Made it to Prague

As I worked today on the computer and wiped pureed sweet potatoes off my face(my precious likes to blow raspberries while she eats) I received several emails and some wonderful wonderful pictures from my mama....Oh dear maybe I can dream of this place tonight! Last year I made the trip overseas-it was hard but worth every minute. Tootsie is preparing the day she will get to go... : ) And maybe we can eat madeleines together...

"Prague, the ultimate European city....every turn is exactly the way you vision.

Europe. Just 21 hours from my home to the most beautiful little 5 star hotel (and worth every minute).....I could hardly walk in the old hand carved doors. Picture this...a little small palace...satillo tile floors, upholstered gold leaf antique furniture with brocade burgundy fabrics (all the same fabric throughout public areas)....beautiful large dripping crystal chandeliers with kilim and Persian rugs. The cherry on the cake???...magnificent European mounted trophies adorning the walls..Alchymist Grand Hotel"...an old historical palace "Mala Strana"....(house of Jesus child)....dating back to 1591. Can't quite picture this?...neither could I. The mix is breathtaking!! "

" a RAINY day...we sloushed through the cobblestone streets and shopped"

Look she looks like a woman of Prague herself-hang tight to that bright red satchel!
So charming!

What a breathtaking view...

Wonderful old rustic buildings centuries old-standing strong...

Oh my just wonderul looks like a dreary day in Prague....

Another view of the city from up high the old red top roofs and beautiful buildings...

"Prague is known for handmade wooden puppets, wooden toys (ones you remember from childhood)...and the Bohemian crystal. John must eat a whole pig leg before we leave....tomorrow at noon...He calls the "big hamhock." It is also known as the Bohemian country....beautiful, beautiful city."

Pumpkin Fudge

Well searching through the internet I found a secret pumpkin fudge recipe-a very sweet person I know loves to make this every Fall for all her dearest friends. It's wonderful for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee-really...perks you right up. Is this her recipe? I will have to find out...
Click Here To Print Recipe

Farmhouse Table

So someone has a secret hold on this French farmhouse table-I keep waiting for it to go to a good home. But here it sits and looks so beautiful-love the pumpkin orange chenille runner across the top of it-large lantern hanging over it. Hoping to have more French antiques arriving by November-cross your fingers! Maybe another farmhouse table if we can carry another one inside-they are heavy!

It's A Turkey Thing...

Needing inspiration for your Thanksgiving table? Want it to be "wow" for your family and guest? Let us help you plan a beautiful table with our fall linens and accessories. Love these green mossy turkeys and burnt sunflowers-just a little bit of spice is all it needs!

Fall Story

What an enchanting Fall story this table tells. The burlap tablecloth w/ brown transferware platters, antiqued script glass trays, and antique european hunting mounts.

These antique european mounts are wonderful to collect and hang as a large group on a wall. Great for a men's study or library some of these are marked with dates on them. Very unique!

"Childhood is the world of miracle or of magic: it is as if creation rose luminously out of the night, all new and fresh and astonishing."

EUGENE IONESCO, Present Past / Past Present

It's beginning to look a lot like...Christmas...

It's true-it is starting to look like Christmas at Bonnes Amies...and I just love it so far. Wide red velevet ribbon and greenery. Love all this white mixed in...it's getting to be that time!

Love this little white antique children's chair-I need it in my kitchen. It's the last one I think...this bowl full of silver vintage crosses-Love! Drop by we are pulling all the Christmas out and decorating in sections....so beautiful and inspiring for the season!

Caramel Apple Butter Crisp

This recipe is for anyone who loves to pick the topping off the crisp.
7 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced to ¼ “ thick

1 jar Stonewall Kitchen Caramel Apple Butter

1/4 cup Applejack, Calvados, Apple Cider or Apple Juice

Topping:

1/2 cup flour

2 cups quick oats

12 Tbs. cold butter, cut into pieces

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 Tsp salt

1 Tsp. cinnamon

1. Place apple slices, Caramel Apple Butter, apple juice (or liquid of choice) in a bowl, and mix together thoroughly.

2. Prepare topping by placing all the dry ingredients in a food processor; pulse briefly to blend ingredients.

3. When well-blended and crumbly, sprinkle topping on the top of the apples and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Print Recipe Here

New Fall Postcard

Our new Fall 2011 postcard is being prepared for mailing to our customers. If you only knew what we go through to get them to you! If you don't receive please email us your mailing address...

The back talks about our new things arriving-new Fall seasonal ideas. Our recipe this Fall is Caraemel Apple Butter Crisp with Stonewall Kitchen's Caramel Apple Butter. Don't think you make any apple crisp and make it taste like this one. Stonewall's apple butter is the cherry on the cake! Stop by the shop and get yours today!

Santo

What is a santo? Do you like them or think they are creepy? Well we love them and think they are unique and beautiful pieces of art. Last Christmas I saw a table full of them-a collection-it inspires me to do the same! With fresh greenery wrapped around them...

Santo (from the Spanish word meaning "saint") is a traditional New Mexican genre of religious sculpture. The word "santo" is also used to refer to individual works in this genre. Santos are carvings, either in wood or ivory, that depict saints, angels, or other religious figures.

Icons and other religious images were crucial for the conversion of indigenous peoples to Roman Catholicism, which was itself an integral part of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. However, long distances, inefficient methods of transportation, and high demand for such artworks limited the ability of ecclesiastical authorities to supply parish churches, especially those in remote outposts, with works of religious art from Spain.

The first santos are thought to have been imitations of Spanish Baroque statues carved by priests. Later santos were influenced by native styles. They became popular items of devotion, found from home altars to churches, whence they sometimes attracted pilgrims.

She is a very large size-quite unique. Love the wonderul large baskets in the windows and script chairs. Take a seat and make yourself at home! We are getting in many wonderful things we are getting full!

Apologies we have been so occupied the past few month-but we're back to start blogging again!

Creating a New Old House

Kay Stanley and Curt Seymour referenced history and built a brand-new Daufuskie Island house that looks as if it has endured centuries of salty air and sandy feet.

"In this wonderful book, widely acclaimed architect Russell Versaci tells the reader how to capture the character of an old house in a new house, tailored for today's needs. The author, who is well known for this sort of designing, starts out with his "Eight Pillars of Traditional Design", and then shows you how to put them into practice. Taking eighteen houses found throughout the country (and reflecting the traditional regional style), he uses a combination of brightly colorful pictures and highly informative text to take you around and through the houses, giving you an insiders look into what was done and why.

Having grown up in an old house, I have always found the boxy/characterless/styleless post-World War 2 houses to be nothing short of depressing. My wife and I now own a 1916 house, and wish to add in the character that makes an old house a gem. Well, we found this book to be a great source of ideas and inspirations. If you like the style and grace of well-made older houses, and want to incorporate that style and grace into your own home, then you must read this book!"