Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday October 23, 2009 as we present "Pumpkins and Spice"

Click photo to visit my site for this pattern or finished piece.

With the return of autumn come the familiar feelings of comfort, happy childhood memories and hope for what the future will bring. Comfortable fires and cozy kitchens surrounded by the warmth of family and friends. Crunching leaves and laughing voices. A brisk walk in the cool air. With crackling leaves under foot, the sights and smells mingle and wrap you in memory like a warm blanket on a chilly evening. The smell of a fire burning in a neighbor's fireplace as you take your evening stroll, reminiscent of outdoor bonfires and arshmallow roasts, or a cool night warming by the fire with someone you love. Vibrant carved pumpkins or hand crafted velvet pumpkins, both have their place. Some gracing the front steps, others atop a dining room table or sideboard. Reminders of nights spent trick-or-treating, carving friendly pumpkin faces and toasting pumpkin seeds. All reminiscent of autumns gone by.

Click photo to visit Esprit de Joie

Cinnamon and clove potpourri simmering on the stovetop or in a kettle on the wood burning stove fill your home with the delicious scent of fall. Friends stop by for spiced cider and fresh pumpkin bread - right out of the oven. Laughter and conversation over a table set with a whimsical pumpkin fairy or an elegant pumpkin centerpiece, fills the the room.

Click photo to visit Patricia Rose

The autumn season evokes many happy memories of childhood mixed with anticipation of what's to come. Sunny crisp afternoons picking apples in the orchard, slicing apples for the secret recipe passed down from your grandmother. The aroma of baked apples and gingerbread spiced candles in vintage teacups and containers fill the room.

Click photo to visit Camellia Cottage

Autumn is the time for quilting and knitting in front of a crackling fire. Remembering grandma's hands, covering yours as you learned how to make your first stitches so long ago. The season bursts with memory. Memory of all of the senses.
Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink
Click HERE to visit with all my friends and their fabulous shops!

Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink, Timeless Textiles

Join us this Friday, September 25 at Make Mine Pink for Pink Friday! This weeks theme is Timeless Textiles. Of course that is a personal favorite of mine!

There are some fabrics that never go out of fashion. As the years pass, they grow more beautiful by adding the threads of history to their own. The original colors might fade, but these timeless textiles stay bright with the memory of the hands that created and cared for them. The stories they know are never truly forgotten when we make room for them in our lives and in our homes.
Photo contribution by my friend Georgia at Grandma G's
A beautiful damask tablecloth used by your grandmother might grace your own dinner table, completing it with memories of the past and those you love. Linen napkins, slightly worn with use over the years, are now a tradition at every family gathering. Somehow, the table never looks complete until one is placed by each setting. Embroidered hankies handed down from your mother add elegance and sentiment to your bedside stand.

These timeless textiles - hand stitched or hand created - can be worked into almost any décor. Monogrammed pillow cases edged with a bit of tatting - perhaps bearing your own initials or a great-grandmother's - grace your beds. A vintage quilt is draped across the back of your sofa. It seemed magical when you found it, and you lovingly mended and washed it, and adopted it as your own. A long lost needlepoint, now rescued and restored, sits elegantly on a boudoir chair, in its rightful glory.

My Friendship Rabbits Pattern available on my site.
Some textiles are not so old, but they give a feel of yesteryear with a crisp new look. Kitchen curtains crafted from new vintage inspired fabrics hang on a sunny window. Crochet doilies draped over lamps or chair backs add a little extra warmth to a cozy room. A new mini quilt combining delicate hand and machine stitchery is destined to be a future heirloom.

Photo contribution by my friend Sharon at C'est Chouette

Whether hand crafted, hand created, or stitched by modern machines, timeless textiles mix our stories with those they already know, and will pass them down to generations to come.

Written by Joyce Lucas, Founder of Make Mine Pink

Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink, A Stitch In Time

Please join me and all my friends this Friday, July 24th for Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink! This week's theme is
A Stitch in Time. All things quilted and stitched! Oooooh, my kinda Pink Friday!


Photo by Kitty Kitty Designs


Photo by The Quilt Shoppe


Photo by Beloved Creations

See ya there!
shell

Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink

Please join us at Make Mine Pink for shopping with a twist on Friday July 10, 2009 as we present
"SUMMER PORCH AND GARDEN"


There’s nothing more inviting than a summer porch and garden. It can be a source of shade when the temperature gets too warm, a place of shelter during a gentle summer rain, or just a place to sit with someone special on a lazy summer day. It can be a welcoming start your day with your favorite antique tea cup in hand or a front row seat to watch the sunset from the weathered oak rocker, that in it’s day sat proudly in your grandmother’s home.

A welcoming porch and garden can create a friendly entryway to your home. A welcome sign hand painted with pink roses perched against the railing or a lilac berry wreath with a scent as inviting as it looks, letting guests know that you're glad they're here before you've said a word. If entertaining guests, perhaps vintage chairs, refinished and made comfortable with dainty floral needlepoint cushions, or a white painted table set with a vintage lace-tablecloth like your mom and before her - grandmother used.

With the right accessories, a porch and garden can even become an extension of your home. For candlelit evenings, a candle inside a
topiary lantern casting a romantic glow. For lazy afternoons, a daisy metal basket filled with fresh cut flowers, a knitting project, or even as cliche as this sounds, a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade and a favorite books. Tucked in the corner, a vintage pink metal watering can kept handy to water the flowers in the window boxes while the lace curtains on the windows gently sway in the afternoon breeze. As much comfort as your home, with the right accessories.

You can add a cottage touch to your garden with decorations like ceramic garden mushrooms and inspiring garden plaques sprinkled with just the right amount of glitter. Tea cup bird feeders, handmade birdhouses, and antique iron birdbaths are all welcome sites for feathered friends. Remember to add a touch of whimsy just to make you smile - like a basket of flowers placed on a pink bicycle.

No matter what your summer days hold, a porch and garden can provide the ideal setting for friends, family and even a private retreat. Won’t you join me for a cup of tea as we help you design your summer porch and garden.

Joyce Lucas, Founder of Make Mine Pink
Photo Contributions: 1 Camelia Cottage 2 Shabby Shan's Cottage

What's Up Wed March 25th

This week's theme for Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink is Easter Memories!
Of course I love this theme! Here are a few things that I'm offering. If your interested, please hop over to my website.
Don't forget to visit all my pink sister's on Friday! I know there will be some fabulous finds to create your own Easter Memories!





Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, March 27, 2009 as we present Easter Memories.
On Easter mornings, when we were children, we would awaken to discover Spring had magically arrived overnight… and delivered some delightful surprises. The world was new again and filled with treasures just waiting for us to discover them. Tall chocolate bunnies hidden in springtime flower beds. Eggs delicately painted like rainbows, waiting in the grass. Plush rabbits in ruffled dresses and straw hats, sitting in white baskets, eager to become our very special friends. We'd hunt together with our friends and family, oohing and aahing over each person's discovery… but secretly knowing that the treasures we found were made just for us.
Now that we're older, the newness of Spring and the thrill of the annual Easter hunt can be rediscovered every time we seek out a treasure in a vintage shop or exclusive boutique. Perhaps we're not searching for chocolate wrapped in sparkly foil or rainbow colored treats. We might not even be sure what we're seeking, but we recognize these treasures the instant we see them.
A vintage hanky embroidered so delicately you can't help but wonder about the woman behind its design. A crystal bracelet reflecting a color that's "just so" when the sunlight shines on it in "just that way". The ideal display for a certain corner that's been looking slightly forlorn - not missing just anything, but the perfect thing.
The moment we discover them, our hearts feel a little thrill and, just for that moment, the world is new again and we feel reborn. As if someone hid this treasure in a secret corner just for us to find, and our hearts recognize them before we even know what we've discovered.
At Make Mine Pink, you may not find the foil wrapped bunnies or the colorful eggs, but you will always discover a thrilling hunt for the perfect treasure that stirs up feelings of Spring.

Joyce Lucas, Founder of Make Mine Pink

What's Up Wed, It's Now Thursday, Here's Pink Friday

Boy oh boy this week is flying by! I'm stilllllllllll working on bunnyville! If I wasn't so dorky about organizing everything so that it's "pretty" I would be done by now! Geez. I'll have pictures for you on Sunday and some very exciting news!!

Until then, please join me and all my pink sisters tomorrow, March 20th for Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink

This week's theme is One Of a Kind Treasures!

This beautiful piece was made by my friend Michelle at Rose Petals and Blooms
Isn't it gorgeous!

Please hop over and visit my site and my Pink Friday page. I have a one of a kind treasure with bunnies of course!

See you Sunday!
bunny hugs,
shell

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, March 20, 2009 as we present One of a Kind Treasures.
One of a Kind TreasuresRemember the days when we wanted to be like everyone else? We wanted to have the same clothes, same hairstyles, same…. everything. Only the very brave dared to be one of a kind. Sometimes it takes courage to say "I am different. I will be one of a kind." But over time, you discover that what makes a thing, or a person, unique is often the same thing that makes them beautiful. Taking chances, standing out, can make you a trendsetter and everyone else followers. At Make Mine Pink, one thing each boutique owner has in common with the others is that her boutique is one of a kind. Our boutique owners are always on the lookout for unique and special one of a kind and vintage treasures that are rich in history. Each treasure in our shops comes with a story, and no two stories are the same. When you browse through the shops at Make Mine Pink, you'll discover unique handcrafted pieces designed and produced by our artists and boutique owners. They hunt through flea markets, thrift stores, unique design shops. They peek in corners everyone else has forgotten to discover treasures everyone else has overlooked. Every bauble, piece of fabric, abandoned item they find might be a gem waiting to be unearthed. Each piece in the Make Mine Pink boutiques is designed and created to give its owner a product that can be treasured for years to come. In our shops you’ll find some of the latest trends, many handcrafted by our boutique owners, right here in the United States.When you shop at Make Mine Pink, you can feel confident that many of your purchases are one of a kind. A piece of art that is unique in its own right, as original as you.?
Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

Pink Friday!

Image provided by Treasured Heirlooms. Visit Cathy here.

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, March 13, 2009 as we present A Touch O' Whimsy.Once in a while, it's fun to take a detour from the normal "a place for everything and everything in its place" ritual and include some whimsical touches in our daily routines. Add a few teasing twists to the poised beauty around us with unexpected delights that give us a little flutter.Tucked away in the corner of a beautifully painted, chic shelf filled with plates covered in hand painted roses, a gossamer-winged fairy, sprinkled with German glass glitter speaks of a side of us that we all let peek out now and again. From a romantic Victorian display made of white vintage wire, a gold garnished teacup and saucer edged with pink and blue buds, spill out another whimsical treat: a tiny bird with a bejewelled beak in a doily nest. The formal tea set with a splash of frivolity reveals a secret sense of silliness we hope to never outgrow. A fairy's magic wand, trussed with a garden pink ribbon and planted in a basket of practicalities, adds an unspoken wish for excitement. Small dashes of dreams make ordinary items extraordinary and diffuse a fine mist of fantasy and fun into everything you do.Paper cupcakes on a tray, teapots tied with bows, a porcelain doll collection in the corner of your room, fairies dancing on pink cupcakes, lacy vintage doilies and gossamer bows. Whatever causes your whimsical self to feel a little flutter – whether be it owls, the newest (or the oldest) collectible, a small hand blown glass kitten – celebrate your whimsical side and surround yourself with things that make you smile. Joyce Lucas, Founder

Pink Friday, An Altered Point of View

Made by my friend Carrie at Noelle Garrett Designs

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, March 6, 2009 as we present An Altered Point of View.
Pieces of lace, vintage postcards, time-worn mother-of-pearl buttons. Each piece exquisite in its own right, but coming together to bring art to a new height. Used postage stamps, a well-read letter, shimmery beads, a butterfly’s broken wing. From an altered perspective, they are no longer insignificant souvenirs of times past, but innovative creations that inspire new memories to be made. To soar to such heights of beauty, inspiration requires a sturdy foundation. An altered piece of art might be built upon a beloved book, pulled from a forgotten shelf. Begin as an empty cigar box, scented with fading memories. Another may have once been a forlorn jewelry box, still eager to display an unexpected gem. These are stunning works of art born from abandoned items, repurposed in the most exciting ways. To a careless eye, they may look to be a random assemblage of objects. From an altered perspective, they join together for a united purpose. Perhaps they combine to evoke an emotion – radiant joy, enduring hope, an unspoken sorrow. A collage that celebrates a color, creates a texture, reminds us of a scene. Or perhaps each itemhas been thoughtfully selected in honor of a day, a season, someone you love. Possibly they were first brought together with no intended purpose at all; the only intent in joining them was to discover what they could become. But as the objects blended and merged and found their own space, an altered perspective revealed a meaning that could not have been anticipated. Where there was once nothing, we now find a myriad of meanings significant to many, or a single meaning decipherable by one. An altered work of art that forever changes one’s perspective.
Joyce Lucas, Founder of Make Mine Pink

Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, February 27, 2009 as we present Linens and Lace.

Linens and lace tenderly woven into the fabric of a life. They first surround when we are wrapped in the heirloom christening gown. Yellowed by time but preserved with love, brought out on a day that is filled with expectant joy. A treasure carefully saved by a mother in each generation, along with the hope for a beautiful life to come. The simple elegance of linens and lace remains in our memories -later we're struck by the beauty of a simple lace hankie that catches our eye, lying in a grandmother's lavender-scented drawer. Linens and lace carefully collected and stored within a handmade cedar chest, for yet another day of joyful expectation. Feelings of love and anticipation lie behind each piece a young girl selects to adorn her one-day home with grace. She envisions a future life of bliss as she tenderly folds every piece and stores it away, to lie patiently in wait for its turn to come. Linens and lace draped over a vintage boudoir chair, in the corner of a quite room. Perhaps it is a small piece of handmade lace, or perhaps it is a layer, that found its way into her bridal gown. She thinks of the women who have worn linens and lace before her on a day like this. A precious object of beauty... delicate and strong, as she herself is. In the kitchen where she works to care for her family, she has hung the first curtains of spring. Linens and lace swaying gently in the breeze, while the sunlight dances through their intricate designs.

Joyce Lucas, Founder

Make Mine Pink

What's Up Wednesday, February 11,2009

A rose is a rose is a rose. But..." Rabbits in my Rose Garden are Oh So Sweet!"

It seems like forever I have been saying that. I actually have the coolest pattern I've designed with that saying in mind. I think I may begin to work on it.

Until then, please join me and my pink sisters for Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink. This week's theme is "Shades of Roses." Here is a card I created for the occassion.

Check back with me on Sunday for more of my "Recession Art." We may be recessed, but we are not depressed! There is magic in all of us and no one can take it from us.

bunny hugs,

shell

What's Up Wednesday February 4th

Just a few show and tell's for this Wednesday.
This is a photo album I made for a good customer.
She wanted something with a travel theme for
some friends of hers. I hope she likes how it turned out.
I really love it.

This is a hand embroidered "Bunny Valentine."
This is my own little sketch and I think she is
just so cute. She's available on my site if you need a
Valentine for some bunny special.

Finally, this week's theme at Make Mine Pink is
"be my Valentine." Please be sure to stop by and visit me
and all my pink sisters. We'll have lots of goodies for you and
your honey bunnies!

bunny kisses,
shell


Remember the days when we took shoeboxes and transformed them into treasure chests, sacred vessels ready to receive Valentines from our classmates? The anticipation we felt when we carved slots in the tops with blunt pairs of school scissors, making sure the openings were large enough to receive the dozens of cards we hoped would soon be delivered... but not so big that we would appear greedy. For that one day, we were willing to extend our friendship to even the boy who pulled our hair.
Later, the tingling excitement as we spent hours pouring over each and every sentiment that had been dropped into our box of hope... eager to find that one special card from a best friend, a boy we liked, or the most popular girl in class. Pouring over each sentiment, examining the carefully formed letters of each name.
The days of decorated shoeboxes and clumsily lettered names may have been long ago, but many things still fill us with the same little flutters we felt back then.
Finding a stack of vintage postcards in a favorite antique shop – some garlanded with roses, others with whimsy and fun. Uncovering a tarnished locket filled with memories of lost loves, at the bottom of an abandoned jewelry box. Picking up a weathered journal and discovering the dreams of a young woman as she embarked on her own journey of love.
A delicate hankie from a past generation, lovingly stitched with pink and red roses. Yellowed stacks of love letters, unfading feelings bound with a tattered ribbon.
As Valentine's Day draws near, I find myself feeling nostalgic for the things and feelings of the past. I'm opening the drawers of my memory and sifting through moments that have been stored away for a time just like this.
Happy Valentines Day,
Joyce Lucas, Founder

What's Up Wednesday January 21, 2009

Ok... like this hardly ever happens here.... SNOW!!!!!!!!!! We actually had snow!!!!! Doesn't Rosewood Cottage look pretty? There were some strange critter patterns in the snow. David and I were clueless as to what they were. David made lots of snow cream. Let's see that is no pee/yellow snow, evaporated milk, sugar and vanilla extract. Mix all together until taste is pleasing and then eat too much of it so that it spoils your dinner and you get a brain freeze. Yep, that would be David. He's such a kid.

Well, I decided to take advantage of the snow day since I only had to work a few hours in between. Everything stops here in eastern NC when it snows. At the grocery store, all the bread and milk disappear. Not sure why. Give me wine and something "snooty" to eat. I'm not about to eat cereal or make a sandwich. My God, I'm 40 not 4! Geez!

Anyhoo... I took advantage of my time not being at work and created some cards and framed pieces. I really love how they turned out. They are available on my Site and on my boutique at Make Mine Pink. Please see my earlier post regarding Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink. Come and visit with us. Lots of pretty Romantic Roses items from independent women in business.

See ya Sunday. Happy snow day.

bunny hugs and kisses,

shell

One last thought. I'm cold and want the snow to go away so I can be warm again. Come on Spring and Summer! Dag I don't know how Northern States deal with this. Burrrrr!

Pink Friday, January 23,2009

Romantic Roses
I've never seen a rose that I didn't love. From the first tender blossom of early spring, gently swaying in the breeze, to a beautifully and painstakingly stitched needlepoint, rich in history, I adore them all! Roses represent so many different things to each of us and are often used to celebrate special occasions such as weddings, births and anniversaries. Roses have also been used throughout the centuries in grand estate as well as small cottage gardens, many styles of home décor and of course fashion. Milliners used silk roses to embellish the finest hats, while seamstresses stitches the richest brocade drapes adorned with roses.Throughout the years, famous artists have studied and painted every aspect of the rose. Antique lithographs and modern impressionistic paintings inspired by the great rose artists from the 1800s, grace our homes today with their everlasting beauty. Roses continue to gracefully fit every lifestyle and décor.If you have a soft spot for roses as I do, won't you please join us for PINK FRIDAY at Make Mine Pink on Friday January 23rd as The boutiques at Make Mine Pink present "Romantic Roses."

Joyce Lucas, Founder

Pink Friday! In with the New!

With the the New Year well underway; many of our resolutions neatly tucked away. Were your plans to add a new color to brighten even the dullest of January days, or perhaps organizing your desk just to clear things away a bit? Was it resolve for time spent alone in thought with a fresh new tea and new decorating book, maybe candles to brighten even the darkest of winter evenings, or a special bubble bath for a relaxing spa night. Which ever way you celebrate "In with the New" the boutiques at Make Mine Pink are ready and able to help with a glimpse of new trends, colors and deigns for a fresh start to your new year. Please join the boutiques at Make Mine Pink Friday January 16th for shopping with a twist.

Please join us for PINK FRIDAY at Make Mine Pink on Friday January 16th. The boutiques at Make Mine Pink are pleased to present "In With The New!"