In the PINK!

The phrase “in the pink” has had many meanings over the ages including the one we use today: in good health. For many bloggers, it has another meaning as well. It means it is Saturday and the blogging world turns PINK! For over a year, Beverly at How Sweet the Sound has been the hostess of Pink Saturday. Thousands show up at her party every week to play or to read what all her guests have contributed. Today, we all show up to wish her a Happy 1st Pink Blogging Party Birthday!

I LOVE painted Victorian houses. I think they look like fabulously decorated cakes. In honor of our party today, I bring you some of my favorites pink houses!

The Pink Lady: Across the street from the Carson Mansion in San Francisco stands the nearly-as-gaudy Milton J. Carson House, affectionately known as the Pink Lady. Built as a wedding gift for his son and daughter-in-law, the home was also designed by the Newsome Brothers and built in the 1880s.

FUN gingerbread details…

This little lady looks like she is dripping in pearls...

Edwin Bradford Hall, a prosperous pharmacist in the Wellsville, NY area, built this unique Italianate after seeing a house similar to it in Italy. The house has been pink ever since it was built, and it is still owned and used by Hall's descendents.

The pink tree is the perfect accessory!

This lovely lady can be found in Morrison, Ill.

Now that our house tour is over…

and the sky has turned a heavenly shade of pink at sunset…

let’s put on our party hats and head inside!

To Beverly’s fabulous PINK party!

Girls with pink hair were in shock and awe that one person would do so much for us every week….

while other girls danced in celebration!

A PINK cake is on every table!

And there is a bottle of PINK champagne for every guest!

Let us all raise our glass in a toast to Beverly, to one year of keeping us all in the PINK…

and to many more Saturdays exploding with PINK imagination!

Thank you, Beverly, for all your hard work every week and for all the fun! To see more PINK parties in her honor, go here!

(all images found via Google image search; thank you to Pink Cake Box for creating our party cakes!)

Outdoor Wednesday with Mr. Bonomo!

Mr. Bonomo Makes a New Friend

“Mr. Bonomo was in charge of the circus. He was the master of ceremonies in the center ring of his life and all that went on around him.”

Mr. Bonomo was an unusual little kitty. He had one blue eye and one green eye and a little black spot on his nose. That spot made everyone smile. Actually, everything about him made people smile.

Mr. Bonomo could be very naughty. Sometimes he would hide in the dish washer, swing from the door knobs or play hide and attack with his humans. In general, he created wonderful chaos where ever he went.

He could also be very good but that was usually only when he was sleeping!

One thing Mr. Bonomo did very well was chase butterflies. One warm summer afternoon as he was rolling around in the cool dirt under his favorite butterfly bush waiting for a butterfly to catch his eye or a nap to set in, Mrs. Monarch flew by just above his head.

In one spring-like motion, Mr. Bonomo was to his feet and flying through the air, paws spread wide as baseball mitts. He twisted and twirled and leaped in the air as he tried with all his heart to catch her. After having had enough of the chase, Mrs. Monarch gently set herself down on a flowering branch of the butterfly bush.

She carefully looked down at Mr. Bonomo and asked “Why do you try to catch me in those big paws of yours? If you ever do, your fun will be over because you will hurt me.”

Mr. Bonomo looked down at his paws then back up at Mrs. Monarch and replied, “Oh, I don’t want to hurt you! You’re part of my beautiful backyard circus. You’re the prettiest butterfly I have!”

Knowing full well how beautiful she was, Mrs. Monarch nodded in agreement, “Well then we will have to make a promise to each other. I will fly around for you and provide entertainment for your circus but you must promise never to catch me.”

Mr. Bonomo’s eyes lit up and he let out a long delighted purr at the thought of having his very own personal butterfly to chase. “Yes!” He said.” I can do that! We can play together everyday and I promise not to hurt you. I will chase you just for fun.”

With that, the butterfly and the kitty became friends. To seal the deal, Mrs. Monarch fluttered off her branch and teasingly landed on the tip of Mr. Bonomo’s nose before taking to the air once again with a naughty but very happy little kitty twisting and twirling through the air just behind her.

For more Outdoor Wednesday visit Susan at

A Southern Daydreamer!

Blue Monday with Chagall

One of my favorite painters is Marc Chagall. I love his use of vibrant color. The paintings shown below are some of my favorites of his done with blue. Enjoy!

Blue House

Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise

Enchantment

Gli Amanti Azzurri

Wedding Candles

La Mariee

Stained Galss

Marc Chagall (1887 – 1985) embraced the philosophy that love colored his paintings. Focusing extensively on his childhood, his happy, optimistic paintings defy the poverty of his upbringing in a Russian Shtetl. After a brief time in Paris, Chagall escaped to the US during World War II where his career reached new heights including a rare exhibit during his lifetime at the Louvre.

For more Blue Monday, visit Smiling Sally!

Fashionable and Pink Tea Time!

Welcome to Fashionable Fridays with Fifi and Pink Saturday with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound and of course, Mothers Day weekend! As a little girl I had many cups of tea with my mother and have many wonderful memories of tea parties at our kitchen table. In honor of my Mother and her day, I invite you to low tea served on high tables!

Before we begin our party, let's take a moment to look back at the history of tea time.

It is believed that tea time actually was created by the French who imported tea long before the British. Legend has it that Anna Marie Stanhope, the Duchess of Bradford and one of Queen Victoria's ladies in waiting, is the one who brought tea time to London due to her late afternoon "sinking feeling" and her need for a snack. She began to invite her lady friends to come around for a bit of "tea and walking in the fields."

In this country, we think all afternoon tea is high tea and begins at 4 o'clock. In actuality, high tea is dinner and is called high because it is served at a regular height table. Low tea is what we, in the US, think is high tea. Tea and snacks are served and not considered a dinner but a snack before dinner. Low tea is traditionally served on low tables much like our coffee tables.

Now that we know all that...let's have a cuppa and go walking in the fields!

Let's get all dressed up in our hats and gloves...
a simple tea dress...
or a runway fierce tea dress.
Step down the rose covered pathway to...
our lovely garden all set for tea!
We have some tea sandwiches...
and of course some scones...
and some FAB tea cookies!
Take your tea cup and stroll through the gardens...

There are some lovely benches to sit on sheltered
by the magnificent wisteria and

more tables of goodies to find set out among...

the gardens of Irises...

and gardens of Lilies.

I hope you have enjoyed your tea and a lovely walk through the gardens.

Happy Fashionable Friday and Pink Saturday!

And most of all if you are a Mom,

Happy Mothers Day!

Kathellen Ellis at Kathleen Ellis Life Style Design is in the tea party business. If you would like her to throw a tea party for you, send her an e-mail for more information.