FRIDAY FLOWERS: COLOR!

How about these for C O L O R?

and let's not forget the veggies!

Summer: I love it!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone...

SHOPPING ON ETSY

So many goodies on Etsy this week!

First up is MUDANDTWIG

How adorable, and useful, are these labels?

They are all handmade, with machine stitching lines, and wool felt embellishments.

 So original and cute...

and tags:

My next discovery was in the jewelry category (where else??? !)

HARTLEYSTUDIO

Sterling silver and dreamy. What's your favorite?

Next is Giardino

All are hand printed: linens, paper & fabrics; charming!

FABULOUS FINDS: MIMI'S RING

Is this romantic or what...?

Take a look at Mimi's beautiful ring. I'm sure some of you know Mimi of Belle Inspiration magazine and Bonjour Romance blog. I met Mimi last September in Paris, where she lives. But no, she didn't always live there. Hers is a love story! 

First, take a look at this ring her "French Honey" aka husband/mari gave her.

 I asked Mimi what she most likes about this ring:

I've always been a huge fan of garnets and seed pearls.  I love the deep red color of the garnet.  They are versatile and seem to go with everything from jeans to cocktail dresses.  I like the fact that you don't see a lot of garnet jewelry around;  I like to wear unique things, anything vintage and old-fashioned - a lot like me, (hopefully not the vintage part!).   Seed pearls are another favorite that you rarely see.  It was the perfect paring.  And it fit like a glove! 

 What was the occasion? Was there a special reason for the gift?

We met just over 6 years ago, on the Avenue Champs Elysées - sounds a bit odd, but we literally banged right into each other.  It was just meant to be, destiny was definitely in the mix at that moment.  16 months later I made the move from the States and here we are!  So if you're still waiting on your Prince Charming, never give up! 

Was this the kind of thing he was likely to do? Or was it a bit "out of character"?

My French Honey and I were celebrating the day we met in Paris (6 years ago).  We love to take long walks in the city, and were having a special day.  Naturally I spied a sweet little antique shop and had to take a peek.  He actually saw it (the ring) first, and asked about it.  I was practically standing on my head attempting to get a good look at a painting leaning up against a chair.  He was all smiles as he whipped out the black velvet box and flashed my new ring!   

Is this the kind of jewelry you wear often?

I prefer vintage pieces.  The love of all things vintage and antiques comes from all the antiquing excursions with my Mother.  I generally go for smaller more delicate pieces, but I do love to wear a larger cocktail ring every so often.  

Oh Mimi: I think I can speak for almost everyone who is reading this...You are a lucky lady! It's gorgeous. Enjoy!

THANK YOU, FED EX!

This is what arrived at our front door recently:

Really, I kid you not...these are the pictures I took after getting over my initial shock that ANYONE would leave such a package at a customer's front door! Never saw the truck: he was long gone...

And THIS is what we unwrapped and put together:

Yes, I too was amazed. Perfect. Even the shade was untouched.

 Incredible. And it is per....fect for this spot!

In all fairness: perhaps Fed Ex was not totally to blame. This was ordered from one of those well known on-line sites you probably see in your inbox every day. I called them, emailed and sent theses pictures. They "are investigating" at the warehouse.

FRIDAY FLOWERS: HYDRANGEAS

There seem to be lots of hydrangeas on the web these days...so here are mine!

I'm going to show you mine as they progressed this spring.  But I'm also playing around in Photoshop with exposure, and, having discovered "Curves" in my BYW course, I'm using that also. The top photo of each set is the "original" photo; the second one has been manipulated with Curves. So tell me which you like best! 

I'm doing this as an experiment as so many bloggers are reworking the exposure and lighting of their original shots. I'm on the fence: sometimes it works, but other times I just wish they had left well enough alone. How do you all feel? 

Original

Reworked

Original

Reworked

Original

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Original

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Original

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Original

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Opinions? Comments?

And, of course, best wishes for a great weekend!