Two weeks away ~ Quilting, physical therapy, and shopping

While I was away, I attended one of my Mom's Quilting days...and so did a furry friend below. Isn't she just so cute? She didn't get much quilting done, as she was too busy drinking her cup of tea and visiting everyone there. :)

Here's my Momma on Quilting Day. She is recovering from a stroke that paralyzed her entire right side 12/28/2011. She is already back to quilting, a true miracle she thought she'd never do again. Isn't she so pretty?

I took this quilt square to work on at my Mom's Sister~Friends Quilt day ~ I made it for a friend that is retiring at my work.
I'm leading our work team to complete 32 10.5x10.5 squares that will be all different for the quilt. I am thrilled with how mine turned out. I hand drew the teacup pattern. The handle was so tough to get right, so I decided to use buttons in her favorite color, purple, instead of fabric.

The pic of my mother above (standing :) is beside a quilt top she completed for my sister...all done by hand. Isn't she fabulous? I do a square, she does an ENTIRE quilt top - her 13th in 10 years. And, she's standing WITHOUT her cane! ;)

And below...it's a gal named Cathy that I met on my way home to GA at the Shoppes at Mauzy, VA. They allowed me to snap her pic, she was so kind to me. ;)

YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS What's COMING!!!

I hope to post real soon about an auction that I want to do for a blogging friends granddaughter. Kathy Black, from Mimi's Garden blog, experienced a very sad loss late last year when her daughter in law died shortly after childbirth. The money I raise from the items I auction off will all go to this little girl.

Stop by again real soon, as you won't want to miss seeing the items I'll be custom designing to auction off!

I'm going to create a button if you'd like to advertise it on your blog. The more people we get participating, the more interest there might be in bidding on the items and this little blessing of a baby girl will get 100% of the proceeds of the sale of these items.

HINT ~ One item I'll be auctioning off will be a custom designed Tea Cozey with a French theme material made by "Moi".

Happy Easter Everyone!
~CC Catherine

Christmas came early...I'm so glad the box said, OPEN NOW!

Pictured above are all my great gifts that came all the way from Canada, from my Bubblin Over friend, Claudie! I screamed when I seen my pink toilet tissue she sent me~ ;)

I'd been in the Christmas spirit since mid October when I began decorating for a Holiday Open House tour here in my neighborhood. So when the package arrived......I was in the mood to rip it open!

A sneak peak at my tree~ And a new ornament, an Eiffel tower, that I found at Goodwill. I love it! The theme of this tree is vintage, pinks, silver, gold, and whites.

This is a distant view of it... and you can see the gifts on the ottoman in front of the tree that Claudie sent me.
Oh my, who's this? Well... it's "moi", with my new Pink Ear Muff band that Claudie sent me...and my new pair of gloves she embellished! Check out the vintage earring that she adorned the one glove with. I LOVE IT Claudie! ;)

What's this? It's my Abbie, she wanted to model the Pink Ear muffs too. ;)

Well, tons more to decorate to get ready for the Holiday Open House tour this Saturday; gotta run for now~ Will try to show pics later!

Hugs to all my Blogland Friends! And especially...a BIG HUG & Thanks to Claudie for my lovely EARLY Christmas Gifts! :)

~CC Catherine

Show & Tell & ~CC's Antique Virtual $ale, $ale, $ale Shows, with much about France!

Ahhh...Another Show & Tell Friday, with Kelli from "Kelli's House"! Please be sure to meander on over to her place to catch all the other beauties that are being shared today!

Below my Show & Tell, you'll enjoy another fun featured Virtual $ale, $ale, $ale tour that I recently returned from the Northeast from. Many items reflect my love and passion for things very French!

My Show & Tell: As a young girl, I was totally enamored and in awe of my Grandmother. Everything about her I loved, and still do...even in my memories. These simple little rubber banded boxes below is how she stored much of her lovely pieces of jewelry, and I am blessed to have three of them. She kept them in this huge wood cedar lined chest she had in her bedroom and every so often, we'd sit there together while she showed me what lay beneath many of the rubber bands and under the lids.

As you'll see in the following pictures, I tried to capture what the items looked like as she lifted each lid. I never grew tired of the times we spent going through these little boxes, it was as if there were a huge treasure in each one.

The pearls I remember her wearing often, and many times I would play dress up and try them on.

The watch in the small box was so worn by her that it seems impossible that she could have ever worn it to bring it to this state. I'm wondering if it didn't belong to her mother.

I don't recall this rhinestone pin, but I'm so grateful that I now have it. The key represents to me that her memory will always be the "key" that opens my heart when I see my little rubber band boxes in my closet. When my little granddaughter, Cate, is old enough, I want to do the very same thing with her. Who has need of a fancy jewelry box, when I can pass down to her the mysteries that unfold under the lid of an unknown treasure like one of these my precious Grandma Odessa shared with me?

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Welcome to Lucketts Store & The Bee Cottage in Leesburg, VA

for our Virtual $ale Tour, with Much about France!!!

While visiting my dear friend, Kathleen Ellis, of "Kathleen Ellis Life Style Designs", she and her Prince Charming took us on an afternoon jaunt to visit a few of her favorite Antique Shops , Lucketts Store, and a lovely Vintage Boutique called "The Bee Cottage" where many chic items are to be found. Come along and sneak a peek with me...and you'll soon find out why this has now become my favorite place to go when I head up North too!

A treasure in "The Bee Cottage" was this hideaway, tucked in a corner...

I adore the look & feel of the imaginary world they enticed me into...

To the left of this I found this treasure of a display...

From memory now, I think this lovely French looking table lamp was in Lucketts...they had both new and antique items in this lovely shop. Three floors full of lovely items! Let's just say I was wading in things with a French influence...
Chic, love the pillow with the ruffle down the middle!
Totally French!
I would have loved to have brought this chair home with me...another French find!

And this Settee was gracefully upholstered in fabric with French writing...

I hated to say ~Au Revoir to her!

Loved this little chic lamp & sign found in The Bee Cottage...

My favorite I saved for last...found at "The Bee Cottage"...

I totally am in awe of this French Blue Silk covered chair... Tea anyone?

Now, all I need is $1,000 to go back and buy all these pretties! ;)

"Oui", a girl can dream~

Fortunate for me, my Mom taught me how to enjoy what we called Sear's "Wish Books" when I was a little girl!

Thanks so kindly for taking this little ride with me today to Lucketts Store & The Bee Cottage!

Stop by to check out the awards I've payed forward this week at: "This Place"

~Au Revoir!

~CC Catherine

Show & Tell Friday...And a Virtual "All Things French" Shopping Spree...

Thanks to Kelli @ "Kelli's House" for hosting another fabulous Show & Tell Friday! Please be sure to slide by her place to visit all the others that are sharing today!

My Show & Tell for today ~ I decided to share another one of my Antique Books, By The Fireside, by Charles Wagner.

This book (over 100 years old) was originally written in French and was translated into English by Mary Louise Hendee. My first copy of this book was purchased at a yard sale for $1. So fragile that the pages and cover began falling apart as I began reading it. I soon began my search as to how I could find another copy in better shape.

In Kennett Square, (near Longwood Gardens) Pennsylvania, I found an old book store, "Thomas Macaluso Rare & Fine Books" that was able to locate this newer copy for me. This book cost me $29.68. A small price to pay for such enjoyment that will last me for my lifetime.

Copyright is 1904 as pictured below:
This particular book that I obtained through the Rare Finds Book Store had once belonged to the John Hopkins Library. It has a stamp inside the front cover that the book was disposed of from John Hopkins and my guess is that the little markings you see to the bottom left of this picture has something to do with who maybe owned it at a later date.
The chapters of this book are about life, family, love in marriage, brothers & sisters, order in the house, golden hair and gray, and so much more. The chapter below you see is on good humor in the home.

My favorite excerpt of the entire book is on "Marriage".

Since it's Valentine Day weekend, I thought it would be a lovely excerpt to share with you.

Read what the author writes, and how applicable that it should be even 100 years later.

"We are too familiar with these unions where love, dying early, sleeps forgotten in a hidden corner of the memory, like the wedding-dress and orange blossoms in some remote chest. We end by believing that it must be so, that it is the law of life. Let us lift our hearts to something more lasting, to a more tenacious love, not ending with the roses but faithful, deep-rooted and abiding, a love that braves the tempest and fears no frosts. It is not at all like a pretty child, full of caprice and half rebellious; it is a rough and ready comrade, not indifferent to fine weather, but known for what it is, and proven in dark days. It knows how to suffer, to pardon and to endure. It does not hang upon a ray of sunshine or the colour of a lock. It has no age, or rather, like good wine, age mellows it. As the delicious German proverb has it--"Alte Liebe rostet nicht," old love never rusts."

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"All Things French"
Now, it's tough to follow those words of Charles Wagner, but I'm going to try...so that I can continue on the Virtual tour I have for you of "All Things French".
Imagine, if you will, that at the end of this lane, we've entered the border of France!
("Winter Version" of my "Four Seasons of Heaven" photo's that I recently snapped) Once across the border we've come upon a small French town with, none other than, a French Vintage & Antique Shop. The first thing I see as I enter the boutique is this lovely tray that will go on my Verandah Porch that I'm in the process of making over. (I purchased this, so it's the real deal) ;) The tray is made from broken china and the colors are absolutely perfect for any room in my home. I love it!

The next item is a lovely white porcelain and gold embossed edge custard dish w/ a small matching plate. I actually purchased a pair of these for my daughter's china collection, they're for her birthday. My Beloved accidentally chipped the one plate before I could get it in my gift closet... (drats, I'll keep that one now) ;)
This is the shape of the little French plate that holds the custard dish and the markings on the bottom of the dish.
Next are all these French and Frilly extras for any room in the home. The colors are so rich! I love the dish behinnd all the vases. The colors in it are gorgeous! I was brave and walked on by...

I adored this delicate sugar & creamer set, but could not justify adding one more set to my home. (I'm still on the Dave Ramsay Total Money Makeover) ;) So, I took a picture so my memory would keep it longer... ;)

This little Vintage and very French looking short curio with glass encasement was stunning. So was the price! ;) But, I can dream.... Oui?

This delicate porcelain statue of ladies dancing just reminded me of what the lovely young French dancers must have looked like in earlier years...one of my favorite eye candys of the day! ;)

This entire set was stunning!

I loved the way the soft yellow glass lamps were reflected in this mirror...

Cherubs, Silver, and unique Vintage finds...

Totally Floral and French!

My favorite little piece, and only $29...porcelain floral by Aynsley

A teapot...Floral & French! ;)

This color and pattern jumped out at me, even though I'm traditionally not a green gal!

Crystal Decanter... Love the shape!

A French Country "CHIC"ken look! ;)

A "Fleur de lise" pattern set of dishes in light peach tone.

A French Chair for the boudoir

A delicate yellow collectible porcelain piece...so Francais et Chic!

Blue & Whites....always in with the French!

And last, but not least, this fabulous teapot! So delicate, so floral, so Hummingbirding... ;) Remember, just because we're in France, doesn't mean necessarily that everything in the shop will be from France! I found this to be true when I visited there...just like here, we have collectibles from all over the world in our Vintage and Antique shops.

I hope you enjoyed this "Virtual" tour of "All Things French" from my make believe trip to France!

(The few things I mentioned purchasing I really found here in GA! ) Isn't pretending fun? ;)

IT's all about dreaming, isn't it?

Now, don't forget to stop by Kelli's for more Show & Tell shares! ;)

~CC Catherine