A visit to Brissonte

A few weeks ago, a friend introduced me to Brissonte, a wonderful shop on Route 28 in North Reading, Massachusetts. I stopped in there again today and had a chat with the owner.

We are kindred spirits.  We like all the same things, the same blogs, the same magazines, the same decorating style.  It's no wonder I love her shop!

She was kind enough to let me go wild with my camera. I sure had fun shooting all of the pretty vignettes in her store.  She had a flair for merchandising.  I hope my photos did the store justice.

I am still looking for a chandelier for my dining room so this one caught my eye.  Quite beautiful, don't you think?

Products are displayed in vintage cabinets and cupboards making everything more interesting.

This is very cool, love all the crystal prisms dangling in the afternoon light.

I love the company. Fringe, some of their products were on display at the shop.

Isn't this sign cute? It would go great in my dining room on top of the china cabinet.

Look at this old stove, a little girl's dream.

And here's a big girl's dream.  A crystal chandelier!

A delicate plate amongst other very beautiful dishes. I could have bought one of everything!

I always have a soft spot for teacups with violets on them.  I'm not sure why, maybe because I love the color purple?

Here's the front window of the shop.  The store is in a small strip mall on a busy road. a hidden gem, for sure.

These candlesticks are very elegant and would love lovely in a dining room like mine!

This is one gorgeous china cabinet.  It was sold, sorry!

More pretties on a tiered table.  There were so many interesting things to see.

There were even chippy doors. 

Here's the door displayed with a painting. Doors are fun to decorate with but you need a good sized room.

Lots of merchandise to pick through.  Prints and candles and cards, I was thoroughly enjoying myself as I turned each corner to see wonderful displays of exceptional products.

A dress form all decked out with flowers and a scarf.

Look at these sweet baby bonnets.

Keep calm and eat a cupcake, that's my motto!

This trolley was not for sale but it sure made a nice display piece!

Another great display cabinet with teacup, nests and lace.

I love these carriers with glass bottles in them.  Wouldn't they make great vases?

Here's my chandelier again.  No, I didn't buy it. I probably should measure to see what size I really need first.

A cabinet door with chalkboard. So cute and perfect for a rustic kitchen. Wish I had more wall space in my kitchen. I have mostly windows and cabinets.

Birdcages are one of my favorite items. I have two in my home.  This one is especially nice.

This one is cool too! I like the rounded top on it.

I saw these plates and I almost bought them.  They have green in them and I really liked the pattern.

The holder was nice too. The plates were from the shop owner's collection.  She said she used to use them with her green depression glass.  Nice!

Love this couch.  It kind of reminds of mine but the wood on mine is a dark brown not a light color like this one.

The pillows were lovely too.  I especially liked the red toile one.

Another door. They really are fun to use in home decor.

A closeup of the pillows, aren't they nice?

A fancy umbrella stand and a cool chair.

The other side of couch with more pillows, these were more neutral colors.

A closeup of those prisms on the chandelier.

A wonderful mirror. I could see this hanging in a hallway, bedroom, living room. Very versatile.

Vintage clock parts anyone? Anyone into Steampunk?

 A more detailed look at those clock parts. Fun!

This table was sitting out front the first time I visited Brissonte. I gave it another look today. I like it but not sure where I can use it. It might look nice in our condo common area porch but we need a lot more furniture than one little table.  So for now it will call Brissonte home.

If you are in the North Reading area, visit Brissonte.  I guarantee you will love it!

Wimbledon Breakfast Party

 Last Sunday I hosted my annual Wimbledon Breakfast party. It is always the morning of the gentlemen's final.

.

The nice people at Pondview Florist in Winchester accommodated me and did custom floral arrangements for me. I brought them two tea tins and one trophy and asked them to design something wonderful in the Wimbledon colors of purple and green.

I got this tea tin when I was in London in 1998. I bought the tea specifically for the tin since it was a Wimbledon tin.

 My sister made strawberry lemonade. Yum! Here's the recipe.

Here's the trophy I used as a vase. It's actually a loving cup.  And those vintage photos are from an antique store in Concord.

My friend Mary made the scones.  We had lemon curd, strawberry jam and mock devonshire cream.

I used my prettiest tea cups for the occasion. And tea strainers were needed for the Harrod's No. 42 loose tea. That's an Earl Gray tea.

I collect footed lustreware teacups.  This one is from an estate sale.

Here's a closeup of the Wimbledon Tea tin.

I used the table runner I used for my Easter brunch tablescape. I never get tired of those twinkle lights!

 Another view of the floral arrangement in the Wimbledon Tea tin. 

 I took this sign out of storage for the event.  Seemed appropriate.

Molly was a little put out by all the company but she warmed up to them eventually.

Another tea cup from my collection. I used some of my cups with green and purple colors. I have a few violet motif cups and they fit in perfectly with the color scheme.

Before the main course,  the guests munched on grapes, crackers, cranberry cinnamon goat cheese, sharp white cheddar, and an English Wensleydale with cranberries.

The other tin was also purchased in England in 1998.  And this one portrays Kensington Palace.

Here's my overnight baked french toast.  It's so delicious and easy to make.

Here's the fruit and cheese plate again. I used a silver tray underneath a square doily. I bought a package of square doilies for a song from a shop that's going out of business.

The Harrod's teapot always makes an appearance at the Wimbledon Breakfast.

For dessert, a fruit tart on a wire cake stand.

Again the fruit tart.  It was store bought and very good.

This is a lemon zucchini bread.  I had purchased it at the Winchester Farmer's Market the day before the breakfast.

We also had fruit salad of strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. I love my little bluebird bowl.

After all that caffeine, we switched to a Lady Grey decaf tea by Twinings.

In Search of Americana

It's the 4th of July.  I decided to search for America or Americana right here in my own neighborhood. I wanted to see how my neighbor's show their patriotism.

I started with my own home. My upstairs neighbor Penny spruced up the outside of our building with a flag and hanging flower basket. The place definitely looks more homey.

You've seen this barn in the winter through my kitchen window. It looks great in any season and especially on American holidays.

The neighbors who live in the house behind the barn decorated their shed.  This green grass was a virtual lake during some of the torrential rains over the past year.

Big or small old glory waves proudly.  This house is on my street.  Sadly, I have never met the owners. Too busy in our own little worlds I guess.  It would be fun to have a block party. Food for thought!

Little touches of Americana are just as important. A simple flag in a flower basket, sweet!

 Banners are popular in the neighborhood too.  This house is one street over from mine.

The owners of this house painted a flag on their home after 9/11, in remembrance of that horrible tragedy.  It is faded now, just as the memory has faded but will not be forgotten.

This is my favorite house in my neck of the woods. Love the porch. Would love to spend a warm summer's day sipping lemonade on the porch.

I love bunting on a home but you need the right kind of porch to display it. These neighbors have a flair for decorating.

And their garden isn't bad either.  Perhaps they can bring a green thumb to my house which is one street over?

It's a historic home too.  I was inside the house once when it was for sale many years ago.  It has a sleeping porch upstairs!

I also visited the local cemetery.  I was pleased to see the graves looked good and had not been neglected. 

All the flags waving in a warm summer breeze. Life is precious.

And life is good this Fourth of July. It's been a great weekend and the weather has cooperated. What more can you ask for, right?

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Where are the kittens?

So we've been feeding Miss Marble for almost four weeks now and there's still no sign of her two kittens that had not been rescued.  My sister and I are sharing the feeding schedule.  Miss Marble is living the high life. Eating premium cat food and sunning herself on the deck of my sister's studio. Everytime we feed Miss Marble we ask her, "Where are the kitties?" Or as my sister says, "Miss Marble, show me the kitties!" Miss Marble is keeping Mum.

The little trickster will even throw us off by heading in the direction of one house, then when she thinks we've stopped watching, she'll head in the opposite direction. I have scoured the neighborhood but no kittens!  They would be at the age where they would be tagging along with Mum.  I don't want to think that something bad happened to them.

It remains a mystery.  In the meantime, we will continue to look after Miss Marble.  She's already looking better than when we first met her.  She's trusting us a little more and eventually she will have a home. We might know a few people who would be interested in her. Of course, all prospective parents will have to undergo a rigorous interview process with us. They will need to provide references and meet with our approval.  We take our job as foster moms very seriously!

Unique Summer Dining in New England

It's Summer in New England!  Finally after one horrendous Winter of 2011, we are seeing warmer temperatures. Time to go out and play and really have some fun. I am such a foodie, my fun always involves eating.

So here are my picks for unique dining experiences in New England.

My first pick is to dine in a lighthouse in Newburyport, Massachusetts.  Here, you can watch the video.




How about dining in a restored train?  Doesn't this look like fun? I think I might like to go on this ride through the White Mountains of New Hamsphire during foliage season although I am sure it is lovely in Summer too.  Here's the link to Cafe Lafayette.


How would you like to eat a farm fresh dinner on the farm?  Then check out the video  http://youtu.be/vyUloLnAEO8Checlk   and their website .

Dinner in a church? Yes, the Belfry Inn in Sandwich, Massachusetts has a restaurant and guest rooms in a restored church. Here's the Belfrey Inn Bistro's website.

Wouldn't you love your very own gondola ride? This one cruises in Providence, Rhode Island and although there's no meal, you can have wine and cheese.  Here's the link.

So which one is your fave? I think the lighthouse dinner and the dinner on the farm will be on

my bucket list!!!