bABy sHoWeR pOweR or Welcoming Lovely Little Lily Larsen!!

It is Saturday, March 5th and its time to party!! This is my adorable niece Mindy, and she is hosting  the baby shower.  Her brother Erik's wife Cori is having a baby so we all got to celebrate at Mindy's cute new house.  Here she is all color coordinated with her bedroom, so I thought that was the perfect place to take her picture.  Thanks Mindy, everything was perfectly charming!!

Yep, here I am all festive in my black and white with a borrowed purse (Because it matched, why else?)ready to rumble!!

And here come some lovely cousins, along with their lovely mother, Aunt Jo, who have all come to help us celebrate!! (Jill, Mary, Jo, Kim)

Here we see Aunt Shirley (left) consorting with the Eggett side of the family.  Marva Eggett is my Sister-in-law Nina's sister-in-law (did you follow that?) Marva and I have been fellow thrift store shoppers for years and didn't know we were related until we ran into each other at Mindy's wedding shower, some 10 odd years ago. Shirley just had a new grandbaby herself  (for a total of 11 ... but I will catch up when Emily has her baby in September  .... ).  Her new grandbaby lives in California, and Shirley can't wait to meet her!!

This is Mindy again, with Natalie who is representing Aunt Dianne and Uncle Bruce's family.  On the far right is my daughter Becca!

Here we see Aunt Nina, with Aunt Jo's oldest daughter Kristin with her sister Mary.

And finally you get to meet the happy 'nearly parents' of the guest of honor.  Erik and Cori have been married just over a year, and live in a charming cottage on east - South Temple.  The baby is due in early April!  The Larsen's and Eggetts are all excited to help them get ready!!

This is the amazing spread that Mindy, Erik and Aunt Nina prepared for their guests.  Everything was absolutely yummy, I guess Nina has passed her wonderful cooking skills along to her children!!

Oh, and the cupcakes, you noticed the cupcakes!!  These are Erik's specialty, in fact he started his own cupcake company last year.  Take my word for it, they are delicious, and if you live in the Salt Lake area ... forget chasing the ice cream truck ... you can now chase the 'cupcake carriage'.  Technology has made that easy to do, you can just check out the website for 'Heaven Cupcake' and find out exactly where you can connect with the truck at any given time!!  http://heavencupcake.com/  Oh and they deliver too!!

And what post would be complete without pictures of cute kids.  This one is of my grandson Titan, who snuck in with his Mom, Becca.  He is pictured here with his Great Aunt Nina

This picture is of Mindy's two oldest daughters.  They gave me a tour of their great new house, and this is their very fun, loft bedroom!!

Well, that is that for our fabulously fun event with friends and family gathered to celebrate new life!!  We can't wait to see how adorable Lily will be.  And the last picture is of me with our Natalie!!

Steampunk, Fun Junque or Details from an Amazing Home

Excuse me while I take a few deep breaths before taking you on a  tour of my friend Marci's home.  When ever I go to her house, it literally takes my breath away!  Marci is an adorable and kind, but ruthless decorator!  She is always cutting edge, but she has taken some turns lately that have even surprised ME! 

But before we get into Marci's latest venture in decorating, lets take a look at the wonderful new cupboard that she acquired at the Acorn Show in Ogden, Utah, a few weeks ago.  (You may want to refresh your memory by traveling back a few weeks in my blog to the Acorn Show, there is even a picture of me with Marci!) This cupboard has the most amazing patina I have ever seen.  The white paint is fabulously (and naturally) alligatored, and stunning.  The cupboard also has great lines, carvings and an unusual tipped crown on top, "All the better to enjoy its stunning carvings from your position on the floor, my dear!"  The bonus is that it is now the 'pantry' for the chief cook and bottle washer at Marci's house, and is a functional and welcome addition. I love it when something that is so amazingly beautiful, is also functional!!

So now we get to the Steampunk part of this post.  Steampunk is, according to the April edition of Victorian Homes Magazine, "the blending of fashion, decor and machinery from an era where steam power was widely used .... with elements of science fiction and fantasy."  It would be easier to just say that Steampunk is fun.  In the picture above we see cash register flags posing as 'flowers' in this charming centerpiece.  Mixed elements such as faux pearls, old books and porcelain doorknobs are so unexpected that they grab your attention.

Clocks are probably the most often used element in Steampunk, whether in groupings enjoyed for their charming personalities, or when reduced to parts and pieces, as we see the clock face to the left in this picture.  The gears from old watches and clocks are often used in making Steampunk jewelry, which also falls into the category of altered art.  You will note more clocks included throughout the vignettes I have featured here.

Gathering elements that were once functional, many of them clad or trimmed with metal, or with metal moving parts makes for an interesting display.  In this picture we have a trophy, an old flute, a brownie camera, game pieces and, on a stack of old books, a brass multi lens tool that was probably part of an ophthalmologist's testing equipment at one time.

Steampunk is nothing if not whimsical which becomes obvious in this grouping.  Of course there is another couple of clocks, more 'pearls', and a mannequin hand which sports not only a rhinestone bracelet, but has a collection of mother-of-pearl buckles resting in its palm.  My favorite element of this particular vignette is the mask pin which has found a home on an antique carte de visite of a dapper gentleman.  The variety of textures not only makes it interesting, but is very pleasing to the eye, and allowing one's consciousness to wander about this quaint scene is somehow extremely calming.

In this picture we see a clock face which adds interest to a simple silk lamp shade.  The wide black satin ribbon tied around the shade, and the medallion like bow behind the clock face make it stand out and frame it in a way that makes it feel important, as if it were an award!

This old steam gage, coupled with a bouquet of dried white roses, does what all well thought out Steampunk design elements will do, they make you take a second look, and even a third!

And last of all, as we end our tour we will take note of Marci's use of space.  This display is on top of her kitchen cabinets.  The simple elements of white books and clocks find themselves married once more.  The lovely French style telephone with a design from the early 20th century fits in well, with clocks of a similar vintage.  The color scheme matches that of the rest of the house relying heavily on the contrast of black and cream with some brass accents.  The repeated use of items such as the clocks, pearls and books also brings continuity to this showplace, adding to the sense of peace one has throughout the home.  Of course the good and kind people who live here are the most important element involved in its calming atmosphere, so thank you Marci and Steve for sharing your wonderful home!



Too Many Cooks May Spoil the Broth, but when it comes to Cupcakes ...

Well, we have all heard it said that too many cooks spoil the broth, but when it comes to cupcakes, this is evidently not true.  This month our "We Can" Service group proved this point. Below is a picture of  me, Ardis and Carolyn making batch after batch after batch of cupcakes at Kathy Tervort's home!!

The We Can organization was formed by a group of women in Elk Ridge, Utah.  Each month they get together and do something that will benefit others in their extended community.  Some of the projects they have done include collecting coats and wraps for the Homeless shelter.  They have produced newborn kits and school kits for third world countries, they made valentines for people in the hospital, they have decorated and donated a tree to The Festival of Trees for several years, this festival benefits Children at the Primary Children's hospital.  They have stuffed Christmas stockings for deployed soldiers, and have collected white shirts for Mormon Missionaries from serving from Third World Countries. 

Fortunately for me, several of these great women are also members of the book club to which I have belonged for more than 10 years. (Check out the website of 'The Waldon Ladies Book Club' if you would like to know more about us.  http://freepages.misc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~familyleaves/homepage.html ) These dear ladies have been generous enough to include me in their good works organization, and I am loving it, after participating for just a few months.  (My introduction occurred when they needed someone with a large van to transport their tree to Salt Lake for the Festival of Trees ... yeah 'Big Van'!!)

This month we made cupcakes and individual cheese cakes for the wedding reception of one of the members.  After spending a couple of hours making goodies we shared a pot luck luncheon at a second members home.  Everything was homemade and delicious.  These are great ladies, and I feel privileged to get to know them.  If you are interested in other projects that they have done in the past, feel free to check out their blog!

http://wecancareandnurture.blogspot.com/