Hop, skip and a jump...

Hello Friends! Happy Spring! I hope you are all enjoying the turning of the world as much as I am! I forget how much I miss the smell of flowers during the Winter that when Spring finally comes it feels better than ever it did!

Today, I filled my entire house with flowers.

And did some Spring cleaning. 

I took this the day after Christmas so you could see the chaotic destruction my house was in! The only thing omitted from this scene was a gigantic Christmas cactus that needed quite a hair cut and had no place to sit except right in the middle of the floor!

Everything looks and smells clean and fresh!

Do you approve of my newly established dining parlour?

I got a rolling pin for Christmas! Something I've been dreaming to have!

I hope this has been enjoyable for you as it certainly has for me.

I would LOVE to know what you've been occupying yourself with of late.

Please tell!

All my Love,

Emaline

ps So sorry about the coloring on the photos. I have just looked into it and I think it will be fixed after this. Yay!

Emaline's bedroom makeover...

 Oh! How I love to redecorate!

 The last you saw of my bedroom it looked like this... Yay for Christmas decor!

 Then, after I reluctantly took down my Christmas decor, it was decorated for Valentines and my Birthday. Yay!

Mabel made me the loveliest calendar {More on that later!} Which you see there in front of the vase of flowers.

 My darling Mama made this rug for me! Isn't it the cushiest, coziest thing you've ever seen?

Then, on a rather blustery, gloomy March day, I received the loveliest little book of Spring from my dear friend Miss Jean {See previous post}. And it was so inspiring, it gave me the nudge I needed to clear all of the winter coziness from my room and bring in all the freshness of Spring! So... Here is what I did...

I added some happy thoughts to my walls...  

A cross-stitch and a mirror. For both I made a frame out of twigs.

 Forsithia, linens (napkins from Marmee make wonderful table cloths), books, sea shells and feathers...

 I switched my red bird cage for white. Happy birds!

 And I finally re-covered the cushions on my chairs.  

I used some lovely plain white linen scraps.

-- Ha ha! You can see my before and after weaving project in the background too! --

{Before}

{After}

I also made a comforter and pillow shams for my bed (out of a pillow sham from the thrift store).

  It's embossed cotton and looks just like a quilt! Isn't white just perfect for Summer?

And here is the full effect...

 I do believe my room is resembling a bedroom! And it is so inviting... I think I shall spend much more time in here this summer!

Thank you for reading! Please come visit me and we'll have iced tea and some fresh strawberries as we while away the time with the butterflies in the garden...

♥ Emaline

The View from Fanny Simpleton's Neck of the Woods

 Let me tell you a story...

 One particularly cold, rainy, gloomy, March day at my home, Rise and Shine Farm.. I walked stiffly down the road to the mailbox.

I glumly opened it, not expecting anything but bills or advertisements. And Lo and Behold! Sunshine shone right out of it! For inside, there was a package. Not just any package of garish orangey-brown paper, but a Large, bright, pink package with stickers and handwriting that I could recognize anywhere. A package from my dear friend, Jean of Windy Pines.

At first I thought, "Oh! I must wait to open it on a brighter day so that I can take pictures and show it off to everyone!" And then I thought, "What?! Wait? I can't do that! I must open it RIGHT THIS MINUTE! I cannot wait!" And so, reader, I did. And the next few minutes.. ok, maybe closer to hours... were spent so delightfully perusing this beautiful handmade book over and over again.

Spring had at last come. 

And I got to meet the enchanting Miss Fanny Simpleton for the first time...

And hear all about the happenings at Windy Pines...

"Goose antics and canoodlings" What a phrase!

Happy, happy day!!

{Started over at the beginning several times...}

Miss Jean's cottage is always decorated so charmingly. It is like walking into a storybook.

It is an accordion style book and has not one, but two sides to goggle at.

Sometimes I think... we must be kindred spirits... I do believe I will have that cup of tea first.

So I had to write a thank you note while I ate my Easter chocolate. :)

{Thank you so much Miss Jean for such a thoughtful gift!}

 She is such a fun and talented person! Creativity simply pours out of her! And what a kind thought to send me and my friends at Rise and Shine Farm a handmade gift! {You are too kind Miss Jean!} 

I hope you've all enjoyed the View from Miss Fanny Simpleton's Neck of the Woods at Windy Pines.

I most certainly have!

♥Emaline

1840 Day dress

Finished and complete. I'm very happy with the way this dress turned out, as I hope are you. It was a very fun dress to make with no major hiccups. :) The rouching, pleating, tucks, eyelets and lace took time to do, but they made the project so much fun! And it is so perfect for Spring! It makes me feel like Spring is not so far off after all. :)

{And don't forget about our Craft-Along starting on March 1st!}

 I love how this picture below turned out.

 

Before, I had said this dress was late 1840's but in fact it is closer to being a style from the late 1830's-1840. Like these two below.

This dress below is more like late 1840s. Longer waist and more fitted sleeves. Aren't these dresses gorgeous? I love seeing the real dresses from the eras don't you?

However, I hardly ever dress in the style that is the most current... It always takes me a couple years to get accustomed to a look before I start liking it. So, I suppose it all works out in the end. :)

I have also made a belt to wear with my dress and have made over my bonnet to match. I will be posting those in the near future.

I'm so excited about the Craft-Along!! I hope to see many of you join us for it! Please leave a comment to let us know if you'd like to join in the fun! It's never too early to make new friends!


Thank you, dear readers for all your kind words and thoughts! They are always so uplifting and ever so much appreciated.
All my Love,
Emaline