Romancing the Blues!

Color fascinates me!!! I love all the colors of the rainbow but I have a love affair with the color blue! I have splashes of blue in every room in my house. Maybe, some day I will do a post of all the "blues"in my house.

        Blue is the color of inspiration and spirituality. I love all shades of blue!! It is such a soothing color, therefore an excellent color to decorate homes with. This color represents a lot of things to me, but above all,

                           Blue to me is Santorini !

My inspiration for today's tablescape is:

                         Greek Island of Santorini

This 4,000 year old volcanic island off the coast of the Aegean Sea is simply magnificent! It is connected to the legendary continent of Atlantis. I love visiting exotic places and Santorini is at the top of my "Places to Visit list"!! This magical island beckons me!!

There is no place quite like Santorini with its characteristic white-washed houses and blue doors and windows - a "trademark" of Santorini.The pristine white houses overlooking the aqua waters of the Aegean Sea inspire me a lot! Santorini is what dreams are made up of!!   Don't you agree?

A little bit of "Santorini" in my home....

                            Something Old :

 

Something New:

 

This candlestand is a recent purchase from TJMaxx... I love that store! My most favorite place to shop for home decor. I love the old-world finish on this candlestand.

  

Something Blue:

 

Well, these are the elements that make up my living room tablescapes.

 

The tablescape on the end tables on either end of the sofas: 

 

 

The beautiful scroll work of the end tables:

 

 Now, a view of the end table on the other end of the sofa.

 

The first three pictures of Santorini: Courtesy to the Internet

Thanks for stopping by! It is always a pleasure to hear from you! Have a wonderful weekend!

Linking to :

A Beach Cottage

      A Stroll Thru Life: Table Top Tuesday

 DIY by Design: Swing into Spring

No Minimalist Here: Open House Party

Between Naps on the Porch: Tablescape Thursday 

My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday

Boogieboard Cottage: Masterpiece Monday

The Tablescaper: Seasonal Sundays

The Charm of Home:Home Sweet Home

Smiling Sally: Blue Monday

~Poppy~

          

All things marvelous in nature!!

“One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach; one can collect only a few, and they are more beautiful if they are few”

      --Anne Morrow Lindbergh 

The beautiful world we live in serves as  my inspiration to create delicate jewelry... I love working with natural gemstones, wood, and shell... things found all around us... the sandy beaches, the azure blue waters of the ocean, and the leafy forest greens, the fiery glow of an autumn sunset serve as my color palette and inspires me to connect with nature and recharges my soul to create beautiful things out of mother nature's rich bounty....

 

     These are a few of my favorite things!!! 

 

    Vacationing at the tropical beaches with aqua-marine water,and azure blue skies along white sandy beaches:

 

The setting sun bathes the moss-green valleys into shades of purple!!

 

 

  Hope you enjoyed this picture journey as much as I enjoyed creating these jewelries! Thanks for reading and its always a pleasure to hear from you, my readers!!

                           Linking to: 

No Minimalist Here: Open House Party

A Woman of Notes: Simple Pleasures

Sugar and Spice:Throwback Thursdays 

My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday 

Homemaker on a Dime 

Smiling Sally: Blue Monday

Boogieboard Cottage: Masterpiece Monday

~POPPY~

Talking about " My Sunshine"

 It has been a beautiful day today, especially after all that rain over the weekend!! Had to keep all my gardening plans on hold due to our recent storm.

    It's so nice to see the sun shining... lifts my spirit so much and "makes me so happy"........have been enjoying all that glorious sunshine all day and managed to get most of my vegetable and flower beds ready for planting.... can't wait for Memorial Day, so I can get busy planting... my neighbor stopped by and we shared tea and talked about our common passion, "gardening," and how to keep those woodchucks out of our flower beds... they love gobbling up my garden in a hurry!!!!!! 

     I love listening to John Denver's songs and this song got stuck in my head today... kept humming it all day long.... I tried to capture some of that elusive sunshine, so here goes!!!!!

             Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy......

                    Sunshine on the water looks so lovely

               If I had a day that I could give you

            I'd give to you a day just like today...

 

                                                                               

If I had a wish that I could wish for you
 I'd make a wish for sunshine for all the while!!!!! 

I love seeing the first hint of spring green!!!

       

I love talking "garden " with my neighbor, she is an avid gardener who shares so many helpful gardening tips with me.....

 Bringing a little bit of sunshine inside...

 

                   These leaf-patterned wooden trays, were a recent find from JoAnn:

 I picked up the Blue Willow tea cups and sugar-creamer set while antiquing.

 A little close-up on the adorable silver and mother-of-pearl tea spoon and Pietra Dura marble coaster set

Here is a little tid bit: Pietra Dura is an Italian word for inlaid stone in marble. Its an  ancient form of decorative art that first appeared in 16th century Rome, and later spread to Florence, Italy... the Taj Mahal is a magnificent example of Pietra Dura....

   I have a fascination with lanterns and love collecting them... they are so versatile in setting up any mood I want to create..                                                   
I had enjoyed this bright and sunny day today and  visiting with my neighbor, but now I must bid adieu to the  sun as dusk approaches and the tea and muffins are gone!!!! 

     Thanks for visiting. I always look forward to your beautiful comments and I hope you have a lovely week ahead..... 

Linking this to: A Stroll Thru Life: TableTopTuesday 


                Show Off Your Cottage Monday 


Lady Katherine Tea Parlor: Tea Time Tuesday 


Homemaker on a Dime 


DIY by Design: Swing into Spring 


Boogieboard Cottage:Masterpiece Monday


No Minimalist Here: Open House Party Thursdays 

Happy to Design: Sunday Favorites

                                                                

                                  ~POPPY~

Pineapple"n"Spice and everything nice

The weekend is finally here!!!! and I had a wonderful time  tonight with my friends over supper.... haven't seen them in a while so there was a lot of catching up to do... I thought I will share some of the items from tonight's menu with you:

The  Pineapple-upside down-cake is one of my favorite cakes to bake...and it's a hit every time I serve my guests, pssssst...... I cheated a wee bit, its from a boxed cake mix... a huge time saver!!!!! It looks so colorful and tempting, despite being from a box, don't you agree??

  

I love making these fruit tartlets for my guests... and the kids simply love 'em... they magically disappear within minutes!!

 They are so easy to make... just whip up until smooth:

   1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened

   1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

   1/4 cup of orange juice concentrate

   3 tablespoon lemon juice

   1 cup of heavy whipping cream, whipped

   3 drops of yellow food coloring, optional

   12 graham cracker tart shells

   Pour the mixture into ready made graham cracker tart shells, chill for few hours, garnish with fruits of your choice and you're  done!!!!

    How about these sausage won-ton wraps as hors d'oeuvres:

And last but not the least, the spicy bbq chicken:

  I'm looking forward to a lovely weekend, spending time in my garden and getting it ready for planting. Planning which color flowers to plant in different containers is so much fun!!

Have a great weekend, I know I will!

I want to Thank Marty at Stroll Thru Life for featuring me at her 60th Tabletop Tuesday, this week. It is my first time for getting featured at her weekly party and I'm ecstatic!! Do stop by HERE and get inspired. You will get to know so many talented ladies!!!

Thanks for visiting and for your lovely comments, they always bring a smile to my face!!

I'm linking this to:

Cindy's My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday

The Tablescaper: Seasonal Sundays

Colours Dekor: Weekend Wrap Up

                Boogieboard Cottage: Masterpiece Monday

Homemaker on a Dime

 

~Poppy~

A Host of Golden Daffodils!!

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

..........when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils. 

 I have always loved this poem!!! Wordsworth's words inspire me so much.... the imagery used in this poem is so realistic that I can almost see, touch and smell those host of golden daffodils!!!!

      The weekend has been so relaxing and fun with the kids being on spring break and the weather here is finally starting to warm up!!! The much awaited summer is going to be here soon.......my seedlings are starting to sprout gradually and I'm so excited!!! My husband and I visited the local nursery on Saturday for onion and potato seed for our garden.  I'm looking forward to the end of this week when two of my closest friends are coming over and I'm planning on a supper party to wrap up two weeks of break!!! Keeping up with the spring-Easter theme, I thought I will use the spring color theme for my supper table with a host of those golden daffodils as my center piece...

        Aren't they just divine!!!!!!! 

 

I have a passion for Fiestaware and these sunflower yellow salt and pepper shakers are my inspiration for this tablescape!!!

 

I adore this azure blue vase I picked up from the local Joann  store couple years back...

 

This hurricane lamp reminds me of a beautiful lady dressed up in an evening gown, don't you agree?

 

  I used the white French stoneware dinner plate and mixed in blue fiestaware salad plate for my place setting:

 

A little close-up on the plates!!!!

These napkin holders are very cute, especially the little bird peeking through is simply adorable... the colors go so perfectly with my spring theme!!!!

 Close-up on the crystal and cobalt-blue flatware:

 

No spring tablescape is complete without a cute bunny and some lemon yellow and blue jelly beans!!!!

I loved putting all these elements together for this beautiful tablescape!!! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed this journey. You are always welcome for a visit and I'll be  looking forward for all your lovely comments!!!!

I'm partying this week with all these wonderful people in blog land. Be sure to visit them. You will be surprised at the host of creative people out there and will surely walk away with so many inspiring ideas!!! 

           Happy To Design: Sunday Favorites 

A Stroll Thru Life: 60th Table Top Tuesday

The Key Bunch: April 2011 Carvinal:Spring-Summer Fest

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

Swing into Spring at Judy's DIY by Design

Susan's Tablescape Thursday: Between Naps on the Porch

Sherry's Open House Link Party: No Minimalist Here 


The Tablescaper: Seasonal Sundays

 ~Poppy~