2009 ~ A Year in Review

As we say goodbye to 2009, I look back and am amazed at how much has filled my life this year, how much richer I feel for all the adventures, the events, the friendships, the finds, the creations that have been a part of my year!! As I look at all my posts for this year, I take time to reflect on this incredible adventure called blog, which has allowed me to take you along in my treasure hunting, creative endeavours, memorable events and friendship bliss!! What fun it has been!! But, most importantly, I hope that it becomes obvious to all that, despite the fact that I do not blog extensively about my gang, the love I have for my family shines like a bright star above it all!!

As a final homage to 2009, I wanted to bring back some of my favorite posts month by month (and what a difficult selection that was!). Here are some of the highlights:

In January I had my first ever giveaway and shared snapshots of my bedroom...

In February I featured some of my favorite collections and took you along to Tarte's Grand Opening...

My birthday in March was a great time to reflect on my life, and I was very busy at Portland Antiques Expo...

In April I talked about Saudade and shared my passion for pink...

In May I dreamed of a Barn House life and soaked in the sun...

June took me on an incredible adventure called Farm Chicks and I choked when I saw my big girl move on to high school...

In July the Barn House Flea Market knocked my socks off, and I shared my tiny sewing/guest room...

In August I ventured to Snohomish for a blogfest, and had the enormous pleasure of seing Willow Nest back in the Northwest (look, I made a rhyme...)...

In September I bragged about my seventeen years of happiness, and headed to Coburg for the last show of the summer...

In October I shared my passion for blended quilts and featured a local favorite store, Madison Park...

November was a month to share favorite finds and latest creations....

... And finally in December I started a new adventure at Stars and introduced you to my dad, who came from Portugal to spend Christmas with us...

Thank you for tagging along with me on this grand adventure, it means so much to know that you are by my side!!! More often than you may think, I rely on your sweet friendship to keep me going, your encouragement, validation and unconditional love mean the world to me!!

Just for fun, I leave you with a couple of mosaics I created from my Flickr photostream, the first one features some of my favorite creations of 2009...

... and the second mosaic is a selection of some of my favorite vintage finds!! I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did making them!!

Thank you, Cindy, for hosting the Year in Review party!!! Please visit Cindy's blog for more blog reviews!! Happy New Year to all of you!!!

A fabric storage basket

Ever since I saw Kimberly's darling fabric storage basket a while back, I have been wanting to make one of my own!! Kimberly's blog is wonderful and inspiring, and she is always very generous with sharing her ideas and projects!! It took me only a few hours to get it done, and I love how it turned out...

Objets trouvés

The holiday frenzy has not stopped me from falling in love with some gorgeous found objects... Let me share my latest finds, one sweeter than the other!! Why, oh why, is it so easy for me to fall in love...?!!





This darling little basket was absolutely irresistible... Found in my friend Randy's space.





















I bought these sweet vintage ticking pillows from Barn House... You know I cannot resist pink!





















This adorable vintage American Red Cross drawstring bag was found in my friend Sue's booth. It has one of the prettiest fabrics I have ever seen, I am so in love!!!







It is hard to see, but this vintage sheer apron features the loveliest faded roses... A keeper for sure!


















From my friend Debbie came this awesome vintage wallpaper box, torn and tattered just like I like it!!

I found this sweet little bud vase for my mom (it's okay, she does not have a computer and does not read my blog!), her birthday is coming up soon and I will be mailing it to her!

Romancing your soul

My sister sent me this poem and I loved it!!! When I showed it to my oldest daughter, she said she had seen it at an assembly at her high school... Truly touching!

My decadent breakfast...

When we lived in Rabat, we became frequent visitors of this wonderful bakery shop called Paul... Not only did they have delicious bread, we also couldn't get enough of their pains au chocolat!!! Soon after we left, we started making our own quick version of a croissant au chocolat. We just slice the croissant, toast it, then melt some semi-sweet chocolate chips and smother the croissant with the melted chocolate. Absolutely delicious!!

Wishing you a merry Christmas!!

From our family to yours, we wish you all a wonderful Christmas day, filled with peace, love and laughter!!

Meet my Pai

Since we are having a guest of honor this Christmas, I thought it was just fitting that I introduce you to my dad!!! If you read my post about my grandparents, you will know that he is the first of four children born to a Jewish German refugee who came to settle (and marry) in Portugal.

My parents married very young, and by the time he was 27 he already had 4 children (two more to follow later on...)!!

My dad began working with his father's toy business very early, and started a company which became the largest toy wholesale distributor in Portugal. Eventually the business expanded to sportswear. For many years he held the Portuguese representation of international brands such as Mattell, Adidas, Ocean Pacific, Puma, Speedo, O'neill and Nintendo, just to name a few. He has been in business for over 50 years and has built a very successfull career!!

In his younger years he was also a professional handball player, and his team won the national championships many times!! He is the second from left top row... Between his toy business and his sports, he was always on the road!!

Shortly after the military coup in 1974 that ended a long dictatorship in Portugal, came my dad's political endeavours. He became a city hall member and served in the Lisbon City Hall in one form or another (even as interim president for 3 years) for over 30 years.... For a period of time he also became a member and vice-president of the Portuguese Parlament.

Unfortunately many strains in his relationship with my mom led them to separate after 45 years of marriage.... Very sad!

We only get to see my family in Portugal every other year, and the last time we spent Christmas with him was six years ago!!! So you can imagine how excited and anxious we all are for this visit!!!

Sweet little finds and a little tease...

I have some sweet little finds to share with you, but I am finding it really hard to take pictures in this poor winter light...!! Kids are out of school for winter break and we are getting our house ready for a very special visitor... My dad!!! He is coming from Portugal to spend Christmas with us, then he is off right after the 25th for some skiing in Colorado! He has never been here so it will be great to show him our sweet little home!!


I found this darling wicker sleigh at Monticello...




















An addition to my collection of old celluloid albums...














Love old children's book covers!























This petal pillow just needs some filling...

Lovely addition to my collection of vintage talc bottles...

Finally, I leave you with a little tease... I am finally taking care of a project long overdue, and I will show you the final results soon!! This is what I will be working with... Come back soon!