~ Blast Off ~

I adore September

For many many reasons

A major one being

I get to go back

School is In

After 10 weeks of holidays

{not just my my kids but for me too}

Yahoo

No students yet

This is teacher week

{where we can still wear our blue jeans...another reason to yahoo about}

I will be getting ready for my Students

Who arrive next week

{ I so love the excitement of seeing the students on the first day}

My apple and pencils will be on my desk

Nothing beats

new pencils

new crayons

new books

new backpacks

new lunch kits

new clothes

and

new students

I really do feel blessed that I love my job so much

{elementary school is #1 in my books}

Another reason to LOVE September...

A is for Apple

those crunchy sweet apples are ready to eat

{tree image...Martha Stewart Living Oct. 1998

a is for apple image...Martha Stewart Kids Fall 2005

other images...mine}

Clip art images I adore and will use this year

{all from Martha Stewart Kids Fall 2005...permission given to use by magazine}

Moms {and Dads} ... Sent me your children

I am ready

For Blast Off

{for the first few weeks anyways...until cold season sets in...achoooooo!}

~ starting up my engine ~

It has been 10 beautiful weeks

filled with

no alarm clocks

no schedules

no decisions on what to wear

no making lunches

no meetings

no running here

no running there

I have been

just

free...

free as a little bluebird

well

that is all about to change

6 am Monday Morning is coming fast

my holidays are

OVER

YES

OVER

my engine is starting up again and ready for blast off

{do you want to know where I am going?...next post my friends...next post}

{alarm clock ...my image}

~ Paper Bird ~

I was so blessed yesterday

I received a package in the mail from

the talented Lorraine

at Paper Bird

I was "over the moon"

the loveliness this little package contained

was beyond words

from the box it was packaged in for mail delivery

{see the background on this collage...that was the outside label}

to

every last item jammed packed inside

{i kept finding surprise after surprise}

truly

a bluebird lovers treasure box

layer upon layer of pure sweetness

so many charming details

{notice the baby blue safety pin holding the velvet ribbon}

everything so carefully made and packaged with love

{I could actually feel the love Lorraine puts into her art}



Please please check out her blog
Paper Bird
and her etsy store
Sweet Pumpkins
If you really want to treat yourself ... or someone else
one of Lorraine's treasures is just the thing!
I am still smiling with joy!

~ DIY... the speedy fast kind ~

I am no DIY wiz by any stretch of the imagination

I like things done

speedy FAST

10 minutes max for me kidda FAST...

my

tool of choice

A HOT GLUE GUN

{a million thanks to the genius who invented this tool...but after years of using I still manage to burn myself}

I could never quilt...takes toooooo long

.....unless I could use my glue gun?

.....no on second thought it just won't work!

So this is what I whipped up the other day

for my daughters room

not perfect by any means

but kinda cute and so easy to do

the stool was a cheapo from Ikea....

I called the original stool ugly because we had used it for painting and

it was covered with splashes of colour

{ sorry if you are one of the millions that own one of these stools.... yours is really not ugly...mine was}

now for a real DIY project
I thought this was kinda cute
borrowed from Once Wed DIY project file
{please check it out for details on entire project}



I think I could do this one
no sewing involved
looks speedy
is adorable
and those cupcakes...
could someone send me over a few!?

In fact I am going to give it a try
Wish me luck

Happy Friday to you all

~ Its all started with an oh so pretty plum ~

What can you do with a single oh so pretty plum?

....add a few more oh so pretty plums into the mix


.... add a sprinkle of this and that!

Surprise!

{better with a dollop of whipping cream on top}

I made something else today as well

{something you can not eat}

stay tuned

DIY

next post!

~ some of my true colours ~

I've been tagged by the lovely

Torie Jayne

{one of my favourite blogs}

all I need to do is list 10 things about myself

so

open up my

Crayon Box

which is

filled with some of the colours in my life

and pick a colour... any colour

to find out more about

Me

now if I play by the rules I am to tag 10 more friends

but

I am not very good with rules

so

please

please

play along if you want to

I would love to find out more about

YOU

Now if I had to pick a colour palette

that I would turn into

these would be my true colours

{image from country living June/06}

What are your true colours?

~ a delightfully enchanting place to shop ~

as promised

I want to

share my "secret" shopping spot

It's the delightful little store

Bunnies By the Bay

which I try to visit at least twice a year

in the

sweet little town of

La Conner, Wa.

This tiny little shop is so enchantingly adorable

My heart is filled with so much joy every time we visit

It is filled to the brim with

"delightfully enduring gifts for wee ones"

{even though I don't have a wee one anymore I always come away with plenty of treasures for us big ones}

The owner Kris Kirkpatrick is an amazingly talented artist

bursting with creativity...

which she carries through to her shop's decor

and unique merchandise

Stepping inside her shop is like visiting

an enchanted "fairytale" world

filled with the sweetest bunnies...bears...frogs and puppies

with names like

Boa Boa Bear

Lily Mae

and

Skipit

All too sweet for words

The icing on this "magical world" cake is the amazing artwork

that is everywhere

{If you are a detail person... like myself... you will be in Heaven}

the labels...the tags...the packaging..the ribbon..the cards....the books ...etc.

are all so beautifully infused with such charming artistic illustrations

.... in hues of sweet candy colors

You Must visit Krys's Heartfelt Blog

{hers was one of the first blogs I ever visited when I arrived in blog land and I was hooked}

the above image is of her soon to be studio...{which I can't wait for}

Bunnies By the Bay is right next door

" Lily Mea" the sweetest little frog

I took this image from the storybook box my little "Lily Mea" item was so

carefully packaged in

check miss frog out here

one of our favourite treats

Sunny Seed Drops

yummy sunflower seeds

covered in a pretty candy coating.... and in my colors!

the tags are so sweet...i had to show you the little ditty that was written on the back!

{multiple bags were purchased that day}

Yes...Tea!

You can buy Tea!

So we bought a few packages of Earl Gray Vanilla

on the tag of each package these words are so wisely written....

"Oh please do remember

When you find a treasure

It's not about the money

But what gives you pleasure"

Now you know one of my favourite places to shop....

{not so much a secret anymore}

You too can shop on line here

or in person when in

La Conner, Wa. or New York City {at FAO Schwarz}

Thank you Krys and the Sweet ladies who helped us out!

~ refreshed...restored...and ready to go ~

please

come for tea

and

sit with me

I have

a

"secret place"

to share

with you

today

a place

that restores my

soul

and

gives me back

my

peace

and

harmony

my favourite resting place in the whole world

Deception Pass

on Whidbey Island

where time is spent

watching the sunsets each and every night

sitting for hours upon hours on the beach

listening to the ocean waves

feeding the squirrels

collecting rocks and sea glass

counting the fishing boat

spotting the seals ....

restoring

me

where silliness is welcomed

and

laughter is required

where
mother

daughter

time

is

so

preciously

savoured

and

enjoyed

I am once again

refreshed and ready to go

thanks

to my

"secret place"

{stay tuned for part 2...my secret shopping place...."where bunnies live and give glad dreams"}

~ Maria & Me ~

I thought I would add something new to my blog....

The

Maria and Me

"cute spot"

adventure series

Some of you may remember my lovely new bike

"Maria"

{I adopted her a few months ago}

So I have been out and about with her quiet a bit

visiting the "cute spots" of my area

So every so often I will feature one of these "spots" on my blog

but

I have strict rules when I take "Maria" out

these must be followed at all times....

1.I must ride her while only wearing an adorable girly outfit

{shoes included}

2.I leave the "sweat" at home

{none of this workout stuff for Maria and I..I will leave that for my home workout bike}

3.We stop often for..

cupcakes

baked goods

tea

candy stores

charming bistros

boutiques

farmer's markets

flea markets

yard sales

{really anything cute and picture worthy}

one of our first stops

cupcakes

located on Denman st.

i picked up a dozen to go

and ate my favourite...red velvet... there

{only problem is that "Maria" needs a basket to carry all my goodies home in....

so for now my husband does the toting ...i do allow him along with me...only if he looks good that day and promises not to squish the mechanise...lucky him}

~~~~~



one more thing....just a big thank you to Simone
for this lovely award
Please go visit her at
The Bottom of the Ironing Basket
you will be enchanted by her lovely blog

Have a great week
See you when I get back
We are off for a family holiday
exploring the Pacific Northwest
and shopping Seattle

xoxo

~ well dressed ears ~

words to describe my earrings

pretty

delicate

sweet

dainty

adorable

beautiful

charming

graceful

magnificent

gorgeous

elegant

{especially on my lovely aqua plates}

I got them from

Beth Quinn Designs

along with my ella cuff

{top insert}

these are some of Beth's other items my heart yearns for

flying bird earrings

giggle often teal bracelet

{giggle often... dream more...play more}

teal glitter heart necklace

so lovely

~ layers of black & white ~

noir et blanc

Layers of my black and white kitchen

checkerboards

dots

solids

floral

monograms

fresh whites layered with strong blacks


contrast
my white teapot against my black table

fun
whimsical polka dots
{just recovered my kitchen chairs with this sweet dot fabric}



printed floral
from a
shower curtain
fabric wall hanging
to damask dishes
plus
something sweet thrown into the mix
just for the fun of it
{banana split cupcake}
proving that
all blacks and whites do not have to be boring monochromatic

to see more of my black and whites
click here
adding some pink into the mix
click here
just a bit of blue added
click here

{all from past posts}

~ sweets on the mantel ~

my sweet mantel today

my mantel is like my coffee table

constantly changing

today it is so happy being pink and white

thanks to some friends

Andrea from Everyday Beauty

gave her readers a led on these beautiful dusty rose treats

Any idea what they may be?

strawberry whoppers

{limited edition so grab them while you can}

Colleen from Vintage Home

{a friend who lives minutes away...lucky me}

gave me a few delightful treasures the other day

and this lovely rose platter was among them

so

thank you both for the mantel inspiration

we will see how long those treats last

..many hands have already helped themselves

{the white ones are just scotch mints}

Whats on your Mantel today?

~ my secret heart's desire ~

Special moments

pass by so fast

But i just could not let this one fly away

without sharing

My sweet Molly had a birthday

a few weeks ago

All she wanted for her gift

was......

{no not the peach cobbler above}

A Tattoo

not of a flower

star

or butterfly

but a bible verse reference

{she has wanted this for at least 2 years}

So being such the wonderful mom that I am

off we went

{my secret desire is to get one too}

She held my had the whole time

while

We chatted up a storm with the lovely tattoo artist

{they say the foot is the most sensitive area for a tattoo}

she was so brave

she was so relieved

{when it was over}

she was so ecstatic

she is so in love with this tattoo

{wouldn't if be funny if she married a Matthew}

that now

she wants another one

{not going to happen for awhile}

But now this has got me thinking about my secret desire....

my list of pros is growing

1.....the tattoo artist is very very sweet and kind and now I know her

2.....the tattoo place is so clean {it's a mom thing} and decorated so pretty

3.......the artist told me to come in anytime and that if her mom could do it I could too

4........Molly promised to hold my hand

5......I found this amazing tattoo of a beautiful kite {see above image from once wed}

6.....just look at the colour! It's calling my name...robin egg blue!

7.......Molly told me it only really hurt once or twice

8.....plus it is so unlike me and I would love to "shock the pants off " of everyone who knows me!

Soooooooooo

What do you think?

~~~

Something else I would like to share is

that last week I got

Two Awards

The amazingly kind sweet and lovely

Sharon

presented me with this pretty pink

Nice Matters Award

Not only did she give me the award

she went above and beyond the call of duty

and dedicated a whole post to me and bluebirds....

please check the post and her lovely blog out at

My passport to style

Sharon....Thank you for making my Heart Sing!

The Stylish Blogger Award

was presented to me

from the lovely blog

Letters from the Home-Front

I love this stylish blog.... she has so much fun with vintage style

please go visit

So it is only fitting that I

present the above awards to the gals

who so lovingly gave them to me...only switching them up...

My passport to style...I present you with The Stylish Blogger

and

Letters from the Home-Front....I present you with The Nice Matters Award

~~~

Now tell me what you think about my secret desire!

~Now you are it! ~

Sweet Trishiekoh from the delightfully lovely blog

Under lock and key

tagged me last week

The rules of this tag is to tell you about some things I love

and pass the tag on

So thought I would show you through images

some of the my favourite times/things

I would have a hard time living without

{mary ruffle}

{alli coate }


{country home magazine}

{such pretty things}

{mary ruffle..ijkay}

{bird and banner etsy shop}


now
bluebird notes

will tag

Ada and Darcy

dustjacket attic

Faded Plains

French Blue

Knock Knocking

Lulu Letty

My Passport to Style

Rose Tea Cottage

please visit these amazing blogs if you can

so many lovely blogs to tag....

sorry if i missed you this time.....i'll try to get you next time around

{tee hee}