Breakfast on the Terrace

The chance to eat outside without bugs is very rare in Northern Illinois. But today is perfect for breakfast outside on the terrace, no bugs and 78 degrees! A shabby chic tablecloth from Target is the back ground for the Anna Weatherley powder blue chargers. Antique plates, embellished with gold trim and pink orchids, are the perfect size for a light breakfast. My birthday flowers still look great and work well with my outdoor tablescape. The vintage gold rimmed glasses make the orange juice special. My friend Lynda's homemade jam, blueberry and vanilla, tastes awesome on the cranberry walnut toast. Fresh blueberries and kiwis are the perfect accompaniment to the light breakfast. Even a simple meal tastes better when served outside on vintage silver and china! My friend Mariterese has taught me to use "the good stuff" everyday - it makes every meal a special occasion. Why have it if you don't use it !!! Please be sure to visit www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for other inspiring tables.

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

A glorious day in Lake Bluff - the smell of barbecue, music playing, firecrackers , marching bands and many flags waving ! It just doesn't get any better than this! Happy Fourth of July!

Fairies in the Garden

I love lightning bugs, but they are not out yet! I think that they are little fairies, hiding in the garden. I have a little stone fairy house that sits in the garden for the fairies to hide. Today I created some fairies for the garden. These little fairies have been embellished with moss, glitter, angel vine, and dried roses. Mason jars are filled with dried roses and moss and the little fairies are added- trying to climb out. Skeleton leaves are added for wings. One little guy is reaching for the sky on top of a bark mushroom. The little fairies are by Cicely Mary Barker and are found in her antique books! We are planning a fall fairy garden in the store with many more! What a delightful treat for children and adults too!

Birthday Flowers

Look at these exquisite flowers - sent to me for my birthday by a wonderful, dear friend! Thank you, thank you, you made my day! Arriving home yesterday, I was delighted to look through the shiny cellophane wrapping and see the most beautiful arrangement of flowers. Tightly packed hydrangeas, peonies, orchids, cocks comb, and kale - can it possibly get any better than that combination? I truly don't think so!And I love the little green pods that look like peas in their shell, not sure what they are yet. Again, these were done by my favorite florist, Twigs, in downtown Lake Bluff. What a talented crew!

4th of July Celebration Table

Vintage red glasses, trimmed in gold, add the red to the red, white, and blue theme.

A collection of vintage patriotic pillows are added to the front porch wicker.

Vintage American flags are draped across the front porch railing to add to the spirit of the holiday.

Vintage blue and white plates depicting historical moments in our history are used with red organdy napkins and topped with a beautiful clementis bloom.

Crystal and gold flatware add a little glitz to the table.

A copy of the Declaration of Independence is the background for the menu card.




Jewel encrusted stars add holiday sparkle to the 4th of July celebration.


Join me with www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com to view other inspirational tables. Happy 4th of July everyone!

More Antiques

A tall pressed glass vase- elegant and worthy of special flowers.

A vintage gold and rhinestone hair chignon holder- gorgeous!

A beautiful brass box embellished with rhinestones - perfect for a watch and ring holder.

A never used compact from the 50's - decorated with gold vines and rhinestones.


A sweet little cherub dish standing beside the chignon holder.

A sparkly rhinestone pin - perfect to embellish a pillow or wear on a winter coat.





I'm sharing more finds from our antiquing trips last week. Collections of small mirrors, framed vintage black and white nudes on mirror mats (not shown as they are at the framer), fancy candle sticks, and a collection of antique hand painted plates, embellished with gold rims, will be a new statement for the store in a couple of weeks. I'm heading for the southern states of Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana on an antiquing trip next week and hope to find many more things to inspire us. All of these new items will be in the store around the last week of July.

New Antiques for the Store

Last week, Lynda and her Atlanta friends, Donna and Debbie, came to visit for a couple of days. As all of us are avid antiquers, we spent the days searching antique malls, stores and thrift stores in Wisconsin! That gave me the time to re-stock the store with some fun new antiques. Several themes seemed to emerge - the old Tuscan kitchen with vintage European linen dish towels, open cloches - perfect for encasing a vase of garden roses-, bone knives and forks, pressed glass and several great pieces of ironstone. A collection of mother of pearl knives - perfect to mix with silver plate flatware and a grouping of gold, white and crystal compotes and stemware is the start to a great display for the Christmas season. Gold Italian tables and candle sticks will be additions to this collection. All of this is stacked on my dining room table, ready to be washed, priced and loaded for the store. There are many more great finds to share from this trip tomorrow. Stay Tuned!