All Things Pretty...

Ballet on my mind...

I've been dreaming about ballet and ballerinas...   it always happens around this time of year, with all the holiday ballets (Swan Lake, Nutcracker) being advertised.

As a little girl, I had my own visions of dancing around in  beautiful slippers and pink tulle tutu, with a tiara on my dainty head....

 

I begged my mother for lessons, but we could not afford them.  As refugees to the USA and not speaking the language, my parents struggled for many years just to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.   Little did I know that my childish request for ballet lessons broke my mother's heart -- I would find this about many, many  years later (about 30 or so).   I assured Mami that their inability to pay for lessons really did not do any damage, nor diminish my enjoyment of my youth.   It was a childhood fantasy....the same as my dream of being a beautiful bride, marching the down the aisle...  or of owning a pony...   or even having a twin sister (lol).

Doesn't almost every little girl dream of being a ballerina?

 

I recently acquired a couple of pairs of gentle used pointe shoes and I immediately knew what I wanted to do with them...    

 

 

 

 

 

One pair was adorned with layers of pink tulle and rhinestones....   the other with silk ribbon and tiny, dainty pink millinery.

 

 

 

 

...both lovely...

 

(the tulle/rhinestones pair is sold, the silk ribbon/millinery pair

is now available in my Etsy shoppe)

 

 

Jane Austen inspiration...

 

Janury 28th marked the 101st anniversary of Pride and Prejudice's publication... one of Jane Austen's most popular novels.

To commemorate, I hosted a Jane Austen group swap at the art group I moderate, An Altered Place.

We had free rein to interpret the theme in any way we wanted and create a Jane Austen inspired altered piece for our partner.

 

This was my creation for swap partner, Karla.

 

 

I couldn't resist going with a romantic tussie mussie cone in tones of black and lavender...   embellished with vintage millinery, lace, ribbons...

 

 

I don't know why....but whenever I think of Jane Austen, I think of shades of purple.  Call me crazy.

 

 

In addition to the romantic tussie mussie, I also made a paper banner. 

 

 

 

A bit difficult to photograph the details due to width - but you get the idea.

 

 

It seems like great minds think alike, because the beautiful items I received from Karla had a similar feel to them.  

 

 

They were romantic, very Jane Austen, and... she also used lavender/purples!

 

 

The pendant necklace and earrings Karla made for me are just divine!

 

 

 She also sent me Jane Austen notecards....  gorgeous teal velvet ribbon (vintage!)... and beautiful little tin box.

 

 

Thank you, Karla, for all my Jane Austen beauties!

 

Sharing my Jane Austen inspiration with Beverly and her Pink Saturday guests!  Stop by for beautiful pink inspiration....

 

 

Creative friends...

 

When I updated my studio recently (putting away the Christmas and holiday decor and displays) and started working on St. Valentine's projects, I couldn't help but notice how many pretty things I have received over the years from my creative friends.

 

 

 

I like to display these gifts according to the season.  The feeling I get is similar to the one I experience when I open the Christmas ornaments boxes each year....  lots of "uhhhhs" and  "aahhhs" and re-admiration of the details. 

I rediscover each of these little works of art.

 

 

The newest additions get their spot (this tiny quilt heart was a recent swap extra).

 

Tiny perfection.

 

 

 

Some of these creative friends I have never met personally... we have swapped through various groups for several years, but have never had the joy of meeting face to face.  

 

One of my goals this year is to "meet" a few of these special ladies.

 

 

Their beautiful projects surround me as I sit at my desk and create.  

 

 

Little beauties tucked here and there... and everywhere!

 

 

 

 

 

They are a constant inspiration for my creativity.

They make my heart smile.

 

(I'm sharing today with Beverly's Pink Saturday - it's been too, too long since I partied with these ladies!)

 

 

Time spent in the garden...

At the beginning of Spring each year, after the extremely long Minnesota winter, I moan and groan about all the work that has to be done in the garden.  The endless weeding, mulching, deadheading, transplanting, more weeding, more transplanting...  runs to Home Depot just about every weekend for more mulch... you get the picture.

My hands and back have deteriorated through the years to the point where I can no longer spend 6-8 hours working in the garden and be able to get out of bed the next day.  Yes, technically I am in the "prime" of my life...  but my body has distinctly told me to cut that c*#p out!  So now, my gardening escapades are limited to 2-3 hours per session. 

My body is happier; my garden is not.  

However, all the pains and aches are quickly forgotten when things go ablooming! 

 

 

 

 

 

The roses have been exquisite this year!

 

 

 

 

The miniature roses exploded overnight (it seemed like)...  I love cutting clusters of blooms to fill little containers throughout my home.

 

 

Not to be outdone by the roses, the peonies were also magnificent.

 

Sadly, they are getting a bit too much shade this year due to overgrown trees (which need trimming!), so they only produced about a third of their usual blooms...

 

 

I still managed to fill several vases...

 

 

...I can almost smell them...

 

Well, I'm off to do some weeding!  We had a tremendous rainstorm last night and the soil is perfectly damp for pulling those suckers out! (smile)

Enjoy your weekend; I hope you get to spend time in your garden.

 

(p.s.   joining sweet Beverly's Pink Saturday...  it's been a while and I've missed all the pink beauties)

Feeling the love...

My studio has been a flurry of pinks and reds lately...

 

although I joined just two swaps this year (vs. 12+ around the same time last year!); I decided to make some tags, ATC's and wee gifts to send to some dear blogging friends..

 

 

Since most are still enroute, I'm not sharing who the recipients are -

don't want to spoil the surprise! .

 

I started out my projects thinking I would take a slight detour from the "traditional" Valentines looks...

but my heart just wasn't it in... 

 my fingers reached for the pink flowers and ribbons, the softest pink tulle,

the red hearts....  ahhh,  bliss.

 

.

A couple of the(extra)   ATC's are available for trade via Flickr ...   

.

 

 

...one of my favorite creations was this sweet tag... so pink and frou frou!

 

 

...an altered mini clipboard, full of flowers, ribbons, and some bits of ephemera

 to play with... all for a swap friend in Canada.

 

A hanging valentine... with vintage cupid image, crepe paper, tulle and

lace wings, dainty flowers...  soft and feminine.

 

I collect little hearts and trinkets all year and store them away in my "February" box of goodies (such as this little plastic pin)...  then when I'm ready to start working on Valentine's projects, the box is opened and I get to enjoy discovering these little finds are all again. 

 .  
So there you have it... what I've been up to lately in my "new" (still not completely sorted or finished) studio.   

I'm linking up to Beverly's Pink Saturday party for some gorgeous pinks and reds this weekend!   We are celebrating Valentine's Day a bit early; make sure to stop by!

Related articles

Surrounded by reds...

Pretty pink inspiration...

Pretty pink inspiration...

It has been so frigid here this past week that I am craving Spring...   when temps are below zero, when your skin feels like it's going to peel off when it exposed to the cold air, when the wind takes the air out of your lungs when you first step outside....  that is when I miss my Florida sunshine.

To cheer myself up, I played around with some pretty pinks - all recent acquisitions from an estate sale.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's nothing better than a dose of cuteness and pink to cheer things up!

Enjoy your Saturday... I'm linking up to Beverly's Pink Saturday for some more pink fun!

 

Forgotten photos.... part II

We experienced our "January thaw" this week here in Minnesota....  temps went up into the upper 30's and even 41 degrees one day!  

This morning, however, I awakened to single-digit temps and a windchill of 0 degrees...along with some snow flurries.  Brrrr!

Even after living (..more like "surviving") 17 Minnesota winters, I still cannot appreciate those extreme temperatures.   My body and soul  yearn for sunshine and warmth. 

 I thought the cold wouldn't hit me too hard this year, since I have my hot flashes to counter-act them... but they don't seem to help much, since they come and go so rapidly. 

 One minute, I'm bundling up with layers of clothing and lovely scarves wrapped creatively around my neck... the next, I am literally ripping clothing off my body. 

 I think I will spend the day doing things I love and make me happy... like creating in The Sunshine Room, and stopping by a few estate sales and my favorite occassional sale at a local shop. 

 

I'm leaving you with some more favorite photos discovered during my recent photo purging... enjoy!~

 

 

 

 

 

Surrounded by fairies...

I have been surrounded by fairies for the past week or so.

A couple of swaps had "fairie" themes and I welcomed the opportunity to go exploring in my stash of supplies for some inspiration....

 

When I opened  a 1920's children' piano book with the song entitled "Where do fairies hide?"  -  I knew I had found my muse!

  

  

For Karla Nathan's "Fairie Book Swap"  I had to create eight fairy pages....

 

Each was embellished to the max with vintage millinery.... appliques from a 1940's dress... a beautiful scroll stamp (embossed in gold) served as the background.

 

The adorable fairy image came from another vintage children's book....

isn't he sweet?

 

 

 

The back of each page was also finished with a fairy theme...  alot simpler.... but still using vintage fairy images.

Everything got wrapped up carefully, with some pretty ribbons and more fairy touches....

 

 

..off it went to Karla!  

She had an overwhelming response to her swap; with over 100 participants! 

We will each receive our very own Fairy Book with 8 pages, plus Karla's unique cover.  I can't wait to see everyone's come up with!

Another fun fairy-themed swap was for the BlissfullARTSwaps Group....

  entitled a "Mermaid Fairy Wand"

Well, as much as I love wands AND fairies, there was no way I could pass this one up!

My wand for swap partner, Susan...

Lots of vintage touches, including the 1950's butterfly ribbon (which I LOVE and had been saving for a special project).

this is the back of the wand.... magical blooms and butterflies for my fairy mermaid.

 

...and there you have it... my fairy world as of late.

Enjoy!

 

p.s  sharing my fairies with Beverly and her Pink Saturday!


The elephant and the birds...

I've been a bad girl....  I've spent the last two days visiting estate sales instead of working of pending projects....  I couldn't resist the call of vintage goodies.

 

And I don't regret it a bit, because I came home with some truly amazing finds. 

There is so much to share!  But since I'm linking up to sweet Beverly's Pink Saturday blog party, I'll focus on some of the pink beauties that made their way home with me. 

 

Like these darling vintage hand towels in all hues of pink..

 

 

The fleur-de-lis ones were buried under a pile of bed sheets and tablecloths... 

 

 

 

 

 

This 1930's metal and glass box...  the glass has the softest pink tint, and the inside has faded pink velvet.  I'm not sure if it was purely ornamental, or used to keep trinkets or jewelry.

The price was a steal, due to the fact that the lid hinge is broken (easy to fix).

It is gorgeous in person!

 I was delighted to find this trio of pink felt birdies.... 

 

 

My heart skipped a beat when I spotted this gorgeous hat... 

made out of pink satin, with exquisite rhinestone ornaments on the sides.

 

((smile))

It's soooo pretty!

 

The cuteness factor of this elephant pincushion made it a "must have" -

the fact that it is pink was an added bonus~

 

 
It has already found a new home in my Sunshine Room!

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend....  I'm off to work on some projects.

 

One last hurrah....

The July 4th celebrations are coming to an end...  it feels like we've been on our best patriotic behavior all week! lol 

 I've enjoyed seeing all the red/white/blue decor around town and our beautiful flag flying high from front porches, doorsteps, etc.

 

 

 

For my last hurrah to this special holiday, I'm sharing some of the patriotic-themed projects exchanged with blogging friends.

 

For Tee's "Tag-A-Month" swap, I made this whimsical vintage-inspired tag for my swap partner, Linda.

 

 

This is the wonderful tag I received from Linda....

 

The lady with a hat image is beautiful.... Linda also included lots of laces, ephemera and little bits and pieces for future projects.

 

Another fun swap with a patriotic theme was the "Red, White and Blue Marie ATC" swap, hosted by Terri, in the Marie Antoinette Mail Art Group. 

 

These are the gorgeous ATC's I received from my swap partners...

 

from Terri

 

from Kris

 

Aren't they beautiful?

 

These are the ATC's I made for them...

and last... but not least...

 

 Hope you are having a wonderful weekend...

 

I'm sharing my "last hurrah" with Beverly and her Pink Saturday party; stop on by for some fabulous red, white and blue celebrations!

 

 

Marie's garden...

Ever since joining the Marie Antoinette Mail Art Group, I have been challenged to try new things and new ways of expressing my creativity.  

A recent swap titled "Marie's Garden Tea Party" proved to be another "first" for me:  it required that we create a garden using a teacup as our base.  

My swap partner, Melanie, sent me this divine piece....

...which she titled "The Queen 's Garden Tea Party"

Here sits Marie....enjoying her tea and sweets 

These little pastries (handmade by Melanie!) are tiny concoctions of sweet perfection.

The teacup itself is gorgeous; with painted blooms in the softest colors.

Thank you, dearest Melanie, I aboslutely love my teacup garden!

 

My garden in a teacup for Melanie was titled:   Tea and Roses for Marie"

Melanie loves pink, so I decided to use lots of roses in varying shades of pink (to match her teacup pattern), with a few accent flowers in other colors.

 

I made two rose topiaries for Marie's garden....

Marie herself is wearing a gorgeous chiffon yellow gown, with flowers and feathers in her hair...  as she stands prettily under her rose arbor.

 

What a wonderful swap this was!

I had almost forgotten that I fell in love with "Crafting" when I made my first dried flower arrangement.... this project, which required working with lots of silk flowers and various little elements, reminded of those days.

 

Another creative swap for the MAMA group was a paperweight....again, the main theme being "marie" of course....  this time under glass.

 

I decided to go with the heart-shaped paperweight... and used vintage sheet music for my background.

For this project, Marie got decked out in her pearls and crown....

I went a bit overboard with the luscious pink ribbon (couldn't resist!)... but love how it turned out.

...ahhhh.... love working with Marie images.  

Can't get enough.

What projects have you been up to lately?

p.s.   Linking up to Pink Saturday (Beverly's party over at How Sweet the Sound)

A bit of vintage....

Happy Saturday to you!

Today I'm sharing some of last weekend's finds...   from an estate sale that I almost missed!  

 

A sweet container that one had a lid...  I fell in love with the delicate pink spray of flowers (sigh) and knew it was perfect for displaying my fresh-cut roses

(since the roses in my own garden are not yet blooming, some silks are filling in for the moment)

 

 

This particular estate sale had thousands of silk florals!   Stems of every color, size, material...  wreaths, bouquets (lots of bridals!)  

I came home with a very large box of  silk roses.

Tucked away underneath a pile of stems, I found this little cherub.

Gold-toned, with fine details, and carrying a basket on his back.

isn't he divine?

 

I also came home with several dozen of these little bouquets, in a variety of colors.  

The delicate little flowers are perfect for all types of projects... and it seems that they (the flowers) are getting harder and harder to find at local craft stores, so I was delighted to find this stash.

I love it when you find pretty treasures in unexpected places...don't you?

 

(linking to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound)

 

Spring comes in many colors...

There is something magical, peaceful and refreshing about the colors of Spring...   

Mother Nature sure knows what she's doing when she showers us with the many hues of green, pink, violet, yellow, peach...  

as if to reward us for enduring the grays of Winter.

We bring the season's colors into our homes with flowers, bunnies, chicks, eggs... all things that are symbolic of Spring.

In my home, the rabbits definitely take center stage.

One can be spotted in every room; and they come in every size and color imaginable.

I have also been busy working on several Spring-inspired swaps... 

like these egg-shaped ATC's created for the Marie Antoinette Mail Art Group.

 

... and the "Springtime in Paris" gothic arch swap 

The wonder of the season seems to inspire creativity; don't you think?

I can't wait to see what everyone's been up to at Beverly's Pink Saturday party - we are celebrating everything Spring this week...  

Beautiful greens....

 

There is one day of the year when most of us celebrate the color green...  whether it's a shirt/blouse, an entire outfit, maybe an accessory... but we all like to don a bit of green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and, of course, to avoid the pinching (do people even do that anymore??  it was really popular when I was growing up!)

 

It's fun to see how each person interprets and celebrates this day....  

personally, I like to wear just a hint of green... like a handmade green rosette...

Last year, I was fairly "green" to the world of blogging and swaps, so I contented myself with creating rosettes (above) for my coworkers and friends.

This year, I joined a St. Patty's Swap being hosted by Kim and JoAnne.  For "The Luck O' the Irish" challenge, we were asked to make 12 ATC's, one for each of the participants.  Our hostess, Kim, assembled a St. Patty's book, incorporating everyone's ATC, and added some gorgeous covers.  Another participant donated charms....   the result?  

 

 

An extraordinarily special St. Patrick's Day keepsake!

These are the talented artists who participated...

Peace

 

Oliva

Laurie

 

Kimberly

 

Michele

 

Karla

 

Karen

 

 

 

Lynn

 

 

Linda

 

 

My ATC Page

 

Our Hostesses...

JoAnne

 

Kim

Thank you, ladies, for such a wonderful swap!

 

 

I'm sharing my St. Patty's greens with everyone partying with Beverly for her Pink & Green Saturday event... stop on by and celebrate with us! 

We're getting married!

My eldest, Byron, and his fiancee, Katt, have selected a wedding date and venue... I am so excited!   We will be having a Christmas wedding (December 21st) and I couldn't be any happier ((smile)). 

 

(ATC made for The Altered Paper's Lace ATC Swap)

 

If you have children you know how we hope and pray that when they grow up and fall in love, that the person they select is "worthy" (maybe not the best choice of words) and that they are right for each other... well, Katt is exactly that for my Byron.   If I had to select a daughter-in-law, Katt would my first and only choice.  Byron is a very lucky man and our family is blessed for having her. 

So... back to the wedding...  Visions of candlelight, twinkling lights, red and cream roses... oh, I'm getting ahead of myself!  I don't even know what the bride wants; and I need to be careful not to be the meddling "mother in law" (this will be a challenge, I admit)...  

but I have had a lot of fun browsing through online photos!  

Of course, I was attacted to all the PINK wedding themes (which definitely will not be the case here, as my future DIL is not a pink lover).

Like a pink wedding dress...

 

...and a second dress for after the ceremony...

(although, I'm not sure exactly how the bride will be able to dance in this one)

 

 

The bride's bouquet of pink roses...

 

 

 

Sweet, darling pink cupcakes for the guests...

 

 

The most beautiful cake...

 

 

Okay, now that I've had my fix of PINK weddings, back to the real world.  Stay focused, Mercedes, we are planning a Christmas wedding.... (more to come).

All this pink browsing put me in the mood for some pink roses.... so I ran out and purchased a little bouquet at our corner grocer.  ((sigh))

Happy Sunday, friends!

 

(did you remember to change your clocks?)

(and belated Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound)!

 

 

 

Flowers in bed...

If you are having trouble sleeping, you might watch television, read a book...   personally, I prefer to make something with my hands.   

Recently, I brought my needle, threads, ribbons and a bagful of beautiful fabric scraps purchase for nearly nothing (39 to 79 cents)... oh yes, and my "cheaters!"... to bed with me for some late-nite creations.

So with hubby snoring softly at my side, our German-Shepherd puppy snuggled in her bed, I happily cut, twirled and sewed my way into midnight (actually, more like 1:30am).

 

 

There's something magical and peaceful about making beautiful things, late at nite while the entire household is sleeping...   I was having fun with the variety of textures and colors...

 

 

These are all still in their "raw" form;

lots of frays and bits of threads that will need trimming...

 

 

While I love experimenting with different shapes and types of flowers, the roses are always my favorite.

 

 

 

I like making them "scrunched" and inperfect...  

 

 

(the gorgeous cone is a gift from JoAnne)

(the antique box is available for sale here)

 

 

I was working on Spring colors...  the beautiful lavenders, pinks, yellows that we see crop up in the early days of Spring.

 

 

 

 

Next, I will be trimming threads and finishing each flower with pearls, beads and a little bling here and there.  Some will go to swap friends, others are embellishments on upcoming Spring and Easter creations...

 

Happy Saturday!

 

I am sharing my "roses at bedtime" with the pink-loving ladies at How Sweet the Sound.

 

 

Hearts, flowers, love....

As promised, an update with some of my swap gifts and creations!   

JoAnne hosted "Be My Valentine" matchbox swap.  Not just any ole matchbox, but the smaller ones, to be filled with three teensy ATC's (these were a true test of dexterity and vision!)

My swap partner was Kimberly, who created the sweetest confection for me...

 

 

 

 

I absolutely love these teeny ATC's!

She knows me so well!   Thank you, dear Kimberly, I love all my treasures!

This is the matchbox and ATC's I made for her.  Lots of pink-upon-pink ribbon roses in all shapes and sizes...

 

 

 

 

 

I also joined Wendy's "Heart and Flower" Valentine tin swap.  My wonderful partner, Michele, awed me with her magnificent altered tin...

 

 

She has a gift for mixing the unexpected... like these pink girly flowers with the touches of nature, rustic.   Don't you just love it?!?

 

 

At first glance, you can't even tell there's a tin in there somewhere... even the back has a pocket, which held a vintage card and sweet tag.

Thank you so much, Michele,  I love it!

 

I went a bit "out on a limb" for her tin and made a Valentine's garland using vintage tins.

 

 

 

I also included a few little Valentine's trinkets;

like this teeny tussie mussie made out of paper mache...

Another fun swap I joined was Tee's  "Tag a Month" Swap; here's the tag I made for my swap partner, Marcia.  Hope she likes it!

 

I'm sharing all my Valentine's lovelies with Beverly and her Pink Saturday party... don't forget to stop on by for the most beautiful pink eye candy ever!

 

 

Doilies...hearts...ribbons....

I'm having a great time in my studio these days!  

My work area has been invaded by heart of all colors, shapes,  and sizes... sweet vintage Valentines.... doilies... laces and more laces....  ribbons... buttons, sequins, pearls, vintage beads, millinery.... (and hundreds of other little things that I have no clue how they got there).

Several of my Valentine swaps are finished and enroute.  Here's a sneak peak at the sweetness...

For art JOY stuff's Valentine Swap, we were to create five Valentine ATCs and send them to our hostess, Kimberly.  

We will receive five ATC's in return; how fun is that?

My ATCs were individually and  lovingly wrapped in a doily envelope...

 

And inside each pretty doily, my swap partner(s) will find any one of these...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And although I may be spoiling the surprise just a bit by revealing them now, I don't know which five participants will receive my ATCs, nor which ATC will go to whom... so still a surprise for the recipient!

For this group of ATCs, I finally broke down and "cut" (gasp!) several of the vintage greeting cards from my stash (I must own hundreds that I've collected over the years).   Thank goodness for scanners, as I will have a digital image of each for future use.  My husband asked me if (maybe) I wasn't going about this backwards...   1. scan the image,  2. use the scanned image (not original)....   Makes sense, right?  

But I really wanted to use the "real" stuff on these; it made them feel all that much more special, that a little piece of a card made in the 1940's, 50's or 60's made its way onto an ATC in 2012.  I bet the American Greetings and Hallmark folks back then would have never, ever guessed that this is how their cards would end up 60+ years later!

*   *   *

Another package on its way to the recipient contains ribbons; yummy ribbons in all sorts of colors, textures and widths...

 

 

 

 

The assignment was to share 6 different ribbons (in 2 ft. lengths) with our partner.  

This clever swap is being hosted by Elysia and is my very first ribbon swap.  

One more pic, but I have to be careful not to spoil the surprise!

 

 

 

 

"The Colors of Spring" ribbon collection

Hope my Canadian partner likes her gifts!

*  *  *

 

linking up to Beverly's Pink Saturday!

 

* * *

h.e.l.p.

ON A SEPARATE NOTE, I RECENTLY PURCHASED ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS AND AM FIDDLING AROUND WITH IT.  HOWEVER, IT IS SLOW GOING AND I'M FEELING A TAD INTIMIDATED BY THE WHOLE 'LAYERS' THING.... SO, PLEASE PLEASE COMMENT OR EMAIL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON STRAIGHT-FORWARD (AKA "EASY" AND "clear") TUTORIALS YOU KNOW OF!   

 

 

Soller, Mallorca Spain

Happy New Year!  

We are seven days into 2012 and I have yet to post about my holiday trip to Spain.  

One word to sum it up:

 a

m

a

z

i

n

g

Of course, the very best part was seeing our daughter, Bianca.

 She was a wonderful hostess and guide, enabling us to see Spain through her eyes.

I'm still going through photos (800+) and selecting favorites for sharing.  However, today I want to focus on a little town in the island of Mallorca.   It was a 50 minute bus ride from Palma.... and is called Soller.

The views on our way up to Soller were breathtaking.

Our first glimpses of Soller literally took our breath away!

 Like something straight out of a story book.

The little town Plaza was decked out for the holidays.

And everywhere,

absolutely EVERYWHERE,

you looked there was something beautiful to see.

 

The windows, doors, little vignettes along the sidewalks....

My thumb was hurtin' from all the photo snapping...

And just when I thought I had gotten over all that beauty, we came upon this iron fence.

 

And behind it... this lovely private garden~

And as my eyes wandered, identifying known plants and trying to figure out what others were, I spotted one.   

A pink rose!

I crammed my camera between the fence bars, zoomed in, trying to get a better shot.

Still a bit blurry, yet magnificent.  

A total surprise!

But wait.... is that?  

another pink rose?!?

Lovely.

The perfect little town.

The perfect day.

And a perfect glass of Spanish red Crianza before our ride back to Palma.

Perfect.

p.s.  I'm slowly but surely getting back into my real life (lol).  

Linking up to Beverly's Pink Saturday party and sharing by Soller pink roses.

The gifts that keep on arriving...

Yes... more gifts in the mail.   (Are you sick of it yet?  I'm not!)  

Several more packages made it to my doorstep this week.

The ornaments I received from my third partner in Cassandra's Handmade Christmas Ornament Swap, Linda, are these incredibly beautiful stars...

There are layer-upon-layer of laces, tatting, crochet... ((sigh))  embellished with ribbons and buttons.

 I had admired Linda's work in her Etsy shoppe and had my fingers crossed that I would get one of her star ornaments in the swap; lucky me received three!

 

Thank you, Linda!  

Your handmade one-of-a-kind stars will forever shine in my home during the holidays!

***

I participated in another of Wendy's  fun swaps... 

 

I was delighted to find out my partner was Karla... she and I have traded ATC's but had never been swap partners before.  We have similar styles (pretty, whymsical, glittery) and truly admire each other's work, so I knew we were in for a great time! 

Karla's altered tin is a delight...

the inside is as beautiful as the outside... beautiful vintage images...

...and look at the clever "feet" she put on my tin!

As Karla and I have come to know each other, we learned that we have some common traditions for the holidays.  For example, we both grew up celebrating "El Dia de los Reyes Magos"  or "Three Kings Day" on January 6th.  

Karla sent me not only my gorgeous tin, but 12 others gifts!  One to be opened each day between December 25th and January 6th. Isn't that the sweetest thought?  

I started crying (happy tears) when I read her enclosed card and saw all her  gifts.

Karla, you've warmed by heart and soul with your thoughtfulness.

Thank you, friend.

***

Happy Saturday!

 I'm joining Beverly's party and sharing all my holiday gifts.

p.s.   I've started opening my "25 days ofChristmas" gifts...  will be sharing those on Sunday.  I'm also enjoying trying to sleuth out who my Secret Santa is (a few ideas).