September ~ New Year

Every September begins a new year for me. I take time to contemplate the past year and pray for the year to come.

I had my special day this last weekend. I’m another year older. The day was filled with love, laughter, and a specially cooked meal for my loved ones.

Gifts that touch the heart are those that I treasure most. They never come with a price tag. They fill your very being with a happiness that is unequaled. I find myself wishing these moments could last forever, but as the clock ticks they are replaced with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I will bottle away the fragrance of this joyful day. And as my new year progresses, if I should meet with a rough patch, I will remove the stopper to my bottle and breathe in deeply the fragrant memories.

Wishing you all a Happy New year!

It's Here!

I've been waiting for this day for nine months.

Happy First Day of Autumn!

Ribbon Work

I’ve wanted to learn ribbon embroidery for years.

Luckily, I didn’t have to look too far for inspiration. The wonderful Miss Ulla lent me some ribbons and her best books on ribbon embroidery. I’m hoping to have some time this weekend to work on some of the techniques in the books.

Look at this gorgeous ribbon work piece that Miss Ulla graciously let me photograph. It is a workman’s sampler that was found in Austria (I think).





The beautiful pink roses and silk embroidered blue bows make me swoon.




The tiny little sequins used to create the basket woven design intrigue me. I think even Marie herself would have adored this piece.


Wish me luck.

Have a beautiful weekend!

The Ending of Summer

I took a long walk last Saturday. As I walked, I let the gentle warm breezes fill my senses. The last roses and daisies of the summer nodded their heads.







I thrilled to see skippers darting about the gardens like fairy children gathering the last of the nectar from the fading flowers.





My walk took me past one of my favorite houses. I call it, “The French House.” There were two Vespa’s parked on the front lawn. A whimsical red balloon was tied to one of them, and it made me smile.





A charming scene waited on the front porch. I pictured the small table with twinkling candle light, welcoming guests to a beautifully prepared meal.




I walked on and spied these gorgeous red peppers hanging on a fence.




By this time twilight had fallen. I hurried home full of inspiration.

Introducing a New Blogger on the Block

I couldn't wait for Monday . . . Drum Roll ~ P . . . L . . . E . . . A . . . S . . . E . . .

My brother has started a new blog! He is married to the lovely Miss Anita of Castles Crowns and Cottages. The blogging bug has captured my entire family! Please visit him here.

The Tassajara Way

Fresh baked bread and it's aroma are a beautiful thing to me. I don’t bake bread often, but when I do, I use the Tassajara way.

Years ago, a friend of mine invited me to her house to learn a new technique in bread baking. Her instructions were out of a marvelous book called The Tassajara Bread Book. The recipe calls for the creation of a sponge that almost completely eliminates having to knead the bread.

Did you hear what I just said? Hardly any kneading!

Here are photos of my favorite wheat bread recipe. It stays moist and soft for days. Not that it ever lasts that long around here.

There were rave reviews for this book on Amazon. Click here to see the book.

This Weekend

This weekend was spent unpacking the remainder of our boxes, and organizing.

We were lost in mountains of books and not enough bookshelves to put them on. Because storage is at a premium here in our tiny cottage, I’m always looking for ways to create more. I happened to mention this to my MIL, and she immediately gave me a chest of drawers to do with what I wanted.

This wasn’t just any chest of drawers. She had hand-painted this sweet little dresser for my Hubby when he was born. It was in need of a good paint job, as the finish had been damaged over the years.

Unfortunately, in my enthusiasm to paint the dresser, I didn’t take a before photo, but I did get a photo of the knobs. The chest originally wore a blue country finish with white washed details.

What’s truly wonderful about this piece is the hand-painted rabbits she created. I didn’t have the heart to cover them over, so I created ovals and circles for each cheeky rabbit to peek through.

Hey, Miss Castles Crowns and Cottages, aren’t you just loving the sweet little rabbit fellows? Miss Castles Crowns and Cottages is my SIL and she and my dear brother are rabbit aficionados. I know they will truly appreciate this piece.)

Glass knobs were added at the end, and voila! A sweet storage space to herd and store away roaming goodies.

Now I’m going to go curl up and read Miss Potter’s Peter Rabbit!

Wonderful Posts

I read some posts today that I really loved. I'm sharing them with you in the links below.

I hope you enjoy them.

Tongue in Cheek ~ World War II Love letters

Wonders Never Cease ~ My Dog Should Have Been a Writer

The Victorian Parlor ~ The Velvet Rose

PS . . .

In the Bridal Post, the dress was worn by Carrie in The SITC movie. The bridal attendant said the dress was all the rage after the movie came out. The Bride I was with didn't try it on. Natasha you guessed it right!

Globe de Mariage ~ Globe de Mariée (and Ulla's Class)

Flicker Photo Link

The tradition of the Globe de Mariage (or Globe de Mariée) began during the nineteenth century in France. It was a display for married couples to preserve their wedding souvenirs. Usually the bridal crown or the bride’s bouquet (made from fresh orange blossoms or wax flowers) took center stage in these amazing displays. The flowers sat on a cushion of velvet or silk. The color of choice for the cushion was often red, pink, blue or gold.

Photo Fete et Fleur Designs

More items from cherished moments were added over the years: baby’s first hair clipping, special photographs, and jewelry. These beautiful globes were always displayed proudly and prominently in the home.

During the height of their popularity, crafters designed ready-made bases. The couple could then add their choice of mirrors, porcelain flowers, and brass stampings in the form of leaves, berries, and birds.

Each Globe de Mariage was unique, as couples could choose the symbols for their personal display. The choosing of these symbols was extremely important, since each ornament represented something special.


The meanings behind symbols

The orange blossom for virginity

The rose for eternal love

The daisy for innocence or purity

Ivy leaves symbolized commitment

Lime leaves symbolized fidelity

The tree was a symbol of strength and love

Ears of wheat were symbols of fertility or referred to the resurrection of life. They often represented the number 7 to recall the 7 days of the week.

Four-leaf clovers, a symbol of good luck

The fig leaf for prosperity, often paired with clusters of grapes

The oak leaf for longevity and strength to the couple

The presence of a bird holding a laurel wreath meant that as the bird makes its nest, the woman builds her family. A dove expresses the desire for peace in the home.

Photo Fete et Fleur Designs

Joined hands symbolized the union of the couple

The meaning of the mirrors and their shapes:

The shapes, numbers and positions of mirrors had varied meanings in the overall composition of the Globe de Mariage.

The central mirror evokes the reflection of the soul, the truth

Rectangular mirrors were related to the number of years between the couple’s meeting and the promised marriage

The oval mirrors were good luck gifts offered by the bridesmaids

The number of small diamond-shaped mirrors represented the number of children the couple wished for

The trapezoidal mirror symbolized the perfect agreement


I hope you’ve enjoyed the history of this beautiful French wedding tradition.



Creating with Miss Ulla

Months ago Miss Ulla and I got together to create our own French wedding displays. I photographed the results below.

Ulla’s is the purple velvet and mine is the blue silk.

Photo Fete et Fleur Designs

Photo Fete et Fleur Designs




Here is my chair, devoid of decoration. I have to confess it is still in this unfinished state.

Photo Fete et Fleur Designs

Now for the really exciting part of this post. Ulla will be teaching a class at the Castle on how to create your own Globe de Mariee! Her students will be using gorgeous hand dyed silks and velvets, and the most wonderful collection of gold Dresden available. The class is scheduled for Thursday, September 10th.

Here is the finished chair sample that Ulla made for her class. Please visit here for more information and photos.

Photo Ulla Norup Milbrath

Have a great weekend!

All historical text was combined and/or translated from French into English from the links below:

L’amour sous verre

Le Globe de Mariée

For some more fun, click here for my Hubby's latest blog post.