My life is to make everything around me beautiful.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

My Favorite Things

Come and join in the fun for My Favorite Things hosted by 320 Sycamore. You'll be delighted I'm sure.
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Where do I begin? I have so much that are my favorites so let's just take a journey through my house and see.

Perfume or oil fragrances I'm never without. I love smelling good and I do because I've had dozens of people stop and ask me what is the fragrance I'm wearing at any given time. So here are a couple of my favorite scents. If I like them I don't care what they cost. It's my one indulgence!

Plumeria,Michael Kors, Samsara, Beyond Paradise, Fracas, Night Magic, Red Door, Lolita Lempicka, Burberry, Poison, Shalimar and Tatiana are my most frequent ones used. Fracas is one my mother gave me about 40 years ago. It's an oil and I've used it sparingly through the years. It should now last me for the rest of my life! I have looked and looked for more but nowhere have I found it. It's french so maybe someplace in France might still have it.

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Dishes. I have some favorite plates I bought several years. They are stunningly gorgeous and hard to photograph because of the real gold on them.
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Crystal stemware. These are just 2 of my collection of stemware. We don't drink alcohol but I love to put juices or soft drinks in them, makes it seem very elegant. These are extremely delicate and fragile. I have so many goblets that I'll never use them all at once. They aren't dirty, just the sun glinting off them.
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I love to read just about anything but this is my favorite book of all times. It changed my life. I've bought several and given them to friends. I don't think the book touched their lives as much as it touched mine. I'll be grateful forever for what this woman taught me in this book. I enjoy the mundane things of life much more and truly try to live like she suggests.
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An artist I discovered through the pages of Victoria magazine was Susan Rios. She's my favorite of all times. I feel her paintings more than any other I've seen. Words cannot even come close to conveying how much I adore her paintings and I have several of them.

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Apple Mac Computer. Love Bunny has doubts about what I'd get out of the house first if there were a fire: him or my Mac. I don't know either. My Apple Cinema Display is 21" and fantastic.

Max, my computer. He just sits there looking all innocent like he's doing nothing, but I know Max; he's working very hard! Trust me, he's NOT innocent; he knows all my secrets. *Wink*
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Lamps are another thing I love to redo and frequently, when I'm feeling the need for a change somewhere, the lamps get it. This consternates Love Bunny to no end! This was a yard sale find for about a dollar. It's heavy wood but I painted it pink, added some decals and refurbished a lampshade.
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I saw a painting by a woman who was in my eBay group and just fell in love with it. Again, it spoke to my heart. I told her and she gifted me with this one. I adore Holly for this gift that has so touched me. She probably doesn't know it hangs behind my family room sofa in a place of honor so I can view it from my chair across from it.
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Many, many years ago this was given to me as a Christmas gift with evergreens and red carnations. It was the most beautiful bouquet and since we lived in the SF Bay area I love the whimsical victorian vase. I presently keep faux roses in it.
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24 comments:

  1. Hi Connie!

    oh, lots of pretties to show today!

    Swing by my blog if you get a chance, I have a giveaway going on!

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  2. Dear Connie all beautiful things, that cry out I belong to Connie. You are so loving when describing them. That is great to take pride and serenity from the beauty around you. That is a virtue. Thanks for sharing that.
    QMM

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  3. Good morning Connie. Your post today delights my eye with photos and text. I really enjoyed your post so much. I didn't get to visit hardly anyone yesterday. We ere committed to playing duplicate bridge yesterday and with this 'almost over cold' I came home exhausted. We won first place so it was fun and worth the effort.

    Back to your post. I too love perfume. Your collection is impressive. Love the bottles. I use only one and have used it for years. Opium! I once used channel #5 until I broke it. I thought the smell would never go away. I was in high school and I broke it in my Spanish class. I thought the guys were so mean. I had a year of verbal abuse from them. Laughing!!!

    I wish I could comment on each of your favorite things because I love all of them. This is already a long comment. Typical for me. HA!

    I'm glad you are my blogging friend Connie. I am so much like you in many ways.

    Love and hugs, xoxo, Jeanne

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  4. That's a great list. Thanks for sharing. You have so many pretty things. I also have a book by Alexandra Stoddard.

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  5. Hi Connie
    Love the plates! And anything written by Alexandra Stoddard too.

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  6. I love all your pretties! The painting from your ebay friend is fabulous... so sweet. I want to find the book Living Beautifully that you mentioned... I'm looking for gift ideas for friends... bet it's perfect!

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  7. Wow, Connie! You are the perfume queen!! I will have to look for that book~it does look beautiful. I would die for that computer as well~I never knew a computer could be so pretty! :) Thank you for sharing with us today~

    Melissa

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  8. Hi Connie,
    I also change my lamps around from room to room.I recently picked up two lamps from a garage sale. I will post them soon. I can see why you love your art from Susan Rios, her room with the all the pink and the pink chair look like they would be in your home, very pretty. I loved all your favorite things too.
    The last photo that I showed of the Ashford books, well my pjs are at the very bottom of the page they are blue plaid. My leg is kinda under the white table a bit.
    Have a wonderful day and a big Hug,
    Elizabeth

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  9. I love all of your Susan Rios paintings, there so beautiful. Connie I have a blog question for you it it's OK. You can just email me if you want. I cannot get the date on my blog post. I went into configure blog post and no matter what I do it wont help. So I thought I would just go ahead and take posted by Ginger off, well because it looks really~~~ FUNNY, but I cant take it off. If you have any suggestions I would love them.
    Thank-you,
    Ginger

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  10. Wow! I thought I loved good smells--looks like you're the champ in that department! I'll bet it's heavenly just to walk through your door.

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  11. I love this list of favorite things. And I have to say I think everything is beautiful! The plate with the gold trim, the Susan Rios painting....and on and on.

    I feel the same way you do about both our Macs - the desktop and my laptop!

    And perfume - I have had two signature scents through the years. I had to find a new one when Charles of the Ritz stopped making 'Ritz.' I always get compliments on them. Love perfume!

    Have a wonderful day.

    xo
    Claudia

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  12. A kindred spirit... I have worn Lolita Lempicka for about 10 years. I absolutely love it and no one has ever heard of it!! A scent is worth every penny!

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  13. what a great list. i have that same house vase - well, same style and definitely the same artist - i got it this fall at a thrift store in palm springs - does yours say "zopez" on it? i love it and was so surprised to see another one!!! wish they still made them or wish i could get my hands on some more! thanks for visiting my blog today - loved your comments.

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  14. I loved seeing some of your favorite things! :) I hope you are having a wonderful week! :)

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  15. I bet everything around you smells wonderful. I love those plates too. You have such beautiful things.

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  16. I also LOVE that book. It's one of my favorites. I love you plates and crystal, too. Beautiful

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  17. I just noticed your question about the Williams Sonoma measuring cups. I love them because they are really sturdy- maybe an odd term for measuring cups but the plastic ones I have had in the past are kind of flimsy but these aren't. They're kind of heavy which I like.

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  18. I love that plate of yours. I love plates, too. And that stemware...so pretty! It's neat that you use them for juice and whatever.

    Nancy

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  19. Such pretty things- and I think I have moniter envy now. :)

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  20. I love the list. Lamps give the best soft light and who could live without their computer :). Nice to meet you and thanks for stopping by my place.
    ~Heather

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  21. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into your world of faves. So many pretty things to look at!! :)

    ~ Wendy
    http://Crickleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

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  22. Hey Connie

    We have similar tastes in perfume!! I love to smell good and your right people comment on things like that.

    If I don't get to talk to you, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

    Leann

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  23. I cannot believe all the perfume bottles!! :) So pretty!

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Comments are so nice and I thank all of you that leave one for me.