BailiwickStudio

Mosaic Monday :: Old

Today, and likely tomorrow, I'm sitting close by my two grandsons - one has a stomach bug and the other has a waterfall coming out of his nose. I have a sinus headcold, so it should be fun. ...not! My mosaic today is one of old and vintage things. I pulled these photographs from my files - quick and easy is the name of the game for the next day or so!

I'll be counting up the entries for the Valentine box today, but with both boys clinging to me it might take a while! I'll post the winner as soon as I can.

Visit Mary for more Mosaic Monday.

Pink Saturday :: Pink Salt

Do you use pink salt? It's supposed to be much better for you than plain white table salt. It claims to have a wide range of nutritional and therapeutic properties, both internally and externally. You can bathe in it; you can make a brine and drink it; you can cook with it and on it (I found some pink salt platters and rounds for serving and cooking); you can make potpourri with it. All in all, a miracle salt, don't you think? And pretty, too!

For more pink, be sure to visit Beverly and her Pink Saturday participants today.

Finding Beauty :: La Tour Eiffel

I adore the Eiffel Tower. It has the loveliest shape, and has become a symbol of Paris and all it's beauty, elegance, and romance - at least that's how I feel about it. When Gustav Eiffel began building his tower in 1887 as the entrance to the World's Fair, it was looked at as a monstrosity by many - they even circulated petitions against it. The people who lived near the Eiffel Tower could hardly wait for it's permit to expire so it could be torn down in 1909! Happily, it still stands.

I started collecting Eiffel Tower things a long, long time ago. I love old black & white photographs of it - I have a series of them down a hallway in my home but they were rather hard to photograph. And I really like the whimsical renditions of it - especially this painting by Raoul Dufy. I'm on my third print now - the sunlight fades the colors after a time. And I love these little drawings...

and this little clip...

and these silver charms...

Now if I could just see it in person again! I was 17 years old the last time I was in Paris, and I don't think I appreciated this beautiful tower nearly enough.

Today I'm joining Claudia at Dipity Road for Finding Beauty Friday and Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell. Be sure to visit both!

White Wednesday :: Linens

My eye is drawn to white. When I'm at a flea market I make a beeline for and linger over such things as white linens and buttons, lace and handkerchiefs.

I use these things in sachets, art quilts and pincushions, that is, if I can part with them! Even some of the buttons are too pretty for me to use right away, and hankies and large lace tablecloths definitely require a lot of thought before I can take the scissors to them. Eventually though, I'll relent and use just the right piece for a project. And then I'll go back to the flea market and buy more.

Be sure to visit Faded Charm for more White Wednesday!

One World ~ One Heart

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED!

It's that time again! The fourth annual OWOH giveaway! This event is hosted by Lisa of A Whimsical Bohemian, and is meant to bring bloggers together from all over the world. Last year there were over 900 participants - who knows how many will join the fun this year? All you need to do is leave a comment on this post for a chance to win this giveaway, then go on over to look at all the other blogs and prizes. You'll surely find some blogs that you really love, and new friendships will be born.

My giveaway is this lovely Spring box. I know it's been a hard winter over much of the country and many of us are looking forward to Spring, aren't we? Inside the box is a strawberry lavender sachet made of vintage lace, a wild rose ribbon pin, a decoupaged tin heart (all handmade by me), a bar of lavender soap, a pretty little nest, and a bird from Tinsel Trading Co.

The only rule is that you must have a blog of your own. International comments are of course welcome, as this is an international event.

Contest closes on February 14th and a winner will be drawn with the help of the Random Number Generator on the 15th.

Silver Sunday

I thought I'd join Gypsy Fish today to show off some of my silver. I admit these are older photos, because we still haven't unpacked all our boxes since we moved last October. We need to build bookcases and shelves here and there so I'll have a place to put these pretty things. Such as the vintage cream & sugar set. I have no idea where they are right now!

Or this budvase, found at a flea market. I really like it's patina so I've never polished it.

These baby cups were gifts to my daughter when she was born. She was my first-born; my second-born didn't get any silver, not even a spoon.

I bought this bon-bon dish at a flea market during the time when I kept finding things with a grape motif. I practically had a collection going.

And this pretty vase is gorgeous...

and lastly (for today anyway!) I shared this photo a few weeks ago. See the grape theme going on?

Now I'm encouraged to rummage through those boxes in the garage to see what I can come up with for next Sunday!

Will You Be My Valentine?

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED!

I love Valentine's Day. Maybe because Will and I had our first date that day, or because I adore hearts, or because I love romance. In any case, I think it's cause for celebration. I haven't had a giveaway in eons, so I thought I'd send this pretty Valentine box to someone. Just leave a comment on this post and if you mention it on your own blog I'll add your name as many times as it's mentioned as a referral. Comments will be closed on January 31 and a winner drawn on February 1. I'll send the box right out so it's sure to arrive before Valentine's Day. Oh, and international comments are welcome too.

Inside the box you'll find one of my lavender sachets made as a pretty floral linen heart, a small red heart paperweight, three heart-shaped cookie cutters, a paper rosepetal ball, a set of 10 little flashcards with words of romance in English on one side and French on the other, and of course that Valentine necessity - a box of chocolates.

Be sure to drop by Beverly's for more Pink Saturday! And stay tuned ~ I have another giveaway coming up next week!

Finding Beauty :: Cameos

These little works of art are so beautiful! I started collecting cameos years ago, and looked for them whenever I happened into an antique store or flea market. Finding one every now and then was so much fun, but then eBay appeared and it was too easy. That's about when I stopped collecting them. Still, I keep an eye out for cameos anyway but find that they're rather expensive these days. I don't wear them, except for the little blue one on a chain - after I lost one of the most beautiful ones while wearing it I became rather nervous about losing more of them. So here they sit in this pretty little box where I'll lift the lid every so often, just to admire them.

Don't forget to visit Claudia at Dipity Road for more Finding Beauty Friday.

White Wednesday :: Pitchers

I've long been a collector of pitchers. I started out with blue & white chintz, which I keep inside a glass cupboard because there's really no blue in my house these days. Now I particularly love white ironstone, and I've put a few pitchers along our skinny little mantle (I hope to change that to a lovely wide mantle soon!) in honor of the quiet and peace of January. I really like the simplicity of it after the sparkle and greenery of the Christmas mantle.

Faded Charm has a long list of White Wednesday participants - if you like white, there's lots of inspiration!

 

Mosaic Monday :: Favorite Finds

These are today's flea market finds. We went to the Long Beach Flea Market rather unexpectedly - we didn't plan on going but some other obligations fell through so off we went. It was one of the best markets! I bought something within 60 seconds (Will always times my first purchase!), and then I five-and-ten-dollared myself through every aisle and found all the things I love finding... from the top left: a large wire cone just like one I saw at the Rose Bowl a few months ago and regretted not buying, plus two metal candlesticks with a fantastic patina; a lovely little porcelain plate, small keys for projects, and a crocheted doily; my favorite find of the day - 2 yards of a heavy, floral linen - I love this!; French dishtowls; a pewter bowl, vintage buttons, and embroidered hankerchief; and a sweet table lamp that only needs a shade. And there was more, too, but I ran out of light for photographing - California is getting darker by the minute as our much needed rain storms are beginning to roll in off the coast.

Visit Mary at Little Red House for more Mosaic Monday!