Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Wind, Dirt & Design

 Our interesting job today was creating a fresh look for a friend who is "tired" of looking at her "tired" home… The plate princess(she has acquired beautiful collections of dinnerware) wanted a interesting eclectic feel to enjoy her beginning retirement. Now she's ready to entertain which is her favorite endeavor. Relish the beginning of a beautiful carefree summer!








Monday, April 28, 2014

Hand Thrown Glazed Pottery


Each one of these pottery pieces start as simple lumps of red clay before talented artisans shape each one using a traditional potter's wheel. Nature-inspired glaze colors are applied by hand before high firing in ovens  similar to those used for centuries. Characteristics of handcrafted work can be seen in the shapes, finished and slight color variations-making each piece a unique work of art.
Above is the very large orchard bowls…love love these! We were brainstorming about what you could do with these great bowls-we could see them filled with green apples for Spring & pumpkins for Fall….potatoes in a kitchen underneath an island…under a large coffee table filled with books-or displayed on top of a coffee table. Use your imagination! If you appreciate hand thrown pottery you will love taking a look at these...
Here is the smaller bowls mixed in with our confetti glassware so pretty mixed together! Beautiful bowls of all sizes!

Copper Beads, Navajo Feathers & Turquoise Bears

 For copper lovers out there we have in our beloved copper beaded necklaces again…they seem to go fast and are hard to get. A great price compared to the sterling silver beads they are gorgeous mixed with silver jewelry for Summer as well. We have them in the extra large size wow! And the medium sized beads...
 In love with these large handmade Navajo pendants out of Kingman Turquoise…the Heart & Bear are embellished with sterling silver and quite special! Also love this artist's Feather Collection of great contemporary feather cuffs, feather pendants and these great earrings! This is also a good time to start hinting for Mother's Day-plant the seed as we like to say!
 Large stamped hooped earrings, copper & silver beaded necklaces, and feather cuffs shown above. As well as our simple hammered copper cuffs….
Last the ultimate! This extra large sterling stamped Navajo cross is gorgeous with any of these wonderful beads! Looking for the very large 16 mm sterling beads? We have them as well with matching earrings! Remember we have lay-away...It's an easy way to make purchases that might otherwise cramp your budget...

Bridal Showers Are Coming Up!

Don't forget we have several bridal tables set up we would love to help you in anyway that we can!
We are happy to take phone orders as well-thank you to all our customers that have stopped by for a bridal gift or made selections we appreciate you so much!
Contact Us At 806-293-3588
Alesha Robertson & Andy Ellis Wedding Shower-May 3rd, 2014

Heather Mize & Jeremy Tucker Wedding Shower-May 4th, 2014

Kailey Wardlow & Travis Crow Wedding Shower-June 7th, 2014

What Time Is It???

This is one spiffy coffee table with a large vintage-style clock face that is distressed and old-looking with a glass top and curved rusty metal legs. Would be a great & unique piece in your living room or library…we just have one it will go fast! $358.00 34" x 34"

Oversized Stuffed Linen Pillows in Summer Colors

This hutch is stuffed full of these great fringed linen pillows for Summer. These pillows are oversized and soft with a punch of color…mix and match them on your sofa or chair. A pop of color for your bedroom for Summer they come in colors such as pale turquoise blue, indigo, sand, bright lime green & coral orange, and a rusty red. $44.95 each includes filler

Unusual & Vintage Style Finds

 This is one of our favorite displays filled with unusual and vintage style pieces…a pair of worn and rusted sheep so pretty displayed together on a kitchen table or buffet-or even sweet in a child's room. Rusty old style european crosses in different shapes & sizes to hang on the wall in a small space or would be interesting around antique religious print. Also love these great large concrete lamps-heavy heavy and very unique!
Tucked in are these beautiful reversible velvet & linen placemats with matelasse quilted pattern in pale aqua blue & a taupe cream…our linen damask napkins are large and go perfectly with them. Use the linen side in the Spring & Summer and flip them to the velvet side for Fall & Winter beautiful! $48.00 set/4 Linen Damask Napkins $28,95 set/4
Pair of Sheep $64.95  Rusty Garden Crosses $14.95 & $12.95 Old-Style Concrete Lamps w/ burlap barrel shades $128.95 Each
These antique reproductions of a plumb bob are so neat use your imagination with them-I could see them being great for planting a row in your garden or weighing down a tablecloth on a patio…a roll of twine tied to the end of a cast iron plumb genius!
A plumb bob is a ancient tool that uses the earth's gravity to gauge verticality. It consists of a weight attached to a string, and its name derives from the French word for lead, plomb, since the weight has been traditionally made of that material. Because of the unerring dependability of gravity, a plumb bob is a reliably accurate measuring device, and carpenters, masons and other tradespeople use it for a variety of purposes.  Plumb Bobs $7.50 each
 These crusty ducks have such character would be a great gift for the gardner-they look old and ancient like they have been sitting in an old established garden for years and years… Crusty Duck $36.95
Also think these rusty 3 tiered stands would be great in any home for many uses. An antique reproduction-I could see this in a bathroom filled with linens and trays of bath salts and glass jars of beautiful soaps. It could go outside to hold sweet pots of geraniums & ivies, or place baskets in it to hold just about anything…a great piece! Rustic Metal Stand $138.00
In the back of this display peers eyes that belong to a rustic metal wall hanging that looks like an old antique Russian icon religious piece…Old silver & bronze shimmer makes this piece of art very unusual and old looking love it love it! Metal Icon Wall Piece $78.00

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Filling

Angel Food Cake with Blueberry Filling
Ingredients:Angel Food Cake -
1 cup cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups egg whites (10-12 eggs whites)
1 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup sugar, sifted 

Blueberry Filling –
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup Wild Maine Blueberry Jam (Pick Your Jar Up At Shop-this Jam is Fantastic!)
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese or whipped cream cheese (no fat free)
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting and fresh sliced strawberries for topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift cake flour, 3/4 cup sugar and salt 3 times.
In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or you can use a hand mixer, combine the egg whites, cold water, cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extract. Beat on high until the mixture if stiff and glossy, but not dry. Fold in 3/4 cup of sugar 2 tablespoons at a time.
Fold in flour and sugar mixture a little at a time. Bake the batter in an ungreased 10-inch tube pan about 45 minutes or until the cake is golden and a toothpick tester comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake. invert pan to cool.
Make filling by placing whipping cream in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar. Stir Wild Maine Blueberry jam until smooth (heating the jam slightly in the microwave may help). Combine the jam and mascarpone, mix until uniform. Fold jam and mascarpone cheese into the whipped cream until smooth. Chill in refrigerator while cake cools.
Once cake cools completely, remove cake by cutting around the edges and center tube and then around the bottom. Cut cake in half, horizontally, gently with a serrated knife. Form a trough by pulling out some of the cake in the center of the bottom half. Fill trough with Blueberry filling. Place top half of cake over filling. Dust cake with confectioners’ sugar and serve.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Happy Easter!

May the glory and the promise
of this joyous time of year
Bring peace and happiness to you
and those you hold most dear
Have a blessed and joyful Easter!

Thursday, April 17, 2014

The Jeanne d’Arc Living Magazine 4th Issue 2014

Fresh off the press and now available at Bonnes Amies…The Jeanne d’Arc Living Magazine is a 95% advertisement free monthly lifestyle magazine filled with creative DIY ideas, simple recipes, captivating articles and beautiful photography of inspiring homes, vintage flea market décor and crafts, nostalgic European garden designs and flower arrangements – all in the French and Nordic country decorating style. It is currently being translated into eight different languages and distributed worldwide mainly Europe. 4th Issue 2014...Please see options below you can purchase and pick up at store for $16.95 or we will gladly mail to you for $18.95.

Options
 




Handmade Glassware From Mexico

Our favorite handmade glassware has arrived in a variety of textures and colors. A company out of Mexico whom employs artisans which produce beautiful and elegantly carved glassware. Promoting traditional Mexican arts, they take great pride in the uniqueness of its artisans and products…
Perfect for brides and also makes a wonderful gift for Summer.
The confetti glass is a favorite for Summer with bright specks of beautiful color. The margarita/desert glass is so pretty shown here…

 The etched aqua glassware is also very pretty and comes in a variety of sizes…love love the ice bucket below!




Fun Aqua Blue Enamelware for Spring & Summer!


Designed to delight. This new & fun Enamelware Dinnerware is simple and beautiful, with a nod to vintage style. Its steel with porcelain-enamel finish is also shatterproof—ideal around kids and klutzes. A soft aqua blue that comes in dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, coffee mugs, and a variety of trays it is inexpensive and perfect for Summer!

 Love this quaint coffee set…I can see it filled with a hot pot of our freshly ground apricot creme coffee and carried outside on an early Spring morning. Or perfect for having tea in the tree house with my little girl who would probably call it hot chocolate instead!
Fired enamelware is an integrated layered composite of glass and metal. The word enamel comes from the Old High German word smelzan (to smelt) via the Old French esmail. Used as a noun, "an enamel" is a usually small decorative object, coated with enamel coating. Enameling is an old and widely adopted technology, for most of its history mainly used in jewelry and decorative art. Since the 19th century the term applies also to industrial materials and many metal consumer objects, such as some cooking vessels, dishwashers, laundry machines, sinks, and tubs.
It is especially pretty mixed with this burlap white ruffle runner and soft white linen napkins and burlap napkin rings. We have so many beautiful runners and table toppers in that are bright textures as well as a colorful variety of napkins for your Easter table this weekend or a Spring breakfast,

Can Full Of Color-Front Door Brightness!

After seeing so many beautiful door arrangements being whipped up and walking out the door I had to have one for my door for Easter! Found this metal container that I used for Fall and spray painted it metallic copper and dry brushed with a soft turquoise paint…my favorite colors and what I thought would give the biggest punch on my front door were the bright orange ranunculus, twiggy yellow branches, and purple lavender bunches. The last element needed for Spring? A sweet bird nest of course! And some wild mossy garland to attack anyone that enters my front door.
Have a great container but don't know what to do with it? Or last year's Spring wreath looking a little beat? Bring it in we can work some magic on it! We have many beautiful florals in for Spring to brighten your home or your front door! Stop by and let us help you!

Pick A Jug Any Jug!

 Pick A Jug Any Jug! Just in…a large shipment of assorted rustic and vintage-style jugs in a variety of beautiful colors for Spring. They look like they are fresh from an antique market…glazed pots large and small in bright red, turquoise and soft blue(stacked right next to Stumpy). I can see these perfect for holding wooden spoons and utensils in a kitchen or place a sweet blooming violet in them and display on a sunny table….
 Place a collection of them on your kitchen table or up high on a hutch…beautiful to stuff with yellow forsythia twigs or bright green berries.
Okay we did put a little piece of ham & pineapple pizza in-between the pots so Stumpy would pose for our pictures he likes great old jugs…and pizza, potato chips, and anything else we munch on during the  day!
My favorite jugs have the pretty lettering and words punched on the front of them…each one is so unique! Prices vary from $25.95 from the smallest jug to $90.00 for the very largest-great accent pieces for your home.

A Fresh New Home

A young mother who has taken an older dated house and created a new fresh home...we had the privilege of putting together her dining room and living room. Her style is simple, clean, and contemporary...but at the same time accessories are always needed to give a home personality. And now it looks just like her!
A great house the main living area was very large and full of light…this long platform extending across the room was perfect for her dining table and chairs…something that she had envisioned but not sure how to make it work.
Loved adding these large spiky succulents to her large cream jug and some of our rustic iron pieces from the store. These soft aqua linen napkins finished the table off for a clean and simple look... beautiful!