The Kitchen Cupboard

For as long as I can remember, the kitchen has been the heart of our home. I can still see the very full cupboards in both my grandmother’s and my mother’s kitchen.

The dining room china cabinet held the very best dinnerware that was used for special occasions, but the kitchen cupboards were always like a treasure hunt. You never knew what you might find tucked inside. Some pieces useful, some pretty, some very mysterious. Miss-matched china cups, some missing their saucer, just waiting to be used for special desserts. It was always just a little more fun to eat my grandmother’s tapioca or my mom’s pudding from a fancy cup.

The cupboard that held the slightly worn, tin canisters, was one that brings back some of the very best memories. I remember cookies being baked for school parties, and pies and desserts for special holidays. All of us kids gathered in the kitchen to watch the magic, each vying for the honor of scraping the batter bowl, or spoon and awaiting our part in this magical play. Tucked in this same cabinet, sugar sprinkles waiting for our little hands to add the finishing touches. There were so many memories made from what our kitchen cupboards held. Some that shape us as mothers and grandmothers. If you’d like to take a walk down memory lane, some of these very same treasures can be found at Forget Me Not Dreams and in the boutiques at Make Mine Pink.

Written by:
Joyce Lucas,

Founder Make Mine

Simply Pink

Everywhere you look these days, pink is popping up in home decor and fashion. The color once reserved for baby nurseries, and little girl's dresses is now being incorporated into the decor of homes everywhere. Sometimes in soft summer hues and at other times, bright and bold, making a statement that is impossible to ignore. Some of us love "all things pink", and fill every corner and space with this fun color. Furniture, curtains, and pink accessories grace our homes and closets. Others' craving for pink is satisfied with just a bit of a favorite shade here and there. You may find a pale pink quilt draped across a white chair, an antique pink chair against a warm white backdrop, or perhaps a clear crystal vase filled with vibrant cut flowers in shades of pink.

Mixing shades of pink makes a room feminine and chic, but a single pink accent in an all white room, commands just as much attention. Even when subtle, pink catches the eye wherever it's used. It’s fun, it’s feminine and it’s flirty. Pink is the color that fits in with any theme - from girly to chic, from romantic to modern. Store windows are filled with eye popping pink accessories and furnishings. Designers are using extravagant pink fabrics or creating just a few pink touches in their designs. Websites are popping up everywhere, offering pink accessories for home and fashion.

What is it about pink that makes us love it so much? It's the color of princesses and fairy tales, wedding bouquets and ballet slippers. It can be whimsical or soft and feminine. In brighter shades, it reflects a bold zest for life. It's a reminder of favorite childhood memories and future dreams. Whether you surround yourself with pink or just like keep a special pink reminder nearby you'll find something special on Friday in our MMPink category and at Make Mine Pink.
Written by:

Joyce Lucas,

Founder Make Mine Pink

HALF PRICE SALE & Pink Friday

Yes, it's finally here....We are excited to announce the opening of our HALF PRICE SALE! Great stuff at great prices so jump on over and get it while the getting is good!While your there, don't miss the MMPink Friday Event listings! The theme this week is Along The Garden Path! We have some garden and patio half price listings in our MMPink Friday category as well! Be sure to visit the other shops on Friday at MMP.

A Few Of Our Favorite Things

Join us for a fun shopping event this Friday...A Few Of Our Favorite Things! It promises to be a fun one! But seriously...how do I pick just a "few" of our favorites to list! We love to create so that's a given, and we love to find and sell vintage treasures so expect some of that too! I guess it will be a hodge podge of favorites! Perhaps some pink rose embellished tea cups, or Cottage Chic decor items! A gorgeous pillow crafted of vintage textiles, ribbons and jewels! We have so many favorites...you just never know what your going to find at our "Favorites" Sale! Please join us at Forget Me Not Dreams as well as the other shops at Make Mine Pink.

Spring Time's Romantic Re-do

Spring is the perfect time to start thinking about a romantic re-do for your home. The world outside is changing color and bursting with new life. Let a new season begin in your décor as well. Giving my home a romantic re-do by changing just a few elements is something I look forward to every spring.The heavy drapes hung for winter are taken down and replaced with filmy sheers in soft spring colors. The windows are opened to let in the fresh air, and the gauzy curtains sway in the spring breeze. Sparkling sunlight shines on newly hung art art – detailed paintings of roses and etchings of spring birds. Just a few simple changes like these, and my heart already feels lighter.

In the bedrooms, winter quilts are packed away. Beds are draped with pretty pale pinks, robin's egg blues, and shades of white. The colors of budding flowers and new life. Chenille bedspreads and lace tablecloths draped across the foot of the bed or over the back of a boudoir chair, adding romantic appeal. One of the final touches is a lightly scented candle by the bedside, ready to light on a quiet spring evening.

In the dining room, the table is spread with a hand-crocheted tablecloth, each lacy flower intricate and full of spring. Treasured and vintage place settings, covered with pretty spring roses and beautifully etched with time, grace the dining table. An elegant candle in a cut glass holder, it’s simplicity breathes romance.A sprinkling of the right accessories complete the transformation. Slipcovered couches in light fabrics and spring colors are layered with needlepoint pillows stitched with roses and spring flowers. Brightly colored fresh flowers and handmade silk roses are tucked into vases and creamware pitchers.

Even the powder room gets a little romantic re-do with towels trimmed in lace and pretty spring-scented cameo soaps A quick romantic re-do is something that I do every spring. It's so easy to do, and makes my heart feel a flutter of romance.

Join us at Forget Me Not Dreams and the other shops at Make Mine Pink for a themed shopping event...Romantic Re-Do on Friday April 2nd. It's time to let Spring in!

Written by: Joyce Lucas,

Founder Make Mine Pink

Join Us For Easter Memories

I can still remember the excitement of my childhood Easters. It began Easter morning when we awoke early, anticipating surprises that we knew had magically arrived. We were never disappointed.Then, after church, our annual Easter egg hunt would begin. Each of the children was given an empty basket and sent to fill it with as many more magical treats as we could.

Rainbow-colored eggs filled with candies and toys were hidden in plain sight, just waiting to be discovered. We would hunt alongside our family and friends, squealing with pleasure at each others discoveries. Then we raced to see who could reach the next treasure first. Later on, after the family dinner, there was always a special surprise for the adults, too.

Today, I still feel that flutter of excitement when spring arrives with all its joys. Among them is the yearly challenge of creating the perfect Easter table for my family and friends. No longer do I hunt for chocolates and candy treats. Now my treasures are cherished pieces of antique china and colorful table linens. Whimsical and often unexpected decorative pieces add the finishing touches. Vintage tea cups or antique tins for the women, and perhaps antique shaving mugs for the men, grace the entry table. The perfect little Easter baskets, there is one for each guest to take home with them after the celebration.

Artistic tags, crafted from beautiful papers, let you know which treat is yours. The altered art tags with special embellishments are as charmingly unique as each of the recipients and are a treasure all by themselves.

Inside the baskets, you might find hand poured soaps that smell as beautiful as they look, handmade charms to be worn on a bracelet or necklace, floral stationery too beautiful to write on, vintage silver cuff links for a special man. Your heart feels a familiar flutter of excitement when you discover the delights that were chosen just for you. Join us at Forget Me Not Dreams and Make Mine Pink this Friday for an Easter themed shopping event! Here you'll always find the perfect treasures to remind friends and family of their favorite memories, and to create new ones they will savor.

Written by:
Joyce Lucas,

Founder Make Mine Pink

Making Way For The New

We're so happy to be back to business as usual in this wonderful new year. I love feeling that all things are possible. We’re so happy to let you know that our exciting PINK FRIDAY events will continue for yet another year! 2010 promises to be full of fun and exciting themes for your shopping pleasure. Won't you join us Forget Me Not Dreams each Friday as Make Mine Pink presents "Shopping with a Twist?"

With the new year, we make resolutions, determined for a fresh new start. We clear out the old plans and start working on new...making way for all of the wonder a new year can bring. We are experiencing the same thing with our business. We love our planned events, and our merchandise is gorgeous - but it is time for us to straighten up the shelves a bit, look at everything with new eyes, and a fresh outlook. So this week, we are celebrating this PINK Friday with a special “Making Way for the New” shopping event. Don’t be fooled by our fabulous sales and low prices. It’s still our usual beautiful and unique merchandise! We just need it to go to a new home so that we can stock our shelves with new and even more exciting merchandise for the new year. Don’t miss this once a year Sales event! Friday, January 8th at Forget Me Not Dreams and Make Mine Pink!

Written by:

Joyce Lucas,

FounderMake Mine Pink

Celebrating Pink!

Shades of pink are popping up everywhere. Pink, once reserved for women's boudoirs and little girl's dresses is now being incorporated into the décor of homes everywhere. Sometimes in hues of summer sunsets, and sometimes bold and bright, pink makes a statement that is impossible to ignore. Mixing shades of pink makes a room feminine, but the single pink accent in a black and white room can command just as much attention. Over the past few years, pink has been proclaimed the new black. It's the color that fits in with any theme - from girly to chic, from romantic to modern. Store windows are filled with eye popping pink accessories and furnishings. Designers are using extravagant pink fabrics for whole pieces or to create just a few pink touches. What is it about pink that makes us love it so?

Make Mine Pink represents so much more than just the color pink. It symbolizes women, femininity, strength and calm. Whether you surround yourself with pink or just keep a special pink reminder nearby, pink celebrates life - everything you already are and all your hope for the future.

Join us in a celebrating Pink with a special event this Friday at Forget Me Not Dreams where you will find 10% off savings on anything "Pink" on our site. (10% re-embursed after purchase) Enjoy shopping the other boutiques at Make Mine Pink's Friday Event!

Written by: Joyce Lucas, FounderMake Mine Pink

Mother's jewelry box is a treasure trove! Vintage rhinestone pins, clouded with age but ready to be shined and repurposed. Pearls yellowed over the years. We're unable to resist gently nibbling them to see if they're real. Mother's favorite lace gloves she wore to church each Sunday or to occasional weddings, rest under the tray, as if awaiting another special occasion to bring them out. A vintage silver bracelet, the one she let you try on when you were a little girt but was much too large for your childish wrist.

Mixed amongst the treasures, you might find a few mother of pearl buttons, saved in hopes of finding a special use, or a few stray cuff links of Dad's. Mother was always sure there would be a use for that one cuff link. A tarnished locket with his faded photograph brings back a flood of memories. Vintage buttons are scattered throughout, each one reminding you of a dress Mother wore.

Mother's jewelry box is a treasure trove for little girls and grownup daughters. No matter our age, our imaginations become colorful and childlike when we open her box of secrets.. As a child, we’re convinced that somewhere in the magnificent box lives a fairy who can tell all the secrets that lie amongst these treasures, and if we listen hard enough, we’ll hear the stories it can tell.

Written by:Joyce Lucas, Founder Make Mine Pink

Please join us for Pink Friday, a fabulous themed shopping event at Forget Me Not Dreams and Make Mine Pink.

Pretty Purses!

Sorry we've been missing in action! Between Karen's vacations and my weddings, we've been on the run! Gotta love summer! Karen is just leaving on another road trip and will try to blog when she can and I'll try to share some wedding pics here in the next week so don't give up on us yet!
Be sure and stop by our site tomorrow for Pink Friday! If there's anything a girl can't have enough of it's pretty purses!A woman's purse can reveal a lot about her personality. Are you a collector of all things pretty and vintage? Perhaps a romantic summertime bag with roses and bachelor buttons is right up your alley. You can even show your "green" side with a straw handbag decorated with rescued jewelry, belts, buckles and various embellishments. Also visit the other participating shops at Make Mine Pink!

Hope your all having a fun and BUSY summer too!

Hugs!

Eileen & Karen

An English Cottage

The English cottage was introduced by British aristocrats who admired the simple beauty of the homes of farmers and craftsmen. These nobles hired architects to design similar buildings for them. The English cottage soon became popular with the general population, especially in North America, because its small scale made it more accessible.

Today, the country charm of an English cottage can be created in any home, not just those with thatched roofs and ivy covered walls.

The windows of an English cottage are often decorated with delicate lace curtains or a floral fabric, like cabbage rose print. A cozy window seat provides a perfect place to enjoy a cup of tea in the china cup passed down from a grandmother.

On the walls of an English cottage hang framed nature prints or memories preserved in vintage frames. A bird tin wall plaque, a collection of framed vintage postcards, or a carefully stitched sentiment, are equally at home here. Favorite family photos in antique frames might hang in the hall, a vintage framed mirror in the entranceway.

The cottage cupboard is an essential element of the English cottage and is used for storage or to display a collection of treasures. On its shelves you might find a glass vase painted with pink roses, an antique English teapot with plum flowers, or a vintage cottage plate. This is the place to store the embroidered tea towels from your mother or the vintage pure white linens you bring out for special occasions.

Outside in the cottage garden, you'll find colorful blooms and roses, or ivy that climbs trellises and arbors. Homemade bird houses wrought iron bird baths, welcoming garden statues, and sweet garden plaques create a cottage feel here too.

With cottage touches in just the right places, the simple beauty of a country cottage can live anywhere, not just in the English countryside.

Join us for Pink Friday at Forget Me Not Dreams and Make Mine Pink.

A Rose By Any Other Name

I've never seen a rose I didn't love. From the first blossom of spring, gently swaying in the breeze, to an intricately stitched needlepoint rich in history, I love them all. Silk roses mixed with a bunch of silk hydrangeas, gracing a vase on the mantle. Cabbage roses on a sugar bowl and creamer, brought out for a grandmother's tea. Colorful rose cupcakes scented as beautifully as they look.
Roses represent so many wonderful things and are often used to celebrate special milestones such as weddings, births and anniversaries. We might write a special announcement on stationery with long-stemmed yellow roses lying against a background of a French poem. Use white satin roses to create wedding memories in a vintage box.
Roses have also been used throughout the centuries in home décor. Like wild pink roses painted on porcelain china plates. A crystal bud vase embellished with a pink silk rose, ready to hold a freshly picked rose bud from the garden. A French ribbon rose attached to a crocheted cushion in the living room. Hand built ceramic roses to use as drawer pulls, or as a magnet to hang up a special photograph.
Milliners used silk roses to embellish the finest hats; perhaps one covered with embroidered lace and handmade millinery roses. Seamstresses stitched the richest brocade drapes adorned with roses. Grandmothers embroidered the most delicate rose patterns on tablecloths and handkerchiefs. Now we can give silky velvet rose pins a special corsage. For everyday occasions, you might wear a vintage pink rose apron or admire a rose-shaped pillow made of hot pink satin.
Throughout the years, famous artists have studied and painted every aspect of the rose. Antique lithographs and post cards from the 1800s grace our homes today with their everlasting beauty. From a rhapsody of roses printed on canvas and hung over a doorway to garlands of decal roses that make favorite items look hand painted, roses continue to gracefully fit every lifestyle and décor.
Join us at Forget Me Not Dreams and Make Mine Pink for Pink Friday as we once again celebrate our beloved roses!

You know that sudden flutter you feel when you discover a long sought after treasure? Maybe it's a piece of faux pastry delicately iced and trimmed with lace satin ribbon that takes hold of your imagination and makes you smile. Or vintage china pieces with hand painted roses that bring back forgotten memories. Crisp table linens, reminiscent of special teas shared with Grandmother so many years ago. A vintage rhinestone necklace and bracelet to put on for just the right occasions.A white painted cottage cabinet to be filled with hand-painted dishes, appliquéd tea towels, chenille bedspreads or vintage toys. Wrought iron candle sticks that dangle delicate crystal drops. They add an instant aura of old-fashioned romance.

Hand stitched needlepoints, rich in history, combined with pastels silks for a treasured pillow. Tea cozies trimmed in Venice lace and satin ribbons and bows - stunning as any china teapot and just right for an afternoon tea party with friends. Favorite finds of all shapes and sizes, to fill each corner and to suit every whim, wait for you to discover on Pink Friday at Forget Me Not Dreams and Make Mine Pink.

Joyce Lucas, Founder Make Mine Pink

Along The Garden Path

Delights and pleasures that make your heart beat a little faster await you along the garden path. Sights and sounds and smells that excite your senses and inspire your imagination. Perhaps it's the purple cone flowers, multicolored morning glories, fragrant angel trumpets, or the lordly foxglove, all grown from seed and tended with love, that line the path and remind you to dream.

Or the delicate shadow of a Victoria trellis supporting a new vine that takes you on a new flight of fancy.

In the early morning hours, or when the sun begins to set, a verdigris candle holder or metal scroll work lantern might illuminate the garden pathway. But it's the vintage metal buckets painted with floral designs and planted with overflowing flowers, that seem to light the way.

Along the garden path, a cherub garden sculpture, or a vintage cherub planter might welcome you to this less-traveled road. Ceramic plaques engraved with thoughts and sayings to brighten the day remind you of the peace you find when you walk here, and invite you to linger a while. Garden mushrooms greet you, as does the sparrow-song sung by tiny birds that have stopped to rest on bird-feeders shaped like perfectly opened petals and delicately formed tea cups.

A garden tea party...a hand painted table brought outdoors just for the occasion. Sparkling candy lights make this a fairy-tale place in the midst of an enchanted path. A Victorian cake stand filled with roses and sweets takes center stage, the vintage china tea cups and plates are set. In the shade, you can remove the sun hat that was created just for you, in a design that makes you smile whenever you catch a glimpse of it.

The garden scenery is reflected in a beautiful handmade cushion, stitched from fabric alive with pink blossoms, then placed on a nearby garden chair. A decorative vintage birdcage hangs from a weather hook. On the table lies a gardening book filled with inspiration and ideas to share. Later, you'll remember absent friends and lovingly write to them on note cards reminiscent of a favorite rose garden. But for right now, you'll celebrate with those who are here, and share the treasures you've found along the garden path.

Joyce Lucas, FounderMake Mine Pink

We Are Off, But Don't Miss Pink Friday!

We are off! All these months of preparation and the Farm Chicks show is finally here! We are so excited and can't wait to share our adventure with you! We'll be on the road all day today, but will catch up tonight when we hit the hotel. Follow our Farm Chicks journey this weekend! But in the mean time, don't miss Pink Friday!

Please join us for shopping with a twist on Friday June 5, 2009 as we present "Something Old, Something New - A Perfect Time for a Summer Wedding!"
Something old, something new. something borrowed, something blue. The age old timeless phrase describes the perfect ingredients for a beautiful summer wedding.

I'm so blessed to work in the wedding industry too! I love helping my brides create their dream wedding day! We have a couple of oldies and a couple of new ideas too. Remember those on our mailing list get weekly bonus discounts or gifts, so we invite you to join our mailing list! We'll see you tomorrow!

Eileen

The Secret Garden

Discover a secret garden, a sacred place that refreshes your senses and feeds your soul. Whether purposefully planted - like grapevines carefully twisted along a white painted arbor - or tended by nature's hand - a colorful explosion of wildflowers in a forgotten field - you'll recognize your own by the little flutter you feel inside. A place that inspires new dreams and renews forgotten strengths.

Or does your own secret garden flourish indoors? A garden embroidered along the edge of a vintage linen tablecloth, or decorating the notepaper and envelopes you keep on your writing table. Romantic peach rosebuds encircling a china plate. French ribbon roses, and hand-built ceramic roses added to dresser drawers and empty table tops. A floral pattern on a vintage handkerchief. Fleur-de-lis carved into a white display shelf. A vintage needlepoint of pink stargazer lilies surrounded by burgundy roses. A garden of photographs and memories, sprinkled with tiny flowers.

Secret gardens, wherever they may lie, fill our days with sacred places and secret sanctuaries.

Cherished Memories

Old photographs, yellowed with age. Dad's pocket watch, the hands of time still ticking. Maybe slower than before. A delicate needlepoint, not quite completed, wrapped in tissue and waiting to be rediscovered on the bottom of a hope chest.

Pieces of the past, your most cherished memories, seeking a place in the present. The faces in the photo may have grown up or passed on. The fingers that wound the watch and pulled the needle now lie still. Old French perfume bottles lining a bedroom shelf. But these memories remain, and ask to live again.

Much loved tablecloths, used for special family occasions. Grandma's rhinestone brooch, tarnished with years, but twinkling with the possibility of renewed life. A precious delicate hankie carried by a favorite Aunt. Cherished memories that make your lips smile and your eyes shine and the fun and joy of making them into something new again.

Join Forget Me Not Dreams and the shops at Make Mine Pink in celebrating Cherished Memories. We will be featuring some new custom made products you won't want to miss. Sign up for our mailing list to receive your weekly members bonus.

Romantic Roses for Pink Friday

We're in love with roses. From the gentle scent of the first spring rose to the hand painted roses on repurposed furniture, we surround ourselves with the beautiful flower and its romance everywhere we can. In a bedroom, fabric pillows and slipcovers covered in romantic red roses and buds. On a sofa in the living room, needlepoint pillows rich in history and memories, with the most intricate rose designs. On a dresser or hallway table, a pink porcelain rose tucked into the corner of a vanity tray, reminiscent of a dresser tray that held my mother's prized perfume bottles.

Perhaps our love of roses springs from the memories they awaken. A broken china charm painted with a blushing rose evokes an image of the hand painted rose china my grandmother carefully brought out whenever I came for tea. Silk roses placed in a hand painted tea pot remind me of the fragrance of fresh cut roses from my mother's rose garden. Ribbons of hearts and roses across a folding fan recollect a fan she might have held on a hot Sunday morning in church.
Or perhaps it's the myriad of messages a rose can express without saying a word. A rose wreath on an embossed card adds the words "I care about you" to everything you write. A welcome wreath of pink and purple roses hung by the front door announces "Welcome!" to all who enter. Vintage postcards adorned with roses by some of our favorite rose artists from the 1800s, framed and displayed proudly in our homes, inspire our imaginations with possibilities that could have been penned. For whatever reason, one thing is sure. Romantic roses capture our hearts and fill our homes.

Please click here to visit our Pink Friday category to see our new rose themed products, and here to visit the shops at Make Mine Pink.
written by - Joyce Lucas,

FounderMake Mine Pink

Romantic Delights for Mothers Day

Remember when you realized that your mom was the most beautiful of all? And every Mother's Day since then, you've wished for a way to say thank you for all the gifts she's given you. Romantic delights - exquisite creations that inspire remembrance of times past - also inspire gifts for Mom this Mother's Day.

Nostalgic gifts such as a vintage-inspired totes decorated with embroidered hankies and floral handbags crafted from romantic fabrics carry spring and remembrances when she walks to the nearby park or her favorite store. Heirloom jewelry made from the finest crystal beads; broken china charms, engraved with a special memory. Antique copper pendants, vintage silver charms. Cameo-inspired jewelry and accessories. Recollections of a daughter asking, "When will I be old enough to wear that?

Join us at Forget Me Not Dreams as well as the other shops at Make Mine Pink as we celebrate Romantic Delights in honor of Mothers Day! Sign up for our mailing list and receive a weekly members bonus and discounts.

Spring Fun & Savings!

You know Spring is near when you start to see the birds return to the yard. In our area, it's the Robins that usher in Springtime. What a symbol of hope that warmer days are coming soon. This year the bird motif is a very popular home decor trend. It's the nesting principle at work! Our homes can be places of comfort and warmth as we surround ourselves with things that soften the rough edges of our lives. Please join us as we feature Birds and all things related for Pink Friday this week. Be sure and use your Members Only Bonus to get your discount. Not a member yet?....no worries! Just sign up for our newsletter and you'll receive 15% saving on all of our Pink Friday product. Here's your link to jump straight into our Pink Friday category at Forget Me Not Dreams, and the other shops at Make Mine Pink. Now that's worth celebrating!

We are also going to feature our Easter goodies in our Friday Flea Market category at super sale prices! Don't forget to visit all the other shops who participate in the fun! You can find them at: Friday Flea Market.