~~~~~~~~~~HAPPY PINK SATURDAY~~~~~~~~~ And I Love Everything FRENCH~

 

 ~SWEET FRENCH PAEFUMEUR PILLOW~

(with a pretty soft pink rose)

Happy Pink Saturday!  Thank you so much to Miss Beverly of HOW SWEET THE SOUND for hosting our Pinkalicious Party for us each and every week!  I'm so glad I get to participate again!  It's been a while and I've been missing you!

 ~PARIS PARFUMERIE SACHET~

(smells yummy on the inside)

It seems I've had the busiest week ever, but truth be told...I love it!  I spent hours upon hours working in my studio and somehow I managed to not only finish painting the room, but the two HUGE-A-MONGUS closets as well!  My Mr. AGPMan installed new shelving for me and I've vowed to truly get organized...and I will...even if it kills me! :)

 ~PARIS TEA BAG COVERS IN PINK~

(i love paris)

Anyway...I worked like a dog and even though I'm MORE THAN TIRED I know all the work will pay off during the busy holidays!  I barely breathe the last three months of the year and nevahhhh-evahhhh have time to do any re-do stuff.

Soooo...I'm a-doin'-it-now! :)

~FRENCH TEA BAG COVERS IN CREAM~

(i love tea, too)

In the midst of the chaos I somehow managed to finish up some new PINK PRETTIES that will be offered soon on my A Gathering Place Website.  They've been MORE THAN FUN to create and I've loved tapping into the All-Things-French-and-Paris craze!   

 ~MY FAVORITE TEACUP~

(pink-cream-gold)

Since "I LOVE PARIS IN THE SPRINGTIME" (and in the Summer, Fall and Winter) I've continued working during my evening hours on some new greeting cards, tags and notes that showcase my affection for French Confection-ry.  I'm having so much fun and the possibilities are endless when working with vintage graphics!  If I'm not careful the wee morning hours can easily melt into my evening hours...it just doesn't feel like work!

 

 ~FRENCH CORSET BLANK CARD~

Eeek!  I just love PhotoShop and Paint Shop Pro!  I'm soooo NOT a techno-girl so if I can master even a tiny bit of each of these programs it's not unusual to see me rock-out with a 'happy dance'.  :)

~PINK PRETTIES FOR THIS WEEK~

And there you have it!  My tiny contribution for

Miss B's Pink Saturday Parteee!  

Thanks for stopping by to visit me today...hope your day is wonderful!

Love to you...

~BROWNIE GIRL SCOUTS and MY AMAZING MOTHER~

~BROWNIE TROOP 106~

Hacienda Heights, California

March 31, 1965

Today I'm going to take you all back to when I was a little kid and do a little bit o' braggin' about my Momma!  OK?

I was six years old when the picture at the top was taken and even though over 45 years have passed since it was snapped I still remember thinking my Momma

Hung The Moon!

You wanna talk about crazeeeeee-talented???

My mother was truly before her time! 

~REBECCA WITH HER LOVELY TEETH~

(Nothing 5 years of braces couldn't fix!)

Back in 1965 she was the Girl Scout Co-Leader for Brownie Troop 106 and I promise you...somehow she was ALWAYS finding a way to get her girls (and whatever they were involved in!) in the newspaper!

She was a master at getting
FREE ADVERTISING and Press

for not only Girl Scouts, but for 

Bixby Elementary School's PTA, too!

(I think she was shameless and soooo very BOLD!)

  ~BEAUTIFUL MOM in 1965~

You soooo totally ROCKED, Mom! 
(Even then I somehow knew you did...)

MY BIG SISTER, LINDA

(I'm not sure she was having a good day!)

When I was too young to qualify to be a Brownie my Mother and Auntie fashioned what they called "Pixie" outfits for me and my cousin.  They didn't want us to feel like we were being left out of the fun since we both had older sisters in the Troop!  I suppose it was OK since they were
the LEADERS and were
DOING LOTS OF STUFF FOR FREE! :)

~CHRISTMAS CAROLING ARTICLE 1963~

(Gosh...my name was ALWAYS last!)

Today I'm so grateful for all the time and effort my Mother put into raising her children.  She exposed us to so much and it was almost always done

on a very thin dime!

 

 ~NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FROM 1964~

~MY BEAUTIFUL MOMMA and AUNTIE P~
(Sign was Hand painted by my Grandfather)
Auntie on left, Mom 2nd from right

It is truly because of her and all the things she taught me during my growing-up years (and beyond) that I'm able to do what I love today.

 ~MY MOTHER and I in 1959~

I know I've shown you the photo above before...but it's the only one in existence of my Mother holding me
as a baby...

It means MORE to me than I can say!

 ~MY MOTHER and I TODAY~
Our Only Professional Picture Ever Taken 

Except for some candid snapshots, I've never had a professional picture taken of my mother and I alone.  A few weeks ago we had this one made of just the two of us.  As usual my mother is radiant!
I'm just THRILLED my eyes weren't shut (don't ask!).

"A rendezvous

Which two hearts keep

Beyond

All time, aware

In joy or sorrow

One may come

And find the other

There"

 Mary Wheeler Edgerton 

(NO SPECIAL OCCASION, MOM!  JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!)

Hope you all have a fabuloso Friday!  I'm going junkin' and slummin'!!!

PS:  My Mr. AGPMan just got his first test back!  He aced it!  But then...I knew he would!  Whoot!  Whoot!

Love to you...

~A SHABBY COTTAGE CHIC CUBBY MAKEOVER~

~SWEET CUBBY FOR LACE~

For the third year in a row I've decided to participate in the

"WHERE BLOGGERS CREATE PARTY"

hosted by the ever talented

Karen Valentine of My Desert Cottage.

Once again this fabulously fun get-together has more than a couple hundred participants.  The grand reveal is July 15, 2011 and I hope you'll stop in for a peek at what's new!  So many incredibly talented women will be taking part in the excitement and we'd love to have you join us as well!  Click one of the links above for more information...

~GREAT FOR OLD RIBBONS and LACES~

Over the past twelve months I've revamped my working studio quite a bit.  As I told you a couple of days ago the wall colors have been changed from a pale pink to a soft creamy white and even though much of the layout has stayed the same I've tried to alter several key elements in the room.  I'm loving the transformation which includes the changing out the skirt on my sewing machine table (to something less busy!) as well as the removal and then the addition of different furniture pieces.  I've been focusing on working "smarter" not "harder" and I'm truly loving the change.

 ~TOTALLY YUMMEEEE~

For me, the reasons for decorating with whites have been simple.  White is capable of unlimited subtleties without ever becoming boring or tiresome.  It's ever lovely, ever fresh.  Even though most of my home showcases this purest of colors I've found when used in my studio or working space it helps me focus on the project at hand instead of everything around me.

 ~GORGEOUS INSERTION LACE~

When I'm out and about tag sale hunting (or just merely junkin', you KNOW it's my favorite past-time, right?) I'm always on the lookout for storage/display pieces I can use in my workroom.  I can't stand digging in big plastic bags for just the right piece of vintage lace or ribbon...it absolutely makes me nuts!!!  I like to see what I have at hand and wasting time "searching" is, well, a waste of time.

 ~LOVE BOTTLES and BUTTONS~

The little cubby you see above was found at a Speigel auction over ten years ago.  I fell in love with all her little drawers and it's been another perfect place for holding bits of old lace and trims.  I've stacked it up with a sweet little piece found at an estate sale...both sit upon an vintage dresser/chest.  Everything has been painted out with my favorite Cottage White Paint (by Behr/Home Depot) before being gently distressed.

In about three weeks or so I'll be showing you more of where I create.  Soooo~  I hope you'll visit me again to see what's new!  In the meantime don't forget to visit Miss Karen and her wonderful blog.  You will LOVE her!!!!

Blessing for an awesome summer day!

Love to you...