It All Started With An Order For A Paper Crown...

AND THIS IS THE CROWN I GOT AN ORDER FOR ONE DAY BACK IN MARCH...

SWEET VICKI, A NEW CUSTOMER TO US, ORDERED A PAPER CROWN WITH INSTRUCTIONS THAT IT WAS FOR A VERY, VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR HER MOTHER (MUM) WHO WAS SOON TO BE 80!!

VICKI BRIEFLY EXPLAINED THEIR FAMILY TRADITION OF ALL THE LADIES CONSIDERING THEMSELVES "QUEENS". THEY HAVE A "CLUB" OF SORTS WHICH THEY CALL "THE IMPERIAL COURT" -- AND THEY EVEN HOLD MEETINGS!

HOW FUN!!!! (WHY DON'T MORE OF US DO THAT??)

ANYWAY, I SPED THE ORDER OFF TO HER SO THAT THE CROWN WOULD ARRIVE IN TIME FOR THE SURPRISE PARTY. SINCE I HAVE SUCH A PENCHANT FOR CROWNS MYSELF, SHE'D COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!

NOT ONLY DID I GET HER CROWN OFF TO HER, I PUT HER IN TOUCH WITH A WONDEFUL LADY ON ETSY WHO MAKES THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LITTLE TAGS AND JOURNALING CARDS WITH CROWN EMBELLISHMENTS.

THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, VICKI HAD A FEW DOZEN CROWN JOURNALING CARDS AND A BIG, BEAUTIFUL PAPER CROWN FOR THE PARTY.

THE JOURNALING CARDS WERE FOR GUESTS AT THE PARTY TO WRITE A SHORT, SWEET SENITMENT TO "QUEEN MUM" TO BE PLACED IN A DECORATED MAILBOX ON A TABLE. FABULOUS IDEA!!!

VICKI PROMISED TO SEND ME PICTURES OF THE FUN EVENT ONCE IT WAS OVER AND BELOW ARE THE FABULOUS SHOTS SHE SENT ME!

FIRST, IS A PICTURE OF THE INVITATION THAT THEY MADE UP AND SENT OUT. OBVIOUSLY, LITTLE MISS "QUEEN MUM" MUST BE A SOAPS FAN! HMM...

VICKI SAYS THEY WANTED THE CROWN THAT READS "LET THEM EAT CAKE" BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO PUT IT RIGHT ON TOP OF THE CAKE!!

WHAT A NEAT IDEA!! CAN YOU IMAGINE ONE OF THE OTHER STYLES OF CROWNS USED AS A WEDDING CAKE TOPPER??

AND BELOW YOU SEE SWEET VICKI READY FOR THE PARTY!!! :)

AND HERE SHE IS...THE QUEEN HERSELF!!!

IN HER SPLENDOR, INDEED!!

NOW....CAN YOU SEE WHERE THIS IS ALL LEADING??

ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME, KNOWS WHERE I'M TAKING THIS...

THIS FAMILY I'VE NEVER MET HAS EXEMPLIFIED FOR US WHAT I'M ALWAYS TRYING TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH MY STORE:

LIVE YOUR LIFE WELL AND BEAUTIFULLY!

TRULY LIVE -- DON'T JUST PASS THE DAYS!

WHO WOULD NOT AGREE THAT OUR DEAR "QUEEN MUM" ABOVE IS NOT LIVING "THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE"? WHAT AN INCREDIBLE LEGACY OF

LAUGHTER AND LOVE SHE IS LEAVING HER ENTIRE FAMILY.

CROWN: $18.00

JOURNALING CARDS: $25.00

CAKE: $40

PARTY FAVORS: $50

LIVING WELL AND LOVING DAILY: PRICELESS.

SO, HOW WILL YOU LIVE BEAUTIFULLY TODAY?

IT IS BEING ABLE TO "BE PART OF" THINGS LIKE THIS IN A CUSTOMER'S LIFE THAT MAKES WHAT I'M DOING SO WONDERFUL -- WHAT A BEAUTIFUL ADDED BONUS!

IT HELPS ME REMEMBER THAT I'M NOT JUST SELLING "STUFF" -- I'M PROVIDING THE LITTLE "EXTRAS" IN LIFE THAT MAKE IT JUST A BIT MORE BEAUTIFUL, JUST A BIT MORE LOVELY. WOULDN'T TRADE MY JOB WITH ANYONE!

THANKS FOR SHARING, VICKI!

AND A BIG HELLO TO "QUEEN MUM"!

"Not Spoiled...Just Blessed"

Blessed, indeed!

And, OK, may just a teensy bit spoiled, too...

This morning I had been working in my office, shipping orders, answering emails, placing new inventory orders, returning phone calls, etc., when I decided to run home to get something (home being a few steps away -- see, I really AM blessed!) and on the porch at the front door was this fabulous, long bright green box...The kind of box whose shape/size kinda gives away what's inside, but who cares!! :)

Was it a thank you from someone? No...haven't done anything extraordinary lately (unfortunately). Not my anniversary yet. Birthday's still a few months away...

Mother's Day!! I got flowers for Mother's Day! And what a beautiful bunch they are! I love that they are tulips! I just had to hurry and get them in water and take these pictures to show them off! Aren't they absolutely gorgeous?

And not only that! (Yes, the "BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE" again!) Also tucked inside the fabulous green box was a little box of chocolates!!! DIVINE!!!!!!! Yep. They're already gone...what a great lunch!! Doug & Olivia (hubby & daughter) if you're reading this -- please forgive me for not saving any for you...but, are you really surprised?? :)

Just wanted to publicly thank my sweet husband and daughter for such an incredible, beautiful, yummy surprise. And what a surprise it was! It was THE LAST thing I would have expected on this busy Thursday afternoon.

You see, prior to all I'd been doing at my office, I'd already made lunches, coffee for us all, fed the dog & cats, took my daughter to school, came home, did laundry, folded laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, swept and cleaned our wrap-around porch -- then I headed to the office. So, a luxurious shipment like I was suprised with today was a real treat!!

I do feel appreciated here at home as a wife & mother. I hope you do, too.

I don't know how many times during the week my husband offers to either bring something home for supper or to take us out to eat -- so I don't have to "fool with dinner." Now, after so many offers, one might get a little worried that he's actually just trying to dodge my cooking...but I know him well enough to know that he's just being sweet. That's all. That's what I keep telling myself anyway. :)

Being a "mom" did not come easily to me. OK. Let me explain that. Being a mother comes very easily -- I would have had 8 kids like my parents did, if I could have.

What I should have said is having a child did not come easily to me. We endured the loss of three before finally, thankfully having Olivia; and we almost lost her. So, again, I am blessed. And truly, every single day, I'm so very grateful.

So, thank you to my husband, Doug, and my sweet, sweet, beautiful Olivia -- whose external beauty is what first grabs your eye, but whose inside beauty (who she really is) grabs your heart...

And by the way, in case you're wondering where those cool "X O X O" vintage letters came from -- they are from my new favorite web-girl, Joy! I not only have the XOXO's but I also have letters spelling out VINTAGE, PARIS (duh!), COOK, WISH, 100%, and the numbers 1234567. LOVE them all!

I put the words 100% VINTAGE up over my front door on the porch -- totally perfect, since my house was built in 1891!

No doubt many of you already know of her fun blog, The Joy Of and her FABULOUS website, The Hope Jar, but for those of you who don't -- you simply MUST go now and check both sites out! And, when you're on her website, just know that pretty much anything marked "SOLD" is already on its way to MY house! :)

Don't know where she unearths all the incredible things she sells, but I sure wish I could find such neat things around here! But, that's what we have Joy for, right?

May I wish each of you wonderful ladies a very Happy Mother's Day....whether you are a mother biologically or not. We women have an ability to "mother" even when we may not have birthed a child. Trust me, you have a sphere of influence -- and you may not even recognize it. So to you all -- Happy Mother's Day.

The Art Of Display...thinking INSIDE the box.

(Be sure and click all pictures for the best possible view!)

So...you've taken the family to the beach and have the most exquisite shells you brought back with you...Now what?

Hubby has a few prized sports cards or an autographed hockey puck or two that he'd like to proudly display...but where?

That honeymoon to Europe was divine and the left-over Euros and Pounds Sterling are now langquishing in a drawer...how sad.

You have an addiction to all things vintage -- buttons, labels, ribbons, papers, books, etc., and before your family forbids you to buy one more thing, you know you'd better find an "artsy" way to display this stuff -- as if you had a "plan" all along while buying it all! :)

We've got you covered!! Just look at the fabulous new additions to the store!!

A collector's dream come true!! Three sizes/shapes of display boxes all crafted from vintage, recycled pine and lined with burlap for that edgy/rustic appeal -- even with your vintage lace collection!

BUT WAIT!!! THERE'S MORE!
(don't you just hate it when people say that?)

We decided we couldn't 'leave well-enough alone' so with every box we're tucking in some antique papers from our stash (OK -- so I have a paper fetish/addiction, too...).

We'll include either vintage ledger paper and/or pages from an antique French dictionary!

Can't you just feel your creative juices flowing??

There is a box for just about anything and no matter what you put inside, its going to look like an instant "collection". You could put a Twinkie in these boxes and it would look great! Well, maybe not a Twinkie....that would just be a sad waste of a Twinkie.

Click on this picture, above! The picture of the Masai warrior holding his spear was a fellow that my husband made quick friends with (wouldn't you make friends with a guy who carries a spear?) while he was in Africa for several weeks. During conversation one day, the warrior asked my husband if he had any daughters...SAY WHAT?? Yes, he wondered if we had any daughters and if so, how many cows it would take to buy her! HOLY COW!

Needless to say, our daughter still resides here with us...where she will stay. No, Olivia -- daddy did not sell you off for a few cows while on vacation in the wilds of Africa... :)

But I digress...

These beautiful new silver pieces are just some of the incredible, unusual new items we're working on adding to the site. All I can say is "buckle your computer chair belt" -- we've got some unbelieveable things coming your way...The likes of which you just don't see anywhere else...

The silver angel and the hand are a very unique little accent to add to a tabletop vignette (or, one of our display boxes!), hang on a door, tuck into a wreath, etc... They're simple, yet so unusual! Many, many more styles are coming, but this is a start!

Below are some adhesive bookplates from Cavallini that we're adding. If you love decorating books (or any books for that matter) like I do, you are more than happy to loan them out -- you just want 'em back! :) These gorgeous bookplates will ensure that your beloved books find their way back to you. These also make a perfect gift for teachers, friends, etc. Perfect to even tuck right into a greeting card! Buy them here!

Last, if you haven't checked out our new French-inspired purses, you've got to click over there now!! You won't be sorry!

(They're pictured right at the top of the blog post just below this one!)

They look incredible and they definitely get compliments when you're out and about!

Honestly, they are the most unique and chic bags around! Get yours before we run out!