peace & plenty

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

sending my wishes

for a blessed Thanksgiving to you all.

a gentle heart

" Methinks it is a token of healthy and gentle characteristics,

when women of high thought and accomplishment love to sew....

especially as they are never more at home with their own hearts

while so occupied....

~Nathaniel Hawthorne~

a little bit of Christmas for you in somerset and romantic homes

Somerset Studio December 2008

there's a little story in the December issue of

Somerset Studio about my dollies and how they came to be.

I'm so very pleased with it, they made it so pretty,

I hope you enjoy it.

~~~

romantic homes~ December 2008

I've been making these old paper candy containers for a long time. During Christmas especially to hold special

gifts and treasures

and as sweet little gifts themselves. ~~~

I've hung them on the Christmas tree, and made them for the dolls to carry their own little chocolates. (see my Queen Anne in Somerset with her little candy container?) I bet you didn't know that Queen Anne dollies need lovely chocolates just as much as we do!

~~~

I've hung them with ribbons from the back of each dining room chair as a small favor for guests during holidays. ~very beautiful by candlelight when hung from the crystals on the chandeliers~

~~~

You could cover your boxes with beautiful old fabrics, color copies of beautiful old pictures or use treasured sepia photos.

I have used these beautiful little glass encased pretties made for me by my dear friend, Cathy, as the centers of the paper rosettes, as beautiful dangles hanging from silk ribbons ties and as gifts nestled inside the tiniest boxes.

the pattern is found in Romantic Homes for you to use. I hope you enjoy making lots of them for your loved ones.

~Merry Christmas!~

being the light

"There are two ways of spreading light;

to be

The candle, or the mirror

that reflects it."

~

edith wharton

1862-1937

~

I've been thinking quite often about the kind of light I want to reflect ...

...that I hope I reflect

for myself, for my friends and for my family. I have two little grandchildren and a new little one is coming!

I want so much to give.

To be a light for them in all the ways I can.

~

When my grandchildren are all grown, I want to be remembered as

being full of life & light. That I shared what I love with all of them, that living simply and joyfully is important.

and most of all, To be Kind.

~ That our actions are important. To be happy, optimistic and full of light.

To be a gift to ourselves and to others.

~

In our family, the gifts we give are most always a gift of an experience. Spending time together doing something special. Not so much a wrapped present, but one that they can remember with a smile for the rest of their lives.

~

I spent part of this summer gathering things together from here & there.

My best find was a huge old cast iron kettle. I waited until our bee keeper friend could melt down our wax for us. The the proper candle wicks were found, cut saplings for our dipping sticks and drying racks & lots of dry apple wood for the fire. Finally, the day came when everything we might need to make this

a special time for our family was gathered and ready.

~ The fire under the old kettle was lit and had to be coaxed. The huge cakes of yellow beeswax were carefully slid into the hot water and began to melt.

It was working!

and so, we all dipped bees wax candles down in the old apple orchard. I could see the faces of all my family as we gathered around that smoky fire on a beautiful autumn afternoon, Smiling and laughing as they all took turns at dipping their wicks into the huge pot

of melted wax.

We weren't sure that we were doing it right, but it didn't matter. Seeing the rows of beautiful candles hanging up and cooling in the wooden racks, my grandson dangling precariously from a branch in the old cherry tree overhead, my little grand daughter hanging tight onto me, watching closely as I helped her dip her candles,too...

everyone was smiling and laughing, smoky and happy.

It was just right.

the best light of all.

an afternoon's worth of candle dipping

made from our own bees wax