More Pretties

Isn't this a sweet box? My sis gave it to me for my birthday last weekend. Inside was a gift card to DSW for a new pair of shoes. I found the little silver glass votive at Michael's yesterday. I thought it would be perfect to hold paper clips. It probably looks even better with a candle it in!

As it is Texture Tuesday once again at Kim Klassen Cafe, today's photos were processed using the texture Felicity.

Ribbons, ribbons, ribbons!

Have a fabulous Tuesday!

O Happy Day

Yeah for the weekend! Full of possibilities, I love the start of the weekend. I got a jump start yesterday by taking Mom to IKEA where we had our Swedish lunch. I went home with just six bags of frozen Swedish pancakes and a jar of strawberry jam. I have been craving these pancakes for some months since I ran out. Straight from Sweden, they are the best! With just butter, or jam or syrup or even fresh strawberries, they are delicious. 

In the late afternoon, sis and I went for haircuts and we left feeling fabulous. With just enough time to make it to Nordstrom's cafe before they closed, we had a nice meal before heading home and calling it a day.

Time to start a new day! 

A Little More Heart

It's still Valentine's week, right? 

I affixed these lovely postcards to my new display.

Guarded by birds!

Favorite things.

Here's to a sweet ending for this week. 

What's in store for you this President's holiday weekend? 

It so happens that this year my birthday falls on the holiday weekend and I always take my birthday as a vacation day, so I'll have an extra long weekend. First up: IKEA. Second: Cheesecake Factory. Third: the new antiques and collectables flea market in my area. After that: a bit of this and a bit of that. Organizing, reading, cooking, maybe a hair cut, a self portrait to commemorate my new age and just enjoying the days off. Hope yours is a fabulous weekend, too!

Happy Heart Day!

Happiness

Today's theme for Texture Tuesday at the Kim Klassen Cafe is happiness. It also happens to be Valentine's Day. Don't they just go hand in hand?  

Since it is Valentine's Day, I was going for the look of romance. What better way to say romance than flowers? And how can you not be happy around flowers?

And it doesn't matter if they are real or not. Without a large garden, I rely on a touch of faux here and there. Hey, my jewels aren't real, so why not!

I used one to two textures in each photo today and had fun experimenting with the looks.

No textures on this one, just a wish to you for a very happy Valentine's Day!

I Heart You

In honor of Valentine's Day, I dug out some hearts and pink objects d'amor today. 

The better part of the morning was spent shooting. Not like I didn't have anything else to do like a bit of house cleaning, laundry or sorting and filing all the mail that has been piling up. No, it was just more fun to pick up my cameras and meander around looking for Valentine themed objects.

The glass paperweight had been resting under my jewelry in a drawer. What a perfect time to bring it out. 

My favorite color has been pink for the last 10 years or so. I haven't tired of it yet although I do like other color combinations as well. Just as yellow is cheery, pink brings a touch of happiness. And in February, perhaps a little more romance.

Birdcage Display

Loving my new find... I spied this recently at a new home goods store while walking along Laurel Avenue in San Carlos. I had to have it because a) there is a little bird at the top and I love bird icons and b) because I thought it would be fabulous to display photos and such. 

I've yet to really utilize it but I did stick a few things on it including another bird.

Previously the bird was nesting atop the shoulder of my mannequin. That's okay, I'm ready to change things up. Spring fever is creeping up on me.

A Bit of Texture

Can you tell what this is? It's a cone filled with flowers and hung from a decorative knob. Just playing with textures tonight. These photos all have the texture "Simplicity" applied to them along with a second texture from Kim Klassen at Kim Klassen Cafe. 

Oh, here's more of the cone! I used Simplicity plus a different second texture and went for a brighter, less antique feel to this one.

Since Valentine's Day is approaching, I have hearts on my mind. Just one more week to go. Oh la la!

Quite a Pear

The Bosc pear. A fabulous pear. Hard to believe, but I've only recently discovered it. While at Whole Foods Market a month or so ago, they had samples of various fruits sliced for the shoppers. Hungry as I was, I ate one slice. Was I surprised! It was firmer than the usual Bartlett pear I was used to eating, but just as flavorful. Since then, I've been buying them each week. They last much longer and don't get so mushy. 

Coincidentally at the same time, Trader Joe's was sampling a wonderful cheese from Holland that had caramelized onions in it. It was paired with small rosemary raisin toast crackers that perfectly complemented it. Add the Bosc pear and viola! What a wonderful appetizer or snack.  It's become my go-to appetizer for the Golden Globes, SAG awards and perhaps Oscars too. Be sure to try the Bosc pair while they are still in season!

A Little Randomness

Random Notes

Last weekend I visited my mom and brought her some of her favorite flowers - daisies. Flowers are always certain to please, whether it's just a bud or a bouquet. They bring a smile to my face each time I look at them. Then again, there are some who'd rather eat them (yes, I'm referring to Nippy my black and white tuxedo cat). 

Mom would not be too happy knowing I posted these photos of her as I didn't give her a chance to freshen her makeup or hair. However, considering she is just less than two months away from 82, I think she still looks terrific. While I was there, I scored a vintage black feathered hat in the original Emporium hat box. She wore it with a black suit in the late fifties or early sixties. Mom has always loved hats but long gone are the days when ladies wear hats each time they go out. No, it's so much more casual today. However, she still has a hat collection and loves to wear a beret.

Do you use Pinterest? The oddest thing is happening. In the last week, I have received over 800 emails notifying me each time someone "likes", repins or comments on one of my pins. Before that, I received several each week but nothing like this. I can't figure out what is going on. Has that happened to any of you? It's quite an addicting site and you can spend a lot of time viewing fabulous images and creating boards. Well, I guess I'll just continue pinning away!

Just Sharing

Today, I'm Happy

A new antiques and collectibles faire is coming to a town right near me. Yes, once a month beginning in mid-February, according to the email I received. I'm so excited as I won't have to travel across the bay area anymore. Well, I will still go to my favorite flea market in Cupertino, especially because it's near a huge Whole Foods Market that is like the Disneyland of food. Opening day is on my birthday; what a great way to start that special day. Who knows what I may find...

Yesterday, I Was Slightly Less Happy

Picnik has informed its users (including moi) that it is closing its website on April 19th. If you haven't tried this photo-editing program, you have a few months to do so. It's so good, that I rarely use Photoshop Elements anymore. Apparently, many of its tools are being added to Google+. I really don't want to use Google+ (even though I have an account) as it's similar to Facebook. However, I will check it out as I will truly miss Picnik. Oh, and its Premium features are now free for everyone to use while it's still up, so have some fun editing your photos. You can even add cool effects, frames and make collages easily. Try it!

(And yes, I know this is really trivial in the bigger scheme of things but I could not help but being just a little bit bummed - it's my favorite editing program!)