~Laduree Green~

Pink Living Room

Thanks for coming by. I'm really feeling like a bad blogger these day. So many of you put so much thought and time into your blogging. I love being the beneficiary of all your effort and want to thank you for being so inspiring and such faithful readers. I also want to thank you for the awards and requests for meme's and to apologize for not passing them along or responding.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year all. I have missed you.
Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are off to a terrific new year.

I spent the whole season without taking a single picture.


It was a decision I made to savor every moment.

May all your moments in the coming year be blessed and full of love!

The pictures above are from The Cottage Company in the sweet little town of Harbor Springs.

Thanks

Thanks for the input Ladies. I was thinking the same thing.

Busy day around here but I keep coming back to the computer between projects.

Help Needed With Picture Hanging

Hi Ladies. Quick question, do you like the way the single picture looks on the left, the way the picture and sconce look on the right, or do you have another suggestion?

Oh, Dana posted some better Spec house pictures on her blog if you want to take a look. Don't forget to come back and help me decide on the picture hanging if you would please.

Thanks,
Sue

Let's Make The Bed

We like to start the week out with a fresh bed so usually on Monday morning I take the old sheets off and smooth out the matress pad to dust if off a bit.
Then select a fresh set of sheets from the linen cupboard and iron the pillow cases if I have the time.
The fitted sheet is put in place and smoothed out. Next comes the top sheet that is put on backwards so that when you fold down the top you get the finished edge showing. Try to line it up so that you get equal amounts of the sheet on both sides. To do this I stand at the foot of the bed and hold the bottom of the sheet with both hands placed equal distance from the center of the sheet and kind of throw it on the bed. At that point it is close to being centered. Then go to the head of the bed and adjust the flat sheet so you have equal amounts of the sheet on both sides of the bed. Fold back the sheet, smooth it out, then tuck in the foot part and make your hospital corners by pulling the side of the sheet up at the bottom and tucking in the part that is left over, then let the sheet fall back into place.
Next take your comforter and center it on the bed like you did with the top sheet. Fold back the top and bring the flat sheet down a bit over the comforter.
Try to make sure that the top sheet is covered by the comforter and that it is straight along the edge.

To get that look you see in magazines, that also provides nice soft cushioning for reading in bed, put a couple of Euro size pillows up against the headboard or wall.
Then put your clean, pressed pillow cases on your sleeping pillows and prop them up against the Euro pillows.
Next take an extra set of pillows and cover them with some kind of complementary pillow cases and put them on top of your sleeping pillows to keep the dust off of them during the day.
From there you can do what ever you want to add some decoration. Currently this big pillow that used to be downstairs gets plunked in the middle to kind of fill in the space between the functional pillows.

Thanks for coming along with me while I made the bed and thanks for all the sweet comments, awards, and tags you gals have been leaving. It has been a busy week around her so I haven't had much time for blogging but I want you to know how much I appreciate each and every one of you.

Hugs,

Sue

Thinking About Fall

Did you have a good weekend? I sure hope so. It seems like our Michigan summers just keep getting shorter and shorter. You can already feel fall in the air. It has been a beautiful summer in these parts, just warm enough and plenty of short rain showers to keep things nice and green through most of the season. Last year we were so busy that I didn't do much seasonal decorating around the house but this year I'm already thinking toward fall and the holidays. With the harvest beginning around here and the local fruit and vegetable stands brimming with delicious fresh local produce my thoughts are turning toward pumpkins and scarecrows and away from daisy's and rosebuds.
It is still a little early to change the decor of the little spots like over the kitchen cupboards and on the tables but this afternoon might be a good time to open a few boxes in the basement and see what we have to work with for the coming fall season.

Hugs,
Sue

~ Needlepoint ~

Good morning Ladies. The light in the living room this morning was nice for taking pictures so I snapped a few shots of some of our needlepoint favorites. This rose medallion needlepoint pillow has some interesting detail. The welt around the edges in the same fabric that is used as the body of the pillow but is cut on the bias to give it a bit of contrast. The center medallion seems to be from an old remnant cut to the round shape and secured to the base fabric to keep it from unraveling. The pleated ruffle used as a boarder looks like it was cut from a pink and white stripe material with the edges frayed down to the white stripe. Over that they applied a pink and white trim piece and stitched the whole thing down. The back of the pillow has the same fabric as the front.
This pillow has much less detail in the assembly but the sumptuous fabric give it a nice look. The green velvet angle cut pieces that make up the body of the pillow are pieced together and the center piece is sewn onto it from the inside leaving a clean area to baste stitch the green looped end cording on. The fringe on the edge has a flat decorative edging that was sewn onto the angled, pieced body velvet before it was put together. The back is also just plain green velvet.
This little coaster is one of a set of six. We used to carry them at the store. They are good for sweaty glasses of Iced Tea. We also have some cute hot pink ones with green frogs on them that Taylor and Riley must have hauled off to another room when they were here last weekend. Once I get upstairs to change sheets I'm sure they will turn up.

Hugs,
Sue

Good Morning

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Thanks every one for sharing your favorite makeup goodies. Seems like there are a few other MAC fans. One of these days I'll share my MAC stash on here. Hope those of you that checked out Makeup Alley enjoyed it. Some of the conversations on the boards get weird but the product reviews have some value and can save you some money.

We have had lots of company with little ones so the accessories around here tend to get shuffled around when they play with them, which I love that they do but after awhile it comes time to put my own arrangements back into play which means rearranging things a bit.

We have had this old table for years but it is still one of our favorites with its ruffled edge around the top, fret work and the gracefully curved legs. A lot of you are painting your old furniture and I love the look but with all the boy's we have around here and all the flowers and chintz fabrics the patina of the old wood pieces seems to bring the sweetness down a few notches just enough to keep it looking family friendly. Even though the English Country look is out of style right now it works for us.
The builders carpet that was here when we moved in is not holding up to all the wear and tear around here. Old oriental rugs work well to hide any spills or stains that creep into any active house hold and we have several in storage in the basement from previous houses that are waiting to be put back into the rotation when we resurface the living room and great room with nice dark hardwood floors.

Oh, for those of you who have not met RuthAnn yet you might want to stop by her blog Warm Pie Happy Home. The pie picture that I posted for Father's Day was made from her recipe and it was so good. RuthAnn is a Southern Belle Wanna Be just like me except that she now actually lives closer to the south than we probably ever will. She doesn't post often but when she does her posts are loaded with humor, the most amazing kitchen and grace filled inspiration. Stop by and tell her I sent you. She probably thinks I have been stalking her because I've spent so much time enjoying all her yummie stories.

Flying In The Master Bedroom

This week on FlyLady's website we are Flying in the Master Bedroom which means that each day this week you get an e-mail that gives you suggestions for things you can do for 15 minutes that will keep your MB clean. After Flying for so many years I sort of instinctively begin to focus on the room that is coming up next. Yesterday I totally pulled apart our old four poster bed and gave the linens, from pillows to dust ruffle, a good cleaning.
The rest of the week I'll work on detail cleaning all the rest of the junk, I mean accessories, that are in here.

I hope every one had a good weekend. It was pretty cold around here but the rain held off for the most part. John played in a golf outing yesterday which gave me a good opportunity to get all the bedding washed. He gets a little nervous when he sees semi damp things strung all over the stair way railing as they finish drying ~ Best to do it when he is otherwise occupied ~

Have a good Monday and stop by for a chat if you get a minute. I'll try and get around to visit every one this week.

Hugs,
Sue

Pretty In Pink and Green

Essentially Lilly A guide to colorful entertaining
Lilly Pulitzer and Jay Mulvaney

www.alexandrea-womens-childrens-clothing.com

www.brides.com

Into The Closet

Happy first day of March! Even though it is still freezing here and we have a fresh blanket of snow covering the ground the sun is shining and you can see, if not feel, that spring is not far off. This morning I flipped my calendar to the new month and am very happy to put this last winter behind us.

When spring is on the horizon it is time to head into the closets to freshen up the chaos that seems to have crept in over the winter when it is so cold that we only make quick trips in to grab something to keep us covered and warm. Things get put away in a hasty manor with no rhyme or reason. With the sun shining in over these past few days it has been a bit warmer and more conducive to spending some time sorting and fluffing things up so that is what I've been doing.

There is still a long way to go but it is fun to dig into what has been stashed into the corners or under the racks and anticipate the coming mild weather when we can spend a little more time putting together outfits instead of dressing to protect us from the weather.

Above is a picture of my pink & green junk jewelry drawer that puts me in a spring frame of mind. Hope you all have a good weekend and that the sun is shining on you what ever you are doing today.

Hugs,
Sue

~ The Pink Living Room ~

These are pictures of our little living room in the front of the house. This room is much less cluttered now but I have to admit that clutter suits me and I'm missing it a bit.


This little room has a southern exposure that lets in the prettiest light at almost all times of the day and allow for the use of this strong color. In a darker room this color would be over whelming but in here it works for me and there is plenty of white and neutral space to rest the eye.

Dana and I painted this room and the dining room on a whim one afternoon and all though it has been fun it may get lightened up a bit in the future. You can see by the bay window where we didn't even paint the beige area around the window but we did do a pretty good job of keeping the hot pink off the white trim don't you think? We choose this color to go with the MacKenzie-Child's lamp in the bay window. This lamp was in my store but I just couldn't part with it when we sold off all of our inventory so it ended up moving down here with me. This girly room is where I sit and read or where Sheryl sleeps when we have a full house and my grand's love to play house and use the coasters as little dishes. The white lamps with rose bud bases are now up in our bedroom and my more formal gold ones with chunky roses are now back in here and now that Christmas is only a memory now the bunny couple will come back up stairs after hibernating in the basement through the fall and early winter. The velvet and needlepoint pillow on the couch, as well as the plaid one on the other end with the needlepoint center medallion were show gifts from the Atlanta Gift Show that Dana & I used to go to twice a year. The top picture shows two green silk pillows that I use for summer but my first love for pillows is needlepoint because it lends such a hand made touch of texture to a room and I love the human touch.


This close up of my junk shop secretary shows some of my favorite things; little enamel boxes, ceramic fruit and vegetables, silky tassels, sparkly crystal, rose bud vases, pretty little books, French wall paper and pink and white roses~~~~~~~~~~

Living Room Flowers

When we were up north for the wedding I had a few minutes to visit the cutest shop in Charlevoix and got this cache pot with pink roses on it and a lavender plant to put in it. I put it on a table in the other corner of the living room but it didn't photograph well there so I stuck it here where the light is better, still not the greatest picture but you get the idea.
This mosiac platter with roses on it has been with me for a very long time. It get's moved around a lot and makes a nice serving piece for desserts at Easter.
We have two of these white and pink Morning Glory vases on either side of the secretary sitting on very rickety wall brackets. There is no way I could put anything in them without toppling the whole thing, so we just enjoy their pretty presence from afar. An errant feather duster can send the whole thing crashing to the ground.

Well, most of the flowers are fading in the garden but the sedum seems to be coming in nicely and will soon furnish some color. We also planted a few dahlia bulbs this spring that are starting to produce nice pinkish red blossoms that will look nice in the kitchen and great room.

It is about time to clean out the planters and replace the geraniums with some fall colored mums and change the door wreath. The wreath that I have used for years is looking pretty tired so after I go to the gym this morning I'll try to find something a bit fresher.

Hope everyone is well and enjoying these first few crisp fall like days. The weather here in Michigan has been glorious.

Thanks everyone for your kind comments on the wedding. Things have settled down some and Kyle & Carrie seem to be enjoying their wedded bliss while working on the mounds of thank you notes for all the generosity they received.

A Walk In The Garden

This morning I grabbed a fresh cup of coffee and my camera to see if there was any thing pretty blooming in the garden that I could share with you. Usually when I am outside first thing in the morning there is no one around, but as luck would have it, the neighbor pulled out of his driveway right when I was coming out. Oh well, I'm sure he has seen worse but it reminds me to try to get dressed first thing in the morning. I feel bad that he had to be subjected to a lady of a certain age in her night gown with a hoodie over it and uncombed hair first thing in the morning. Maybe he didn't notice me as I slid behind a shrub.

Pink & Green

These Rose of Sharon bushes are just about ready to burst into their full pink & green glory. When we put them in about four years ago they we just little bushes about a foot tall each. This year they have shot up so much and are just covered with pretty pink blooms.

This sweet chair is in the living room of my home away from home that belongs to Sheryl at http://friendshipcottage.blogspot.com/ . She is venturing into the blog world and if you get a minute you might want to skip over there and leave her a word of encouragement.

Her Friendship Cottage truely lives up to it's name. It is home away from home to many. She is always ready with a soft bed, kind words and a keen wit to accomodate her out of town friends. Over the last five years or so she has transformed FC from a quaint home that was loved by its former owners into a cottage that would be ready to grace the pages of any decorating magazine around. It is a combination of Shabby Chic and Sweedish Country style delights that literally draws people in off the street to tell her how much pleasure just seeing the outside of FC gives them. More times than not she will invite them in for a quick tour. It does not matter if she is in the middle of one of her never ending projects or not, she always has time to bless who ever the good Lord sends her way.

So, stop by for a visit and look forward to seeing and reading more from Sheryl, her charming life in FC, the antics of Stella & Gurry her cutie kitties, and Emma her nannadaughter. As an aside, I know she will want me to add that, no she is not a Cat lady ;)