I have said that August is my birthday month. Well this must be proof. When I opened the brown shipping box Mr. C told me these are my gifts he got me. Hmmm...I don't think so!
I happened to know this box came from the uber generous Celestina Marie. Please visit her site
http://larearose.blogspot.com/ if you aren't familiar with her blog or her beautiful designs.
Needless to say Mr. C was simply hoping I would give him credit as he is not good about celebrating birthdays or holidays. I am totally fine with this as he is very thoughtful and generous throughout the year when least expected.
As for the goodies inside this box! Look at the dreamy pink French inspired paper, the pink silk petals, the soft pink tulle ribbon and the details on the boxes. I was giddy like a little princess on her birthday getting ready to open these beautiful presents.
This feminine gorgeous bottle complete with pink glittered roses and stopper. Swoon...
This adorable little birdhouse ornament handpainted by Celestina Marie herself both back and front.
More swooning...
Now my photos are out of order however this was an unexpected item she included. A small very heavy handpainted paperweight book. The tole painted roses are exquisite.
And completely over the moon swooning on this piece. My very own pink with rhinestone bling Eiffel Tower. It is also a bank and I can put my money in it to take a trip to Paris...Do they make $1000 bills as this bank is tiny and I will need a lot of money? :o)
Oh dear...my photos are so out of order however I am very comfortable using blogger as my excuse since I am not familiar with the new version. I think I am lucky any of my photos actually got onto this post.
This is the trio of lovelies that Celestina Marie actually offered as a give to celebrate her 38th wedding anniversary. Go figure...our good fortune due to her good fortune. I am still convinced that bloggers are the truly most generous giving souls on this planet.
This spoon is probably my very favorite of her pieces. I had been coveting these on her etsy shoppe waiting for just the right moment to acquire one. I am truly blessed as now I do have my very own spoon and it is even more exquisite in person. I do have some gifts in mind that I shall need to purchase for and these are perfect. I hope you take a very close look at her
shoppe to see what you might fall in love with.
Thank you so very much Celestina Marie. I feel so fortunate to be able to share you as my blogger friend. When I went back to your profile and read your credentials I completely understand how you would be chosen to visit the White House and create ornaments for one of the annual Christmas trees. Your work is truly special and I am so proud to be the lucky recipient of your generosity.
I will be thanking you properly very soon my dear.
Happy weekend to all and may you enjoy this end of summer to its fullest...Labor Day is just ahead...
This spoon is probably my very favorite of her pieces. I had been coveting these on her etsy shoppe waiting for just the right moment to acquire one. I am truly blessed as now I do have my very own spoon and it is even more exquisite in person. I do have some gifts in mind that I shall need to purchase for and these are perfect. I hope you take a very close look at her shoppe to see what you might fall in love with. 
Thank you to each of you who took the time to make such wonderful and comforting comments on my post of yesterday. This is what I know about blogland...there are not only extremely creative souls...there are extremely caring souls and I feel so fortunate to be able to be part of such a warm community.
This is the box with the slippers in it wrapped and ready to give. I was carrying it around when we met at The Fountains for our day together (5 women) of lunch, laughter and shopping. We were in Chicos clothing store and one of the sales ladies was so enamored with the box she practically scared me. Wanted to know if I had gotten it at Anthropolgy across the way. My friend told her I created it. The woman was agast. May I just say the entire time I carried this box around women were commenting on it and so amazed at how clever it was. Thank you I humbly say. I am merely following in my mother and grandmother's footsteps as this is how we always did things. "Think outside the box" was common place for our family of creative people. My mother was Martha Stewart without the fame and fortune!
I took a thrift store uncut pattern and wrapped the slippers in the tissue. Then I wrapped the box in the pattern instructions. Cut the pattern package and put it on the ends of the box. Used a tape measure for the ribbon and glued some colorful buttons to the top. Even Mr. Createology said how clever the package looked. That was a compliment I cherish! 
After an entire day of working in the yard this weekend we see very little improvement if you look at the overall areas that need attention. If you look at each small area and see the end result of our back-breaking work then there is a slight air of contentment. We live with such harsh winter environments, critters and especially deer, loads of oak, cedar and pine trees with their unique issues and various other elements that is it a huge job just to keep up with any kind of yard work or plant tending or preening in the landscape. Mr. Hubby and I bought this house with nothing more than construction ground surrounding it and spent the first year putting in the retaining walls and hardscape. We definitely supported the local economy with this massive undertaking. Then the second year we landscaped the entire 360 degrees around the house. When I say we I do mean hubby and I doing all the work with merely a helper now and then. Of course in hindsight we over-landscaped and now are letting areas go back natural as the deer and elements destroy our plants. We have lost more plants through the past few years than most people ever plant in their lifetimes. Flowers are the rarest item in our landscaping due to the voracious deer, chipmonks, moles and whatever else decide to eat or just pull up out of the ground, taste it and then spit it out in shreds. I of course wanted roses and we planted dozens of roses only to find out that those are the preferred caviar to deer. Needless to say we have very few rose plants left and the moment they bud the deer eat them until the plant eventually dies.
