Thoughts from Alice W.

In a Poet's Garden

Today we went wandering through The Poet's Garden...

...come along with me as we mingle with the flowers and the trees...

Through the iron gate we make our way to meet new friends...

They have bloomed just to greet us...

and speak to us with their silent beauty...

If you listen closely...you can hear them conversing...

The trees hover above...guarding the delicate blooms...

Whilst parading blooms of their own...

We delight in the soft petals as fragrant breezes blow...

Spring has arrived! Our hearts are filled with joy...

We don't mind the gentle April rain...

Time moves slowly in the garden...and so do we...

Some trees still await their spring cloak of green leaves...

While others abundantly surround us with their blossoms...

The air is cooling as dusk settles...and home is beckoning...

We whisper goodbye to our new friends...

and promise to return soon...

Till next time...

Must Love Dogs...

This may surprise some of my regular readers and friends...but...I haven't always been a "dog person". Don't get me wrong...I always thought they were cute and fun to look at, and I would easily pet a new puppy for a few minutes. But, I could never get past the licking...the drooling...the fur everywhere...the barking...oh the barking...and that wretched "dog smell". So...no thanks...dogs were not for me.

When Josh and I got engaged, getting a dog was the last thing on our minds. But, when one evening, my sister, Josh and I ,ended up at a pet store {my sister's favorite place}, we entered innocently just going to "look"...

That was until we actually got into the pet store, and saw all of those adorable puppies. When the annoyed girl working that night wouldn't let me see the ones I desperately wanted to {they had just come in and were too small to hold}...I asked her about a little one in the middle left..."male Cairn terrier #5" as he was referred to then. She pulled out a tiny...more hedgehog-looking creature than dog...who smelled like he had just rolled around in a bath of his own urine.

I held my breath as I held him...handed him to Josh...and tried to decide. I had no idea what a Cairn terrier was, but thought this guy was pretty cute for sure. And after about 5 minutes or so...the smell wasn't so bad...in fact...I became so smitten, I hardly noticed it at all. 

"What do you think Josh?" His usual answer with a smile..."Sure...why not?"

"No, for real."

A more definitive "sure" this time. He was smitten with this guy too. 

We were sold. And that is how Renoir entered our lives 3 years ago and my life was never the same.

Somehow having him even just a short time completely changed my "non-dog" personality. I began to point out dogs everywhere...pet stranger's dogs...talk with stranger's about dogs. It is a connection that only dog-lovers can know. When I hear about someone losing their dog, I cry....hug Renoir...and tell him how much I love him. And all my worries about the barking...the slobber...the fur everywhere...never really mattered as much. And even that "dog smell" became endearing...familiar...{or more aptly..."Renoir's funk" as it has come to be known}...

Through my blog and website these past couple of years, I have met many dog lovers as well. Those with big dogs...tiny dogs...girl dogs...boy dogs...and even many with dogs similar to Renoir. People write just to tell me about their Cairn...or Westie {which he often gets confused for}...or just how cute he is...or to tell me to give a hug to Renoir from them {and I always do!}. Even in this vast online world, dog-lovers connect and don't have to feel odd for how much we gush over, baby, and treat our dogs like the children that they are. 

Recently, I have had "dogs on the brain" even more than usual, which all started with a commissioned portrait of a Jack Russell terrier named Black Jack. I did this for the sister of my sister's boyfriend, as a birthday gift. It has been so long since I have done a drawing, but this used to be my main artistic forte...and portraits a favorite subject...

I have done other pet's in the past but have never found the time to do one of Renoir as of yet. So, I was delighted when the same week, I was given some very lovely gifts from friends in this internet community.

Linda McCraven asked if she could do a "digital painting" of Renoir...and I of course said "Yes! I would love that!" This only took her a few days to get back to me and look how beautiful it turned out. I can't wait to get it framed and hanging on the wall...

{Linda offers custom digital paintings of pets in her Etsy shop, so be sure to check her out if you want to have one done.}

Then just a couple of days later, I got a message from Fifi of Fifi Flowers Design, who told me she had a surprise on her blog...and this is what I found...

{Fifi also offers custom paintings...not only of pets...and they are oh so charming! Click here to read further}

What lovely works of art to have of my little man. They will certainly be cherished forever. 

And if having these lovely paintings of Renoir wasn't enough, I received a package in the mail a few weeks ago from Andrea of Faded Plains who wanted to send me something just because...

Imagine my delight when I opened to find these...

This came right at a time when I needed a lift, and my heart leaped for joy when I saw these little guys. And now I have a little bit of a "growing" dog collection around the house...

including this old silver pencil with a Scottie figurine...

and this sweet guy that I found for $1.00 at the flea market last summer...

but nothing beats the real deal. This guy...

So if you are a dog lover like me...you know exactly what I am talking about. And if you are not...you might just become one yet...I know I never thought I would...and now when I kiss Renoir's face and don't even notice the slobber...there is no denying it! I am definitely a "must love dogs" kind of girl...

Till next time...

Spring Beauty...

I hope that you all had a wonderful Easter holiday! Thank you to all of you who came and left lovely thoughts and greetings for me. I have not had a chance to make the rounds and get caught up with all of my blogging friends since returning from Virginia...but I am going to work on that this week. Josh and I had a lovely time away at his parents...enjoyed the "wrap" into spring as we headed south. Flowers were blooming and the trees were green...unlike here...but it is starting to get there.

We spent the majority of our time getting to know our very first niece...Evangeline...

She is the sweetest little baby (7 months old)...and very happy...we got to hold her and make her smile which was so much fun...and tried to get used to our new titles as "aunt and uncle"...

The only downside to being away...was missing this little guy...

My sister Angela and friend Sarah took good care of him while we were away...but when we returned we still knew we needed to make it up to him. We were delighted to come home to sunshine and a bit of warmth and have been taking Renoir on some outings to enjoy the the weather.

Last week we went to one of our favorite places in Rochester...Mount Hope Cemetery...I know it may sound morbid...but this Victorian cemetery is so old, and filled with beautiful gravestone statues and buildings, as well as some famous people's graves including Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. If you have followed my blog for some time you may recall when I posted about going here last year. Renoir loves to climb all around...there are lots of old steps and it's very hilly.

I was immediately drawn to the dried hydrangea bushes surrounding one of the buildings...

I think hydrangeas are my favorite flower...perhaps even more than roses. They are beautiful fresh and bright and equally as beautiful dried. I desperately wished I could take these home...and then happened upon a little bunch broken off on the ground that I tucked away to bring back with me...

The old buildings are covered in vines which are also beautiful dried and awaiting spring renewal...

Joshua and Renoir found a HUGE pile of leaves that Renoir enjoyed jumping in...with a little coaxing from Josh...

He was then, of course, covered in leaves and dirt...

I took many photos of the beautiful statues at the cemetery as well as Frederick Douglass's grave...which I plan on sharing later on a bit {didn't want to overwhelm you too much in one post ;)}.

Since the weather has been so nice lately, Renoir and I have been enjoying long walks around the neighborhood again. There is a large pond in our townhouse community that Renoir enjoys swimming in during the summer. We walked down there the other day and he was ready to jump in! But...it was too cold and very muddy...so I had to pull him back...but it did look beautiful in the sunlight...

 

I have also been keeping myself busy doing lots of spring cleaning {err...decorating} since returning home. I have even started completely rearranging the dining room and will share full photos when it is finished...but thought I would give you a little "vignette" on my hutch, where I included the little bunch of hydrangeas I found at the cemetery...

I am revamping everything to be a bit brighter and lighter...and filled with more artistic tidbits...like these vintage papers that I simply wrapped in seam binding ribbon and linen...{the linen provided by a lovely gift sent to me by this lovely lady}.

The entire hutch is now filled with items in shades of white, tan, taupe, cream, brown and grey...my favorites...

Well, I hope you enjoyed these bits of random beauty...and that you all have a beautiful week ahead!

Till next time...

Easter Treats & Greetings

With the approach of Easter, I have been whipping up lots of delicious treats in honor of the holiday and spring season and thought I would share them with you, before Joshua and I head down to Virginia to spend the holiday with his family. We leave very early Saturday and will return late Monday, so I won't be able to make the rounds to all of your blogs to wish you Easter greetings...but I hope you know that I send them your way!

I have a weakness for cupcakes and make them {a little too} often. Recently, my step-mother, Jennifer, came over and we went spent the day getting Easter baskets together for my younger siblings...and then later in the afternoon, Destiney (5) and Ezra (10) came to help me bake some of these goodies. First order of business, however, was giving Destiney the giveaway prize I won from Sandi. She was so sweet to wrap it in Destiney's favorite colors "pink" & "sparkly". There was a even a sparkly silver "D" adorning the ribbon which made Destiney's day. Look at that smile...

She was definitely delighted to receive this special gift...and even though it is a bit too big as of yet, there is no doubt she loved it! {As you can see in the corner...someone else loved it too and was really hoping it was for him!}

From the bottom of both mine and Destiney's hearts...thank you Sandi! {I told you she would love it!}

Then we were on to making some delicious treats. When I made some cupcakes for Josh and I  a couple of weeks ago {see I told you it was a little too often!} I used yellow cake mix with vanilla frosting. We ate them too quickly and didn't get any photos of the finished product...

But I thought you would enjoy seeing where Renoir positioned himself while they baked. If only you could hear the whimpering too as he waited.

I knew that Destiney would prefer pink {my "normal" cupcake of choice...they just taste so good!} when we baked together, so, I also got strawberry cake mix and fluffy pink frosting...as well as some "embellishments" that I knew she and Ezra would enjoy...including yellow Peeps, jelly beans, Cadbury Mini Eggs and edible "grass" in pink and green {found at Walmart}. And we went to town...

Destiney was definitely happy with the Peeps! And we enjoyed being creative coming up with new "designs" for each one...

The edible grass was used to create "baskets" {mine and Ezra's idea} as well as broken up for some little nests {Destiney's idea}...

Destiney proudly showed off the one she decorated completely on her own...

And Ezra had fun creating one for himself as well...how cute is this little basket of eggs?

When he finished his masterpiece, he stole all of the eggs off of it {see chipmunk face below} and left the rest behind...

While we waited for the cupcakes to bake we made some "chocolate nests". I came up with this recipe based on treats I remember eating at my grandmother's house long ago...chocolate covered Chow Mein noodles. To make them into "nests", I used my favorite Easter candy...the Cadbury Mini Eggs {very addictive}...and nestled one inside each batch of noodles.

These are so simple to make and taste delicious if you love chocolate!

To make these Chocolate Nests you will need:

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 bag or can of dried Chow Mein noodles

1 bag of Cadbury Eggs

Pour the bag of chocolate morsels into a saucepan over low heat until melted. Once melted, mix in a portion of the Chow Mein noodles and stir till the noodles are completely covered. Spoon out small drops of the noodles onto wax paper or foil. Place a Cadbury egg in the center before the chocolate dries, and then place all of them into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to allow them to harden.

It's that simple! {You can also mix in butterscotch morsels if you want them to be extra sweet....but I found that I prefer them without}

Jennifer had the creative idea to put some of the left over edible grass on a silver platter with the nests on top. Too cute!

Our table full of treats...and a sweet card sent to me by Kelly. Thank you Kelly!

I hope that you enjoyed seeing the delicious treats we made!

From our nest to yours...we hope you all have a blessed Easter!

“Thus it is written, that Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations..."  ~Luke 24: 46-47

A Trip to the Country...in Vintage...

First of all...I want to thank each and every one of you who participated in my giveaway. All of the comments overwhelmed me...and I am so grateful for all of the purchases made from my shop as well. And now, we do have the winners!

The first name drawn for the main prize was Kristen of Sweet Dreams & a Bit of Creativity. Congrats to Kris, and I hope you enjoy the gifts!

The second name drawn for the smaller prize was Michelle of Vintage Grace. Hope you enjoy the little paper posy and gift certificate!

And now I thought we would go on a little trip to the country...to a place I go often and lived during my teenage years...my mother's house. And I thought for fun...we would do it in vintage. I like to go down there from time to time to take photos...set up product shots...and hang out with ma mère.

Renoir enjoys it too, because he can run to his heart's content and hang out with his uncle {Hercules...a large black Lab} and his cousin {Hercules' sidekick...Charlie the Chihuahua...although he is not a big fan of Renoir...but Renoir tries to befriend him none the less}.

There is a dilapidated old barn in the backyard filled with interesting things...

Since it is quite old...and possibly filled with little creatures...I don't go in too often...but on this trip...we shall go in and see what we can find. Would you venture up these stairs?

Someone else did...unbeknownst to me...

Now to figure out how to coax him down...any ideas? {...in reality it took about 20 minutes...}

some interesting old finds...

Well, that's enough for me in here...the rickety old wood is making me nervous...and did you hear that twitching? Perhaps a country mouse...let's venture elsewhere...

Look how pretty this vintage apron looks against the old barn wood...{a preview of some new shop goods}

an old rustic egg basket...

In the distance we can see an old farm...this was the view out of my bedroom window when I lived here...

and one of my favorite spots...a chippy old door on the side of the garage...

Now, I think we will pop inside and get some glimpses of one of my favorite rooms to photograph in. One day, this small bedroom will be converted to my mom's office...but for now...it is covered in layers of old wallpaper...and has the loveliest green door and trim work.

Even though I know it is "necessary"...my artistic heart will be sad to see the wallpaper go...but thankfully, I have been promised some of the remnants...

See how pretty my latest earrings look dangling here?

Well, our time here is about up...my mom has packed us up with some Amish friendship bread...Renoir has finally come down and wants to head home {Charlie is starting to get on his nerves}. I hope you enjoyed our vintage trip to the country!

Till next time...

There is Still Time...

Some have been wondering if they are too late for my Spring Renewal Giveaway...so I thought I would let those of you who still wish to participate know....there is still time!

All comments and store purchases received before 12am Eastern tonight will be entered. {Only one comment counts per entrant}. You can increase your chances by shopping at Painted White {in our Art, Home and Life collections}...so I thought I would share some of our latest offerings...

art.

home.

life.

Hope you enjoy our latest offerings. And best of luck to each and every one of you entering the giveaway!

And for those of you who enjoy my Romantic Vignettes feature...I apologize for not posting about new ones here...the top photo is from our Vignette of the Moment for March 24th, and comes from our very own entryway, so stop by to check out a bit of our "spring" decorating!

Till next time...