In an Old Town Garden

I love spring! It's quickly approaching us and I just can't wait. This year, I'm most excited about starting a new garden at the Hand Crafted Cottage and what better place is there than Etsy to find some beautiful items to get it started?!

Here is a poem I found that I'd like to share, fitting with my garden theme, intertwined with some Etsy gems. Enjoy!

IN AN OLD TOWN GARDEN

by Lucy Maud Montgomery



Shut from the clamor of the street
By an old wall with lichen grown,

It holds apart from jar and fret

A peace and beauty all its own.



The freshness of the springtime rains
And dews of morning linger here;

It holds the glow of summer noons

And ripest twilight's of the year.



Above its bloom the evening stars
Look down at closing of the day,

And in its sweet and shady walks

Winds spent with roaming love to stray,

Upgathering to themselves the breath
Of wide-blown roses white and red,

The spice of musk and lavender

Along its winding alleys shed.



Outside are shadeless, troubled streets
And souls that quest for gold and gain,

Lips that have long forgot to smile

And hearts that burn and ache with pain.



But here is all the sweet of dreams,
The grace of prayer, the boon of rest,

The spirit of old songs and loves

Dwells in this garden blossom-blest.



Here would I linger for a space,
And walk herein with memory;

The world will pass me as it may

And hope will minister to me.

Fabulous Number Fifty Three

I decided that I should switch things up for my newest blog posting. I really do like choosing a theme and then finding wonderful and exciting items that fit within my scope of interest for the day, but, for this posting I thought, “let’s keep ‘em guessing.”

As you may, or may not know, I am a stickler for my favorites list. It’s almost like a sickness with me because every single morning (minus weekends of course) I log on to my favorites list and weed out the items that has been sold and then replace them with either their new listing, or an alternate. Every few days I search through my list of favorite sellers to see if my favorite shops have any new items that may catch my eye.

With that being said, and taking into consideration that I have a very well kept favorites list, I decided to randomly generate a number (which turned out to by number fifty-three) and do a spotlight on the shop that fell in the fifty third spot on my list. FYI - I currently have one hundred and eighteen favorites so far.

So, the lucky number fifty-three was Brown Dog Boutique. Lovely shop. I absolutely unequivocally love love love dogs. This adoration for the canine species, along with another passion…stationary, makes this shop a must love for me.

Offering a variety of awesome stationary supplies, one can expect to find such things as note cards, recipe cards, address labels, stickers and more adorned with the silhouette of their favorite breed of dog. There is also a wide selection of colours available which is a nice touch for those of us who like to personalize every aspect of our lives.
As I was snooping around the shop this afternoon I came across a few things that caught my eye. One was that the Brown Dog Boutique was having a sale on many of their note cards making them note only stylish but very affordable too! Another thing that caught my eye was that this great shop just recently celebrated their Etsiversary in mid-February (for those of you who don’t know, Etsiversary = one year anniversary on Etsy). So congrats Brown Dog Boutique, I can see that your shop is doing well and that you have many positive and glowing reviews!
My favorite thing about this shop, however, is their “design your own” option. I love the simplicity and elegance of a silhouette design and that I can add an injection of my own flair on something like an envelope or when giving out recipe cards. Many people are very loyal to one or two breeds (me being no different – see the Doxie Days post below) and now we can root for our favorite team a little louder. Well done, number fifty-three, well done.

Gift Giving Bliss

So the season is fast approaching. Yes, you know what season I’m talking about. No? Well, I’ll give you a hint. Think old, think new, think borrowed, think blue. Yes…you’ve got it! Wedding season! So far me and my others have found ourselves on a fairly light schedule of wedding time bliss. As it stands right now, we only have three weddings scrawled into our calendars.

I really do love weddings though. I love seeing the excitement on the family members’ faces and the adorable little girls in their flower girl dresses. I love the thought that goes into the tablescaping and watching their slideshow, seeing the bride and groom grow from rosy cheeked little cherubs to party hardy teenagers to the people they are today.

There are, however, different levels of excitement for each and every wedding that we attend - obviously. For example, your husband’s co-worker’s wedding may not invoke the same level of glee as that of your own sisters does. And with these varying degrees of wedding excitement levels there are also varying degrees on the gift levels.

Of the three weddings I am slated to attend this year I have, as you guessed it, three levels of wedding. The first is that of a friendly acquaintance. Great guy but I don’t see us going on any family trips together in the near future. Then, a month later, there’s an old friend of mine that I consider to be on my list of favorite people in the world (and who was, incidentally, one of my bridesmaid’s for my own wedding). Finally we have a friend of the family, who I also adore, and who falls somewhere in the middle of the first and second weddings.

I began to search through my Etsy favorites for appropriate wedding gifts. Ones that would fulfill all my different wedding gift levels. Of course I found a bevy of tokens that I would be proud to present to any of these people, all of which are more than fitting for my different wedding gift needs.
I have had my eye on this store for a while, waiting for someone special to me to have a wedding. I absolutely love this vintage styled sign from Rumpel Street Boutique and it would make a perfect wedding gift (or, really, a gift for you)! This sign comes in a variety of colours and sizes (medium size is pictured above) and is constructed beautifully of vinyl and solid wood. The artist has added a great final touch by signing and dating the back as well. Pricewise, this gift is an absolute winner, and would be the talk of the Gift Opening, without a doubt.
I love these Wine and Cheese Party Markers from Make Thyme. They are perfect for an acquaintances’ wedding, showing that you can come up with something cool and unique while still on a budget. Made of copper, the hand stamped plates measure 25.7mm x 19.8mm and sit on a 7.5” galvanized post. You may choose the different types of cheeses you would like to be included in your pack of five. Make Thyme also has a great collection of garden markets for you to check out as well.
I would faint with excitement (not kidding) if I got this stunning Fleur de Lis Address Plaque as a wedding gift. Atlas Signs is THE place to go for eye-catching signs for your home and life. I can’t describe this sign any better than it’s listing which says that this sign gives, “a rich sense of the past to your home.” You may choose your metal and lettering for an added touch of personal. I think I like the idea of this as a wedding gift so much because it symbolizes the new home that your couple will be commencing together. Gorgeous.
Next is something that is best given, perhaps, at a bridal shower. This silver lingerie wedding dress hanger from Lila Frances hardly needs a write up to show how perfect of a gift this is. Think of the wedding dress photo potential on the day of the wedding. It measure 15” across and can hold up to fourteen characters, all in a whimsical lower case font. If this one of a kind, amazingly awesome gift catches your eye you better order early though; there is a bit of a waiting list before you can get your hands on one.
And finally, this Earthenware Garden Bowl from KBrown Pottery is another great option, falling right in the middle when you don’t want to spent too much, but don’t want to spend too little either. This fabulous inside or outside bowl is hand thrown and measure 10.75”w x 2.75”h. Decorated with intricate and beautiful slip trailing, one is reminded of icing piped onto a cake. The listing indicates that this bowl will do beautifully outside, aging like a clay pot (although, beware of ice) or can be enjoyed indoors (although, keep in mind that it is not food safe).

So, whether you are attending the big day of your best friend of that of your second cousin’s aunt, once removed, remember that you can (and probably should) always put effort into your token to honour the biggest day of the bride/groom’s lives. Thought and effort is always truly appreciated and your gift will be one of the few that actually stick in their memories for years to come.