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"Summer Porch and Garden" at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday July 10, 2009 as we present "SUMMER PORCH AND GARDEN"

There’s nothing more inviting than a summer porch and garden. It can be a source of shade when the temperature gets too warm, a place of shelter during a gentle summer rain, or just a place to sit with someone special on a lazy summer day. It can be a welcoming start your day with your favorite antique tea cup in hand or a front row seat to watch the sunset from the weathered oak rocker, that in it’s day sat proudly in your grandmother’s home.

A welcoming porch and garden can create a friendly entryway to your home. A welcome sign hand painted with pink roses perched against the railing or a lilac berry wreath with a scent as inviting as it looks, letting guests know that you're glad they're here before you've said a word. If entertaining guests, perhaps vintage chairs, refinished and made comfortable with dainty floral needlepoint cushions, or a white painted table set with a vintage lace-tablecloth like your mom and before her - grandmother used.

With the right accessories, a porch and garden can even become an extension of your home. For candlelit evenings, a candle inside a topiary lantern casting a romantic glow. For lazy afternoons, a daisy metal basket filled with fresh cut flowers, a knitting project, or even as cliche as this sounds, a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade and a favorite books. Tucked in the corner, a vintage pink metal watering can kept handy to water the flowers in the window boxes while the lace curtains on the windows gently sway in the afternoon breeze. As much comfort as your home, with the right accessories.

You can add a cottage touch to your garden with decorations like ceramic garden mushrooms and inspiring garden plaques sprinkled with just the right amount of glitter. Tea cup bird feeders, handmade birdhouses, and antique iron birdbaths are all welcome sites for feathered friends. Remember to add a touch of whimsy just to make you smile - like a basket of flowers placed on a pink bicycle.

No matter what your summer days hold, a porch and garden can provide the ideal setting for friends, family and even a private retreat. Won’t you join me for a cup of tea as we help you design your summer porch and garden.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Photo Contribution 1: Camelia Cottage  Photo Contribution 2: Shabby Shan's Cottage

"SHADES of RED –WHITE and BLUE!" at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday July 3, 2009 as we present "SHADES of RED –WHITE and BLUE!"

 Shades of red, white or blue remind me of 4th of July parties and fireworks and special times with family and friends. Vintage aprons, adorned with red roses against what was once a vivid blue, now slightly worn with time. Blue and white checked linens - once grandmother's finest, still carrying traces of the 4th of July picnics I had as a child. Pale blue Depression glass against the finest white tablecloth, topped with a white milk glass vase and filled with the summer flowers. On the wall, a white French farmhouse shelf displays white china hand painted with red and blue buds Adding a little color to your table, shades of red, white and blue can turn any meal into a celebration.
Blue and white Italian place settings against a red tablecloth.  An angel food cake atop a favorite white cake stand, topped with fresh summer blueberries and strawberries. Red sugar-coated candies in a white candy dish hand painted with blue forget-me-nots. Hanging nearby, white and blue checked kitchen towels decorated with shiny red apples Placed somewhere you didn't expect, red, white and blue can create a burst of color in any corner. Red roses on canvas and hung on a freshly painted blue wall. A piece of broken china jewelry - tiny blue and red roses against pure white china. A white lace sun catcher, with a red and blue design, hanging in the window. In the guest bathroom, a blue tissue box holder painted with white and red flowers. Tucked into a corner of your purse, a blue hanky trimmed with red and embroidered with white daisies. And dangling from your wrist, a bracelet made of cinnabar, turquoise beads and bone.

 
For a special touch of whimsy, plug in 4th of July light bulbs in red, white and blue. Use a white table runner with appliquéd blue rabbits and red rose buds. Display faux strawberries dipped in white chocolate placed in a blue cake box that looks pretty enough to eat. You can wear a soldered charm of red breasted robins against an azure sky, sprinkled with white German glass glitter or write on the white pages of a notebook decorated with red roses and blue ribbons. With shades of red, white and blue surrounding us, celebrations of life can happen any day.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Photo Contribution 1: The Sassy Beach Photo Contribution 2: Grandma G's Photo Contribution 3: Candy Lights

"A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME" at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday June 26, 2009 as we present "A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME"

I've never seen a rose I didn't love. From the first blossom of spring, gently swaying in the breeze, to an intricately stitched needlepoint rich in history, I love them all. Silk roses mixed with a bunch of silk hydrangeas, gracing a vase on the mantle. Cabbage roses on a sugar bowl and creamer, brought out for a grandmother's tea. Colorful rose cupcakes scented as beautifully as they look.

Roses represent so many wonderful things and are often used to celebrate special milestones such as weddings, births and anniversaries. We might write a special announcement on stationery with long-stemmed yellow roses lying against a background of a French poem. Use white satin roses to create wedding memories in a vintage box.

Roses have also been used throughout the centuries in home décor. Like wild pink roses painted on porcelain china plates. A crystal bud vase embellished with a pink silk rose, ready to hold a freshly picked rose bud from the garden. A French ribbon rose attached to a crocheted cushion in the living room. Hand built ceramic roses to use as drawer pulls, or as a magnet to hang up a special photograph.

Milliners used silk roses to embellish the finest hats; perhaps one covered with embroidered lace and handmade millinery roses. Seamstresses stitched the richest brocade drapes adorned with roses.  Grandmothers embroidered the most delicate rose patterns on tablecloths and handkerchiefs. Now we can give silky velvet rose pins a special corsage. For everyday occasions, you might wear a vintage pink rose apron or admire a rose-shaped pillow made of hot pink satin.

Throughout the years, famous artists have studied and painted every aspect of the rose. Antique lithographs and post cards from the 1800s grace our homes today with their everlasting beauty. From a rhapsody of roses printed on canvas and hung over a doorway to garlands of decal roses that make favorite items look hand painted, roses continue to gracefully fit every lifestyle and décor.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Photo Contribution 1: Katie's Rose Cottage Photo Contribution 2: The Decal Cottage

"Favorite Finds" at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday June 19, 2009 as we present "Favorite Finds"

You know that sudden flutter you feel when you discover a long sought after treasure? Maybe it's a piece of faux pastry delicately iced and trimmed with lace satin ribbon that takes hold of your imagination and makes you smile. Or vintage china pieces with hand painted roses that bring back forgotten memories. A cottage frame trimmed in vintage wallpaper to hold a treasured photo. Crisp table linens, reminiscent of special teas shared with Grandmother so many years ago. Hand painted silk roses adorning a beautifully wrapped gift or Cameo soaps, delicately scented to tuck inside a drawer of vintage hankies.An armful of hand-embroidered pillowcases you can't wait to bring home and show off by piling them on your bed.  A rose scented candle that hides inside a special teacup. Garden party hats with vintage floral brooches and ribbon bands, just right for a party or to dress up a corner of your room. Broken china mosaics on a teapot, lamp or silver plated tray to bring out when company comes.  A vintage rhinestone necklace and bracelet to put on for just the right occasions.

  A white painted cottage cabinet to be filled with hand-painted dishes, appliquéd tea towels, chenille bedspreads or vintage toys. Wrought iron candle sticks that dangle delicate crystal drops. They add an instant aura of old-fashioned romance. Vintage nursery jars to put in your powder room or the master bath, unexpectedly filled with rose-shaped soap petals and lavender potpourri. Hand stitched needlepoints, rich in history, combined with pastels silks for a treasured pillow. Tea cozies trimmed in Venice lace and satin ribbons and bows - stunning as any china teapot and just right for an afternoon tea party with friends.

Favorite finds of all shapes and sizes, to fill each corner and to suit every whim, wait for you to discover at Make Mine Pink.

 

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

 

 

Photo Contribution 1: Pink Hugs Sweet Shoppe Photo Contribution 2: The Roseberry Cottage

 

The Girls Visit Horse Feathers Antiques on Retreat at Cape Cod.

"Along the Garden Path" at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday June 12, 2009 as we present "Along the Garden Path"

Delights and pleasures that make your heart beat a little faster await you along the garden path. Sights and sounds and smells that excite your senses and inspire your imagination. Perhaps it's the purple cone flowers, multicolored morning glories, fragrant angel trumpets, or the lordly foxglove, all grown from seed and tended with love, that line the path and remind you to dream. Or the delicate shadow of a Victoria trellis supporting a new vine that takes you on a new flight of fancy. In the early morning hours, or when the sun begins to set, a verdigris candle holder or metal scroll work lantern might illuminate the garden pathway. But it's the vintage metal buckets painted with floral designs and planted with overflowing flowers, that seem to light the way.

Along the garden path, a cherub garden sculpture, or a vintage cherub planter might welcome you to this less-traveled road. Ceramic plaques engraved with thoughts and sayings to brighten the day remind you of the peace you find when you walk here, and invite you to linger a while. Garden mushrooms greet you, as does the sparrow-song sung by tiny birds that have stopped to rest on bird-feeders shaped like perfectly opened petals and delicately formed tea cups.

A garden tea party...a hand painted table brought outdoors just for the occasion. Sparkling candy lights make this a fairy-tale place in the midst of an enchanted path. A Victorian cake stand filled with roses and sweets takes center stage, the vintage china tea cups and plates are set. In the shade, you can remove the sun hat that was created just for you, in a design that makes you smile whenever you catch a glimpse of it.

The garden scenery is reflected in a beautiful handmade cushion, stitched from fabric alive with pink blossoms, then placed on a nearby garden chair. A decorative vintage birdcage hangs from a weather hook. On the table lies a gardening book filled with inspiration and ideas to share. Later, you'll remember absent friends and lovingly write to them on note cards reminiscent of a favorite rose garden.  But for right now, you'll celebrate with those who are here, and share the treasures you've found along the garden path.

 

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

 

 

Photo Contribution 1: Treasured Heirlooms  Photo Contribution 2: Caroline Alexander

"Something Old, Something New - A Perfect Time for a Summer Wedding!" at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday June 5, 2009 as we present "Something Old, Something New - A Perfect Time for a Summer Wedding!"

Something old, something new. something borrowed, something blue. The age old timeless phrase describes the perfect ingredients for a beautiful summer wedding.

Something old symbolizes continuity with the past. Perhaps the  bride will wear a piece of heirloom jewelry passed from mother to  daughter. A necklace your mother wore to her wedding and your grandmother to hers. A vintage piece of delicate lace stitched into  a veil or the edge of a wedding dress, or tucked into an embroidered  sleeve, a vintage wedding hankie passed down from a great-grandmother.

Something new, to show hope for the new life ahead. Whether it be the traditional strand of pearls a new bride wears or rose patterned wedding invitations embossed with the initials of the special couple. A scrapbook uniquely designed to hold the memories of this day. A rose photo frame to hold your memories. A vintage cake topper - new to you - a bride and groom surrounded by vintage daisies and lily of the valley buds. A quilt lovingly hand-stitched for the new couple to treasure forever.

Something borrowed, reminding the bride that she can depend on their friends and family in the years to come. Stepping away from the wedding attire, today's bride and groom often choose blend the old with the new as they plan a more intimate reception using vintage silverware borrowed from grandmother's silverware drawer to serve the reception dinner. The crystal candle holders that sit on the dresser of a good friend. A vintage beaded clutch, borrowed from a mother's closet. A round hanging mirror framed by lavender vintage flowers and ribbon, to lend the bride when she checks her veil is sitting just right.

And something blue represents a love that remains true. Robin's egg blue thank you notes. Blue forget-me-nots on vintage china to serve the  bridal tea. Unique wedding centerpieces that combine the old and the  new, with a touch of blue for good luck.

The past, the future, friendship, family, and forever love, joined together to create one perfect day.

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

 

 

 Photo Contribution 1: Misty Moonlight Creations

Mother's Day Shop Hop at Make Mine Pink...won't you join us?

Please join us for the Make Mine Pink Mother's Day Shop Hop. No purchase is necessary to play. Just find the shopping bags on the MMP Boutique sites and enter into a drawing to win the associated prize! Have fun and good luck! Click here to register to play. Shop Hop begins May 4th -10th.

Images Courtesy of Vintage Charm  -  C'est Chouette  - Roseblossom Cottage

Romantic Delights at Make Mine Pink.

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday May 1, 2009 as we present "Romantic Delights"

Remember when you realized that your mom was the most beautiful of all? And every Mother's Day since then, you've wished for a way to say thank you for all the gifts she's given you. Romantic delights - exquisite creations that inspire remembrance of times past - also inspire gifts for Mom this Mother's Day.

Nostalgic gifts such as a vintage-inspired hankie, reminiscent of one that her mom may have carried in her purse. A needlepoint pillow whose design speaks to Mom's heart and reminds her of evenings spent stitching while the children slept. Quilt kits to fill her quiet time with the fabric of reminiscence; journals almost too beautiful to write in to set down her most secret hopes.

Beautiful silk roses, now made from hand dyed silks and made to wear on her finest church dress; painstakingly arranged silk hydrangeas, scented with the memory of gardens past. Pink rose-patterned china resting in handcrafted cupboards, floral swags gracing white display shelves. A ceramic teapot with a perfectly-formed rose lid, to serve tea to her dearest friend. And for when she's tending her garden plot or walking her favorite garden path - bird feeders, plaques and statuettes to welcome her.

Totes decorated with embroidered hankies and floral handbags crafted from romantic fabrics carry spring and remembrances when she walks to the nearby park or her favorite store. Heirloom jewelry made from the finest crystal beads; broken china charms, engraved with a special memory. Antique copper pendants, vintage silver charms. Cameo-inspired jewelry and accessories. Recollections of a daughter asking, "When will I be old enough to wear that?"

Perfectly placed touches - floral decals and stitchery, lace trim, satin ribbons, paper roses - bring romance and recollection to Mom's everyday. Sparkling lights as delectable as the sugar-coated candy she used to buy from the five and dime. Whimsical treats - Cinderella slippers decorated with glitter and jewels, pillows shaped like lovely ladies, faux cakes iced with ribbons and lace - satisfy romantic whims. Scrapbooked memories sprinkled with flowers and stamps. You'll find romantic treats to delight any mother at Make Mine Pink.

Happy Pink Friday, Joyce Lucas, Founder of Make Mine Pink.

Photo Contribution 1: Vintage Charm Photo Contribution 2: Meadow Street

Themed shopping Every Friday at Make Mine Pink. This week brings "Lavender and Lace." Won't you join us?

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, April 24, 2009 as we present "Lavender and Lace" for our next themed shopping event at Make Mine Pink.

A lavender field in full bloom creates a purple and green landscape and infuses a sweet fragrance into the air. A field of flowers brought to life with the buzzing of bees, decorated with birds and butterflies drawn to its fragrant aroma. The lavender fragrance wafts gently through the air, carrying the memories of flowers, happiness, and sunny days.

 

Far away, a summer porch, framed by windows with white lace, is surrounded with the scent of lavender. Lavender blooming in window boxes and flower pots, or decorating a flower garden with their purple blossoms. Whether along a country road or on a city street, the lavender scent embraces all indiscriminately.

 

Too beautiful to remain outdoors, the fragrance of lavender easily enters our homes and daily lives. From a carefully tended flowerbed we pick a tiny bunch and place it in a hand-cut crystal bud vase, where it can brighten a corner as it sits upon a vintage lace doily. Tuck a sprig of the tiny flowers into the lace band of a broad-brimmed summer hat, carrying the beautiful fragrance with us wherever we go. Or perhaps lay it inside a dresser drawer. Tie it with a tiny scrap of lace and hang it upon a wall, set it upon a shelf.
In a drawer or as a lavender bouquet tied with apple-green organdy ribbon, edged with a dainty row of lace, the loveliness of lavender is impossible to contain. An elegant centerpiece set upon an antique table draped with a vintage lace table cloth, it's a feast for more than the eyes as the fragrant aroma declares its presence. Sunlight shining through the lacy curtains warms the room and casts delicate shadows upon the wall. Suddenly, the room seems draped in a lavender landscape and fields of lace.

 

Joyce Lucas,Founder
www.MakeMinePink.com

 

photos provided by istock photo