The Beckoning of Lovely

I actually had tears running down my face when I saw this video, not because it made me sad, but because I was so completely moved by the joy it stirred in me.

For Cindy's Centerpiece Party-Chinese New Year Luncheon

February marks the time of the Chinese New Year. This year is the year of the Ox. Actually, January 26th is the official start of the Chinese New Year, but the celebrating goes well into February. A systematic, methodical and conservative approach appeals most, to natives of this sign.

In celebration of the Chinese New Year I hosted an intimate luncheon with a couple of girlfriends. I set the table with my mother's china and silver and hung Chinese lanterns from the chandelier. I think she would have approved.

One of my friends just celebrated her birthday on February 1st, the other girlfriend just celebrated the arrival of her very first grandson. I got engaged to my husband of 36 years on February 14,1973. At any rate, February brought much to give thanks for.

President Obama was born the year of the ox. Also, born the year of the ox, was my sister Nonie. She passed away February 19th, 1978. There's always the bitter with the sweet. She would have loved having lunch with us.

Anyway, the luncheon was a success. We started the luncheon out with champagne, toasting to the good fortune of our long time friendships. We ate Chinese chicken salad, a fruit salad consisting of fresh raspberries, fresh boysenberries, cantaloupe, and red seedless grapes. We also had Holland Crunch rolls, even though they aren't a Chinese tradition, just because they are delicious and I knew my friends would approve. We had almond cookies, fortune cookies and chocolate cake for desert, in celebration of my friend's February birthday. I put little beaded mirrored lipstick cases inside silver Chinese takeout boxes as favors for my guests to take home with them. They came at 1:00 and didn't even get up from the table until 4:30. Time sure flies when you're having fun. Taking every opportunity to celebrate life makes life more meaningful!

A Trip to Dagny's

Dagny's is Bakersfield's local coffee house that artists, writers, knitters, and coffee lovers hang out in.

Yesterday, Amanda and I took the boys and met my friend for coffee. Before going to Dagny's we stopped at Beverly because my grandsons wanted to spend their allowance buying some new Webkins. The way Amanda & I figured, if the boys had their Webkins to keep them occupied we would have a little longer to drink our coffee and Amanda would have a little longer to knit.

It was a nice surprise to be sitting next to a local artist who was working on the beautiful mask you see above. She was so gracious. She let Franklin try the mask on for size. Of course he was delighted and we just had to get his picture in the mask with the creator standing nearby. That's a mighty big mask for such a little boy!

A Lost Art

The purple dress you see my daughter wearing in the photo above was lovingly made by my mother in the 50's. It is comprised of silk organza ribbon flowers that have been crocheted together to make this timeless treasure. I found the blue slip she is wearing under it at an antique store. Since you can't see the dress in its entirety I should explain that the slip she is wearing under it has about 5" of lace attached to the bottom of it and it peeks out under the length of the dress. Brook now wears the dress with a pale blue satin sash. I think my mother would be so pleased to see how lovely her granddaughter looks wearing it. My daughter Brook has my mother's small frame, even though she stands six feet tall.

When my mother passed away I searched through her things to see if I could find the tool that she used to make each flower, but to no avail.

When I was having lunch with a friend, we got to talking about these flowers and the dress, and my friend told me that her mother had also had a similar tool that her mother used to make flowers to attach to packages, when my friend was growing up. I can see this tool in my mind's eye. It was about 3" in diameter and had a small knob on it to turn. There were spokes that portruded out from the center where you could wrap the ribbon around each spoke before turning the knob to secure it.

I have written to a vintage company to see if they had ever come across one, but no one has responded. If anyone has ever seen one or has any information on it, I would really appreciate hearing from you.

Blogging

I have only recently started blogging. I started in November after being inspired by friends and family that blog. I have never thought of myself as an artist, but I love to dream about being one.

I found the magazine Artful Blogging, shown in the picture above, to be a delightful inspiration. The photographs in this magazine are a very high quality, as well as the paper they are printed on. I have poured through this magazine, intrigued with the talented women all over the world that are connecting through the Internet and encouraging other women to tap into their own creative being.

Decorating With Heart

On the coffee table above is a heart plate that my niece sent to me for Christmas. She found this plate on her trip to Poland. Being the thoughtful niece that she is she thought of me when she brought this beautiful memento back from her travels. This beautiful heart shaped plate now graces my ordinary coffee table. It's the personal touches that give a home personality. Even if you have the money to buy the most expensive furniture it's not complete without the personal touches.

The rocking chair you see above has been recovered many times, but it's the story of this rocking chair that makes it special to me. My sister, Nonie, purchased this chair when we were only teenagers, but she had an eye for a bargain. Originally the chair was stained with a very dark stain and upholstered with leather that was rotting and falling off . She paid $15.00 for it, that was a steal, even back then. She pulled all the upholstery off and stripped the beautiful oak wood of all the dark stain and refinished it. Then she took the chair to the upholsterer and had him do his magic. Nonie told me that whoever had the first baby would get the chair. Of course, neither of us were even married yet, but I planned on holding her to it. Then, as it turned out, I was the first to marry and have a baby, but she simply could not part with the chair. Instead, she purchased a darling antique wicker rocker, recovered it with red and white pillow ticking and told me that was the best she could do. Naturally, I was thrilled. I adored her and respected her decision, not to mention I loved my new wicker rocker. After she passed away the oak rocker became mine. It's been recovered many times. No matter the upholstery, when sit in it or rock a baby in it, I always think of her with love .

The flowery chair in the picture above is one of my favorite's as well. When my husband of the last 36 years and I were moving into one of our first apartments as newlyweds he got tired. In the alley behind our apartment sat this chair, missing one of its legs. He sat down to rest his tired bones and thought it was the most comfortable chair ever. It was only half upholstered. I guess whoever had owned it before gave up on the job and threw it out. My husband found the missing leg half way down the alley, screwed it back on, and brought it in our apartment and threw a quilt over it, to cover the lousey upholstery job. At first I protested, but then I sat down and fell in love. It was just so darn comfortable, I couldn't argue. We had barely any furniture, so we really did kind of need it. The shape of the chair looked just like one my mother took my picture in, when I was a baby. We have had that chair recovered many times. Now it has this flowery slipcover on it and sits in our sunroom.

I have never been one to collect anything, but when I was in Germany, the same niece that gave me the heart shaped plate, had a collection of Starbuck's mugs that I just loved drinking out of .

It was then and there that I decided I wanted my own collection of Starbuck's mugs, so I bought one in London, Paris and Wiesbaden, then when I returned from my travels my daughter Lindsay bought one for me from San Francisco and my daughter Brook bought me one in Tucson. What I have noticed is that collections have a way of taking on a life of their own. Pretty soon my girlfriend Sybil bought me one when I was visiting her in L.A. and Lindsay brought one back for me from Hawaii. They are all proudly displayed under my cabinets and they remind me how much I love to travel. I really don't have room for one more mug, but I do love each and every one I have aquired.

I am lucky enough to have a built in china cabinet in my kitchen where I store all the pretty dishes I have, but it's the top row of dishes that I want to point out. These dishes are a series of dishes from the Chelsea Garden Show in London. These plates all hung over the kitchen table in the guest suite of my girlfriend's home, where I stayed while visiting her in October of '08. While I was there my friend told me that she and her husband were planning to redecorate the guest floor and that they wouldn't be using these plates any longer. I thought that was a shame because I rather liked them. When she heard me admire her collection she said she would simply mail them all to me so that I could enjoy them in my own home. Each and evey one of them is so beautiful and I will treasure them always, especially because they remind me of the kind hospitality of a dear friend.

The picture above, doesn't really do this painting justice. It was painted by my sister in-law and given to me as a gift. It makes me envision dancing fruit and it always makes me smile. My sister

in-law was delighted to see the frame that I chose for it when she visited me at Christmas and I was equally delighted that she chose me as the recipient of her artistry.

This last treasure is a clock that was lovingly made by one of my husband's jeeping buddies for our thirtieth wedding anniversary. It is proudly displayed on our fireplace mantle. As I look around my house I reflect on all the love I have been blessed to share with dear friends and family members, who without, life would just not be the same.

This final treasure was given to me on my 53rd birthday. I had the most wonderful party. I had about 15 of my closest girlfriends come for dinner and celebrate with me. My children did all the cooking and serving and I had the best time laughing and partying with the girls. This rooster was given to me by two women that I had worked with, along with many other lovely gifts from all my wonderful friends. It was a French themed party and I gave each guest a rooster sugar cookie to take home with them, so whenever I glance at this rooster I remember to be thankful for the friends I am blessed to have.

Color Affects Mood

Color has always been a big part of my life. As a child, the apartments I grew up in were always painted white until my mother dared to ask the landlord to let her paint our living room a color. Instinctively, I think, the landlord knew my mother had great taste and gave in to her. Our kitchens were always See's candy white, but the living room and dining room were a beautiful federal gold. The front door was painted red on one of the last apartments I lived in with my mom and sister. My passion for a red front door came back to me in my adult life.

In the seventies, I painted and wallpapered the first house my husband and I owned in blues and oranges. In the eighties, I traded in the orange for pink, but kept the blue. I found that the pictures taken in my home with blush pink walls always flattered every one's skin tone. In the nineties I traded in the pink for a sage green on the walls. Green is a very healing color, it was always a favorite of my mom's. The last ten years of my mother's life were difficult for me, as well as her, so it makes sense that green was the color most needed. In the new mellenium, I traded in the green for red and butter yellow with a hint of sage and blue. Yellow is a happy color and red is, of course, the color of passion. Decorators will sometimes recommend red for the dining room as it stimulates the appetite and conversation. At any rate, it seems with each new decade and transition in life, I am attracted to a variety of new colors.

You may have noticed that the use of color has its trends in the collective unconscious as well. Tuscan colors have permeated the decorating aesthetic in California for quite some time and taupe has become the new white. In Europe, it seems that several shades of white is the chic backdrop for vibrantly colorful paintings to be displayed. Different parts of the country have their color trends as well. The Southwest has a distinctive array of Sante Fe colors to penetrate the desert aesthetic.

There are colors that are not only appropriate but also soothing for every environment. Even black has its usefulness. Black has long been known for evoking a sense of independence in the person drawn to it. Whether you are at the beach or in the mountains, in the desert or in a big city color can have a powerful affect on your mood, even when you are not conscious of it.

There are different colors for every mood. Whether you like lively colors or serene colors, romantic colors, or playful colors, fiery colors, stimulating colors, or soothing colors my motto is to live life in color!