warming up

We have had a wretched so called "Spring" here at the Jersey Shore.  As a matter of fact, since the fall (and Superstorm Sandy), it's been nasty.  At the beginning of this week, I still had to warm the car up in the AM before taking my sweet daughter to school.

We have no plant beds cleaned out or fresh annuals planted in them.  The lawn looks good and green since we've had so much rain.

I love planting in pots.  I also don't tolerate the extreme wind so well.  My husband was a sweetie and filled a few pots for me.  This cute rusted bike gets filled every year with whatever catches my eye.  This year it's white on white for her.

Just a few lonely pots sitting on our porch steps.  Our storage space is filled with many more just waiting their turn to be filled.  More flowers my hubby planted.  He chose all the colors and types this year.

Supposedly, this weekend it's going to hit almost 80 (we go from 40 degrees at the beginning of the week to 80's LOL).  We have plans to clean out the beds and plant.  I am looking forward to hitting a nursery or two to find more pretties to plant.

This poor Bleeding Heart bush has only a few blooms this year.  I guess the cold (and for this long) was just too much for it.  It's one of my favorite bushes and it's a sad little thing this year.

Just wanted to share a photo of my babies.  Meg is almost 17 and will be going to her PROM this weekend.  My sweet Mallory just turned 12 and graduates 6th grade in a few weeks.  I am so blessed to have these precious dolls in my life.

Thanks for visiting.

Joining up today with Fishtail Cottage's Garden Party

Roselle

finally

This is always such a busy time of year.  Today, I was finally able to photograph some pretties that I've been finding and using to create.

I  have a new love.  It's vintage bone dishes.  I love the history of  these sweet pieces!  Back in the day, when people had meat with bones, they would discard them on here.  I think that's a hoot that they would use such  pretty pieces for discarded bones!  lol

I've been painting (repurposing) but haven't had a chance to  share any of it.  

Despite it being spring in New Jersey, our weather is so not feeling like it!

The heat went on this morning since it was in the 40's here.  It's crazy (and a tad depressing).

Here are some of the pretties I have been playing around with the last few weeks.

Of course, white with French country and beach cottage influences!

Each piece is of course, white with French country and beach cottage influences!

I was so excited when I found this at a thrift store.  It was originally green.  I repainted it white and added knobs.  This makes a great memo/note/photo holder.  I love using mini clothes pins (either as is or embellished) for clips.  So charming!

I love this frame.  Whenever I find ornate ones, I usually scoop them up.  Great for using in groupings.  I rarely find circlar or oval ones like this though.  This was originally gold and I repainted it.  So much prettier now!

I hope to visit around to all my favorite blogs.
If you are here, thank you :)

Check out my link tab above to see what parties I am linking up to this week!
Roselle

I am joining up with a new blog party too this week:

Spring Pastels

I've shared that I am moving toward a cleaner, more Farmhouse look in my home.  Tis true!  BUT...with the holidays, it's very easy to incorporate my beloved pinks into the mix.  I LOVE how they pop and stand out when everything around them is fresh and clean. 

These sweet little eggs are so adorable.  I painted them in shades of pale pink and just had some fun adding stripes, dots, roses and buds.  They are sweet sitting in a little milkglass bowl.  They make me smile.

I found this gorgeous pink ironstone creamer last week on one of my thrift/treasure hunts.  I was so excited to see a pink one.   It's made by Sterling and the pattern is called "shell pink".  LOVE this little cutie. 

I really do love the shape of this.  It will be adorable holding a few pretty spring flowers.  Can't wait to fill it!

Yet another ironstone platter.  This is very heavy and not unusual, but the pattern here is just so sweet.  This is too pretty to keep hidden away in a china cabinet.  I've used this to display pink vintage Christmas ornaments.  I've also had it on my coffee table and used it to display my favorite little "do-dads".  Little shells, religious medals, tags, ribbons.  I love looking at all those pretty things and I hate that they are packed away in the "to be used for crafting" box. 

It's a rainy, dreary REAL MARCH kind of day here.    Too early for planting or spring feathering of my nest.  But this blog post is a start!  :)

~Roselle

Vintage Ironstone

So I have a new obsession.  I'm not sure when it began.  It happened gradually while selling and "checking out the competition" on Etsy.  I noticed lots of whites, French Farmhouse and IRONSTONE.  So, I'd look and look and drool.

Gradually, I began looking for it on my thrift hunts.  I started collecting/selling platters.  But then I found and started loving restaurantware.  Now that I'm on the hunt for it all the time, I wonder how many great pieces I've passed up!  This is a GORGEOUS cup and saucer set by Homer Laughlin.  I love the pieces but I also love the history behind it.

I just ADORE these little creamers.  They are so cute in a grouping or by themselves holding a spray of flowers or a bud.  These pieces are always very heavy and usually in pretty good condition.  They were made to endure the everyday use and abuse (LOL) of roadside diners all across the USA. 

Once in awhile, I'll find a cutie like this small "sauce" dish.  I think it's so sweet for holding rings, earrings or loose change.

Have a great week ahead!

~Roselle


To see where I am linking up this week, click the "link" tab above.

Also joining the party at:

Etsy Cottage Style-Vintage Fun

pretties

kateblossom

so, in my last post i talked about changing over to mostly whites in my home.  

whites are peaceful and clean.

a fresh start.

hilltopcottage

yet, i will never tire or lose my love of pink.

splashes of pink.

in my wardrobe.

around the home.

we have a mostly pink christmas and now valentine's day is breathing down our necks.

photographydream

today, i am sharing some pretties from some of my favorite etsy shops.

littlekittenvintage

i have shared about my new found love for restaurantware/ironstone.

now, it seems i can't get enough of it, for me or my shop :)

i hope you have a wonderful PRETTIE weekend.

linking up today with:

pink saturday over at how sweet the sound

Roselle

changes.

glad you could stop by!

i have been giving myself quite a few pep talks in the last few weeks.

if you follow my blog or are an email friend, you know that things have been a tad "messy" for over a year.

i digress...that's not what this post is about.  it's about changes.

changes in me.

in my home.

my shop.

my attitude.

my everything.

so, in december i mentioned that i was cleaning out clutter and going for a simpler look.

with a discarded pinkish shabby chic couch in the summer and the addition of a few pieces here and there, my home is really starting to be the home of my dreams.  

mostly white.

french farmhouse.

simpler.

clean and less cluttered.

this cubby is one of my favorite pieces in the house.

inside, it holds small collectibles for my shop, ephemera, and some art supplies.

the collectibles are all either handmade by me or some talented friend and all vintage and thrift!

mostly all the pink in my home is gone. 

you can see part of a vintage pink plate at the top left, but aside from some "touches" of pink here and there, it's mostly all gone.

i won't stop painting my beloved roses or creating upcycled pink pretties for my shop, but they don't go with the vibe i am creating here in our home anymore.

more thoughts on collecting white ironstone, milkglass and getting healthy in 2013 coming soon!

thanks for visting~

Roselle

I am linking up with these parties:
Tweek It Tuesday
Shabbilicious Friday
Feathered Nest Friday
Show and Tell Friday
Be Inspired Friday
Home Sweet Home
 

New Year

Happy New Year. 

Love this photo.  After the year we've had here, and living by the sea, I think it speaks volumes.

 

I like to imagine the gentle sea washing away the year.  Washing it away softly and gently.  Gone.  Forget it.  No bitterness. No anger.  Just softly go away.  Touched by the sea's kiss.  A kiss goodbye.

 

Moving forward with renewed feelings of control and power.  Looking forward to counting our blessings, having peace and  success in all we do!

 

Linking up with Bev's new blog shop party over at:

 

How Sweet The Sound

Sparkly and Light

I've changed up my holiday decorations a bit this year.  Less is more, mostly all white (with a few splashes of color) and I've added a few new things.  These two are new.  I adore milk glass.  CAN NOT pass it up if it's a good piece and in great condition.  I've been wanting one of these sweet pedestal bowls for awhile but can never find one.  I was so happy to have found one this month, just in time for the holidays!  The vintage sewing drawer is another fav piece.  It was originally dark brow but with a coat of Heirloom White, it's a shabby beauty now!  I LOVE the hardware on this piece.  Most of my thrift finds are sold as is in my shop or repurposed.  These two are staying with me :)

This is a part of my shabby cottage cabinet.  Just a vintage restaurant ware bowl with some small ornaments and a pretty wood block featuring vintage style photos of children in the snow.  I'll share the entire cubby in another post.

I collect vintage Putz houses and these lit houses.  I have them all over the house in all shapes and sizes.  This one is sitting on my desk right under the TV.  LOVE the soft colors and tones here :)

Another house here. This is a wee one.  I love the little white fence and pretty white tree :)

 

One of my favorite ornaments on our tree.  I have four of these sweet bells.  They are all in pastel colors.  I've placed faux white poinsettias here and there on the tree to fill in the bare spots.  Even though our tree is green and has a few traditional colored ornies (things my girls made or a few vintage ones from my childhood), the white flowers placed throughout the tree really make it shabby chic and WHITE!!!  I'm so happy with my tree this year.  I will share full pics in another post :)

I hope you enjoyed my few shares today and come back to visit again soon.

Have a great weekend!

~Roselle

Linking up with:

Vintage Inspiration Thursday
Shabbilicious Friday
Show and Tell Friday
Featherd Nest Friday

Holiday Pretties

Sharing some holiday creations today. 

This is a reindeer that is an iridescent white.  I've added hand painted rosebuds, some sparkly bling and some paper flowers.  It looks so pretty anywhere I place her.  She still hasn't found her "forever home" yet.  I can't decided where I want to keep her!  LOL

 

I've got a batch of these vintage skates just waiting their turns for makeovers.  This past year (and more, actually) has been filled with many ups and downs.   My health issues, Hurricane Sandy, my daughter's health issues, etc..  I have decided that my new mantra is the John Lennon quote "Life happens when you are busy making other plans".  This very organized, go getting  gal has been thrown so many curve balls lately that I have decided that from now on I just need to remember to go thru life flying by the seat of my pants and not to expect to get anything done that I had wanted! 

 

So, you see....maybe the ice skates will be finished after Christmas.  When they will be used for beautiful "winter decor" instead of "holiday decor".  My new normal....

Pretty green toasting glasses.  They are a pale green with hand painted roses.   I'm thinking champagne on New Year's Eve!

 

So, I hope to be posting more but yanno...that other shoe keeps falling!

 

Enjoy your visit, thanks for stopping by and Happy December!!!

~Roselle
 

Joining up today with:
 

 Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

 Blissful Whites at Timewashed

 



White Ironstone

I love the simplicity of restaurant ware.  This little ironstone small bowl is adorable.

It's cute holding little Halloween candies but I can see it making a cute catch all or trinket dish.

 

This lovely little platter has a sweet pale green patter around the edges.  Most restaurant ware is heavy and practical.  Usually plain and heavy. There is just something about the history and simple lines of  these pieces that I find lovely.

I am very happy when I find the smaller pieces in my thrift treasure hunts.  I think they make great little ways to display pretties or to use on vanities or counters as catch-alls.

This is one of my favorites.  It's a pretty ironstone platter with lovely raised edges.

These look sweet in a grouping on a wall or in a plate stand on a mantle.

These creamers or syrup containers are fun to use for small vases.  I have one in my bathroom that I use to hold makeup brushes.

 

Joining up today with:

 

Blissful Whites at Timewashed

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

 



Repurposed Fall

WOW! Can not believe it's October already!

I haven't been here since mid August! 

Today I will share some thrifted and repurposed finds for Fall.  This pretty frame was very ornate and reminded me of a Gothic looking Halloween.  I painted the glass with chalkboard paint and voila...a pretty Fall frame!

 

Another thrift score.  Just a simple wooden base with a heavy glass cloch.  I painted the base black and now it's a pretty disply SPOOKY display piece.

This is a clever idea.  I love these heavy iron cobbler forms.  This rustic piece is black with rust, bumps and bruises.  It's cute used in a vignette along with some vintage alphabet cards that spell out Fall.

 

I will be sharing more thrift finds this week and how you can incorporate them into  your Fall decorating.   I like to use pieces that can take me from Halloween to Thanksgiving.

 

Joining up today with:

 

Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House



New Whites

I was able to do a little treasure hunting last week.  I feel in love with this ironstone platter.  It's in almost perfect condition.

Here it sits on my coffee table holding some of my favorite bits and baubles.  Glittered metal stars, vintage salvaged key holes and beautiful tags from the very talented Rosemary.  You can find all her beautiful creations here:  Ozma of Odds

 

I changed up my fireplace mantle about a month ago.  Pretty soon this will all be moved and it will feature white pumpkins and some Autumn rustic beauty.  One thing that never changes is the large mirrored window above.  Occasionally, I hang a wreath on it too.  I would love to make one of those music page wreaths but I never seem to find the time!

  I can't wait to have a fire going on a cool and crisp autumn day.  Nothing like napping while the fire is blazing.  Simple and pure heaven!

 

Roselle

 

Joining up with:

Faded Charm's White Wednesday
Feathered Nest Friday
Shabbilicious Friday
Show and Tell Friday At My Romantic Home



French Farmhouse

Fall is right around the corner and it has me wanting to change up some things to a more "cozy" and warmer vibe. I tend to keep things simpler and way more white in the warmer months.   The idea of crisp Fall days ahead have me looking towards browns, farmhouse chic and a more rustic vibe.  I love these vintage drawers.

  I like using them to display pretties or as catch alls for remotes or those ugly phone chargers :)

This is a vintage cobbler's shoe form I found while thrifting.  Adorable on it's own or even used for a photo or recipe holder/stand.

When I hunt for treasures, I always find myself drawn to these spools.  I can't pass them up.  LOL

I've been pretty MIA lately.  We had a few family getaways and I've been waiting on some medical test results.  Happily, I got the results today and everything is normal.  I am looking forward to rejoining the blog world and all the link parties that I've been missing.  Looking forward to gearing up for Fall and all the the holidays and fun that brings in the blog world.

Have a beautiful day!

Roselle

Joining up with:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Knick of Time Tuesday