French Farmhouse for Pink Friday

Take a trip to France this Friday, February 20th at the boutiques at Make Mine Pink (http://www.makeminepink.com/).
Close your eyes and imagine the sun-warmed tumbled stone tiles beneath your feet, take in the scent of lavender, listen to the sounds of the chickens in the yard.
Where are you?
At a lovely French Farmhouse.
What makes up the French Farmhouse?
A home decorated with cherished family heirlooms handed down through the generations asking to be touched and used. The nicks, scuffs and dents are the patina that only comes with time and offers a sense of history. The wear and tear is meant to be celebrated. French Farmhouse style lies in its eclectic nature of mix and match, use what you have, finding a new use for an old item. French Farmhouse juxtaposes a velvet sofa with a tattered linen chair and a Louis XIV armoire. All well loved and still meant to be used not to be put in a museum. The colors and patterns are a mixture of bright blue, red and yellow of Provence used next to the two-tone toiles of Jouy-en-Josas and silks of Paris. Rugs have a used and tattered patina of the past centuries layered with the newer brighter rugs of the past decade. To complete the French Farmhouse one must tell their own story by adding brocante- items that a bit to nice to throw away; not quite junk not quite art. Add flower frogs under bell jars, a row of children's wooden boats on the mantle, an old tiara on a cake stand or vintage perfume bottles on the dressing table. If you love books, line every shelf with them and add stacks to all the tables. Wire bird cages, cast-off egg baskets, rustic ladders and garden trellis all find safe haven in a French Farmhouse. Bring the garden in to the house by adding florals here, there and everywhere. Fresh flowers are a must in nearly every room. Using what you love becomes the only rule to decorating in the French Farmhouse.Enjoy your time in the French Countryside.

Shades of Roses

The shade of a single rose so eloquently captures all the feelings of a special moment, reflects all the memories of everything that has happened before this time, and expresses the hopes of many moments yet to come.
The first single rose a young woman receives might be given while she is still a girl. Perhaps it is a delicate shade of peach, from someone who knows every ounce of effort that has gone into a special performance, or accomplishment. It's an appreciation of everything the girl is right now, and all she hopes to be. Later, a single rose in a deep shade of orange says, "I am so proud," and expresses admiration of everything she has become. She has graduated from girlhood and she is ready to take on the world.
Now that she is a woman, her grace and beauty catch someone else's eye. A pink rose, held in a hand made bold by sweet love, tells her of unspoken feelings. After a time, the same hand brings a newly bloomed red rose to announce, "I love you." A single white rose might follow, proclaiming a love that is stronger than death.
The shades of a rose, like a moment in her life, can contain a myriad of meanings. A single yellow rose might speak of contentment and happiness. Placed on a bedside table, it could celebrate the unbridled joy of a new birth or anniversary of another year together. It could also make the promise of a new beginning, or to make up for things that have gone wrong.
Soon it becomes the woman's turn to give a single rose. She carefully selects one in a delicate shade of peach. It's been chosen for another girl, not yet a woman, who is full of promise and life, and given with the hope that she too will experience life in all its beautiful shades.

Join us at http://www.makeminepink/ for SHADES OF ROSES for Pink Friday .

My Nephew Matt in the musical "Footloose"

Matt plays the part of the Grouchy Principal!

Here he is after the first show. Now that's my smiley guy again!

Matt in action reprimanding those rowdy students!

Taking a bow. Great job Matt and everyone in the cast of Footloose. We went all three times! It will take me weeks to stop singing those songs! What fun!

Be My Valentine ~ Pink Friday Feb 6th

Remember the days when we took shoeboxes and transformed them into treasure chests, sacred vessels ready to receive Valentines from our classmates? The anticipation we felt when we carved slots in the tops with blunt pairs of school scissors, making sure the openings were large enough to receive the dozens of cards we hoped would soon be delivered... but not so big that we would appear greedy. For that one day, we were willing to extend our friendship to even the boy who pulled our hair.Later, the tingling excitement as we spent hours pouring over each and every sentiment that had been dropped into our box of hope... eager to find that one special card from a best friend, a boy we liked, or the most popular girl in class. Pouring over each sentiment, examining the carefully formed letters of each name.The days of decorated shoeboxes and clumsily lettered names may have been long ago, but many things still fill us with the same little flutters we felt back then.Finding a stack of vintage postcards in a favorite antique shop - some garlanded with roses, others with whimsy and fun. Uncovering a tarnished locket filled with memories of lost loves, at the bottom of an abandoned jewelry box. Picking up a weathered journal and discovering the dreams of a young woman as she embarked on her own journey of love.A delicate hankie from a past generation, lovingly stitched with pink and red roses. Yellowed stacks of love letters, unfading feelings bound with a tattered ribbon.As Valentine's Day draws near, I find myself feeling nostalgic for the things and feelings of the past. I'm opening the drawers of my memory and sifting through moments that have been stored away for a time just like this.Happy Valentines Day!
Join us at Make Mine Pink (www.makeminepink.com) for other boutiques celebrating Valentine's Day!
Susie of The Polka Dot Rose
www.thepolkadotrose.com