Thank You and More Details...

Firstly, I would like to say THANK YOU to all of the lovely readers of my blog who have responded either with a comment or an email about my last post, "Dreams". It's hard to put emotions and thoughts into words that will mean as much to the reader as the writer! By the response, I see that there are many kindred spirits out there.

More Details I Love…


Candlelight looks beautiful in the base of a vintage punch bowl...

I wonder what he is reading?

Ormolu details on an old pocket watch holder...

My thoughts can get lost in the curve of this vase. I am always seeking beauty in the details...

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

DREAMS

When I was little, I fell in love with dance. I dreamed and plotted how I would become one of those amazing graceful creatures. I lived in a world so incredibly opposite of that dream, its realization was almost impossible.

I was already too old for classical training as a ballerina, but that didn’t stop me. I begged my parents to let me attend a Park & Recreation ballet class. They said yes!

I walked to that class every Saturday for a year. I loved the sensation of freedom. I flew through the air moving my body in ways I didn’t know were possible. It was embarrassing sometimes because I was the only girl my age in the class. The median age was 6. I was a whopping 11 years old! That didn’t discourage me though; something strong had taken hold of me and wouldn’t be shaken. The feeling of flying was in my soul.

After scouring the library for books on ballet, I decided the place I needed to be was London! So I began making plans to move my entire family, and train with the Royal Ballet. I knew it was only a pretend dream. But I dreamed it nonetheless.

Then something terrible happened: we moved. We moved away from that wonderful little park class and I had no way to get there. I begged my mother to please drive me. I told her that it was important to my future, that it was my dream!

I think it was the dream part that caught her attention. Little by little my mother began to see that maybe this dream wasn’t so crazy. She helped me find a local ballet school where I could attend one class a week. Unfortunately, our financial situation never allowed for more than one class, and to become a classically trained dancer, you have to train many long hard hours. So my dream began to fade into the distance.

But that is not the end of the story…

I loved dance so much that I began to seek out other forms in high school. I took jazz and modern class and soon I excelled enough to compete. I competed throughout high school, dedicated to the dream in my heart. Even though it wasn’t the ballet that I had loved, it still made me feel that sensation of freedom and flying.

My senior year I began applying for colleges; which in itself was a miracle! It would be the first time anyone in my immediate family had applied for college directly out of high school. The college I wanted to attend had one of the top rated dance programs in the country. I applied but thought my chances were very slim.

During the end of the last dance performance of my senior year, my mother walked into the auditorium. She had told me she wouldn’t be able to attend the performance, so I was surprised to see her.

I ran up to her after the performance and asked her why she had come. She stared into my eyes for a moment and then handed me a white envelope. It was stamped with the letterhead of the college I had hoped to attend. My heart seemed to stop and I felt sick. I said, “Just tell me. What did they say?” She refused and said, “Read it for your self.” I tore into it and there it was: my acceptance letter and a financial grant to help defray some of my college costs.

I couldn’t believe it! I cried happy tears for a long time. My dream was finally coming true!

Now underneath this story is a current of strength, power and miracles. But it wasn’t me. I just had the dream and desire. I believe it was our Heavenly Father who guided each step and heard every prayer and opened every door. He took a dream and made it a reality. Many would say that it was just my perseverance, but I know that’s not true. I believe this is the path He wanted for me. I am an introvert at heart and this was a very extroverted dream! Sometimes I would even ask myself, “What are you doing? But the desire in my heart cried out to dance.

He has continued to use dance in my life, and not just for me, but for the other people He’s touched when I’ve performed.

What I realize now is that every time I took the stage and I said the prayer, “Help me glorify you, Father, in the dance,” that feeling of freedom and flying was coming from Him. He had created me for this. And in my spirit, I was dancing in The Great Performance Hall of the KING!

All photos pictured are from Vintage Victoria Magazine

The Gift of the Magi

The Gift of The Magi by O. Henry is my favorite Christmas tale. I am sharing it here with you having abridged the story.

I believe this might have belonged to Della

THE GIFT OF THE MAGI

By O. Henry

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And the next day would be Christmas. There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. Tomorrow would be Christmas Day, and Della had only $1.87 with which to buy Jim a present. She had been saving every penny she could for months, with this result.

There was a pier-glass between the windows of the room. And suddenly she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length.

Now, there were two possessions of the James Dillingham Youngs in which they both took a mighty pride. One was Jim's gold watch that had been his father's and his grandfather's. The other was Della's hair.

So now Della's beautiful hair fell about her rippling and shining like a cascade of brown waters. It reached below her knee and made itself almost a garment for her. And then she did it up again nervously and quickly. Once she faltered for a minute and stood still while a tear or two splashed on the worn red carpet.

On went her old brown jacket; on went her old brown hat. With a brilliant sparkle in her eyes, she fluttered out the door and down the stairs to the street.

Where she stopped the sign read: "Madame Sofronie Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up Della ran, arriving out of breath.

“Will you buy my hair?" asked Della.

"I buy hair," said Madame. "Take yer hat off and let's have a sight at the looks of it."

Down rippled the brown cascade. "Twenty dollars," said Madame, lifting the mass with a practised hand. "Give it to me quick," said Della.

Oh, and the next two hours tripped by on rosy wings. She was ransacking the stores for Jim's present.

She found it at last. It surely had been made for Jim and no one else. There was no other like it in any of the stores, and she had turned all of them inside out. It was a platinum fob watch chain simple and chaste in design. It would be beautiful with his watch. As soon as she saw it she knew that it must be Jim's.

When Della reached home her intoxication gave way to a little prudence and reason. She took out her curling iron and within forty minutes her head was covered with tiny, close-lying curls that made her look wonderfully like a truant schoolboy.

At 7 o'clock the coffee was made and the frying-pan was on the back of the stove hot and ready to cook the chops.

Jim was never late. Della doubled the fob chain in her hand and sat on the corner of the table near the door that he always entered. "Please God, she said, “Make him think I’m still pretty."

The door opened and Jim stepped in and closed it. He looked thin and very serious. Poor fellow! Jim stopped inside the door, as immovable as a setter at the scent of quail. His eyes were fixed upon Della. Della wriggled off the table and went for him.

"Jim, darling," she cried, "don't look at me that way. I had my hair cut off and sold because I couldn't have lived through Christmas without giving you a present. Say `Merry Christmas!', and let's be happy. Shall I put the chops on, Jim?"

"You've cut off your hair?" asked Jim, with an air almost of idiocy.

"You needn't look for it," said Della. "It's sold, I tell you--sold and gone, too. It's Christmas Eve, boy. Be good to me, for it went for you." Out of his trance Jim seemed quickly to wake. He enfolded his Della.

Jim drew a package from his overcoat pocket and threw it upon the table. "Don't make any mistake, Dell," he said, "about me. There's isn’t anything in the way of a haircut that could make me like my girl any less.” White fingers tore at the string and paper. An ecstatic scream of joy; and then, alas! a quick feminine change to hysterical tears and wails, necessitating the comforting powers of the lord of the flat.

There lay The Combs, the set of combs that Della had wanted. Beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims--just the shade to wear in the beautiful vanished hair. They were expensive combs, and her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of possession. And now, they were hers, but the tresses were gone. She hugged them to her bosom, and at length she was able to look up with dim eyes and a smile and say: "My hair grows so fast, Jim!"

And then Della leaped up like a little singed cat and cried, "Oh, oh!"

Jim had not yet seen his beautiful present. She held it out to him eagerly upon her open palm. The dull precious metal seemed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit.

"Isn't it a dandy, Jim? I hunted all over town to find it. You'll have to look at the time a hundred times a day now on your beautiful watch. Give it to me. I want to see how it looks on it."

Instead of obeying, Jim tumbled down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled. "Dell," said he, "let's put our Christmas presents away and keep 'em a while. They're too nice to use just at present. I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs. And now suppose you put the chops on."

The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones. And here I have lamely told to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days, let it be said, that these two were the wisest.

They are the magi!

Jim's Watch

I hope you enjoyed!

If you are interested in the original you can find it on the web through classicshorts.com .

Memories and Holiday Cheer!

Today was filled with fun memories as I began to decorate for Christmas. I have pictured some of my favorite Christmas decorations for you. I always pick my holiday items carefully. I don't like to overwhelm our space. What's great is it helps me keep the holiday in perspective.

A beautiful plate purchased on Etsy from jkduncanstudios This pedestal plate looks amazing on my dining room table. If you have time please pop on over. Jen has some beautiful Christmas items listed!

A wreath I made years ago nestled on a lovely English eiderdown...

Red Luscious French Ribbon that I purchased at Bell'occhio

An old nativity Baby Jesus. This has been in my family since I can remember.

A beautiful paper and glitter house...

A wonderful vintage cherub head ...

An old book cover torn and rescued from an antique book. I think it's wonderful!!

A lovely little French sign...

This pretty cone was purchased on Etsy from Karla's Cottage . Check out her adorable online shop. She can also be found here at this blog site http://karlascottage.typepad.com/

This is a very special gift from a most beloved friend. I treasure it!

Tinsel Galore...

Gobs of Glitter...

A treasured Santo.

I hope you enjoyed a peek at some of my Christmas treasures.

Details I Love

Pull up a chair and relax...

A beautiful alabaster bust with iron urn...

Details on a 1930's chandelier...

The gorgeous scrolls of a Florentine shelf and white porcelain vase...

Gesso ribbon frame with roses...

Details of wood carving on french table...

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Rose and Thorn

Welcome to the Rose and Thorn
Where whimsy and charm meet magic and delight
Open doors, open garden, open hearts

Tucked around a woodsy bend on the Bohemian Highway in Northern California.

Carole Coler-Dark is the sweetest proprietress you’ll ever meet.


From the moment you enter her delightful world of ambiance and decor, you’re not just a preferred customer, but a special friend.

Her lovely cottage is a wonderful place to shop, relax and picnic!
Details like these signs make Rose and Thorn not only a magical place to shop but a great place to bring the kids.

Carole has the loveliest menagerie of chickens and goats. You can buy fresh eggs daily.

Carole's Cottage Shop!

Aren't these deer too gorgeous for words!

I love this little spot !!

Wonderful Christmas gifts and decorations abound in this enchanted shop!


O.K. these guys are too cute!!

Christmas ornaments are displayed beautifully throughout...

Stop by the Rose and Thorn for a most enchanting visit!

The Most Wonderful Day of My Life

These are the flowers I carried the day I married my BEST friend!

I had the flowers preserved but over time they have faded.

The love has grown richer, stronger and deeper.

Our Hearts have joined forever in the Heavenly Dance.

Thanksgiving Preview...

This year I’m not cooking Thanksgiving dinner. ;)

I will be baking though! One of my lovely sisters has a wonderful partner in her life who is a chef. This year he's cooking our Thanksgiving dinner! I can’t wait to see what we are going to eat!! He’s promised to put a twist on the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

So… I decided it would be fun to put a twist on the traditional pumpkin we decorate our tables with. I made these yesterday.

I used Vintage feedsack cloth and some left over Amy Butler fabrics that I had.

I thought about adding buttons but I like their simplicity.

The best thing is that they were fast and easy to make!

The next time I'll be bringing you a sneak peek into my creative space.

Thanks for stopping by! ;<)

Luxurious Linens

A peek into my linen cupboard… ; )

Lovely Hand Towels, Blankets, Pillow Cases and Lace

Marble Bust with Glitter Crown from Lidy at French Garden House

Fun Vintage Tablecloths

Handmade Baby Booties & Antique Porcelain Studs

The Porcelain Rose Bowl in the back contains lavender to keep the linens fresh and sweet.

I hope you enjoyed the viewing. Have a Beautiful Day!