Orange County citrus at the local farmer’s market. There’s nothing quite like buying fresh produce every Saturday morning.
It’s our annual tradition to watch or attend the production of the The Christmas Carol. Although it’s intended for the holiday season, the precept to choose love can be practiced all year long. We created these naughty or nice cupcakes to capture Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation. He declares, “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”
― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
“No creature is fully itself till it is, like the dandelion, opened in the bloom of pure relationship to the sun, the entire living cosmos.” -D.H. Lawrence
Our little trinket necklace contains dandelion seeds to capture your wishes. It is part of our “Things We Love” Collection. This glass bottle is hand wrapped with wire. The golden chain measures 25in.
After a long day, nothing soothes the senses like a splash of lavender. Egyptians also used oils as a base to create perfumes.[1] The pleasant aroma saturated rooms. Oil was placed in a pomade which was shaped into a cone.[2] They put it on top of an Egyptian’s head mainly at banquets. Throughout the event, the cone would melt and release fragrance. By the end of the night, scented oil would have been dripping down the sides of one’s face and was absorbed in the clothing. Perfume was an integral part of Egyptian society and was used by all classes.[3]
Inspired by this history, we created a simple homemade body mist. Mix 4oz. of water and 24 drops of lavender essential oil. You can purchase the oil at specialty grocery stores like Sprouts and Whole Foods Market. We spruced up this fragrance by adding a sprig of real lavender and created a hand-drawn label.
[1] A. Lucas, “Cosmetics, Perfumes and Incense in Ancient Egypt,” The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, May 1930, 41-53.
[2] Miriam Stead, Egyptian Life (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1986), 47.
[3] Ibid., 51.
These home-grown pink hydrangeas are the perfect burst of color for a centerpiece. The popular flower grows in a bush with an array of pink to blue hues. This picture features an antique double-handle sugar bowl which has been repurposed as a vase. It has been a great conversation piece during afternoon teas.
This antique gossip bench is one of our heirloom gifts. We used to have a functioning rotary phone on it. It’s a place where we’ve also written cards and worked on crafts. Currently it has Laura Ingalls Wilder’s novel collection, a pair of lace gloves, and a small floral arrangement tied with gold ribbon resting on this mahogany piece.
There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.
Beatrix Potter’s books are an essential part of a children’s library. Her timeless classics have entertained the minds of young and old for multiple generations. She was a successful writer and illustrator in an era when women had limited public roles. With her earnings she invested in her home, Hill Top Farm. This land was later donated to the National Trust for all to enjoy.
“All That is Gold Does Not Glitter”
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king. [1]
[1] J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1954.
