50 Shades Of Green

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When Pantone named Emerald Green the color of the year, I did a little happy dance because green is and always has been my favorite color.

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"Green is the prime color of the world,

and that from which its loveliness arises."

~Pedro Calderon de la Barca

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Growing up in Oregon, it seemed that the whole world was green!

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I've always wanted to bring that color inside, because psychologically it has a calming effect on me, just like it does when I'm in a forest.

Which is exactly how I feel when I'm in my kitchen, ever since I painted it green.
Calm.

Green is the new neutral.
It simply agrees with every other color.
I love how it pairs with red...

...and how it agrees with brown,

And how it goes with leopard.

Leopard is a color, right?

It even looks great with orange!

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There are so many beautiful shades of green.  I don't think I've ever met a green it didn't like!
Green is:
 "Lively, sophisticated and prosperous."
"Harmonious, rejuvenating and balanced."
"Energizing, healing and regenerative."

Emerald, the color of the year for 2013.

Thank you Pantone!
You made me a very happy green girl!

Does green make you happy too?

Happy Hour!

Vintage barware is a hot collectible at the moment, and I'm all over it!

I've slowly been collecting martini shakers, flasks, carafes, etc., found at various junk and thrift stores.

My criteria is that I don't pay much for any of it!

In fact, nothing cost more than $20 on this tray, including the tray itself!

I especially like the "vodka" bottle, even though it came without a lid.  What do you expect for five dollars!  I will fill it with water for now, like I did the little gin bottle on the left.

You see, the thing is that we're not really cocktail people.

I just love how it all looks, gathered together, waiting for happy hour!

The look I'm going for is masculine with a touch of tartan!

And the buffet in the living room is the perfect place to set up the bar.

It sits at the ready for happy hour!

I'll have mine "shaken, not stirred please!"

I'm joining Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
I'm also joining Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday.

A Majolica Inspired Tablescape

Six majolica plates, all different, were the inspiration for this tablescape that my BFF Maureen and I created last weekend.

We spent our birthday weekend in the wine country antiquing and hunting and gathering. 

 We found the motherlode of majolica at The Vintage Bank Antiques in Petaluma.  

I bought one plate and she bought five.

Together, we set the table using a Provencal inspired tablecloth as the foundation.

The idea was to create a table that is a riot of color, pattern and texture!

The ruby red glasses are a punch of color, pulling everything together and unifying the patterns and colors in the majolica.

 I bought six at a consignment shop, and Maureen found six more at another store, Food For Thought Antiques in Sebastapol.

We both love them for their elegant simplicity.

The centerpiece is simply white decorative cabbage, mimicking majolica patterns.

We set five plants in an old green crusty window box and tucked in burlap to hide the pots.

A few rustic candlesticks and rosemary topiaries on the ends of the table complete the look.

It was fun to pull our creativity together, both arranging and rearranging, as well as photographing the table.

With the battery dead in my Canon, we had to use our iPhones to do the photoshoot!

Maureen will probably hang her five majolica plates on her kitchen wall.  It is the beginning of a new collection for her.  I have a nice collection at home already, so I kept my one under glass in Asti.

Sources:

Tablecloth and napkins:  Pottery Barn

Decorative Cabbage:  Garrett Ace Hardware, Healdsburg

Majolica Plates: The Vintage Bank Antiques,  Petaluma

Red Stemware:  Food For Thought Antiques, Sebastapol

All other plates, candles, silverware, etc., from my own collection in Asti

I'm joining Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday.

I'm joining Sherry at No Minimalist Here for her Open House Party.

I'm also linking up to Tablescapes Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

59 Is The New 60, And What I Know For Sure

The thing about turning 59 is that you might as well just get it over with and be 60 already!
Seriously, the whole year will be in anticipation of the big six. oh.
Answering questions like, "What are you going to do for your sixtieth?"
Realizing that you can't fake it anymore, you're "a woman of a certain age."
But hey, it sure beats the alternative!  Right?

So at the risk of sounding like Oprah, here is what I know for sure:

For all you younger people, be thankful that you are 49 still, or 39, or even 29 and stop trying to turn back the clock in an attempt to preserve youth.  You are as young as you will ever be right now.
Embrace it!


I have earned every line and wrinkle on my face!
Laughing with friends and family or frowning when times are bad, even enjoying basking in the sun in my youth, all resulted in a certain facial patina.
Accept it!


I tell myself that if I weighed the same as I did on my wedding day, I would look sick!
They say you put on a pound for every year of your marriage.
True!

It feels good to slow down.  

To stop and smell the roses.
 In my youth, that was just a saying, now it's a reality.  I really do stop and smell the roses.
And oh, how wonderful their scent!
Inhale!


Friends come and go, but at this age, my friends are like family.

If they have hung in there with me and I with them, then they are here to stay.

Cherish them!

My father-in-law, who was orphaned as a child used to say, "All you have is your family."
He was right.  At this age, it's wonderful to see our family expand as our children grow up, marry and have children of their own.  I'm truly grateful!

Ah, the gift of grandchildren.  Who knew it could be this wonderful?

Love!


 Life has a way of surprising us with both wonderful and tragic events.
It takes a long time to realize that we aren't really in control, only how we control how we react to life's surprises.
Be courageous!


The world is becoming scarier and scarier, although I suspect previous generations lamented the same thing.
It can be hard to keep up with the ever changing world, the politics, the technology, social issues, etc., but I try.  I don't want to become a dinosaur!
Stay open!


And finally:

Appreciate the age you are now because 20 years from now, you'll look back at 59 and realize just how young you still were!

A special Happy Birthday wish to my BFF and "twin from another mother."

Look how young we were at 50, thinking we were old! 

Ha, the joke was on us!

The Winter Porch

 In early December, I went to the wholesale nursery for seasonal plants to decorate our home and side porch for Christmas.

I came home with this little ivy settee that had space to add your potted plants of choice.

 I added narcissus and 6 weeks later, they are still blooming strong.

 For the window boxes, I found rosemary topiaries and red cyclamen, which was fine for Christmas, but now, not so much.

 White cyclamen would have been better for the duration, but what do I do about the topiaries?

Do they scream Christmas?

Can I shape them in to balls?

 I'll admit, the view from the sunroom has been nice.

A real cure for the winter blahs.

 But I think if I had it to do over, I would have put white narcissus between the topiaries and white cyclamen in the ivy settee.

Actually, if those cyclamen were pink...

It's all a moot point as the Winter Porch will soon morph in to the Spring Porch with new plants like pansies, daffodils and tulips!

Happy February!

Aren't you just counting the days until spring?