HAPPY EASTER! and 100th POST GIVEAWAY!!!

High time I get here, right? Well I have been very MIA trying to finish orders and work home projects at the same time, I just don't know how all you wonderful blogging friends find time to post so much. What is your secret?

Being Easter week, this beautiful time finds me balancing holiday and home along with planning a trip to New Jersey and New York. It is a working vacation of sorts with DH speaking at a seminar and myself meeting a client, turned good friend, whom I have been working a year long custom order for. I am so excited to meet her, if all works out. This all takes place May 1st. We will also go into New York to see Phantom on Broadway and dinner. So excited about this as we really need a get away.

When I return, I am excited to have Sherry from Edie Marie's Attic visit along with her daughter in law Chris and Linda from Linda's Bluegate. What fun. Sherry has been planning this trip with her DIL for some time and they will Amtrak here from Ohio. What a great trip they have planned and I am so excited to be on their list of stops. If anyone of you are near my area and would like to join us, let me know. Just send me an email.

100~~~100~~~100~~~

AND, since this is my 100th post I will have the girls do the drawing for my Spring Surprise giveaway on May 9th. Yes, I said surprise. I will reveal the winner on Mother's Day. All you have to do is comment on this post and any others between now and then, be an active blogger and able to supply me your address for shipping your winning gift. Easy right? If you comment on all posts I will enter your name in as many times as you comment. Fun!!! I know that most of you have posted twice as much as I have in this length of time, but for me, this is a milestone.

In the mean time, I am finishing my large year long special custom and finishing up my garden redesign, which has about 3 more days till finished. There is something so wonderful for me to work in the earth and baby my flowers. All my interior design background goes into play in the garden as I seem to work it like the inside with decorative touches and layout. Can't help it, in the blood I guess! LOL! More pictures to follow when finished.

Recently I purchased a few new goodies that add personality to my shabby Tuscan villa cottage. Here is a gorgeous collage from Amy of Bunny Rose Cottage with sweet umbrella chicks she sent for my birthday. The details and colors are perfect.

Betzie from Time Enough makes these wonderful designer soaps and I just had to have more after the first set she sent. This group is pink with sparkles and looks amazing in our master bath displayed on a gorgeous rose platter purchased from Stephanie of Angelic Accents. Betzie, I added my 4 leaf clover pin to the shoe. Isn't it pretty?

Sharing some decorative touches~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~My cross collection.

Spring Tea Set.

Italian bunny couple! Sweet birdie and Egg tree meets Tuscan country!


Vintage hand painted egg set I painted many years ago. A bit of whimsy to make a home complete!

With Easter upon us, I want to take this time to wish each and everyone a special holiday season and wonderful Springtime with blessings and many joys with your family and friends. Don't forget to enter the giveaway for this 100th post. Time has flown by so fast since I have begun to blog my studio and art shoppe designs. My greatest joy has been to meet and make friends with so many special people around the country and abroad. Thank you for making my first 100 posts fun. Your comments are always welcome and I answer each and everyone the best I can.

Good Luck!!!




Happy Easter Everyone~~~~~~~~~~

Blessings Always, Celestina Marie

THANK YOU MESSAGE!

Do you remember a time when you could not wait to become a year older? Oh sure!! you know the time, when we all could not wait to turn 18 or 21. Well the years tend to fly by with birthdays that come and go, and with them, the advance to become one year older. Having just celebrated a milestone birthday, I am so thankful for blessings too many to count. Friends and family that make getting older fun, special and great thankfulness to be here another year.

Wait a minute, that line is what my parents used to say. I can still hear them say, how grateful they were to wake up in the morning, live another day, still have their health and so on! Do we really become our parents in time? Do we really say the same things they used to say? I think it is true, no matter how we may think different.

But when I give it thought, how wonderful it is, to mirror the special people in our lives that gave us life and taught us values. Well, for this birthday, I am thankful and grateful to become, in a small way, a bit like my wonderful Mother and Father. If I become just a fourth like they were I will be blessed.
Now they would be the first to say, they were not perfect, had faults like everyone, but did their best and tried each day with God's help. Because of them, I had the opportunity to become who I am. Learning God's way from these very sweet and special people who I miss with every fiber of my being. They are in a much better place now.

So I give my birthday thanks to my Mother and Father. Thank you for all you were, for sharing and showing me by example how God wants us to try and live, leaning on HIS direction. I was given a life long gift!! I have much to celebrate.

Birthdays also go hand in hand with family and friendships. I have a few special pictures to share of the wonderful treasures I received. I want to send a BIG Thank you for making my birthday so special with your thoughtfulness. Here they are in no particular order, but we will start with the cake!! YUMMY!!

White on white cake, my favorite with pink roses of course. My son gives me a cake every year. He has done this for 13 years!

From the sweet Stephanie of Angelic Accents. She surprised me with a treasure!! Look at that cross stitch with my company name. I love it. And the beautiful angel pin she also created. What a talented girl. It looks amazing in my studio. Thank you so much!

From my sweet friend Ann of Ann's Finds. She surprised me with a wonderful black and white with pink group of collectibles that are very special. Treasured storage box, padded romantic hangers, sachet, boyd's heart bear, and roses potpouri. I love eveything! Many thanks!!

From my live long friend Yvonne. She found a CD of the Monkees. The story behind this is such a memory maker for me. When we were little, about 4th grade, the Monkees were all the rage. We knew all the songs and watched all the TV shows. It was a special time and this CD brought back so many sweet memories, when days were so simply and we worried about important desicions, like, wearing our Monkee shirts to a concert. I can laugh now, but we were very serious and loved the Monkees!! LOL. Anyone else remember this group? Thank you so much. It was so fun to hear these songs again.

Here is the divine Miss Beazy looking over the presents from sweet Amy of Bunny Rose Cottage. She was good and did not try to open anything. But she was interested. LOL

From dear Amy, she sent wonderful creations she made. The special canvas collage, darling panarama bunny box, a gorgeous pink cross, and an adorable chick family under the umbrella. I love everything and the talented Amy's creation are just as cute as can be. Her collage is just way adorable along with the panarama. I have found special places for everything. Thank you so much.

From my sweet friend Lorri. We have started a tradition of sorts since our birthdays are just a few days apart. We usually go to lunch and exchange gifts. We celebrated yesterday and she treated me to special pretties. Romantic hat boxes for my shabby rose guest room, gorgeous green gem pin, nail file with pictures of my sweet golden on it, cozy pink roses with black jammies and a gorgeous purple rose for February. I love everything and again found special places for each and every treasure.

Now I tell ya, I was so spoiled. It is such a blessing to share the special times of our lives with those we love. Near and far, I am very blessed.

Now, even though I have had a few days to birthday party, I did manage to work the week too. I have a lot of new traasures and too many for this post, so I will just share a few new pieces.




Thank you for stopping by. Till next time, I will be swinging a paint brush. Blessings and Blue Skies always, Celestina Marie

SHABBY ROSE DREAMS IN 88 STEPS!

Do you remember in my last post I referred to the 88 steps? Well, as silly and corny as it may be, when you enter the front door to my home, it is 88 steps to this new redesigned guest room. The last bedroom of the house, on the second floor. A room with a view, a reflection of my on line shoppes, an extension of my studio and a rose retreat for dreaming and moments of the heart. I know, 88 steps, kind of silly huh?

This was a really fun room to design like no other in my home. But, it works because of the location, set apart and far off from the rest of the rooms. One pretty spot to relax, read, plan and even paint on occasion, all while being a useful room for visitors.

Decorated with vintage treasures from my childhood home, gifts and found pretties all coming together to complete the final style. The furniture was all painted in a raw cotton against a background of light pale ballerina pink for the walls. White lace treats the windows in a pattern that reflects old world.

Thank you for stopping by to view my pink dreams. WELCOME!!
Down the long hall we walk, rounding out the last steps to the door with the wreath.

















Color palette for this room.


The final details and treasures from family and friends. The 3 tier cake plate is from my sweet painting friend, Lorri. The cupcakes on the tiers are made by Jenn of Jennifer's Petal Palace. The plate topper rose box is made by Connie of Living Beautifully. The white porcelain rose in the header was a gift from Lorri too. The cupcake canvas painted by Amy from Bunny Rose Cottage. The cross stitch pillow in the tea cup, made by Stephanie from Angelic Accents.






Little pink rocker from my childhood. The aqua hanging nest on shelf, handmade by Shirl of Shirl's Cottage.





Hand painted roses on the ceiling fan. Hankie box. Vintage cup with a hankie napkin. These hankerchief's were my Father's. Heart box made by Bertie of Aunt May's Cottage. Bed quilt details.





Art work around the room.










The above angel was a sweet gift from my friend Lorri. The tea cup is from Vickie from Visuals by Vickie. The pillow is from Shabby Cats and Roses on ebay.

Thank you for stopping by and staying for this long post. There are just too many treasures to share so I will save them for another post, or maybe I should join Pink Saturday. So glad to have recovered from my yearly big decorating bug. Now it is on to new fun in the studio and lots on the drawing board there. Till next time, Blessings Always~~ Celestina Marie