New Hair Clips!

Yesterday I began working on some crocheted flower hairclips to list on my etsy site, considerthelillies.etsy.com! A few people have requested clips in addition to headbands so i thought I would give them a whirl!

Plays with Squirrels

forest creatures

Czech it out!

photos

Czech it Out!

So... I am half Czech and half Ukrainian and sadly, know very little about these countries or their culture. My grandparents on both sides were from these places, but they passed away when I was young. Unfortunately it was when I was older that I wondered about the culture and people of these lands. I do know that my Ukrainian grampa was a tailor and was a young man when he left Kiev to move to NYC where he worked as a professional tailor until he retired. My father often took me to a Czech restaurant in Manhattan named PRAHA which is Prague in Czech. He said that it was exactly like the home cooking that his mom made for him. I loved all of the food that was served there, even the gross sounding "liver ball soup"!
One day when watching TV with my family, I blurted out that one of my greatest regrets in life was that I never effectively mastered the Russian (or Ukranian) accent! Whenever I tried, it would morph into spanishish or chinese sounding! (I figured it was way too late to try and master the actual language, so I just settled for wanting to fake an accent!)
I have posted these pictures from the Czech Republic, many from Prague, the capital and also some pictures of Ukrainian themed items!.

Some Of My Faves!

Here are some of my favorites from my thelillyofthevalley.etsy.com shop!

A Great Wedding Entrance Video....I laughed... I almost cried

I found this clip on Cup Of Jo's blog and me and my daughter Christina immediately posted it on facebook and I thought I would post it here for you to see too! I absolutely love the idea of this entrance! I actually felt teary eyed from it because it was so joyful, as weddings should be! You will laugh, maybe you will cry, maybe you will watch it over and over like we did! Enjoy!

White As Snow...

Have you ever watched one of the many redecorating shows where they have a limited budget to do over a room? And they find the most amazing vintage finds to add just the right touch? Many times when watching one of these inspiring programs, especially when they are in California, the designers go to a flea market that features huge sections of adorable painted furniture. I especially love the white painted ones. It seems that the white paint transforms the gaudy seventies round and ornately carved end tables into an eclectic work of art! Everything old and dingy is magically transformed with a nice coat or two!
I have been wanting to repaint my bedroom furniture white for over a year now, but the thought of taking everything out of the drawers and dragging it outside to paint seems like too much of a mess maker!
Maybe these pics will inspire me or some of you to take the "it will be worth the mess" plunge!
Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.
Psalm 51:7

What I Found Today!

I knew when I woke up this morning that it was going to be a lovely day! First, it is less than a week before visiting Florida, which means seeing my daughter Christina (considerthecoffee.blogspot.com)her hubby Suj, and grandson Kavi!!!
Second, we experienced a cold front today which meant that the high would only be 81 degrees! In July! In the south! Oh, Florida weather, I don't miss YOU at all!
Me and my husband Ray went to a few antique stores in Alexandria today, where I found just a couple of fun things. I love anything bird related, so I was happy to come across this vintage vase, and I also love vintage tins for the kitchen, and was glad to buy this cute one! It is adorned with sweet tulip bouquets my exact color scheme of red and turquoise.
Third, we had a nice dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant with our neighbors and their family visiting from Florida and New York! On the drive home, we had the windows OPEN and almost thought we could smell someone's fireplace!
I through in a picture of a vase of lilies that my daughter picked in our backyard! Consider the lillies...

Rasberry Chocolate French Macaroons

I have never been that great of a baker, in fact I pretty much had a mental block about it until a few years ago. My sister in law Margie was always a great cook and baker and was able to whip up the most delicious and decadent foods with just a few ingredients. Her biscotti were better than any I have EVER had and her breads were of the artisan kind.
When I was first married, I attempted to make what was called "Foolproof Whole Wheat Bread", but when I tried it, I was the one fool that couldn't get the middle to cook even after tripling the baking time! About two years ago, I thought, well it's about time I make a second attempt at bread after all it's been a good 28 years now since my first sad loaf! When it came out of the oven, actually baked all the way through, I felt like I had gotten a healing in my life! Haha, fear of bad bread, I have conquered you! I called Margie straight away and she rejoiced at my victory!
So... for like a year I have seen various pictures online and in magazines with these beautiful, dainty looking almond macaroons, which are common in France and apparently Portland, Oregon! Should I dare? The recipe involved beaten egg whites! And a piping bag! Yikes! OK what do I have to lose? Today, my friend, I beat and piped and baked and filled (sort of) and ended up with some tasty yet UGLY dainty macaroons!
I have added some pictures, I am sure you can guess which picture is the professional one and which is mine. Recipe can be found at this link:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Raspberry-Chocolate-French-Macaroons-236668

Come On Fall!

Fall Fashion by considerthelillies featuring Forever21

I love all the colors and textures in this collage and also would love to have each item! I don't think that the skinny jeans would work for me though! Some of the things are reasonably priced, some are way out of my range, but as I have said before, I am a LOOK FOR LESS kind of girl!
I am still getting used to the idea of cooler seasons after 25 years in Florida! And I LOVE Fall the best when nature gets all decked out in her splendid array!

Dragonfly Inn (my version)

I have been an unashamed fan of the Gilmore Girls for years now, even though the main characters have made some MAJOR mistakes in the series! For the most part, though , the show features quirky characters in a small town in Connecticut that has a "downtown" that reminds me of my town, Gadsden. Well, except that we don't have a LUKES cafe with awesome coffee and food! (no offense Gadsden!)
The main character Lorelei, opens her dream Inn with her best friend and chef Sookie that has the most cozy and warm atmosphere. It was the sets that really drew me into the show, with all the homes being eclectic and lived in looking. I noticed a lot of details that other people didn't even care about, like the fabric on some couches, a vintage step stool in Lorelei's kitchen, the coffee mugs used on the show,the curtains with fringe, etc.
So....on Polyvore last night I found things that evoked for me the same feeling from the Dragonfly Inn on the show! (try to imagine a roaring fire in a fireplace and you are there!)

I Want This Room! Ecclectic Turquoise...

My daughter Christina taught me how to use Polyvore to make some cool sets or collages of rooms, clothes, etc that feature info about the items for sale in the pictures. I just spent way too long looking through the home decor category to make this room! I can't imagine how fun it would be to be able to just buy each item without considering the cost! But, this is not HGTV and I am not a designer, so I will just have to daydream! I am always drawn to this soothing turquoise color and I just have a feeling that Stina may have used some of these items in her own Polyvore set at some time! Anyway, enjoy the room! If you click on the picture it will take you to the Polyvore site where you can see the details about each item!

Turquoise Ecclectic by considerthelillies on Polyvore.com

Home Sweet Home

There are certain motifs that I am crazy about! Birds, owls, trees, squirrels,coffee cups, tea cups and HOUSES! I just made this spotlight of etsy items that reflect the house and home theme and I want them all!
You can click on any of the squares for a closer look at the item in their etsy shop!

Here are some of my etsy favorites!
Love the colors and playfulness of the items!

Time...Is On My Side....Yes It Is...

A month or so ago I was in an Anthropologie store with my daughters and friends and couldn't help but notice high up on one of their walls, a display of old clocks. I immediately though that it was a GREAT idea, just like a wall of different size and shape frames or mirrors. Then a few weeks later I was at the same store and thought that the display looked kind of boring with a bunch of "handmade clocks" which were just pieces of wood with numbers on them! I guess my brain saw the display originally and computed all the possibilites with all the old clocks out in Thrift Store Land. Wouldn't you know that ever since I decided to gather up some old and even ugly clocks, I have seen nary a one? I just nabbed one at the Salvation Army for 5 bucks, but one clock does not a collection make! I found a few inspiring photos on google and have posted them for your enjoyment and inspiration. Hopefully, I will find a bunch at The World's Longest Yard Sale next month!
(the lonely ugly gold clock is the first of my collection, wondering if I should paint it....)

Some Stuff Around My House

I thought I would take some pics of fun things around my house that were from etsy or yard sales and thrift stores! The adorable Russian nesting dolls were from AmandaShellnut.etsy.com for a very reasonable price! ($7) I thought I should have something reflective of my nationality which is half Ukrainian. One of my greatest disappointments in life is that I have never mastered the Russian (or Ukrainian for that matter) accent! Every time I start, it morphs into Italian sounding or Spanish! So, I guess these dolls are the "accent"for my life!

The other picture of what looks like a stacking doll, is a single wooden doll that my daughter brought back from India. Notice the cool details on it that make it Indian, like the nose ring and sari style dress!

The little gnome is actually a cute soap that a friend gave me from thedirtyhousewife.etsy.com . It is so cute that I hate to use it to wash with! Tomorrow I will add some more pics of recent yard sale and thrift store finds! Thanks for visiting!

My New Etsy Headbands!

These new headbands are very fun to wear as an accessory and to control hair in this hot humid summer! I love crocheting and these are super fast to make!

Christmas in July!!

I can hardly wait for Christmas, or even winter, or even fall for that matter! (you might guess that I hate hot weather!)Here are some great finds that I have on my Etsy favorites list. If this was closer to December, it would be a major hint to my family! But for now, it is just some really cute items that I wouldn't mind having at all!

Salley Hansen Inspired by Carmindy

I recently found out that Carmindy, the makeup artist from What Not To Wear has launched a makeup line with reasonably priced Sally Hansen! Wow! I was soooo excited, cause I have always loved the way the makeovers turned out on WNTW! I found out that CVS drugstores carried the line, so I made my way there to check out the selection.
I first bought the eyeliner in black because it was labeled as waterproof and long wearing, and an eyeshadow trio in Quartz. I thought that I would do a test on how well they each lasted in a day, so I applied the stuff, took photos and then took more pics at the end of the day.
The top two shots are taken at 10pm 12 1/2 hours after applying the makeup, and the bottom two are the ones taken at 9:30 AM. It is actually hard to tell them apart! There is just a little creasing on my eyelid , but not bad for over 12 hours of wear! So.....7.99 for the eyeshadow trio, and 7.99 for the eyeliner was money well spent! I will be testing more stuff soon so...check back!