{Port Huron, MI - Meeting with Blogger Friend I Admire}

Since We were that close to Canada on our travels to Michigan, we decided to meet with dear Blogger Friend Laura Busko  Also an excellent photographer and multi talented in creating beautiful Sewing, Cross Stitch and Crafts. Check out her blog: Casita By The Lake

Photo made by husband Pieter... Laura is a very sweet lady!
From Livonia, Michigan the drive would only be one hour and 15 minutes, but it turned out I had to take a little longer as it was pouring down, due to a thunderstorm. I arrived a bit exhausted because it was still in heavy traffic but we got safe to our Quality Inn & Suites in Port Huron. This is just on the border with Canada.

This is where we stayed at the Quality Inn & Suites in Port Huron, Michigan on the Canadian border.
I did my booking through Trivago.com and that is the best deal.

June 5, in heavy rain ... but we got there safe!

It was not much of a journey but from Detroit / Livonia till Port Huron in heavy traffic + heavy rain.
Also Toronto is marked yellow because that's where we will be heading towards after meeting with the lovely Laura and her husband.

Livonia is where we stayed at the Hyatt Place Detroit / Livonia  and it should be only one hour and 16 minutes but it took me longer, due to the weather.

This photo has-been taken by Laura's husband Don.
Hard to Imagine that sweet Laura lost her Mom when she was only 6, being the youngest in her family.
She is such a graceful and multi-talented lady, one I sure do admire tremendously.
So happy for having met, over lunch just before we left for Toronto.

Laura and her husband did travel from Canada to meet us in Port Huron.
The blue dot is where our hotel was and the line through the water is the Border Between the USA and Canada.

After lunch we left for Canada, crossing the water via the Blue Water Bridge

Blue Water Bridge  ← click it

Our not so spectacular photo of the Blue Water Bridge ...

On our way to Canada and on to Toronto ... See you there!

Related links:
{Livonia, Michigan - Meeting with a Friend Blogger I Admire} | previous post by me
{Our Grand Hotel Mackinac Island Michigan Afternoon Tea} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Flora} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Carriage Tours} | previous post by me
{Patriotic & Romantic Mackinac Island, Michigan} | previous post by me
{Shepler's Mackinac Island, Michigan Ferry} | previous post by me
{505 S Huron Avenue, Mackinaw City, Michigan} | previous post by me
{Delta Annual Companion Certificate Flight to Detroit, Michigan}  | previous post by me

{Livonia, Michigan - Meeting with a Blogger Friend I Admire}

After our wonderful Mackinac Island tour, complete with Afternoon Tea at the Grand Hotel, it was back to Mackinaw, City and next day after breakfast I hit the road again for driving some 4 hours south to the Detroit area. We were staying at the Hyatt Place Detroit/Livonia for one night before continuing to the border of Canada next day. Just enough time for meeting with a sweet Blogger Friend that I Admire: Deborah from The Beautiful Matters. Over the years we have shared so many mutual interests and our love for tea on Blogger. It was about time for meeting in the flesh and sip a real cup of tea together!

Here we are; happy together!
Sweet Deborah did write about it even before I could put my act together: Tea and cookies with a blogger friend

Yes, before going on this trip, husband Pieter mentioned that our home smelled like a bakery as I'd baked about 10 lbs of Amaretti Cookies from Almond Meal with Coconut Palm Sugar to make them as healthy as possible.
Deborah sure deserved her two bags of these home baked cookies as she is one of the bravest women I know. A very touching post written by her was this one: In memory of my son and it is only weeks ago that her eldest son would have been 31 years old.
Hard to believe that this beautiful and brave lady had 10 children of which 3 are alive.
A true role model with a strong Faith.

We both had a white iPhone...
Both let our hair color be natural...
Both of us LOVE pearls: Deborah's post about it→ Looking for pearls
Both of us LOVE hand writing: Deborah's post→ Thank you notes

Both of us LOVE vintage handkerchiefs: Deborah's post→ Vintage handkerchiefs

Both of us feel alike: Deborah's post →  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - you can check out my comment on that.

Sipping Tea Together, feeling blessed!

 Living both a content life is very much like Deborah wrote: Blessings in the mundane

Words of wisdom...

Closing with Deborah's words:→ Ode to friendship

I certainly feel blessed knowing this fine lady!

Pieter speaks also very fondly of her and that makes me double happy.

If you not already have discovered this gem in Blogland, click on those pink hyperlinks for getting to know her great qualities.

Hope you enjoyed our tea time!

Related links:
{Our Grand Hotel Mackinac Island Michigan Afternoon Tea} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Flora} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Carriage Tours} | previous post by me
{Patriotic & Romantic Mackinac Island, Michigan} | previous post by me
{Shepler's Mackinac Island, Michigan Ferry} | previous post by me
{505 S Huron Avenue, Mackinaw City, Michigan} | previous post by me
{Delta Annual Companion Certificate Flight to Detroit, Michigan} | previous post by me

{SOULFUL RELATIONSHIPS - Celia M. High Heeled Life's Contribution}

What a joy to receive this excellent short stories book: ADVENTURES IN MANIFESTING about SOULFUL RELATIONSHIPS! Even more so since dear blogger friend Celia M. High Heeled Life & Resilientista wrote her story in it as well. She sure is and remains a Blogger I Admire! So glad I took advantage of the pre-ordering in September before it got published...

Indeed; Featuring Celia M.

You can read about her fatal accident and her story in my post: {"A Blogger I Admire" - Celia from High Heeled Life}

Celia knows a thing or two about wrapping things in a very special and meaningful way.

Peace and Joy it did bring to our home!

Thank you again dear Friend!

Here it is on page 137...

Had to put a rose birdie paperweight on top for making the page lay 'still'...

Love her enclosure card too! 

Very stylish, the way she is; a true Fashionista.

For anyone wanting to obtain this lovely book, you can still order it!

Just go to the link: Resilientista

{Rose Bracelet from Enma in Spain - Blogger I Admire}

This week was one with surprise parcels arriving to our home. One of them came from Blogger friend ENMA-SW - El rinconcito artesano de Enma (just click the hyperlink). Enma is one of those Bloggers that I Admire! In about 2010, at a time that she was not feeling well, she started creating jewelry with Swarovski crystals and other beads and such. She caught my attention for several items she created and I was brave enough to ask her about one bracelet in particular; the grayish Rose Bracelet that she called 'Chan Luu de luxe'...

Here is the Rose Bracelet next to my Escada silk dress with roses... 

Enma had mailed it out via Registered Mail from Sevilla Spain on December 2nd.

We both got worried as it got kind of 'stuck' for 5 days at the ISC New York or the United States Postal Service's International Sorting Customs

Once it got cleared it came via New Jersey in 3 days to Dublin, Georgia.

On December 13, I got to sign for this special parcel...

Finally it ended its long journey across the Atlantic Ocean, all the way from Montequinto in Sevilla, Spain...

Both of us have visited Sevilla during our 19-day tour Spain and Portugal in 1994...

Look at 'Luces de Navidad en Sevilla 2013' (Christmas Lights 2013 - just click and see all 20!)

Lovely gift wrapped with lots of hearts... and with a Christmas card tucked inside as well.

Wow, look here what a cute little coin purse that is! 

With a Rose pull...

Enma sure knows how to keep it very exciting...

Here it is! A beautiful Rose Bracelet, all done between two Macramé cords with beautiful beads in-between.

Here it is on my arm, glistening beads stitched one by one between those two Macramé cords. 

What a work of art! 

Enma, thank you very much  for this beautiful and unique piece of jewelry. 

This dear blogger friend wanted to send it as a gift but with all the extras and the registered mail, I insisted to reimburse her at least for part of it.

Knowing very well that no one could ever repay all the time that went into making this fine piece!

Wish it would be warm enough to wear my Escada silk satin dress again + Pearls and Rose Bracelet!

This photo is from Pieter's Birthday dinner a few years back...

Enma, thank you very much!

{Color Psychology and Blogger I Admire}

• On my dear Mom's Birthday, Susan from the blog: Ava Grace's closet, did post about a very special subject. Where the Magic Happens. Just click the link... 
• Susan is one of those young and energetic women I greatly admire. She has a flare all of her own and knows how to deal with fashion, interior decoration à la Susan and managing to raise her three super cute kids. 
• When visiting her great blog you will no doubt start clicking on one of the LinkWithin Thumbnails to read more and lots MORE! 
• Because she did bring up the blue gray colors that she's worked with in her Master Bedroom, I came up with today's subject. 
• Are you aware of the influences of colors we wear and what we chose for our interior? It is telling a story about us; our moods etc.

Source

This circle is revealing a lot about the main colors and we can learn from it.

• Even the German dramatist, novelist, poet, & scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832) did design the color wheel in 1809. Goethe on the Psychology of Color and Emotion just click on this hyperlink.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's, 1809 color wheel, from above link.

• Psychological Properties Of Colours from the UK (hence the word colour) some interesting facts as well.

The Meaning of Colors link with full story from above photo.  

In my wardrobe there is a wide scala of colors, depending on the season and on the mood I guess...

For the home there is a lot of white and earth tones from beige to brown.

What is your opinion about colors?

Do you love but one color or are you more like a chameleon that changes ever so often? 

Related link: An Easy and Elegant Palette just click

{GIFT from Blogger I Admire}

What a surprise to receive such a special GIFT in the mail from Germany... From a Blogger I Admire: Claudia from NuNu's Garn-und Stofflabor (Yarn and Fabric Laboratory). Links to her sites you find below post. Let me proudly show off Claudia's artful sewing and embroidery... What is it? Can you already guess??

Look what Claudia created! Beautiful Rose Embroidery for the Rose Suite...

Embellished with her lovely signature tag.

Handmade with love... when translated into English

I bet you this talented worker bee also handmade this beautiful cord for wrapping it...

Lovely signature tag, showing her sewing machine on one side...

Look: Mariette's Rose Suite...

Do you have any idea?

On the reverse side it shows her signature LABEL... But WHAT is it?...

Tada; a lovely pillow case!

Fits perfect in tone of the chairs in our Rose Suite.

This sweet gift came complete with one of her signature hand made cards.

Thanks a million  Claudia, that will reside with pride in our Rose Suite indeed!

See Claudia's links below this post. She is such a multi talented lady, you have to check her out!

By the way, being German, Claudia is also fluent in English so there are no borders between you and her. 

Related links:
{Claudia a Blogger I Admire and her Gift for Baby Stef} previous post by me
DaWanda Nunus-Garn-und-Stofflabor Claudia's online shop
NuNu´s Garn-und Stofflabor Claudia's blog

{LOOK: Gift from Blogger I Admire...}

In the mail often the sweetest things arrive. What a surprise when I received this parcel from a Blogger I Admire: Friend Dana, from Lambs and Ivy Designs. Below my post you find her links, to her blog, personal website, Etsy store and some large sized SPECTACULAR photos on Flickriver....

In time for Christmas arrived this precious piece of handmade soap and beautiful ribbon art millinery rose. I feel so honored. THANK you ever so much dear Dana! I owe you big... 

Look at this beauty!

Her soaps and millinery roses/flowers would make the ultimate gift.

You have to look at her links below for some large sized SPECTACULAR photos.

She does also provide such art to be used for Victorian era costumes...

There will not be that many women this talented.

THANKS DANA!

Related links:
{2 Bloggers I Admire} previous post by me
French Hand dyed Ribbonwork Millinery Ribbon Flowers | post by Dana from Lambs and Ivy Designs
Lambs and Ivy Designs on Etsy
Lambs and Ivy Designs Ribbonwork on Pinterest
Flickriver Lambs and Ivy Designs Ribbon Work and Ribbon Flowers | SPECTACULAR photos of Dana's art work!
LambsandIvyDesigns on Youtube | Great tutorial videos!

{Blogger I Admire | Christmas Angel & Sentiments}

There are so many blogger friends that I admire... One of them certainly is Olga from the blogs: Lacy Crochet and: Olga's Home and Garden. For sure Olga is a young lady with golden hands, born and grown up in the Ukraine. She is living in California since 2001. Check out her blogs you will find many surprises as she is capable of baking, cooking, crocheting, gardening... A real sentipede! My most favorite story by Olga is: Ukrainian Countryside (just click this hyperlink and read also her own comment which is the final one). Especially during this season of Christmas, where the emphasis is so commercial, for spending lots of money on gifts... Have we all forgotten where we came from? Olga is brave enough to write about her very humble and hard working maternal grandparents and great-grandparents that lived in such a tiny home... Seen in her photos, as she visited this place during summer. Her own Mother did grow up there. In many East European  countries there is still a lot of poverty, especially for the elderly (below post is a link, just scroll down to last picture for seeing what I talk about). We have seen it in Hungary and those images never leave our retina. Sure we visited during the Communist regime, still behind the Iron Curtain. But those elderly do struggle on, as many are not even able to pay for the rent of their apartment... Living in poverty, in cold and misery and malnourished. That idea clashes with the way overdone Christmas hype of creating each year new type of decorations and spending on-going money... It has nothing to do with the true meaning of Christmas but more with a culture that turned to greed. "Greed has replaced religion as the national religion, and with greed comes envy." --Wesley Pruden quote.

This perfectly crocheted angel is a gift from Olga that I cherish. THANKS AGAIN OLGA!

We don't have many Christmas ornaments or decorations, never even put up a Christmas tree anymore.

Our tree and most things we gave away when we moved from Georgia to Pennsylvania. 

After working and living in different continents and seeing so much poverty, we never could bring ourselves again to put up a Christmas tree...

Sure I admire them at other bloggers' posts and for Children it is great to do this.

We have no family here in the USA, only one Christmas our foster-daughter Anita from Indonesia came to stay with us for 2 months. That was very warm!

Instead of giving presents, we felt more for giving this deaf girl her former education by paying for her college and university and later giving her the Danish Oticon hearing aid so she could HEAR.

I never ever will forget that phone call where she called and said: "Mama I can hear you now!" I cried for joy... She never before heard her Parents, her siblings, music, never heard the birds or other animals. That to me is Christmas! 

We did it with love, paying for it from Pieter's pension. We do live off just one pension and since I'm younger, there is quite a wait for me before I will receive my pension too. But we managed all those years and with pride. 

Step-daughter Liz's Mom still receives her monthly income from Pieter and we both share what is left. We are content and happy with it, as we both know the true value of life.

This is our family; even if we live in different continents. Not easy but they are in our hearts and in our prayers always. Sad fact is that neither of our girls has been warmly accepted into my family... WHY? 

My husband Pieter is an orphan, he has no Parents or brothers left since August... that hits hard too; especially for Christmas time. Pieter has only his daughter Liz, and three nieces and great nieces and nephew; all living in The Netherlands. But we have our Angels in heaven and I guess that my sister Mariet who was still born, is closer to me than any of the other six living siblings. 

Just some Christmas sentiments...

Related link:

{Anita Anggraeni our Foster Daughter}: previous post by me

{Our Daughter Liz}: previous post by me

{# 148 and my blog is 1 year old today!}: previous post by me about my sister Mariet...

{God's Little People | Meaningful Christmas Cards}

Another Blogger I Admire is certainly dear friend Joan from Greece. She writes the blog: God's Little People. Being both animal lovers, and very much loving and caring for felines, I love to share Joans initiative for Meaningful Christmas Cards. Please do visit her blog and follow her amazing rescue stories. She is having a fund raiser in order to support her 30 something rescued felines. The veterinary costs are of course quite a big part. Look at her incredible photos she's taken from those lucky felines that got a new LIFE through her love and care.

This is how she mails them out; gift wrapped for Christmas with a sprig of lavender from the felines' favorite garden. A felted star...

See those 'CAT PAWS'... like they understand it is about them!

Don't let them down and buy a lovely card from her with a recycled paper envelope (the one you see at the bottom...).

I've already ordered mine and we look forward to receiving them.

You find the link to her post below and also a previous post about a fabulous purse she made me!

Joan is a very talented lady and she's doing all she can for so many needy felines.

Thanks for your attention and let's share the LOVE.

By the way; my back is perfect again  and I had such a good rapport from my specialist today.

Happy and our bathroom remodeling is coming along fine.

Soon I can tackle all the dust!

Don't forget my last day for the worldwide GIVEAWAY!

Top right of my blog; click it and good luck.

Meaningful Christmas Cards God's Little People blog by Joan

{Parcel from Greece with Regal Gift} previous post by me about Joan

GOD'S LITTLE PEOPLE | previous post by friend Anna about Joan's generosity towards rescuing kittens

{2 Bloggers I Admire}

During the last couple of years it is with pleasure that I have been reading and admiring several ladies that create exceptional handwork. The economy is in a downward spiral but hand-work is on the rise again, including sewing. This is a good thing, as there are so many women with golden hands. Two of those ladies with golden hands I like to introduce to you here. It is Ayu from the blog White & Roses. Ayu is from Bali, Indonesia and lives in Rome, Italy. She is an artist in creating ribbon roses. Dana from Lambs and Ivy Designs from my own state of Georgia, USA also creates lovely ribbon roses. One day we certainly will meet in person!

Look at Ayu's Big Sew-On Purse in pink linen here.

Don't you LOVE those real looking roses and the French knot embroidery on the linen fabric?

One can envy such talent...

Already before I did show you some ribbon work from Dana; Lambs and Ivy Designs.

These violets she made for me...

On Dana's blog you find roses and even Poinsettias she does for this season.

Two super talented ladies and no doubt they will bring joy to many who appoint them for some special ribbon embroidery work to be used for pivot moments in their lives.

Related links:

Ribbon Embroidery from Ayu's blog: White & Roses 

{Blogger Friend Dana Created These Lovely Ribbon Violets!} Dana's work from Lambs and Ivy Designs

Lambs and Ivy Designs Dana's Etsy shop  and Lambs and Ivy Designs Ribbonwork on Pinterest

{My French Ormolu Jewelry Box & Silver Angels}

Just have to show off this gorgeous French Ormolu Jewelry Box with my Silver Angels... Purchased from one Blogger I Admire: Beth from Salvage Life. Beth is located in Long Beach, California. At this difficult time of a downward economy, where the unemployment rate is very high and the people receiving food stamps in the US of A is up by 46% over the past 4 years, I applaud women like Beth! Sure, we all need to pay attention to the future, we need a true leader that brings us out of the present situation, but for the time being we are in it. Both Pieter and I have voted on Friday, October 19, and we hope that ALL Americans will exercise their voting right. Now let me show you my treasure:

Photo taken outside, on our balcony. 

After husband Pieter did clean up the beautiful repousse roses that are in Ormolu or Gilt Metal, this is what I got. My silver angel cherub pill box with gilt goes so beautifully with it. 

Just LOVE those repousse roses!

Luckily I did spot in time what it was and obtained this beautiful beveled glass jewelry box.

Having lots of books on the subject for educating yourself, always pays off in the end.

We only needed to replace the bottom glass as it was missing.

This jewelry box makes a gorgeous display for my Silver Angels that are for sale at my Spectrenoir boutique on line, free shipping!

Those cherub angel crosses you see in this box, are already sold...

All ingredients together; perfect light from sunshine; real roses and repousse ormolu roses.

Plus my favorite of angels and cherubs...

Don't you love them too? 

We all need a guardian angel and even as a nation we are in dire need of one!

The Raphael angel, bottom right is sold too...

Crosses are sold, one is upside down and one shows the front. They were identical.

The alphabet angels are solid 925 silver charms from Giovanni Raspini Charms & Co, Italy from the heart of Tuscany. See link below post.

Roses, Lace, Angels and Cherubs

Who does NOT love that combination?

AngelsnRosebuds

The above WAS my Twitter name and you know now WHY...

Wishing you a blessed day!

Related link:

{Giovanni Raspini 925/000 Silver Charms for YOU} | previous post showing you my boutique items