Friday, January 23, 2009

Pink Saturday: The Quest

It is Pink Saturday and I am so thrilled to participate. Last week I had a "trial run" of sorts as I did not submit my name in time , but posted some pictures anyway (Hee Hee). I would like to thank Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for hosting this event. I have had much fun perusing blogs that have participated in the past and it is always a treat. Thank you Beverly for organizing this day! :-)

I call this post my "quest" as I did not realize I had so little pink in my home although I am a very feminine gal and love romantic pastel touches. So I scouted around, room after room like a spy with my trusty camera (not so trusty actually as I can't figure out how to work the blasted thing). "Emily, What is this lightning bolt for?" "It's the flash Mom." O.K. So off we go:

We are going to start with a couple of quilts on my bed. I love old quilts and I have been collecting them over the years from various antique stores in all sorts of small towns in the midwest. Unfortunately, my kids love to crawl under a soft, broken-in quilt at every given opportunity so I have them carefully packed away. Yes, I know this breaks the rule of practicality, but someday I will bring them out again. And display them behind glass!!

EVERYDAY QUILTS

This is my favorite and most "broken in" in quilt. I call it a "napping quilt", and although I don't take naps, this would be the quilt I'd use. The dogs, however, adore naps and this one is a favorite. I am realizing I may love dogs more than kids as you can see, I have not packed it away. I have folded it over so you can see the reverse side which is pink and white gingham. Makes me almost want to nap which is very un-blonde of me.


I recently decided that I needed a little more punch to my bed aside from above quilt and for the fact that kids and dogs are now crowding me out to enjoy said quilts. Almost have enough to round things out here. This is a romantic but "happy" quilt and should I ever be so inclined to take a nap, which I have already stressed that am not inclined to ever do, I think I would have "happy" dreams.


I thought this was a closer view, but it must be something wrong with this beastly camera! I promise to read the instruction book as long as it has more diagrams than words. If possible, note the tiny rosebuds on reverse side.

I also have a blue quilt on my bed to accommodate any stragglers, but it is blue so I won't go in to detail.

Oh, here we go, closer view. Enough said!


Today I went to Jewel, our grocery store chain, and came upon these beautiful primrose, potted in the most pathetic containers. They were crying for a home and a re-potting and fool that I am, I took two home with me. At $1.00 a piece they had better live. Hit the jackpot with this pink one...



...but I have to say that yellow flowers always melt my heart. I think they give a garden a little pop in a most gentle way. And I think yellow flowers can be paired with any color. Sorry the photo didn't turn out so well. Will bring camera in to shop tomorrow for adjustments.





Here we have spider mums. These happened to be the last to stay on from a rather gorgeous bouquet I received a week ago. Add to that the time it took to transport them from a warmer region of the country, it's a miracle they are alive at all!! :-)





Moving along, I have a photo of a tray with a sugar bowl and creamer that Emily gave me one year for Mothers Day. It brings a tear to my eye when I remember her saying; "I couldn't afford the teapot". She made her money babysitting and I knew the gift shop she went to was very expensive. I keep this set on display always.







While I was going through the house griping that I didn't have anything pink, it was pointed out that both of our bathrooms are pink. How funny the way things slip my mind! I didn't think it proper to photograph the entire room where we, err... do private things, so I just took a picture of a darling little cabinet we bought at Target to hold some essentials. Em assembled the whole thing and though it wobbles a bit, it serves the purpose. Note the pink floral lining of the baskets. The bathroom is also painted by means of using the top two coordinating colors on a paint chip card (can't go wrong with that!) with a white chair rail dividing the two colors, which are a sort of blush pink. We have some pink restraint in this bath as this is where The Husband does his private things in addition to the women of the house.







We move on to the second bath which is quite an oddity and I pray that some day my fellow bloggers will inspire me to be courageous and act on my impulses to change it. But first, the wallpaper. It is a trellis design with pretty detailed roses. A little whimsical I think. I used this wallpaper to feminise a bath that the previous owners did some strange things with (to put it mildly).









The walls surrounding the entire bath, excluding the tub and shower are paneled with this rough pine. I think they were trying to give it a sort of "rustic" look. Maybe said previous owners were cow hands. I have waited and waited for a sign to come to me that I ought to whitewash this wood and bring it up to a real shabby, shabby chic look. Please fellow bloggers , give me a sign. Also, prod me , as I am inherently lazy.

You will see that I tried to feminize this room as well by papering with florals and putting in not only a pink marble vanity top, but the floor is pink tile (sorry, no picture) and the shower has blush colored wall tiles. This is the girls' bath but they rarely use it as the water pressure is very low. The tub is pristine.










A quick tour through Abby's room. It is a menagerie of color but I think pink is the predominant color. I love girls. Little girls , teenage girls, girlfriends. We were just born to be pink from the day we were born and swaddled in pink. Why was that anyway? Do any historians know? Why weren't we wrapped in fuchsia or aqua green? Our homes would have taken on a whole new realm!








My Abby. The activist. She has walked in the Why Me? 3K walk every year since she was thirteen to support funds for breast cancer. She is involved in an organization to save the whales that are being slaughtered with the nod of the Japanese government. She has also, without any regard for her safety or good hygiene, rode the dolphins in a smelly pool while vacationing in Mexico. She is one spunky teenager!







Need I say more? (Note pink bag).








I never knew I had so much wallpaper. This was from back in the day where you wallpapered everything! And I did! This is a close-up of the walls in our den, or library if you will. I was in my Victorian mode. I like that I mixed pastels with darks. Very daring for me. :-)












Last but not least is a wreath with dried roses. I don't wish to offend anyone but I do not want anything plastic or silk in my home. Dried flowers or arrangements are the only thing that get past my door. Personal preference.




So there you have it for Pink Saturday. I have exhausted all the pink in my home unless I decide to start pawing through my cabinets and cupboard. I'm sure there is a plethora of forgotten dishes in there. We'll see.
Happy Pink Saturday. Thank you Beverly. Thank you fellow bloggers. I meant to be more visual than verbal but blondes tend to be led astray. But in my case, a good way!! I hope.
xoxo
Janie















35 comments:

My name is Riet said...

Welcome to pink Saturday. It was lovely to see all your pinks. isn't it funny when you look at your home with :different ,pink" eyes you suddenly see a lot of pink. Have a nice pink day.

Paula@SweetPea said...

Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving comments. I always am up for making new blogging friends.

You found a lot of pink in your home once you started to look. I have a feeling that my home is the same way.

You should try the tomato soup. I think that using a food processor would work perfectly. In fact, I'm going to do that the next time I make it. The blender, even with a towel over the top, was kind of messy. One of these days I'll get an immersion blender.

Enjoy your Saturday!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Janie, I love all of your pink, and I am in love with your quilt! Quilts are one of my favorite things, and your pink one is oh so wonderful! Love all of your other pinkness, too!

Hope you're in the pink this morning. I was listening to the Weather Channel, and they said Chi-town had the coldest winter on record this year. Here's hoping we get some warmth soon!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Sherrie said...

Hi!
Love all your pink!! I really like that wreath! It's beautiful!! Have a great day!!

Sherrie

kymber said...

Hi,
Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful pinks today! I love your quilts!

Your daughter sounds like such a beautiful soul. Reaching out for good causes. You must be so proud of her! To have such a calling to do this at a young age - Good job mom!
Blessings on your day today!
Kymber

Kat said...

I love the sugar and creamer set and the story that goes with it. Aren't kids just the best! And I love that first quilt with the gingham on the back, so sweet. Kathy

SmilingSally said...

Goodness, I hope you'll have something to share next week. Everything is so lovely, especially the sugar and creamer. Thanks for sharing. Happy Pink Saturday.

Unknown said...

I am particularly drawn to your quilts..I love the soft colors that are acheived only through using them. Glad you got your post in this week!

Deb said...

Your quilts are fantastic! Great Pink Saturday post.

2 Dogs said...

Okay I think you have a lot of pink in your house. Lovely quilts. Love them.

Being a HATER of all brown panel I for one say yes, yes, yes it is time to white wash the bathroom panel.

When we move into our house John loved the brown panel. *sick* I HATED IT. After living here about 7 years he came to me and said he knew I hate it. Let's paint over it. We filled in the groves and painted. Yes! Love it now. Absolutely no sign of it left anywhere.

Hugs

Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer said...

Loved all your pinks... I think your quilts are my favorites.. I always wanted to learn how to quilt!

Happy Pink Saturday.

Beverly said...

Welcome to your first Pink Saturday, Jane.

I enjoyed the tour of all of your pinks, and your descriptions and narratives gave me a big smile. Thank you for sharing.

Unknown said...

Your quilt is lovely. It's not to hard to find pink when you start looking. It pops up in many unusual places.

fairiemoon said...

You had plenty of pink! You should have saved some though. LOL! Happy Pink Saturday and Welcome!
Erin :)

Kathleen Ellis said...

So many pink pretties, Blondie...but now that you've shown us all the pink that you didn't know you had...whatever are you going to do for next Pink Saturday??? Oooo...I know! GO SHOPPING!!!
Thanks for sharing...thanks for stopping by...Happy Pink Saturday!;-D

The Muse said...

I am traveling and have not had a lot of time for personal computer time..so I am posting Pink Sat... just under the wire ! LOL

And I do hope to get to visit all the lovely postings!

LOL i'm laughing because i too am on a quest...LOL yes..the pink is slowly dwindling... :) what are we to do :) LOL

but honestly...i find a bit here and there...when i'm not looking! LOL

Sure do love your quilts! i just want to snuggle up and read :)

Dawn said...

Welcome to your first pink saturday! Love your quilts and same sentiments on the camera thing!

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

You are cracking me up..."She has also, without any regard for her safety or good hygiene, rode the dolphins in a smelly pool while vacationing in Mexico." HA! :-)

And oh boy would I like to curl up under that broken in quilt right now. (I've got some serious sniffles attacking me. Blah!).

CC said...

Welcome to Pink Saturday..hope you have tons of fun searching thru for pinks..:)

RobinfromCA said...

Happy Pink Saturday! Your quilts are lovely! By all means, whitewash your paneling in the bathroom! It would look so wonderful with the pink and white and make that candelabra so very happy!

:-)
Robin

Virginia said...

Welcome to pink Saturday.love all of your pink.

Blessings,
Virginia :)

Beth at Aunties said...

I enjoyed reading about all the lovely pink in your home:)
The quilts are my favorites...I am a quilter who adores quilts. Your daughters are so cute and what fun to have two teenage daughters at home.
I thought the story was so sweet about Emily and the cup. Children's heartfelt goodness melts my heart.
Thanks for your visit and sweet comments to my blog:)


♥♥♥

Anonymous said...

Jane,
Love all your pink...especially the quilts. Happy First Pink Saturday....Thank for stopping by and sweet comment katherinellen

♥Mimi♥ said...

I love your quilts. You can never have too many, can you?

April said...

Wow...you have quite a lot of pink in your house, afterall. I don't think I have much in mine, either, but I think I'd be surprised if I really started looking around.

I LOVE your quilts! I have a pink one my grandma made me when I turned 18 and it means a lot to me. Are primroses the same thing as African violets? I have several, what I thought were African violets, but maybe they're not, afterall!

Have a Happy Pink Saturday!!!

Lori Lynn said...

You had more pink than you thought you did! So did I when I first started participating.Welcome to PS!

Ms. Tee said...

Oh, I really love quilts, especially those soft, broken in ones! And how neat to see your girls' rooms, too - their rooms are just like teenage girls, bright & full of life. How sweet that your daughter has participated in the cure for cancer walk, too & that the other one is so spunky. :) Thanks for sharing all of your pretty things with us, and for your sweet comments over at my place, too ;)

Jil~Say It With Roses said...

Hi Janie,
Love, love your blog! I am rather new, too. Hope you will come and say "HI".
Jil

said...

I do love those quilts of yours!

Envoy-ette said...

Is there any unseen pink left? I doubt it - you were very thorough!
So, what are you going to show us next week? LOL!

KatCollects said...

Love the pink bag, and broken in quilts are the best. Happy belated pink Saturday.
Kathy

Mary said...

Hi Blondie - Thanks for stopping over to visit - I'm enjoying reading about YOU and your interesting life in the Chicago area. I love Chicago!

Well now you'll just have to find more pink so you can return next week!

Anne Fannie said...

Hi Jane, Welcome to your first Pink Saturday! I am a little late getting around to visit.
I love all your pinkness you have. That primrose did make my heart flutter. I love primroses!
Happy Belated Pink Saturday...
Love, Ann

JudyBug said...

Love the pink quilts! You can never have too many quilts. They are so warm and cozy.

Try The Closer. I may grow on you. She is quite a character.

I didn't watch Sex and the City but see the mother's credits and yes, she was. She was best known as Cliff Cravins mother (Cheers).

No catfish? Oh my!

Anonymous said...

Happy Pink Belated Saturday. So glad you have joined us.:) Lynn