Chelsea Morning

Picture yourself living outside of London, England in a pretty rural suburb. You look out the window and the sky is clearing. Big white puffy clouds and the telly says sunny all day! That is very good because your Gal Pals, Lisa and Donna are going antiquing with you. The chickens and goats are fed and the cat has settled into her favorite rocker. This will be a perfect day....

You recall Joni Mitchells song "Chelsea Morning" and it is on replay in your head.

The giant annual flea market is a short distance away and you say a silent prayer that you will have self control and only buy things that have a function! It's still new enough in the year where there is hope of living up to your resolutions...

Friendly competition is how we describe our shopping forays. Donna is on the lookout for fabrics, Lisa is on the hunt for vintage, retro anything and I am looking for that special item that reminds me of my Joni Mitchell song..

We separate after 15 mins. and I stumble upon a gorgeous concoction of color, print with a freshness that overwhelms my senses. The proprietor of the booth is wearing a charming apron and has lots more to sell just like it in a variety of colors. She has the best prices on thermal bags for toting my lunches to and fro my workplace/studio and the sweetest patterned travel mugs and cups that tie in with all the other patterns!!! Who is this wonderful designer and how will I ever stay true to my new years' resolution? All self control flies up into the fluffy white clouds and I remember my other mantra, "surround your self with beauty and love".

Well, it is all functional I remind myself as I roll out my tattered wallet...

After we part and I say farewell to my BFF's I repeat the feeding of animals and unpack my precious loot! Forget the hunger pangs it's time to re-do the cottage with some of the lovely finds from the most wonderful day!!!

I way going to name this theme "Home Sweet Home", but of course, now it's "Chelsea Morning"!!! Come visit me in the Gift Shop and see the fantasy I get to live for my work/play days.... You won't want to miss this burst of happy color of (functional) home, gift and accessories.

Blue Dresser

The wind outside our home is causing quite a ruccus! First, the chickens feathers are blowing every which-way, then the coops' bird netting is coming undone & when Hubby tried to check on it he ran into a bucket of rain water hanging on the clothes line, tipped it and of course all the water coursed down his back. BRRRR! The good news he laughed it off...
Shop-girl is home prepping for that "golden years" medical procedure tomorrow. No, it's not plastic surgery; it's the south of the border colonoscopy...I'm drinking the "product" and chasing it with 7up.
Everywhere I look in the house there is a jolt of color. I just love to experiment with every color and palette, mix it up and see what happens. I recently discovered I now have too many bowls and the pop o color bowls from Anthropolgy have been relegated to the blue dresser. Well, another happy eye candy moment. Grabbed the camera, took another swig of the horrible stuff and here is the result!

FRENCH FARMHOUSE

French farmhouse
“French women work harder than any other nationality of women”.
You may be saying to yourself, why, what a ridiculous statement!
But, the author of said hilarity was a chef and he stands firm on his belief.
French women, he believes can take the plainest tasting food and turn it into something short of miraculous.
We are obsessed with anything French, it seems. Perhaps this is not a trend but worthy of our fascination, for whom else can have a dish called “calves face”? They must have very refined taste buds or a clear, ability to distinguish between the so-so and the endless possibilities that herbs and spices bring to flavor… And the ingenuity to create fabulous from little or nothing. Most likely the result of famine and war, poverty and scarcity.

In honor of French women everywhere we have a compilation of gifts and home décor to delight your senses!
Be sure to inhale the heavenly fragrance of the Pre de Provence soap and toiletry line. The factory has been in the Provence region since the 1800’s and is a personal favorite of mine. In the morning, I look forward to 2 things, my coffee and my French Lavender soap.
Au revoir my friends! Shop Girl