Lucy's Lounge at Tutti Chic

True Beauty.......

 My idea of the perfect woman......beautiful inside & out. A favorite quote of mine from her reads "People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed & redeemd; never throw out anyone.....

Enjoy the rest of your week! xo

Summertime............

Have a wonderful 4th & enjoy the start of the best season of the year! xo

Worlds Cutest Red Sox Fan......

 Almost caught up with designing & planting~Pretty Pics from lush gardens coming! Have a wonderful weekend & Happy Father's Day to all our Dad's! xo

New Years Thoughts....10 of them....

I. Remember to tell my friends how important they are to me...each & every one of them.

II. Appreciate my wonderful husband even more than I do already.

III. Tell my kids & grandkids (more than I do now) how proud I am of them & the people they have become. In the case of the grandkids...the people they are becoming.

IV.  Instead of thinking sometimes "what a pain in the neck being the oldest child is" because I get stuck with most of the responsibility (holidays, helping out when my parents need me at a moments notice, organizing things etc. etc. etc..) I will always thank god that I am healthy enough & honored to be the "go to child."

V. Learn to relax more... I go at warp speed (just like the enterprise does.)

VI. What's a little hormone hell?! I'm a fit & healthy specimen so I'll just try a little harder to navigate these waters & not stress so much about it.

VII. We may not have the biggest, most expensive nest (kind of used to be a goal when younger-aren't we kind of dumb in youth sometimes?) but we have the coziest & most comfy.

VIII. Keep my promise to my hubby that I will NOT get into political arguments with people that do not agree with me. I am a very conservative republican so you can just imagine what opening my mouth does when the discussion gets heated! I can't promise 100% but I will definately try honey.....I'm Italian I have a temper~what can I say?

IX. Okay....so I may never be 110 lbs again. I'm not that far off so I am going to consiously quit wishing for those last 10lbs to go away. Muscle weighs more than fat anyway doesn't it? This means that "aging gracefully" has to be part of my mind set constantly.

X. To always know that God is with me even though it doesn't feel that way sometimes for us. I'll try to think when life throws me curves (and it has) he is by my side walking me through it just like he always has.

These are my top 10 my friends~what are some of yours? xoxo

Tattered elegance......

I Love these words "Tattered Elegance." It describes what we vintage girls like best, when decorating our nests.The dictionary description of tattered is... torn to tatters; ragged: (a tattered flag.) The dictionary description of elegance....something elegant; a refinement. Put these two words together & let the photos do the talking....enjoy!xo

 

TGIS!!!!

Yes~Thank God it's summer! I've been waiting patiently (well okay not so patiently!) for months  & it's finally here!  I live for the summer. For the flowers I plant for myself as well as garden clients, for weekends at the beach house working in the yard or lounging at the beach with family & friends, & the sound of crickets at night! I'm a sun loving, warm weather loving girl & this is the absolute BEST time of the year for me! Hubby loves that he can play golf a lot & enjoy the beach cottage along with his "it's five o'clock somewhere" mentality all summer long! So glad to be back blogging & trying hard to sit still & catch up on all my favorite blogs! I've missed my blog friends! :)

Time for a new pair of Jackie-O's! I'll be able to use these if the sun ever comes out! Nasty, dismal weather most of May & June here! :(

Gonna find lots of projects for my collection of sea shells this summer~maybe I'll tackle a mirror?

 Stunning beach roses on one of my favorite Rhode Island beaches!

This is a photo right out of grandma's brag book! Just look at my beautiful grandaughter on the night of her eighth grade graduation dance~I can't believe she is almost a high school freshman!

 Gabby (left) & her bff Nicole~soooo pretty & all grown up!

Hope all of you have a wonderful week & that the sun is shining where you are~we are looking at thursday to see the sun for the first time in DAYS!!! I picked up some beautiful french inspired burlap pillows & a fabulous brass bed made into a bench at a new shop I found-can't wait to post photos of them along with some other great finds! For now...let's look forward to a wonderful summer season~it's so good to be back blogging~I've missed you all! :) xo

Ring My Bell....

Just had to blog about the great find I came across a few months back by a very talented artist & designer down near my beach house in Rhode Island! These are paper mache bells designed exclusively for Jules Macher. Jules turns these into works of art with her paintbrush & adds a fabulous ribbon & hook for you to hang in a backyard setting or the inside of your beautiful home. They add a touch of whimsy & charm to any decor & are one of a kind finds for sure! I am enchanted with them and own three myself.  They will be available in the Tutti Chic boutique very soon! More pretty colors available in soft pinks & greens~

 

   

Painted my front door (previous post)  THE MOST hideous shade of neon lavender you have ever seen!   OMG~What was I thinking? I am going to show you just how awful it was very soon when I re-paint the door a very soft muted lavender~stay tuned! Just an FYI for all you catalogue ladies.....The most recent online Heirloom Roses catalogue is now here for you to enjoy. I have ordered the prettiest roses from this on-line catalogue & have never been dissapointed~take a peek when you have a moment! :) Wish me luck with the new paint! LOL!

 

Hello & Goodbye~

Just had to post something today...........I like to keep my blog light, funny & creative so please indulge me a bit while I talk politics for two seconds tops! :) Today was exciting  to watch as the new president was sworn in but, for conservative people like me (okay I'll say it.... I AM A  REPUBLICAN & probably one of the only people in the almost all democratic state I live in that ALWAYS sides with Elizabeth Hasselbeck) it was kind of tough. It was just one of those days too where everything seemed to go wrong with one thing or another so it made it really tough. Of course I always try to find the humor in every situation, & even today I found it. Sitting among the dignitaries at the Inauguration was a man & a well known man(not naming names) who was sporting a KNOCK OFF burberry scarf!!! I can spot them from 100 feet away! I almost fell off my chair laughing hysterically! Did you not know you'd be on nationlal t.v. & people  would notice?!  Even my "OBAMA" friends found the humor in this guy sporting the knockoff walking all over Washington with it!!! So.....God Bless our new President. I'm behind you 100% even though I'm one of the 58,343,671 that didn't vote for you. I'm an actions speak louder than words kind of girl & you made us a lot of promises. I'll be watching closely but I won't bash-that's just bad manners to bash a guy who has a lot more going on behind the scenes than we will ever know, & is trying to make the right decisions for us all.  Bye-bye George! Thanks for keeping us safe for almost 8 years & although you've made mistakes (like every other president has) I think you were a good man who tried to make the right decisions for us in very tough times, and I think in time history will be kind to you especially if people can remember how you guided us all thru 9/11~

Back To Work....

After a very busy & very short summer it's back to work in the tuttichic boutique! I am happily adding beautiful vintage finds I've been collecting all summer long. I don't usually mix boutique biz with my blog but... I've been away from boutique work far to long & am so happy to be back at it!

I'll be having knee surgery on the 19th of September, so I'll be taking some time off to recuperate (it's arthroscopic so I should be back on my feet in no time!) My poor knee has gone from bad to worse & it's time to have it fixed. I think I've been limping for so long that one leg is shorter than the other! I miss the gym & I don't like being sidelined (It keeps me from going at warp speed-the only speed I knowLOL! ) A little nervous about it so feel free to say ANYTHING to make me feel better about it! :)

I will be having a FAB beginning of FALL give-a-way towards the end of this week so stay tuned!

She's Gone & Done It !!!

I may be the last person to know this but.....Rachel has a BLOG!! It's awesome & a wonderful read with her trademark photos of shabby elegance at it's best! Personal things (like her adorable children, now grown) are featured & the best ideas on Romantic decorating sprinkled with her traemarked style. I am so over the top happy that there is a Shabby Chic blog ! I am actually taking a trip to Natick Collections next week for a little RA fix. We have the most beautiful shop here in the northeast & are tickled that we can visit whenever we feel like it. Take a peek at her blog if you haven't already http://rachelashwellshabbychic.blogspot.com & let me know what you think! I am leaving for the beach tomorrow morning for the last hurrah of the summer~hope my sweet blog friends & their families enjoy the holiday weekend & come back ready for FALL & a fabulous fall give-a-way to kick off the season! xo

The entrance to the store at Natick Collections in Natick Ma~