Sunday Scripture - Silver Sunday...

This is one of my favorite cuff bracelets, adorned with silver acorns.

"The words of the Lord are pure words;

as silver tried in the furnace of earth,

purified seven times."

- Psalms 12:6

This Sunday, I'm again joining Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal for Silver Sunday. I hope your day is filled with family and happiness. Be sure to visit the other Silver Sunday participants. (Just click on her button on the left to link to her Silver Sunday post.) Thanks again, Beth for being such a gracious hostess.

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.

The General's Garden...

These are my fabrics for the next set of placemats, napkins and a small table quilt I'm making. They're for something really special, but I won't be revealing the reason until my Silver Sunday post next weekend.

The fabrics are from the French General's "Rural Jardin" and I've selected all blue/white/tan colors for my pieces. I'm told that "Jardin" means garden in French, so the beautiful florals make total sense. Another French General line to steal my heart!

The piece on the bottom of the stack is the toweling fabric, which I will again use for 17" square napkins. (We've been using the cream with red stripe napkins that I recently completed and are really liking them.)

The rest of the assorted pieces will be used to create the placemats and a 45" square table quilt. I'm going to create a different design for these placemats than what I used on the red colorway. I don't want to repeat the large half-square triangles. I want them to look a bit different.

I'll start sewing on them today, so I'm sure I'll have something to show you of my progress tomorrow.
I also want to share what I received over the weekend from my friend, Denise in Vermont. She doesn't have a blog to link to, but she and I have been friends for quite some time, and she reads my musings here.

She sent this gorgeous ceramic acorn, with the most beautiful lid. She and her husband had found one of these for me over the summer, but it was somehow broken before it was mailed to me. Apparently, she and her sweet spouse went on the hunt for a duplicate and she told me that he's the one who found the new one. Niel, you're wonderful! I love this canister and it will get lots of use.
They also tucked this pretty little snowbird into the canister. See what it's perched upon? I now have an adorable little bird to join my little menagerie in the studio.

Dearest Denise and Niel...Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your beautiful gifts. I love them and will think of you whenever I look at them. Sending you love and hugs from Florida. I'll write a proper thank you note to you, but just had to let everyone see the sweet surprises you sent my way.

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.

Strawberry Roses...

I'll be listing up three of my medium-sized Strawberry Roses in the Boutique today. They're each embroidered with my own ribbon roses, buds and flourishes and are filled with lavender and organic wool.

I only have one of each of the colors shown, and I can't promise I'll be making any more before Christmas. If you've followed my blog since last year, you'll remember that it gets a little intense in the studio leading up to the holidays, because I make almost all my gifts. You'll understand why I may not get back to creating more of these. As much as I love making them, I just can't make any promises.
Each strawberry measures about four inches long, so they're not little. They'll be perfect sitting in a little dish, in your lingerie drawer, or you can even use them as pincushions!

You can find these three in The Boutique later this afternoon.
Handsome performed with the North Port Concert Band last night, and this proud wife recorded the entire evening's program. It's going to take me a while to sort through everything, but I hope to share a clip or two with you very soon.

Alas, because I was hired to record the entire concert, my head was in another mode yesterday and I didn't photograph any silver goodness for the October Silver Sunday. I'll photograph my entry later today and link over to Gypsy Fish Journal tomorrow. Sorry to be late to the party, Beth!
One last thing today...In case you didn't see Shell's comment to my post yesterday, I thought I'd share it with you. I loved her interpretation of Fezzik's reaction to the bunny...

"He isn't a hunter at all, but a friend to the bunnies and the creatures of the wild. He will protect them from harm and they will have many good conversations. He growled to warn the bunny of a human. There was peace and love in the world and they all lived happily ever after. You know I love a happy ending. :)
xx, shell"

I love her whole outlook. She's really a "glass-half-full" kind of gal. Fezzy really liked Auntie Shell's story, too! Thanks, my friend.

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!

Silver Sunday At Brynwood...

Can you believe it's time for another Silver Sunday already?

You may remember the Nantucket basket napkin rings and bowl I shared

recently, but I neglected to share the matching stir sticks for the set.
Those Nantucket basket motif items really seemed to be a hit
last time I showed them on my blog, so knew I had to show these to you!
They're silver, too...but I'm not much of a polisher. Sorry.
I think this is the last of my silver "basketry", although I do have a
tiny gold Nantucket basket necklace that Handsome
gave me on a past visit to see his brother.
It even has a teeny, tiny penny inside
just like the trademark woven handbags.

When you live in Florida - even if it's not right on the water - seashells
seem to be a recurring theme. So, interspersed with all my acorns, you'll
find the occasional seashell - or twenty. I have this little silver container
that holds my silver seashell-topped hors d'oeuvre forks.
Just a little shimmer to add to a banquet, buffet or brunch for two!

Finally today, I'd like to share one of my oldest and most cherished
silver necklaces. This was a high school graduation gift to me from
dear family friends about...ahem...35 years ago (close enough!).
It's Danish and features a chickory plant with blossoms.

I lived in rural Wisconsin before moving to Florida.
There, you find chickory growing everywhere -
from fields to farm roads - a riot of soft blue blossoms
reminding you of the beauty of summer in the Midwest.
I miss seeing them.
Isn't it wonderful how something personal like this can
also instantly bring back fond memories?
Thank you, Beth, for hosting another Silver Sunday, and the opportunity
to "bring and brag" on some of our shiny, tarnished and prized silver.

Please be sure to visit Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal
to see what the rest of the gang is showing off today!