Sunday, February 24, 2013

~ Have you met my Secretary ? ~

She is a quiet unpretentious beauty
who adds just a little touch of elegance
to this corner of the room



She may have been quiet
but she could hardly have been called a 'beauty'
upon first glance
when Mr. Wonderful spied her at the Parish Garage Sale
 several years ago.
She had been neglected
and left to age without someone to care for her.
But Mr. Wonderful worked his magic
as he rescued her from oblivion








Now there are many good years left in the old girl
and we are happy to have her live with us


But don't let her good looks fool you
she's a model of organization.








She provides all kinds of cubby holes and little drawers
and secret places
to help me keep track of my bits and pieces




As you can see, she's a working girl.



Are you quite finished looking through my drawers????





Searching for the right chair
I went shopping at a little flea market
that is not for the faint of heart
but if one is willing to climb the rickety wooden stairs
to the top floor
to the land of  lost and forgotten chairs
you might just be lucky enough to unearth a treasure.
(well a treasure in the making...if you have a Mr. W.)









I love this Toile pattern. 'Garden Toile' in Parchment



I have always loved desks and all the little accouterments
for desk sitting.









Perhaps it's because my Mother was a bookkeeper
and so I cut my teeth
sitting at a big desk in the back office surrounded by
pens and papers and ledgers to scribble on
Give me a new pen and I'm as happy as can be.
Give me stationery
and I'm in heaven.
It's too bad letters are not written anymore
Because that is what it feels like I should be doing
when I sit down here
instead of paying my monthly bills.



To me, she represents the last of civility
when correspondence was an art
and though I have thoroughly embraced the technological world I live in
cell phones, I Pads, Kindle, Facebook and I'm talking to you
dear readers via the Blog World !!!
There is still a little piece of me that is holding on to the past
 by my fingertips.
Although letters may be few and far between these days
I still love to send cards
or sometimes a little note for no reason at all.




But perhaps I will do something greater here at this lovely desk.


Perhaps I will take Quill in hand
and pen the next great American Novel


Who knows???


Friday, February 8, 2013

~ I'm One Year Old Today ~


One year ago
I set out into uncharted territory.
It all started when I clicked the little button marked:
PUBLISH
Would any one find me out there in the blogosphere????
And if they did, what would they say????
I made a commitment to myself that I would give it ONE YEAR.
Rain or shine.
There were many times I felt like giving up.
What's the use?
Who would care?
But I held fast to my commitment and I'm glad I did.
 I ( like Sally Field) am so happy to say


You really like me!!!
All kidding aside;
Though my band of followers is small, it has meant the world to me.
I am grateful for each and every comment.
It means something for someone to take the extra moment to leave a kind word.
Through this little adventure I have met so many nice people,
 visited so many lovely homes...
and learned much about myself.
I am proud of myself for taking the leap.
I have enjoyed this past year, learning ,growing and sharing here at my
little Dressed Up Cottage.
So right here, right now ,
I want to say a personal thank you to
 each and every one of you.
So here goes:
Nytescrybe ( Gail;Best friend and partner in crime)
PeaceLover
Loi Thai from Tone on Tone
Kerri from Girl With a Latte
Jermaine from French-Kissed
Mrs. Rabe
Designchic
Alison from The Polo House
Joan from For the Love of a House
Jean from Delightful Repast
Christy D
Angela Palmerton
Debra from Common Ground
StagerLinda
Kathy from a Delightsome Life
Janie form Southern Lagniappe
Samantha M
Leslie from Trouverlesoleil
Pat from Back Porch Musings
Christy
Baby Girls Pop
Miriam from Be Book Bound
Mark Norkaitis
Pam
Tammy
Alizabet
Jacqui
Tina from The Enchanted Home
Olive Cooper
Margaret
Delores from Vignette Design
Robyn from Simply Fresh Dinners
Nella from Acorn Lane
Sharon from Fashion-Isha
Christi Taggart
Gail Minchew
Lorilee of Cackleberry Cottage
Patti fro Ivy and Elephants
Marianne form Vintage Gal
Kim from Savvy Southern Style
Brenda from Cozy Little House
Marla and Steve
Sheri from Red Rose Alley

Whew!!! Thank heavens my list is small, huh?
Thank you also, to all the people who left an anonymous comment
and to all of those who just stopped by.
You were all more than welcome here.

But the biggest thank you of all goes to:
drum roll please...........


MR. WONDERFUL
my darling husband.
Always my biggest fan ...... and my most vocal cheerleader
in all my GRAND SCHEMES.

Thank you.




Looking forward
to 
turning TWO !!!