Calamity Jane

Ever since she's been little we called her calamity Jane not that she's naughty but calamity seems to follow her!! She's our first daughter ,our princess and here she is with her new found hobby , guitar playing!! She started lessons this week and with a dad who plays a few cords we hope she'll be able to find some sort of acheivement and pleasure in music making!!

Our three boys all go or went to music school here in France which is more like going to consevatory ( French like to seek excellence) which is fine but sometimes discouraging for those that dont quite make it @80%! For the most isn't music supposed to be enjoyment and not competition?

New girls!

I've been wanting to tell you about these girls for quite a while but never managed to get a photo which really shows them as they really are..........gorgeous!
My daughters have fallen in love with them and the great thing is that I made them with my own little hands !!!


I used this easy pattern designed by my sister who is Redpossum http://redpossum.etsy.com/ where you can buy the pattern ! What a great idea for Christmas presents . And there are so many possibilities , hair colour , skin colour, eye colour . This makes for such a personal gift !

Meet Josephine ; a very helpful and caring gal and is the younger of the two! She has brown hair and brown eyes.

And this is Constance a very curious and sensitive young lady she has blonde hair and green eyes!

Nighty night girls!

Changes

I'm having a "minimaliste" phase at the moment! I want to clean up everything and get rid of everything ! I've had these black tins for a while they are "pannetone" boxes which are sold here for christmas which I painted black and glued on hand made labels! People often ask me why some labels I've marked in French and some in English. I guess I'm bi-lingual!!!!

I prefer this cleaner "salon de thé" look than all my little tea cups I had before :)

Just when you think the fun and sun is all over Autumn surprises you with bursts of colour! I love Autumn !

Big apple

We have been having really big apples growing on our apple tree this year!!!

Plates nouveaux!

Plate love. Here's my new collection of odd plates! I'm usually a simple ,classic, white plate gal normally but I've decided due to an ever increasing number of broken or chipped porcelain in this house that it might be nice to make up our own very special service and if a plate cracks a little stop to the flea market or second hand store will fix it all up!! We're talking ecology here ! I started with the idea of mostly white but if I would have found coloured little gems then I think I might have ventured but there were none!

Ecology and beauty and originality , I go for all three!!!

Lovely pink rose for Anna.

And what about these fish?

These peacocks are quite regal aren't they?

Etoile

I know I'm way too early but with this crisp morning air (can you feel it in the photo) makes me think of the cold winter and since I don't do Halloween or Thanksgiving this brings me to Christmas.................I know I'm way too early !!!
It got me just like that while I was sitting at my sewing machine playing with my favourite fabric.........linen. Can you see it?

It looks nice and simple against my black door , pity there are still 3 months to go.

Here it is in all it's raw linen beauty!

Back to school!

It's official , my little Eve is no longer little! She's going to school today! And she's so looking forward to it......I'm not. Is it selfish to want to keep your children close to you like ........forever!! ready to go.

Hurry up! Anna is not so enthusiastic!

Running to school!!! There's a time for everything , time for holidays ,time for school!

so happy........!

She wants to learn to read !