Daffodils

Some cheery little mini daffs my dad brought home for me.

How could they not make a day full of muddy slush and ice cold rain a little brighter? Especially, when they are tucked nicely in a gorgeous footed ironstone bowl. This was one of my finds while away the other weekend. It has stunning lions heads on the sides and is classic tureen, if you as me. 

I came across this little poem about daffodils that really sums them up quite nicely.

I needed a little cheering up today, especially after watching countless horrifying videos of what is currently devastating Japan. Remember them today in your prayers, and the many who will be affected.

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

 

PS. What a name for a poet!

 

A Giveaway Over at Dreamy Whites

[Dreamy Whites]

Okay, so if you've never been over to Dreamy Whites, go... now. Maria's home and photos are nothing short of, well, dreamy. Her shop is equally as lovely.

But, even more reason to head over, is her latest giveaway: a $200 gift certificate to White Flower Farmhouse. Yep. You read that correctly. Talk about generous.

All you have to do to enter, is head on over to her giveaway post here, read her lovely little interview with Lori, the owner. Follow the links to the shop and check out all of her beautiful finds and then head back to Dreamy Whites to let them know how you would spend the money!

Hurry on over, the giveaway ends tomorrow at midnight!

[White Flower Farmhouse]

Oh how this giveaway would help my sun room makeover right along! This is so that look that seems to be coming out. Lot's of lovely green plants, vintage greenhouse finds, and some beautiful architectural finds.

House Tour - Rosy Strazzeri-Fridman's San Francisco Victorian

[All photos from Country Living]

I've been flipping through a previous issue of Country Living (February 2011), and I wanted to share this stunning home with you.

It's a gorgeous old Victorian belonging to Rosy Strazzeri-Fridman, who currently resides in San Francisco.

It really is a work of art. The details of this home, structurally and from a design stand point are amazing. It's full of vintage pieces, without looking worn and tattered. It's bright and white, but still somehow muted and relatively warm. It's as though every single piece in this house is exactly where it should be; as if it was made for that spot. I find that most curious, because most things are quite old and probably deemed useless, or undesirable by the original owner.

This is a house that closely emanates the style I tend to lean towards in my own home. With the large old ornate frames, the piling of linens in uber neutral colours, the collections of white, and the multitude of vintage treasures. I love it. Well, most of it.

It's still lacking something for my own personal taste. It still feels a bit.. for lack of a better word, posh, to me. I don't feel relaxed in all of the rooms. I mean, don't get me wrong, they are stunning. And, to be honest, I have the same thing with my own home. I'm constantly tweaking things because it's not "just right" yet. It's still got a ways to go. A long ways. The fact that this overhaul took 10 years for her to accomplish, makes me feel better about the state of mine.

But, regardless, this house is gorgeous and she has done a superb job.

Oh to have a turret...

Mhmm... Love. Love. Love.

I don't know why I like old, ornate frames so much, but I do. The artwork in my living room is actually lacking of any art. It's just huge, chunky, chippy old ornate frames. I think they're artwork in themselves. These, however, are more refined. I like the feel of the collage, and the mix of shape and texture, along with mirror and artwork. It's a great focal space.

Aren't those floors gorgeous? And that cabinet is massive, but fits the space beautifully. I think the mixing of the chairs is fun, but I'm not completely in love with the whole look. Don't get me wrong, I love the look of mixing old farm chairs, but this is a bit different.

Of course, can't get enough vintage glass - what is it about cloches right now? I'm so in love with them!

And this... oh how I am so inspired by this. My son's nursery, which is celery green right now, with cream and brown accents, is on my list of makeovers this year. He is going to be 2, and with that comes a new "big boy" room I think. I wanted to incorporate some vintage pieces into his space, and to carry through the style of the rest of the house, but I still wanted it to be age appropriate. That's tough to do with a 2 year old boy. I love this though. It's vintage, but clean and purposeful. I think the toy chest idea, with old suitcases is super fun, and functional! And the old vintage military look is super boyish, but still neutral.

See now, here is a room I can rest in! I would feel relaxed and at home in this space. It's definitely warmer and looks inviting.

The brightness of this kitchen is exciting to me, as is the height of that ceiling. I am not excited, however, about those cabinets. But, they do contrast the antiques nicely, and the dark finishes of the floor and island do add a bit of warmth to the room. Love that chandelier!

Baking Day - Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

This morning, feeling like something tasty for with my coffee but not wanting to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, I made a loaf of banana bread. Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread.

This is a really easy, and wonderfully basic recipe from Bill Granger - a self-taught Australian chef. I would call him the Jamie Oliver of the outback, if you catch my drift.... He's  His recipes are quite yummy.

Anyway, here is the recipe. It would make a lovely little gift, packaged in parchment and bakers twine, or as a simple accompaniment with your afternoon coffee. It's best served slightly warm, when the chocolate is nice and gooey, in a thick slice with lots of butter. Yum.

CHOC BANANA BREAD

makes 1 large loaf

2 cups of flour

2 tsp baking powder

4 ripe bananas

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

4 1/2 oz (5 tbsp) butter, soft

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup good quality milk or semi-sweet chocolate (chopped or chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside one loaf tin, ungreased. I use a 7 1/2" x 3 1/2" I believe. It's slightly smaller, so it's makes a nice, high loaf. In a small bowl, whisk flour and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl, mash up bananas. Add sugar, vanilla butter and eggs. Stir until combined. Add in four mixture and fold until almost incorporated. Add chocolate and continue folding batter. Do not over mix, or you will loose the moist softness of the loaf. Pour batter into tin and smooth top. Bake for 1 hour, possibly a bit longer, until skewer comes out clean when tested. Let this sit in pan for 10 minutes before removing to finish cooling on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

There's something about enjoy a piece of this with a coffee. I think it's a great compliment because it's not too sweet, but there are still hints of chocolate. Plus, it's got just subtle hints of banana, and it's really moist and dense.

I prefer the smaller pan, because it's makes a really high loaf. It gets really golden and slightly crispy on the outside, with the perfect little crackling on the top. I also prefer chunks because it looks more uneven and rustic.

Oh, and the little guy approves - as if the chocolate smeared on his forehead and all over his cheeks wasn't enough evidence!

GD - Featured Blog of the Month on SavvyCityFarmer

Just a quick note that The Growers Daughter has been named blog of the month at SavvyCityFarmer.com. What an exciting way to start off the month.

Thanks so much Joy!

Visit her Etsy shop here - SavvyCityFarmer - for lots of rusty of great farm style finds.

You can check out her blog as well, here - SavvyCityFarmer - for even more inspirations.

New Items In Shop

[White Oval Plate - $15.00]

I've been going crazy this past week, waiting for a sunny enough day to take photos for the shop. I have created piles of amazing new finds, just waiting to be shared with all of you, and nothing. Only clouds and rain.

Today, however, the sun finally made an appearance!

I was able to get some new items posted in the shop and I thought I would share some with you.

You can view the rest by following the Etsy link which is located on the right-hand side of the page. There are lots to see!

Enjoy and Happy Monday.

[Ironstone Mugs, Set of 4 - $20.00]

[Cream and Sugar Set - $15.00]

[Ironstone Lunch Set, 16 pc - $68.00]

[Transferware Casserole Dish - $40.00]

[Soup Tureens - $15.00]

[Gold Trim Plates, Pair - $20.00]

 [Transferware Pitcher - $38.00]

[Ironstone Cups and Saucers, Set of 4 - $20.00]

[Repurposed Glass Cloche - $45.00]

I paired this amazing old ironstone plate and this glass dome to create a lovely cloche. It's quite large, which is perfect for displaying treasures or housing a small plant. And, it's so unique! It's two of my favourite things together in one lovely piece.

Pots of Spring

At the market this weekend, for the first time, there were a few small pails of pussy willows. I don't know about you, but to me, pussy willows are a sign of spring. I just couldn't resist buying a few bundles.

 As I continued through the flowers brought that day, I found some vibrant green roses. These are a variety that I don't normally see at market. They remind me of my mother-in-law. Her favourite colour is a vibrant green and as soon as I saw them, I slowly started to see a beautiful bouquet taking shape. We were going over for coffee the next night, and I thought these would be a lovely little gift.

I grabbed a bunch of the green roses, and went from there. There were some green carnations in a similar shade and some fragrant yellow freesias that would compliment the roses. For a bit of contrast I threw in some white sweetheart roses. These are the exact colours of her kitchen, and many of the accents in her home.

It was the pussy willows that really made the bouquet though. I had enough to make up a little arrangement for her in an old milk glass vase, and a smaller version for my sister-in-law. They didn't take much time to put together and the end result is just so fresh and vibrant, like spring in a pot!

An arrangement needn't be large to make a big impact. This one is the perfect size for any spot.

The yellow freesias and the crisp white sweetheart roses add the right amount of contrast to this arrangement. The Spanish moss and pussy willows give it a more natural feel.