f i r s t f r i d a y . . .

h e l l o L o v e l i e s !

i am beyond thrilled that most of you found me here at my new address!  at first, i was so sad to leave “the blogspot”, after pouring five years of my heart and soul into it, but today i find myself happy to be here in the fresh and new.

fresh and new . . .

a new month . . . write in down.

about 30 years ago, i was introduced to the interior designer Alexandra Stoddard when i spied “Living a Beautiful Life”, on an end cap display at a local bookstore.  Alexandra was my escape from the busy life of full-time working wife and mother.  Alexandra was a working mother, and more than a decorator, she taught me how to live the best of beautiful within your means . . . to take the ordinary to extraordinary!   through Alexandra, i learned about the importance of rituals and writing down “grace notes”.

in honor of Alexandra, for a while, “first fridays” will be a sharing of some of my rituals and “grace notes”.

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on the first day of each month i visit Tumblr to seek an image that displays the name of month.  a click of the image almost always transports me somewhere new and filled with inspiration.

 

 

√ February 2016’s first mindset via Tumblr . . . took me to . . . Instagram . . . to a lovely young mother in southern Germany. if you are subscribed to Instagram, you will enjoy her expressive vignettes and modest, mindful lifestyle.

 

√ for the past five days i have written down . . . Ultra Repair – First Aid Beauty. 

it’s not the prettiest jar to place on the vanity, but it is currently in the top drawer for me.  in less than one week, this little potion has worked a miracle for my troubled, dry extremities, calming the eczema that sometimes erupts from my food allergies. ( pardonnez-moi pour le TMI, s’il vous plaît! ) First Aid Beauty can be purchased at Ulta or Sephora and many other on-line sources including Amazon.  it has a slight eucalyptus fragrance.  oh! another grace note! i love to bring fresh eucalyptus into our home in the wintertime when i can’t open a window to air out the house, so it’s fragrance works for me.

 

 

 

 

√ baby “Picardies”!!!

for the longest time (years) we needed new casual glassware. (au revoir vintage Anchor Hocking, a grand product but i was ready for a change.) i had my eye on the modestly priced French line, Duralex Picardie.  one of the sizes i purchased was this small 5.75oz size.  the French proclaim that the sturdy, tempered glass can hold hot or cold. during the holidays this little faceted gem not only became the new vessel for our vin chaud,  it also presented itself as a faceted votive, as it’s a perfect fit for a tealight.  it’s just the right size for the traditional punch bowl or the now, more popular beverage dispensers. if you are simplifying, it’s a lovely little work horse. i consider “the Picardie” a home run in my constant quest for casual elegance. i am already thinking of how pretty des lunettes will be holding an ice cream parfait, and how magical they will appear with tealights, this summer when we set farm to table.

i have not received compensation for any of my shared grace notes.  i share this honest and simple.

my first grace note ever . . .

√  May 18, 1987: the ordinary. take it to the extraordinary!!!!

write it down again and again!!!!

see you next Friday. i’m thinking it’s time for French Bread!

w / L

 

Linking to: Thoughts of Home on Thursday . . .

Laura at Décor To Adore

Stacey from Poofing the Pillows

Jemma from At Home With Jemma

Laura at White Spray Paint