The Midst of May

just some pretty flowers to brighten your mid-May day ! (found on Pinterest)

A Year of Pretty - January 16, 2014

Today's Pretty Post was found while searching for images to print and decoupage onto tins for storage. I thought it was such a nice vintage image of "new beginnings", which is what January often means to a lot of people.

How are you doing with your 2014 resolution? Are you still on track, or has time / energy caught you off guard?

I find my biggest downfall is the "I'll do it tomorrow" trap. As in . . . "I'll sew this tomorrow", or "I can do the laundry in the morning". Morning then becomes afternoon and tomorrow becomes two weeks later.

So I leave little notes for myself on the bathroom mirror. "Take down the recycling", or "cut three dresses by Friday afternoon". The notes annoy me, but I can only remove them once the task is done.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still working on my Great Gatsby Fashion Show Challenge. The designs are coming along, the muslins have been cut, my model has been selected and I have the first fitting next week.

But working for yourself is hard. You have to be more conscious of your time and how wisely you spend it. It is so easy to get distracted by the computer or a text message; and the next thing . . . twenty minutes have gone by.

So here's to staying on course with your new beginnings and taking each day to get closer to your goals.

A Year of Pretty - January 04, 2014

Today's Pretty Post is this collection of pink and gold Marie Antoinette inspired china cups and saucers. The original photo source was from Pinterest, but I traced it back to an Australian website called The Vintage Table.

Established in 2010, The Vintage Table is a boutique vintage china rental and and styling company that you hire to help you stage an elegant tea party. Basically, you call them up and arrange to rent their glorious vintage china and they come and set the table and make it look all fancy-schmancy and high class. Great for bridal parties, corporate events and special celebrations. Or even just because you want to get together with some special friends in the garden over a good cup of tea.

The company began with a woman named Alison collecting delicate and pretty vintage bone china for over 30 years. She began loaning her collections to family and friends to host high tea parties, and thought maybe others would like to do the same. And so the idea took hold, and she has now worked with hundreds of brides, high tea hostesses, photographers and food stylists.

I am inspired by Alison and her company because she has taken her life long passion for collecting and turned it into her dream job. Everyday she gets to continue to do what she loves and share her joy with others to help them create wonderful memories of their own.

A Year of Pretty - January 01, 2014

Today is the start of a brand new year. As such, I have resolved to be more inspired, to be more creative, and to share more. I also resolve to wear more dresses than jeans but that's another story.

I'm not gonna lie. Most of these posts are going to be from Pinterest. I will try to include original content whenever I can. But I'm finding a lot of posts lately just link to some sort of  holding tank for images and don't really give credit to the original source. ESPECIALLY with recipes (sooo annoying! I then type in the recipe name into Google search, find it and post the original link to the recipe in the comments of the Pinterest post . . I know, call it my good deed for the day).

So, to start, here is today's Pretty Post to share with you: A set of floral saucers from uncovet.com. The saucers are vintage and have some crazing and minor chipping. But I think they are still lovely. Being vintage, it also makes the set unique and one of a kind.

Makes me think of tea and crumpets and all sorts of wonderful conversations with my mom on the sofa in the big bay window of her home.

Today on Etsy - March 20, 2013

Today's find on Etsy is this beautiful round filigree stained glass pendant with sheer ribbon by colorshoppestudio in Providence, RI.

The top part of the pendent has a Celtic style design with purple, pink and clear crystals. Behind the filigree work is a layer of pink stained art glass.

The pendent measures 1 1/4 inches round and the ribbon cording is 18 inches long with a two inch extension at the closure.

A lovely necklace to wear to a spring or summer garden party or wedding reception.

Scrumptious Soaps

soaps come in all shapes and sizes, not to mention scents. Here are a few that look (and smell) good enough to eat.

These tasty looking cinnamon bun soaps (right) are from Aubrey Elizabeth Apothecary of Winchester Center, CT. Flecked with cinnamon and dripping with white icing, they indeed look very edible.

Another great sweet treat soap set (below) are these brightly coloured macarons by Jakeala from Norfolk, VA. Not only can these be made as a body soap, but also as a shampoo bar or shaving bar in a variety of scents and colours.

And what about these caramel latter cupcake soaps (above) by GlowBodyandSoul from Portland, OR. !?! so decadent looking, with all that glossy caramel drizzled down the sides and the perfect coffee beans on top. A real pick-me-up in the morning without the caffeine.

Sure to surprise and delight, these fun soaps would make for great hostess or teacher's gifts, or for that special aunt who's hard to shop for (nudge, nudge . . .wink, wink)

I'll Take the Cake

Looking for a beautiful way to show of your baking? Have a gander at these gorgeous cake and treat stands by vesselsandwares, sure to make your guests drool.

The colors are reminiscent of pastel icing and the eyelet lace edging of frilly lace, as displayed in this set of three cake stands (shown left). Custom colors are available on special request.

Or, you could opt for a more traditional white or off-white cake stand and thread a colored ribbon through it to match your theme or occassion.

Black and orange for Halloween cupcakes, bright red to highlight a prized Christmas fruitcake. Pale blue or soft pink to celebrate a new baby. Or choose the colors for your wedding and display tempting treats at your bridal shower. Again, you are able to request different colors of ribbon other than the aqua, yellow and green as shown in this set of three eyelet cake plates (shown right).

Based in Atlanta, GA; creator Jeanette Zeis has worked with clay for over 15 years and has operated a pottery wheel full time since 2007.

Her online store offers a wide variety of pottery dishware for the home including bowls, plates, cups and planters. You can learn more about her work at Jeanette Zeis Ceramics.

In the meantime, help yourself to another serving of delicious cake plateware.