitely the most exciting thing that I have ever won. Ever. Thankfully I have an incredibly talented photographer friend and he has offered to help me get to know her. Oh dear - she needs a name! And you know how much I enjoy naming my girls!

So, for now, I leave you with these lovely photos of her. I can't wait to share photos that she takes, once she and I are a bit more of a team and a bit less like strangers...

xx

merci, beaucoup

thanks to you, I was able to donate $362 to a charity that I much admire this morning~ It gave me such joy to know that so many of you were behind this, and able to donate to such a wonderful cause.

you truly are a gift in my life~

xx

International Medical Corps

mot francais du jour and crown *love*

~all photos courtesy of the fancy farmgirl~

Todays word en francais~

fatigué - which means "tired"

For example~

Je suis fatigué - I am tired, although, in this case, I am TIRED!!!

It has been a long two weeks - my husband has been working until at least 11 pm every night, seven days a week, and while I have wonderful fantabulous children, it is exhausting none the less.

Thankfully, tomorrow is a day dedicated COMPLETELY to MOI! I am heading down to this fancy farmgirl's house to visit her and this incredibly inspirational friend and spending the day with the two of them, creating (hopefully something half as lovely as these fabulous images, courtesy of sweet Tiffany) and recharging.

Can you feel the weight just lifting from my shoulders???

Have a lovely Dimanche mes amies~

xx

~all photos courtesy of the fabulous fancy farmgirl - who will hopefully be teaching me some of what she knows tomorrow!!!

sometimes you just need pretty...

~found

Today while trying to get nearly a dozen things done in the space of about 4 hours, I stole a few moments to visit some of my favorite blogs. My heart felt heavy as I had been watching a bit of news and reading even more on my beloved BBC online. Here I was, doing seemingly meaningless tasks (packaging pretties, tidying a frivolous work space, laundry, writing) while there was an entire country suffering for lack of the something as simple as water. I had a difficult time reconciling it in my own heart - how much do I go on, business as usual, and how much of myself do I dedicate to grieving, to empathizing with the fear and sadness that so many are feeling.

You see, I have always been a proactive person. If I see that something needs to be done, I go about finding a way to do it. But I am also known for (according to my husband) letting things that happen to others affect me deeply. Too deeply... You see, when I posted on Facebook yesterday that I wish I had the life where I could just hop a plane to Haiti and do something- anything to help, I meant it. I would. In a heartbeat. But not at the expense of leaving my children who need me right now, or my husband, who honestly couldn't cope as a single parent this month. And so I stay here, and dwell on what I could be doing, and what I should be doing.

So, while visiting my blog friends, I spent a moment with Kasey. Kasey with her incredible way with words, her fabulous sense of humor, and her eye for pretty things. And it hit me - I visit my blog friends for inspiration. I visit them when I need to find something that I can't seem to find in my own heart at that moment. And today, what I needed was something pretty. I needed to remember that there is always tragedy. There is always something that I could be doing to help someone who is suffering or in need. But there is also always beauty. There is beauty in the simplest of things. And today, after the sadness that I have felt, after managing a rather (insert your own adjective to describe an incredibly difficult child here) 7 year old over the past few days with a husband who arrives home no earlier than 11 pm these days, I needed pretty.

So, I followed Kasey's link to a site that was full of pretty.

And do you know what I did? I copied her.

Completely.

Well, probably not completely as I don't know how she made her pretty little grouping of photographs, but I certainly would guess she didn't use photoshop...

Not that she couldn't.

Because she could.

Totally.

Yup - completely totally.

(That little bit was for you Kasey - remember, imitation is the highest form of flattery... Okay, I am a copy cat. I copied you. But I didn't pull it off - because no one can be you.

Oh, and thanks to you, my incredibly wonderful fantastical blog friends whom I love so dearly, we have, so far in the past 24 hours raised $300 for the Haiti Relief Efforts!!! So thank you, from the bottom of my heart. We have 48 hours left so feel free to clean out my store if you wish - we all know the money is going to a good cause~

bisous mes amies,

xx

Haiti donation - shop now~

I just read Jen's blog and can't believe this didn't occur to me earlier~

For the next three days, I will donate every cent that comes into my Etsy shop to the relief effort in Haiti. So please, if you were thinking of purchasing anything, do so now. It will go to a desperately needed cause~

Please spread the word - and if you do the same, please let me know so I can link to your shop!

xx

today is a new day...

It is only January 13th and already I seem to have lost my grip on my plans for a nice, well-balanced, quality over quantity year. As I sit here this morning looking ahead at my day, the only word that comes to mind is "whirlwind". Somehow, in my attempt to be more purpose driven, things became a bit ambitious and my days have become JAM PACKED with things that need to be accomplished. What happened?!?

Now, I know I am not alone in this. I know that many of us start out with the best of intentions. We think that we are going to focus on just a few important things - really give those things our all. For me, it was going to be my photography, cooking healthier and more balanced meals, spending time with friends really enjoying their company, running, and studying my French.

However, somehow, my photography has been horribly neglected (unless I am taking photos for my etsy shop), dinners have been nearly non-existent (as my husband hasn't been here for dinner since the new year and I tend to get lazy without him around), and while I have booked some time to get together with friends, I find that my mind is already on what else needs to get done that day, rather than really just enjoying my time with them. How awful!

(on a good note, I have been running and studying my French more than usual - come on, let's focus on the positive, shall we?)

The beautiful thing about life is that every day is a new day. EACH. AND. EVERY. ONE. So, on this NEW DAY, I am going to wipe away my current plan du jour (quick coffee with friend, shop for things for a project I am working on, groceries, home to work on said project, post office, running, homework with boys, drivers ed for #1, work on said project again, bed) and instead, enjoy time with a girlfriend, get to the shopping ~ if I do ~ , go for a run, and then make a lovely dinner for my boys (sans mon mari). The rest of it can wait (#1 has arranged a ride to drivers ed - yeah me!).

Sometimes, I get rushing so quickly in one direction that I can't seem to see things clearly. I tend to scramble my priorities and instead just get this "GO GO GO" attitude that is really no good for anyone - especially me.

So please, please, pretty please - tell me you do this sometimes. Really, one of you must?

mot francais du jour et ma etsy update!

Aujourd'hui, mon mot du jour est~

le collier ~ necklace

Which is parfait, seeing as these little lovelies will be arriving in the shop this week!

mot francais du jour

Today, seeing as I posted so late, I decided to post three words~

le matin ~ morning

l'apres midi ~ afternoon

la nuit ~ night

I have noticed that, among the many things I need to work on when learning this beautiful language, I desperately need vocabulary. You see, en Anglais, I talk. A lot. I am very verbose - it is simply a part of who I am. However, when it comes to French, with my lack of vocabulary options in my current repertoire, my verbosity is greatly reduced. So, my plan is to really work on adding to my vocabulary. I would LOVE to hear any suggestions any of you may have on how to best increase my vocab. Really, I am open to any advice here!

Merci beaucoup!

xx

self-portrait inspiration - hannah of honeypieliving

One thing I would love to work on this year is self-portraits.

I have found my inspiration and every time I see these portraits, I want to sit in front of my camera and shoot away.

Hannah is not only absolutely gorgeous, but she has such a sense of grace and style - something that I aspire to each and every day.

She has such an ethereal quality and is the epitome of femininity.

She has such creativity, and her photography is beautiful and raw at the same time. Now if only I could convince her to come here and shoot me...

I would highly suggest checking out the rest of her photography - especially if you are in search of photographic inspiration!

Happy Saturday mes amies!

xx

mot francais du jour

After attempting to write an email en francais this afternoon, the need for my mot du jour aujourd'hui became painfully apparent...

Le Vocabulaire - vocabulary

This is an area that I am sorely lacking - every single sentence I wanted to write had numerous words that I didn't know. Thus, I really need to spend more time studying mon vocabulaire!

If you want to double your learning pleasure each day, you might want to visit this site, as she too will be doing a "french word a day" on her blog!

xx

meet miss mabel

I'd like to introduce you to Mabel.

Mabel and I were destined to meet - I am certain of it. I have been searching for her for such a long time. I have seen many others, but none of them were "the one". However, when I saw her, I just knew she was meant to live on the farm, and spend her days with me.

Her exterior is a beautiful satin in the traditional bullet shape. Just looking at her brings me back to a simpler time - the 70s, my childhood. She is two years younger than I am which gives me an instant sense of loyalty to her.

Her interior is in fabulous shape - granted she is a bit "dated". That being said, while my original plan was to find a "fixer-upper" and do something fabulous to it, now that I have her, I am becoming a bit attached to her 70's decor. There is something about that wood paneling that reminds me of being young, carefree, and living in a time when we didn't obsess about how perfect our homes were. She just might be the place where I let things go a little bit... She does have a full bathroom with a shower, a kitchen complete with a refrigerator, double sinks, a stove, and an oven.

I have however laundered all of her linens and curtains, sewn new curtain tie-backs, and have plans for adding color through accessories. She is pretty much a blank slate right now - a sea of tan if you will~

She has found her home in the upper pasture, in view of the house. She is hooked up to power, so we have heat and light. This spring we will be building a paver pad for her, complete with front patio for a set of vintage lounge chairs to enjoy a cocktail on a summer afternoon. I can't wait!

mimi and mabel ~ it has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

xx