CLOCHE PARTY & PINK SATURDAY!!!

Oh happy day!! The Cloche Party has finally arrived!! I haven't been to this many parties since my wild twenties!! Oh, the fun I had with my girlfriends. We had a whole slew of bars we haunted; The Mug, Gonzo's and my favorite, P.O.E., which stood for Port Of Entry. It sat on the grand St. Charles River in Illinois, and we had the greatest times there. I once took a dare to do cartwheels down the dock, and oh did I!! Didn't land in the water, but should have. I sprained my ankle and now, 100 years later, it is weak, gives out and I have arthritis in it. Oh, the good 'ol days! But this is a cloche party and I believe I will behave myself!

Above is a gift from friends that came to visit us at the Lakehouse a few weeks ago. Thank you Carol & TJ!! It looks like a huge wineglass. Whoa...Partaaaay! No, it was empty and ironically, right on the bar that it is sitting on, I had a box of faux fruit from Target, just looking for a container. As our hostess Marty advised, we could use all types of vessels in this party, therefore I present, 'The Humongous Wineglass With Fruit'!!

I missed the last Cloche Party as I didn't have a clue what a cloche was. I caught on a bit after visiting some of the party goers. I loved all the pretty arrangements under glass and was determined I would make a darn good one!! On my trips to little resort towns in Michigan, with all sorts of shops and boutiques, I searched and searched for cloches. No one knew what I was talking about and I certainly wasn't articulating it well. Finally, I was in a little shop that sold gourmet food. And there it was. A beautiful white pedestal with a gorgeous dome. Inside was a jar of gourmet peach preserves. I talked the owner into selling me the whole set up. She thought I was nuts. I didn't dare explain the cloches or the party. She seemed glad to get rid of me.

Now, I thought I got the whole concept of the cloche and how you filled it with anything you wanted to your hearts content. But after that, I was lost. What do I fill it with?? Where do I get the stuff. I am up in Michigan with nothing but lakes and woods and corn fields...and then a light bulb went off in my blonde head and I hopped into my car and drove to our one horse downtown area and burst into Village Floral, where Jody stood behind the counter, her angel wings gently blowing in the breeze of the ceiling fan. She knew. Bring it in, she said. I ran back out to my car and zipped back in holding my Gourmet Peach Preserve Cloche close to my chest. I must have looked like a crazed woman. Jody gently took it from my sweaty hands and said, "I will take care of this.". Spoken like a true angel. I headed for the door and turned when I heard Jody ask, "But what is it?"

The following day, promptly at three 'o clock, I returned to Village Floral. And there Jody stood with my beautiful cloche and a bill for $20.00. My eyes lit up. It was magical, as you can see. Two little brown birds and all sorts of greenery and moss. Jody brushed her wings back with her manicured fingers that had delicately created this little domed wonderland. She patiently explained to me that she placed a piece of floral foam on a reversed piece of duct tape and attached it to the bottom of the cloche. This way, nothing is glued down and I can change out the cloche any way I want. Jody is one sharp angel. Then she said, "Shhh...come with me.", and she led me back through the aisles of silk floral arrangements, past the cool refrigerators filled with gorgeous roses, carnations and daisies. Back to where she opened a secret door. And in the dimness of the room, I saw shelves of faux silk flowers and grasses, tiny rose buds and dainty baby's breath. It was a fever dream of florals! She took a plastic bag and filled it with tiny flowers with stems. She added moss and to my astonishment, reindeer moss, which I had only heard of in a dream (or from a blogger). She added tiny birds and nests and some dried flowers. She gave me the bag and quietly said, "Do what you will with this. You are on your own. And please don't make a fool of yourself at the party." And then with a swoosh of her angel wings, she was gone.

I fiddled. I played. I laughed hysterically and ripped everything apart and started over. Many times. Finally...

Nope. This was a practice one! I found the vessel at our Farm market.

Cute bird though.

And finally. My finished cloche. Vessel also bought from the Farm Market. Inside is an avocado surrounded by different mosses and various faux and dried flowers. It sits on the hearth of the stone fireplace at the Lakehouse. Jody's cloche sits on my harvest table.

I think I did good.

Before I met my angel, Jody, I thought cloches and apothecary jars were just for the mundane. But I was touched by an angel. No, that's not original...I was touched by the ladies of Blogland who forced...er, inspired me to create, to learn to create, and to share. Thank you ladies. Thank you Jody!!! :-)

And in the spirit of Pink Saturday, I am going to lie down on my lounger with my pink pillow and then I am going to visit our hosts, respectively, Marty, who so selflessly planned this party, and Beverly, who has been the gracious hostess of Pink Saturday since forever. Visit these ladies and see the LONG list of participants. Visit these ladies and friends, who worked so hard to create a great post for us!!

xoxo

Jane