Pony Rides and Rambling 12/4/2013

I invite you to visit my pinterest to see all the beautiful rooms, gardens and eye candy I put on there. I now have 12,870 images and 10,030 followers. It really is quite delightful to visit there. I have absolutely nothing to gain by pinning or doing it, just the love of seeing gorgeous images and to dream. I just love looking at beautiful things as I'm very visual.
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As Alexandra Stoddard once stated in a pamphlet, "No one should deprive themselves of the joy of color because color choices, unlike most choices, aren't a matter of money. You are free to select the colors that put a smile on your face and edit out the rest. Living with refreshing, life-enhancing colors in your room, in the clothes you wear as well as the paraphernalia in your handbag and and the accessories on your desk can do wonders to your spirit. Color to me is one of the gifts of grace that is ours to select and a tool to help us live beautifully."
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My sweet little 3 1/2 year old great granddaughter is now doing something I taught her. When she meets someone, she is to shake their hand and say, "I'm dazzled to meet you." She picked that up real fast and people are astounded how well-mannered she is. That is NOT to say she's perfect because that little chick is a pip, trust me! She also was treated to a very nice surprise from a friend of mine who lives in Mt. Home, Idaho. She arranged for Caroline and Juliette (1 year old great granddaughter) to have a ride in a pony cart last week. Caroline loved it! She was in a cart that held 3 people and then she got to actually ride the pony. She had the most excited expression on her face and talked about it all night. When we got home Caroline told her mother: "I had a great adventure tonight, mummy."

A sweet red bathroom. It looks tiny but still has space for a cupboard. See what you can do with small spaces? They don't have to be ugly and frumpy. They can definitely be gorgeous.

I don't think there's anything more enticing than ice cream with cherries or strawberries on top. I remember years ago eating them at our local drug store in Norfolk, VA. and having a Coke with it. Those were definitely th' days: drug stores with counters for shakes and even sandwiches.

I just loved this entrance with the curving of the door, the mailbox right outside and a bench to sit on. Gorgeous.

Snow coming soon. I can't wait. I wish it would snow a lot this season. I love snow and it gives me an excuse to stay home and be a slug!

Cute potting room. Maybe it's part greenhouse also. Just look at all those vegetables.

You do know I love sparkly bottles, right? Well, this owner has outdone herself. Beautiful!

Love the lace garment with ribbon/fabric flowers decked across a French wicker chair.

One of many colorful buildings in a foreign country. Looks to be like Italy or France.

A stunning dining room.

And a stunning kitchen. I love a white kitchen. Have you seen the new ranges/ovens that you can put in 3 big cookie sheets? I just saw one the other day in Sunset magazine and lusted for a bit. Just a bit though. Because if I had it I'd have to cook/bake more and that ain't happening!

I could live with this little beauty, but at the moment I'm very happy with the little footstools I've made over with duck cloth. Plus I saved a lot of money doing what I did.

Hold me back!!!! I love chocolate on chocolate on chocolate.

This is one of the styles of furniture I love. Isn't it gorgeous?

This looks like it's cordoned off so I'm guessing it's a display somewhere. But it is beautiful and I'd love having it in my home.

Now, I have to admit that this little beauty and this setting would definitely entice me to go camping. I shan't mention it to Love Bunny or he just might try to go out and find one so I'll camp with him again. But this is a beautiful dinner setting for a trailer.

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Living Life and Random Thoughts 10/1/2013

Reminder to visit Pinterest. I now have over 11,700 photos on my pinterest and 9,400 followers. Visit there to see all the glorious images. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
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If you wait until you have enough money to decorate and make your home your own it will never happen. If you wait to buy everything new you are missing the point. It is the old, the new, the made, the hand-me-down, the collected, the worn (but loved) things in your home that make it your own. Quote from Alexandra Stoddard. My sentiments exactly. It's how I decorate, but live my life also.
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One of my favorite kitchens. I don't like or need a formal dining room, but this beautiful dining area off the kitchen would be perfect in my eyes. Plus I love the mix of white with light cabinetry. My perfect kitchen would be pink and white however. While my walls are pink, the cabinets are ash—light, not dark, but I'm still going to paint them—or have them painted I should say—at some point. Maybe just the top ones and leave the bottom ones the wood look, giving hubby a say in the process. ;-) A friend of mine has dark cabinets and wouldn't dream of painting them. I told her she thinks like a man! I see nothing sacrosanct about cabinets that a coat of paint wouldn't make them look better. I don't particularly like the wood look on most things.

The ceiling looks like this could be a loft somewhere in the city, but I love the openness of the shower. I wouldn't like to look at the grungy pipes and ceiling however.

Yeah, yeah, I'm having a fit for chocolate about now. This does look yummy.

Lovin' what the owner did to this little bottle. Absolutely stunning!

I've looked around the import stores for some good lemonade in pretty bottles. However, while I buy it simply for the cute bottles, the lemonades are usually not very good. And the sparkling lemonade goes flat pretty quickly. At least I have the pretty bottles left to decorate.

This room has a segreto finish on it. Segreto finishes are done by artists and can be very expensive. I've done some in an old house we had in California, but it's very labor intensive. I wouldn't try it now as my arms couldn't hold up.

Beautiful peonies.

I love the layout of this room. It's perfect for conversations with friends and not for watching television. I think the television takes priority in most homes and conversation is becoming a lost art. Not in my home however.

You couldn't miss this restaurant if you tried! Love the bright red exterior.

Another lovely bouquet of roses and little wildflowers.

I simply cannot get enough of flowers. They soothe my heart and soul.

And this! I wish I had the recipe. It looks so yummy with caramel drizzled over it. I may try to duplicate it when I'm not dieting. Right now though...NOPE.

These are soaps. Aren't they gorgeous?

I found an old laundry hamper like this at a garage sale about 10 years ago for a dollar or so and bought it. I stripped off the liner and made a frou-frou one and sold it on eBay. I'll never do it again. It was such a hassle mailing it to the buyer, plus it was a LOT of work to duplicate it. It was, however, darling.

I'm partial to magnets. I love these sweet ones. I have some on our fridge to hold a calender and messages but they're beautiful and not what most people hang on their refrigerators. I told you: everything in my home is lovely, even my magnets. :-)

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Linking up with Pink Saturday.

Living A Beautiful Life...Sometimes

During the 1970s and 1980s, I discovered Alexandra Stoddard and her books. I fell in love. If you've never read any of her books, you've missed a lot. The first book I read was Living A Beautiful Life. It changed my life as I've said before. I've read, and have, several of her books. They're calm and beautiful to read. She can be spiritual also. But it's her sense of how to live a beautiful life that drew me to her books.

I was working as the highest paid woman in a very top Fortune 500 company at the time and needed more serene time in my life. Those books taught me how to achieve it. While, she's a top decorator, and one of my favorites, she's a prolific author also. She has a keen sense of color and fabric. Her books take you on a journey to find happiness in this life.

A few weeks ago while cleaning out some beautiful storage boxes in which I have papers, ephemera, my clay flowers, etc. stored, I came across some of her Beautiful Living Companion brochures she would send out to us subscribers. I loved receiving them but I don't think she kept it up very long as she was too busy. But in one, and there are no dates on these, just volume numbers, it had to be from the 80s, I found a quote from her I'd like to share.

"There is no beauty without order. I've discovered that to the degree that we are organized we are in control of our lives. Haven't you found that the times when you allow your life to overwhelm you with chaos are the times when you are going through emotional turmoil as well?"

I found my answer is exactly as she spells it out. I'm not only disordered in my life/home, etc, but in my mind also. I'm not attending to my garden: the one I have in my head and the one I have when I sweep my arms out to encompass my life and home or, in other words, my environment. I have to have a calm talk with myself and sometimes it takes more than a one-time sit-down. Sometimes, it takes days or even a few weeks to get that calmness I need to pursue something. But absolutely first, comes the ease of the mind. Then comes the "getting to it" of it. That's how I function most of the time and I'm guessing a lot of you mimick that as well. Think on that statement. It has certainly helped me. There are times when I simply sit and read for hours and hours upon days and days because I just can't handle much at that moment. No, I'm not fragile, just have to contemplate it for a while. And my sweet, sweet hubby accommodates anything I want to do. He's my angel. Sometimes, I truly wonder how he puts up with me. Truly.
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A dining room that pleases me. Chairs are darling. She has a bench on one side. Lots of pink, polka dots, checks and stripes. Lovely!

My kind of vignette also.

Love the sofa but where do I sit on it?! Beautiful pillows also.

We should all be lucky to have a dishwashing/sink area like this. Loooove it!!!

Yeah, yeah, I know. Dream on, bloggers.

A sweet night light. We have some of these for emergencies. I just thought of something: I could froufrou them up and bring them in from the garage. Today is the day I do that!

A very clever idea for old spoons and teacups: make it into a hanging lamp.

See, I told you leather sofas could be beautiful in a shabby chic home.

I recently went to a blog when she posted on mine. I'd never heard of her before, but on her blog sidebar she has a saying: I just want to make pretty things even if no one cares. My thoughts exactly. I feel the same way. I just want pretty things around me even if no one understands it.

I would give much to have this gorgeous pink cabinet. I don't think I've ever seen one so beautiful.

I love pretty cakes and these are indeed beautiful.

A house filled with roses can never be ugly. I can't wait until our rose bushes start blooming.

I also love pretty clocks and have more than I need, even in the living room I have 4 pretty ones, all working.

While the chair is lovely, the cushion is what makes it look so comfy.

Several years ago, my daughter gave me some Old Country Roses cups and saucers as she had place settings for about 25 people. She was scaling down. I decorated them and placed them around the house, but this one tipped on its side and made to look like a birds nest is prettier and much more clever than mine. Love it. Maybe I'll redo a few of them like this.

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Tidbit:

 Steven Spielberg is Drew Barrymore's godfather. After seeing her nude in Playboy magazine, he sent her a blanket with a note telling her to cover herself up.
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Linking up with NMH Open House Party and Pink Saturday.

Fluffing the House Today

Today I thought I'd be domestic and fluff up the house. While doing it I took the opportunity to photograph snippets of the place. If you're bored then come back another day because things don't change much around the "living beautifully" household. I've committed to economizing and not buying a bunch of stuff we don't need: plates, knick-knacks, glasses, pretty boxes, etc. In fact, I've been eagerly trying to get rid of some china, some glasses and other stuff.

I also have a plethora of napkin rings I have to get rid of. I think I'll put them on ebay and see how it goes. These are the only ones I'm keeping though because I won't need more than these if I have a dinner and I'm not sentimental over most things.

A very, very few books on my bookshelves. Whether you're a listener of Dr. Laura or not, that woman is spot on with her advice. My hubby bought me this book of hers and told me to read it. I learned more about men than I ever have. Hubby requested a talk after I finished reading it. You're never too old or never married too long to learn! An astounding book. Men really are simple creatures. It's us women who tend to be complicated!

I have a lot of Alexandra Stoddard's books. You can see where I got the title for my blog. She was my inspiration.

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