A Friends Giveaway

The wonderful Alice from Painted White is having a Spring Renewal Giveaway on her blog.

And this is the prize...wonderful Crabtree & Evelyn goodies, a gorgeous pom pom ball Alice made from coffee filters...{is that too cute or what} and a darling altered bottle. Alice is an amazing artist and the winner will be beyond pleased with their prize. So run...don't walk over to Alice's blog to enter...plus you'll be able to read one of the best blogs around!

What's New...

Come see what's new....

Outdoor Romance

I love dining alfresco...and here's a wonderful idea from Martha.

This outdoor dining area has been given a touch of romance...the sweet quilted jam jars holding votive candles casts a beautiful glow on the dinner below. Wouldn't these votives look just as stunning hanging from tree branches too. To see how Martha makes these...you can check it out here.

Photo courtesy of http://www.marthastewart.com/

I Love Origins

I love Origins products...and thought I'd share with you...some of my favorties.

Above is a wonderful charcoal mask called Clear Improvment that I like to use once a week. You'll look like The Creature from the Black Lagoon when it's on, but afterwards you'll feel so refreshed.

I love this stuff so much...this is Modern Friction. It's a gommage, which in french means eraser. You put it on dry and rub it in and it acts kinda like a micro-dermabrasion. This works wonders!

This is my daily moisturizer. I love that it's light and not greasy or heavy feeling....and is smells good too.


This little tube of wonder is called A Perfect World Skin Gaurdian. Love this!

And lastly, above is a great facial scrub that I like to use in the shower. It's a great polisher for the skin.



All photos courtesy of Origins.

Linens 101

With nice weather on the way...it's time to get out your stored linens and get ready for alfresco dining.

I love the look of rumpled linens...the less ironing the better.

An outdoor table set with beautiful creamy linens and white dishes has such a wonderful farmhouse feel.

Have some linens with stains...don't fret...using Rit dye can transform your old grungy linens into new refreshing linens with just a little soak. Maybe, you have some linens that are a little too bright and you want a more muted look...try Rit color remover. It helps fade out fabrics to give them a great vintage look. You can also try this old school method for removing stains...just lay your linen outside on the grass just before sunset and let the dew draw the stains out overnight. The next morning, the sun will finish the job by giving it a good bleaching.

See you outside!

Aqualicous

Today's shop theme...aqua....enjoy!

♥Andrea

Springin' Up

With spring just over a week away, ivy plants are springn' up everywhere. Ivy plants are some of the best indoor plants to care for, as they don't require a lot of maintance. Just a clip here or there and a bit of water when their thirsty. They don't ask for a lot, but give a big punch to your interiors.

I decided to share some of the ways I pot my ivy plants at home. The plant above is potted in an old crock...perfect for the kitchen.

This one, is in an old ironstone soup tureen that was missing it's lid.

This little ivy is still planted in it's ugly "store" pot. I just wrapped it with jute ribbon and some muslin...no more ugly store pot.

Wanna another really inexpensive way to fancy up your ugly "store" pots...this one is in a large cleaned out can of tomato sauce. Wrap the can with some burlap and a touch of lace...cute, huh. It's also a great way to re-purpose something that would have otherwise ended up in landfills.

I also brought out some of my garden decor to add a touch of the outside...inside.

And finally, I replaced the inserts on my hutch with good ol' chicken wire...can't get much more outdoorsy than that. It also makes a great place to clip up some old photos.

What have you done to spring up your home?

~Andrea

Weekend Round-Up

Every spring and fall, my mom sells at a craft show, and I always tag along to help out. I enjoy seeing all the wonderful handmade goods and love to shop and help support local artists.

This super cute purse was just calling out to me...so of course I answered. If your anything like me, and I know some of you are, you love to buy things that have been re-purposed....well, this is one of those things. This darling purse what made out of an old sweater and belt...don't ya just love that. These girls made some amazing things with felted sweaters and had the most beautiful soft rugs. If your interested in buying beautiful re-purposed goods, you can email them at bluecatrunt@yahoo.com.

So, when I got back home, I was in an artsy kinda mood so I took out some of my embroidery patterns and whipped this up...too cute, huh.

Of course I had to make a little boy...I am a mom to boys you know...and just tend to favor, Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails, cuz that's what little boys are made of. Anyways, you can find this and so many other cute patterns here.

I also wanted to thank Kris from Tres Belle for sharing this award with me....your too sweet Kris...thanks a bunch!

We've Been Busy

We've been busy adding lots of new treasures to the shop...with lots more to come. Here's a peek at what's new today.

Feeling french? Here are some french inspired goodies.

I've also been inspired by spring...and here are some of the new spring inspired items just added...

In the coming weeks, we have lots more to add...so stay tuned.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend...Andrea

Thrifty Treasures

If your anything like me...then you love a good deal. Recently, I came across some wonderful "thrifty treasures" that I thought I'd share with you.

I fell immediately in love with this huge ironstone pitcher...a bargin at $12.00.

This was a great find at the famous Rose Bowl Flea Market...a shabby white bench...another bargin at $10.00.

I found this beauty last weekend at a thrift shop for an amazing $25.00...love this!

A set of five old french watercolors...$12.00 for ALL of them, chippy frames included.

A couple days ago, I bought 37 french paperback books for a meer $11.50, that's only 31 cents each...was that a deal or what.

And these...lov'em...vintage seltzer bottles from England...they even have a stamp of approval from the Queen of England...how much you ask...$11.00 each.

Good deals can be found anywhere...thrift shops, auctions, estate dispersal shops, etc...just keep your eyes open...and you too can find a "thrifty treasure".

~Andrea

A Taste Of French

I found this wonderful french receipe this weekend on Food Network's website and thought I'd share it with all of you.

photo by Food Network

Warm Salad with Chicken Paillards and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

• 12 cups arugula, tough stems removed
• 8 green olives, pitted and quartered
• 8 large dates, pitted and quartered
• 2 oranges, peeled, sectioned and sliced into chunks
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
• 1/3 cup seasoned italian breadcrumbs
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 ounces aged or fresh goat cheese, crumbled - also known as chevre (french for goat)

Directions

Place arugula, olives, dates and orange chunks in a large salad bowl.

Lay each chicken breast between 2 large pieces of plastic wrap. Gently pound with the smooth side of a meat mallet or a heavy saucepan until 1/4 inch thick. Place breadcrumbs on a large plate and dredge the chicken in them.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 chicken breasts and cook until golden and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to platter, cover and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium, add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan and repeat with the remaining chicken. Transfer to the platter and cover.

Add orange juice concentrate, water and vinegar to the pan. Stir in mustard and let the dressing boil for 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Add half of the warm dressing to the salad; gently toss to mix.

To serve, cut chicken into thin slices. Top salad with chicken, goat cheese and the remaining dressing.

This recepie just looked like spring to me...and I thought...what a wonderfully light and tasty treat this would be.

I also wanted to share with you something else that has a a taste of french...

The French Cupboard is a wonderful "Uncommon Marketplace". If you'd like more information about the French Cupboard, just click here.

Happy Monday!

♥Andrea