Yummy in my Tummy

My sweet friend, Dorothy, showed up on my doorstep with a beautiful and oh so delicious cake on Sunday afternoon. Just a few days earlier we had been talking about how our mothers use to make us a red velvet cake for our birthdays. On some birthdays there would be a doll standing in the middle and the cake was rounded like a southern girl's dress. Hopefully, I will run across a photo to share with you of one of these special cakes I had when I was growing up. My birthday is very close to Christmas, so I am quite impressed my mother was able to make sure I had a cake during that busy time of the year. Since I turn the big 5-0 this year it is only fitting this token of love will officially start my celebration of the fabulous and fantastic fifty years God has blessed me with. Thanks Dorothy!

Greetings from Ella

I have added an image to the home page of http://www.ellaelaine.com/. This was no easy task. As my friend Amy would say, "This is High up on the technical ladder". My relationship with Adobe Photoshop had a rocky start, but we are beginning to communicate much easier now. Okay, I admit it. I talk to my computer. Don't you? My plan is to gradually add the "Ella" touch to my site. Add Ella Elaine to your favorites list and check on our progress often. You'll be glad you did...

Antique Rose Emporium

"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. "

Solomon 2 : 12-13

What a treat to roam around at The Antique Rose Emporium gardens. Hmm.. if only I could just blink my eyes and have all the beauty appear in my flower beds back home!

I think of Gertie when I see this many rose gardens in one place. Gertie was our sweet neighbor when I was growing up. With no children of her own, she and her husband Jack were like another set of grandparents to us. We were allowed to play all around her large yard. She seemed to be a constant presence in her rose gardens. Her dignity and style were shown even as she was pruning. I realize now that her flattering hat, gloves, long sleeves and pants served a purpose. She was shielding her fair skin from the harsh sunlight, and her hands,arms and legs from the thorns of the rose bushes. She was always so pretty, just like her "babies".

What a quaint garden gate to greet you as you walk up to the potting shed . The roses were just starting to bloom. I wish we had smell-a-web.... such a delight to walk around with my friend and sample all the unique scents each rose boasted. A mixture of very sweet scents, strong rose scents and even clover scents. Roses absent of any fragrance captured you with their outstanding showmanship.

If you have a garden that looks like any of these - I am jealous!!

Rustic Charm



The best of recycling. I love quirky...





I picked out two Cecile Brunner bushes and a Lime Balm Herb plant to purchase, but another rose bush appeared in the wagon that my dear hubby surprised me with. The new bush didn't have any blooms so I will just have to watch it as it grows to see what he picked out just for me. He would only tell me it was a pink rose (my favorite). I must add it probably took 10 years of marriage for me to convey to him I am not a red rose person. I think they are pretty, but they don't get my heart to flutter like pinks do.



"Ya'll come back now, you hear? " - Pot Head Man



http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/

Warrenton, Texas Antique Fair Spring '08

I wanted to share a few pictures from my trip to the Warrenton Antique Fair.

The prices seemed higher than in past years, but it was absolutely worth going for the excitement and the inspiration it all triggered within me.



I felt like I was walking around in Country Living Magazine


Okay, I admit it, my pulse was racing by this point!


Fun.


Need a wagon... and a bear??


More fun.


This had to be one of the most creative booths. The owners, probably women, had taken moss adorned branches off the south Texas trees and had them hanging inside their tent with lights.

Waa Lah, instant atmosphere.



Carolyn Westbrook's booth/store.
She is featured on the cover and in the book, Where Women Create. Her booth was decorated like her other book, Carolyn Westbrook Home with soft neutral linen bedding"



Another store which created their own atmosphere. Junk Gypsies.



I had to say goodbye to all the goodies and head back home. I managed to buy a few bird prints, an old shutter, a really cool piece of tin, and a bunch of small oddities I am planning on using in collages or for whatever I come up with... Yee Haw!!