From The House of Edward

A Dozen Springtime Smiles

Perhaps it’s because it  falls on the last day of the first week of April, but the accoutrements of Springtime have always seemed completely intertwined with my birthday.  My special day sometimes landed on Easter Sunday which meant that, along with the requisite birthday cake, my celebration included anthropormorphic bunnies and innocent lambs, polka dot dresses, milk chocolate eggs, flamboyant hats, pastel jelly beans, and a beribboned basket at the end of my bed, waiting patiently for me to awake on Easter morning.   It could sometimes be a wee bit confusing, but always fabulous.

During recent long walks with Edward, I have begun to see the signs of the new season to come - the birds are out house hunting, the hydrangeas are slowing waking up, the light is softening.

I still feel like this season rather belongs to me- everything about it makes me smile.  

In no particular order, here are a dozen special reasons why.

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1.  First of all, I cannot think of a better representative of his kind that the Easter Bunny shown above.  His name is Beau Bunny and he is the whimsical creation of The Decorated House on Etsy.  You must visit and see him in all his delightful incarnations.  

He is the perfect ambassador for Spring!

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2. The past week, I have been literally surrounded by bunnies and lambs, paper flowers and birds, glitter and paint and boxes.  I have been making Easter boxes for my Etsy shoppe, The House of Edward.  So much fun.  I also recently completed a custom birthday box for Isabelle, Angie Muresan’s winsome little daughter, who was turning four.  Angie had told me that Isabelle is a budding ballerina, and I was fortunate to find a vintage ballerina to pose atop her double tiered box.  What a thrill it was to get this photograph of the lovely Isabelle with her box!  Is that just the most adorable face ever? Be sure and visit Angie at her insightful blog and wish Isabelle a happy year.

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3.    I can see this adorable radio by Cath Kidston sitting next to my beach chair, side by side with a sweaty glass of limeade, playing Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin at a soothing volume.

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4.   In the kitchen of my imaginary beach house, these chairs from Anthropologie would encircle my dining table. 

 I love these.

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5.   And without question, this wonderfully retro refrigerator would reside  in that same imaginary kitchen.  In seafoam green, naturally.  Big Chill Fridge has an entire line of state of the art kitchen appliances, all bearing the cheerful expressions of a bygone era.

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6.  I am besotted with this vintage wallpaper from Secondhand Rose in New York City.  I can just see it covering the walls of a bathroom, with a view of the sea out the large oval window above the capacious tub, and one orange towel hanging from a shell-shaped hook.

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7.  Before I became obsessed with knitting, I was a dedicated needlepointer.  I preferred to work in petitpoint, and loved to work with charts.  One of the best resources I found for beautiful, intricate charts was The Scarlet Quince.  I know the website says these are for cross-stitch, but most of them can easily be done in needlepoint, provided there is not too much backstitching in the pattern.  

Wouldn’t this one be amazing on the bed of an all white bedroom with watery blue-green walls?

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8.  I am an enthusiastic fan of Stephen Fry.   I adored his latest PBS series, Stephen Fry in America, and he remains the quintessential Jeeves to me.   I had always wanted to listen to him read all the Harry Potter books on audio, but unfortunately, they have never been available in the US.  But joy of joys.... this past Christmas, a couple of our best and kindest friends gave us Mr. Fry’s version of the first two books, all the way from the UK.  I am now seriously addicted to these.  He reads them in such a way that I am completely captivated, his resonant, avuncular voice renders the words almost visible.  Highly recommended.

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9.  One of the anticipated joys of Spring, is the totally different wardrobe one can now choose from.  Crisp linens, big straw bags, spectator oxfords... all waving at me from the back of the closet, ready for their time in the sun.  I just found this linen blazer and pair of yellow shoes from TOAST. 
 They make me swoon.

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10.  I know I have showcased these handmade journals from Kreativlink  on an earlier occasion, but the new ones for Springtime are simply too beautiful not to share.  I can just imagine sitting under a flowering apple tree on a warm afternoon, writing a story about the wanderlust of hedgehogs in this enchanting handmade book. 
 It seems as though it would foster technicolour creativity.

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11.  I have always been a bath person.  At some point every night, I can be found, up to my chin in a cloud of scented bubbles in my big, clawfoot tub - music playing, lights dimmed, with Edward dozing on the bathroom rug.  Consequently, I am a serious connoisseur of bubble baths and soaps.  I like to change them with the seasons - vanilla and pomegranate for winter, jasmine and seaside for spring.  This soap by Mistral is my favourite this time of year. 
 It smells divinely of the sea.

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12.  And finally, this photograph just makes me happy. I will always have a big old crush on this man.  Daughter Mary is an accomplished photographer who is responsible for this gorgeous portrait.  
And the other daughter, Stella, designs clothes to die for.