Longchamp Le Pliage

 

My new spring/summer handbag arrived a few days ago. I used to carry a Longchamp open tote in the warm weather, but once they discontinued that style, I just kept my leather tote from autumn/ winter all year long. I've wanted something more lightweight but still roomy, so I decided to just go with the medium top handle le pliage in black. I love it so far! 

Thank You Notes

 

 

Thank you notes are more easily written with a fountain pen and beautiful cards, don't you think? 

Paschal Candle

 

I am really enjoying this beautiful beeswax Paschal egg candle that my friend, Mirona, gave us! 

Vines & Brick

Pewter & Wood

Handmade Lace

This is an enormous framed lace tablecloth that I saw today. It was utterly gorgeous in person.

Embellishment

Our daughter embellished a plain white tee shirt with these gorgeous embroidered roses and leaves this afternoon. I love how they turned out!

A Daily Art Calendar

Robert Henri | The Beach Hat, 1914 | Oil on canvas 

My friend, Kyrie, told me about her amazing daily art calendar (Art Page-a-Day Gallery Calendar, 2019) and it has brought me so much joy the past few weeks. I've already pre-ordered next year's!

Jackpot

I hit the jackpot at Marshall's today! I found this pretty 100% linen cardigan that will pair perfectly with my sleeveless linen dresses and sleeveless cotton blouses... like this delicately detailed one that I also found there today! It was a nice namesday treat to bring these two treasures home with me.

An Upgrade to for this Plain Jane

These Simple and Blush head wraps came in the post today and I love them! I bought a three pack (two black and one mauve) to share with my daughter. The colors are perfect and I love that they're made from linen (one of my favorite natural fibers). These will make my plain Jane hairstyles look chic and feminine. So far they are holding up tho their promise to be non-slip!

Beauty and Use

My daughter and I went to a new little thrift shop near our home today and I was so pleased to find this antique cloth for a few dollars.  I love these old fashioned things that are useful, well-made, and beautiful.

Color/Colour

 

I put my Instagram account through two different color applications tonight (colorkuler.com and yearofcolour.com) and am pleased with the colors that are represented my photographs. I didn't expect to see so much brown and I thought that there would be a bit more gray.

The Most Cuddly of Bears

One of the children in our parish has been in the hospital for a benign brain tumor, and has endured five surgeries and one stroke since August 20th. Glory to God, she seems to be on the mend now! A parishioner gave me $50 to buy a teddy bear for her and I found this adorable one made by Steiff on Amazon. Isn't he the sweetest? I hope that Maleah likes him!

Roses All Winter

Here is this week's bedside table bouquet!  

I rang up the company that produces the rose bushes that we bought because I was worried about leaving potted roses outside through the winter.  Apparently, if I bring them indoors and keep them fertilized and watered, they will bloom all winter long.  Imagine home grown roses in January...  What a lovely thought!

Road Trip Essentials

 We're heading out on a little family vacation tomorrow morning and I am packing my road trip essentials tonight:  yarn for more dishcloths, a new (short) book, headphones for late night hotel listening, and a shawl to ward off the chill.

Rose Gold and Pearly White

 

I'm channeling these colors for my spring and summer wardrobe this year.  This is the first season that I don't need to add any clothing or accessories to my closet and because I have stuck to a very neutral palette (black, different shapes of grey, and saddle) in the past, the rose gold linen shawl and pearl earrings will fit right in with what I already have, but still spice things up.

Beautiful & Useful: A Jar of Little Utensils...

  I have a handful of pretty little utensils that were getting lost in the big crock I keep my whisks, spoons and spatulas in on my counter.  I was tending to the laundry on Monday and happened to glance over at a lidless canning jar on the shelf and it hit me that it would be the perfect receptacle for these short-handled things that I want to use and admire on a daily basis.  It has worked perfectly this week...  I only wish that I had thought of it sooner!

Treasures from Sheep & Wool...

Our Sheep & Wool Festival Treasures:  a project bag from Madder Root, a jar of Maple Cream, and two relief tiles by Judith A. McKallar)   

(As an aside, terracotta, black, bluish-gray, white, beeswax yellow, and English saddle are such a perfect color combination)