Westie, Art & Garden...by Candylei

Paris Dress

2012-01-29T12:01:00.000-08:00

For the love of paper!

Look at these beautiful paper dresses

I'm in love with them

Lately I've been working with paper

No fumes paints

No pins and needles to step on

No expensive supplies

and yet it's rewarding in the

creative sense.

I didn't make these darlings,

but I wish for some Paris robes.

Eileen Blue White Floral China England

2012-01-26T14:50:00.000-08:00

The sweetest old china platter

It's old, but new for me and this blue

and white says SPRING.

Now I know why Mother's always

want their kids to eat everything...

because the plates are so beautiful!

Any food would look good on this platter.

W.H. Grindley made these dishes.

Do you see the cruise ship on top

of the globe?

It cost me only pennies and it dates

between 1891 and 1914.

This dish has been around!

I wish I knew alot more about

old pottery houses in England.

Some trade mark stamps

identified here at The Potteries

Connecting with:

Vintage Inspiration Friday

The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday

Feathered Nest Friday

My Romantic Home

The Charm of Home

Farmhouse Friday

Dollhouse Cottage Painted White

2012-01-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

It's pretty amazing what white paint can accomplish! I got a little dollhouse and I wanted it to fit in with our decor. My two paper dolls live here now. They haven't spent their first night in it yet, but they are happy and going to plant a cottage garden around it.

A little moss from outside gives this dollhouse soft footings! (The little boy needed something to water.)

Furnishing are needed. Do they have a craiglist for dolls? Just kidding. They will have to be made by myself and it's going to be a fun challenge. Not that I need any more challenges...but this will be fun! And it will have a white decor, Scandinavian and French whites.

This is the before picture. It went from cute to ethereal! The spray paint I used was purchased from Kmart and it's Rust-oleum 2x. They advertise that in one can you get two can's worth of paint and you only need one coat to fully cover metal, wood or plastic. This was a plastic type of resin dollhouse and I love this paint worked! Wow did it ever cover it in one coat. I am so impressed with it and I still have lots of paint left in the spray can that cost 3.99 which is reasonable.

I am connecting with White Wednesday.

Show off your cottage Monday.

Romantic Home

Godinger Silver and Pomegranates

2012-01-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

Vintage looks better when it looks well, vintage. I got this Godinger silver plate platter at the thrift store and I don't think it was ever used. It looks too shiny for me, but I know in just a month or two if left out it will start to tarnish beautifully. Plump red grapes, juicy blackberries and tart pomegranate seeds look sassy on the tray. The tray is a bit gawdy for me, but when it's filled up properly it looks just right! The last photo is a new modern tray from Godinger. Wouldn't this leaf handled hammered tray look great on a wall? On another note, I read that one of Godinger's best selling items is their flatware called "Old Country Roses" which was designed to go with Royal Albert's Old Country Roses China.

Grainy Sugar Snow

2012-01-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

We got it last night. Snow sifted on us and then little balls of ice. They call it wintery mix. We call it Maryland snow. It gives such a fresh, bright look to the usual winter browns of trees. Then there is the boxwood with the leaves a deep green with the white icing. Nice contrast. I do love English boxwood. It always looks beautiful January through January! June through June. This garden is off of our porch or veranda.

The snow ought to make it easier for the birds to see the berries...

This thuga shrub turns the color of a brown paper bag. The snow covers enough branches so that the ones we see look lacy.

All of the little animal tracks decorate the fields and... roads. Last night I was out driving and there were kids doing donuts at intersections. They were hitting the brakes and doing all of the things you are taught not to if you want to stay on the road. I wonder what their cars look like this morning? Keep on the road and keep warm.

Girls Cotton and Linen Dresses with Lace

2012-01-18T19:01:00.001-08:00

If there are pictures to inspire me

to sew and garden I believe these

are them from Vogue Magazine.

I love the country.

The fields of clover and wild flowers

the gentle breezes that fluff our hair

Cotton, linen, lace,

and family.......

L-O-V-E

Shabby Chic Rose Styling

2012-01-17T14:07:00.000-08:00

My formula for styling.

Keep arranging until it sizzles.

Make it have a lived-in look.

The top is my finished vignette.

I started with some (still) gorgeous

dried white roses.

These were on long stems

from South America.

I couldn't believe how they

dried white/cream and not brown.

I love arranging them in a

heart shape but I also

didn't want them

handled too much by little fists,

so I put them in a vintage pitcher

probably from the 50's

thrift shop purchase 1.00

I like the see through look here.

Then I walked by my rusty

silver platter that I hadn't

put away yet and inspiration hit.

Romantic crystal, candles,

roses and diamonds.

Okay. The "diamonds"

are really glass on a keychain that

I slipped down on the candle.

It cost 2.00

Here is where I stopped.

Doesn't the cream,

silver and white

look charming?

Plus the shimmer even

without the candles lit

gives it a shabby chic style.

Connecting with these friends:

White Wednesday

The House in Roses

Wow Us Wednesdays

Ivy and Elephants

Limoge French Handpainted Tea Cup

2012-01-14T19:03:00.001-08:00

I may not live at Versailles or any great castle, but my home is sweet. Sweet because of who lives here and the little things that brighten our routine. This limoge french tea cup and saucer have a shimmer like a pearl or an abalone shell. It is a handpainted set and I wonder about the painter. Did they have a lovely garden? A big family? Love? I guess I wonder about these things because that is what I have and that is what makes my home sweet.

Connecting to these friends:

French Country Cottage

Common Ground

Hyacinth Perfume

2012-01-12T18:50:00.000-08:00

These little bell flowers on the hyacinth are perfuming my room with loveliness.

Nature's little packages send up beautiful stalks of bell shaped flowers loaded with perfume. Isn't it amazing that you can't smell the fragrance until they open? And that they come out of a round shaped bulb perfectly?

Paper Dolls Winter Whites

2012-01-11T18:33:00.000-08:00

Winter Whites

brighten the room

even if they are small

I made this wee paper doll girl today holding hyacinths.

What better "doll stand" than a bird nest!

She is also keeping the new/old white deer company

I got these for 48 cents and think they are sweet for winter.

The silver plate tray might be made into a chalkboard

since it has rust spots but then again that adds a rustic

quality. Maybe I should just fill the tray with candles?

Linking with White Wednesday.

Farmhouse Prairie Dresses - Gorgeous

2012-01-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

I have some lacy tablecloths and curtains packed away.

Aren't these dresses beautiful?

I would love to put something together like these

Ralph Lauren haute couture dresses.

French Frocks and Ruffle Clothes

2012-01-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Smitten by french linen ruffles! I can see myself running through the fields and working in the garden. Sit down to dinner in these french robes. Have you ever been to this fab Un Coeur en Provence French blog? Everything is a treat for the eyes, home and "la nature". One of her adverstisers is Artisan Couturier Be sure to visit.

Candied Orange Peel - Cooking Art

2012-01-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

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These candied orange peels are delicious and anyone can make them. All you need is an orange, water and sugar! Simple as can be. Your kitchen will be fragrant and your tastebuds delighted. I am getting more and more like my mother. Frugal. I peeled an orange and as I went to put the peels in the garbage I stopped. A little voice in my head was saying I was throwing away the best part of the orange. Why not make candied orange peel? Nothing to lose. All gain. We get in habits and sometimes it's good to break them. And so after I had just wiped down the stovetop and sink and counters I got out the cutting board and started cutting away the pith. Sliced the peels in strips and dropped them in water and boiled them a few minutes. Emptied out the water and repeated that 4 times. Then added water, orange rind and sugar and simmered them in the syrup it made for 30 minutes or less. Drained them and then dredged them in sugar. They say the blanching takes out the bitterness. They were so sweet and delicious that the compost pile will not be seeing very many orange rinds in the near future. You can snack on these or add to desserts, put on cupcakes, pancakes, whatever. Plus we have the orange flavored syrup for hot chocolate or to add to whipped cream!

It's a new year. Why do we wait for a new year to make resolutions and changes? Tradition, I guess. Really we can change anytime we want to...Which got me thinking about what I want to change or what have I changed? First of all I want to be a better listener and observer. Some people don't communicate what they are thinking or feeling, but if you observe them you will know. Plus it doesn't hurt feelings to observe, it's not like painfully prying out information. Chip, chip, chip, ouch! There is a time to talk and a time to walk. We always want to make other people better, but maybe I will also work on myself! Big project; right?

Thank you for stopping in as I save one orange at a time.

Sweet Baby Knits

2012-01-02T18:07:00.000-08:00

This sweet sweater is darling in a 3 month old size. It's from baby Gap, I didn't knit it even though I wished I could have.

Two Beautiful Blogs

2011-12-30T13:03:00.001-08:00

I have found two beautiful white decorating blogs that I want to share with you. Det Vita's blog is full of wonderful whites and lovely photography.

Also visit Tina's blog at Me and My Shed. Isn't this picture fabulous of her conservatory that she calls her "shed?" If only I had a shed this gorgeous. After visiting these blogs you won't be singing the blues...you'll be singing the dazzling whites!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays! Won't be long til school starts again unless we get lots of snow.

Brody Glass Co Bud Vases

2011-12-29T19:43:00.000-08:00

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Today I upgraded some glass vases to a mercury glass look. Sparkle for the new year.

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I did this one first and then I did two more. Three is a charm after all! My gingerbread cookies there on the left.

These vases are readily available for pennies at thrift shops. I took them outside to spray silver paint on as we were having snow flurries. None of the snow stuck.

This Brody company made all different kinds of glass vases and some were colored and some were milk glass. The company started in 1958 and marketed their vases to the florist trade. The company has changed names a few times. I chose three the same height, but with different shapes. They really compliment each other.

With rose buds! I actually have one more step before they are finished. That is the antiquing which gives them true charm. Theses vases look great displayed on a mirror because you get double the shimmer.Total price for this is 3.00 (This gold mirror is in line for a makeover too.)

Connecting up with these friends:

Feathered Nest Friday

Vintage Inspiration Friday

White Chocolate Divine

2011-12-28T19:27:00.000-08:00

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These delicious peppermint white chocolate "melts" were so rich and creamy. I wondered how could I photograph these to show how delicious they were? (I only had two.) The white roses were the best pick. Right in the center and as velvety as the rose petals. A rose pedestal!

White Chair Farm

2011-12-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

I'm looking at some very pretty whites.

These hydrangeas are gorgeous and came

from Safeway. There are about six-to-eight-rooted,

blooming stalks in each pot!

Martha Stewart planted some "florist hydrangeas"

in her yard years back (she tells about it in one of

her first gardening books)

and they came back beautifully every year.

That was way up north so I think we can have the

same luck down here in Maryland.

The blossom heads are huge and I feel like I am

looking at lots of frilly, flouncy dresses

whose collars and hems are trimmed with pinking sheers.

Two cane chairs are going through the refinishing

process and I'm really liking them. Soon we might

have to change the farm's name to White Chair Farm.

I do love the White Flower Farm nursery so it has a

nice ring to it. Or White Hydrangea Farm? Hmm.

Connecting with White Wednesday.

Farmhouse Country Comforts

2011-12-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

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Making some mulled apple cider. The colors are like sugared maple syrup. Stirring up delicious beverages and food is comforting. Sipping or eating afterwards is comforting, like firewood. They always say it warms you twice...when you chop it and when you burn it. I can say that about food. Do you get that warm, fuzzy feeling when you cook? I don't mean turning into an animal either. I mean a content feeling. Okay. There should be a third comforting...when I work it off by exercising. I just haven't got there yet...

Country Christmas

2011-12-25T18:45:00.001-08:00

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I hope your Christmas Day was pleasant.
Ours has been. Our house has not been as fragrant since the last holidays. The ovens have been fired up and the fragrance and visiting wonderful.

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Wishing you the merriest Christmas.

Vintage Harp Chairs

2011-12-23T10:43:00.000-08:00

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These chairs were only five dollars each! Should I paint them white or a french linen color?

DIY Silver Chalk Board Napkin Rings

2011-12-22T19:19:00.000-08:00

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A little shimmer at the table.

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I made these chalkboards into napkin rings with a lovely message.

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We have lots of pinecones here and they got some silver too.

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Santa's citrus moustache and beard.

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A little fun at the table and everyone likes the citrus scent.

I masked off the chalkboard part with clear packing tape so that I could just take off the tape after and the chalkboard section would be "black". I liked the silver spray so much better that I ended up leaving it on and just using a permanent marker to script the words joyeux noel. The paint beads up wonderfully on the tape and it looks like mercury glass. To me these look like they came from a corner of the greenhouse to the table and yet they are all wood.

Connecting with these fun friends:

Show and Tell Friday

Flaunt it Friday

Feathered Nest Friday

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Potpourri Friday

Ivy and Elephants

My Home Page

A Country Farmhouse - yippee

2011-12-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

Libraries are for learning and gathering information. I had to take my son to the library last night and after I gathered up a few things I plunked down in a chair next to the magazines. I picked up Country Living because I love white decorating and the cover pulled me in.

I was thrilled to find out it was the Burke's aka www.acountryfarmhouse.blogspot.com living room on the cover and the most delicious photographs of their home inside. (All of you probably know about their blog, but if you don't head on over.) Trina has the most beautiful country home and I should have "followed" it when I first found it. There isn't any clutter to be seen. Today I went right over and with friend connect linked up. (Hoping the decluttering thing rubs off on me.) Why are we so slow to link up sometimes? It's the best way to find someone again and to keep in touch. Of all the supermarket trips I have made I hadn't seen this new Country Living magazine.

I devoured each picture in the magazine and wondered (quietly) how people keep their kitchens so sparkling white and scrubbed?

DIY Snowflake Rose Branch Wreath

2011-12-19T18:54:00.000-08:00

These are simple to make and elegant too.

Greenery inside rounds out the seasons. This snowflake I made from fir tree branch tips and then tied a burlap string to it so I could hang it anywhere.

These little twigs look like they came from Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. They are needleless fir tree branch tips. I lined them up like this to see what they looked like. Who would think these branches by themselves would look lacy when grouped together? I then restacked the centers and put a dab of hot glue on it. To match my room I spray painted them white. You could embellish these with buttons or glitter. There were some dried pink roses on my desk so I hot glued those onto one. Had to get a little pink in there.

These plate rack was a wedding gift and recently it got a wash of white. It is an antique with carved leaves. I really like it. Thank you for stopping by.

I am linking up with Romantic Home.

Knick of Time Tuesday.

Show off your Cottage Monday

Staffordshire England peppermint cocoa

2011-12-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

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A cup of hot cocoa stirred with a peppermint candy cane is/was delicious tonight.

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It has a sweet country scene on the cup.

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Two children dancing....are they in the flowers? When the fiddle is playing no one notices in the merriment.

On the bottom of the cup it has the mark "Barratts Staffordshire England". I don't know if this was truly manufactured in England or not, but it is beautiful to look at.