It's "Tussie Time"!

Tussie Mussie, that is!


How much do you love those words together? 

I just love the way they roll off the tongue.  
Say "tussie mussie" a few times aloud.

A Tussie Mussie, is a small bunch of flowers that are held in a little special
"vase for the hand," if you will.

Tussie Mussie

Here is one I just made with hot pink spray roses and greenery.

These little bundles of joy are great for mothers of the bride and groom to carry and

they're precious for flower girls and/or bridesmaids to carry, too!

I think they may even make sweet Valentine's gifts for daughters and sweethearts.  
Let's start a trend!

Many moons ago women would a carry tussie mussie to squelch their own or others' stench when personal hygiene was non-existent and the plague
 was running rampant with stinky bacteria, etc. 
... No need to go into details, on that!

Word Detective


There is an entire language surrounding flowers and I don't just 
mean their botanical and latin names. 


 Some three hundred years ago, suitors gave their ladies carefully selected arrangements of tussy mussies.  Each flower had a different meaning, emotion or intention attached.  


Women would receive their tussie mussies and then look in their Tussy Dictionary to determine what the suitor was trying to say.  


(Basically, nothing much has changed over the years... we're still trying to figure
out what the men in our lives are really telling us.)
.......

someecards.com

Let's translate...  
If you receive a tussie mussie with the following:

Lilac 
You are your partner's First Love
(Lucky you!)

Rosemary
Remembrance
(Not sure if you want to receive, alive?)

Salvia
"I Think of You"

Pansy
Thought, love


What would all of these flowers say, combined?

Bright Star


I will let you ponder on this.


My interpretation is:
Someone might be trying to remember if they love you or 
they can't stop thinking about you, their first love!


We have to remember that 300 years ago when the great tussie mussie first
became popular, global transportation had not yet begun (clearly.)  


So, truthfully,
a combination of all of these flowers 
-- which bloom in different season -- 
would not have been possible.  


That would make decoding a little easier, huh?

simplemom.net

So, this Valentine's Day... 
pay attention to what your suitor is saying
with his floral arrangement!

There could be some subtle undertones in those flowers you receive.

Language of Flowers

Yesterday's Favorites... just a peek

Urn filled with Fall Colors

Della Robbia

more on this a bit later...

                                                                 

                                                                          

Flowers are such a lovely way to start the day!


Pinterest pin of the day!

"luscious"

Repinned from Blooms by Kristina Miletieva

Dream School

Thanks to my fabulous husband, I am spending three weeks at floral design school! 

Thank you...xoxoxoxo


Meet the instructor

John Grady Burns

floral designer extraordinaire, instructor and author of 

Personally Yours and Evergreen Colours of the Season.

John Grady and his two assistants, Jessica and Evalina, are teaching and critiquing and generally allowing us to have the time of our lives under their tutelage.

Here is a tiny sampling of what we have been up to this week.

This is called a "pave" arrangement because
the flowers are all very close together 
like a pave diamond ring!
I've been learning all kinds of little tidbits like this!

Seeded eucalyptus, pittosporum, myrtle and leather leaf
all woven together to fit tightly in a wide mouthed vase

Voila... 

My absolute favorite, so far...
25 roses made into this romantic topiary.

xo
...
Harriet

Never a dull moment with Stella & Dot!

As most people do this time of year, I organize.

So, here I am midday on a Monday and I am... blogging?

Guess I needed a break from all that decision making of what to keep, what to give away, what to trash, AND what to sell!!!  More on that later...

I decided to spend a quick fwe minutes peaking at the new Stella and Dot Jewelry that my daughter Lillian sells.

Yesterday marked the debut of the 

(MUCH ANTICIPATED!)

Stella & Dot

Spring 2012 Collection.

Lillian and her friend and fellow-sales-mate Jodi watched the "fashion show" in Atlanta and I watched it here in Myrtle Beach.  FABULOUS stuff, ya'll!  We then facetime'd and discussed what Lillian would order for her "display" for this season.  She is so thrilled and I cannot wait to see it all in person, myself.  

The Bianca Tassle

-this piece was a "teaser" before the whole collection was revealed-

-and yes, I'm in love with it-

(For those of you who have seen this line --especially in person-- you know why it's so exciting... every piece is super unique, one of kind and it's all incredible quality.)

Below are the new pieces that inspired me to look for more things in this color palette:

Ahhh...love it all... and the aqua pieces made me daydream of summer and water and the color of water and how soothing that color is-----and out pops the theme for this blog!

Don't eat these too much anymore, but love the color.

This color looks good on everyone, no matter your hair or skin color.

I love the freedom of this painting... it's all so splashed in there yet... it works!

So soft and pretty.

I could live here!

Don't know what is going to be mixed up here, but the measuring cup is just the color for this  blog :)

Perfect color!

This just make me smile!
Gotta love Etsy!

See my board "TEAL" on Pinterest for individual photo credits and where to find these teal items!  (Harriet Charles Pinterest)

ENJOY!  

Now back to organizing!

P.s.
A little secret...
want to get your hands on some of the fabulous S&D jewelry for FREE?  (I don't blame ya!)
Ask Lillian about hosting a trunk show...
I was so opposed to this, initially, now that I've had two in my home, I don't understand why anyone WOULDN'T!  It's a fabulous time to see girlfriends, catch up and get great style tips from Lillian... a professional stylist.  Stay tuned for her Personal Styling website which is in the works!

Lillian & I on NYE in our Stella & Dot!

Want to be a follower?

So excited that you are wanting to follow the blog, but so sorry that the blog is not cooperating when you try to sign up.



Working on this issue....


On to greater and more interesting things....





Roze's Vegetable Soup is perfect for:

• warming you up on a cold winter's day
• ingesting 8 vegetables in one sitting
• making your house smell like you are the gourmet chef you have longed to be
• enjoying the company of the person who may be helping you chop
• doing something meditative and really good for you AND.....
• preparing something so delicious... for you and those you love.

We doubled the recipe and are freezing half and once defrosted will add the cream when reheating.  

You will want more of this....

Roze's Vegetable Soup

3/4 c. butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 c. diced onion

1 1/2 c. diced sweet potato

3/4 c. peeled diced tomato 

3/4 c. diced carrot

3/4 c diced green beans

3/4 c. coursely chopped broccoli

3/4 c. minced leek

3/4 c. minced zucchini

1 clove minced garlic

                     1 1/2 tsp. sugar or to taste

salt & pepper

1 1/2 qts. (6 cups) chicken stock

1/2 c. whipping cream

chopped parsley (garnish)

Melt butter over medium high heat. Add onion & saute 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add all ingredients except stock and cream. Cook until soft 20-25 minutes. Add stock and bring to boil over med-high heat. Reduce and simmer 10 minutes. Cool slightly and puree in batches until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Reheat and add cream.

Before blending

Post blender!



 Yummy vegetable soup served with spinach, clementines and goat cheese salad.

Enjoy and stay warm!

Best of Christmas 2011

Two 20 pound boxes of boxwood and cedar cuttings, miles of white pine roping , oasis, clippers, twine, etc... ready set GO! 


 Some people get excited jumping out of a plane but for me, opening an old fashioned waxed box of eight inch boxwood clippings is pretty thrilling.


Oh, the possibilities....

After clipping hundreds of tiny 2-3 inch boxwood clippings, I nestled them into floral foam (oasis) which come in different shapes.
Unfortunately I could not find many of the shapes that I was looking for... a little trim here and there and voila!  I made little round balls plus fat and skinny little trees!
Each one takes more than a few hours, but the end result is well worth the work! These will stay fresh well into February.

A skinny Christmas boxwood tree waiting to be placed in a silver Revere bowl.

Boxwood Christmas "kissing ball" on a silver butter dish.

Lots of luscious red satin ribbon used for a pop of color here and there.

Recycled Trader Joe's Christmas bags cover amaryllis pots.  Amaryllis grown in Florence at
Forest Lake Greenhouses... one of my all time favorite places in the world!

One of my favorite finds this season, kraft paper with gold stars... twinkle!

Check out the wooden bunny (from Anthropologie) on this package from my children.  

These Chinese carryout boxes from Michael's are great for tiny treasures and look especially pretty when tied up with satin ribbon from Paper Source.

Candlelight, paperwhites, cedar, the aroma of garlic and mushrooms cooking, the fireplaces crackling,  warm hugs of family...nothing could be better.

Boxwood and cedar (plus burlap... everyone knows how much I love my burlap!) in every nook and cranny.

This gorgeous package contained a very special gift from my husband.

Gorgeous poinsettia from
Forest Lake Greenhouses 

Mantels decorated, boxwood and yards of boxwood garlands, wreaths made and hung.  Every minute of snipping and tying was beneficial to all involved.
This work energizes me and satisfies my soul not to mention and all seemed satisfied with the end results!


 Now for a peak into the life of a full home at Charles' residence... 

Our sweet, sweet Lizzie taking a break from watching all the activities surrounding her.

The tree is up and the stockings are hung.

A lovely gift from Charlestowne Hotels arrived
which made for an exciting, spontaneous ice cream party where we 
"played the rating game" (a favorite activity while traveling)
and scored each of the fabulous flavors...

And the winner...
DRUMROLL

Toffee Chip
...
 with everything else coming in at a close second. 
Loved the chunky peppermint ice cream for the holidays.

Check out Graeter's since 1870 for your own party!

A lively game of LCR (dice_game) played with "real" money resulted in a scholorship for a girl in Malawi to attend high school.  

         If you are interested in finding out how you and your family can send a child to high school 

click on link to Peachtree Presbyterian Church (below) and look for the Tubepoka Development Initiative.

My manly husband and son built a big bonfire down by the pond.  

We roasted marshmallows, ate s'mores and yes, even sang camp songs around the fire.

These were just a few of my favorite things this Christmas 2011.


Hope your Christmas celebration was lovely, too!


Wishing you the very best in 2012!


Interested in some of my other musings and obsessions?
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