You gotta have dreams!!!

As some of you know, I’m born in Sweden and me and my husband moved to California in the 90s. I was surfing the web the other week and found “my dream”!!! I found this fixer upper farm for sale and it’s just outside the town we used to live in. It’s situated on approx. 5 acres of land and with a main house probably built in the 40s, the old farm house still intact, several outbuildings, garage and even the old barn. My head has been spinning with ideas since I found it, it would be a dream spending the summers months back home and the rest of the year in California. The timing is not right at the moment but maybe one day that can be a reality, you gotta have dreams!!!

View from the road, the old farm house to the left

 

 

View from the main house over the outbuildings and the barn  

Old farm house with all the old details intact inside

 

The barn, I can almost hear the cows and horses………

And the lake is just down the road!

The scary part is, that I grew up on a farm more or less like this and as a kid I could not wait to get old enough to move in to town and now this is my dream!!!!

Please join Sisters Gift Company & the Participating Boutiques at Make Mine Pink for Shopping with a Twist on Friday June 26, 2009 as we present "A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME".

I've never seen a rose I didn't love. From the first blossom of spring, gently swaying in the breeze, to an intricately stitched needlepoint rich in history, I love them all. Silk roses mixed with a bunch of silk hydrangeas, gracing a vase on the mantle. Cabbage roses on a sugar bowl and creamer, brought out for a grandmother's tea. Colorful rose cupcakes scented as beautifully as they look..........

Photo Contribution 1:The Decal Cottage 

Photo Contribution 2:Katie's Rose Cottage

Save 20%

All item listed in our Pink Friday Category will be priced with a 20% discount

Offer only valid Friday June 26, 2009

Glad / Happy Midsummer!!

Happy Midsummer!!
This weekend is one of the biggest holidays in Sweden. It’s Midsummer with all that goes with it! The Maypole, Summer Solstice, the Pickled Herring, the New Potatoes and the Nubbe (Vodka shot). I so wish I could be home in Sweden to celebrate, maybe next year!

This is an old picture from the 70’s, I’m the “cute” girl second from the left ";0)

Please join Sisters Gift Company & the Participating Boutiques at Make Mine Pink for Shopping with a Twist on Friday June 19, 2009 as we present "Favorite Finds".

You know that sudden flutter you feel when you discover a long sought after treasure? Maybe it's a piece of faux pastry delicately iced and trimmed with lace satin ribbon that takes hold of your imagination and makes you smile. Or vintage china pieces with hand painted roses that bring back forgotten memories. A cottage frame trimmed in vintage wallpaper to hold a treasured photo. Crisp table linens, reminiscent of special teas shared with Grandmother so many years ago. Hand painted silk roses adorning a beautifully wrapped gift or Cameo soaps, delicately scented to tuck inside a drawer of vintage hankies.An armful of hand-embroidered pillowcases you can't wait to bring home and show off by piling them on your bed.  A rose scented candle that hides inside a special teacup. Garden party hats with vintage floral brooches and ribbon bands, just right for a party or to dress up a corner of your room. Broken china mosaics on a teapot, lamp or silver plated tray to bring out when company comes.  A vintage rhinestone necklace and bracelet to put on for just the right occasions............
Joyce Lucas, Founder Make Mine Pink

 

Photo Contribution 1: Pink Hugs Sweet Shoppe  Photo Contribution 2:The Roseberry Cottage

Save 20%

All item listed in our Pink Friday Category will be priced with a 20% discount

Offer only valid Friday June 19, 2009

Please join Sisters Gift Company & the Participating Boutiques at Make Mine Pink for Shopping with a Twist on Friday June 12, 2009 as we present "Along the Garden Path"

 Photo Credit:Treasured Heirlooms

Delights and pleasures that make your heart beat a little faster await you along the garden path. Sights and sounds and smells that excite your senses and inspire your imagination. Perhaps it's the purple cone flowers, multicolored morning glories, fragrant angel trumpets, or the lordly foxglove, all grown from seed and tended with love, that line the path and remind you to dream. Or the delicate shadow of a Victoria trellis supporting a new vine that takes you on a new flight of fancy. In the early morning hours, or when the sun begins to set, a verdigris candle holder or metal scroll work lantern might illuminate the garden pathway. But it's the vintage metal buckets painted with floral designs and planted with overflowing flowers, that seem to light the way.......... 
Joyce Lucas, Founder Make Mine Pink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: Caroline Alexander

 

Save 20% All item listed in our Pink Friday Category will be priced with a 20% discount

Show & Tell
I would like to Toot one of my Pink Sisters @ Make Mine Pink. I just bought the cutest Ladybug bracelet from Misty Moonlight Creations and let me tell you, I’m overjoyed!

Lynette had my order shipped in no time and had even included a super cute additional bracelet for free, thank you sweetie! She also included the sweetest kitty cat thank you card, some yummy tea and to top it of the some potpourri, so when I opened the package it smelled wonderful from the potpourri.

Thank you Lynette for everything!!

Please join Sisters Gift Company & the participating Boutiques @ Make Mine Pink for shopping with a twist on Friday June 5, 2009 as we present "Something Old, Something New - A Perfect Time for a Summer Wedding!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Something old, something new. something borrowed, something blue. The age old timeless phrase describes the perfect ingredients for a beautiful summer wedding.
Something old symbolizes continuity with the past. Perhaps the  bride will wear a piece of heirloom jewelry passed from mother to  daughter. A necklace your mother wore to her wedding and your grandmother to hers. A vintage piece of delicate lace stitched into  a veil or the edge of a wedding dress, or tucked into an embroidered  sleeve, a vintage wedding hankie passed down from a great-grandmother.
Something new, to show hope for the new life ahead. Whether it be the traditional strand of pearls a new bride wears or rose patterned wedding invitations embossed with the initials of the special couple. A scrapbook uniquely designed to hold the memories of this day. A rose photo frame to hold your memories. A vintage cake topper - new to you - a bride and groom surrounded by vintage daisies and lily of the valley buds. A quilt lovingly hand-stitched for the new couple to treasure forever.
Something borrowed, reminding the bride that she can depend on their friends and family in the years to come. Stepping away from the wedding attire, today's bride and groom often choose blend the old with the new as they plan a more intimate reception using vintage silverware borrowed from grandmother's silverware drawer to serve the reception dinner. The crystal candle holders that sit on the dresser of a good friend. A vintage beaded clutch, borrowed from a mother's closet. A round hanging mirror framed by lavender vintage flowers and ribbon, to lend the bride when she checks her veil is sitting just right.
And something blue represents a love that remains true. Robin's egg blue  thank you notes. Blue forget-me-nots on vintage china to serve the  bridal tea. Unique wedding centerpieces that combine the old and the  new, with a touch of blue for good luck.
The past, the future, friendship, family, and forever love, joined together to create one perfect day.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Photo Contribution: Misty Moonlight Creations

Behind the Scene

After I moved out from my warehouse earlier this spring my studio / shop at the house has been packed with stuff and I could hardly see to the end of my space. Well, that changed this last weekend then I decided to clean house / organize……..

 

Welcome to my Packing Center / Sewing Studio / Upholstery Shop!

First to the left all the boxes, mailers etc neatly stacked and

to the right my little packing area were all the orders get checked and securely wrapped and boxed.

The very practical rolling bin with the packing peanuts, you gotta have those even if they are a pain in you know what!

 

I’m a certified upholsterer in Sweden (used to own my own shop) and when we moved here to US, we shipped over most of our belongings in a container. Anyway, the cutting table is one tiny section of a humongous cutting table that I purchased from a textile factory.

I purchase my industrial sewing machine used +20 years ago and I have never had a problem with it, runs like new!

Meet Mr Astor the Button Maker, a trusted old friend!

 

This is more or less all the tools you need to do some basic upholstery work, just few hand tools and you are set to tackle almost any project.

Hope you enjoyed the little tour behind the scene, nothing fancy but it is all functional!

;0) Helene

The Secret Garden

Please join Sisters Gift Company & the participating Boutiques at Make Mine Pink for shopping with a twist on Friday May 29, 2009 as we present "The Secret Garden"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Contribution 1: Angel Heart Designs

“Discover a secret garden, a sacred place that refreshes your senses and feeds your soul. Whether purposefully planted - like grapevines carefully twisted along a white painted arbor - or tended by nature's hand - a colorful explosion of wildflowers in a forgotten field - you'll recognize your own by the little flutter you feel inside. A place that inspires new dreams and renews forgotten strengths.

It could be bold... like a spring garden of bright red tulips, with a friendly plaque that says "Welcome friends." Or rows of dahlias in strawberry, sherbert, and lipstick pinks, lining a garden pathway. Perhaps it's delicate as dainty hearts bleeding from a hidden bush, or a single lily, whose petals are beginning to open in the sun. A perfectly pruned rosebush in a landscaped yard, or a topiary of French roses placed on the patio for everyone to enjoy. An untamed daisy bush that decided to spring up in a hidden corner, and catch your eye whenever you look out your kitchen window. A leafy hosta surrounded by blue forget-me-nots and ceramic mushrooms. Orderly pink and purple fuchsias trailing from painted pots, accompanied by a tea cup bird feeder.
Or does your own secret garden flourish indoors? A garden embroidered along the edge of a vintage linen tablecloth, or decorating the notepaper and envelopes you keep on your writing table. Romantic peach rosebuds encircling a china plate. French ribbon roses, and hand-built ceramic roses added to dresser drawers and empty table tops.  A floral pattern on a vintage handkerchief. Fleur-de-lis carved into a white display shelf. A vintage needlepoint of pink stargazer lilies surrounded by burgundy roses.  A garden of photographs and memories, sprinkled with tiny flowers.
Secret gardens, wherever they may lie, fill our days with sacred places and secret sanctuaries.”

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Photo Contribution 2: Carol's Rose Garden

Show n Tell May 17th

This weekend was way to hot for my taste, same thing every spring before I get used to the heat and I’m sure one of my Kitties thought it was to hot too because here is where I found her and let me tell you she HATES water!! 

I went down to my booth at Granny’s Attic in Temecula on Saturday afternoon to do some straightening up and restock. It is always fun to see what sold during the week and talk to the customers that browse the Mall, if you ever are in the area Granny’s is well worth a visit and the staff is very nice and helpful.

 

The Mall has well over 100 Shops and very nice mix of merchandise

Welcome to my little booth, I could use the triple size, can you tell…….;0)

We have heard about this sports bar in Riverside that put on a Rockabilly Show once a month. We finally went where Saturday night and we had so much fun, the music was great and such a mixed crowd, all from young greasers to old-timers, all having a ball!!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great creative week!