New Spring Fabrics

Heading into spring, I am beginning work on my new fabrics for 2013/Summer.

Here are my latest offerings, which can be found and purchased in fabrics, wallpaper and wall decals at Spoonflower.

I am continuing to fuel my own passion for blue & white by offering up my designs in fabrics, decals and wallpaper!

Let me know what you think of my line!  Comments are very welcome.

I would also love to hear about any ideas YOU would like to see me do in blue & white.

Coming soon:  blue & white china prints featuring my very own acrylic and watercolor paintings of china from my own extensive collection.

And many more classic English & Swedish florals, and summery stripes and plaids.

 Copenhagen Blue Summer Tartan

 Swedish Rose Trellis in Blue

 Rose Basket in Sapphire Blue

Summerhouse Rose Blue

Blissful Mornings

    I am up at the crack of dawn, or sometimes before....4 AM-ish on most week days.

I  have three students to get out the door for early morning classes. I make breakfast,  pack lunches and help locate missing items like keys and hats, all in a rushed flurry before they are all suddenly sucked out the front door as if in a whirlwind, by 6AM.  I wave to them out the top of the dutch door one last time, shut it, and take a deep breath.

   At that exact moment, it becomes calm and peaceful, with just me, my watchful cats and a quiet house.

That's when my day begins for myself.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to take more time for myself.  Create a more relaxing space for myself to dwell in.   Eat in a prettier space, read more and do more art.

One of my new habits I have been developing in January is to not sit at my computer and wolf down breakfast, but instead, sit at the table and eat slowly, in a relaxed attitude.

Its quite dark out this time of year so I light the candles (which we light every night at dinner, so they are always conveniently on the table), and begin my day with the most important meal of the day - breakfast.

I happened to have plenty of flowers on the table today - left over from my Winter Tea Party I hosted on the 20th, and they add to the ambiance.  Its nice to sit in front of flowers to dine, when outside the typical Seattle winter day is dark, gloomy and wet!

My only "guest" at the table this morning was my tomcat Sushi.  He eased up onto the edge of the table and watched me patiently.  Shortly after taking these photos, I went to the kitchen to get something and came back to find he had inched closer and was about to set his tail on fire as he laid it down over a tealight!  Indeed, the smell of burnt hair rose up in the air as I chased him away.  LOL  Those who live with cats will understand - you cannot keep them off ANYTHING!! 

 Sushi waits, ever so patient...

 Musee Blue Toile chair pads, vintage 1940's Irish linen tablecloth and Royal Copenhagen's Blue Flower's Curved china.

 I light the fireplace sconces up too - with minimal modern electric lights in the dining room, candles light our way through most of the year and makes for a more relaxed, special meal each time.

A Delft Christmas Tree

After years of trying out various themes on my Christmas trees, I will finally bite the bullet and begin collecting what I have long wanted to collect but never did, for my tree.  

Delft!  

I found out, after researching Delft ornaments that they are not all made equally.  If it seems too cheap in price, it is SOURCED in Holland but made elsewhere (like china).  The new buzz word is "sourced" when the pieces are not actually made in that country, but the mother company is based there.  "Sourced" usually means "made in china" and no one wants that any more!  (I sure don't).

DeWit is one of the makers of Delft ornaments that comes with a certificate of authenticity and the ornaments will cost you around $36/each.  (The $6 ones are made in China - buyer beware!!)

I want to collect authentic Delft, still made in Holland and this tree shows a nice collection of real Delft.  I would add alot more white twinkle lights and maybe a blue velvet tree skirt! 
It may take awhile longer because of my budget, but I will have that satisfaction that my tree is authentic Delft of real quality and have some actual value!

(ps....the dogs are pretty cute too but although my five cats would approve of a Delft tree, they would shoot down my attempt to increase our family size with a bunch of snuffling, drooling, waggly tailed heathens!) (their words, not mine)

Blue Tartan Settee

What a lovely blue and white tartan on a dark frame settee.  I usually prefer the painted furniture associated with Swedish Gustavian style but this shows that the blue & white color combination, popular in Swedish inspired decorating, also works well on darker wood.

I'm Dreamin' of a White (and silver and crystal) Christmas!

I LOVE this Christmas decorating theme with a magical quality achieved by using white, silver and clear crystal.  The silver, or mercury glass, gives a look of glamor while the crystal and white reflects light around the room.

A Chinoiserie Box

I found this box so charming!  It's in a very typical Chinoiserie pattern, but with what looks like mother of pearl inlay!  I would like to reproduce this pattern on a box, but instead of a black background, I would use a pale blue one, in keeping with a Gustavian feel.