Turquoise Tuesday...

Happy Turquoise Tuesday, darling dears! This week I decided to focus on something near and dear to my heart...footwear. And let me tell you, it was an impossible task to narrow it down to just a few delicious turquoise pairs. This is definitely going to be continued on another Tuesday.

For now, I hope you enjoy the styles I selected. I do realize I've left out many important styles...this is why I will revisit footwear in the future....(you'll notice that I simply cannot keep away for Frye's, my no-so-secret obsession, as well as Chucks, and flip flops...and...oh, I'm hopeless!)...

Frye Carson Shorties at Zappos
Old Gringo Yippie Ki Yay Ashton at Zappos

Screened-In Gladiators at Anthropologie


Chuck Taylors by Converse at Zappos


Frye Sammy Stud Huarache at Zappos


Margot Ballet Flats at Sundance
Havaianas Solid Flip-flops at Sundance


So there you have it, friends...My first, but not last, focus on footwear a la turquoise. I am so inspired by this color! I love love love to wear a splash of color on my feet. It completely changes the look of even the simplest outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. I also totally enjoy wearing unexpected shoes that don't normally match the style of the outfit. I'm a true believer in expressing yourself and having fun with your clothing and accessories. I realize you may not be surprised by that, considering who I am...

I would like to thank the wonderful new happy shiny people who are following my blog and leaving lovely comments...I'm so glad you found me!

Thank you all for taking time out of your day to come by...your comments always make me smile. Have a beautiful day! xo



A motley crew...

tiny squirrel and tiny sheep


tiny mouse and tiny fawn


tiny koala and tiny fox


tiny horse


Have you seen these whimsical, enchanting little creature necklaces? They're made by Nancy of Motley Mutton. Hand-felted and just about the cutest things I've ever seen. If you see something you like in her shop you had better snag it quick. Her tiny creations don't last long in her shop. Not too surprising, is it?

I hope you're having a spectacular Monday, dear friends! Tomorrow is Turquoise Tuesday, yippee! I do hope you'll be able to stop in and see what I have in store for all of you turquoise lovers like me.

Thank you ever so much for dropping in...xo


Gardens are for everyone...

I love unique and innovative plant and garden design. Just love it! We get Sunset Magazine and last month's issue had the most exciting garden ideas I've seen in quite some time. These two ideas are so appealing to me, and they're for just about anyone. You don't even need to have outdoor space to achieve these two gardens. I'm going to try to create both of these this spring.

The first idea is brilliant. These wall garden containers or "living walls" are from Woolly Pockets. They come in an array of choices and sizes. I can't tell you how much I love the idea of having a wall filled with these contained gardens. You can plant anything your heart desires in these fabulous containers. Paradise for your walls!



The wonderful designer behind this tabletop garden is Heather Lenkin. One could have this on any table in or out of the house. Really so fantastic! I love love love how she layered this centerpiece with the raised bed in the center. It's just so chic and quite romantic, if you ask me.

It would be super simple and fairly inexpensive to accomplish this look, and you can use any number of different plants. The choices are endless. You could even set some beautiful tall candleholders in the center and work the greenery around them. The innermost center could be changed out whenever you feel like it. Love!


These two ideas are so special because they spark the imagination. They make my mind wander to the possibilities and different twists I could add to these designs. That truly is inspiring, isn't it? I don't know about you, but when spring comes around, I'm fairly twitching to get outside and enjoy the weather and nature...These little gardens would add to the beauty of anyone's living space, whether it's inside or outdoors.

I hope you're enjoying your Sunday. What can I say, it's another astoundingly gorgeous day here in my little corner of the world. We're sort of getting a late start this morning. We just finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes and I suppose the next logical step is to get dressed...Although you know what I like to say...the truly fabulous never get dressed before noon... However, a picnic is in order today, and so I guess I'll get dressed after all.

Thank you for visiting, lovely friends....xo

Saturday morning...

Hello and Happy Earth Day to you, dear hearts!

So. This morning, I was sitting at my kitchen table. Gazing at the beautiful cream roses R and the boy brought me yesterday, drinking too much coffee, and dreaming up a cage skirt (random, yes). Then it came to me.


You know, the vase I was using for my gorgeous roses is a beautiful crystal piece, but it was a gift and not really my personal style. I do love it, but it's maybe just a little too traditional or perhaps a tad too detailed. So I thought, why not change the look of it? Why not make a mini cage skirt for it? I could whip one up in no time with some scrap yarn as a sort of prototype (you can just imagine how much scrap yarn I have laying around my office, right?).

Half an hour later, I had a little cage skirt for my crystal vase. I quite like it. It adds a fresh, modern look and takes away some of the traditional look of the vase, don't you think? I think it's fun, and it triggered a lot of other ideas. I love when inspiration hits you like that and you actually have time to act on it. Instant gratification, so to speak.


How is your Saturday going? I hope you're having a beautiful day. The weather here is completely perfect. So perfect that it almost makes me forget my allergies...My plan for this weekend is to do a whole lotta nothin', but already chore-like things are popping up that need to be done. Never fear, dear friends, I will be sure to mix in some...

relaxation, good food, a glass or two of wine, vitamin D (via the sun), a walk or two, a little reading, creating, some chatting, maybe the swapmeet tomorrow, an old movie or two, and lots of laughing and love...

Please make sure you find time this weekend for yourself, doing things you love to do. And don't forget to turn off your lights tonight at 8:30 p.m. in honor of Earth day!

Thank you so much for coming by...xo
P.S. Don't miss our video - The Fateful Fringe Giveaway, produced by Guam Films.


And the winner is...

Congratulations, Rebecca of Maizie Designs! You're the winner!
Please email me (fringe@roadrunner.com) with your address and I'll ship your Lily Lariat out on Monday.

Thank you so so much, everyone, for being supportive and fun and playing along for my first Giveaway. I can't believe how many lovely people entered! I'm certain I will have more giveaways in the future.

I hope you enjoyed the video, my 13 year old son was the star of the show and drew the winning name....And my apologies for the delay in this post. The video took a little longer than we thought it would.

Happy weekend, wonderful friends! xo

Fringe Giveaway Reminder...



Hello, darling dears, and Happy Friday!

Just a reminder that the drawing for my Turquoise Tuesday Giveaway is coming up later today.

There's still time for you to enter! I will draw the winning name (and video tape it for you to see) at
5 p.m. PT.

See more details and enter to win here. Just leave a comment to enter for a chance to win my one-of-kind turquoise Lily Lariat...

I'm so excited! It's been lovely that so many of you have signed up already. Yippee!

Thank you so much for stopping by, friends. I hope you're having a beautiful morning and I'll see you later today when I announce the winner… xo

Turquoise Tuesday Giveaway!


Yippee! It's Tuesday, which means turquoise! This isn't just any Turquoise Tuesday though. Today would have been my beloved grandmother Ardith's 90th birthday. She left us two Octobers ago and I miss her every day.

I wanted to do something to celebrate her birthday and to show how much it means to me that you take time out of your day to come visit me. Something to make it a happy day of celebration for us all. That's when I decided to do my first ever Fringe Giveaway. It just so happens that Ardith's birthday falls on a Tuesday this year.

To tie it all together, I chose to make this extra special Lily Lariat in turquoise. I made the lily leaves from a gorgeous butterfly pattern cotton fabric. When wearing this design, the lilies flutter about with your movements. To me, that's a somewhat magical combination with the butterfly fabric and the fluttery movement of the petals....

This Lily Lariat is a perfect spring and summer accessory. The colors are enchanting and will go with any complexion. Also, it's the perfect splash of color to take along on vacation. It takes up very little room, making it excellent for even the lightest packers.

You can see more examples of how to wear this style of lariat and other details here.


So, are you ready, sweet beautiful friends...?

-To enter leave a comment on this post. Winner will be drawn on Friday, March 26th.

-For additional entries, follow my blog, or mention this Giveaway on your blog or on Twitter, and let me know you did in a separate comment.

-If you already follow me, mention that and I will add an additional entry.

Good luck, everyone!



Finally, I want to thank you all. For those of you who stop in often, always with a positive comment, thank you a thousand times over for being supportive, generous and caring friends. To those of you who are new to my blog, thank you so much for dropping in and I hope we will have many more meetings...
Have a beautiful day, dear ones...xo


P.S. In case you missed it yesterday, I hope you'll take a moment to check out my Blog It Forward - Inspiration post. Also, did I remember to thank you for being you?



Blog It Forward - Inspiration

Hello and welcome! Thank you so much for stopping in...I would like to begin this post by thanking beautiful Victoria of sfgirlbybay for her brilliant epiphany, Blog It Forward. She has inspired us all....

Last Friday, the delightful, enchanting Susan of Freshly Picked shared her excellent inspirations. Tomorrow, I look forward to visiting the talented, lovely Lara of from lara and will surely find more wonderfully inspirational thoughts.

My Inspiration...To express what inspires me is a daunting proposition. Everything inspires me in some way. To get a handle on such an all-encompassing concept, I chose to narrow it down and focus this post on what inspires me creatively.

Personally, I am very inspired by the fact that I am my own boss. I'm doing what I love; my work fulfills my creative needs and allows me to express myself completely. It gives me the freedom to design, dream, experience, grow and live creatively. You could say I'm inspired by life.

To get down to basics, my creative inspiration begins with each of my five senses. Our senses have so much power over everything that makes up who we are. Our ability to touch and feel, hear, taste, smell and see can trigger our artistic and creative thoughts so strongly. For me, I have (painfully) narrowed the creative influences for each of my senses down to just a few....


Touch
textures
grainy gritty
smooth hard
soft warm
woven rough
rounded square
jagged weathered




Hearing
sound
rain falling
music playing
soft loud
waves
crashing lapping
birds singing



Taste
food and drink
hot cold
salty spicy
bitter strong
sweet subtle
fresh crisp
buttery smooth


Smell
fragrance
salt air
lush green
pine forest
flowery sweet
dry earth
books paper


Sight
visual
vibrant color
clear focused
shaded blurred
bright light
muted soft
shadows dark


You may have noticed a recurring element. It is possibly the strongest of all for inspiring my senses and my creativity...
the water element.

Thank you again for visiting me.
It's my hope that something here has brought you inspiration.
You're welcome here, in my little corner of the world, anytime...


Today's list of Blog It Forward posts are:

black white yellow
out and about africa
crafty weasel
rikshaw design
sumana
katie*belle
the vintage laundress
miseducated
yellowtrace


Have a beautiful day, lovely friends, and I want you to know that you inspire me every day...xo

Reminder - Tomorrow is my first ever Fringe Giveaway so I hope you'll come say Hello!

Marilyn...








No words required...



Tomorrow is my Blog It Forward post. I hope I'll see you then, darling dears...Happy Sunday! xo



I dream in black and white...

Lindsey's Photography


Lonny Photography


Vintage Photo


Source


eye shoot photography


In A Different Light Photography



With flowing tail and flying mane,
Wide nostrils, never stretched by pain,
Mouth bloodless to bit or rein,
And feet that iron never shod,
And flanks unscar’d by spur or rod
A thousand horses – the wild – the free –
Like waves that follow o’er the sea,
Came thickly thundering on.

~Lord Byron



Hello, lovely friends...and happy Friday!
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to come see me.

Don't forget that Monday, March 22nd is my Blog It Forward post and then
Tuesday, a.k.a. Turquoise Tuesday, is my first ever Giveaway as a celebration for Ardith's birthday...

Have a beautiful day! xo


Seven...

Happy Thursday, sweet friends! Recently, I was honored to find that the gorgeous Andrea of Crownology nominated me for a blog award. Thank you so much, Andrea, you are a such a talented, warm, intelligent and all around wonderful person!


Also, I'd like to take a moment and point out the fact that finally someone has designed a Blogger Award image that will go with any blog design. Black and white, so that those of you who are trying to maintain a certain look for your blog, can accept this award without fear of messing up your design. That may sound unimportant, but I think it's worth mentioning. Whoever designed this badge should receive a Beautiful Bloggers Badge Design Award. Just putting it out there...

Here's how it goes. I give you 7 tidbits about me, and then I pass this award on to 7 fabulous bloggers who can continue the cycle. Are you ready? I hope you won't find this too painful, darling readers....

1. Growing up, I had a horse and a pony. Buttons and Zipper, respectively. They were the light of my life. There was no money for a saddle so I rode them bareback. Which was lovely, actually.

2. There are two books in my library that I have read 5 times each. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.

3. My husband’s super secret (you won't tell anyone, right?) nickname for me is ApplePumpkinPaper, or APsquared for short.

4. I can’t whistle. Believe me, I’ve tried. If I could whistle like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, my life would be complete. Well, almost. What would really make life complete is to have her whistle skill and her wardrobe from the movie.

5. I can, however, simultaneously cross my eyes, flare my nostrils and make fish lips. Impressive, right? And no, I will not provide photographic proof.

6. I’m terribly allergic to cats and scallops. As a child, I was allergic to strawberries, but thankfully, I outgrew it.

7. I’m the best pincher. I think I could win any battle with my pinching skills. I never pinch girls, but the boys better look out (just big boys, not little ones...I don't want you to think I go around pinching children). If they start to tickle me, tease someone, or generally misbehave, I’ll let loose with the most vicious pinch. Just ask my husband, he lives in fear. I learned this great art of self-defense growing up with an uncle who was only 7 years older than me. He would pin me on the floor and tickle me mercilessly. I mastered my skill out of necessity and turned the tables on him. Oh yeah.

Extra tidbit:

8. I was named after my dad, Dennis Ray. My name is Dennice Rae. The unusual spelling of my first name was the result of an article my mom saw in the newspaper. A wedding announcement. The bride was French and she spelled her name D-e-n-n-i-c-e.

Next, I will list 7 Beautiful Bloggers, in no particular order, and pass the award on to them. If they choose to accept it, they will then list 7 Super Secrets of their own as well as pass this award on to 7 Beautiful Bloggers of their choice. No pressure, lovely 7!

Brock Street
Waterrose
Coeur de La
Ivy Lane
NV Designs
Lil Fish Studios
Alex Keller

Thank you all for visiting...I am always so happy to read your comments...

I hope you have a beautiful day...xo

Send your love....


I was going to do a St. Patrick's Day themed post today, but yesterday I found out about a very beautiful young lady via Waterrose. This extra special girl's name is Satori. She's 10 years old. Just look at the sparkle in her eyes and the spirit dancing across her face!

Satori has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (type II) She uses a power wheelchair, can't walk, crawl, etc.

On March 31st she and her family will be traveling to California so that she can have a full spinal fusion. Melissa, Satori's loving mom, is asking everyone who can to send a postcard to her daughter. She will be in the hospital for 7-10 days and the postcards would help keep her occupied while trying to get better.

If you can help, here is the address, or click the following link and it will go to the Postcards for Satori blog. This is how the postcard should be addressed:

Satori Lewis Surgery date 3-31-10
Davis 7 Pediatrics
UC Davis Children's Hospital
2315 Stockton Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95817 USA

**Be sure to include the surgery date**

I can picture Satori's little angelic face when she sees the outpouring of love through these postcards.

Thank you for dropping by, dear friends, and Happy St. Patrick's Day...xo

Turquoise Tuesday....

Hello, lovely friends...it's that time of the week again! Yay! Turquoise Tuesday is so much fun for me. I hope you enjoy this week's featured items. I decided to focus on Ceramics/Pottery because I love them so much, and I have many pieces in my home. There's something so appealing about pottery. Most likely because we know each item must have been made by hand.

I had a difficult time narrowing down my choices. I've decided I will need to do another Ceramics/Pottery theme in the future...For now here are some of my very favorite artists...

Chicken Bowl by CiraCiramics

Modern Votives by Adventures in Clay


Sushi Set by Alma Pottery


My Dream Island Trinket Dish by elukka


Aqua Ninja of Awesomeness by The Little Red Door


Serving Bowl by Kathariya Shelton



Ceramic Bird (a pair) by mudpuppy

Next week is going to be an extra special Turquoise Tuesday. Why, you may ask? Well, next Tuesday would have been Ardith's 90th birthday. I miss her so very much...I think of her every day. Her orchid has begun to bloom again which makes me happy and sad all at once.

Back to what I was going to tell you. Since next Tuesday is Ardith's birthday and Turquoise Tuesday, I plan to have a special celebration in honor of Ardith. Sort of like a birthday celebration without the guest of honor, although I know she'll be here in spirit. I'm going to have a giveaway! Yippee! It's my first and I hope you'll participate in it next Tuesday by visiting and saying hello. I have some ideas I'm mulling around in my head as to what the gifts will be (I do know that there will be turquoise involved)...I'll keep it a surprise until next Tuesday....I'm so excited about it! It gives me something to look forward to on Ardith's day, instead of feeling sad about it.

For now, I'd like to say thank you, dear ones, for stopping by and making my day brighter as always...I hope this day is filled with delights for you....xo

Air plants are easy...



One $3 air plant purchased at my favorite little shop, Tom's, the last time my darling dear brother and I went there. The back outdoor area of Tom's is a small nursery run by his wife. I had no air plant experience. Vicki told me to just soak them in water for 5 - 10 minutes, once a week in winter, more often in summer. I follow her instructions, soaking them every Saturday. That's it. They're the most amazing plant I've ever met.

I started out with one, pulled it apart at the small end, meaning to only break off one section as an experiment, to see if I could multiply my supply on my own. To my distress, five pieces came off. I thought I'd ruined it. As you can see, it all worked out happily. My one $3 plant is now six plants, and the mother plant could easily give me a few more. They grow surprisingly fast.


Our family room mantle is sporting the baby air plants at the moment. I stuck the tiniest one in a piece of driftwood (pictured above), two others on each side.


One of the paintings my grandmother gave me hangs above the family room mantle. I love it so much... I highly recommend the air plant. They really are the coolest looking plant, and you can stick them anywhere: in driftwood or seashells, on a favorite plate, in a bowl, the options are endless. Before long, I'll have a house full of air plants...yay!

I hope you're having a fabulous Sunday, sweet friends. Today is so springlike, I'm fairly giddy with the intensity of it. R and the boy have run off to purchase some tomato plants. The boy has a little raised bed veggie garden in the back. Which is sort of ironic as he's not a fan of veggies....someday I'm certain that will change. In the meantime, R and I thoroughly enjoy the vegetables his little garden produces.

Thank you so much for popping in, as always, I'm thrilled that you did....xo





Sneak peek update...


Good grief. Today has been the singularly most spectacular photo session failure in my 3+ years on Etsy. It was a day completely wasted with back and forth attempts at capturing the essence of my latest creation. To no avail. I did list this new piece briefly tonight on Etsy, but the perfectionist in me simply could not bear to see those lousy photos in my shop. So, dear friends, I will attempt again tomorrow to get 5 decent photos of this illusive piece. Wish me luck! Cream colored pieces can be ever so tricky.


Thank you for being you...I hope your Saturday was truly wonderful. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead an hour tonight...xo