Pink Friday "Summer Porch and Garden"

Please join us Friday July 10th for Pink Friday - a themed shopping event at Make Mine Pink.

Click HERE for my Summer Porch and Garden selections.

Click HERE to see the offerings of the participating boutiques at Make Mine Pink.

Greentique

I would like to introduce you to Jennifer. We met through a mutual friend and I am a huge fan of her business. She just opened up a new store in Huntington Village, NY.

Jennifer carries some great green products such as candy and soda wrapper pocketbooks and accessories (these are a huge hit), peace and love jewelry, aromatherapy products, stainless steel water bottles and more.

Her new website is under construction but you can view some of her products here at her old site. http://www.victoriasgreencloset.com/.

If you're in the area, make sure you stop by and say hello to Jen!

Tent Sale and a Hydrangea Blossom!

Just wanted to share the first pick of my pink hydrangea in a tarnished vessel. Love it!

And, here is the Tent Sale special for today. I have a few of these wall scrolls left. I just love anything scrolly. You can find it HERE.

Here is a pic of one I used in my daughter's room.

Tent Sale Tuesday

The "Marie" tassel has been place under the tent. See it HERE.

Yummy Salmon Cakes

Love these simple Salmon Cakes served over a bed of greens with a yummy chili mayo sauce.
Great for the kids to help out with too.
While I was busy working on a project the other night, my 10 yr old whipped up the sauce, flaked the salmon and chopped up the red pepper and chives for me.
It's great to have help in the kitchen!

This recipe came from a Rachel Ray cookbook. Click HERE for the recipe on food network.

I caught a little bit of the food channel this weekend. There were some great recipes for pizza on the grill by Bobby Flay, grilled teriyaki steak on a stick with grilled pineapple, and Blueberry Ginger Mojitos. Gotta try those this summer!

Tent Sale Tuesday-French Floral Bucket

Love the muted colors of this piece. It's just been placed under the tent. Check it out HERE.

Tent Sale Tuesday

Already! I can't believe my last post was exactly one week ago.

Time is flying by too quickly.

And I apologize for being a bad blogger.

I haven't posted much at all, or visited your beautiful blogs either.

It's been a very busy last couple of months in our house.

All good stuff, sporting events, dance recitals, award ceremonies, graduations, etc.

Looking forward to summer and a reduced schedule!

So back to the Tent Sale.

I've just moved the last Mini Hydrangea to the tent. Check it out HERE.

Tent Sale Tuesday!

Just 2 of these Embossed Urns left and they're under the TENT. Love the vintage green finish on these. So many uses.

I'm a Lucky Girl!

Back in March, I spotted these gorgeous tuffets on my friend Sharon's website - C'est Chouette. I had been wanting to be owner of one of her creations for the longest time. So when I proposed the idea of buying this beautiful pair for myself to my husband, he talked me out of it. It's not easy to convince a man that the perfect pair of tuffets is a NECESSITY! These also did match the colors of my website as well.

So, I agreed with him, and then noticed the pair sold in just a couple of days and of course I was a little depressed - but Sharon promised that she would let me know when she came across a needlepoint in these colors again. And I've been waiting!

Well, Saturday was our anniversary and my husband surprised me with the exact pair of the tuffets I wanted so badly. I couldn't believe it! I didn't think he had it in him! I guess my convincing had worked. Thank you honey - I love them!

Pink Friday "The Secret Garden"

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday May 29, 2009 as we present

"The Secret Garden"

Discover a secret garden, a sacred place that refreshes your senses and feeds your soul. Whether purposefully planted - like grapevines carefully twisted along a white painted arbor - or tended by nature's hand - a colorful explosion of wildflowers in a forgotten field - you'll recognize your own by the little flutter you feel inside. A place that inspires new dreams and renews forgotten strengths.
It could be bold… like a spring garden of bright red tulips, with a friendly plaque that says "Welcome friends." Or rows of dahlias in strawberry, sherbert, and lipstick pinks, lining a garden pathway. Perhaps it's delicate as dainty hearts bleeding from a hidden bush, or a single lily, whose petals are beginning to open in the sun. A perfectly pruned rosebush in a landscaped yard, or a topiary of French roses placed on the patio for everyone to enjoy. An untamed daisy bush that decided to spring up in a hidden corner, and catch your eye whenever you look out your kitchen window. A leafy hosta surrounded by blue forget-me-nots and ceramic mushrooms. Orderly pink and purple fuchsias trailing from painted pots, accompanied by a tea cup birdfeeder.
Or does your own secret garden flourish indoors? A garden embroidered along the edge of a vintage linen tablecloth, or decorating the notepaper and envelopes you keep on your writing table. Romantic peach rosebuds encircling a china plate. French ribbon roses, and hand-built ceramic roses added to dresser drawers and empty table tops. A floral pattern on a vintage handkerchief. Fleur-de-lis carved into a white display shelf. A vintage needlepoint of pink stargazer lilies surrounded by burgundy roses. A garden of photographs and memories, sprinkled with tiny flowers.
Secret gardens, wherever they may lie, fill our days with sacred places and secret sanctuaries.

Joyce Lucas, Founder

Make Mine Pink

Check out my Secret Garden products HERE.

Visit the boutiques at Make Mine Pink HERE.

Tent Sale Tuesday

Oops! Almost forgot to post with yesterday being a holiday! These weathered frames have just been put under the tent HERE.

Roasted Tomato and Mozzarella

Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad
Yum! This is a great starter for your Memorial Day weekend barbeque. These tomoatoes are roasted in the oven, but why not throw them on the grill? I'm sure they will be just as good if not better. I got the recipe HERE on the Food Network site, it's by Barefoot Contessa, of course.
Ina Garten is definitely one of my favorite chefs.

Tent Sale Tuesday!

Just one medium size Lavender tub remaining on my site.

Check it out HERE.

Il Divo in Concert

Gotta love Il Divo - They came back to NY on Friday night and I just had to see them again. It was an amazing concert. I took my mom for her birthday and she was in heaven! Neal Boyd was in the audience too. He was last year's America's Got Talent winner and there was a crowd lined up to meet him. I hear he's also a great new opera singer who just appeared on Regis and Kelly this week.

Pink Friday "Romantic Roses"

Please join us for shopping with a twist on May 15th as we present "Romantic Roses".

Come see what we are offering for this theme by clicking HERE.

Visit the participating shops at Make Mine Pink HERE.

Tent Sale Tuesday!

I have one of these Hydrangea Tubs left in stock. They are so pretty - I want to keep them all for my craft studio. I can just picture them on my shelves with rolls of fabric or paper. Or how about the bathroom with rolled towels? Filled with flowers? Magazines or books? You can also line with plastic and fill with ice and drinks for a party. Check it out HERE.

Happy Mother's Day

Just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Mother's Day!

Tent Sale Tuesday

I know it's Wednesday but I missed Tent Sale Tuesday. Why? I was busy packing up orders and simply forgot! Sorry. I just discounted the last Lavender Tub I have in this size. These are great. I would love to keep them all, but I have bills to pay! Check it out HERE!

Shop Hop begins today!

The Mother's Day Shop Hop begins today! Click HERE for the details and to start looking for those graphics hidden on participating sites. Lots of beautiful prizes to be won!

Happy May Day!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy May Day!

The girls at Make Mine Pink did an amazing job on creating some of there own May Day jars. Voting begins today for the best decorated jar.

Click HERE to check them out and place your vote!

(must be a registered forum member to vote)

Wanna meet our new baby?

First meeting off the transport.

Her name is Bella. We picked her up this week! And we're just loving her.

Pink Friday “lavender and lace”

A lavender field in full bloom creates a purple and green landscape and infuses a sweet fragrance into the air. A field of flowers brought to life with the buzzing of bees, decorated with birds and butterflies drawn to its fragrant aroma. The lavender fragrance wafts gently through the air, carrying the memories of flowers, happiness, and sunny days.

Far away, a summer porch, framed by windows with white lace, is surrounded with the scent of lavender. Lavender blooming in window boxes and flower pots, or decorating a flower garden with their purple blossoms. Whether along a country road or on a city street, the lavender scent embraces all indiscriminately.

Too beautiful to remain outdoors, the fragrance of lavender easily enters our homes and daily lives. From a carefully tended flowerbed we pick a tiny bunch and place it in a hand-cut crystal bud vase, where it can brighten a corner as it sits upon a vintage lace doily. Tuck a sprig of the tiny flowers into the lace band of a broad-brimmed summer hat, carrying the beautiful fragrance with us wherever we go. Or perhaps lay it inside a dresser drawer. Tie it with a tiny scrap of lace and hang it upon a wall, set it upon a shelf.

In a drawer or as a lavender bouquet tied with apple-green organdy ribbon, edged with a dainty row of lace, the loveliness of lavender is impossible to contain. An elegant centerpiece set upon an antique table draped with a vintage lace table cloth, it's a feast for more than the eyes as the fragrant aroma declares its presence. Sunlight shining through the lacy curtains warms the room and casts delicate shadows upon the wall. Suddenly, the room seems draped in a lavender landscape and fields of lace.

Joyce Lucas,Founder

www.MakeMinePink.com

Click HERE to see the participating boutiques.

Click HERE to see Hydrangea Home's "lavender and lace" products.

The Members of Make Mine Pink Step up and adopt a hope chest for Enchanted Makeovers 2009 vision project

First let me introduce you to the non-profit organization that Make Mine Pink is joining hands with this year. I'm sure you've heard of Terry Grahl of Enchanted Makeovers? Well, for the past several years Terry has been donating her time and gathering resources to refurbish women and children's shelters. This year the 2009 Vision project is Terry's shelter makeover. We're proud to be able to help her with this worthy project.

Please visit the Enchanted Makeover site read more. http://www.enchantedmakeovers.org/

Part of Terry's plan is to have a hope chest for each girl in the shelter that would be filled with items that they will need when they move on from the shelter. We all had or knew someone that had a hope chest, and understand the significance of giving these girls something to look forward to..dream about.. hope for.

Terry had a company lined up that expressed interest in providing the hope chest for all 20 girls but unfortunately the company that was planning to donate the hope chests is no longer able to. Terry has asked MMP to help. Two hope chests have already been donated, leaving 18 for MMP to raise funds for. As I doodled 18 hope chest at 200.00 each = 3600.00 on a piece of paper, I started thinking. 18 people (only 18) could adopt/provide a hope chest for 200.00 contribution. Two Hundred dollars each didn't sound all that bad. I could do that for such a worthy cause. But I doodled some more and thought.. 36 people - 2 to a chest would be 100.00 each - that was even better! But what about teams of 3 people? That would be 67 dollars each? That would be so within many of our reach, making it easier for more to participate. I just knew we could do this if we formed teams to adopt a hope chest. Suddenly the plan for 18 hope chests and 3600.00 didn't seem out of reach at all. A plan was formed and the adopt a hope chest program began.

As of April 20, 2009 we have 11 Hope Chest Funded. We have 7 to go in the next month. If you'd like to join a team or adopt a hope chest, please email me at info@makeminepink.com. Please let us know if you will

Adopt a Hope Chest Myself: 200.00
Adopt a Hope Chest with 1 other person 100.00
Adopt a Hope Chest with 2 others 67.00

Some of you asked if the hope chest will go with each girl. No.. it will stay at the shelter offering hopes and dreams to every new resident. When one graduates, she'll take with her the contents (some of which we will contribute) and make room for a new resident to plan and dream of a time when she'll be ready to move on.

Terry has a gentleman that will be constructing each hope chest.. so time is not a luxury we have. The 2009 vision project is due to be completed by August, so we need to move fast! Monetary donations for the hope chests will be due by May 30th.

On behalf of Terry and the Enchanted Makeover Committee at Make Mine Pink..thank you for being a part of the 2009 Vision Project.

Joyce Lucas
Founder
MakeMinePink.com

Tent Sale Tuesday

This Vanilla Rose arrangement in Pink Crackled pot has just been place under the tent at 20% off! Check it out HERE.

May Day Flower Jar Contest

Wouldn't it be nice to treat someone special this May Day with a little surprise flower bouquet? Traditionally, May Day Flower baskets were left on the doorsteps of neighbors on May 1st. The jars are just an updated version of this sweet idea.We thought it would be fun to have a May Day Jar contest at Make Mine Pink.

Click HERE for contest rules and info.

Click HERE and HERE for a tutorial.

Tent Sale Tuesday

This Vanilla Rose Tussie has just been moved to the TENT!

Easter Treats

I know it's over, but since we only finished making these goodies at midnight Saturday night, I didn't have time to share them with you. These are pics of the desserts we made for my brother and sister-in-law's Easter brunch. Not only were they fun to make and look at - they tasted pretty good too! The little nests were a thin chocolate cookie with chocolate ganache piped on top and toasted coconut. We used peanut butter M&Ms for the eggs. It's a Martha Stewart recipe found HERE. The cookie pops were a basic sugar cookie recipe with royal icing. I used 10" sticks so that I could stick them into styrofoam set inside the planter. Aren't they cute?!

We had a nice time at my brothers as usual, but I think I need to detox from all of the sugar we consumed yesterday! Hope you all had a great Easter!

Happy Easter!

Pink Friday "For the Birds"

Spring is here, and you don’t even need to look outside your kitchen window or open your front door to know it. Just waking up to the sweet melody of a backyard robin cheerily singing outside your window is enough to tell you that life is renewed and spring is reborn. The birds of spring have returned and the earth reawakens.

Outside, in our fenced yards and open fields, brightly colored bluebirds and streaked song sparrows flit between tree branches and land carefully among the budding leaves. Singing songs of love to each other, chirping madly over jealousies. Bringing home odds and ends to build their nests - bits of bright string, broken twigs. Items insignificant to everyone else, but the stuff of life for the feathered set. With the return of spring, we find our winged friends building homes in every unclaimed corner…. under the eaves of buildings, in riverbanks, on rocky ledges, suspended from tips of tree branches, hidden under flaps of loose bark. Even in the nest boxes we offer up with hope. Hanging baskets, mail boxes, old boots, flower pots. Any place that somehow looks like home. No matter where we live, or what the season, avian accessories create eternal springtime in our homes too. Birds and their nests placed carefully upon our shelves, painted delicately on a wall, stitched on a delicate needlepoint. Perhaps we invite into our homes the same birds we see each spring.

Parrot green, robin’s egg blue, bright canary yellow, flamingo pink. A rainbow of color unfurls inside and out of our homes in the hopes of eternal spring.

Joyce Lucas,Founder
www.MakeMinePink.com
Image by: Sharon Wollman of C'est Chouette Home

Join us tomorrow Friday, April 10th for a themed shopping experience

"For the Birds".

Click HERE to see what the boutiques at Make Mine Pink will be offering.

Click HERE to see what I will be offering. Remember - products will be listed tomorrow.

Have fun!

Tent Sale Tuesday!

Just listed - under the TENT!

May Day is on the Way!

Last year I surprised some special friends with a little May Day flower surprise. I made these flower jars with supplies around the house and plan on making them again. Click HERE and HERE for the how-to from last year. Stay tuned - I have some more ideas for these cute little jars that I'm working on this week using fabric, canvas and burlap. I'm hoping to post them this weekend!

I am adding this to Melissa's Beautiful Life post at the Inspired Room. It's a great way to add a little beauty to someone's day! Click HERE to see what everyone else is doing this week.

I am also participating in Julia's Hooked on Friday post because I'm hooked on making these special gifts. Click HERE to see what everyone else is hooked on!

Pink Friday!

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, April 3, 2009 as we present

Marie Antoinette.

Marie Antoinette was young, tall, blonde and beautiful and she set fashion trends through France and Europe. She was nicknamed "Madame Deficit" or "Queen of Debt” because the Queen spent lavishly on her dress and adornments, exceeding annually her clothing allowance (her overruns always covered by her devoted husband Louis). Her flip remark “Let them eat cake” (attributed to her, but never confirmed) was the spark that ignited the French Revolution. Today, we simply cannot get enough of “Marie”Only 15 when she married the crown prince of France, the dauphin. France was then the most powerful nation of continental Europe, and the royal palace at Versailles the most opulent. She became Queen of France while still a teen. Her excessive fashions for high headdresses, plumes and voluminous dresses were subject to public comment, admiration and ridicule. At Versailles, the Queen also spent lavishly on her friends and on her entertainment. She held frequent gambling parties, masquerade balls and danced all night long.To escape the formalities, boredom, and royal obligations of court, Marie-Antoinette created a private realm of pleasure for herself and her friends at the Petit Trianon, a small retreat palace on the grounds of Versailles, and Hameau, where she planted the first Anglo-Chinese garden; collected all species of antique roses; and revolutionized architecture and gardening trends. It was so much her escape that the King was reported only to have visited her there a few times.So why do we love Marie Antoinette today? All her extravagance, her life of excess, her hairstyles that were larger than life, her reported love of pastries and champagne (some truth and some fiction as Marie was a teetotaler) all create for us a time and place where a young girl can be Queen. Marie Antoinette has become a real inspiration.

Director of Community Relations @MakeMinePink.

Designer @ CestChouetteHome.com

Image by: The Polka Dot Rose - http://www.thepolkadotrose.com/

Visit the participating boutiques at Make Mine Pink - HERE.

Visit my Marie Antoinette inspired products HERE.

Tent Sale Tuesday

I know it's Wednesday and I should have posted this yesterday, but we were having computer issues. Sorry! I have a couple of these great candle holders left in stock. I just love the chippy iron holder and the crackled glass on these. See them HERE.

New for Spring!

See what's New HERE!

Pink Friday "Easter Memories"

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, March 27, 2009 as we present

Easter Memories.

On Easter mornings, when we were children, we would awaken to discover Spring had magically arrived overnight… and delivered some delightful surprises. The world was new again and filled with treasures just waiting for us to discover them. Tall chocolate bunnies hidden in springtime flower beds. Eggs delicately painted like rainbows, waiting in the grass. Plush rabbits in ruffled dresses and straw hats, sitting in white baskets, eager to become our very special friends. We'd hunt together with our friends and family, oohing and aahing over each person's discovery… but secretly knowing that the treasures we found were made just for us.

Now that we're older, the newness of Spring and the thrill of the annual Easter hunt can be rediscovered every time we seek out a treasure in a vintage shop or exclusive boutique. Perhaps we're not searching for chocolate wrapped in sparkly foil or rainbow colored treats. We might not even be sure what we're seeking, but we recognize these treasures the instant we see them.

A vintage hanky embroidered so delicately you can't help but wonder about the woman behind its design. A crystal bracelet reflecting a color that's "just so" when the sunlight shines on it in "just that way". The ideal display for a certain corner that's been looking slightly forlorn - not missing just anything, but the perfect thing.

The moment we discover them, our hearts feel a little thrill and, just for that moment, the world is new again and we feel reborn. As if someone hid this treasure in a secret corner just for us to find, and our hearts recognize them before we even know what we've discovered.

At Make Mine Pink, you may not find the foil wrapped bunnies or the colorful eggs, but you will always discover a thrilling hunt for the perfect treasure that stirs up feelings of Spring.

Joyce Lucas, Founder

Visit the boutiques for their Easter Memory offerings HERE.

Click HERE to see my Easter goodies!

Tent Sale Tuesday!

Great for a new Spring plant. Lots of great uses for planters like these! Just listed under the TENT!

It's a Toile Party!

The Pretty Organized Palace is having a Toile Party today. I can't wait to check out all of the participants and their toile posts. I love the pattern myself. Here is one place I have used toile in my home. The photo above is an old entertainment center that I converted into a creative supply station in my studio. We cut out the panel of the doors and I stapled in some toile fabric. I love the new look! More on that post including the before shot HERE.

Click on the graphic below to check out the party!

Ultimate Blog Party Hello!

I've picked these Tulips for you~ to celebrate Spring and the Ultimate Blog Party!

So, I felt like I just had to be a part of this huge blog party. The biggest -I think- I have ever seen! I am so looking forward to visiting some of the blogs on the list too. I wish I could get to them all, but there are way too many! Welcome to my blog, whether you are a new visitor or one of my regular readers. A little bit about me, I am a wife to a very supportive husband and a work at home mom of 4 children ages 5 to 13. My passions include spending time with them and encouraging them to follow their passions. I also LOVE to create for my online boutique ~ Hydrangea Home, I enjoy cooking, decorating, entertaining, gardening and blogging. I talk about all of the above here on my blog and hope to inspire creativity in all who come here to visit! My husband also started his own blog called The Honey Do Chronicles - it's all about trying to do it all, the kids, their activities and the never ending list of house projects all while keeping your sense of humor. So please, if you are new here, say hello so I can come to visit you too!

Click on the graphic to read more about The Ultimate Blog Party!

These girls really know how to do it big!

Pink Friday "One of a Kind Treasures"

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday, March 20, 2009 as we present

One of a Kind Treasures.

Remember the days when we wanted to be like everyone else? We wanted to have the same clothes, same hairstyles, same…. everything. Only the very brave dared to be one of a kind. Sometimes it takes courage to say "I am different. I will be one of a kind." But over time, you discover that what makes a thing, or a person, unique is often the same thing that makes them beautiful. Taking chances, standing out, can make you a trendsetter and everyone else followers. At Make Mine Pink, one thing each boutique owner has in common with the others is that her boutique is one of a kind. Our boutique owners are always on the lookout for unique and special one of a kind and vintage treasures that are rich in history. Each treasure in our shops comes with a story, and no two stories are the same. When you browse through the shops at Make Mine Pink, you'll discover unique handcrafted pieces designed and produced by our artists and boutique owners. They hunt through flea markets, thrift stores, unique design shops. They peek in corners everyone else has forgotten to discover treasures everyone else has overlooked. Every bauble, piece of fabric, abandoned item they find might be a gem waiting to be unearthed. Each piece in the Make Mine Pink boutiques is designed and created to give its owner a product that can be treasured for years to come. In our shops you’ll find some of the latest trends, many handcrafted by our boutique owners, right here in the United States.When you shop at Make Mine Pink, you can feel confident that many of your purchases are one of a kind. A piece of art that is unique in its own right, as original as you.?

Joyce Lucas, Founder
Image provided by: http://www.rosepetalsandblooms.com/

Check out the participating Boutiques at Make Mine Pink HERE.

See my "One of a Kind" offerings HERE.