I love Show and Tell Mondays

Join us at Make Mine Pink on the forum for Show and Tell Monday. This is what I am working on this week. It is a set of pillowcases, dresser scarf, and doilies.

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, February 20, 2009 as we present French Farmhouse!


Close your eyes and imagine the sun-warmed tumbled stone tiles beneath your feet, take in the scent of lavender, listen to the sounds of the chickens in the yard.
Where are you?

At a lovely French Farmhouse.

What makes up the French Farmhouse?

A home decorated with cherished family heirlooms handed down through the generations asking to be touched and used. The nicks, scuffs and dents are the patina that only comes with time and offers a sense of history. The wear and tear is meant to be celebrated. French Farmhouse style lies in its eclectic nature of mix and match, use what you have, finding a new use for an old item. French Farmhouse juxtaposes a velvet sofa with a tattered linen chair and a Louis XIV armoire. All well loved and still meant to be used not to be put in a museum. The colors and patterns are a mixture of bright blue, red and yellow of Provence used next to the two-tone toiles of Jouy-en-Josas and silks of Paris. Rugs have a used and tattered patina of the past centuries layered with the newer brighter rugs of the past decade. To complete the French Farmhouse one must tell their own story by adding brocante- items that a bit to nice to throw away; not quite junk not quite art. Add flower frogs under bell jars, a row of children’s wooden boats on the mantle, an old tiara on a cake stand or vintage perfume bottles on the dressing table. If you love books, line every shelf with them and add stacks to all the tables. Wire bird cages, cast-off egg baskets, rustic ladders and garden trellis all find safe haven in a French Farmhouse. Bring the garden in to the house by adding florals here, there and everywhere. Fresh flowers are a must in nearly every room. Using what you love becomes the only rule to decorating in the French Farmhouse.


Enjoy your time in the French Countryside.


Sharon Wollman,

www.CestChouetteHome.com

Image provided by:
www.meadowstreet.com

You all will think I'm Crazy But......

I have always wanted to do this. I had planned to go to Paris this spring but I am helping with my grandkids till my daughter goes to boot camp this summer. So when she gets through with her boot camp and training I plan to go on the road. I will buy a van and convert it. I will live in this van for a year traveling from place to place. I plan to take my business with me and not only sell on line but at shows too. I'll soon be 56 with my children grown and no one I need to take care of besides me, I think it is time to live the gypsy live I have always dreamed of. I will keep you posted on the steps I'm taking and how it turns out. I don't plan on leaving until 2/2010, so I have plenty of time.

Monday's Show and Tell

This kitchen towel with onions will not make you cry, I promise

Chamomile sachet

French Farmhouse hint

Sweet hearts hand embroidered pillowcases

Join me and all the other ladies of Make Mine Pink in the forum as we celebrate Mondays. My show and tell this week includes a sneak peak of 2 French Farmhouse items that I will be offering on the Pink Friday event and a couple of new items for my web site.

You can find the pillowcases in my "Little Pink Boutique" at http://www.makeminepink.com/boutiques/details/?store=37

Shades of a Rose

The shade of a single rose so eloquently captures all the feelings of a special moment, reflects all the memories of everything that has happened before this time, and expresses the hopes of many moments yet to come.

The first single rose a young woman receives might be given while she is still a girl. Perhaps it is a delicate shade of peach, from someone who knows every ounce of effort that has gone into a special performance, or accomplishment. It's an appreciation of everything the girl is right now, and all she hopes to be.

Later, a single rose in a deep shade of orange says, "I am so proud," and expresses admiration of everything she has become. She has graduated from girlhood and she is ready to take on the world.Now that she is a woman, her grace and beauty catch someone else's eye. A pink rose, held in a hand made bold by sweet love, tells her of unspoken feelings. After a time, the same hand brings a newly bloomed red rose to announce, "I love you." A single white rose might follow, proclaiming a love that is stronger than death.

The shades of a rose, like a moment in her life, can contain a myriad of meanings. A single yellow rose might speak of contentment and happiness. Placed on a bedside table, it could celebrate the unbridled joy of a new birth or anniversary of another year together. It could also make the promise of a new beginning, or to make up for things that have gone wrong.Soon it becomes the woman's turn to give a single rose. She carefully selects one in a delicate shade of peach. It's been chosen for another girl, not yet a woman, who is full of promise and life, and given with the hope that she too will experience life in all its beautiful shades.

Joyce Lucas, Founder

Shades of Roses

This week on Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink we are celebrating "Shades of Roses." Stay tuned and check me and all the other ladies out.

Show and Tell Monday

Today I am getting a jump start on Show and Tell Monday at Make Mine Pink. I have added some fresh sachets to my site, a set of men's golf embroidered handkerchiefs, and I'm working on this very pretty set of pillowcases.

OH MY -- This took my breath away

New items listed on my site for Valentines and Easter

Here are some pictures of items I just listed on my site in the Be My Valentine and Spring Easter Categories

Pink Friday -- Be My Valentine

Remember the days when we took shoeboxes and transformed them into treasure chests, sacred vessels ready to receive Valentines from our classmates? The anticipation we felt when we carved slots in the tops with blunt pairs of school scissors, making sure the openings were large enough to receive the dozens of cards we hoped would soon be delivered... but not so big that we would appear greedy. For that one day, we were willing to extend our friendship to even the boy who pulled our hair.

Later, the tingling excitement as we spent hours pouring over each and every sentiment that had been dropped into our box of hope... eager to find that one special card from a best friend, a boy we liked, or the most popular girl in class. Pouring over each sentiment, examining the carefully formed letters of each name.

The days of decorated shoeboxes and clumsily lettered names may have been long ago, but many things still fill us with the same little flutters we felt back then.

Finding a stack of vintage postcards in a favorite antique shop – some garlanded with roses, others with whimsy and fun. Uncovering a tarnished locket filled with memories of lost loves, at the bottom of an abandoned jewelry box. Picking up a weathered journal and discovering the dreams of a young woman as she embarked on her own journey of love.

A delicate hankie from a past generation, lovingly stitched with pink and red roses. Yellowed stacks of love letters, unfading feelings bound with a tattered ribbon.

As Valentine's Day draws near, I find myself feeling nostalgic for the things and feelings of the past. I'm opening the drawers of my memory and sifting through moments that have been stored away for a time just like this.

Happy Valentines Day,
Joyce Lucas, Founder

:Ladies Personalized Handkerchiefs Are Back

I have in stock lots of handkerchiefs ready for personalization again. Use them for Mother's Day, birthdays, Easter, birth of a new baby (1 for mom & 1 for baby) bridal parties, the bride, tea parties, or any special occasion.

Monday Show and Tell at Make Mine Pink

Please join us on the forum at http://makeminepink.com/ to see what we are working on.

This week I added a couple of things with a rose theme.

I also added some new items to the support the cause of breast cancer research and women's heart disease.

And I added 3 bridal items

Romantic Roses -- Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink

I’ve never seen a rose that I didn’t love. From the first tender blossom of early spring, gently swaying in the breeze, to a beautifully and painstakingly stitched needlepoint, rich in history, I adore them all!

Roses represent so many different things to each of us and are often used to celebrate special occasions such as weddings, births and anniversaries. Roses have also been used throughout the centuries in grand estate as well as small cottage gardens, many styles of home décor and of course fashion. Milliners used silk roses to embellish the finest hats, while seamstresses stitches the richest brocade drapes adorned with roses.

Throughout the years, famous artists have studied and painted every aspect of the rose. Antique lithographs and modern impressionistic paintings inspired by the great rose artists from the 1800s, grace our homes today with their everlasting beauty. Roses continue to gracefully fit every lifestyle and décor.

If you have a soft spot for roses as I do, won’t you please join us for PINK FRIDAY at Make Mine Pink on Friday January 23rd as The boutiques at Make Mine Pink present “Romantic Roses.”

What A Day -- Yes We Can

Show and Tel Monday

Please join us on the forum at Make Mine Pink for Show and Tell Monday. This week I have created a blog for my granddaughter, Amanda. She will be keeping a blog about recycling, fashions from thrift store finds, and frugal living. See her blog at http://recyclingamanda.blogspot.com

I also am in Valentines mode. I just added this sweet Lavender Sachet

Announcing a new blog

Amanda, my granddaughter and I are launching a new Blog. It is called Up-cycling Amanda. On this blog we will give you all kinds of tips for being frugal, up-cycling clothes to make new fashions, and offer grocery bags we'll be making that you can purchase.

Something New

Here are some of the new items I am listing on my site this week. The salt and pepper shakers are so cute and a must for any collection. The "Mother" plate is one of my favorite collectibles, and of course the pillow is so sweet.

Pink Friday In With The New

The year 2009 promises to be full of fun and exciting themes for your shopping pleasure. Won't you join us each Friday as Make Mine Pink presents Shopping with a Twist?

“In With the New” With the the New Year well underway; many of our resolutions neatly tucked away. Were your plans to add a new color to brighten even the dullest of January days, or perhaps organizing your desk just to clear things away a bit? Was it resolve for time spent alone in thought with a fresh new tea and new decorating book, maybe candles to brighten even the darkest of winter evenings, or a special bubble bath for a relaxing spa night? Which ever way you celebrate “In with the New” the boutiques at Make Mine Pink are ready and able to help with a glimpse of new trends, colors and designs for a fresh start to your new year.

Please join the boutiques at Make Mine Pink Friday January 16th for shopping with a twist.

Show and Tell Monday

It has been a while since I have done a show and tell Monday with Make Mine Pink. This week I uploaded two fabric designs to Spoonflower.com and will be adding a set and an additional pillowcases done with machine embroidery for the Shopping Friday.

Making Way for the New at Make Mine Pink

The year 2009 promises to be full of fun and exciting themes for your shopping pleasure. Won't you join us each Friday as Make Mine Pink presents Shopping with a Twist?

Don’t you just love the first week of January? All the holiday trimmings are stored away, the gifts are in use or proudly displayed, our houses are freshly cleaned and organized, and all the proper pillows are back on the sofa.

But wait—there is something, just a little something, nagging at us. Yes, time for a quick change here or there. Maybe new pillows will make that sofa more inviting, a new rug to give the room a quick pick-me-up, some different everyday dishes would perk up the kitchen, or the fresh sent of a new potpourri will welcome us home each day. Well, that is it... the wonder of the New Year—we see everything anew.

The Boutiques at Make Mine Pink are experiencing the same thing. We love everything we offer in our boutiques (our merchandise is gorgeous), but it is time for us to straighten up the shelves a bit, look at everything with new eyes, and refresh our stock. So, we are celebrating this Pink Friday with a special “Making Way for the New” shopping event. Don’t be fooled by our fabulous sales, this is not old, dusty, unwanted stock. It is our usual, beautiful and unique merchandise! We just need it to go to a new home so that we can stock our shelves with new and even more exciting merchandise for the new year.

Don’t miss this once a year event! Friday, January 9th at Make Mine Pink!

How would I fix the car crisis

First of all I don't often get on a soap box, but every now and then I just feel I have too. The auto industry bridge loans begs me to speak out.

Why give the car manufactures the money when the cars on the lots are not selling. What -- are they going to continue to make cars that sit in lots somewhere? No -- the automakers have not shown they can run a profitable business. Also the dealers can't afford to get new cars when they can't sell what is on their lots.

I say give the 35 billion dollars to the tax payers in the form of grants.

If you gave a 18 thousand grant to individuals to purchase a new car -- not a luxury car but a good mid range car the government could buy almost 2 million cars. This would help the local dealers and give the parts, dealers, and the auto makers a new place to start.

Who would get the 2 million cars
1. People on disability based on ability to drive -- current car must be older than 5 years old
2. Single working mothers (have custody of their children) who we know make less the men do
3. Single working fathers (have custody of their children) because they don't receive as much child support because women don't make as much as men do
4. Working families

This is my opion but seems to me a better solution that what is being proposed.

Gas Prices how low will they go

Right now in Clarksville TN, you can buy gas for $1.36. This is amazing since it was over $4 just 3 months ago. Will it dip below a $1? That would be nice. What do you think?

Blog Drawing

Leave me a comment about your favorite gift ever and you could win a hand embroidered kitchen towel and a little surprise. Comments must be in not later that 12:00 midnight this Sunday so I can get it in the mail on Monday.

Free Shipping Starts Friday December 5 at Beloved-Creations

Free shipping from Beloved-Creations is our holiday gift to you. Starts Friday December 5 and runs through December 20.

Last Minute Gifts

Do you need last minutes gifts? How can we help you?

The boutique owners at Make Mine Pink understand, because, you see, we are not only boutique owners, we are wives, mothers, daughters, and friends too. We know what it means to find the perfect gift for that special person. We too shop at last minute, at odd hours, or in our jammies—so ask! We are willing to help you find the perfect gift, wrap it, and send it on the way. It is our pleasure.

Happy Holidays!

The Girls at Make Mine Pink