Trisha Brink Design

VACATIONS RAWK!

2012-02-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you....but I find it very difficult to balance these three things:

Work, Rest & Play.

How about you?

I've been working full speed ahead since mid October....and it was just getting a little unbearable.

The real ringer was heading to Atlanta for market....what a tough week of decisions!

Yikes!

I was more than a little stressed out.

So,

I was thrilled when we were gifted with a trip from my parents to

Cabo San Lucas

for their 49th Wedding Anniversary!

Yay mom and dad!!!

Congrats to you!

My sisters and their hubbys and all the grandkids were in attendance,

15 in all!

We truly unplugged and enjoyed ourselves.

What a blast.

Thanks so much Mom and Dad...you rawk too!

Well,

now it's back to figuring out how to balance

Work, Rest & Play.....

I can tell you that I don't see alot of play in my immediate future, rest will be a little scarce as well....so....work it is!

Gotta get caught up ya know.

Thankfully I love what I do!

Hope to be hanging out with you all again soon....got so many fun things up my sleeve right now....I just can't wait to share it all!

Missing you all, and hoping you are well?

Hasta Luego Chicas....

My Favorite Treasury: No. 10

2012-02-06T23:30:00.000-08:00

Ooooo....Minty number 10!

My Favorte (Frugal) Treasury: No. 9

2012-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

Treasury number 9 isn't as much for the beauty of the photography....or the curation....but for the frugality!

Happy Cheap Shopping!

My Favorite Treasury: No. 8

2012-02-04T23:30:00.001-08:00

What?

Treasury No. 8 already?

My Favorite Treasury: No. 7

2012-02-03T23:30:00.000-08:00

Oh me oh my....here is another...treasury number 7!

My Favorite Treasury: No. 6

2012-02-02T23:30:00.000-08:00

oh happy day!

this is favorite treasury #6....

hope you're havin' fun checkin' out all these great items over on etsy?

Cheerio to you!

My Favorite Treasury: No. 5

2012-02-01T23:30:00.000-08:00

Favorite Treasury No. 5

Happy Day to You!

My Favorite Treasury: No. 4

2012-01-31T23:30:00.000-08:00

Fave list number 4.

Happy day to you!

My Favorite Treasury: No. 3

2012-01-30T23:30:00.000-08:00

Here's lovely number 3....hope you are enjoying the treasuries.....

I'll be back soon!

My Favorite Treasury: No. 2

2012-01-29T23:30:00.000-08:00

I'm back again....

Just wanted to share another lovely treasury from Etsy today.

Remember, all you need to do is click on any of the photos above to see whatever you'd like!

Have a great day!

My Favorite Treasury List: No. 1

2012-01-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

I just thought I'd stop in here to let you all know that I havn't deserted you...just am taking a bit of much needed time away

"from it all".

Not to worry....I'll be back again soon with much to tell...and show as well.

In the meantime, I'd like to share some of the prettier

treasuries I've been featured in lately.

I'm not sharing these so much to show you my items

(let's face it...you've seen all those before)

no....

I'd like to show you the many talented artists that swarm around the Etsy hub.

There are also talented vintage collectors, photographers, and folks who curate these special collections that often end up on the front page of

Etsy

So, while I'm away...enjoy this very much!

How Big Can You Dream?

2012-01-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

Just one of the scents we carry at Grandiflora right now, from the Thymes.

Once upon a time....there was a girl.

She had a dream...her dream was to find all the prettiest things she could find, and combine them together in new ways all under one roof.

As she grew & found her way in the world of decorative goods, she joined forces with those closest to her...her mother and two sisters.

Together they formed a place where the charms of yesteryear colide with the trends of today.

That place is called:

Grandiflora

Now,

nearly 12 years after they began...they feel like they are still just getting started; because at

Grandiflora

everyday is a chance for something new....with new beginnings.

Frankly, they don't know if they'll ever grow tired of it.

New little lovelies in the shop right now....

In case you didn't know....Grandiflora is my shop; I was that girl.

I am so blessed to share the responsibility of curating lovelies with my

sister La Von, and my mother Jan.

Grandiflora is located in a historical building here in our hometown of

Lynden, Washington

We are also stretching our horizons at our new web shop called

Grandiflora HOME

it's still just a baby...and we are growing it everyday...

but,

our dreams are

BIG!

So why don't you head on over and check it out sometime,

either in person or online.

We'd love to have you come and share a part of our dream.

Hugs!

What if.....?

2012-01-26T22:45:00.000-08:00

Been ALOT busy lately....and thinking as I'd love to stay here and tarry awhile....I must push on for all that still needs doing before I head out for another adventure in a far off place.

I hope to stop back in before I'm gone....but not sure the time will present itself.

HOWEVER,

I did want to leave you with this one simple thought:

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for Yesterday?

Hmmmm........

You could do like I did today:

try living your life pondering this simple question...

I think

you'll be surprised by how thankful you'll be tonight before bed.

xoxo

Geometrics are they for YOU?

2012-01-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

A little Geometric lovin' from my shop

Wesley Asher.

Today

I was

just wondering about your take on the whole

Geometrics movement

going on now.

If you ask me...there are good geometrics & scary geometrics.

I'm really enjoying the good ones right now...

like this adorable burlap and fabric bag by

Made By Nanna

over on Etsy.

these really fun little handcarved stamps via

Talk to the Sun

on Etsy as well.

I would even like to wear

this great leather chevron bracelet by

Son of a Sailor

also on Etsy.

SO....

How do you feel about the whole geometric movement?

Do you like it?

Too Mod?

Fun?

Harsh?

Just curious....I think we can all have a little fun with a punch or two of

Geometry

in our lives.

Of all the "math" classes I ever took....Geometry was my absolute favorite.

I could wrap my brain around the shapes and spaces...much better than Algebra

(which I have yet to ever use in my adult life! I'm just sayin' ;)

Well,

I'll sign off with a bit of geometric lovin'....

from

Hue Too

on Etsy...just in case you feel you need a little

Geometry in your life.

Cheers!

Trish

I've Been Away to Market...America's Market!

2012-01-18T21:19:00.000-08:00

How about wading through 56 city block sized floors of product?

Remember, 90% of what you need to weed through isn't what you want to see....and the 10% of what you do...

is sprinkled throughout.

Would you be up for it?

Imagine shopping from 9 am to 9pm, and then going to a hotel room and ordering from the computer/ catalogs until 2 AM....then getting up at 6 to start all over again for 6 days straight!

The strangest part?

You're not bringing home a single purchase...

only bags filled with paperwork and catalogs.

Would you be up for it?

We were!

La Von, Kim & I were ready to shop the many floors of merchandise

America's Mart Atlanta, Georgia.

What a wonderful site to behold!

We were shopping for our stores

Grandiflora HOME & Grandiflora Home and Garden

Boy oh Boy,

was it hard work!

Exhausting, if one must be totally honest!

>.<

However....

just wait until you see what we found....what lines we decided to carry & who we met!

You'll just have to be a little bit patient....it'll take a little time to upload all of that information!

We missed our families, and co-workers....but were excited to have found all the best merchandise for our customers!

Now I have piles and piles of paperwork to deal with....but it's ok....

I'm on fire to get started with tons of inspiration!

Sadly my eyes are heavy (as it took us many hours of layovers we weren't planning on) and ready to sleep!

We endured snow storms and mechanical problems flying back to Seattle from Atlanta via Los Angeles....yes I said a layover in Los Angeles!

YIKES!

Oh well....a little shut eye....and I'll be as good as gold!

Watch for more updates soon!

Cheerio!

Trish

xoxo

Home Made Lovely by Yours Truly

2012-01-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

Hello + Hello!

I just wanted to drop by and say hi to all you lovelies today.

You may not know this, but I'm actually accross the country today

-away from my loving hubby and 2 little men-

at a Market in Atlanta, Georgia

called

America's Mart

It was quite a little trip for a girl from Northwest Washington!

HOWEVER...

My sister La Von & Kim & I are having lots of adventures trying to find all the best goodies for our

Grandiflora Customers!

While I'm away, I thought you might like to see what I've been up to lately...

please feel free to head on over to Heather's blog

called

Life Made Lovely

to see a sweet feature I did called

Home Made Lovely.

It was a wonderful opportunity for me to be a guest blogger for Heather, and to share what I like most about my humble abode...and why I love to decorate the way I do!

Heather is more than talented herself, with a wonderful philosophy to life....

she's simply contagious!

;)

When you head on over to Heathers blog,

make sure you become a follower to see lots more home decor stories from other gifted folks as well.

I pinky swear promise that you'll love it!

Cheerio my friends,

Trish

xoxo

Miss Indie...oh How You Flatter Me!

2012-01-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

Apparently I was happily featured on the

Miss Indie Blog

Thanks so much to

Miss Sarah from Odds & Ends With Crafts & Pens

for the heads up about this fun

+ flattering +

feature!

I'm so blessed to have such wonderful blog friends,

and happy to find new ones too!

Cheers to you all,

and

thanks for your support!

xoxo

And the Winner is......

2012-01-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

And the winner of my lovely little giveaway is.....

Melody Mae!

Well Miss Melody....

give me a shout here as to which of the signs you would like to have ok?

trishabrinkdesign@comcast.net

I am so thankful for all of your entries and wonderful sign suggestions.

Hoping you have a wonderful week!

Cheers,

Trish

I Would LOVE for you to Enter....

2012-01-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

Hello + Welcome!

I just wanted to remind you that there's a contest to win free graphic artwork at stake...

Please see the post

HERE

because I'd

LOVE

for you to win!

Trish

xoxo

Pops of Pink are EVERYWHERE!

2012-01-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

Well I've been one busy girl today.

Yes I've been uploading a fair amount of stock to my Etsy shops

Ollie Bollen

Wesley Asher

Today I'm showing you a few of the pink items uploaded to Ollie Bollen.

Have you been noticing all the POPS of pink.....especially

NEARLY NEON

HOT PINK

that have been invading the web lately???

Whoo Hoo!!

I'm super excited about it!

Don't get me wrong....hot pink is not my favorite color, but I do love me a little pop of it from time to time....especially against that white white like the napkin rings I just uploaded.

I'm also happy to see pink resurfacing with mustards, golds, and browns.

It seems there is a very Japanese and also Dutch influence on all designs featuring pinks.

I'm so down with that!

They are two of my fave nationalities for design influences.

Make sure you are keeping your eyes on....

for all the exciting things in PINK that are surfacing now....

....there are little pops of pink to be had everwhere.

From sophisticated modern art....

....to crafty little girls' projects.

Pink doesn't have to be everywhere....just a little dab will often do ya!

Have a very

Rosey

day!

New Year + New Work = Happy You for a GIVEAWAY!

2011-12-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

Hey all!

It's true....I am a happy camper today!

2011 has been such a lovely year.

Even just in the last bit of it, I've been blessed to come up with yet another idea to fulfill.

I've always enjoyed signs.

How about you?

As a senior in High School I thought I'd go to college to become involved in advertising.

Once I made it into the college realm, I decided I didn't really want to do the nose to the grindstone sort of work in advertising

(insert picture of Jerry McGuire loosing it here.)

I really wanted to work with the decorative aspect of it.

That's when I started really taking art seriously.

Once enrolled at The Art Institute of Seattle,

I had to pick an artistic pathway.

As I'd been personally addicted to home decor magazines, I decided to go into

Residential Interior Design.

What HARD work it was!

Drafting (before Computer Cad was available...yeah...I'm that old!)

wasn't any fun to me. I loved the part where we picked out patterns, styles, and "decorated" the buildings we drafted.

I now realize that all the work I did in college was a way to lead me here.

That's where my new endeavor begins....

I have a real "love" interest in graphic design (maybe I should've gone into this?) and so I've been playing around with verbage and home decor.

As you know we sell signs at our brick and mortar shop

Grandiflora Home and Garden

so it isn't that difficult to know what folks are looking for in the way of sayings.

Most people don't walk in looking to buy a sign....it's usually something they never knew they wanted until it was staring them in the face!

I've been less than satisfied by the selection in the mass produced market for signage.

I work with a lovely man to produce some really great traditional signs for the store.

However,

I was really looking to find a bit more of a modern edge for our sign selection.

After researching a few different venues, I realized that I could do this myself!

I mean, why not?

So, I armed myself with some new tools and stuck my neck out there

where it feels a little drafty and risky.

eeeeeeeeeeek!

SO, NOW YOU CAN FIND THESE PRINTS FOR SALE

HERE

We'll see what happens right?

The worse that can happen is that I fail miserably....and look like a dork but....

I guess it's better to try and fail, then to sit stagnant and wish a year from now that I'd had more guts.

This year has presented its challenges....but all in all I've felt very Blessed.

I'm thrilled to start new adventures but one must always remember....

that even though all this fun work is well......so much FUN!

My family is what comes first.

I enter this new adventure with many trepidations and silly quirks....

but with excitement and giggles too!

It's all about the balance right?

Just wanted to get your opinion....what do you think of these personalized signs?

I was thinking about offering these on my Etsy site

Trisha Brink Design

as well.

Let me know what you think.

I was thinking something like fifteen bucks for an 8x8 personalized print?

(plus shipping)

Since you guys are such good sports at helping me out, I'd like to offer

a giveaway

right here on my blog for your choice of one of these 8x8 prints.

You could even choose the personalized family print.

Also choose which finish you prefer: matte or glossy.

(NOTE: My shop watermark will be removed from the sign you win.)

I would ship it right to your little door just in time for a fresh new look this New Year!

All you need to do is leave me a comment right here with your

OWN FAVORITE SAYING OR QUOTE.

(yep that's right, I want NEW ideas for NEW signs!)

Please also leave me a little bit of feedback or constructive criticism.

I've got tough skin, so go for it!

I look forward to hearing from you and getting your entries.

Winner will be randomly pulled on Saturday January 7th, and shortly thereafter announced here on the blog.

(Remember: you can comment here on blogger even if you're an anonymous user without a blog yourself. Just be sure to sign your first name and last initial in your actual post.)

Thanks in advance for participating, and be watching for more to come from this wild hair I've suddenly entertained!

I just love you guys, you mean so much to me!

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEARS

my friends.

May you sincerely be blessed.

Love,

Trish

My (Mysterious) Favorite Find!

2011-12-31T09:53:00.000-08:00

Well well well....

I wonder what the ever talented and always busy

Miss Serena Thompson of Farm Chick Fame

is up to?

Hmmmmmmmm.......

I dunno, but if I were you...

I'd be signing up

OVER HERE

to find out as soon as she releases more information.

Serena is truly such a down to earth and wonderful person to deal with.

That's why so many folks (into the kind of stuff we all like) tend to get more than a little bit excited whenever she starts something new.

I just thought I'd be a good friend and share the little secret with you!

So, why don't you spread the word and share a little lovely secret....

I'm sure your friends will thank-you!

2011-12-26T23:49:00.000-08:00

I've been having such a lovely Christmas time....how about you?

What have you been up to?

After a long weekend of way too much goodness

(and I truly do mean goodness in the goodest of good senses!)

I took some time to dream in a quiet room this evening and think about what sort of fantasy trip I'd like to take just for fun if given the chance this winter.

I chose Holland.

Wouldn't it be fun to wander the canal lined streets this winter?

I'd be ducking into cozy little coffee shops to get warm, and to munch on yummy

Dutch baked goods....then I'd find myself buying up all the sweet lovelies you can only seem to find in Holland.

First stop would be somewhere I could get my hands on something from

Pip Studio.

If you haven't visited the Pip Studio site....well...I must say I feel for you.

PLEASE I beg of you to go and visit it soon!

Make sure you move your computers' mouse around on the main screen...you'll be simply delighted!

Well....back to my imaginary travel...

I'd load up on all sorts of goodies for myself and my home.

Then I'd visit towns where my Grandparents and Great Grandparents came from.

I'd also like to meet with some of my favorite creative friends from blogs & Etsy.

Oh wouldn't it be fun???

Well, I'm not sure it will truly be happening anytime soon....but for now it was a fun armchair travel.

Someday I'll fly over that big pond and see the windmills with my own eyes.

What is your silly little dream trip?

Where would you go and why?

I'd love to know....

Hoping your Christmas was blessed, & that you'll have a magnificent Holiday Week!

Cheers,

Love & Candy Coated Cuteness in a Card!

2011-12-18T16:49:00.000-08:00

Silly me.

Christmas Cards are supposed to be red and green....or at least blue and white right?

Hmmmm.....

Something has gone awry I suppose, somewhere along the line....

When you wander out to see what lovely Christmas post has arrived....you expect to find classic tidings of good cheer right?

Well...I guess I figured classic wasn't in the "cards"

(bwuaa haaa haa haaa!!)

for me this Season!

I figured....

BRING ON THE CANDY COATED RAINBOW OF COLORS!!!!!

I cozied up to the table with all the fun card fixin's...

....and a ~~full~~ empty bowl of cereal....mmmmm....

After some figurin' gluin' & more cereal eatin'...

Voila'!

A funky

"Christmas in August"

style of card!

Correction: 40+ Funky Christmas Cards!!!

That's over 800+ glue dots!!!!

Whew!

( Note the Christmas Trees in the background of this past August's berry pickin' extravaganza. )

Hope you have a fun time with your Christmas Cards this Season!

Do you make your own cards?

Embellish storebought cards?

Have photo cards made?

Send E-cards?

Don't send cards?

Just curious.....

I'm enjoying the cards I've received and hoping to get more???

Merry Christmas week to you!

Frosted

2011-12-13T23:42:00.000-08:00

I simply escaped.

Escaped out the door.

Escaped out the door in my pjs, bathrobe, and slipper crocs.

No...I don't think anyone saw me...but then....who knows?

Yes.

I'm that kooky!

For Reals.

Really!

Hey,

I truly felt that the weather of gorgeous sunshiny skies and thick frost warrented some capturing.

Wouldn't you agree?

After all, it was only the fenced backyard....not the front yard...so cut me some slack ok?

Jack had been busy...frosting everything.

No not really...

no one but my God could do this sort of handiwork....

....and what a lovely morning it was too.

Winter is most assuredly just around the corner....and I don't know about you....

but I'm asking for snow this Christmas.

We'll see how that turns out.

After all....I can tackle just about anything in pjs, a bathrobe, and slipper crocs.

Cheerio to you my friend,

XOXO

Shopped + Dropped

2011-12-12T13:34:00.000-08:00

Hello + Hello

Hope you all had a lovely weekend?

I am sitting here still in my pjs at 1:30 in the afternoon simply exhausted.

My sisters and mother and I went shopping over the weekend, and got home

too

LATE!

But we sure had fun!!!

Hoping to be back tomorrow with a revived (and well caffeinated) attitude of accomplishment!?

What did you do this weekend???

16 Years!

2011-12-10T08:57:00.001-08:00

Can you believe it?

"What?" you say.

I've been a married woman for 16 years!

"Get out!" you say

YES!

I've really been married for 16 years now!

Aren't these lovely?

My hunny surely loves me, yes he does.

We had a lovely evening out together last night without the kiddos!

( THANK-YOU Grandma & Grandpa Brink! )

It was so much fun!

We haven't been out without kids for quite some time

( a.k.a. forever! )

We weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves...

...so...

we ended up at a great SUSHI spot and gorged on rolls upon rolls of Japanese goodness.

Yummo!

We then set out to do our Christmas shopping for the munchkins.

( Actually not fun to fight our way through the toy aisles....but fun to shop for the boys! )

Then we spent an hour or so drinking lattes and looking at magazines over at the local

Barnes & Noble.

It was bliss!

What a relaxing, fun, and delicious night.

I felt guilty for most of the evening as we don't generally splurge on all these frivolities....

but honestly by the end of the evening,

I was perfectly content & satisfied with just spending some alone grown-up time with my

hubby.

The boys were over night to Grandmas...so a peaceful evening and

importantly...

a peaceful MORNING for me too!

YAY!

I feel like a queen!

Well,

one must not waste time like this.

I'm off to do something momentous!

Not sure what that will be yet....but I'm hoping it's

GREAT!?

Late Night Pinterest Binge,& a Christmas Tree Contest!!!

2011-12-09T09:10:00.001-08:00

Yep....

I admit it.

I am addicted.

To?

But?

Lately that's been ok.

I've been hanging out late at night with my friend

the

Christmas Tree!

Speaking of Christmas Trees....

You simply MUST

check out this

CONTEST!

Head over to my shop blog

Grandiflora Home and Garden

We are giving away

GIFT CERTIFICATES

to our

brick and mortar shop

just for sending in a photo of your

Christmas Tree!

See all the details on the

BLOG

It's pretty simple really!

Hope to see some of you

LOCAL

folks who read this blog

(you know who you are!!!!)

entering their tree to WIN!

Waiting by the email for your entry....

P.S.

You could covertly enter a picture of your friends tree too...just sayin'!

But...

you'd probably have to share the winnings with them!

;)

Cheers!

Egglelujah!

2011-12-05T20:51:00.001-08:00

YIPPEE!!!

It finally happened!

One of our chickens has finally laid an egg!

One egg.

Who knew one egg could muster SO MUCH excitement!?!

This has been a long time coming.....

....there have been many days of care and feeding...

building of coops...

...cleaning of poo...

...& dealing with the....er...uh....prima donna!!!??

Well, I guess it will all be worth it when I can wake up and have this:

at my disposal for breakfast!

Doin' the happy dance!!!

They Did It!

2011-12-05T19:56:00.001-08:00

It was a great day....a day to

SELL CRAFTS!

The boys

Elliot & Tristan

were in top form for salesmanship!

We set up at the Local Lynden Library and were ready for business at 10:30!

The boys were so excited to earn money by selling crafts they had made.

The goal?

$100.00

to buy a goat and two chickens

for

World Vision

There were pleanty of other crafters there too...

here's my nephew Carter selling his adorable snowman containers from recycled creamer bottles.

They are awesome for dispensing powdered hot cocoa mix!

There was quite a crowd to see all the kids and their crafts.

So many happy crafters with anything from food...

to hair clips.

Pearler bead magnets...

...and necklaces.

One has to get a kick outta all the adorable kid crafts!

We were blessed with so many happy shoppers who were so generous to support our kiddos!

It was a great day to be sure!

The boys raised

drumroll please......................

OVER $100.00!!!!!!

Whoooo hoooo!

We donated the money directly to buy the goat and 2 chickens, and the remainder was divided equally between the two boys' savings banks.

We couldn't be more pleased with the success of the sale.

I'm personally excited about all the lessons the boys learned through this process.

SO,

to all of you who supported us with words of encouragement, blog mentions, & purchases.

THANK-YOU!!!!

You have all done something

extraordinary;

you have helped to save lives from

HUNGER.

May HE bless you for your acts of kindness and mercy.

Merry Christmas

YOU!

;)

More Crafts & a Fun Day in Lynden for All!

2011-12-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

I know that Scrabble Tiles have been used in crafting for quite some time now....

but it never grows old for me.

Fun nights spent around a Scrabble board evoke memories of childhood.

Although it wasn't my favorite board game,

I always had fun trying to come up with the wildest words possible!

Now, I keep my eyes peeled when I'm thrifting for old Scrabble games....I usually find a few throughout the year.

Many are missing pieces etc...and aren't good for "playing" anymore, so I start dividing them up into words.

This year however, Tristan can SPELL & READ! So, I let him help with that.

We had lots of fun thinking of words used to describe Christmas and Wintertime.

Once we had the words figured out...we just started gluing!

Elliot was really in the spirit, and loved making this easy craft.

However,

once the placketts are gone (as there are only about 4 in a box)

you have to come up with other ways to display the words....

So,

I got to thinking and figured out that if we cut a small strip of chipboard (smaller than the word itself), and glued the letters to it, we would have a solid "held together" word!

So we got to working....

Elliot had alot of fun with this part!

I had to watch how he put the words together as "star" suddenly turned into "arts".

Then,

DAD

came to the rescue!!!

He was able to drill tiny little holes with the boys into the corner of each word.

Once that was done I helped them string

black iron wire into each corner to make a primitive hanger.

Pretty cute huh?

We will be selling these little cuties at the craft fair this Saturday:

at our lovely Lynden Library

The boys are trying to earn money to buy a goat and 2 chickens

through World Vision Gift Catalog

We are hoping they'll reach their goal of $100.00?

If they go over that, they'll be keeping the rest and splitting it between the two of them!

How fun?!

Did you know that there is a whole day of fun planned in

Lynden?

Sinterklaas comes to town at noon to meet all the Children!

Yep....Lynden is inherently Dutch!

You HAVE to head to the Dutch Bakery and get some

OLIE BOLLEN!

(small round dutch dohnuts that are divine!)

or some

Almond Sticks

(pastry wrapped almond paste...yummo!)

After poking around town, you must head on over to our shop....

Grandiflora Home and Garden

to shop from all the Christmas Goodies that are all on sale now at 20% off!

And just when things start getting dark....you can head on over to

Front Street

for...

The lighted Christmas parade at 6pm.

It starts over by the Fairgrounds/Fairway Shopping Center

heads for Downtown.

It should be a good evening for it,

as it's supposed to be clear and dry!

It's a fun day ahead in

Lynden...

So, we hope to see you there!

Cheerio!

Trish

Lit From Within

2011-12-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

One of the final crafts that I was sort of dreading was

The Glitter Candle

I have to admit....it wasn't as bad as I'd built it up in my mind to be.

My boys are master child crafters!

I really mean that....I'm sure there are those doubting that kids could actually do this;

to that I'll say....if you were raised around/by me....

you'd understand.

These gorgeous glowing beauties are covered in

REAL

Mica Flakes

and
Glitter

too!

The candles burn just forever!

My boys have been crafting up a storm these past 3 weeks

for a craft show they will be participating in this weekend.

They are trying to earn enough money to buy

a goat and 2 chickens

through

World Vision

Organization.

We are trying to teach them a lesson....

be lit from within.

Lit with

HIS

Love

the

one

TRUE

Spirit

of Christmas.

SO,

COME if you CAN:

Support if you will....

Say Hi!

If you have a moment to....

bring me a coffee....

I'll be needing it!

Craftiness Runs in our Family

2011-12-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

Super Cute things have been accumulating around here this Season....

I asked my sister La Von to swing by a couple of items that her son crafted up for the

upcomming Kids' Craft show that our boys are doing together this Saturday the 3rd.

Above is the sweet little snowman made from an empty coffee creamer container.

So cute huh???

He is perfect for serving Powdered Hot Cocoa Mix!

I mean really who wouldn't want to get hot cocoa from Frosty the Snowman!?!?

Many of Carters' creations are practical as well as cute!

The Stocking ornament/gift tag above is fun and useful for anyone!

Please be sure to say Hi to Carter at the sale as well...

He's been working really hard to come up with some of his own original crafts.

After all he is a big ten year old....and has great ideas of his own!

Support your local craft fairs wherever you roam...

there is always SOMETHING there you can find!

Hoping to see you at the show?

I'll be the one with dark circles under my eyes, and a huge grin plastered on my face.

I AM tired....but I AM Happier than any tiredness.

Working with my sons, sister, and nephew is my idea of a good day.

Cheerio....

More to come....

YES...

MORE!

Patchwork Soup Mixes, Santa Bling, & Scrabbled Up Holidays

2011-11-30T23:47:00.001-08:00

We are on a roll here folks!

I havn't got much time to post just now....but thought I'd keep this ball rollin'

My boys are craft-maniacs...and have been literally doing a craft a day for weeks now

to earn money to purchase a Goat and two Chickens for

World Vision!

(see previous posts for more in depth details)

Today I'm showing you their

"Patchwork Bean Soup Mix in a (soup) Can"

Yeah...pretty cute to huh?

(ALSO MESSIEST CRAFT WE'VE DONE YET!!! Thus the item below....)

Patchwork Bean Soup Mix

in a bag too!

My Nephew Carter is also going to be selling items at the show...

He has come up with these adorable Santa Necklaces:

I asked my sis La Von to bring some of his goodies over so I could snap them too...

I asked Elliot to model since the bigger boys were in school...

Very Festive I might add!

We also came up with this fun and also educational craft:

Scrabble Tile Holiday Sentiments!

Cute huh?

Well,

I'll be back with more tomorrow if you can believe it!

Hope you can swing by to see what they've been working so hard for?

Cheerio....

Hammers & Pins & Scraps OH MY!

2011-11-30T13:20:00.000-08:00

Here again with another crafty kid edition!

Yes...I am starting to be exhausted of crafting with the kiddos....

but it's SO WORTH IT!

This little craft has been a fun one for little boys.

PUSH PINS

made with vintage feed sack fabric covered buttons.

Pretty cute huh?

I just LOVE vintage feed sack fabrics, don't you?

These were a few scraps leftover from a project I did earlier this year.

The scraps were found in various shops on

Etsy

I found the pins and the great little button kits

HERE

for a very affordable price.

We gathered our supplies....the HAMMER being THE most important tool of all!

Elliot, all hammered out...

Elliot had so much fun with a tinker's hammer tapping all the little backs of the self covering buttons into place....he earned some game time before bed!

Tristan also earned a little game time before bed.

The hardest part for kids is waiting for the glue to dry so they can

"see"

what the finished product looks like.

I have to admit, I did the glueing here....this glue is too toxic for little men to work with.

However,

you can rest assured they covered every button themselves!

I'm not sure if they'd even have let me do it.....

they were having WAY too much fun

snapping those buttons into place and

tapping tapping tapping away with the hammer!

Wondering why two little boys are making push pins?

Well....

We're working on buying one of those little goats and a pair of chickens!

Can it be done?

We'll see!

Lots of love, fun, and smiles went into this craft.

I think they're adorable, don't you?

What a fun path this whole craft show idea has made

for the boys and I....

we are having fun making a

"craft- a -day"

Tristan calls it.

Hoping we'll get a good turn out for the show?

A little prayer for a busy show and generous shoppers would be

much appreciated.

Cheerio!

Best EVER Candy Cane Kiss Cookies!

2011-11-29T21:53:00.001-08:00

Oh Me Oh My...

these are the BESTEST Candy Cane Cookies E V E R!!!

The boys are working SO hard on the crafts/baked goods that they will be selling this

Saturday the 3rd of December from 10:30-12:30.

This recipe is SO easy...but looks and tastes SO festive!

You must try it....or....of course you can come and purchase some cookies from the boys too!

We love any recipe that requires a

HAMMER!

Each boy took turns beating the poor little Candy Canes to death.

Washing of hands

( numerous times throughout the process )

was a required step by Mommy the Master Chef.

Once clean and dry we had fun rolling the dough into little balls

& then

rolling those little balls in

you guessed it,

S U G A R!

Baking the cookies was the hardest part

(because of the waiting required).

Then each cookie got a quick

"Kiss"

Once the cookies and kisses had cooled, each one was placed with care into a

sweet little glassine bag & sealed with Japanese Washi Tape.

I found these little lovelies over on Etsy at

Kawaii Goodies

Coolest part about this purchase?

Soury, the gal who runs the shop....was so sweet to ship the items quickly.

When I told her what the boys were up to, she mentioned that they too support a child

through World Vision.

How cool is that?!

SO,

be sure to mark your calendars:

The boys are really excited to sell the cookies

(among many other items)

at the craft show.

They are trying to raise $100.00 to purchase:

yep, a goat and 2 chickens from

World Vision Gift Catalog

Think they can do it?

My theory?.....

if God wants them to do it....they will!

They've been praying and praying to earn at least $100.00,

they earn more than that....they get to keep the overage.

How exciting!

I thought I should add this tempting thought....

....if you're not a candy cane type of person...

well, there are always the monster cookies!

Hope to see you there!

Want to make your own Candy Cane Kiss Cookies?

Find the awesome recipe

HERE

( We substituted crushed candy canes for the chopped kisses, and omitted the peppermint extract.)

Looking for the

Monster Cookie Recipe?

Find it

HERE

( we used red and green M&Ms....super duper festive!)

Happy Baking!

On My Porch this Christmas...

2011-11-28T16:05:00.001-08:00

Just thought I'd Welcome you to my Porch this Christmas!

I often don't have enough time to decorate my own home the way I'd like to as most of my time away from mommy-ing and wife-ing is spent at

Grandiflora Home and Garden & Grandiflora Home dot com.

However,

this year I was bound and determined to decorate my lovely front porch no matter how long it took!

I was so happy to pull out the wreath I made last year and hang it by my front door!

I also hung COLORFUL old fashioned C-9 style Christmas lights!

I know...I know...white is what most folks prefer....but honestly...I've decorated award winning light displays my whole adult life with white lights...and as much as I love them on other folks' homes,

I just get a little bored with them.

Our house is buttery yellow with a green metal roof & raspberry red doors;

it just screams for COLOR!

I pull out my vintage collection of retro quilts & throws to cover my

ratty antique wicker...

....and I hang large glittered red bells from each post.

I have a really cool Wool Felt Merry Christmas table runner from a few years back at

my shop Grandiflora

and hang it like a sign on an old glider rocker.

( All my old wicker and seating, some of which are not shown behind me in the photo, are all found at junk shops, garage sales, or dumpster diving! I've had the wicker settee since I was about 21 & only paid $20.00 for it! Nice huh? :)

While I was taking these photos...little

Miss Olive

( Yes, as in: Olive.... the other Reindeer! )

was sitting rather patiently yet intently watching for the mailman...

.....watch out mailman,

for although my home is sorta sweet and candy-like this

Christmas Season...

the little ankle biter

might not be!

Sending you all very

Merry Christmas Greetings...

Cozy Happy Holidays,

Cheers!

xoxo

Grandilfora Home Online 25% off SITE WIDE for Cyber Monday!

2011-11-27T23:30:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

Just thought I'd be able to interest some of you in our little sale over at

Grandiflora Home Online.

Want to know a bit more?

visit our blog

HERE

Our site is just a baby yet....but there are still about 200 items in the shop!

We are working on growing the site.

so head on over and check it out.

You won't be sorry, I promise!

25% off Site Wide Monday only!

AND

Free Shipping on Jewelry...

Hats are also a great stocking stuffer for the Holidays...we've got some cuties!

And again, all at 25% off one day only!

Happy Shopping!

Girly Girl Gifts for You & Yours

2011-11-27T17:01:00.000-08:00

Looking for some girly gifts?

Look no further!

Lovely treasury featuring some beautiful girly girl gift ideas!

Always so nice to be featured....

....and here as well!
Loving these!
How about you?
:)

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas...

2011-11-26T22:05:00.001-08:00

I've been neglecting things at home for awhile...& quite frankly there is nothing like

welcoming a new season to spark your creativity!

I have been working hard with my little ones on crafts for a sweet little craft show that

they're participating in this coming week.

In between long days at work & getting regular housework done,

I've been trying to get some Christmas decor out and displayed.

I thought as it'd been awhile since I showed you my kitchen,

I would share a glimpse again.

I'm not big on red as a normal color for decorating with anymore

(my last home was painted solid red throughout the entire interior!)

but...

I DO love a little red at Christmas!

So,

I put a smidge here and there...

I had to have these extra long stripey stockings for our family!

( Came from my shop Grandiflora Home and Garden )

Aren't they great?

I love the bold use of color and geometrics...stripes are just SO hot now!

Anyway...

Since we don't have a mantle, I figured the staircase would do.

I've papered my hall with old sheet music...I like how random the pen and ink pictures are.

Anyway...little bits here and there of the Christmas Spirit.

Today

I worked on our outdoor decor...lots of color there too!

I'll try to get a few captures of that too as time allows.

We also got a Christmas Tree today!

My dad owns A Christmas Tree Farm...so it's pretty easy for us to nab one.

I am a huge fan of Noble Firs.

I'm sitting here sniffing up as much of the fresh green scent as I can!

This tree is absolutely delicious to smell!

I can't wait to start decorating it too!

Well,

stay tuned for much more to come.

I love this time of the year,

don't you?

Happiest Trees E V E R !

2011-11-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

My kiddos are having so much fun this week!

We've been crafting and creating up a storm for a craft show they are working towards.

If you've tuned in lately, you'll have seen what they've been up to so far.

Todays blog post is about how to make:

THE HAPPIEST TREES EVER!

Wanna try it?

Gather your supplies....

Colorful Popsicle Sticks

(easily found in the craft store)

Heavy duty kitchen style scissors

Tacky Glue

"Star" paper punch-I used a flower.

Sticky Gel Gems in Assorted colors & styles

Yarn or Ribbon

Glitter paper

Simply cut your popsicle sticks down to size and glue to base stick.

Add ribbon or yarn to back by gluing.

Paper punch a star for the top.

Decorate with gems.

Voila!

Happiest Trees Ever!

So, if you're local....come and stop by the craft show to get yourself one!

The boys are trying to earn money to buy

farm animals for families

through

World Vision Gift Catalog

We hope the boys will learn some valuable lessons through this event,

that they will have alot of

fun too!

Come See Me at Grandiflora this Black Friday...

2011-11-23T23:38:00.001-08:00

Just to let you know....I'll be spending my

"Black Friday"

handing out the above

FREE

"Goodie Bags"!

Whoo Hoo!

If you are local, and can make it to our shop

Grandiflora Home and Garden in Lynden

between the times of

8 & 10 am...

then you'll get lots of little happy perks!

However there are only

TWENTY

Gift Bags to give out....so get there on time!

Either way you'll get all

Christmas Decor at 30% off....

One regular priced item at 30% off just by either being on our mailing list....or by signing up to be.

Find all the pertinant detailed information

HERE

Hope to see you there?!

Thankful for the....Present.

2011-11-23T23:01:00.001-08:00

Ahh....these snapshots were taken quite some time ago...

Did I ever really know how fast the days would go when I first had my little boys?

Not really...

OK,

NO... NOT AT ALL!

I am so thankful for my little boys who just aren't as little as they used to be...

Where has all the time gone???

This photo seems like it was just taken a year and a half ago....but sadly it was

5 and a half years ago.

Now my boys are bordering on the point of having photos that resemble

Record Labels.

Soon they'll be teenagers driving cars!!!

AHHHHHGGGG!

SO,

today

I'm

Thankful

for

People

Know

Love..

TODAY!

I'm

treasuring

the

Present.

Taking joy in each day makes SO much more sense than running around all tied up in knots!

I'm really

thankful

this

Thanksgiving Day

for

this quote:

"Yesterday was the past, tomorrow is the future, but today is a gift from God;

that's why they call it 'The Present'."

I know without a shadow of a doubt....

that this very day

is my

'Present'

that HE'S stronger than my past....& in control of my future.

YOURS

too!

So....this

Thanksgiving Weekend

spend time valuing the ones you

love...

Enjoy!

More Funky Christmas Crafts...

2011-11-22T22:34:00.001-08:00

....& So I'm back.

If you visited last time, you may have already read that my two sons

Tristan 8 & Elliot 5 are going to be participating in a:

So, they are crafting up a storm, working on all sorts of wild and wacky things that kids will

love, Grandmas will find irresistable, and hopefully mamas will pay for!

The past week has been a flurry of trims, papers, glitter & glue!

It's all worth it however as the boys are trying to raise

$100.00

to buy farm animals for needy folks through

World Vision Gift Catalog

They are bound and determined to do this...so Dad and I have committed to donating the funds

my ever wandering creative mind

to come up with super fun

crafty goodies to sell.

These super cute paper cones will be really fun stuffed with

Christmas Candies don't you think?

Why don't you come by and see what else they'll be selling?

Want to know how to make your own?

It's easy!

Gather your Supplies:

Piece of scrap cardboard

Pencil

Dinner plate

Scrapbooking papers

Scissors

Stapler

Small Hole Punch

Pipe Cleaners

Pom Poms

Super Sticky Tacky Glue

Assorted Trims

Tissue Paper

Candies Etc..

First, take a large dinner plate & trace it onto the cardboard.

Then find the center and cut a "piece of pie" that is one third of the circle.

(See Below)

This one third sized piece will be your template.

Now trace the template on your cardstock and cut out.

Roll your piece of paper until it forms a cone;

staple once at top opening to secure.

Punch two holes opposite eachother on either side.

Insert pipe cleaner on both sides and bend up to form a handle.

From there it's totally up to you how to decorate.

We glued paper trim around the top & glued pom poms on the front and the bottom

to resemble a circus clown suit.

Wrap your goodies in tissue and place in the cone.

These are great party favors for anytime of the year!

We are having so much fun making crafts!

Stay tuned for even more cool kid crafts this week.

I'm hoping to show you what the boys'

cousin Carter (who's 10) will be making to sell at the craft show too!

You have to see the adorable....

well,

I'd better not spoil it for anyone!

Stay tuned....

xoxo

Little Christmas Crafts Can Save a Life

2011-11-19T16:57:00.001-08:00

We've been busy at the Brink House!

Lots of glitter, yarn, papers, & glue are starting to take shape into tiny little bits of

Christmas Goodness!

I thought I'd share a little bit about what I've been up to with my boys

Tristan 8, & Elliot 5.

They are working hard with their crafty mama to come up with sweet items to sell at an upcomming kids bazaar which they have decided to participate in.

Paper Poinsettias

One of the items I thought I'd share with you are these adorable little paper poinsettia flowers that are gracing the Christmas Gift Tags (above) which the boys are making.

Simply punch out two Fiskars flower punches in your favorite color.

( You can find this style of punch at most craft stores, or just use one you already have.)

Attach the two flowers with a glue dot alternating the petals.

Place an adhesive gel gem in the center of the top flower, and bend the petals upward.

Attach the finished Poinsettia to anything you like with an adhesive glue dot.

One of the fun things we did was to attach the poinsettias to little red jewelry gift boxes.

We are trying to come up with fun crafts that folks will enjoy purchasing for use during the

Christmas Season.

We are working SO HARD for the big day....

Do you want to know WHY we are WORKING SO HARD???

We have made a commitment to eachother to do something

E X T R A O R D I N A R Y

this Christmas.

The boys are trying to raise enough money to purchase a

goat and chickens

through

World Vision Gift Catalog

It will cost them $100.00 to do this.

After seeing how committed they were to working towards this goal, Chad and I

decided to help them out by purchasing the bits and baubles that they will need to make items worthy of purchase by the general public.

I have been working double time to come up with fun ideas for crafts that the two boys will be capable of working on AND that people would actually WANT to purchase.

They are supposed to make the crafts by themselves with as little help as possible.

Once in awhile they need help with some glue, a stapler, or a paper punch....

but they are doing the work themselves.

Now I'm working on getting the word out.

If you are local, please come to the

Lynden Public Library

on December 3rd between 10:30 & Noon to support their cause.

If you are from far away, I ask for your prayers.

Pray that the boys will learn great things from helping others who are in need more than they are.

I also encourage you to go to

World Vision Gift Catalog

see what you might be able to purchase for those in need this year.

Stay tuned for more craft tidbits to come...

the boys are willing to share their ideas with you & teach you how

Little Christmas Crafts Can Save a Life.

xoxo

Snowy Christmas Memories....

2011-11-16T22:53:00.001-08:00

So today I was having some flash-backs.

As I bundled up little Elliot at the door of the grocery store, I looked up and was amazed to see

S N O W

falling!

Now, we don't normally get snow in the Pacific Northwest at this time of the year in the valleys.

So,

I was more than a little bit excited!

I LOVE SNOW!

We rushed home so that Elliot could stand out in the yard and catch snowflakes

& admire all of God's handiwork.

Alas, the snow didn't stick or amount to anything....but just the same...

it S N O W E D!

This, of course sent me down the memory lane of snowy Christmases past....

I decided to take a moment to dig through the archives to get you

(hopefully)

excited about getting those Christmas Decorations out

(as soon as the Thanksgiving Day Tryptophan is setting in of course!)

The photo you see above is of a shot I did way back

over here on my Blueberry Cream Cheese Rolls post.

That was a heavenly snow day and a half!

....just lovely....

....and yummy I might ad!

Of course, I'd love to tell you that we get to enjoy the snow days alot around here....

but sadly there just aren't many of them in the

rainy Pacific Northwest.

So when there is SNOW, we celebrate!!!

We sled, we make snowballs, we make snow forts, and we even get down and make snow angels!

You betcha!

then,

if we are so lucky to have one...

we come inside and enjoy the

fire....

We don't have a fireplace at our house...but we do candles really well!

I also must admit that we do fun old fashioned colorful lights at Christmas too!

I live in one of those great old

cottage bungalows which just

S C R E A M S

"Decorate me in Vintagey Goodness!!! Please????"

So the buttercup colored cottage gets its dollop of sweet candy coated colors for the season....and once in awhile it gets

S N O W

too!

"....I'm dreaming of a white.....Christmas. Just like the ones I knew before....."

Back with more memories before too long....

xoxo

I'd like to Invite YOU to our NEW Online SHOP!

2011-11-10T14:18:00.001-08:00

So, I'm sure you've noticed that I've been a bit....

hmmmmm....how shall we say....

ABSENT

lately?

Well, I have

GOOD REASONS

I promise!

I'd like to personally invite you to our new shop

Grandiflora HOME

I know this means I'm personally putting myself out there....

....but I really think you'll love it...

....even though pushing the "publish" button was

EXTREMELY SCARY FOR ME:

I feel confident that you'll love it!

It took alot of

TIME

MONEY

with more than a few nights

BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL

so to speak

to get this lovely shop up and running for all of you to peruse!

Right now,

you can take advantage of our:

don't forget to:

We are only hoping to

EXPAND

as fast as we possibly can.

Come take a look at

Grandiflora HOME

soon,

let me know what you think

OK?

value your input!

Cheers!

xoxo

My Son, Who Taught Me To Love...

2011-11-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

I learned about love at a very early age...

...I was loved by my wonderful parents who raised me with all they had.

I learned about love from my Church and Christian school...

....they taught me about how much God loved me...

...that He sent His only Son to die on a cross to save me from my sins.

I learned about love from my husband....

....some of the best and the hardest lessons in love are learned from our spouses.

BUT...

I don't think I ever truly understood LOVE,

until I had

Tristan.

If you speak French or Spanish, you know that the word

"triste"

means sadness.

I think my poor son has had his share of sadness, even at this very young age.

Tristan's life

is a lesson in Love.

He tried coming into this world right on time 8 years ago today like any normal kid...

but God had some different plans.

After 30+ hours of labor Tristan was delivered C-section.

He wasn't breathing at first...but after some scary moments & modern medicine,

he was crying like the best of them!

We very soon realized that Tristan had a

ZEST

for life... a sort of internal happiness & excitement that never truly seemed to wear off.

He was a wild child never afraid of anything...and laughing all the time!

(Nurses always called him the "happy baby" at check ups!)

Always the MOST excited kid wherever we went.

Then it happened...

One day when he was 4 we realized something wasn't quite right with Tristan's face.

It looked bruised, and withered....but he had no pain.

After much long deliberation with doctors....

we were told he had something called

Linear Schleroderma en coup de Sabre

which is an Autoimmune disease of the

Rheumetalogical family.

Basically, fatty tissues on his face have turned to "stone" with too much production in collagen.

Thankfully,

Tristan's case was caught very early on, medicated well (through countless trips to hospitals etc..), and is now seeming like the "lesion" is softening up and possibly coming to an end?

His case seems mild in comparison to some....like those who end up with

Systemic Schleroderma; & for that we are thankful.

The good part in all this chemo taking and hospital excursions?

Tristan

NOT

sad,

fact.....

he's

HAPPY!

Our son Tristan is such a trooper & a joy!

He is far from sad!

He is my inspiration; a boy with a special gift.

A gift to take life in stride; to always keep smiling no matter what.

Oh sure....

he's had hard days.

But,

he always chooses joy in the end.

We are so proud of him, thankful for him, and humbled that God chose for him to be our child.

We don't deserve him.

Out of our sadness for his situation,

comes

LOVE.

Real Love.

The sort of Love you would never understand until you've held it in your arms & felt it.

Tristan

the

Son

who

taught

Love.

To him I'd like to dedicate this entry...

A very Happy 8th Birthday to you Tristan!

We love you!

Big brother Tristan with little bro Elliot.
Halloween 2011

Pirate Tristan getting unruly....

Elliot the Knight to the rescue....

Hooray! We are saved from the dread pirate Tristan!
Thank-you Sir Elliot!
oh...
Boys will be boys!

We are now praying that Tristan's disease can come to an end.....but that's the hard part.

Schleroderma is not a disease that often comes to an end.

It can resurface...or not.

Who knows....

....and so it goes.

We just don't know what the future will hold for

Tristan.

But...

we know that God loves Tristan even more than we do.

No matter what could come for him tomorrow...

that we are all better lovers for knowing him

that he will be loved and cared for by all those who's lives he's touched.

Praise the Lord for He is good, His LOVE endures forever!

Thank-You Lord,

Your

LOVE

astounds

me.

Even in all of this I praise your name; I know You allow bad things (via sin) to happen to good people...even children...so that Your LOVE-LIGHT can shine.

May Your LOVE continue to shine through Tristan & other ill children like him.

We all need to learn better how to Love; help us to pay attention.

If Only I Could Be Crafting.....

2011-10-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Not much time this weekend to be working on crafty things myself...so I whipped up a treasury of all the goodies I'd LIKE to be working with instead.

Sometimes it's all about the dreaming stage....

Hope you are all doing well?

I hope to be back here more often soon...I miss our chats.

Oh well,

'tis the season for me to be super busy

with all good things

Grandiflora

which will be launching soon....so stay tuned!

Cheerio

all my friends,

xoxo

Smile... Even When You're Exhausted

2011-10-28T00:30:00.000-07:00

Just a tiny glimpse of what I've been up to...

So much up our sleeves at

Grandiflora Home

Working SO hard....but trying to remember:

Yep....I believe that don't you?

I choose happy:

even when I'm tired

even when I'm exhausted

even when I'm frumpy

even when....well just about every time something comes up that bothers me...

I choose happy...& somehow....as if ladybugs to beauty...or bees to nectar...the smile comes,

I'm happy again!

A smile is the only contagious thing I want to "catch" right now....

I'll
Choose

Happy

I'll

choose

Create Everyday!

2011-10-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

Such a happy color way, don't you agree?

I am always so happy when a treasury featuring something of mine makes it to the

Front Page of Etsy...

This one in particular is such a favorite of mine because of that adorably cute bumper sticker:

You can find this awesome sticker here for only $3.00!

I may have to spring for one of these myself...just a little treat for me,

a reminder for all those folks on the road

to never give up creating!

Don't you ever give up either...what have you been creating lately?

I'd love to know!

Cheers & happy new week to you!

Trish

Good News, Busy News, & GOD NEWS!

2011-10-21T23:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone....yep...I've been a little busy lately.

Been slackin' off from the personal blog posts....

BUT:

I've been crazy busy doing all sorts of other things....

...most of which revolve around...you guessed it:

Grandiflora Home

our soon to be open online shop!

This is VERY GOOD news!

One of the things I've been busiest at is

photographing all the lovelies!

Speaking of which, meet Becky.

Becky is this amazingly beautiful girl who happens to also be the daughter of our

Floor Manager Kim!

Don't you agree that she's just a cute as a button?!

I was SO happy that she decided to help us out in the modeling department!

After all....our cute accessories

(now available in the brick and mortar shop)

will need to look their best for their debut online!

I'm SO pleased with how all the photos have turned out!

I think folks will love having the option to add a cute hat or scarf to their

purchase of home decor items.

Or these cuties will make great gifts for the Holidays!

We just love hats and scarves at our shop.

Before long it will be winter:

and we will be glad we snatched up a cozy scarf or hat to keep us toasty and warm.

Agreed?

Well I'm off to do some more work for

the new shop

I'll try stopping by for updates as my time schedule allows...

I love and miss you guys!

Bear with me at this crazy time of the year for us...

I'll be back chit chattin' with you all before you know it!

Cheerio!

I just thought I should let you know

(so as not to leave you hanging from my last quickie post)

that my son Tristan got good news via our

Children's Hospital visit this past week:

No more Methotrexate Shots!

(chemo treatments via low doses)

This poor boy has been on these shots for over 2 years

(for a very rare and unpredictable disease called Linear Schleroderma en coup de sabre)

and he's ready to be off them!

Now he'll just take the meds in pill form with the possibility of coming off of them completely!

We are SO THRILLED!!!

Thanks for all your support, prayers, and kind words on Tristan's behalf,

they are much appreciated!

Sweet Tweets!

2011-10-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love me some birds!

Don't you?

I think I'm happiest when birds are singing somewhere near by.... I'm so drawn to them.

How about you?

What is your favorite bird?

I love the look of the Blue Stellars Jay, but they screech so nastily

( I know, as I have some living in my yard).

I also love the look of a Flicker....but they pound holes in the side of my house!

Eagles are SO magnificent....but I always find calf, dog, and cat bones below their nests when I'm in the wild....eiuwww!

I'm more of a tweetie bird sorta girl.

You know,

the sweet little chickadees & wrens.

I also adore watching swallows swoop and dive.

Owls have always fascinated me as well as hawks.

I love the sound of seagulls when I'm at the beach....and I only like crows in the fall.

One of the best sounds is Canadian Geese flying overhead,

when a wild dove coos in the wilderness....well it's just bliss to me!

Today I decided to show you some of the sweet tweets from my shop

Wesley Asher

I've been uploading some new items lately....don't you love the cute birds?

I do!

I'm also digging the new turquoise blue

Turks Knot Necklace

that we are featuring now.

Well,

anyway....

I'd better get some rest.

I'm heading to

Children's Hospital

tomorrow with my son Tristan.

I hope we will get good news there.

I'll try to get back here again soon!?

Cheerio!

Trish

Blue Monday

2011-10-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

It's Blue Monday.

Do you want to know why?

No,

it's not because there was some sad thing that happened...

or,

some horrible thing I must do today...

...rather...

just because,

well,

LOVE

BLUE!

Why don't you sit down with a cuppa & take a look around you:

the day is better when the skies are blue, the water is more inviting when it's blue!

I think every color is prettier when set off with a touch of blue.

So,

today I say:

"Celebrate Blue!"

I hope you can find some pretty blue goodness somewhere in your day today...

might it be ...

....in the sky...

Romantic Style by Selina Lake

....in your home...

...or while you're working on your next crafty project.

Blue doesn't have to mean sad or down...

I think it means much more than that,

it's

refreshing!

Why don't you let yourself see

what a little

BLUE

can do for

YOU!

Autumn Softness...

2011-10-16T11:34:00.000-07:00

See....Autumn doesn't have to be all about orange, red, and brown....

it can be soft too!

Just thought you might enjoy a little front page fun today; I'm always giddy when a little something of mine is featured on Etsy's coveted Front Page!

Hope you are all well, I'm off to celebrate my nephews' 10th Birthday....do you remember 10?

I do, it was a great year.

I felt SO grown up to be a double digit!

What have you been up to this weekend?

Hope it was great!?

Cheers,

hope to be back here as time allows....

Trish

My Friend Emma....

2011-10-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

I have a

"Wee" little friend called

Emma Lamb

I'm sure you've seen her goods all over the blogosphere....but what you may not know is that

she is offering a lovely little sale over at her shop right now!

Just enter code

FABULOUS20

get 20% off!!!

(Sale is only until October 18th, so hurry over!)

I suggest you go and check out her awesome little shop for all the best in modern crochet!

She even has patterns in PDF style for those of you who are good with a hook yourself!

You won't be sorry you wandered over to see what you might find,

it's all sorts of happy over at

Emma's

And....

if that's not enough,

visit her lovely

Blog

to get a little peek into her happy stylin' world!

You will simply fall in love with this sweet and wonderful crafter...

I promise!

Cheerio,

Trish

I Shop My Palette...Do You?

2011-10-09T17:00:00.000-07:00

Dreamy afternoons spent with pretty thrifted goodies are rare these days for me...

but over the weekend I was able to have a little "me" time spent toodling with some recent finds.

I often laugh at my finds once I get them home; I have an unruly knack of shopping in color themes.

If you know me, you'll know I love vintage items.

I enjoyed this little vignette of thrifted finds a whole bunch, as it truly defines my personal taste in colors.

My home decorating color palette tends to venture into the:

sky blues

fawn browns

lichen

worn vintage mustard

pinky peach

cream

greige

Random right?

But it's what I like....& I can't stop liking it....so....I guess I'm stuck with it!

When I'm shopping for clothing....well....that can often be a different story.

Although when I think about it,

my closet tends to be a reflection of similar versions of these colorways;

blue being the base of almost every outfit with jeans for comfort!

;)

Well anyway,

I will now be working on loading up these little goodies to shelves & walls....with a few going to Etsy & a few heading to Grandiflora.

(see links to the right on the blog)

I found quite a lot of pretties (not all are pictured) so it will take some effort to do this!

I love it however, & am looking forward to the challenge.

There were:

Little vintage pots for fresh flowers, or trailing plants....

...sweet little prints to hide in those tiny tucked away spaces throughout ones' home...

most importantly....a little birdie box for keeping tidbits & treasures.

I love working with items which have a past....I also love to mix those items with new things to create a well balanced look.

A little bit past & a little bit present.

How about you?

Do you love vintage like I do?

Are you strictly vintage style?

Do you cringe at the thought of decorating with vintage?

What about new trends: mod, bright, pastels?

What about color palette?

Does your closet echo your home?

Just curious....I always enjoy hearing your thoughts; long or short!

Hope you had a great weekend....& hoping your week is filled with golden sunlit days, crisp nights, and cozy times with loved ones!

Trish

Can I Get Another One for my Pal Scarfy Here?

2011-10-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who loves a good scarf?

This is one of my all time favorites!

I've had it for years now, and always look forward to pulling it out of my ever growing enormous bin of scarves come fall.

We sell scarves at our brick and mortar shop

Grandiflora Home & Garden

soon we will be selling them online as well at

Grandiflora Home

I have a sort of a bad habit of purchasing a number of scarves every new season....

What I love about a good scarf is the fact that you can take a simple

"boring"

outfit and turn it into something pretty wonderful!

So,

in all reality....I'm actually saving money by not purchasing more clothes....right?

RIGHT????

My favorite scarf wearing moment is in the movie Penelope, when Reese Witherspoon's character says:

"Hey bartender, can I get another one for my pal scarfy here?!"

Although I don't need to wear a scarf for cosmetic reasons....well...ok...that's debatable....but honestly, I do like to wear a scarf to keep the chill at bay when it gets a little nippy out!

My sister La Von and I are scarf addicts...so we are always on the lookout for the prettiest and most unique ones we can find!

I know I am not alone here ladies...what is your favorite accessory for fall?

I have to admit, that hats are also a fetish of mine...but that is a whole other post!

Until then, I'll be having fun on this dreary day digging through my closet bins searching for the perfect scarves for the chilly weather to come!

Stay cozy!

Your Pal,

Scarfy

With Enough Coffee I Could....

2011-10-05T09:02:00.000-07:00

Fun Treasury on Etsy I whipped up.

I was thinking about coffee this morning & wondered.....

With enough coffee I could....

1. Clean my house!

2. Finish my laundry.

3. Do some paperwork

(I'd say finish it....but it will NEVER be done!)

4. List more items on Etsy.

5. Run to town to mail my Etsy packages.

6. Excercise? Hmm.....not sure coffee would be enough?

7. Bake some cookies...and then drink more coffee.

8. Play with my kids & help them with homework.

9. Be all the places I need to be on time?

10. With enough coffee...I could live on the ceiling, would that be practical?

Well,

I'm off to brew another cuppa....we'll see what I can accomplish after I've had mine?!

How about you???

Coffee & it's effects on you.....whatcha got fer me?

I NEED inspiration here folks....I'm kinda Super Tired here.....ah, c'mon!

Cheerio

Bicycles, Barns, & Beautiful Finds...

2011-09-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

Hello + Hello

my friends!

I am so happy that you're able to stop by today for some ramblings.

Isn't the bike above dreamy?

Do you have a vintage bicycle?

Would you if you could?

I do...this one happens to belong to my mother however.

My folks have a treasure trove of all the most interesting things hidden away in nooks and crannies in their home & their outbuildings.

It's like treasure hunting when you visit.

(Assuming you like good old fashioned junk the way we do!)

Did I ever tell you that I grew up there

(well at least through high school & college)

when it was a

Bed and Breakfast?

Oh yes...I did!

I had a room just like the guests, only I didn't get the fancy breakfasts....unless there were leftovers!

(Technically, I didn't have to pay either...so I guess I shouldn't complain!)

I suppose it's sort of an odd upbringing, but somehow it has shaped me into who I am today.

Good or bad as that may be....

I have a penchant for working with people, hearing about other places in the world, & being surrounded by antiques and vintage items.

One never knew who might come through the door to stay from night to night.

One time it could be a honeymoon couple, and the next night Hollywood Movie makers who wanted to stay state side whilst working in Vancouver B.C. (the Hollywood of Canada!)

Some of the folks who made the wildly popular movie adaptation of

Little Women

Stayed in our home.

Oh how I loved that movie!

In fact I own it.

Life was certainly unpredictable living in a

Bed and Breakfast,

but

NEVER, EVER

dull!

I digress however...

My folks collected antiques for many a year before they found their dream home...

which I might add wasn't so dreamy when found....however after much renovation and costs....it is a haven which to visit.

Today I had the pleasure of hanging out there in the barn working on a photoshoot

with my sister La Von.

The backdrops of antique wood, piles of firewood, and rich patinas are just

unbelievable.

I had to shoot a snap of my moms bike...

"....I learned to ride on one just like it...."

she said.

We had fun arranging things for the photoshoot;

laughed about the silly things like not knowing how to start tractors to:

how shall we say....

"get them out of the way of the pretty backdrops!"

(Don't tell my Dad we wanted the tractors out of the way....it may hurt his poor little

pea pickin' tractor salesman heart!)

Anyway...thank goodness for my nephew who actually knows how to drive a tractor!

We took photo after photo, and got even MORE excited to release our opening date for

Grandiflora Home.

Well, it's been a long day.

I can tell as I'm beginning to ramble.

But that is what this blog is for right?

Ramblings...

I wonder what delightful little treasures you remember being tucked away at your Mom's or Grandma's house?

Do you have great memories of running around in a haymow?

Have you ever stayed at a Bed & Breakfast filled to the gills with Antiques?

Oh this post has turned into 3 posts!

But that is how my days are lately...

packed to the gills with

TOO MUCH

great stuff to

soak in!

It's all good!

Autumn Gifts, and an Outing Too!

2011-09-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to torrential rain on my cottages' metal roof.

I snuggled under the covers a little deeper & soon was joined by two little snugglers.

(Poor hubby was already off before dawn.)

The boys and I laid in bed for quite some time before it got light enough and late enough to where we couldn't stay there any longer.

This has truly been an

Autumn day.

Gusts of wind, sideways rain, and big puddles.

I was even inspired to make a homemade pot pie for dinner tonight!

(ok...so I bought the pie crust premade.)

Anyway,

I thought I'd share a simple photo today of part of the lovely gift my sister La Von gave me.

Aren't those orange mums just fun?

She knows me all too well!

Thanks La Von!

I have been collecting these hilarious tacky plastic flowers...

I also have a pink one (not pictured) just like the blue one above.

Don't ask me why I like them so much...

they just make me smile is all.

I'm really a kid at heart, and never expect to grow truly old....so maybe that is why I like animated things so much.

Believe it or not, most of my home is pretty basic....but I MUST have a few items in my home that make most people go:

"Hmmmmm......"

Can't explain why I do what I do...but I really like having unique items with a past.

These mums are dated 1968, Made in the USA!

They just really make me giddy!

Well,

maybe in a few days if the rain decides to let up...

I was hoping to go on an outing....

I was thinking here?

I could spend hours in a corn maze!!!
Tee hee hee!!!
(Found on Pinterest...if you know the source message me as I'd like to give credit...but couldn't find it.)

I think it'd be right up my ally!

;)

Until we meet again....

Trish

UH....You Say it's Your Birthday???

2011-09-24T11:34:00.000-07:00

Uh...so, you say it's MY Birthday!

Well, this is my Birthday Suit!

;)

Just a few short (38) years ago,

La Von & Carrie

were blessed with a

sweet, adorable, cute, fun

little sister

that they never knew they really

wanted!

She was SUCH a Kewpie Pie!

She made sure to share her charms with everyone!

She was so down to earth and easy to please....

Always inviting people to share in the fun...

With hands ready for applause at any given moment!

Life was always good with Trisha Lynn around!!!

She was just a Raggedy Ann in a Barbie Doll world.

Was NEVER, no NEVER, EVER dramatic!!!

She rarely whined or complained...in fact that rarely EVER happened

at the

Stremler

home.

She always tried to look on the brighter side of things....

.... a glass is half full sorta girl.

But,

she was always happiest

when she was...

Swingin'

The Swing

By Robert Lewis Stevenson

How do you like to go up in a swing,

Up in the air so blue?

Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing

Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,

Till I can see so wide

River and trees and cattle and all

Over the countryside-

Till I look down on the garden green,

Down on the roof so brown

Up in the air I go flying again

Up in the air and down!

If she were to die today,

she would be a happy camper knowing that those around her

loved her so much

that they built her a swing

upon which to

spend her

days

swingin'

singin'

Happy Birthday Indeed.

10 of my Autumnisms...

2011-09-22T21:38:00.000-07:00

Yep.

It's official!

Autumn!!!

I love this time of the year...but then I say that when every new season starts.

10 Things I LOVE about Autumn:

1. I get to wear boots! Whoo Hoo!!! Love me some boots!!!

2. I can start to wear jeans again! Yippee....lovin' my jeans!

3. Scarves...need I say more???

4. Hmmm...ooooohhh I know....Candles! Light 'em up baby!

5. Rain on my roof, (it's metal) it's the best sound to go to bed to at night.

6. Leaves blowing across the street making that dry scraping sound while the dried grasses swish in the breeze.

7. Baking (see previous post for Caramel Apple Cheescake Bars!).

8. Cooking up some yummy cozy comfort food...hot homeade chicken noodle soup anyone?

9. Crafting up a storm!!!

10. Spending time reading books with my hubby and little ones on rainy day nights.

So what are some of your Autumnisms?

I'd love to hear about them!

Honestly,

I could go on and on...but there is only so much room in a blog post.

I hope you love Autumn as well...but just remember... don't forget that our Aussie friends are just beginning to see Spring along with the rest of the Southern Hemisphere!

That just seems hard to believe right?

But our God is just that way...

creating things in amazing ways that always seem to suprise us.

Isn't this a wonderful world?

I'm so happy to be a part of it.

Enjoy your Fall...it won't last forever!

Go outside and jump in a pile of leaves, it'll make your senses come to life again!

Cheers to you all!

Trish

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars...Mmmmmm.....

2011-09-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

O.K. so I'm not a professional food stylist/photographer...but these taste so good you'll forgive me straight away!

I promised I would...so here it is after much dilly dallying over my pinches and smidgens.

I bake and cook by semi-measuring...so I've figured it out (pretty well) for you!

Often I create my own recipes from 2 or 3 recipes depending on what I have on hand.

and if you remember correctly this is what I had on hand:

Gravensteins!

So without further ado...

Here's the skinny...er....uh...fatty?

On the final recipe:

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars:

Preheat oven to 350*

Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

Crust:

2 cups crushed graham crackers

1/2 cup butter melted

Mix together and pat firmly down into the greased 9x13 dish.

Apple Filling Layer:

1 & 1/2 cups chunky applesauce (preferably homeade, as it's not as runny)

2 medium thinly sliced apples

Spread applesauce over crust and layer sliced apples over the sauce.

Cheesecake:

2 pkg 8oz. cream cheese softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

Mix together until smooth and spread evenly over apple layer.

Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes, or until center is set. Cool, & store in fridge until serving time. Just before serving spread caramel topping from a jar over the top to your liking. Enjoy! :)

Just as a side note, I used caramel from a tub that you would dip apples in, and it was really good!

Everyone raved about this dessert at our family gathering. I will warn you however...it is VERY rich and you don't need much.

My 9x13 served about 10 people, and I still had about a third of the pan left

(which sadly, I've been pecking away at all week!)

The good news is that it keeps in the fridge really well for a long time!

Always look on the bright side right?

Hope you enjoy this recipe... it was shared just for you!

Cheerio!

Trish

An Orderly Moment...

2011-09-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

So today I was pondering some organization for myself, & low and behold I logged into my

Ollie Bollen account on Etsy and found I had been featured in this great treasury!

I am always trying to get caught up in the organizational department!

Sadly, I seem to have one of those lives which doesn't really compliment the organized lifestyle some of my friends have.

Reasons I Cannot Seem to Stay Organized:

1. I am by nature an artist.

(this list should end here!)

2. I have two boys, 5 & 7.

(again, list should be fairly short)

3. I become severely distracted by all my pretties whilst attempting to organize!

(why am I continuing this freakin' list anyway?)

4. I like that English Cottage lived in look.

(clean, but somewhat dishevelled & charming)

5. I run 3 busy Etsy shops, one brick and mortar shop, and now one online shop.

Hmmmmmm........

I think I need an assistant!

Now,

if I could only afford to pay for one!?

Until then, I'll just try to keep as organized as my creative life will allow me to.

Most importantly?

I will keep on creating....because that's what makes me truly happy anyway!

Organized?

No.

Happy?

YES!

Thank-you, You're So Tweet!

2011-09-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy with how this cute thank-you card turned out!

I'm working on a number of new photos and stationary for

Grandiflora

(our shop)

for Etsy as well.

I just couldn't resist using this one for my latest in Thank-you cards.

When I have them all made up, and a good assortment listed, I'll let you know!

Hope you lovelies are having a great week so far?!

Cheers my dears,

Trish

Thrifty Crafty Birthday Gifts: Oh How I Love Them!

2011-09-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

As you know...I'm into anything crafty and thrifty.

Sometimes the two items go hand in hand.

It was my sister La Von's Birthday this past week, and I want to show you what I gave to her as a gift.

First things first.

You have to understand that La Von and I (along with our mom) own a very fun shop called

Grandiflora Home and Garden

So,

since La Von can get nearly anything new she could ever want in the way of a gift from our shop....

I don't EVER buy her anything new.

It's just too redundant.

SO....

instead,

I get thrifty and crafty.

The MAIN GOAL is to find something that will bring her joy, is useful, or is at least very pretty!

I opted for a practical (yet adorable) sewing basket.

I collect these myself...but this color was just perfect for the gift I already had going for La Von.

She can use this for sewing...or really anything else she desires; jewelry would be cute pinned into the cushion....and that's why I added the vintage yellow poppy brooch.

I actually see her wearing this as she loves yellow just like I do!

I had fun adding all sorts of little goodies to the basket...

Lavon has started collecting all sorts of rulers...so, I thought she would like this vintage folding ruler for displaying with.

La Von earlier this year finding yard sticks at The Farm Chicks Show in Spokane, WA.

La Von is also the clothes hound and accessory guru in our family.

She always looks so well put together.

I decided to make her some smokey glam earrings.

(I'll be debuting more of these at the shop soon too!)

Gosh it's difficult to capture the brilliance of these stones...they just glisten!

La Von is also a voracious reader... and LOVES LOVES LOVES birds too!

I found this awesome book about bringing song birds to your garden...I knew she would love it.

Then, I made this sweet vintage inspired bookmark to go with it.

I used vintage turquoise burlap & a sweet aqua rose cabochon on one side, with...

....a cute decoupaged game tile with vintage wallpaper & a glass flower bead with swarovski crystal.

She told me I should sell these in the shop too....oh so little time....so many BIG ideas!

Wish I could craft everyday...but there are dishes to be done & laundry to do!

Oh we had such a lovely family gathering for all our birthdays over the weekend.

I will have to write down the recipe for the

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I served, as they were a hit!

(it was a little something I concocted...so I'll have to "figure out" the measurements first!)

I will post the recipe soon if I can!

Then after dinner,

my mom, sister Carrie, sister La Von, & I headed to go see the movie

The Help

IT WAS AWESOME!

If you havn't had a chance to go see it....or read the book....you should!

Well,

I'm off to run errands and figure out all that needs doing this week.

I hope you are all having a fabulous new week, and I'll try to see you back here again soon!

Cheers!

Trish

Gettin' Cozy for My Birthday Week

2011-09-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Well, are you there yet?

Has the weather turned to chill at night?

Is there a tiny nip in the air?

It is slowly turning to Fall here in the Pacific Northwest, and with fall comes:

Birthdays!

My sister La Von had a birthday last week, my other sister Carrie is having a birthday this week,

believe it or not,

it will also be MY birthday this week too!

Let's put it this way:

Our parents were consistant!

We think they loved Christmas and New Years a WHOLE BUNCH!

;)

Anyway, when you have two sisters who's birthdays are just before yours...

they are both incredibly talented in the way of artistic endeavors...

it makes for a really difficult gift giving event!

So,

we've sort of given way to coming up with trifles....tidbits of sorts...finding goodies that eachother will appreciate.

We take the money we would normally spend on eachother, and just go away together for the day or weekend with our mother, and spend it on ourselves instead.

It's so much fun to see what the other sister may find for themselves.

We have had so much fun over the years on our outings....I wonder where we'll be going this year?

Well,

wherever we end up we will have to go thrifting!

The best birthday goodies, are those which are thrifted or handcrafted.

Can you believe that the beautiful lap afghan above was found at a thrift shop?

It's like brand new!!!

I new immediately it had to be for Carrie, as it's totally her color.

I added the

"Get Cozy"

sign for something fun.

I'll add some yummy scented candles from our shop

Grandiflora Home

and add it all to a lovely antique woven wood picnic basket.

So cute!

I've was at it all day yesterday, trying to figure out how to wrap the items. Presentation is just as important as the gift you know!!!

Well,

so much to do...so little time.

Off to put the caramel drizzle on a new dessert I've concocted:

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars!

Hopefully it will be a hit at the Family Birthday Party at the Stremlers!

I'll post the recipe if it is as decadent as I hope it to be...

Cheerio,

Trish

Gravensteins Oh How You Bring Me Back...

2011-09-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

Gravensteins.

If you know what one is....then I really don't think you'll need to read this post....

'cause you'll just

"know".

However...if you are unaware of what a Gravenstein Apple is, then you should stick around!

In my honest opinion...there is no other apple which captures the

crisp tart sweetness of

Autumn,

other than the humble

Gravenstein.

Sadly,

the Gravenstein apple doesn't travel or last very well.

They are the apple to eat immediately...to be savored during a sunny

Indian Summer afternoon

in September.

If you search your local

Farmer's Markets,

You may be lucky enough to find someone who would share some?!

Good Luck!

I have such wonderful memories of picking Gravensteins up off the ground at my grandma and grandpa's home.

Their tree was HUGE

(or at least it felt like it to me!)

The Gravensteins were like

GOLD!

If one fell, it was ok to eat...but never, never should you try to climb the tree and pick one!

Horror of all horrors!

Gravensteins weren't just any ol' apple....no, they were the best of the best!

They were made into every possible concoction that my grandma could think up.

My personal favorite was:

Grandma Stremler's Apple Sauce Cake

Mmmmmmmmm.....

When we purchased our home just over 10 years ago

( a 1913 Craftsman Bungalow)

We were thrilled to find a Gravenstein Tree!

I knew instantly that I would be content to call this place my home....it just felt

"right" to have a Gravenstein Tree in my yard.

So,

Now that I have little ones who can appreciate the

"finer things in life",

I do the same thing my grandma did:

Which is,...first make apple sauce...then cake!

Elliot and I realized that the chickens were pretty

HAPPY

in the backyard one day....and after much

chuck-a-cluck-a-lucking,

we found the chickens

(and Fuzzy the Turkey)

gobbling up our apples off the ground!

OH NO NO! I cried!

Those are OUR apples!!!

So,

we captured our little cluckers

(and our one BIG gobbler)

and put them back where they couldn't get our precious

Gravensteins.

The sad unfinished chicken coop.

If you see my husband....tell him I really want it finished soon...the chickens should start laying anytime now...and I want to celebrate with an attractive coop in my back yard!

There is supposed to be a cupboard with doors under the nesting box for feed,

some trim, board & battens, & especially stain!

I want cute little shrubs

a little sign too!

Hummmmmm......

We'll see when that happens!

My hubby has been hunting for almost 2 weeks!

The good news?

He shot his Bull Elk (5x5 point) at about 35 yards with a bow and arrow!

So,

our freezer is

FULL.

We'll see when the chickens....who lay humble eggs....will get their due!

Stay tuned.....

Dreams Really DO Come True!

2011-09-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

Isn't this the cutest hat ever?

Ok, so maybe it's not you...maybe you'd like something a little different...well that's ok!

Our Shop Grandiflora

is bursting at the seams with all sorts of sweet hats.

The super duper best part?

Our soon to be NEW ONLINE SHOP Grandiflora Home

will be carrying them too!

So, whether you're local...or far far away...you too will be able to get your hands on some of the most flattering hats around!

I myself, am living in a dream...shooting photos for one of the best places to shop....

our very own

Grandiflora.

2011-09-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone!

I hope you've all had a glorious weekend?

I had SO much fun with my boys over the weekend just doing normal ol' regular stuff...and I was able to go do some more photo shoots for our new shop online

Grandiflora Home

I'm taking advantage of the wonderful Indian Summer we are having to capture all the new

decor we have coming in for the shop.

I should probably mention that whenever you see something featured for the online shop,

if you're local, you can come in right now to the store and find the same items!

Although, we have been selling alot of these items lately, so you won't want to wait to long to come in!

I love this time of the year...so many changes and restructuring.

I like change and re-dos,

I can't stand when things stay the same forever.

New challenges excite me!

Well,

This new online store has certainly been a challenge, but I'm up for it!

The worst part is over: keeping it a secret!

Now I can blab to the world what we're up to and get all giddy about it!

Wishing you all a wonderful week, and stay tuned to hear about more news from the

Grandiflora Front Line.

Cheers,

Trish

I'm Hosting A Giveaway This Weekend!

2011-09-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

I have a little giveaway to announce!

Oh my....you do love giveaways don't you???

A sweet & talented lady came a knockin' on my Etsy Shop Door the other day

just a wonderin' if I'd be willin' to participate in a really fun contest.

Sooooo....

I decided, yeah...I like participation!

Well, without much ado here's the lovely link to:

drumroll........

Laura Winslow Photography

You may have seen Laura's adorable photography in such places as:

HGTV.com, Child Style Magazine, Tot Trends Weekly, 202 Magazine, Babytalk Magazine, & Celebrate Magazine.

Not only can you head on over to win a $30.00 gift card to my photography shop...there are other really great things up for grabs too!

Either way, you'll be a winner by checking out a lovely blog written by a lovely gal.

Have fun over at Laura's, it's adorable!

2011-09-09T00:28:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends!

I'm still riding on cloud nine about the whole

"Going online with Grandiflora"

thing!

I thought it would be nice to show you the really wonderful new logo we've come up with for our new

"location".

It's going to be SO much work to bring this long awaited dream to fruition....but so far it's been about the most fun I've ever had in my career!

We are so excited to see where this path will lead...and are hoping you can come along for the ride!

Come check it all out Grandiflora Home right here,

then,

head on over to follow our Grandiflora Home & Garden Blog over here.

We would be thrilled to have you come on over and see what we've been up to!

It's been such a pleasure serving our area for over 10 years now...

but,

we are looking forward to broadening our horizons in the years to come via online!

Wondering what all this news is about?

Come read all about it

here.

I appreciate all your support...you blogger buddies mean so much to me!

So,

I'm:

Cheers my dears!

Happy Weekend!

Trish

The Granny Chic-y-est Treasury of All Times!

2011-09-08T00:40:00.000-07:00

Had so many Treasuries to review and comment on this evening....all of them were SO WELL curated I lost count at 17...but this one stood out to me inparticular.

Yes, it is well curated...cute...and well...it's Granny Chic...need I say more?

Well,

yes...I DO:

If you will notice my dear friends...our lovely treasury maker has found all my favorite

Granny Chic friends to feature!

So awesome!

Please click on the treasury above to find:

Miss Emma Lamb

Miss Dottie Angel (aka Tif Fussel)

Miss Andrea Creates

Miss Annabelle Ozanne of Three Red Apples

Miss Amy of Ponder and Stitch

Oh SO many other talents too!

My new fave?

Sookie Says!

Too cute clothing with doilies sewn on!

Be still my beating heart!

Treasuries make me so happy sometimes.

Cheerio!