Bombay Blue & White dishes

My latest thrift store find. There is a Salvation Army near me and I checked it out the other day, I found these dishes at $20 for all the 12 pieces (8 plates, only 4 showing).

I left the dishes there, wanting to think it over. I am not a blue lover

so I was not anxious to have these. I went back a couple of days later

and decided because they were still there I would get them this time.

When I brought them up to the counter, the lady said '50

50% off today on dish sets! So, I got all that is in the photo for $10!

Bombay cobalt blue dishes.

Butterflies in memory of Bobene

She loved butterflies! She owned so many butterfly things, images, and things about butterflies!

I didn't take the above photo, I found it on the internet. I am posting it for my BF Bobene who passed away January 11th 2010. I knew her for 48 years. I can't imagine life without being able to call her!

words taken from 'Daily Wisdom':

"'How does one become a butterfly?' she asked pensively. 'You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.'"-Trina Paulus

I have kept using the word 'fly' in reference to Bobene. "Now she can fly..."

I subscribe to a 'Daily Wisdom' email so I receive a positive message by email each day, something to contemplate and start my day with a positive note.

This morning, I read this from Lissa Coffey's Daily wisdom: Empowerment "'How does one become a butterfly?' she asked pensively. 'You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.'" -Trina Paulus

The whole message today was about Empowerment: Empowerment means going beyond our comfort zone. It's reaching within to find what it takes to move us beyond where we are to where we want to be. We have that power, but whether it lies dormant or it is put into action is completely up to us. -Lissa Coffey

But I am reading it as about Bobene because she loved butterflies. Every gift I got her, I would ask 'what do you want', she would always say with a voice like a little girl 'a butterfly'! She had stain glass ones on the window panes and I had just sent her a large stain glass lamp for her bedroom of a butterfly with open wings. I wanted her to be able to see it when she was recovering from her shoulder surgery. She was doing well, recovering and healing above expected.

On Friday, her heart stopped as she was waiting for her cup of coffee to be brought to her in her home. It was unexpected and quick. She slipped into a coma and didn't regain consciousness. She was put on ventilator until the doctor came back with news she was brain dead. She was unplugged and officially died. She was 59.

And she was like a butterfly, she always tried to leave what the constraints that normal eye could see, (her wheel chair and physical limitations) her caterpillar cacoon by all the brave things she did, she lived every day like she could fly.

Now she can fly.

Pantone color for 2010

Yes I can do this! Turqoise! Colors of the beach!
full press release here:

http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=20706&ca=10

my COLOR story!

Since I have been a color consultant and a designer, artist/crafter for years, I used to keep color out of my home to make going out everday and dealing with a lot of colors all day not be overdone. I liked coming home to a clean palette, a fresh clensing of all had been around all day, too much stimulation.

Do you know your color proportions?
In my house in Yorktown, Virginia I used a Black, brown and white palette. I thought that with each season I would change the accent colors. I had added yellow (in very small amounts), then red (which I stuck with).

The thing is I was not sure at what quantity or amount I would be able to live with a color! I love yellow, but found it too loud in that house to have too much of. Once I added a bit more than a small amount (as in flower arrangements, candles, etc) it was too much. I tried purple, orange, and blue this way.

With the white walls, I could go any color I wanted. This left quite an opening for experiment.

Red, turned out to be my favorite accessory (since browns are actually a deep orange, I was staying in the red color family.

I put a small amount of red, then more then more untiil it got too much, then pulled back.

Why did I do this? To find my comfort zone for each color. Now I am sure that a red wall is too much for me, but a large painting with a lot of red or all red is OK.

With each color you have different other color additions to change the 'temperature' of the color to cool (on the blue side), dark (grayed down by adding black), light (adding yellow), tints (adding white) and value (how true to crayon color/primary colors) is it?

I had to find the correct red as well. For me it is red with light (yellow added). Once I found this out, I know which red to add or to change to.

What does this mean? It means I am on my way to having my own customized color palette that won't change! I know what greens I love because I have loved that color all my life, and have noticed different variations and how to cool it down and warm it up.

It is fun to see how each color affects you too. I want to experiment more in my next house.

Do you have a COLOR story?

Looking forward to what 2010 brings! Happy New Year!

Looking back, 2009 was a busy year for us!

• Survived losing my business, and DH losing his construction job due to the economy. Not to mention the money lost due to the recession. Lost some loved ones, and moved away from our friends. We spent 11 years in Virginia, so it was a bit sad to leave, but we had wanted to get back to Florida for quite a while and circumstances finally led to us being able to pull it off!
• We listed our house in Yorktown, Virginia, and sold it. So much work to keep up with the clutter and cleaning for showings that most of the time had an hour notice!
• Decluttered the house and the garage, storage unit time!
• Spruced up the house, repainted in some cases and worked on landscaping which needed much attention after the two years we had with challenges and surgeries for both of us.
• Moved to a temporary apartment for 4 months while waiting for DH to get a transfer for us to more (WITH a job, in this economy, there was no room for gambling)
• Moved to Florida (where we wanted to be). And transferred to another temporary apartment. And we did all this with DH and I both NOT being able to lift anyting heavy! What a trial!
• House hunting in Florida is something we are doing cautiously, what's the rush?

We are STILL here! And that is what matters! We are settling down again, and moved closer to family. We were not broken, just shaken a bit with all we did. Now, we plan on enriching our lives with the people we love this year and many years ahead! Our goal is to put our nose to the grindstone less and slow down to enjoy the blessings we have in our lives. We are close to retirement, and are starting to plan ahead for our lifestyle and simpler way to live, less hectic and more healthy we are trying to incorporate that philosophy into our next home. Sounds like a New Years resolution to me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!