CHEZ FIFI

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

WISHING EACH OF YOU A VERY LOVELY CHRISTMAS!

THE YEAR WAS 1995........I DRIED 100S OF ROSES AND HYDRANGEAS THROUGH THE YEAR TO HOT GLUE TO THE TREE........ADDED PEPPER BERRIES  SPRAYED WITH SILVER PAINT....AND WEAVED RIBBON

  

 

 

 

 

        

 MAY YOUR

CHRISTMAS

BE

LOVING AND PEACEFUL.

 

 

More Natural Christmas........

QUICK, EASY AND PRETTY TABLE CENTERPIECE............

FROM THE GARDEN:STARFUIT, CAMELLIAS, LITTLE PINE CONES AND BERRIES........

FROM THE KITCHEN: ICING SUGAR, GRAPES............

FROM MY FRIEND SUE: A LITTLE CANDLE ORNAMENT.............

 

 

ENJOY!!!!!
 

A NATURAL CHRISTMAS..........

.............................CONTINUING THE "NATURAL" CHRISTMAS THEME..............

TODAY I WENT "HUNTING, GATHERING & FORAGING" FOR MORE NATURAL ELEMENTS TO CREATE A LITTLE CHRISTMAS DISPLAY IN THE COURTYARD OUTSIDE THE GUEST HOUSE.........

FORTUNATELY WE HAD A BIG WIND/RAIN STORM YESTERDAY, AND FALLEN BRANCHES, SPANISH MOSS AND PINE CONES WERE READILY AVAILABLE.................

ALL I DID WAS TO MOVE MY POTTING BENCH UNDER THE GUEST HOUSE BATHROOM WINDOW AND SET A LARGE GALVANIZED TUB ON IT...................... 

THIS IS HOW IT STARTED..............

I FILLED THE TUB WITH A VARIETY OF THE STUFF I PICKED OFF THE GROUND AND ALSO MADE A QUICK GARLAND FROM PINE, ROPE, AND TINY PINE CONES TO HANG ON THE WINDOW........

 

..............THEN ADDED THE BERRIES...............
 

......MADE THE WREATH WITH TWIGS AND REMNANTS OF DEAD VINES I HAD BEEN SAVING WITH THAT IN MIND..................YOU CAN ALSO SEE SOME PALM TREE BARK, PEPPER BERRIES, AND BRANCHES FROM THE NORFOLK PINES (YES, THEY GROW DOWN HERE IN FLORIDA!)....................

 

ADDED THE LITTLE NEST.............
 

THE RUSTED CROWN IS FOR A CANDLE, WHICH I WILL ADD.........SOON........

I GOT THE METAL CAT AT A STREET FAIR A LONG TIME AGO....

.....AND THE STONE DOVE HAS BEEN OUTSIDE SO LONG THAT IT'S STARTING TO DETERIORATE BUT IT LOOK EVEN BETTER LIKE THAT.......................

I HAVE HAD THAT TWIG BASKET FOR A LONG TIME TOO. JUST FILLED IT WITH MOSS AND BERRIES AND HUNG IT BY THE GUEST HOUSE DOOR..............
      
 

AND FINALLY, THIS STONE BIRD BATH PROVIDED THE PERFECT CONTAINER FOR MORE PINE CONES, MOSS, AND PODS...........

 I STILL WANT TO ADD A FEW HANGING CANDLES (GOT TO BE CAREFUL WITH ALL THIS LIVE STUFF...) AND I WILL BE DONE........................BUT FOR NOW THESE WILL DO..........

***************MORE TO COME**************** 

 

 

A WORLD OF BEAUTY.............

LIKE MANY, I HAVE BEEN IN LOVE WITH THE STUNNING BEAUTY OF THE WORK OF  BRITISH ARTIST AND DESIGNER 

CAROLYN QUARTERMAINE

HER DAZZLING CREATIONS ARE PRETTY AND FEMININE, ROMANTIC YET INFORMAL, A PERFECT UNION OF TEXTURES AND LIGHTNESS, OF COLOUR AND SOFTNESS. 

I UPLOADED ALL THESE PHOTOS FROM HER WEBSITE 

http://carolynquartermaine.com/index.html

WHERE YOU CAN SEE A LOT MORE. MEANWHILE TAKE A LOOK AT THESE AND DREAM ON....

DOESN'T THIS CHAIR LOOK LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS? THAT FABRIC IS JUST LUSCIOUS!

STEP INTO CAROLYN'S WORLD OF BEAUTY...........

     

CHECK THE ELEGANCE OF THE SCRIPT ON THESE AIRY FABRICS................

  

....AND THAT CHAIR IS SO INVITING.............................

   

HOW CAN YOU RESIST THESE ETHEREAL LACES? SUCH A LOVELY TAKE ON A CLASSIC ROMANTIC ICON...................

THE LACE DESIGNS EVEN COME IN COLORS LIKE THIS BLUE MOTIF............

.........AND SIMILAR TO GOLD FILIGREE.....................

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY THE FLUID DESIGN ON THE SUPPLE FABRIC BRINGS AN "UP-TO-DATE" ROMANCE TO THESE CHAIRS.............

THESE 2 SHADES ARE MADE FOR EACH OTHER...........................

THE LACE DESIGN SEEMS TO MIRROR THIS DELICATE SCROLL.............................

SIMPLY SOPHISTICATED..........

EVEN THE DESIGNER'S CONTEMPORARY STUDIO IS IMBUED WITH ROMANTIC HUES.....

......AND DETAILS...................

  

IT'S ALL ABOUT SHAPES AND DELICATE TOUCHES....................

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT BESIDES CAROLYN'S WEBSITE SOME OF THESE BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS APPEARED IN MANY MAGAZINES SUCH AS: MARIE CLAIRE MAISON, ELLE INTERIOR SWEDEN, ELLE DECORATION UK, VOGUE LIVING. I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT KNOWING THE NAMES OF THE RESPECTIVE PHOTOGRAPHERS, BUT A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO THEM FOR GIVING US ALL THIS VISUAL BEAUTY.

 

        
     

 

ABOUT FRIENDS................

THIS LITTLE POEM (WHICH I DIDN'T WRITE, AND DON'T KNOW WHO THE AUTHOR IS) IS FOR ALL OF YOU MY FRIENDS WHO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE ME WITH YOUR CARING COMMENTS. I WISH I WAS CLEVER ENOUGH TO COME UP WITH THESE LOVELY WORDS MYSELF BUT I AM GLAD I CAN "BORROW" THEM BECAUSE THEY PERFECTLY EXPRESS HOW I FEEL ABOUT EACH OF YOU AND YOUR KINDNESS. I NEVER TELL YOU ENOUGH HOW MUCH IT MEANS TO ME. SO HERE YOU GO. THANK YOU.

TAKE THIS LITTLE THOUGHT FROM ME.

YOU ARE WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO BE.

ALL THE KINDLY DEEDS YOU DO,

MAKE ME WISH THAT I WERE YOU

YOU ARE THE FINET OF THE FINE,

GOOD, LOYAL FRIEND OF MINE.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SPEAKING OF DEAR FRIENDS, MY ENGLISH "SISTER"  CHRISTINA STRUTT, THE CREATIVE GENIUS BEHIND CABBAGES & ROSES, THE FAMOUS BRITISH COMPANY, HAS A LOVELY NEW BOOK "Cabbages & Roses- AT HOME WITH COUNTRY" DUE OUT IN MARCH, JUST IN TIME FOR CABBAGES & ROSES 10TH ANNIVERSARY.

I WILL BE FEATURING PHOTOS OF AT HOME WITH COUNTRY IN THE SPRING ISSUE OF ROMANTIC COUNTRY BUT RIGHT NOW I CAN ONLY SHOW YOU THE BOOK COVER......

 

THIS EXQUISITE BOOK WAS SHOT IN THE USA AND ENGLAND AND ILLUSTRATES HOW CABBAGES & ROSES' SIMPLE FURNISHINGS, NATURAL LINENS, SOFT SHADES AND SASSY STRIPES ARE EQUALLY AT HOME IN ANY INTERIOR-- A CITY LOFT,A BEACH COTTAGE, A COUNTRY HOME, A MANOR HOUSE OR EVEN IN A TENT-- AND HOW CHRISTINA'S SENSE OF STYLE UNITES WITH HER LOVE OF HOME. 

THOUGH I CAN'T SHARE THE PHOTOS OF THE BOOK I CAN, HOWEVER, SHARE SOME FROM CABBAGES & ROSES WEBSITE. TO SEE MORE HOME AND FASHION DESIGNS JUST GO TO:

http://www.cabbagesandroses.com/

MEANWHILE ENJOY THIS LITTLE SLIDE SHOW!

CHRISTINA IS LOOKING AT OPENING A FEW STORES IN THE US NEXT YEAR. LET'S HOPE SHE DOES AS WE WILL THEN BE ABLE TO GET SOME OF HER BEAUTIFUL WARES WITHOUT HAVING TO ORDER FROM OVERSEAS HENCE SAVING THE TRAUMA OF THE EXCHANGE RATE!

I DID GET THIS BLOUSE LAST YEAR.........................

AND I LOVE THEIR WINTER FASHIONS TOO...........ESPECIALLY THIS OUTFIT...ALL I NEED IS FOR THE WEATHER (HERE) TO STOP BEING IN THE 80S!......................

  

CABBAGES & ROSES SHINES BY THE HONESTY OF ITS NATURAL FABRICS, HOMEY DETAILS, AND HEARTFELT DESIGNS. 

I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE STORES TO OPEN HERE. HOW ABOUT YOU?????? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~