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.

Mod Bod... How to dress Utah...

If you are planning a trip to Utah in the near future, this is what you need to have. Mod Bods are everywhere. This is the accessory needed to cover the little unmentionables left uncovered by low riding rises and such. You can also wear plunging necklines with ease because Mod Bod will make sure that you don't have a wardrobe malfunction. I have not yet become part of this trend, because through very selective shopping I have been able to avoid the low rises and the plunges as well, but now that they added some cute lace to the bottom....

This is a pretty cute little Valentine...

Hand Painted Love Boxes...

I did this pattern last year for Valentine's Day. This is the only one I made in these colors and I kinda liked how it turned out. Read about it here.

Land of Nod...

Land of Nod has some cute Valentine's Day ideas.

See them here. Candy dominoes anyone?

Pine Cone Hill

Pine Cone Hill makes the most beautiful things. Love these chrysanthemum pillows. See them here.

Daisies...

I always thought I liked white daisies best, but look at these. They are lovely. See them here.

Valentine's Movies...

I love this movie... I especially love the part where Richard Gere's character says...

I guarantee it won’t be easy. I guarantee that at one point or another, one of us is going to want to leave. But I also guarantee that if I don’t ask you to be mine, I am going to regret it for the rest of my life, because I know in my heart, you are the only one for me.

What is one of your favorite Valentine movies?

Magpie... A Love Story...

There is this magpie that likes to visit the window next to my desk. He seems to be in love with his reflection. He's a narcissistic magpie, you could say. At first his amores were rather alarming, to hear all the frantic fluttering against the glass right in the middle of your best concentrations, then they were annoying. How can he be in love with his reflection when the window is so dirty? He must have poor sight. Now, I just think it is a sad testament to the suffering of this poor bird's unrequited love. I guess he can visit my window if it makes him feel better.

Shelly Tribbey...

I love the bright and happy artwork of artist Shelly Tribbey who makes everything from tassels & pillows to amazing floral collages and beautiful watercolors. See her site here.

Conversations All Wrapped Finally Up...

Hurray!

Granny Chic... Moda Home...

Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion Magazine featured a darling Moda Home ad this month. While there are many stores that offer bits of this line, you can find much of it online here, atleast what hasn't sold out since the ad ran. I adore this stuff and most of it is very reasonable price wise. I think I may send an email asking when re-stocking will be happening, if I find out anything, I'll let you know.

Brighter And Brighter Until The Perfect Day...

With the doom and gloom of gray-brown skies and more inversion forecasted. These are becoming more and more appealing. They are Martha recommended.

Lovely Katherine's Lovely Home...

Yesterday, I un-hermited myself after two weeks of

straight painting. I went to visit my friend Katherine in her lovely

new home. I love it because she had so much color added

right at the beginning. Most of the main floor is this soft yellow

with white trim. Notice her beautiful, black, iron balustrade. It

is so elegant. The white cupboards in the kitchen are really

lovely with the black dining table and black and white

marble counter-tops. Pay special attention to the

rock fireplace in the last picture because Katherine

did the rock work herself.

Katherine, thank you for the wonderful lunch.

It was so fun to visit with you and Jess.

Your home is so lovely, which is very you.

Alpine V...

My friend made this drink. It has a fruit in it called the Alpine Sandthorn Berry which is a fruit that contains some of the omega vitamins found in fish. Amazing. I was prepared for it to taste yuck because it's a health food supplement, but it doesn't. It's really delicious. Read about it here. Good job!!!

Elephants, Hearts & Flowers... Oh My...

Michelle came by last night to show me all of these lovely things that she has made this week. I think this elephant can count as a Granny Chic item because Michelle told me that the pattern belonged to her Grandmother. My camera is not doing justice here because the detail and the color are better in real life.

Very cute Michelle! Thanks for sharing!

If you didn't get a chance...

Please still put your two cents in on the flooring post below. And, I hope some of you caught the second two parts of the China From The Inside documentary that aired last night. Amazing!

Favorite Old Valentines...

Top: My Lily of the Valley Valentines Boxes

from 2002.

Bottom: A little love pillow made by Michelle

Favorite New Valentine...

I bought these the other day for about $5 all together. They are tiny, the tallest one is about 3 inches high. They need one little posy each.

I also love these...

Conversation heart cookies... Also here.