There is no mistake that I chose the black and gold pansies for a Letters from Lilly design.
Did you know pansy petals and leaves are edible as well as high in vitamins A and C? If you are having a bridal shower, just bake a white cake, frost with white frosting, and put on the pretty and edible crystallized pansies. You can purchase them or make them yourself.
Here’s how you make them:
Written directions for crystallized pansies from suite101.com.
It’s no secret that I love dogs. I’ve had a Labrador since I was born. First I had a black Labrador named Chester. He could hold 5 tennis balls in his mouth at once. Then came Teddie, who was also a black Lab and lived with us from the time I was in 3rd grade almost through my college years. He would push his front paws straight out in front of him when you asked him to bow. “Bow Teddie” and down he’d go. We had a refrigerator with a freezer on the bottom and he’d sit in front of it, enjoying the heat from below. When we’d come by and open it, he’d duck just enough so that it would clear his head. We’d never have to tell him to be careful or watch out; he just knew to shrug his shoulders just enough to fit under the swing of the door.
When I got married, Rex came into our lives. Our first baby. He was yellow and lived for 14 years and 4 months. He could catch a Frisbee 60 or 70 yards. He loved Frisbees more than anything.
Since moving to California, we have yet to try to replace Rex. We still talk about him all the time, like he’s still here with us. I could tell you more stories, but you’d think I was very strange. For sure.
Due to my love of dogs, I am blogging about the Pedigree’s “Write a Post, Help a Dog” promotion going on now. The deal is, if you blog about the promotion, they will give a 25 pound bag of dog food to a shelter. So I’ve helped get a bag of dog food to a shelter just for mentioning the promotion here. Their website also has a lot of great information about adopting pets in your area.
On that note, there is the Letters from Lilly puppies design showing 3 Labradors. I especially like the orders we get for pet birthday parties and announcements as additions to a new family. Pictured below is Rex in his favorite place after chasing Frisbees one day.
Ok, he was a little spoiled, but well loved.
Tennis anyone?
Even though it seems Federer will once again come away with a win, I still want to watch.
But I should be working.
Did you know he’s won 44 of his past 45 matches at the U.S. Open? That’s focus. He’s a five time champion. That’s determination.
I could be watching it right now, if I wasn’t sitting here… working.
If YOU want to watch it, here is the schedule.
So I’m focused and determined too. I’m going to finish this blog posting right now so I can get on to… watching the tennis today.
Here’s Lilly on our small photo card with the tennis design. You can put that tennis design on any of our products and easily upload photos on our site.
If you read this blog, you know that. Anyway, I’ve got to go! No, Lilly won’t be watching, she started 8th grade today. That’s a whole different blog posting for another time.
Hey diddle diddle,
The Cat and the Fiddle,
The Cow jump’d over the Moon,
The little dog laugh’d to see such Craft,
And the Dish ran away with the Spoon.
This simple rhyme goes back to the 1500’s when even then, parents taught their children poems and songs to introduce them to language. Nursery rhymes are important to young children because they learn culture, musical awareness, and memory when learning the rhymes.
Seen here is our Cow Jumping Over the Moon design that is so often used to announce a new baby to family and friends. As I always say, this and all our designs are available on all Letters from Lilly products.
There is so
mething about the flip, flip, flip, flip sound that my flip flops make that say summer. I wear flip flops almost every day. They go with everything and follow along with every mood (at least during summer). They make me smile.
I don’t include controversial topics in my blog for a lot of reasons, but the biggest one is because I simply want to share some interesting details about Letters from Lilly designs. I want it to be fun to write and enjoyable to read.
And who would have guessed that flip flops would carry controversy? In the short time I researched flip flops, all I found was information that made me go “huh?”
First, there are families arguing about WHO really invented the flip flop. One says their ancestor was the genius responsible for bringing us the flip flop and another says their ancestor did it a decade earlier. Is it really possible that an
yone other than a caveman invented them?
Second, because so many are made out of crude oil, they are snubbed by environmentalists. Geez, I’m glad that the companies are starting to make them from recycled tires. Am I?
Third, they are a safety concern. Now I do know that if I hit just a little bit of water on a slick floor, I will FLY across the floor. I
know they don’t have an arch and give zero support. So yes, they can be dangerous, but so is hand-gliding and sitting in the sun.
Ugh, all this negative energy makes me tired, which is NOT what this blog is about. If you want to have environmentally friendly and safe flip flops, simply order ours on Letters from Lilly stationery. Use them in the safety of your home.
Shown above is the sticker, which looks great on the back or front of your envelope. Lots of folks order them for birthday party or wedding favor bags. You also see our gatefold note to the left which is perfect for beach parties or any other occasion you are pulling together this summer.
Live on the edge, wear flip flops.
For those of you who love our little, red golf cart, you can buy your youngster one of their very own. Wouldn’t it be fun to tool around in this little thing? Perfect for spring and if you add an American flag, you could ride it in your local parade!
So if you decide to buy one of these, be sure to get the Letters from Lilly stationery to match! Shown here are our gift enclosure cards - great for birthday party gifts. Our red golf cart is also a
popular design for Father’s Day gifts. Give your favorite golfer some note cards, whether he’s a big or small guy.
P.S. Just in case I need to say so, Letters from Lilly has absolutely nothing to do with any golf cart other than the one drawn on our papers. Any craziness you decide to partake in, is up to you and is your responsibility. I don’t own one and I’ve never ordered from the company that sells them. You are responsible for your actions… all you tigers out there.
P.P.S. Yes, I know I blogged about the golf cart last time, but we’ve had a lot of attention paid to it recently and when I came across the real thing, I just had to share!
Twelve months a year we can play golf, right on the edge of America. Torrey Pines Golf Course overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is part of San Diego Parks & Recreation. It boasts blue skies overhead, luscious greens below your feet.
The gliders add to the scenery as they slip through the gentle, but strong winds above, like eagles soaring overhead.
It’s a sight to see.
Before Torrey Pines was a golf course, it was Camp Callan; a military training center specializing in anti-aircraft artillery replacement. The history of the park and its military use began in January 1941 and continued through November 1945.
Letters from Lilly offers a fun golf cart that can be used on any of our stationery products. Customers like the correspondence cards to send messages to fellow golfers.
The time of year has arrived to take inventory of our homes, make a list of repairs, sift through closets, and tidy up so that when the kids are out of school we can all enjoy the summer.
I’m happy to say that I have recently gone through my front hall closet, my own clothing and shoe closet, and my home office. Not only have I made space for the things I use, but I’ve taken a few trips to Goodwill so that others can use what I am not.
When I went through my home office, I had bags of paper that I wanted to get rid of, but wanted to shred for security reasons. Even though I shred as I go, getting rid of old files that I no longer need means more space for me. Rather then spending time shredding these papers, I took them to my local Goodwill where they shred a file box for under $10.00. Time saver and supporting a good cause.
If you are overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin, here is a place where you can get a checklist by room for spring cleaning. One room at a time.
Two of my favorite tips from Organic House Cleaning:
*Use Cloth Rags-Don’t use the new “Disposable Wipes.” Such products are bleached, and are therefore toxins. Recycle old clothing, sheets and towels into rags.
*Recycle Paper and Plastic Bags- Use the bags that you get from the grocery store to dispose of household garbage. Invest in cloth bags to use for groceries. Paper b
ags are the most environmentally friendly, however most cities have ordinances against using paper bags for weekly trash pick-ups. Minimize your use of plastic.
If you want to make your own organic cleaning supplies, click on this link to see how.
An organized space makes it easier for your children to concentrate and do their homework. Less clutter makes a more enjoyable space for your whole family. You might not get your home as organized as Lilly’s dollhouse, but she doesn’t keep files and clothes in there so she has an unfair advantage. Use Letters from Lilly stationery with the dollhouse design for your little girl’s thank you notes or gift enclosures (shown above) for birthday parties she attends.
I miss the rumpled corners of correspondence,
the ink blots and crossouts that show
someone lives on the other end, a person
whose hands make errors, leave traces. I miss fine stationery,
its raised elegant
lettering prominent on creamy shades of ivory
or pearl grey. I even miss hasty notes
dashed off on notebook paper, edges
ragged as their scribbled messages-
can’t much write now-thinking of you.
When letters come now, they are formatted
by some distant computer, addressed
to Occupant or To the family living at-
meager greetings at best,
salutations made by committee.
Among the glossy catalogs
and one time only offers
the bills and invoices,
letters arrive so rarely now that I drop
all other mail to the floor when
an envelope arrives and the handwriting is actual handwriting,
the return address somewhere I can locate on any map.
So seldom is it that letters come
That I stop everything else
to identify the scrawl that has come this far-
the twist and the whirl of the letters,
the loops of the numerals. I open
those envelopes first, forgetting
the claim of any other mail,
hoping for news I could not read
in any other way but this.
“Elegy for the Personal Letter” by Allison Joseph, from My Father’s
Kites. © Steel Toe Books, 2010
Take time to look out your window, plant some flowers, send a note to a friend. Send a note using a pen and stationery. It’s ok if you make a mistake and have to cross out, that’s the luxury of a handwritten note.
Below see our fold over note with the window box. A perfect example of stationery that can be used to correspond to a friend.
Orchids are a sensitive subject to me. I have two beautiful orchids in my home right now. They were both gifts from dear friends, as I would never dare to purchase one for myself.
One is a stellar, white orchid donning seven perfect blossoms down it’s stem. The other is a yellow and red beauty that looks as perfect as the day it was delivered to me. See it in the picture below?
Both of them were gifts during Christmas. My secret is this; I’m afraid of them. Yes, I can hardly look at them. I have to steal glances of their perfection because if I even look at them, they will die.
I have a friend in San Francisco (who will remain nameless, but you know who you are) who has given me fabulous orchids and I’d tend to them,
but not often, knowing that they like to be left on their own. I did invest in the special food for them. I kept track of when they might need the food or a tiny bit of water. They always died. She’d come to visit and I’d have lots of pots of green leaves, no flowers. I visit her and see her lush, amazing orchids with friendly blossoms dripping down their stems.
Why can’t I make an orchid bloom again? And with this being true, why are these two still living? I think because I do nothing to them. I have never fed them. I have never watered them. I have never even touched them. I only look at them when I am walking past them and even then, I walk quickly.
This weekend I’m going to San Francisco to see this friend. She’s taking me to The San Francisco Orchid Society’s Pacific Orchid Exposition. I’m very excited. I’m going to stare at all the orchids. I’m going to take pictures and dare them to die on the spot. I’m going to try to learn something about these fragile, mysterious flowers that are so gentle and beautiful.
Do you see how the yellow and red orchid, in the photograph, has a Christmas ribbon woven though it as part of the arrangement design? If I play my cards right, it will still be alive this summer, Christmas ribbon and all because I’m afraid to touch it!
The orchid I can really look at is the one on our papers. The potted orchid is shown above on our invitation and is great for a spring occasion you are planning in the near future.
