Irish Spring

Hello, Dear Friends, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, 

and the first day of spring, I have put away 

the roses of Valentine's Day in favor of 

a little 'Irish Spring'.

It's also a special anniversary for me. 

March 18th I will celebrate the start

 of my 7th year of blogging.  

Where does the time go? 

I feel so fortunate to have 'met' the sweetest, most 

creative and wonderfully interesting people through blogging. 

I've learned so many things, but most importantly

I feel privileged to share so much friendship 

with some of the kindest people on the planet. 

I've hung my banner to celebrate :) 

I've always loved the color green. 

It's such a hopeful, soothing color. 

The color of spring. 

Every year I find some new green treasures to add to my collection. 

This year I found a green glass luncheon set for four, 

complete with plates, saucers and tea-cups

in perfect condition. 

I found this Staffordshire creamer and sugar bowl, too. 

The goblets were last year's find. 

I also found these St. George, bone china mugs from England.

I found these at The Pink Rose Cottage. 

They fit perfectly here...... 

and work so well with my everyday china. 

This vintage needlework hangs above my coffee pot. 

It states, 'Glory in each morning'.

I painted the ugly, brown frame, green. 

I was with my dear Mother when I found this
many years ago. 

We loved to go to flea markets together. 

I had no idea the day that I started my blog, that my 

Mother would never get to read it. 

She passed away suddenly just a week later. 

My dear Father left us a year after that

after battling Alzheimer's for nearly a decade. 

Some days it was the kind encouragement of my readers 

that kept me going........

xoxo

I crocheted the shamrocks a few years ago. 

I wish I had used a brighter green. 

Oh, well! 

I painted and stenciled the rolling kitchen cart 

last spring. 

This vase reminds me of my Grandmother,
Beatrice Euphemie.

It would be something she might like, I think.
It was certainly her era - 1940's, when
she was a young wife and mother.

Maybe she would keep it full of flowers from her garden.
Perhaps lilac, gladiola or geranium;
 flowers that I remember in her gardens when I was a little girl.

I can still hear her yelling down to me and my sister from the front porch,
"You can play where you like as long as you stay out of my flowers!"

Do you have childhood memories of a loved one's special garden?

I love vintage crochet pot-holders, especially in green :)

This vintage runner has a sweet, crocheted edge. 

I found it at Pam's Etsy shop.
You can find her shop on her lovely blog, Virginia Retro.

More vintage potholders hang out by the stove. 

My daughter, Jennie made the shelf with drawers 

in a school wood-working shop. 

Not bad for a girl who was afraid of power tools! 

I love its charming imperfections. 

Ramblin' Man gifted me with the pale green tea-kettle 

for Christmas. 

Tiny landscape paintings and vintage cooking untensils

bring in a wee more green :) 

The solid green teapot was a gift from my sweet Sis-in-law. 

xoxo

The tiny drawers hold tea and spices. 

A painting with a cottage scene. 

Irish lace. 

Simple vintage stitching with its original 1940's 'blonde' frame.

Speaking of dogs.....

Whitey Bear looks out at the thin spring sunshine. 

Kai prances by. 

A 'garden folly' that I found at the 

Northwest Flower and Garden Show. 

Don't even ask me what it is.....

I just knew it would be perfect right here :)

You can see that the wild plum is starting to bloom,

(on the left) 

while we still have snow in the mountains.

The bears are coming out of hibernation. 

They announced it on the local news, 

complete with video of a big, black bear 

walking through someone's pretty back yard

to get to the bird feeder. 

One of the reasons I stopped feeding the birds. 

*-*

 0 

We are flirting with warmer temperatures,

 in the 50's and 60's during the day now, 

but the nights remain cold - near freezing. 

So while I wait for things to 'green up' outside, 

I will have to be content with a bit of 'Irish Spring' inside. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day, dear Friends!
And Happy Spring!  

An Irish Blessing for you! 

xoxo

Hearts, Roses and Sweet Little Cherubs

Hello, Dear Friends - now that February is here, 

I thought I would change the scenery a bit

and add some love <3

The dreariness of these gray February skies
 has me yearning for my roses once again. 

Since the garden is still taking its long winter nap, 

I've satisfied my cravings in other ways......

with Paper Roses in a milk-glass vase

 on a vintage tablecloth 

bordered in roses....... 

And hand-sewn pillows in rosy hues. 

Lavender heart sachets in an enamel bowl match the 

pillows I've sewn from vintage hankies, chenille, 

and doilies. 

I just found the pale pink throw

at my local department store. 

It's so soft.......

I might not have roses in the garden,
but I can still enjoy their beauty
in other ways.

I finished the pillows I was working on in my last post :) 

I like to change them for every season :)

I use feather pillow inserts from Pottery Barn.
Adding a zipper on the bottom seam
allows me to store the covers flat and re-use the inserts.  

A framed cherub doily, similar to the pillow. 

Cherubs, hearts and roses = love. 

I made this lace heart to hang in the window. 

xoxo

These are so popular on Pinterest now. 

I simply shaped a white coat hanger into 

a heart shape and cut some lace
from an old curtain a little larger. 

I pinned the edges around the hanger

 and then whip stitched it in place. 

I added a bit of white glue around the edges for 

extra hold and sprinkled it with silver glitter. 

I hung sheer ribbon and crystal pearls from the top. 

It looks especially pretty at night. 

So sparkly!

My hand-decorated candy box holds a little surprise. 

A tiny crocheted heart from a dear loved one. 

Of course I had to have roses on my dishes, too!

Those of you who have followed my blog 

for a while know that these were my 

dear Mother's. 

The pattern is Lady Carlyle from Royal Albert. 

A complete tea service for six. 

These are very precious to me. 

Oh, how I wish I could have one more cup of tea with her

and my dear Father. 

He bought her these pieces one by one in the last 

years of their lives. 

She kept them in a big Welsh cupboard in her 

cozy cottage kitchen. 

My Father also bought her sweet Limoges boxes. 

She loved cats and chickens. 

Some of the porcelain boxes have tiny surprises inside. 

I am So Very Thankful to have these 

sweet mementos of the things she loved. 

xoxo

I just found the tiny individual creamers. 

The crocheted doilies are a heart design 

and gifted to me from a dear friend. 

I made the button heart for last year's Valentine's Day. 

The biscuit jar and vase were Ramblin' Man's 

dear Mother's. 

They are also Royal Albert in the Country Roses pattern. 

When I have a tea, there will be empty chairs, 

but I know my loved ones will be there in spirit. 

Some captured tea-cups. 

The little vase is hand-painted. 

I have three of them, collected at different times

and places. 

This one is on my open kitchen shelving. 

The third has blue flowers and is upstairs in my sewing room.

Heart-strings <3

Salvaged from a tattered old quilt. 

The Tin Man's hearts. 

xoxo

Do you remember how the Tin Man 

in 'The Wizard of Oz' kept lamenting,

"If I only had a heart" ?

Have any of you been watching 'Victoria' on
Masterpiece Theater?

It's so romantic, and
so full of beauty and history.

The last episode was very relevant for me
as it was about Irish Catholic Immigrants
and the discrimination and lack of mercy
they encountered during the potato famine of the 1800's.

My and Ramblin' Man's family tree goes back to
Ireland (County Cork) and they emigrated during
this same time to the areas around Boston
where I grew up and where my relatives still live.

I crocheted this heart many years ago.

I saved the directions and made
a few more last year.

If you would like to make one of your
own, you can find the directions, Here.

This sign is a sweet reminder.

The crochet heart I made last year.

Pink calico and crochet lace jar covers :)

Keys to my heart.
(That would be my grandchildren and,
 Um, chocolate)

Preferably chocolate cake
baked in a heart-shaped pan :)

A favorite Ann Taintor card that I framed.

You can find more Ann Taintor fun Here.
Delicious sarcasm.

Valentine's Day is a perfect excuse to add some
lightness with hearts, roses and sweet cherubs
 while we wait for springtime!

xoxo

And speaking of sweet cherubs......

My two newest Valentine's have finally arrived!

Meet Liam and Declan.

My new grand-babies.

My heart is overflowing with gratitude for these tiny gifts.....

xoxo

Thank you, Dear Friends, for your always sweet
and kind visits.

xoxo

Today I am linking with:

Keep in Touch



Thankful Thursday

It's A Vintage Valentine Blog Hop



&

Cooking and Crafting with J&J




Won't you join the fun?