Victorian Roses

Nothing makes me happier than roses! 

So what does a girl do in the winter when there aren't any blooming?

Makes her own of course!

Hand cut, dyed, painted and crumpled to look Victorian, I put these on everything!

(You can buy some too from my Etsy shop)

 

In orders, with business cards....

And hats of course!  Pink cashmere hats to be exact. ;)

No end to the possibilities!

Now to wait for spring...

Surprise me! De-hoarding the Brenda and Sacha way!

So everyone knows that Sacha and I have started an Ebay store together, no surprise there!

Boudoir-de-Paris

My barkcloth listed!

I wonder if we are the first people to ever do this from different sides of the world?

Now that's a question for Ebay. And I have such a funny blog to write about the service call to Ebay to explain that!  But that's another story..maybe tomorrow?

Anyway...I was talking to Sacha last night...and it occurred to me that everyone probably thinks we plan out everything...discuss listing stuff...have a strategy...a plan...and I had to laugh.

I drag myself out of bed...get my coffee..turn on my computer...and Sacha is there...having wine and dinner and a relaxing bath, already having finished her day in France.

Our conversations usually start something like this...

Sacha: "How was work last night?  Is your rosemary plant still doing well?"

Me: "Still alive! It and me. :)  Did you list anything today?"

If this poor Rosemary plant lives, then lavender should too...right?

Sacha: "You know you can separate your rosemary now to have more?  Yes, one of my favorite pillow cases! What are you going to list today?"

Sacha's Monogrammed Pillow Case

Me:  "I don't want more rosemary plants, I want your lavender!  I haven't had enough coffee to decide about listing anything yet, I'll decide later. Oh I love your pillow case, I want it!"

Sacha: "No we're selling!!  Selling!  And I love the lace you listed..I want that!"

Me: No! We're selling..not buying..just say no!"

Sacha: "Here's my recipe to the Clafoutis you asked for. I'm going to finish knitting my shawl, have a great day!  Can't wait to see what you list while I'm sleeping!"

Me: "Me too! No clue. LOL  Thank you, you have a wonderful night. Thanks for the recipe and say hello to hubby for me!"

And that's how Sacha and Brenda De-hoard!

I've shared here!

As always, I never know what I'll be getting into next.

This time it turned out to be a joint venture between myself and my friend in France!

We've always wanted to do something together, however the distance

obviously would be a challenge.

So we said "Ha! We say Phffttttt to that challenge!"

So now Sacha and Brenda are together at

Boudoir De Paris!

And an Ebay store...

boudoir-de-paris

It's going to be interesting to say the least!

Still under wraps...

I'm working on a new collection for August inspired by my antique patterns from the 1920's....

Still very hush - hush....

Under wraps.....

Actually wrapped in tissue paper, hand dyed ribbon,vintage lace, antique calling card and vintage

silk millinery roses!

I think I love making the packages pretty more than I like sewing the garments!

Shared on Shabby Art Blog,  My Romantic homes and The Feathered Nest Friday link parties!
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound blog.

Why name it The Wilted Magnolia?

One of the frequent questions I get asked is WHERE did you come up with the name "THE WILTED MAGNOLIA"?  I always laugh, but it's a name born of hope, hard times, strength, and just plain old stubbornness. (As my Mom would say!)

My sewing groups always called me "The Southern Magnolia" because I type just like I talk...which is at the  least VERY southern. Born in GA, raised in GA and regardless all my travels, this is where I come back to.

I'll try to make this short, but if you've ever known a southern raised person, you KNOW we can't just spit it out, there's always a story!

At age 44, my life took a very sudden turn with a divorce, which in turn caused a bankruptcy just to keep my home and lots of stress! I had been a housewife for l0 years with not a lot of job experience at that point. So off I went to work. A few months later I was in the hospital for l0 days, very ill (thankfully to drugged to know much about it). Ironically enough, the hospital bill was exactly the amount of the bankruptcy!

To say life was difficult at that point in probably an understatement! I just kept thinking, "This Magnolia is very wilted right now".

 I started writing about my crazy, funny, days (it was laugh or cry, ya know?) and sending letters to the troops who had just been deployed overseas. The dad of one of the soldiers started a program where he sent all these letters to his son, who gave them out to soldiers who didn't have family and never got mail. So funny stories about a crazy life seemed to fit. The letters I got back saying how I had brightened their days with letters kept me going. Who was I to complain?

So the pen name "The Wilted Magnolia" was born. It reminds me of where I've come from, what I've overcome and that I will always have the strength to "make something from nothing".

Thank you to all of my customers who have loved and worn my creations. I love you all!

Brenda
The Wilted Magnolia

Confession of a classic hoarder!

Confession time! I'm a hoarder. Not quite to the point of being on the TLC Hoarders show...yet. 

I refuse to be the little old lady who dies and gets eaten by her cats before the world can dig her out.

So.....I called an auction house...and I'm packing stuff up and it's going away!

Harder than some of you would ever imagine!

I keep EVERYTHING.

From my grandparents pill bottles (I'm 52, they died when I was eleven!) to all the pretty pottery and lace,

and just stuff that I've collected in between then and owning an antique store.

We won't even talk about me and Ebay...shudder.....

Here's a few pics of the things that are getting packed up and ready to move to some

other hoarders house!

Link-Sew-Clean

After a very hectic holiday work weekend, I've almost ready to get started cleaning the sewing room

and get started creating something new for the shop!

My three days off start next week, so if I want to keep on schedule the sewing room has to be ready...clean...organized...all the machines in perfect working order.

Sounds like work already!

I stopped by Sew Much Ado's blog to post on her Wednesday link party, and of course got sidetracked by all the pretty items everyone has made.

 

http://www.sew-much-ado.com/

But now, off to the studio, I have a legging order to fill and then clean!

I'm thrilled to say my creating mojo has returned and I have a definite direction to go with my designs!

That only took 30 years...not bad. Yeesh.

 Finally I feel like everything I have learned in the past has led me to this decision and that's it the right path.

So I've spent the past few weeks turning my hobby into a business.

Scary? Oh yeah!

Sales tax numbers, updated website, updated profiles and descriptions on my Etsy shop.

A marketing plan and lots of advice from Tara Gentile and other inspiring women to push me out of my rut and into the creative world of selling for what I'm worth.

After listening to several of her pod-casts (really, everyone should go listen) I sat down and seriously figured and re-figured my cost per item.

And yes at the end there was a GASP.  

I've been selling at wholesale cost. 

Which isn't horrible, but not if you want to succeed at what you're doing and actually get paid for it!

So here's the plan...yes there's a plan and I need everyone to hold me accountable to it!

How's that for putting it out there?

Starting next Monday, I will be working 3 days a week on my BUSINESS in my studio.

Yes, I took an extra day a week off from work. Another scary decision!

I have a schedule, just like a outside job. I will shut the door and not play with the dogs or nap with the kitty's all day. I will not play on the internet for hours. 

I will blog more often and list more often!

All input and advice welcome!

Join the link party at Sew Country Chick!

Salad with Pomegranate Dressing Recipe

Pomegranate Dressing Recipe!

I lost the pics of this when I changed my blogs, it was worth re-posting!

  I've shared on 

Show and Tell Friday on My Romantic Homes,

504 Main

Shabby Art Boutique

French Country Cottage

Picnic time!

 

                                

The promised recipe for the Pomegranate dressing.

This was so easy even I could make it!

Thank you for posting it Sam!

You will need:

For the vinaigrette:

1 cup pomegranate juice reduced to about 1/4 cup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tablespoon honey

1 cup oil, preferably olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

For the warmed goat cheese garnish:

Goat cheese (Chevre was the brand I used )

3-4 Tablespoons chopped herbs (I used chives, but parsley, chervil, dill, thyme or an assortment thereof would work just as well)

You will start by adding the pomegranate juice, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper to a bowl and whisking everything together.

Then, slowly at first, begin to add the oil while whisking. You should see the mixture thicken slightly.

Next, you will slice a log of goat cheese into rounds and press each side of the goat cheese into the herbs. It helps to put the goat cheese in the freezer for a few mins (approximately 10 mins) before slicing, it will be firmer and easier to slice.

Then lay the goat cheese in a lightly oiled pan and bake at 400 degrees F for 5-7 mins or until warmed, but not melted.

I used mixed spring greens, oranges, raspberry's and pecans, but you can use any seasonal fruit or nuts that you like.

And you know I had some questions for Chef Sam!

What is reducing and why did you do it for this recipe?

Reducing is just bringing a liquid to a boil and letting the water evaporate so you're left with a more concentrated flavor. I did it in this recipe because the other ingredients will dilute the taste of the pomegranate and I wanted that flavor to be very prominent in the finished vinaigrette.

Can I leave that part out?

Sure.

Can I substitute another cheese for the goat cheese? What kind?

Absolutely. I like the slight tartness of goat cheese, but Brie or Camembert would also be excellent choices!

Why did you heat the goat cheese?

When Chevre is cold it's a little bit crumbly, but as you heat it, it becomes almost creamy. By heating it, it provides not only a contrast in temperature, but also creates a pleasant textural contrast between the rest of the salad.

What can I do with this recipe besides using it as a dressing?

It also makes an tasty, unusual sauce. If I plan to reuse the vinaigrette, I will double or triple the recipe above and then whisk together an egg yolk with a splash of water or, better yet, more pomegranate juice. Then I'll whisk the egg yolk mixture while slowly pour the vinaigrette into the egg. It makes a creamy sauce that goes surprisingly with game (lamb, squab, quail, etc...), as a condiment, or even as an accompaniment to desert!

This was fabulous dipped in fresh baked bread! Greg and I ate the whole loaf before we could get a picture. Whoops!  Ah well...next time...

The Melinda Fingerless Double Ruffle Gloves

I'm in love with these gloves! They were so much fun to design and make. There will be lots of these in my closet this winter!

I'm linking to my favorite Monday blog partys!

Canoe Ridge Creations

Southern Lady's Market Monday

The Melinda Fingerless Double Ruffle Gloves

A customer requested a pair of these to go with the lace leggings I offer and I loved them so much I'm offering them in the shop too!

Made from the same stretch lace as my leggings, you can have these in cream or lilac.

3/4 length, they can be scrunched down for a shorter look. The thumb opening is reinforced for stability and because it's prettier than just leaving the serger seam. (My picky Mom would be proud!)

Soft ruffle on the hand and at the top, these are wearable all year.

Graveyard on Muslin

Linking to Show and Tell Friday. Not sure my graveyard fits the theme..
but I like it and it has roses!

I finally got started on my Graveyard picture I've been wanting to make, why is there so few hours in the day?

There's two graveyards I pass on my way to work everyday, very old, one with a weeping cherry tree and the other with old gates and roses....

so I'm combining them both because I couldn't decide!

I've started on the background, painting on muslin...

Soon as it dries I can start doing some free hand work on it!

Too much fun!

Over on my other blog....we're cooking!

OK, Sam is cooking...I'm drinking wine, watching and eating!

 A Tongue in Cheek look behind the kitchen door in restaurants! Bring your sense of humor and see the view from a server's perspective.

 

Chef Sam's First Post - Pomegranate Dressing Recipe

 My fabulous friend Chef Sam graciously agreed to be my first guest blogger!  Not quite sure he knew how much work it was going to be...but he does now....poor thing...

We worked together years ago in a Mediterranean restaurant (not saying how MANY years ago!), he went on to graduate from Cordon Blue School in Atlanta and I have to say my birthday dinners have greatly improved since then!

Although, he did laugh when I told him what I wanted for my birthday dinner this year...

fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans!  I'm such a country girl.

(If I don't ask for something simple, Sam won't sit down and eat, he just keeps cooking and creating!)

I asked nicely for a re-creation of the pomegranate dressing I loved so much and got way more than I asked for!

 

 A mixed green salad with oranges, raspberries and warm chive goat cheese.

Isn't that GORGEOUS???

A platter of assorted tea sandwiches...oh just wait till you get the recipes for THOSE...I wish I had snatched some to bring home!  A glass of White Merlot wine, some antique roses and Homer Laughlin china and a gourmet picnic on the cliff over looking the river.

Can you tell what's missing from this picture???

Oh nooooo....we forgot the dressing!

No worries...we just had to keep smacking Greg's hand (our photographer) who was starving after taking tons of pictures and pop it back in the picture!

I'm assuming everyone knows who drank the wine? Somebody had to do it....

So much fun you guys!

Huge thanks to Chef Sam and Greg for a fabulous evening with friends and food.

Sam is working on posting the recipe for the dressing, so check back!

I'm linking to