Table Top Tuesday- using what you collect

New to me inkwell very pink!

A cup ready for hot tea if it is a cold night

Take a peek at my table top for today

I'm joining in again at A Stroll Thru Life

http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

and with Cindy at Show and Tell Friday at:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

While this is not a dining table I thought I would share the top of the nightstand. I keep buying inkwells-- many are inexpensive ones or pink ones and I want to use what I collect so I try to find creative ways to use them since I do not write with pen and ink very often.

Here on the nightstand it holds my little monogram ed MA pill holder.

My nightstand always has favorite books.

Have a Pink day!

Writing letters a la Marie Antoinette

One pot held ink one held sand to blot the ink

I love to write on my monogramed letter paper.

The details and the hand painting are wonderful. This was well cared for in the past

My passions are so much a part of my life. I love to write letters to friends, I love my monogram, I love the style of the decorative arts in the era of Madame de Pompadour and Marie Antoinette and I try and incorporate this style into my life.

I recently became aware of the inkwell-- a necessary implement in times past and one that could be so beautiful and so functional. I knew they existed but had never looked at them as decorative objects until I was reading about the decorative arts of that romantic era.

I am now collecting them in a small way some are more expensive than others but all are lovely.

Leah Fuller has a number of her antiques on Ruby Lane antiques site and I just purchased this charming 19th century Dresden hand painted inkwell by the studio of Helena Wolfsohn from Ms Fuller..It is perfection! You can reach her at Nobili Antiques 949 642-8402 or Here is her link:

http://www.rubylane.com/shop/nobiliantiques

I take such pleasure in using these old items and wondering who had them before they came to me and if previous owners enjoyed it and treasured it as I do now. I have my photos of Marie Antoinette and Madame de Pompadour there to inspire me. I just wish I could write in calligraphy ( I took a class I was awful ) like they did so long ago.

It is fun to sit in my boudoir and write to loved ones and look at the garden through the French doors. Usually one of my cats sits in the chair next to the desk and advises me as I write.

Tabletop Tuesday at:

http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Joint Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home blog:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

and Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound:
http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Have a Pink day!

Have yourself a merry chinoiserie Christmas!

Another find in Madison, Ga antique shop are these chinoiserie boxes. I will use them for storing ribbons. Pink Boy spotted them in an antiques shop. They are not old just pretty.They have enough pink on them to make me happy.
I am joining with Cindy at My Romantic Home today:
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Have a Pink day

Potager in winter for Show and Tell Friday

Potager in fall full of radish and lettuces and herbs

Basil, oregano, gaura in center for pink color in spring

Mustard plant- pretty and I guess I can eat it?

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
My fall potager is full of herbs and lettuces. I leave the gaura in the middle all year it comes back in spring full of pretty pink flowers. We are letting the other bed rest and will plant that one with tomatoes in spring. The top bed will remain herbs and lettuces for easy picking at dinner time.

We added a mirror on the patio. I think it looks good and I can check my lipstick !

Have a Pink day!

Marie Antoinette's sleigh-- sort of

Here it is under our tree- our big swan tree all pink and white

I saw this red wooden sleigh in a shop window after Christmas
Details-- details are important in my vision for the sleigh

Glue them on with Gorilla glue super glue sets in 30 seconds
Our beautiful pink confection of a sleigh in the style of Marie Antoinette
Golden stencil of my monogram

Sydney-Marie tests it out--she feels very royalWe spray painted the embellishments white with glitter on top

Cherubs lead the way on the front

Another monogram larger on the back

Happy Pink Saturday and Show and Tell Friday
This was one of my 'projects' this year. I bought the red sleigh last December. As soon as I saw it in the window I knew what I would do with it.

First we painted it pale, pale pink. Then we painted the runners gold. When I say we I mean Pink Boy did I just have the ideas he has the skills and the muscles!

Then I ordered embellishments from Do It Yourself Chic. They arrived in about a week. We spray painted them white, then sprayed white glitter on top and measured and attached them with gorilla glue. It is so important to lay them out on something flat first get the design then measure the area and make sure you know where they are going you only have 30 seconds till the glue sets up.

This pink Marie Antoinette style sleigh will go next to the big pink and white swan tree and I will use it to hold presents. It was a fun project and not that expensive. research tells us Marie Antoinette enjoyed sleigh rides in winter at Versailles. Her sleigh was probably a lot more ornate.

Click on the links below to see more pink:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Have a Pink day!

Audubon Garden tour Show and Tell Friday-art by Ann Bailey

After it dries for a few days I will take it to the framer.

View Ann painted from her corner in the shade

Still some spots of color in roses and salvia

Hummingbird mint ( a drought tolerant plant) was a hit with visitors

It is time for Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home:
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

We were part of the Atlanta Audubon Society's garden sanctuary tour last Saturday. We had about 150 people come through our tiny garden-- we met so many lovely people and it was a perfect day for it weather wise. We were also so happy that our hummingbirds were active so everyone got to see many of them flying about and feeding on plants and feeders.

The Audubon Society arranged for a painter to paint in our garde while the tour was going on. The artist, Ann Bailey, painted our garden from her vantage point up on our little shaded hill in one corner.

My husband bought the oil painting which was a total surprise! Now we have our garden, complete with tiny hummingbird, in an oil painting that we will treasure always and remind us of the fun day we had with our visitors.

Ann paints portraits of people and animals and other scenes.

You can reach her at: annbaileystudio@bellsouth.net

I urge everyone to feed the birds and hummingbirds. It is part of the cycle of the seasons and for small effort and expense you gain hours of pleasure and birdsong.

Have a Pink day!

French lavabo

A small one I found it is not old just decorative for me

My new one in the master bath

Show and Tell Friday

go to the link on the left I can't insert it here

My Romantic Home

I have been searching for one of these beauties for awhile. They were originally water vessels in Catholic Churches and then people used them in gardens and entry ways and now when people buy them they usually use for decoration or in the bathroom. I love my small one it is not old. the pink one sold at auction a few years ago and the older metal one is so pretty. I will keep my eyes open for that style it would look nice in the garden.

Have a Pink day!

Show and Tell Friday-- a garden gift

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Pink Boy likes to go to antique shops and flea markets and we have some good ones around here. He bought this for the garden a few weeks ago. It really keeps the time. I do not think it is very old --just decorative but fun.

Now when we are outside we know what time it is and I can pretend I am boarding a train in Paris.

Have a Pink day!

For the birds-- or maybe not!

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday at Cindy's

My Romantic Home:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Well, all my good intentions went for naught. I bought this cute large bird cage for finches I would love to have. I have the two Bourke's pink parakeets and they are sweet birds but I have always loved finches. Finches are busy little birds. I think Miss Moss my cat, would love to watch finches they are so active.

Anyway, after bringing the cage home I read on line that finches need to be by windows for the light and they need a longer cage rather than a tall cage. Oops! It has to do with the way they fly.
So back to square one. We may have our friend build an aviary for them with glass sides. He built all my bookcases for upstairs library. He likes a challenge. So no closer to finches but I have another cage to add to my growing birdcage collection!

Have a Pink day!

More monogram fun for Show and Tell Friday

Stamps, seals, embosser all fun things to use

Little tags for packages or could use as labels on jam

It is so fun to use my monogram in a variety of ways- -stamping it on tissue to wrap a gift, on a white little round card to use as a package decoration, and on sealing wax to seal a letter. I just got my sealing wax seal. I kind of see why Maire Antoinette went crazy with her monogram putting it on door knobs, chair frames, milk pails and wax seals too.
Just another way to make daily life a little more stylish which is part of my pink living philosophy.

Today I ordered one more thing with my monogram on it-- I will show it as soon as it arrives.

Join Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Have a Pink day!

Show and Tell Friday and Meet Prissy

Meet Prissy!

Front garden bed lots of roses and peonies and yarrow and gaura

New Dawn roses
Raspberry clown peonies

More raspberry clown

Pink iris foxgloves, and Mexican salvia

Back gate entrance Mortimer Sackler rose -by David Austin

Show and Tell Friday

Join Cindy at My Romantic Home for more show and tell posts:

http://romantichome.blogspot.com/.

This is my favorite time of year. The flowers are coming out to play. Lots of work for a few weeks of wonderful but oh how wonderful !

Meet Prissy our new garden bunny we found her in Pine Mountain, Ga.

Scroll way down for all of this weeks pink posts--it got messed up
Have a Pink day!

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