Yellow Bread Box Fame

I smile from ear to ear whenever I am fortunate enough to be plucked from the Etsy blogosphere into an Etsy Treasury. This time, dear Ozetta added my vintage 50s yellow plastic bread box to her Etsy Treasury: the Kitchen to Have. I was listed a while back in another Treasury, so this is my 2nd time. Weeee! It's the little things...

Big-Eyed Goodness

Maybe you've read lately about Lady Gaga mimicking the large-eyed waifs of the 60s by wearing funky contact lenses. Well, this reminded me of a little oil painting I bought for five dollars a while back at a La Jolla estate sale. Sometimes I venture into LJ to check out the sales and wander through a beautiful home or two. So, here I am in this woman's studio looking at her work for sale and although I didn't buy any of it I did notice a little painting hanging on her studio wall. It was unlike her very abstract style. When I got home, I looked it up to see if the artist was anyone in particular and didn't really find anything. I don't think I read the signature correctly the first time I looked it up, and so I found nothing. Today, as I took some shots of this little oil, prepping it for sale on Etsy (for maybe $10), I decided to look again. Glad I did! This little original oil, from all indications that I can tell, is painted by artist Margaret Keane of big-eye fame! You can read a great article about her work in the LA Times here. And another one here. A 12" x 9" oil on canvas is going for $35,000. My tiny little painting is just 3.25" x 4.75", but hey, it's a Keane! I'm so glad I bought it!

One Year at French Larkspur

Oh my goodness, click quickly on over to French Larkspur and enter into this luscious giveaway! Love this beautiful pillow...it's part of the giveaway!

Happy 4th!

Happy Independence day to all who celebrate! Many moons ago, John Adams, a lawyer, the first Vice Prez and the second President of the United States, wrote to his wife, "I believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival... it ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other..."Not so far from the truth!

Me and hubs had a great bike ride today, then went to a friend's house to celebrate his retirement as a high school teacher. A fun 4th for sure. Home now, and sending a shout out to blog friends. Happy day everyone, whatever you did - hope it was nice.

Linen love: Magnolia Pearl

Robin Brown is the amazing talent behind Magnolia Pearl, pictured here on the right. I bought her book recently and it is gorgeously lush; shares her interesting life story.

Amazing Giveaway at Wabi & Sabi

You must check out this great giveaway! And beyond the giveaway, if you've never been to this blog, you must go! Wabi & Sabi is Agneta's blog, and she posts the most gorgeous images you'll ever lay eyes on. This post in particular is about her Summer Contest! Go enter! The shop that these lovelies come from is called Butiklanthandeln, and you can peruse their inventory by clicking this link! I adore this particular marble topped chest but this is just a taste of the gorgeous things they have for sale. I will, however, have to get a Google translator working so I can have a clue (!) on prices and descriptions. :o) But, what a feast for the eyes.

Happy 8 Years to Us

Yesterday, June 15th, made 8 years of marriage for my honey and me. We started the day by going out to breakfast, then a little shopping, and then to dinner at Mille Fleurs, which is where we were married. A simply perfect day...

Sweetest Marriage Proposal & Lovely Movie

Watched The Young Victoria *twice* this weekend. Emily Blunt is the perfect young Victoria, and Ruppert Friend is darling in all his natural German-ness. Loved, loved, loved it! Dash the dog is a star, too!
Watch the scene here so the window is expanded.

I ♥ the Coalition to Unchain Dogs

This dog reminds me of my brother's boxer, Harley. We call him Harley Man, and really just "Man." He's a HUGE love bug, just like this boxer. Harley Man is a lucky dog - he has a great life with loving parents. This video is so heartwarming - to see that this boxer got a new chance to enjoy life. What a worthy cause...might be time to open the check book. Find out more here.

What a Beautiful Life Purpose

Dearest Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, Mom...I love you dearly and miss you greatly. I'll be thinking of you this weekend as we celebrate the love and wisdom of mothers. So many lessons, laughs, experiences...all of the things that make us the people we are today.

♥,

Robin

Whisker Wednesday

I was sitting in a chair in the living room editing a document the other day and caught a glimpse of the sun shining off Kate's whiskers. The camera is always nearby it seems.














And then, this.  She's saying "Oh, that's funny!"

My New Best Friend

 












After many weeks, if not months, of talking about getting a juicer, I finally got one: the Breville Compact. We happened to be walking through Bloomingdale's of all places, and saw it on sale. So, home it came. I wondered if it was going to be hard to clean, which would mean our friendship would be short lived. It isn't; it's super easy to clean. Even comes with the perfect brush to clean the screeny, chopper part. My other "juicer fear" was: would it be powerful enough? It is! It juices whole apples, carrots, cucumbers, even oranges and you don't have to peel them. The best part is the amazing juice - it's like drinking pure energy. This concoction was made with 1 cucumber, 1 apple, 1 orange, an inch of ginger, and 1 carrot. I drank half of this, then thought I'd snap a pic. The key is to drink it within about 5 minutes of juicing so you get all the enzymes. So delicious and highly recommended.