Wonderful Wednesday

Well...Good Morning to you all! I'm off today thus I have the luxury of sitting down in my favourite chair and relaxing rather than rushing out the door and heading to my place of work. Don't get me wrong, I love my job but having a day to relax in the middle of the week is quite nice. As you can tell, I've made some progress...I have actually managed to upload a photo from my personal files to my blog header...good for me; I think I deserve a star! I'm not sure what I will accomplish today. I know for sure that my daughter will be dropping by for a visit and will pick up our... oops! I mean her puppy (75 pound 2-year old Lab/collie) who we have been doggy-sitting while her and Joel have been away. We will miss Noah around here...constantly at our feet, the dog hair EVERYWHERE, putting him outside, taking him back in, walking him, feeding him...oh dear, he's a lot of work BUT we love him! I am very anxious to see our girl after almost 3 weeks. We will have lots to talk about and I'm looking forward to hearing all about her trip to Rome.

Here is a picture of dear ole Noah...isn't he adorable?

I'm not sure what I will do for the remainder of the day...I may decide to take a trip to HomeSense which is normally my Saturday morning adventure but it will be a nice change to head out on a week day.  I may just stay at home and relax or take on one of those tasks I have been putting off.  Right now, I think I will have my second cup of coffee and browse through my newest Style at Home magazine before I start my day or do anything.  Enjoy your Wednesday...I plan to!

This is the day that the Lord has made...REJOICE and be glad in it!

Pure Joy

Yippee...Lookie what I accomplished - 2 photos successfully uploaded

 

Here is a vignette I arranged last year on the hall table in my front entrance. I just love the branch twigs with a small nest of robin's eggs...can you guess the season?

 

SPRING!

 

Here is a Winter mantle vignette where I added an apothecary jar filled with  bright lemons for a pop of color..nothing like a punch of yellow to bring the sunshine into a room during the shorter and darker days of Winter.

Pure Joy

I can do it

Just when I bragged about our warmer weather we get cold temperatures and a forecast warning of ice pellets and possible snow - our weather is so unpredictable! It could be worse and I'm truly thankful for the amazing spring we've experienced this year - April and May have been lovely thus far. I am getting the urge, BIG TIME, to start painting and distressing some of my darker furniture pieces. Becca at 'Adventures in Decorating' has even painted new furniture pieces...I want her confidence and nerve. I visit her site and view her photos so often it's almost ridiculous. I think she is pretty amazing and makes everything she does look so simple. Seriously, I love her style and she was even kind enough to send along an email with some tips and encouraging comments. So off to the Paint Shop I go and purchase BM (Dove White) paint, gel stain (Minwax), clear coat, latex gloves, brushes, sponge roller, sandpaper, stir sticks - everything I need to get me started. Yep, it's all neatly packed in a box in my front entrance closet until I get the confidence to take the big plunge. I remember taking on a huge project a number of years ago in our last house where I painted my kitchen cabinets which were a natural birch.  After lots of sanding and priming I painted them a soft grey, added new hardware, and was so proud of the end results.  My kitchen was transformed!  So, I know I CAN do it!  Once I get started, I fear I will become obsessed and will attack many more paint projects around the house.  And, when I  master the whole uploading photos thing, I will post before and after pictures.  Until then please be patient with me as I am determined to get this blog up and rolling.  Have a terrific day!

My New Adventure

Blogging is new to me...I fumbled through on my own attempting to set up my blog and I think I've come up against a brick wall...it is clear I need assistance. I hope that maybe some other bloggers will come to my rescue and provide me with some tips that will help me finish creating and personalizing my blog home page. As the weather starts to warm up here in Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada) we are starting to enjoy lots of blue sky and sunshine. I feel the urge to lighten up my surroundings and bring out anything that connects me to the beach and the ocean. Unlike some of the blogs I visit regularly, our ocean still has lots of ice bergs which can be viewed from our shorelines - this has a lot to do with the cooler temperatures we experience here on the east coast of our province. The view is spectacular; however, I crave warm ocean breezes and white sand where driftwood, starfish and tons of seashells adorn the beaches. I dream of open windows with sea breezes softly blowing the scent of the salt water and the sound of the ocean waves inside. In this beautiful province of ours we learn to make hay when the sun shines...we get out and enjoy the weather and put off for another day whatever inside plans we may have had. I am optimistic that we are in for a great summer this year which will be 'Pure Joy'.


Beachy...dreamy... the diffuser scent is 'Ocean Breeze'...

April Birthdays

I love to celebrate birthdays...I think they are the perfect time to focus on the birthday person to make them feel special and loved.  After all it's their day, the day they were born. and it should be all about them.  I hope my friend, Elizabeth, will enjoy her evening with us!

Here I have the table set for my dear friend's birthday.  I thought the yellow combined with blue and white was bright and fresh for an April birthday.  The tablecloth is new...I saw it at Bowering's and immediately fell in love with the hand-stamped design.  I love the versatility with so many wonderful colours that can be used with the bright navy blue and crisp white.

Here you get a little better view of the bunch of blue flowers which I've added to the pristine white elephant vase...so pretty!

I love using pedestals for height...oops! forgot to add my tea light.  I have miniature salt  pepper sets at the front of each place setting and little paper doilies to catch any drips from the water glasses.

The little yellow lantern I found at our local supermarket...they came in a variety of bright colours (turquoise, orange, black & white).  They're great to use for adding that pop of colour to any table setting.

AND...here is the the guest of honour, the birthday girl herself, Elizabeth.  I hope she enjoys the homemade cake I made for her.  It has a thick cream cheese and Cool Whip filling with oodles of milk chocolate over top.  Note the rainbow coloured flames from the candles?  I always use just three candles, one represents the Past, one the Present and the third, the Future.  Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!

Wishing you another year of health and happiness!

*****

Below, we're celebrating Joel's birthday. Joel is our amazing 'son'-in-law'.  I think he really loved the new reel and will enjoy many fishing trips in the future. 

 

Happy Birthday, Joel!

Presents!

This adorable doggy gift bag I found at Dollarama.  He looks so much like Noah when he was  a puppy...I just couldn't wait to use it to hide a birthday surprise!

 

You just can't celebrate a birthday without balloons...I love the masculine colors, do you?

Each year everyone gets to choose their choice of cake...this year Joel decided on a 'cup' cake...so I purchased a cupcake display stand and chose a variety of yummy treats...popped a candle in the center of each one and voila! A decandent delight!

 Mmmmm...Cookies & Cream

YUM!

 Rainbow-flamed candles...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOEL!

A little bit of Easter and Spring...

I added this album of Spring and Easter pictures after I started my blog.  My first actual post was in May but I decided to go back and view some of my photos from past occasions and post them to 'Pure Joy'.  I hope you enjoy them.

A bowl of everyone's favorite treats.

Our glowy Easter tree!

I just love this twig nest filled with eggs...it's been used to welcome Spring at our house for a number of years.

I found this rustic looking tray at Hallmark and bought it for my daughter, Kristen. I added some pink straw and sour gummy worms (one of her favorites) for an Eastery treat.

This is our glowy Easter tree top...inexpensive sprigs of eggs and butterflies from Dollarama.

I adore this pair of bunnies...another Dollar Store purchase from years ago.  I love their matching carrot sweaters!

Here is the bunny duo again...How cute is baby bunny who sits on the edge of the saucer.

Mother bird guarding her treasured eggs under the safety of the glass cloche.

Kristen's Easter Treats

I love the bunny trio, mama, papa and baby bunny.  A Pier One find where I originally bought just two but as soon as I put them on the mantel I knew I had to go back for the third.  They will be part of my Easter decor for years to come.

Joel's Easter treats...don't you just love the bunny balloon?

Our fireplace mantel all decked out for the Easter season.

A small cake dome for a sweet bunny couple.



An apothecary jar filled with robin's eggs, a little nest and a starfish make a lovely vignette next to the weather-worn and distressed frame  I'm famous for displaying a new frame before adding a photo...I will get around to it!

Easter Mantel

I love my mirrored accent table which my generous hubby gave me for my birthday.  I think the burlap ribbon bow will have to go...seeing it in this photo made me realize it's not the look I was going for...no biggie!

I found the organza runner which is the perfect additon to the mirrored table with the added silver vase and oversized white flower.  I love adding books and shells as accent pieces.

I often reach for my little book, 'One Minute Devotions for Women' when I'm in a rush to get out the door in the mornings.

A set of yellow chick salt & pepper shakers and an egg cup make for a whimsical family of chicks nestled beneath a glass cloche.

I spotted this gorgeous bag at Aldo and just had to buy it...I love the colors for Spring.

This little fluffy white bunny hopped onto our mantel and settled right beneath the jar of Cadbury mini eggs.  Sneaky little bunny!

Bunnies, eggs, and chicks are cute but this is the real reason we celebrate Easter Sunday!

A bunch of tulips purchased at Michael's brings the front entrace table to life...a sure sign of Spring.

Easter Tablescape

Another view of our Easter tree.

I layered the larger and smaller plates with different patterns and colors to add interest to this vignette.

I am in love with the antique silver teapot lamp sitting on top of some favorite cookbooks.  I purchased the lamp as a gift for my sister but when I got it home I just knew I had to keep it...I am hoping they have more in stock!

I marked my calendar at the beginning of April with this sweet little chick sticker.

Here's the lamp again before I added height by placing a few cookbooks beneath.

This rooster came home with me when I spotted him in a little local store where he was marked down to half off the original price.  He has a basket tucked in his wings behind his back for keeping extra sticks of chaulk and, of course, he is painted in black chaulk board paint which is great for writing little messages and inspirational comments.  I went back to buy one for my mom and an extra one for a lucky someone on my Christmas list.

This is Kristen's place setting.  She loves cherry-flavoured pops from Laura Secord so I placed a bunch in her tea cup.

I just love Mr. Roo...I folded a kitchen towel with an embroidered rooster on it over a pedestal so that Mr. Roo could rule the roost.

Pretty...especially when they are lit up and the 100 teeny-tiny lights twinkle.

Mr. Bunny

The burlap-wrapped vase was a HomeSense find which I filled with yellow blossoms as soon as I brought it home.  The white jug was also a HomeSense purchase.  I use it to display the bone handled butter knives I found at a garage sale a few years ago.  They were never taken out of their original box so were in mint condition.  The vintage silver serving spoon is stamped with 'God Bless us Everyone' and was a gift from my sweet daughter who found it on Ebay. 

I love the soft glow of light when the lamp is on at night.

A closer look at my vintage serving spoon.

My absolute favourite counter-top vignette.

All things work together for good...isn't that the truth!