gifts — Page 31

A Wondrous Surprise in the Mail

September 2, 2010 at 8:07 am by Claudia

I am blessed. Yes, I am. I have wonderful friends that I’ve known from the age of 4 and friends I have been lucky enough to meet in recent years. One very special friend is Lori, the owner of Vignettes. Lori is kind, generous, funny, beautiful inside and out, and incredibly talented. I have rhapsodized about Vignettes in many posts over the past 2 years and if I could beam myself up I would be there today. Nothing, I mean nothing, I have seen anywhere else comes close to the wondrous enchantment of that shop.

Lori sent me a message last week saying she had put something in the mail for me – a little care package from Vignettes and her that she thought would make me smile. Yesterday, it arrived in my mailbox. (Our rural mail carrier, also named Lori, always gives a toot on her horn when she leaves a package down by our mailbox – isn’t that sweet? As soon as I heard it, I was hightailing it on down there.)

The wreath adorned the package, which I forgot to take a picture of in my excitement. Lori sent this wonderful handmade card in which she wrote some lovely words to me and mentioned that she couldn’t bear to think of my sheep all alone without a pal (I’d seen some vintage putz sheep in the shop) and here was a “friend all dressed up in Vignettes’ finery.”

Just wait. This was also in the package:

Isn’t this beautiful? The lovely sentiment, the sweet cottage, the beautiful trim around the frame? I am already searching for the perfect place for it in our cottage. Are you ready for a sheep arrayed in the best Vignettes’ finery?

Take a minute to collect yourself.

Gasp… Swoon…no words are adequate to describe what Lori had Karen Lampard of Cafe Paperie create for me. In fact, my gasp as I unwrapped this could be heard throughout the cottage. Look at the detail: the hat and the rose, the saddlebags trimmed with a button and the sign ‘Vignettes or Bust’, the flowers, the bell, the decorations around each hoof. Oh. my. goodness.

Double swoon! An Eiffel Tower pendant.

Could there be a cuter rear view? Every little detail is perfection.

I am humbled by this. This isn’t a swap or my birthday. This is just because. I told my husband that I couldn’t believe anyone would take the time to make something like this for me. That lovely Lori remembered the sheep and then went the extra mile to envision all this fabulous finery is truly incredible. I still can’t take it all in. As you well know, it is rare when I am speechless. But I was. I’m still having trouble finding the right words to express my gratitude and awe. Thank you, Karen. Thank you, dearest Lori. I am so grateful for the gift of your friendship. I miss you terribly.******************************************************************

In other news: I have the giveaway winners, chosen through random.org.

First, the winner of a copy of HotHouse Flower:

Number 5 – Caseymini! I’ll send you an email, but if you see this first, drop me a line with your address and I will forward it on to TLC Book Tours who will forward it to the publisher.

Second, the winner of the CSN Giveaway:

Number 61 – Meeyeehere aka Rachel. Rachel, I will forward your email address on to CSN and they will contact you.

Congratulations to the winners!

Thursday Morning Snapshots

July 29, 2010 at 9:51 am by Claudia

Ah yes, a slightly rainy, humid Thursday morning with a cup of coffee and…what’s that to the left? Yep. Poison Ivy Care. I regret to say that after 5 years of successfully navigating the poison ivy that grows all around this property, it finally won. Don’t know how, don’t know when. My right ankle is the lucky recipient of this lovely rash and it’s driving me nuts. I don’t know how all of you do it when you get a really bad attack! Mine is limited to the ankle and thank goodness for that. It might be getting ever so slightly better.

This time I didn’t leave the flowered mug behind in San Diego. I’m not sure why I left it there last year, but gosh darn it, I bought it and it deserves to be holding my coffee in MHC. Doesn’t it look at home here?

Today is cleaning day. After I get my tush in gear, it will be full throttle for me, cleaning gear in hand. I will be taking no prisoners. The dogs will be bored, of course…I care not.

Remember the beautiful gift Maryjane gave me when we spent the afternoon together in San Diego? I’ve been wondering where to hang it. The other day when I was fussing with the studio, I hit upon an idea. What do you think?

Let’s face it, the front of the craft table is a boring white. Maryjane, you have come to the rescue! Your gorgeous garland looks perfect here and it makes me happy.

I’m off to spritz some more treatment spray on my ankle and start my cleaning. Have a great day.

A Little of This, a Little of That

July 25, 2010 at 6:25 pm by Claudia

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such great, supportive friends. I have been so touched by all the comments I have received about the article in Romantic Homes. Don and I can’t wait until we get to buy some copies at the bookstore. Would 20 be too many???

I’m still flying high…although I can’t fly too high in this horrendous humidity! We’ve had an incredibly hot, humid weekend here in the Northeast. Yesterday, I went along with Don to Woodstock where he played his music as part of a Concert on the Green.

Okay, I know I’m biased, but isn’t he cute? He did a bang-up job but by the time he was done I was ready to swoon from the humidity. I do not do well in humid weather. I could never live in the deep South. Although it seems more and more like the South here in New York this summer.

Continuing on in a somewhat random fashion, I was hanging laundry on the line the other day and I encountered this – also hanging on the line.

It’s the exoskeleton of a cicada nymph. (I had to do some research before I could tell you this.) Apparently the nymphs live underground until the nymph is ready to escape the exoskeleton as a winged adult. They dig their way out of the ground and climb up high. You can see the split in the back where the adult escaped. I was fascinated by this exoskeleton and the fact that it was still tenaciously hanging onto the clothesline.