Silver Sunday Alligator...

Welcome to another Silver Sunday
hosted by Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal.

I have a new treasure that I'd like to share with you today. It was a thank you gift from The New Guy (Rich) who joined the Wild Hogs II ride this year. Rich handed a beautifully wrapped box to me when he arrived and said that it was a "thank you" (in advance) for "putting up with him" while he was here.

I don't think I told you at the time, but these men were no trouble at all. I'd make a meal and they'd all clear the table and do the dishes. They made their own beds on the mornings after sleeping in our home, and the day they each left, the beds were stripped and the bedding was put into my laundry room. They were wonderful house guests, who - with or without their wives - are welcome here any time they please.

My brother-in-law always gets my bike detailed to show his appreciation for me letting him use it. I recently received a beautiful live plant arrangement and chocolate from Eric to show his appreciation for joining the group, so I received lots of special treatment from all these kind-hearted gentlemen.
I opened Rich's gift to find this treasure inside. It's a Mariposa Brilliante® napkin holder, with a heavy, little alligator reclining on top of these summery napkins. It's actually a weight to keep the napkins from blowing away. I think it's an elegant solution to dining outside when there's a slight breeze. Isn't the little alligator cute?

Thank you, Rich and Deb. I love your thoughtful and useful gift. It's sitting where I can see it every day...even when I'm not using it. Can't wait until Handsome and I see you again and I can thank you in person.
Thanks also to our Silver Sunday hostess, Beth. Be sure to click on this link to visit the other participants in her Silver Sunday Party. I'm off to read the other Silver Sunday posts now. I hope you have a perfect day. See you next month!

P.S. Don't forget to set your clocks ahead an hour this morning! Happy Daylight Savings Time.

Silver Sunday On A Cloud...

Nearly nine years ago this week, Handsome and I closed on the home where we now live. We remember a friend calling Handsome (sounding a little frazzled) and asking him what he was going to give me for Valentine's Day. Handsome told him that he'd just bought a new house for me. Our friend hung up the phone, obviously crestfallen. He wouldn't be getting any good ideas from us that he could use that year! (He did pretty well, though. Two years later, he married his sweetheart on Valentine's Day.)

Handsome and I had a good laugh about that story, but we've always told people that we gave each other a home in Florida that year.This year, in the spirit of that week nine years ago, we're again giving each other a new home. This time it's a cottage. Well, actually, "coach" is more accurate. And, considering that it's shiny and silver, I'm figured it would be alright to share my excitement with you today.
Everywhere you look there's "sparkle". Silver curves replace hard edges. Our new home has "sexy" lines. (Oops! Can I say that on Sunday? I don't want to offend.)
This will be our "home-to-go" when we embark on cross-country trips to Handsome's music venues, or trips to see our family and friends in Wisconsin. We've already decided the coach is going to travel to Wyoming, where Handsome's brother and wife are building a home. Wouldn't it be fun to add a couple of visits with blog friends? (I'm hoping there will be time for that, too!)
No matter where we go now, we'll travel in comfort and at our own pace. We'll have a familiar pillow to put our heads on at night. (No noisy hotel rooms like last year.) My home cooking, instead of restaurant food. (I think that's a good thing...) No suitcases, no airline security checkpoints, and best of all...Kes and Fezzik won't have to stay behind when we take extended trips.
This model is called a "Flying Cloud", and I can attest to the fact, that I'm on Cloud Nine over our new digs.
I had to show just one shot of the inside. How could you not love this inviting spot to call home? Needless to say, if there are any chocolates this Valentine's Day, they'll be wrapped in silver. (Well, aluminum, if you want to be completely accurate.)

Thanks to Beth from Gypsy Fish Journal for hosting yet another Silver Sunday. Be sure to click here to visit the other blogs contributing to Silver Sunday.

Silver Sunday Spill...

Don't you just love sharing secrets with your girlfriends? I sure do! I'm posting my Silver Sunday post a day late this month, but I'll make it up to you by sharing a Silver Sunday Spill. I'm just sure it may cause a future inconvenience for me when all of you start availing yourself of one of my favorite Internet shopping sites - and what I want ends up on backorder - but here goes.
I love La Bouquetiere! They offer the most wonderful laundry soap and fabric softener for washing sheets and cotton blankets, or anything else I want to give a special treatment. I have been purchasing my indulgent laundry soap and fabric softener from them for over a year. I have a favorite fragrance, too...Delice Infini. sigh

Sunday, being Silver Sunday, hosted by Beth at The Gypsy Fish Journal, I wanted to share my most recent La Bouquetiere find. Their fabulous, wonderful, exceptional Natural Rice Body Powders!
They're not inexpensive, but the canisters are much larger than I expected, and are refillable. Heck, the sprinkler on the top of the canister is almost 4" in diameter, and the canister is about 9" tall! Each canister holds 8 ounces of powder, and a little bit goes a long way. There is no talc in this product, which is bonus.

Now, please don't misunderstand. I'm not moonlighting for La Bouquetiere. I just love their products, and when my orders arrive, they come double-boxed and wrapped to look like a birthday gift. They always include a little extra gift, too! I practically squeal whenever my orders are delivered.

The two canisters at the top of this post were my latest acquisitions, and although they don't technically qualify as "silver", I can assure you, they're every bit as special to me. One is Muguet, which is Lily of the Valley-scented, and the other is Delici Infini, which is a blend of patchouli, sandalwood, moss and musk (like being back in high school!). If neither of those sound decadent enough to you, perhaps Citrus, Tubereus, Freesia, Gardenia, Iris, Lavender, Violet or one of a dozen others would be more appealing.

Hope you have fun perusing their site (you can click on their "Gratitude" ad photo above to go to their site). Please forgive me for not only posting a day late, but also for putting you on to what could very well become your newest regular place to visit. Thanks again, Beth for being such a wonderful hostess!!I've listed the three Strawberry Rose Sachets in The Boutique now. I don't expect to make any more between now and Christmas, and they're each one-of-a-kind. Click here to see them. Thanks for looking! Have a great week. I'll be back tomorrow.

Silver Sunday Seamstress Tools...

Welcome to the September edition of Silver Sunday! This month, I'm sharing my scissors with you. Of course, every seamstress needs tools for cutting, and I'm sharing my stainless and silver scissors used for various purposes in my creative endeavors.

In the first photograph, from top to bottom: Gingher 8" knife edge Dressmaker's Shears (used for multipurpose cutting), Gingher 8" serrated edge Dressmaker's Shears (these are especially useful when cutting sheer or slippery fabrics, as the teeth grip the fabric), silver Sheffield scissors (purchased in Colonial Williamsburg last year), Gingher 6" knife edge Applique' scissors (with a special edge to protect the fabric you don't want to cut), and my Gingher Bent Tip scissors (used to snip threads while fabric is hooped for machine embroidery).
Of course, I have various embroidery scissors, too. (Of course, I do! lol) My prized embroidery scissors are the little rabbit embroidery scissors attached to a little pincushion (a gift from Shell May of The Raspberry Rabbits. She made the pincushion!), and on the right are my Gingher 4.5" thread nippers (I love these because the tuck into the palm of my hand, and I can actually wear them while sewing at the machine). The two pairs of embroidery scissors on the left are Gingher embroidery scissors with wonderful sharp points for precision cutting. The bottom pair has a pink ribbon Breast Cancer Awareness design on the handles, and a portion of the sales were donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
Just one more peek at the rabbit scissors from Shell. Hey, girlfriend...only ONE more sleep! I'll explain to everyone else tomorrow.
Thanks again to Beth of Gypsy Fish Journal for hosting our monthly Silver Sunday event. Be sure to click on her link to see what other silver treasures are being shown in Blogland today! Oh, and congratulations to Debra of Common Ground for winning Beth's Silver Sunday drawing!

If you're new, or didn't know it yet, I'm celebrating my 500th Post with a giveaway. If you're interested in participating, please click on my giveaway button here to find out how you can enter, and what you might win.

I'm so glad you stopped by to visit. I hope you enjoy a restful and creative Silver Sunday!

Sacred Silver Sunday...

Welcome to August Silver Sunday. My theme for this month is Sacred Silver Sunday, and I'm sharing most of my collection of rosaries. You'll notice that I've placed them on top of a few of my favorite books related to worship...an antique English version of the Polyglott Bible, Handsome's personal Bible, and my copy of The Methodist Hymnal.

One might think that a Methodist hymnal is out of place in this vignette, but in the theme of sacred objects, it is a perfect fit. When our family church was torn down to make way for a new building, many of the articles inside were auctioned off or given to long-time members of the congregation. I was able to choose one of our hymnals, and this one had been donated to the church in the 1960s, around the time I joined the church as a child. To say that it holds personal significance would be an understatement.

The little book on the top of the stack is a Polyglott Bible. It was a gift from my mum last year. The definition of a Polyglott Bible is "any of several editions of the Bible in which the text consists of translations in various languages arranged in parallel columns. This arrangement allows scholars to compare ancient and modern versions, as well as to examine closely the translation from one language to another." (per Encyclopedia Britannica) I'll share more information and photos of it next Sunday, but I want to show you my rosaries now.

From left to right:

1. The first is a 10 decade bracelet rosary, featuring a claddagh charm, a Celtic knot bead and a Celtic cross. The beads are jade. It reminds me of a set of worry beads that were a gift from one of my brother's friends when they were stationed on the U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier in the 1970s. His friend sent it to me from Israel. This rosary is about the same size.
   
2. You may have seen the second rosary last week when I first received it. It's a beautiful rosary, featuring my (favorite) acorn beads in silver, with gold-tone pater beads. The crucifix on this one is larger than the others and especially pretty.
   
3. The third rosary belonged to Handsome's Aunt Eula. She had it with her til the day she died. Although most of the metals are gold-tone, there are three silver medals affixed to it. I know the largest one next to the crucifix is a St. Christopher medal.
   
4. Next is a special rosary given to me by my friend, Ellen. She gave it to me when she learned that I loved and collected them. This one belonged to someone special to her, so it means a great deal that she shared it with me.
   
5. The last two rosaries were eBay purchases. They are both vintage, and well-loved. You can tell they were used by the patina on the beads.They are only two "new" rosaries in my collection. Although they're both beautiful, they haven't been used by anyone.
   

I think that all of us have daily rituals of one form or another. Rosaries held an important place in the spiritual lives of the individuals who owned and used them. The older, used rosaries reflect those rituals. To know that they were part of the daily devotions in someone's life elevates them in my eyes. They represent the mysteries of faith, adherence to a formality of devotion, and a point of slowing down in one's day to observe and support their faith. Although I am Methodist, I respect the rosaries of the Catholic faith, and the people who use them.
Thanks again, to Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal for hosting such a wonderful, ongoing event in Blogland. Please click on her Silver Sunday button to visit more participants. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the rest of your day doing something you love with someone you love.

Blessings,

Silver Sunday Treasures...

Welcome to Silver Sunday at Brynwood Needleworks.

Today, I opened my silver cabinet to reveal a treasure chest, laden with silver flatware given to me my my mum about twenty years ago as a birthday gift. I smile whenever I see it.

Mum's taste is actually more ornate than mine, so I know perfectly well how much she loved this set when she saw it. She always taught me to choose a gift for another that you would love to receive yourself. I know that she did just that when selecting this silver set for me. Knowing that makes this gift just that much more special.

This is an 1881 Rogers silver pattern called "Flirtation", and I have a service for eight, all protected in a lined silverware chest. (They're silver plate, not solid.) I'm showcasing the set with one of my favorite hemstitched cocktail napkins featuring a tree embroidery. (I purchased these napkins a few years ago - I think from Coldwater Creek, but I'm plan to make some like these in the near future!)

Thanks again to Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal
for hosting another Silver Sunday event.

(Don't forget to visit the other participants by clicking on her event button.)

PS. Thank you, Dorothy, for the pattern correction and information! Hugs, Donna

A Sneaky Silver Sunday...

Hi everyone!

I'm writing Mom's post for Silver Sunday today.
I decided to surprise her.

Wait! Is that her?
No. It must be my imagination. heh heh
The coast is clear.

Now, where was I? (ahem)
Oh, yes. I'm going to show you something shiny today.

What was that? Did you hear something?

Sorry. Just a little skittish, I guess.
You know, Mom's very territorial about her blog stuff!

But, really ladies...She sure bores the pants off me
with her "egg coddlers", knives and forks and other treasures
(especially when there's nothing to eat for me!).

Anyway, I saw some of the other Silver Sunday entries
since Mom started showing off her silvery stuff (geez!), and I'm
not quite sure why she's been so reluctant to share my water bucket.

After all, it's silver-shiny and keeps me from getting parched in this
"dog-kicking hot" Florida weather. (By the way, I hate it when
Mom says that! I know she would never think of actually doing it,
but still...makes me a little nervous, it does.)
Like now, for instance!

You aren't going to tell on me, are you?
Come on, share some doggie love, OK?
Give an old Lab a break.

And just to keep my fur outa hot water...
(Man, I'm gonna be so grounded when she finds out!)

Here's a picture of one of her favorite sets of silverware.
It's called Eros (woo hoo!) by some company called "Sasaki".
Darn! Where are those opposing thumbs when you need em?

Yeah, well...Til next month...
Got any Milk Bones?

PS. Don't forget to join the other Silver Sunday participants
Thanks again to Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal
for being such a gracious hostess!

I've Got Mail...

I was pretty excited to find boxes waiting for me when I returned from Wisconsin! Troy over at Junk Exchange had shown photos of their booth in Canton on his blog one day, and when I saw baby shoes, I contacted Troy to see if he'd ship a pair to me. He was happy to set aside a pair, then I transmitted payment via our favorite online method and they were here when I returned! Aren't they sweet? They arrived with the shred inside them, so I think I'll just enjoy them like this for a while as I decide what I'll do with them.

You know, anytime you see something that a blogger is selling - even if it's for a booth - you can try contacting them and asking to purchase from them. That's how I received some goodies from Debra at Common Ground and a few others, including Troy. (Oooo, perhaps Dawn at The Feathered Nest would be willing to mail from her new booth, too!) If you love it, I'm sure they'll ship. Anyway, it never hurts to try. Right?

I'm also busy working on the items for my upcoming First Blog Birthday Celebration. I'm sure you've noticed my beautiful, big celebration button over in my left sidebar, so you already know the theme. I'll have multiple gifts again, so there will be multiple happy winners for this celebration. The fun starts March 15th, and it will be for Brynwood followers only.

Oh, before I forget...I still haven't heard from Jeanette from Sweet Jeanette. If you're pals with her, please let her know that I still need her address to send the Grand Prize from my last giveaway to her. I've tried contacting her through her blog (again yesterday), and still no reply. I really want to ship out the package of goodness, but am stumped. (Heck, if someone has her address, please send me an email and I can send it off to surprise her!) THURSDAY MORNING EDIT: Sweet Jeanette saw my post today and I now have her address. Her giveaway package will be on its way to her house! Woo hoo, Jeanette!

Almost all the other prizes have been sent, so if you haven't received your package yet, please contact me. I know only one other person still hasn't contacted me with their address (an egg timer winner). Hmmm... maybe they don't want their prizes? Do you think?

Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal is having a giveaway. She'll be drawing a lucky winner on March 24th, so be sure to stop over and say hello. She has such a lovely place to visit! Just click on her photo to check out her blog. I'll be joining her again, along with the other bloggers participating in her Silver Sunday event this weekend. Hope to see you then!

Giveaway Winners on Silver Sunday...

Today is Silver Sunday, hosted by Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal, so please enjoy a cup of tea or coffee from my lovely service. This set belonged to my mother-in-law and although it doesn't sit out all the time, it's a lovely reminder of Handsome's elegant mother. Please be sure to head over to Gypsy Fish Journal and say hello to the other Silver Sunday participants.

So, now that you're all comfy...I'll announce the winners of my two giveaways...

The winner of the Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway is
Libbie
of
The Middlest Sister
All those valentine goodies will be heading to Minnesota!
and
The winner of my 200th Follower Giveaway is
Annie
of
Annie Fannie's Green Acres
All those vintage-inspired treats will be heading to CA.

You can click on their blog titles to visit their blogs, too!

Libbie and Annie - Please contact me through my "Click Here to Email Me" button on my right sidebar (right under my clock) with your addresses so I can get your goodies on their way first thing next week.

Thank you to all who participated in my giveaways. I appreciate each and every comment you left and that you cared enough to want to win the items I was offering. THREE MORE POSTS until I write my 300th message to you. Yup...There's gonna be another giveaway, so please check back to see what I'm offering for my 300th Post Giveaway. I'm looking for more special things to share with you!

Happy Valentine's Day. I love and appreciate you more than words can say.