Aiken House & Gardens

Garden Design

2012-01-28T16:14:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

It is a cold windy day here so it is a good day for me to enjoy looking through my garden pictures from past years to see what changes I would like to make to the design of the garden. There are always changes that need to be made to improve color combo's or adding little bits onto the beds etc.

So in the process I picked out some of my favorite summer collages just in case you too are in the mood for some garden color.

With January quickly coming to a close it won't be long until I am seriously longing to get back in the garden but for now I will be content to just know that garden season is coming soon!

I am joining The Rose Garden in Malevik today for Show off Saturday.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Carolyn

In the Pink!

2012-01-27T22:14:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

I am in the pink here today and I know I have been showing a lot of tea cups lately but it is January and a little harder for me to come up with inspiration -it is so much easier when the garden is in full bloom.

I used my new 50mm lens for all of these shots.

I do have a thing for soft and romantic shots-so I like this one taken at f/2 so it has a short depth of field.

A peachy pink rose from the grocery store.It is my weekly treat to pick up a few flowers during the off season from the garden.

I did make a fresh batch of biscuits today to go with our tea.

I hope you are' in the pink' too!

I am joining How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday today.

Have a happy weekend.

Carolyn

Aqua Blue Lunch

2012-01-26T19:52:00.006-04:00

Hello everyone,

It is a colder day here so after going skating for awhile it was time for a little comfort food. I set the table with my aqua blue china today for a change.

I have to admit that once again all the dishes came from a thrift shop except for the lacy white chargers.

Biscuits anyone? If you would like my buttermilk biscuit recipe click here.

Cookies to go with our tea.

This pretty Shelley teacup was a gift from a friend.

I love this little vintage teapot!

Potato leek soup hits the spot after all that fresh air!

For those of you who like to know I remembered to include the markings on the bottom of the cups.

/Well that was my comfort food lunch on a nice winter day. Tomorrow we are expecting some snow,rain and winds so it might be a good day to make another pot of soup!

I am joining Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday/ ,A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden Thursday and My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Thank you for stopping in today.

Take care,
Carolyn

Mainly Teacups

2012-01-25T16:10:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone,

We had another spring like day here today making,causing the weather man to say it is " Junuary" ! That is a bit of a stretch but it is definitely not our usual winter. I don't have any new photos for you today but I thought you might enjoy a few of my favorite teacup collages.

Some of you may have noticed that I seem to have teacup fetish so I think I have enough teacups to have all the ladies on the Island over for tea! Well,that may be another stretch but you get the picture.
It is one of my sweet daughters birthday today so we are off to help her celebrate. It was definitely a lot colder and snowier the January she was born!

I am honored to be featured on Lauriane's lovely blog check it out here.

Take care,
Carolyn

Soft and Romantic Tea Time

2012-01-23T13:48:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

Hope you all had a lovely weekend once again. We enjoyed some time with our family and some relaxing time at home. It was a bit cold here but oddly enough it is going to rain tomorrow.

I have some soft and romantic photos of my English Sadler teaset to share today.

These teacups co-ordinate very well with the tea set.

I have been playing at bit with my camera again.

The creamer and sugar bowl are Sadler as well.

I have no homemade treats today so how about some frozen mango yogurt?

I like this dried rose as much as when it was fresh from the store.

Hope you enjoyed a soft and romantic tea today.

I am joining Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage today for her second year tea time Anniversary and the theme today is roses.

Have a wonderful day!

Carolyn

In the Bleak Midwinter!

2012-01-19T21:16:00.009-04:00

Hello everyone,

I love the beauty of winter-well until March anyway when I am more then ready to welcome spring !

No,it was not me that made that snowman peeking over the roof!

We enjoyed skating on our pond but now we need some rain and then a freeze with no wind before I can enjoy my skates again.

Some of these photos are last winters and some are from a few weeks ago.Right now,we only have a little snow but it was cold today-bleak even, last night anyway as the cold wind howled around our home.

I hope you are enjoying these 'bleak' midwinter days.

I have been featured on a lovely blog from Norway today- Fru-R. I am honored and hope you will have time to pop in and say hello. It is always fun to see what pictures someone else would choose.

I am joining My Romantic Home for Show and Tell.

Take care and stay warm and cozy!
Carolyn

Delicate Sweetness

2012-01-18T23:37:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,

It is cold outside but I hope the delicate sweetness of these photos of some of my favorite things will warm your heart!

Thank you for visiting.

I am joining A Delightsome Life for Home and Garden Thursday and Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage.

Stay warm!
Carolyn

Cream Tea!

2012-01-17T18:32:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

I was away for a couple of days with some of our family so I am running a little late for my tea time today.However,now I am going to relax and have a little break.

Instead of tea today I am enjoying some hot chocolate with whipped cream in a pretty cream mug with a matching teapot-thrift shop finds awhile ago.

Maybe you would prefer this pretty cream teacup.

I found this cream angel lamp at a thrift shop also-I love the ceramic lampshade with angels on it.

Would you like to sit and knit for awhile-it is a relaxing winter hobby.I used to knit a lot when our children were young but now-not so much!

I wanted to show you a close up of the shade.

Cream mittens and a handmade cream lace tablecloth.

This beautiful angel cuddling a wee one is the lamp base.

I am still enjoying my first winter bouquet of tulips-I keep them in a cool place at night to make them last longer.

I wanted to have a pretty cupcake to go in here but alas,no time to bake so I put a similar angel inside instead.I got the little cake dome at Homesense.

Ginger cookies go well with hot chocolate but angel cookies would have been prettier-alas,never enough time!

Hope you enjoyed a peaceful little break with a nice cup of hot chocolate.

Some of you have asked how Lucas (our six year old grandson) is doing and we are happy to say that he is doing well with all the travel and the treatment.He seems to have more energy and he is still a busy, good natured little boy and we are so thankful to see him run and play! Thank you for your concern and prayers-we hope you will continue to remember him in prayer as the trial continues until October.

I am joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday..

Thank you for your visit and once again welcome to all my new followers and a big thank you for all your kind comments and emails.

Take care,
Carolyn

Bouquets and more Bouquets!

2012-01-15T20:24:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

Hope you are enjoying your weekend. I don't have anything new to share today but I thought you might enjoy a little review of some of last years bouquets.

Lilacs from our garden.

Beautiful white peonies in an antique pitcher.

I love peonies and have many different varieties of them.

One of the joys of the garden is being able to go out and pick beautiful bouquets to take indoors. It won't be long before I will be out there again picking flowers for a bouquet but in the mean time I am enjoying my grocery store tulips etc.

Thank you for visit!

Carolyn

A Beautiful Gift for a Tea Lover

2012-01-13T19:04:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone,

It was a lovely day here made even lovelier for me by a very kind and generous reader Lauriane from Brazil who sent me a beautiful gift-well several gifts really.

Lauriane sent me this beautiful handmade shoulder bag specially made to match the colors she knows I love.

These beautiful tulips are grown here locally by Vanco and I look forward every winter to their arrival in the grocery stores.

Here is a peek at the beautiful place mats also from Lauriane. I love the little tea cup hand stitched on them and they are a pretty shade of pink.

And this lovely pink victorian toile make up bag was also in my parcel.

When I opened my parcel I was so excited I had to have a tea party!

Can you see how pretty the pink placemats are with my pink dishes.

A close look at the shoulder bag-I love the lace heart.

And even a cute little teacup that belonged to Laurieane's grandmother was included.

and wonderfully scented soap!

Can you believe it,there was more- a beautiful tea themed hand painted wooden tea chest! .

It didn't take this tea lover long to fill it up with my herbal teas-it is perfect!

Why don't we have a cup of tea? I think I will have peppermint-what about you?

Love these glasses from Homesense.

Well it was a great day for me and to top it off my thoughtful sister sent me a new Tea Time magazine and to think all my brother got in the mail was a speeding ticket from his vacation in Las Vegas last month!!!

Thank you so much Laurieane(pop over and see more of her lovely handwork on her blog)-I am so amazed that some one I have never met would send me such a beautiful gift all the way from Brazil .It really made my day!

I am joining Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound today.

Thank you to all of you who come to visit me,

Carolyn

Italian Magazine Feature!

2012-01-12T09:10:00.009-04:00

Hello everyone,

I think I mentioned awhile back that I was featured in another magazine from Italy and although I don't have a copy of the magazine they did send me the pdf and said I could share it with you-the magazine is Casa da Sogno maybe some of you in Italy have already seen it. (you can click on the photo to make them larger).This is a magazine(in their words) dedicated to the lively and playful, dreamy and romantic, "Dream House" points to simplicity, practicality and style!

.
It is always exciting to see my very own photos published in a book or magazine and I thought you might enjoy seeing it too - I really like how they did the layout.I had tried to share this earlier but I couldn't get it to go onto my blog so my son helped me with it just recently.
It is a beautiful sunny day here today and I am looking forward to meeting a couple of good friends for lunch.Although I love the Christmas season, I have to say there is something very special about the slower pace of the winter months and having time for lovely outings with friends.

I am joining French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday and My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Thank you for your visit,
Carolyn

Winter White Afternoon Tea

2012-01-10T14:37:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone,

It is a lovely winter day here and a perfect afternoon for a winter white tea.

I have been enjoying sugar plum tea this holiday season.

I have wrapped the wicker chair in some warm winter whites and a throw will keep us nice and toasty warm if you should feel a winter chill here in the sunroom.

Pecan butterballs

An extra treat-the new Victoria arrived in the mail today.

I hope you have some time to relax and enjoy a 'Winter White Afternoon Tea' !

Today I am joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday , White Wednesday at Faded Charm and a Home and Garden party at A Delightsome Life

Thank you for visiting,

Carolyn

Let's Picnik!

2012-01-08T20:44:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. We enjoyed a lovely skating party on Friday night with some of our family and it was lots of fun for everyone. The moon was bright and we had a bonfire going with hot chocolate or Chai Tea and cookies. Lots of fun but sadly no pics of our moon light skate.

I have been having some fun playing with the Picnik program that is on Picasa-it is a mostly a free program- however there are a few features that you have to pay for.The photo above is after it was sharpened and brightened a little from the original below and a postage stamp frame was added to liven it up a little-it is a Picnik after all!

This was taken with my old point and shoot Canon sureshot a few years ago.

This photo was sharpened,and a layer added to it with a matte frame.I think it looks much better then the before shot staight out of the camera-don't you?

I didn't show the before on all of these as I didn't want to bore you .I think I should have faded the layer on this one a little more.

I love these little vintage skates! I was especially pleased with how this one turned out after I played with it.I added the first two layers to it(that is the part you have to pay for) and a frame plus some sharpening.

Olivia and I enjoying a Saturday morning skate-it is quickly becoming my favorite winter exercise.Some of our grandchildren enjoyed it so much on Friday night they came back Saturday and Sunday! I love to see their rosy pink cheeks and smiling faces.

Chai tea made with almond milk,honey and spices-add A dollop of whipped cream and you are good to go!It was a nice treat after our skate.

Well,I am sure many of you are adept at using photoshop etc.but I thought there might be a few more timid souls like myself that are still just learning how to do these fun things that might want to start with an easy program like picnik. I do have a photoshop program but have yet to learn how to add layers on it but that will be my goal for this year. There are so many good tutorials free online to learn how to improve your photographs.Have you checked out the Pioneer Woman blog there is lots of great information there!

What about you-do you have any helpful sites or info you would like to share?

Thank you for visiting,
Carolyn

Pink Saturday

2012-01-06T21:18:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

Come on in and have a cup of tea! It is Pink Saturday and so I am using some of my pink china today.

Another thrift shop teacup.

How about a pecan butterball or a sugar cookie?

.
And for some extra special pink- our granddaughter Lila in her little pink tutu,these photos were taken by her Mama.
We had our skating party tonight with some of our children and grandchildren. There was a bit of a nip in the air tonight but we had a bonfire going and it is almost a full moon so it was bright out. It was great fun but there is nothing like some fresh air and exercise to make a hot tub and early bed very inviting!

I am joining How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday , Rose Garden in Malevik for show off Saturday and Hope in Every Season for Homemaking Weekend.

Thank you for stopping by to visit.

Have a lovely weekend,

Carolyn

Soft & Romantic

2012-01-05T19:16:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

I was going through some of my favorite soft and romantic phots that I took last year and I thought I would share a few with you today.

Just a few romantic spaces,roses china etc. for your enjoyment!

I am joining French Country Cottage for Featured Nest Friday today as well as My Romantic Home for Show and Tell.

Thank you for visiting,
Carolyn

Come for Dinner!

2012-01-04T19:36:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone.

On Thursday of last week we had a potluck dinner at our home for 27 people and I enjoyed setting up the tables again for everyone.

I used our cream dishes on one of the tables for a change from the red transferware that we used on Christmas Day.

We had candles lit on the tables.

With 27 we had to have a small 4th table for 4 in the baywindow as you can see in the background.We had a small children's table for the little ones.

I used our Friendly Village china on this table as I think it is so pretty at Christmas.

The Friendly Village china mostly came from a yardsale with a few other pieces collected here and there.

Our tree is gone now and it still looks a little bare to me but as someone said there is always next year!

And a good time was had by all!!!

Today I am joining Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Thank you for your visit and for all your good wishes for the New Year in the past week. Welcome also to my new followers-I am happy to have you!

Take care,
Carolyn

A Skater's Tea

2012-01-03T15:19:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,

It was a beautiful morning here today and we were pleasantly surprised to find that our pond had frozen over, thick enough to go skating on. So,my husband and I donned our skates and went for a skate. It has been years since we were skating but I guess it is somewhat like riding a bike, you never forget how, once you learn.

Anyway,after all that fresh air and exercise it was Tea Time.

This Skye McGhie 'Brown Botanicals' teapot was a little Christmas gift to myself. I found it when I was out shopping with my daughter at the Friends and Flowers shop, in Kensington P.E.I.-it is a lovely shop full of treasures!

Since I ate way too much of the sweet stuff over Christmas, I am having some caramel yogurt(my new fav) with raspberries and granola with my tea. The vase is also the 'Brown Botanicals'.

Try it-you will love it!

See the cute little skates in the background?

Don't worry-I have a cup for you too! this one is Brown Toile-'Peppertree Tabletops'.

And another cup for your friend-made in England but no name.

There I am! Yikes another bad hair day too!

But give me a few more hours of practice and I will really be kicking up my heels,I am sure!!!

Thank you for coming by for my Skaters Tea-I had fun,did you? I am looking forward to a skating party with the little ones soon. The temp is dropping down tonight so the ice should be good and solid.When is the next full moon,we could have a bonfire,hot cocoa,toasted marshmellows -oh,what fun! I love winter don't you?

I am joining Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday today.

Take care,
Carolyn

The Garden Bench

2012-01-02T08:59:00.000-04:00

Happy New Year!

I was looking through my old pictures from last year in the garden and thought I would do another calender with a garden bench(or seating) theme for you.

January

February

March

In March and April it is my indoor garden in the sunroom that I enjoy.

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Today is the day our Christmas tree has to come down as it has been up a few weeks now and it is dropping a lot of needles, but I still hate to see it go! I think,I will take the decorations down in stages so it doesn't look so bare all at once.
I hope you enjoyed The Garden Bench calender!

Hope you have a lovely day.
Carolyn

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T15:07:00.001-04:00

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

I am looking forward to our pond freezing hard enough to actually go skating on it soon.Although,I must confess it is a long time since I actually went skating.I was joking with a friend yesterday that I might need to borrow a walker to push on the ice for awhile first to get my confidence back before doing a fancy pirouette!

We lost most of our Christmas snow but still have a little.It is going to rain for a couple of days though.

I will share my hot white chocolate with you-it is a yummy treat on a winter day.

Whenever,I saw this mug at the thrift shop,I knew it would look pretty in this setting.

The pretty red pillow and blanket also were thrift shop finds. The chair and the old wire basket were roadside finds that I had to rescue.

Grap a pair of cozy hand knit mitts to keep your hands warm and enjoy the fresh air.It will put some pink roses on your cheeks and make you feel better too!

Thank you to all who have stopped in to visit,left sweet comments or sent me lovely emails throughout the past year-you encourage me to keep trying to bring a little pleasure to all of you who take time out of your busy day to visit. I wish you all peace,hope,love and joy in this New Year of 2012!

I am joining Hakan for his New Year's Party at Rose Garden in Malevik today.

Blessings,
Carolyn

Romantic Candlelight

2011-12-30T20:37:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone,

One of the things I enjoy about the long winter nights is the romantic glow of candlelight in our home.A couple of nights ago we enjoyed a cozy candlelight dinner with the wood fireplace going and the Christmas tree nearby.It is one of the things I look forward to the most when the garden is put to bed for winter and the colder temperatures force me indoors.

The bannister on the stairway gives a warm glow in the hallway as well.

I love old drippy candles.

The candle chandelier adds charm.

Candles glowing in the hall.

A few Christmas touches in our home.

Hope you are enjoying a warm cozy night by the glow of candlelight!

Last night we hosted a potluck dinner for 27 people and I took some pictures of the tables beforehand to share with you soon. We will be eating leftovers for days!

I am joining French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday and My Romantic Home for Show And Tell.

Thank you for visiting,
Carolyn

Tea Party Review

2011-12-28T21:10:00.004-04:00

Hello everyone,

Last year I did a tea party review so I thought I would do one of the tea parties that I had this past year.

Well,another year is almost over and I hope to enjoy many new tea parties with you in the coming year!
If you would like to see last year's Tea Party Review click here.

Today I am joining Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

Thank you for stopping in today.

Carolyn

Home for Christmas

2011-12-28T14:49:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

Hope you are still enjoying some holiday cheer and maybe a little rest from the hustle and bustle as well.I just have a few collages etc. to share with you today.The photo above is how we set up our tables for dinner when our children and their families are all home for a family meal..There are 23 of us so it involves some rearranging of tables,chairs etc. It is more practical then fancy but it works good for us.

This is me playing with my new 50mm lens and anything that was in front of me was photographed- too bad you weren't here!

I love these pics of the little ones happily opening their Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa!

Some quiet moments

More of our Christmas tables-there is a small children's table in the muddle for a few wee ones.

Beautiful roses- a gift from my sister-in law.

My paperwhites bloomed just in time for Christmas.

A short depth of field pic of my teacups.

Still playing with my new lense!

I will be back soon with a Year of Tea Parties post.

Take care,
Carolyn

A White Christmas

2011-12-27T11:18:00.001-04:00

Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. I was so happy to have some snow arrive a couple of days before Christmas as it had been so mild and I was resigning myself to a green one.It was Christmas card perfect!

Come along and I will show you some of the beautiful sights!

Beaconsfield(a museum) is open to the public for tours and it is decorated in the Victorian style.

Fanningbank

and now back home.

It was a beautiful gift from above just in time for Christmas!

We had a lovely Christmas with all of our children and grandchildren gathered around our table for our traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings-a blessing indeed! Last night we had five of our little grandchildren(6 years and under) for a sleepover with a night coming soon for the 3 older ones.Little Lila was not feeling well so she didn't stay the night this time.It is so much fun to see them having such a good time together.
On a different note I got a new lens for my camera so now I am off to practice on this beautiful bright winter day!
Thank you to all who left such lovely kind wishes for me this Christmas season. I had hoped to be able to get back to you all personally but time slips by too fast.

Thank you for visiting me today.

Carolyn

Green and White Toile Guest Room

2011-12-23T09:57:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone,

I am happy to say we are getting some snow right now-it is coming down in gently falling snowflakes and making our little corner of the world more like Christmas.

I am giving you a little tour of our green and white tiny guest room.I am expecting some little ones over the holidays to come for an overnight visit adding some excitement to our guest rooms.

The shelf was from Goodwill on a trip to Maine a few years ago.

Thank you Wanda-I love it!

I love this White Christmas book by Tricia Foley.

Just a quick tour as I know everyone is busy.

I am joining My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Thank you for popping by!

I hope you are all ready for Christmas-isn't it funny how there are always last minute things to do no matter how early you start?

Christmas Blessings to you and yours!

Carolyn

A Fireside Tea

2011-12-21T20:44:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,

Come on in and join me for some holiday tea by the fireside.It has been a little chilly out so it is cozy here by the fire.

I used my old silver teapot and black and white toile teacups today.

This picture was shot using the tungsten light instead of the cloudy setting.i am not sure which you like best but it is good to experiment with the different settings.

I will try to do another post before Christmas but just in case I don't see you I will wish you all a wonderful Christmas with family and friends.Thank you for all the kind comments and emails you have left for me this past year and hope to see you soon!
I am joining French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday.

To see the beautiful Christmas Tea for Lucas please take a few minutes and pop in to see Linda at Beautiful Ideas- you will be amazed!

Love to you all!

Carolyn