[Visual Inspiration]

I love this color of blue, I have a dresser that needs to be made-over and this color is definately in the running for the exterior.

All photo's are from cherryblossomgirl.com

New Flowers...

After several days of not getting any new items posted:
Here are some lovely new flowers:
They can be found at www.thegildedbee.etsy.com.

Mint/Bubble gum Pink/Cream roses...

Bubble Gum Pink/Gold Daffodils...

So sweet---Like candy---Cream/Bubble Gum Pink Daffodils...

More tasty flowers---Cream/Orange Daffodils...

Cream/Bubble Gum Pink/Baby Blue Rose Mix...

Butter/Baby Blue and Shell Pink Poppies.

Vintagy Butterflies

Here are some of my lovely new butterflies newly posted on www.thegildedbee.etsy.

In peach...

Mint...

And butter.

These are so vintagy/cute. I like the chenille bodies. I like most anything fuzzy.

I'll be doing more with chenille in the near future, esp. as spring+Easter approach.

10 Things to do...

Hmm, what a weekend.
I'm so tired <:)
I've been on the computer so long,
I think my neck and my arms have gone into locked positions,
I need to do something else for a little bit...

Here is my list of 10 things to do that aren't on the computer:

*1. take my dog for a walk
*****Done, Eddie was bouncing off the walls, it has been so cold/blizzardy that we haven't been out in days.

*2. Make bread
*****I'm just putting it in the oven...

*3. sew something

*4. wrap a gift
*****Done, in lavender tissue, for my sisters birthday

*5. read a magazine
*****I read through my new M.S.Living/Valentine issue,
I should make a project out of it

*6. paint something

*7. write a thank you note

*8. make something beautiful

*9. do a sketch
*****Done (yesterday) I'm preparing to overhaul my sewing area and was making some layout sketches.

*10. watch or read something funny
*****Done, I watched some episodes of 'I love Lucy' and a British Comedy.

The Martin House at Christmas Time

We went to one of my favorite haunts after tea at the Martin House, namely Bonnesens.
I have mentioned it before. It's a five and dime store that I have been going to since I was a little kid. And I still anticipate everytime I go. We were doing a little Christmas shopping just before they closed, and it started snowing. As in Christmas movie snowing, big flakes, falling at just the right rate, as though they were cued to be picturesque for that moment in time.
I took this picture of the main street in Atlantic, IA (which is, of course, where the Martin House and Bonnesens are located), I love the decorations that they put up. My picture doesn't do them justice, there are lights on every tree and in the park at the end of the street.
It looked so very festive.

My flash wouldn't cooperate with me so my pics are a little dark.

The Martin House is a second empire Victorian that has been converted into a Bed and Breakfast/restaurant. We go there every year for tea+desserts (you should hear the list of desserts, it makes me want to create new cheesecakes) and to see the Christmas decorations, which are never the same two years in a row.

This is the view looking into the front parlor.

Looking into the dining room, so gorgeous.

I'm obsessed with the opulence of this era.

The light fixtures are amazing. They have come from several counries, including Austria and Paris, France.

I wonder if I have room for one somewhere in my house?

In the back parlor...

And another (I know, very dark, stupid flash), of the lovely front parlor.

We went again on New Years Day.

It was very nice to sit in the front parlor on the pink velvet couch and just watch the fire in the fire place.

What a house.

More Vintagy Tags...

Here are some more Vintagy tags for thegildedbee.etsy,

each listing is for 8 tags, each measuring approx. 2 1/8 by 2 3/4 in.

Miniature Envelopes/butter/pink and strawberry pink

I listed these adorable envelopes on Etsy yesterday: thegildedbee.etsy.com
I'm thinking about doing them in different colors too...
Butter yellow

Bubble gum pink

And Strawberry Pink

They measure approx. 1 by 1 1/2 in., so cute. Each listing is for a dozen envelopes.

Perfect for gifts, favors, cards and scrapbook pages.