GONE WITH THE WIND Ball Blog Party!

My sweet , talented, beautiful friend Nikki of The Scarlett Rose Garden is playing hostess for us today for a wonderful party celebrating GONE WITH THE WIND! Please remember to stop by her blog to see her wonderful post and a list of all the other participants.

To say that I'm excited about today's Gone With the Wind Ball Blog Party is SUCH an understatement. GWTW is my all-time favorite book and movie. It's simply a classic in every sense of the word.

Margaret Mitchell's book has always spoken to me in a way that few others ever have. I borrowed my mother's copy of the book when I was in 6th grade (Thanks, Mother ~ I'm still  stealing borrowing it!) and can still remember not wanting to put it down to go to sleep at night. And on Saturday mornings I can remember laying in bed reading til my mother made me get up and eat breakfast.  Ms. Mitchell captured the mannerisms, the speech cadences, the history, the beauty and the ugliness, too of all that happened during the Civil War years in the South. And being a true GRITS ~ Girl Raised In The South ~ I relished every minute of it.

*click on all pics to enlarge*

And then there is the movie. It won an unprecidented 10 Academy Awards. I adore the costuming, the stars, the music, the costuming, the beautiful scenery, the period story line, the costuming, the lovely opulent Southern plantation homes, and did I mention the costuming?!?

Clark Gable ~ be still my heart ~

Vivien Leigh

Leslie Howard and Olivia De Havilland

The scenery, props, and architecture were amazing

Click here to go to more interior pictures at Hooked On Houses

All this leads me to share with you a few of my various GWTW collections.

*click on all pics to enlarge*


Hallmark GWTW Ornaments

Madame Alexander Scarlett in BBQ Dress

Dave Grossman GWTW Figurines ~ Scarlett O'Hara and Ashley Wilkes

I have another Ashley Wilkes figurine on my selling blog here if you are interested

Bonnie Blue Butler ~ rare to find her likenesses

Dave Grossman Tara with teensy bronze figurines

Porcelain Franklin Mint Scarlett O'Hara ~ gifted to me by my dear friend Lori of Pink Faded Roses

French "Scarlet in Crinoline" Les Femmes Du Siecle - 1865

D'Arceau Limoges by FR. Ganeau

Oval Cameo Series Pearls and Promises Wedding Plate

Franklin Mint Domed "Betrothal"

Dave Grossman ~ Scarlett and Charles Hamilton's Wedding

Seymour Mann Scarlett O'Hara Wedding Doll

Franklin Mint and Dave Grossman Figurines

Lg Franklin Mint Egg ~ Rhett and Scarlett at Tara

Franklin Mint Scarlett's Costumes

GWTW Jewelry

Peggy Nisbet Rhett Butler

Dave Grossman Figurine ~ Scarlett and Ashley

GWTW Polonaise Ornaments

Enesco Scarlett and Rhett Jack in the Boxes

Scarlett's Costume Plate with a matching Dave Grossman and a Hallmark Ornament

Bradford Exchange The Costuming of a Legend: Dressing GWTW with Walter Plunkett's costume sketch in insets ~ Scarlett's Costuming Plates ~ special gifts from my dear friend Bertie of Aunt May's Cottage

GWTW Barbie as Scarlett in the BBQ Dress

Carol Burnett Went with the Wind Doll as "Starlett" in a spoof of the Drapery Dress

~ For some giggles, watch the entire spoof (parts 1 and 2)  here  ~

Scarlett ~ Florence Pasedena Figurine ~ a trade with my sweet friend Laurie of Charming Designs

Sign that hung over my parent's Antique Shop, now in our gameroom

Truth be told, I've lost count of how many times I've read the book now. I was reading it at 1 am  when I went into labor with my daughter!  *Side note: I was determined if my child were a boy (SHE wasn't!) that his name would be Rhett, but I could not in good faith name my daughter Scarlett! There is no telling how many times I've watched the movie ~ somehow my love of the movie skipped a generation and I don't believe my daughter has ever sat all the way thru the film, but my precious granddaughter has many times, and at the young age of 4 yrs. could mimic Scarlett's famous "Fiddle Dee Dee! War, War, War. That's all men ever talk about!" phrase perfectly with such a sweet little Southern drawl!

I also have the sequel, Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley. (Both the book and the movie.) Not as intriguing as the original GWTW, but still interesting. If anyone has read Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig please let me know if you think it would be a good read. 

Thanks so very much for visiting with me today!

I have quite a few more collectibles that I have not shared with you. Very fearful that this post has gotten entirely too long ~ just let me know in the comments section if you would like to see more and if there is enough interest I'll do another GWTW post soon.

 How am I ever going to be able to visit all the GWTW party participants today? Hmmm....I'll worry about that tomorrow. After all....tomorrow IS another day!

~ Fiddle Dee Dee ~

Looky Looky At What Lori Sent!

Looky Looky At What Lori Sent!

Girls, anytime you get a package that looks THIS PRETTY, you just KNOW it is gonna be heavenly, no matter what is inside!
My dear friend Lori from Pink Faded Roses sent me this surprise package in the mail ~ well not exactly a surprise as she had been "teasing" me for weeks about "something" that she was putting together for me! But I couldn't pull it out of her as to what it was going to be.

Boy, she really knows how to pack a lot of goodies into a box! There were little dress & shoe notepads, wedding graphics, glittery bows with little pink butterflies........

....cherubs, wallie roses, the cutest tiny pink clothespin.....Even silk rose petals scattered throughout the box!
Gorgeously wrapped presents.....
I wish she could have seen how my hands were shaking as I carefully opened each individual present. I giggled, I cried, I squealed with delight!
Lori knows I have a passion for anything GONE WITH THE WIND, so she often posts little snippets of trivia or pics from the movie or from that time period for me in her wonderful blog.

She surprised me with a wonderful Scarlett O'Hara figurine that I had never seen before. Hmmmm, I feel another new collection coming on!!

Look at the actual photograph of Clark Gable & Vivien Leigh on the front inset of Scarlett's gown. Isn't this just too beautiful for words?!?!

Lori, Scarlett is sitting in a place of honor at the base of my staircase. I pass by her millions of times a day, & everytime I do, I SMILE & think of you!!
Now THIS is what made me cry. My daughter is getting married in just a few weeks & of course Lori & I talk lots of wedding talk, so she made this precious wedding cake box just for me. It says Daughter's Wedding Day, is glittered, has a beautiful heart charm, millinery flowers, pink satin cording, some beautiful button adornments that had belonged to Lori's dear mother & tiny gold rings, & sheet music, & lovely pink roses! Lori really poured her heart into making this special treat & luckily this one will last forever & never give me any extra calories!!
Inside is a beautiful white rose, more awesome wedding graphics, & more pretty pink roses. What else would you expect from the Pink Faded Roses girl?
This is just exquisite & I'm so proud of it. I will treasure it always. Maybe we should all twist Lori's arm into making some of these to sell on etsy or eBay. She would definitely get some customers as her work is impeccable!
Look at the frilly pleated lace base & the lace "Icing" swags and the sweet satin roses all over it!

Thanks so much Lori for such a sweet remembrance & for always being there for me. I feel so blessed to count you among my dearest of friends & always look forward to hearing from you & reading your amazing blog!

Love & Hugs,
Stephanie