Puerto Vallarta, Mexico...

Beautiful Mexico! Shawna sent these lovely pictures from

her trip. I wanted to share them so that everyone

who is dealing with smog, fog or inversion

has something beautiful to look at. Those

pink flowers are heaven. Shawna said there

are so many pink flowers that they have

to rake the petals into piles and she

really wanted to dive into a pile

of pink petals. How did she resist???

I never would have been able to.

A New Leaf...

This is a favorite movie of mine. I seem to be the only person who thinks it's hilarious. I love Walter Matthau and his adorable droopy dog face and how he plays irritated. It's so funny.

This movie is about a guy who has a trust fund which would live forever if he would just spend $90,000 a year, and this was a long time ago, but he insists on spending $200,000 a year and so he loses his capital, his... He loses all his money. He becomes poor. Suicide seems the only option... until his butler explains to him that as an alternative to suicide, marriage might be considered.

You will not enjoy this movie if you take any of it seriously. It is dry and very subtle in places but funnier to me every time.

The New and Improved Studio...

All this stuff was on the floor. This little shelf is a Martha Stewart Everyday item from K-Mart. I love it! I was really surprised at the quality. It is really heavy enamel coated metal and I think it will be very durable. I thought I was out of the college furniture stage, but... this was 39.99 and it solved my floor troubles and I love that I can tie all sorts of do-dads to this thing.

Alicia Paulson...

Alicia Paulson is in Romantic Homes this March, right on the cover, (this looks like her to me). I love her blog and her little shop. You can see both here. Very Granny Chic!!! I can't wait to get my issue! Ok... off to paint... :)

Fishs Eddy...

Thanks so much Jenni! This is a fun site. If you only knew how right you are. Aren't these things beautiful?!?!!

Room Service Home... Sale!!!

This is cute!

Fun Valentine Stuff from Kate's...

See it here.

Satine Ribbon Place Cards...

This is a cute idea for a dinner party. See them here.

Thanks Lindsey... Jane Eyre... Marvelous!!!

Jane Eyre was so amazing. What a brilliantly talented cast. Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens were just perfect. I think they have made the definitive version. Has anyone seen this done better? Thanks to Lindsey for pointing this out. I did not know about it. PBS is the only television lately.

Hand Painted Love Boxes...

More Valentines... Don't you love this deep red? I love it!

Alexandra Stoddard...

Alexandra has re-done her site, with lots of fun new pictures, some from the Country Living article. It's wonderful... Big Smile!!! Isn't she lovely.

Hand Painted Love Boxes... St. Patrick's Day Again...

Maybe it's because I don't think I have

a single drop of Irish blood, but I just don't know

which of these four boxes I should send out.

I did like the quote, so I made them all the

same that way.

Hand Painted Love Boxes... St. Patrick's Day...

When painting, it is good to get one or two holiday's

ahead. I finished these yesterday. If you click on the

picture, you will be able to see the detail on the

lids better.

Inside the message says:

May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow

& may trouble avoid you wherever you go.

Great News!!! April is back!

I got this note from April Cornell just this morning with wonderful news. April Cornell will be aprilcornell.com again in February. Hurray!!!

Hand Painted Love Boxes...

Love is a gift...

5 Random Things About Me...

1. I stupidly stepped over a red velvet rope to see a stuffed alligator just a bit closer. He wasn't stuffed.

2. I was in a tornado once and I still have several bits of the shattered car glass that it scattered all over my balcony.

3. I took down a drug ring.

4. In 7th grade I got a D in art.

5. The places I would most like to visit again are: Mykonos, Sorrento (pictured above) and Butchart Gardens.

I tag: Jenni, Boo & Sheesh

Wallace Stegner...

This is my favorite bit of fiction. It is a beautiful love story and would make an excellent read for Valentine's.

You Are Your Choices...

I finished this yesterday. It was wonderful!

"We should look at our life as a whole. The big picture requires that we take whatever pains are required to live a good life. We need to stretch our intellectual capacities in order to achieve excellence. " Alexandra Stoddard

Don't miss it!

Niki's Beautiful New Kitchen...

I left the house again today. It's amazing how social I've been lately. This has to be a record. I went to see my friend Niki's lovely Kitchen remodel and then we had lunch at the church with lots of friends.
As usual, my pictures don't show quite how lovely this kitchen really is. Niki if you read this, let us know what color that green paint is.
I understand that Niki's dad was both the general contractor and the entire labor force and that he did all this so fast while keeping her kitchen in good order for daily use. We won't see anyone top that again soon.
Ofcourse, I love painted wood and I love white, which always makes a clean slate. And, this kitchen is perfectly situated with large southern exposures, so it was just really beautiful in the middle of the day. I think the white cabinets put all that pretty light to better use.

My dad was saying to me that if you make just your own little corner of the world a more beautiful place, it lifts everyone. This is definitely one of Niki's talents, she makes everything more lovely and everyone she knows happier.

Bluebird Valentine...

Oriental trading sells these little bluebird beads and I love to tie them on to packages. They are so cute! See them here, or you can click on the picture to see a larger view of this one.