Hi, it's just me.

Painting Workshop

I held a painting workshop this past weekend in my home. We had a  wonderful  group of people/painters sign up.It was such a pleasure to host this group......very hard working......very compatible. So much fun!

We laughed as hard as we painted!

Vermont Flower Show

This weekend we ran a booth at the Vermont Flower Show in Essex, Vermont.  This was our first show like this. We had a great time, and met lots of happy folks!

There were flowers everywhere. Seminars and workshops were going on all weekend on topics ranging from saving your own seeds to canning and preserving your harvest.

Folks stood in line to walk through the big display, featuring a larger-than-life birds nest, a hobbit's home, and of course - lots of flowers!

Our booth was next to the Vermont Natural Ag Products group, makers of the famous "Moo Doo" compost.

Our bestseller at the show was our Sunflower Persimmon Totebag...I think folks were looking forward to spring!

And the best part of the whole show? We were all in denial, avoiding the blizzard going on outside...

 

Lucky us! Looking forward to Spring, a little more greenery and a little less snow...

xo

Don't Drink Daffodil Water

What a busy day! I got up.....went swimming..... then to the market for some new painting "inspiration".....a lovely bunch of daffodils. Went to the studio, set up my  painting.......I sat down and painted away!

 

I ate lunch, showered, changed and headed down to visit one of my galleries, the Somerville Manning Gallery in Delaware. Raced back from the gallery to finish my painting.

I was so thirsty.....ran back to the kitchen for a glass of water....grabbed a glass......but then I spied a full glass of water on the counter.....so as not to waste a glass of water.....I grabbed it and gulped it down.....the whole thing. It left a funny taste in my mouth.....what was that taste? It was familiar.....oh no......it was daffodil! What? How did that happen?

Oh, now I remember....when I returned home from the store I put my daffodils in water before I arranged them. In a drinking glass?  Yes, I did.

I did a quick google search. "Are daffodils poisonous". Yikes. They are. There was lots of information. The bulbs are the most dangerous.....both the stems and flowers are too.

But what about the water? I soon found out. My stomach started rumbling, followed by a sharp pain and an emergency run to the bathroom. I felt like a small child.......on the floor thowing up. I felt terrible but it was amazing to think of my body's natural reaction to get it out of me!

So, there you go......a word to the wise......Don't Drink Daffodil Water!

P.S. I feel fine now!

 

 

Tablecloths are Curtains too!

On a recent trip to Italy I noticed that all of the curtain panels in the house we stayed in were suspended from the curtain rods with clips attached to rings. So I thought......What a good idea! When I got home I went to my local Bed, Bath and Beyond......and voila......there are many styles and sizes of these gizmos. I bought a couple of sets and......

One hour later I had turned my Persimmon Sunflower Tablecloth into a beautiful curtain!

!

And then I added the chair I upholstered in the Oaisis Hydrangea.....I love these two patterns together

The blues and the oranges make a vibrant combination.

And then I played with the Peony Fern......first as curtains.....

And then the napkin stretched in a shadow box......the perfect addition to this grouping in my dining room!

Stay tuned......I am not finished yet! xo

Happy Holidays in Richmond, Vermont!

Last weekend, Amanda ran a Carol Maguire Home booth at the Richmond Holiday Market in her hometown in Vermont. Her friend Caitlin (also a redhead) helped her staff the booth, and they met lots of wonderful people!

Our booth at the market.

Caitlin (left) and Amanda (right) smiling at the booth.

The big man, himself, showed up for a few hours - and the little ones lined up for hours just to have a few moments with the magical Santa Claus! The pictures are a little blurry because - as you may know - Santa is very elusive!

There were also sleigh rides, courtesy of Santa's stable. Bake sale yummies were being sold, and wreaths by the boy scouts - it was a true small town holiday event!

Some folks brought their plates to figure out which tablecloth they wanted...and decided that the Peony Fern tablecloth was the best choice.

 

Caitlin modeled yet another way "how to wear a scarf"...wearing the sunflower persimmon scarf!

 
And can't forget the Camel's Hump Middle School select choir that serenaded the shoppers with carols!

 

It was a positively magical day, filled with happy shoppers and lots of holiday cheer! Can't wait to do it all over again next year! Happy Holidays! xo

Magical Sweden Part 2 (Potatoes and Snow)

We made two visits to our new favorite lunch spot in Ystad. "The Book Cafe" had a "sign"..... well it sure got our attention......it was a tall female manakin standing on the street.....with a chair and a menu. We were intrigued.

We trotted down the cobblesone street to an entrance into a courtyard.....and  from there we just followed our noses!

I knew it was my kind of place when I saw a big book of Henri Matisse's paper cutouts ...open in a bookshelf!

The menu was small.....they gave us the English version......there was soup and "baked potatoes with good stuffing" So we said OK to both!

The soup was a rich pink in color.....filled with salmon, shrimp and mussels!

The potatoes were big and velvety and wrapped in tin foil.....and heaped with ,version #1, a creamy creme fraiche chicken salad and topped with tomato and bacon. Yum. Version #2 was filled with a creamy shrimp salad with fresh dill and topped with a lemon slice and cavier. Who knew these kind of things existed?

And then there was dessert......an apple bread pudding with a rich warm vanilla sauce! Delightful....Oh and FYI.....it took 4 of us to eat all  of this!

 

And then there was the SNOW. We had heard that there was little snow in this part of Sweden. It is on the coast.....mostly rain. So we were prepared with our umbrellas and raincoats. Well ....the day we were to leave we woke up to 2....TWO...feet of snow. It snuck up on us big time!

 

It was beautiful....but needless to say I missed my flight.....had to buy new tickets.....but you know what? It was all worth it! xo

Magical Sweden Part 1

We just returned from a magical trip to Sweden. Amanda,Steve and I ......Steve's parents and Amanda's Dad all traveled to Sweden to spend Thanksgiving with Christine, Steve's sister who is studying the flute at  Musikhogskolan in Malmo.

We rented a big Swedish house in Abbekas......complete with an indoor pool and sauna. The weather was cold and windy......we wrapped ourselves up and headed out into the weather to visit palaces, fish smokeries, ancient stone ruins, antik shops.....and grocery stores......each time wondering if we were really buying what we thought we were!

Christine and her beau, Dan......or Iron Dan as he is known (he is a triathlon guy)...helped us navigate the Swedish language and countryside! Dan found us a big turkey...special order in Sweden.....and we make a proper Thanksgiving feast complete with mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, gravy and the ever popular lingenberry sauce! We had a blast cooking ....we set the Table with our new Carol Maguire Home Persimmon Tablecloth......and tons of candles! Its so Swedish ...where the daylight is very short!

 

Steve, Christine, Dan and Amanda outside of the Book Cafe.

Advent Candles

Red roses were everywhere!

Living room.

Puzzle Completed.....in 7 days!

Holiday Table.......the day after.

Swedish Radish Baby!

Amanda and Dan deciding.....

The Iron Dan Butterfly

Steve and his Dad

In the sauna!

 

Swedish Christmas Tulips.

It was soooo cold!

 

Carol and candles!

We went to a farm for our...potatoes, onions and carrots!

Amanda and her Dad.

Carol and Christine......reading?

Christine and Steve

Magnificent room where Christine's concert was held in Malmo's City Hall.

From the concert......Christine in glam red.

We also had the pleasure of meeting Kristina and Dennis, Dan's parents, who traveled from Smalland to attend our Christine's concert. They were a delight!

Thank you Christine and Dan for making our trip absolutely perfect! xo

 

 

 

 

 

Just in Time for the Holidays

Our beautiful Holiday shipment arrived yesterday........"Peony Fern".  In yummy warm greens with big ,bright, bold red flowers and buds.......and touches of gold!  This will make a magnificent holiday table! It comes in tablecloths, place-mats, napkins.....and perfect for gift giving .....tote bags and our new bigger duffel bag!

See our entire Holiday collection at www.carolmaguirehome.com

Our Holiday gift to you.......Free Shipping now until December 24......come and get it while its HOT!!!!!!

New Arrivals

Oh .......it has been a harrowing couple of months! The monsoon season got the better of me.......it went on and on and on......and my tablecloths were caught right in the middle! There was nothing anyone could do.......but it was so darn frustrating! Our production in India was haulted due to the extraordinarily heavy rains. Finally in late September the sun came out.......the tablecloths were printed and now we finally have them. And even if I do say so myself..........They are beautiful!

New Paintings....Fresh from Italy!

I just returned from two weeks in the Tuscan countryside! I had an amazing "outside" studio with views of the vineyards, olive groves and rows of cypress trees surrounding the villa.

 

 

 

That being said....I was teaching a wonderful group of women...some who had never touched a paintbrush....and our focus was still life.

The light was spectacular.......weather perfect!

 

It was such a delight! Can't wait to return next Spring!