It's the Nomination That Really Counts......

Yes many of you were nominated to win my "Almost 300 Followers" giveaway, but sadly, there can only be one winner.

(drum roll please)

And the winner of the two-tiered server, Farm Chicks cookbook, and coordinating napkins is.....

(music swells here)

Oh I can hardly get the envelope open - er I mean random number generator to generate.......

(music REALLY swells dramatically here)

Let's see how much more I can drag this out.......

Oh you can't read that?  Well, let me get my trusty reading glasses out.  

The winner is......

Mica of The Child's Paper for her performance in Orange Brownies. 

Congratulations Mica!

Now for my acceptance speech.....

I want to thank you all from the bottom of my

for all the sweet comments

and 

I 

just can't believe how many of you decided to follow

our adventures

here

at 

Sweet Bee Cottage.

Thank you again!

Your visits are such a delight - each and every one of you!

So....the question has been asked.....

(and it cracked me up because Worker Bee kept predicting I would have to have a 400 follower giveaway before the end of the 300 follower giveaway)

When is the 400 follower giveaway?

Well, I'll tell you - there will be one, but I have to find just the right delightful treat to give to you.

I know we'll enjoy many a latte as we continue our visits together!

Thank you again for buzzing 'round!

P...I...N...K............L...O...V...E...

I have a little pink love for you!

Runner Bee and I got together to do a little mod podging.

This is what I made and I didn't think to take any pictures of what she made.

Our girls had fun playing together and we did too!

Thank you so much for coming by!  

So nice to see you today!

I hope you have a chance to visit all the other pink lovelies to see 

thanks to Bev at How Sweet the Sound.

There's still time to enter my giveaway......barely!  

Please click here to leave a comment on the giveaway post so you can be entered!

Do You Have the January Blues?

I've got the blues.......

But aren't they the prettiest blues?

Even my tablecloth has the blues!

 I picked this tablecloth up in a miscellaneous box of linens at an estate sale for $1!  

 Someone worked long and hard on this.

Look at the sweet edging.  Do you think someone did that by hand?  By machine?  

I love the little knots every inch or so ALL the way around.

I think I need to have a spring tea party!

Would you come?

 Decisions, decisions!  Which teapot should I use?

I have had these sweet cups for about 10 years.  I don't think they are vintage, but if you think otherwise, won't you let me know?

The white teapot matches my wedding china - Wedgwood Nantucket Basket.

The green teapot is one I picked up at Home Goods a few years ago.  I like its celadon green color and strawberry motif.  

I'm thinking some kind of angel food cake on this plate......or do you have a better idea?

This IS a vintage cake plate.  My MIL, the Quilting Bee, had a friend that had children that didn't appreciate their mother's OLD things and my MIL knew I would treasure it so her friend sent it to me.  Isn't it beautiful?  I don't know the pattern.  Do you?

So, shall we set a date for our tea?  Does late March work for you?

I am so delighted to see you!

And

I'll bet

you'll be delighted

with all the delights

you can see over at

My Romantic Home

for

Thank you Cindy for hosting Show and Tell Friday.

You might also like to enter my giveaway.

It ends on Jan. 29 which is right around the corner!

Click here to leave a comment and be entered!

(You've got to leave your comment there or it won't count.)

Thank you so much for buzzin' in!

Do You Have a Favorite Design Inspiration?

It's a chilly night tonight with all the fog we've been smothered in and it just seemed like the perfect night to snuggle into the library with a quilt and read a few old books.

As I perused the shelves, I focused in on my decorating, gardening, crafting, and cooking shelves.

A name popped out at me...........

Mary Emmerling!

I have several of Mary's books.

Cottages is my all time favorite!

How about a trip down memory lane with me?

I started to buy her books when my husband and I were first married in 1990.

Can I show you a few of my favorite pictures from a few of these books?

Well, you know how I am......I'm going to show you whether you want to see or not!

 My dream cottage!  If we had enough sun, I'd have roses growing up the sides of Sweet Bee Cottage!

 Love this simple kitchen.  (But I have to confess, I could never have a kitchen like this - I'm not that great a housekeeper.)

Love this red gingham chair!  Wouldn't you love to work in a spot like that?  We need a new chair for our computer armoire.......maybe I should look for one to reupholster in red gingham.

Look at that table and chairs!  I would love to have wicker chairs in my dining room.  I have some all picked out - I just can't buy them right now.  Someday..........a girl can dream, right?

I had forgotten I even had this book.  I remember looking everywhere for a heart-shaped tube pan.  Never did find one.  

Don't those flowers look gorgeous on the table?  Lovin' the different colored chairs too!  Still looks fresh and this is from a book from 1993!

 There's that heart-shaped cake again!  Never made that cake, but I think I need to now.

I'm not much of a drinker, but I have always loved this little bar area!  I even bought a milk bottle carrier but somehow it never looked as great at my house as it did in this picture.  

(Since then I've painted my milk bottle carrier bright red and I use it to hold potted plants.)

I looked to see what Mary Emmerling has written lately and she has a book on turquoise (the stone not the color).  I'd love to see some new books by her, wouldn't you?

After looking through these books I've discovered that the pictures that I'm drawn to wicker chairs and floral pillows.  Apparently that is all it takes for me to decorate a house!  

Will you come over and sit in my wicker chairs strewn with floral pillows???

You know I'll bribe you with scrumptious treats!

I'll even bake that chocolate cake for you in a regular tube pan!

Thanks for buzzin' in!  I hope you know how much I appreciate our little visits.

Let ME Out! Let ME Out!

Let who out???

Let all of you out?

 Promise not to run away?

 There are an awful lot of you!

 Do you remember the last time I let you out? 

You weren't very well-behaved and one of you broke your handle.

Well, okay, since you asked so nicely.......

 What's that?  You want to model for our visitors?

Well, just a few of you, okay?

We don't want to tire our guests.

 Ahhh - there's the twins!

 Aren't you the cutest?

 Be careful this time.  Don't break your spout!  You know what happened the last time.  Don't worry, I won't embarrass you by bringing it up in front of our guests.

Hope you enjoyed this little ME teapot round-up!

I was able to corral them all back in their jar and no one got hurt this time.

Thanks for buzzin' in!

I've got a real ME teapot that we'll have to share a cup out of one day - soon, I promise.

Hope you can stop by my friend Vicki's to see some other fun Mary Engelbreit treasures!