"Tea Time and Roses"

Two of my favorite things have always been making time for tea and just about anything roses. When I enjoy them together, it feels like it just doesn’t get any better. Tea is used to celebrate so many special occasions – a chat with my daughter, to honor of a new bride, a visit with good friends, or just enjoying some quiet time by myself. It's always the right time for a cup of tea. And roses are always the perfect accessory.

Tea time and roses evoke so many memories for me. I don't know why, but the picture of a pink rose that I have hung in the entryway always reminds me of my grandmother pouring me tea from her favorite rose tea pot when I was a child. When I fill a vintage tea pot with the first roses of spring and sit in the middle of my dining table, the gentle fragrance always reminds me of the fresh cut roses my mother would bring in from her garden. I remember sharing a cup of tea with her as the scent of those roses filled the room.

It seems almost impossible to separate tea time and roses. But who would want to? The tea cups, saucers and pots that I have displayed on a shelf, ready to bring down at a moment's notice, are decorated with hand painted roses and rosebuds. They give an aura of elegance and romance to any occasion. The mismatched set of tea cups that I found at the flea market is sprinkled with roses in red, orange, pink, and blue. They remind me that you don't have to look like everyone else to be beautiful. In fact, they're all the more interesting to me because each one is so unique.

Tea time and roses have captured my heart and my home as far back as I can remember. I've discovered that, together, they make everything more beautiful.

You'll find so many ideas for filling your own days with tea time and roses at Make Mine Pink.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday May 28th 2010 as we present "Tea Time and Roses"

Photo Contribution 1: Cottage Flair| Photo Contribution 2: Olivia Paige|

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A Pretty Needlepoint ...

...all the way from Belgium to South Dakota to......... your house?

"We Need a Little Christmas....

...right this very minute~ we need a little Christmas now!"

Well not exactly now~ but in July~ mark your calendar~ the Boutiques at MakeMinePink.com will be celebrating Christmas in July from the 16th through the 20th of July. And you know what that means~ tons of gorgeous new merchandise and prizes prizes prizes! See you then.

San Fransisco and the Parrots

How parrots native to South America ended up on Telegraph Hill is a mystery. Many people believe they escaped captivity or were rejected by local owners. But they are there. A flock of up to 200 parrots consisting of mostly green bodied with red heads forage for food on Telegraph Hill. There are also some blue bodied parrots among the flock.

I first saw the parrots many years ago will visiting San Fransisco with my hubby, he for work, me for sheer enjoyment of the city. Having met another "spouse of a conventioneer" we decided to walk to a distant restaurant. When I was alarmed by "screaming" in the trees, my new friend pointed out the parrots. I fell in love with the mysticism of the wild parrots immediately. Of course, being a South Dakotan, parrots are very exotic and mesmerizing.

I have learned through the years that the parrots are creatures of habit, and were recently traumatized by an old tree being cut down. Their predators are hawks, which are plentiful in San Fransisco, and house cats as the parrots love to eat fruits and berries in the local gardens.

Today~ I have for your enjoyment a Parrot among the Roses. Just too pretty!

If you ever get to San Fransisco~ check out the parrots of Telegraph Hill, but you might have a better viewing from the Coit Tower.

Poor (wo)Man's Roses

My Mother loved peonies. They were not her favorite flower, but they were in her top 10. Not that she ever got to have any on her farm. Through the years, many conversations included peonies, such as “Maybe, if we move the peony bushes…”, “Why won’t my peonies bloom…” and “Oh, no, they ran over the peonies again!” The last being the most frequently heard conversation. As children, we mowed right over the peony bushes…never giving them a chance. So I went through my childhood not knowing what these illusive and mystical peonies were.

Not giving them much thought again until my wedding day, nearly 28 years ago, when my Mother-in-law brought a big beautiful bouquet of peonies to my wedding. Oh, the smell was intoxicating, they were in all shades of deep pink and the blooms were enormous. I fell in love with peonies right then and there and understood my Mother's desire to have these beautiful flowers on her farm.

When we bought our home 26 years ago, we had no landscaping or plants if any sort, but the nearby green house was closing out its stock and I purchased six peony plants at some ridiculously low price. Not being a gardener, I put them in along the sidewalk and threw some mulch on them, and ignored them. The next year I had the most glorious blooms, and have been blessed each year with more blooms than the last year. I love my row of peonies and wait every year for my anniversary when the blooms are abundant.

If they are “the Poor Man’s Roses”…then I am glad that I am the ‘poor (wo)man’.

A Spring Garden

Every year I look forward to the first flowers of spring. A garden filled with spring flowers always makes my heart beat a little faster with delight. Those first flowers inspire me to fill every corner of my home and yard with signs of rebirth and new life.

To the garden growing outside my window, I add a vintage planter filled with cheerful spring daisies. Their smiling faces welcome friends, old and new. I hang a ceramic plaque engraved with a friendly message among the tulips and the daffodils. On a busy day, it reminds me to rest a while and enjoy the spring flowers. From early in the morning until sundown, spring birds fill my yard and heart with their songs. They flit from tree to tree, looking for the perfect spot to build their nests. I could spend hours watching them carefully perch on the dainty teacup bird feeders I've set out for them.

When the weather is warm enough, I love to host a tea party outdoors for my granddaughters. On cooler days, I sip my tea indoors by a window overlooking the garden. I love to breathe spring into my home by adding floral touches throughout. I cover my table with a cloth sprinkled with dainty spring flowers and leaves. A floral Victorian cake stand makes a perfect centerpiece for the grand occasion – the arrival of spring. I set the table with vintage teacups and saucers encircled with tiny rosebuds for drop in guests.

In my sitting room, a beautiful handmade pillow rests on the sofa, which I have slip-covered in spring colors. Another pillow covered in bright pink blossoms sits proudly on my bed, now made afresh with spring linens. On the hall console I fill a crystal bowl with spring-scented potpourri and enjoy the fragrance of the season as it fills the house. At my desk, I write notes to friends I haven’t heard from in a while on notepaper filled with butterflies and spring spring flowers.

A spring garden is nature's announcement that the world is coming back to life. With its arrival, I feel more vibrant and alive, making me want to bring spring into every corner of my life.

The boutiques at Make Mine Pink can help you create a spring garden in your life.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday May 21st 2010 as we present "A Spring Garden"

Photo Contribution 1: Mary's Cottage Treasures | Photo Contribution 2: Cameo Kids Boutique | Photo Contribution 3: C'est Chouette

A Tough Decision....

...but a decision indeed! Please know this not personal~ this is business.

For the health of my business please note**

Effective May 1, 2010~ C'est Chouette Home will no longer be doing special orders or special requests. It was never in my business model to do "specials".

If C'est Chouette Home has a needlepoint of yours in hand~ it will be returned to you shortly. If a needlepoint from my stock is being held in hopes of finding fabrics and trim~ that needlepoint will be put back into stock and will be listed on my website if/when supplies that best complement the needlepoint are found. C'est Chouette Home will no longer accept shipments of needlepoint from customers.

Thank You for your understanding,

Color Me Pink

I’ve been a huge fan of pink for a very long time now. But all of a sudden, it seems that everywhere I look, I see more and more pink. I remember when pink was a color that was pretty much reserved for little girls' dresses and women's boudoirs. But now, one of my very favorite colors is being used in home décor and accessories of all kinds. I have to say, I am really enjoying the fact that pink is a color that will no longer be ignored.

In some homes, pink is finding its way into every little nook. You'll see a pink slipcover on the living room sofa, pink drapes on the windows, pink knick-knacks on the shelves. For me, my love of pink is satisfied with just a touch here and there. A vase of pale pink flowers on the table, a pink framed mirror hanging in the powder room or an antique pink teapot brought out for tea parties with the girls.

Mixing the various shades of pink can create a feminine and warm feeling in any room. But a single pink piece in an all white room can capture just as much attention. Even when it's used subtly, like pink tatting on white towels, a pink cushion on a favorite chair, pink always catches the eye.

What is it about pink that makes us love it so? Perhaps pink is so attractive to us because it can be used in any theme, from feminine to chic, from romantic to modern. Or perhaps we're drawn to pink because it's the color of play and delight.

Whatever reason that pink catches your fancy, you’ll be delighted with what you’ll find at Make Mine Pink. While Make Mine Pink is about so much more than just the color pink, you will find plenty of pink here!

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday May 7th 2010 as we present "Color Me Pink"

Photo Contribution 1: Shabby Shan's Cottage| Photo Contribution 2: Caroline Alexander|