The Sunrise This Morning

he sunrise this morning was simply beautiful. Once again, I am so glad my camera was handy. The initial "T" is another scan from one of my rare antiquarian alphabet books. It is 17th French. Isn't it nice? The big day is only one week away and my house is finally decorated inside. I'll try to capture my Christmas tree for you later on today or tomorrow. It was so cold and windy when I walked Webster last night. It appears to be a lot nicer today, clear and calm and it is supposed to be somewhat warmer. Happy Friday, Rosemary

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Sarah McLachlan | 'RIVER' | Live Performance

Getty Images

I like this version too. Which do you like better, Sarah or Joni?




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Use it up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without

 I grew up hearing these words from my grandparents who were adults during the first depression.

 I was reminded of them while I was busy designing today's quote.

 Webster's coat was ripped on one side and I patched it for him over the weekend. Now he will be wearing it for years to come. Aren't you impressed that I am following my own advice?

Joni Mitchell |'RIVER' | Rare Live Recording 1970

This is one of my favorites. Recorded live in London at Royal Albert Hall, 1970.




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Webster Needs a Bigger Stocking

I walked into the living room this morning and saw Webster examining the stockings. I must see if I can find a bigger one for him in the coming year. I think he's feeling cheated, don't you?




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Make Do and Mend

Love this.

I grew up sewing and still keep my machine set up all the time for quick mending. I've never owned anything but a Singer. We always had a black one.
Clare Owen Illustration.





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Vintage Beatrix Potter Tom Kitten Doll

When I came home from a garage sale recently, Webster wanted this wonderful Tom Kitten doll in the worst way. He does a funny little bite, bite, bite thing with his teeth when he adores something and wants to de-flea it. He was heartbroken when he found out Tabitha (our cat) was the recipient of the toy of his dreams after he had covered it with love bites. So far, he hasn't tried to steal it from her. She loves Tom who is beautifully dressed in a blue velvet outfit with his name embroidered on the jacket. He's in great shape and has always been well cared for. I don't think I've ever seen another, have you?




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Meryl Streep Then and Now

Amazing.

Love her. I can't believe she saved that outfit.




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"If you search for happiness..."

This is so true. We often find what we are searching for was there all along.

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Office Christmas Party

hristmas party at the real estate office today was fun. Everyone brought a homemade dish and the food was delicious. I am always amazed at how little people eat. Do they reserve the times at home for wolfing food down? Everyone ate like a bird. Maybe it was the hour. Two in the afternoon is a little late for lunch and way too early for dinner. Several people tried to eat enough to be able to skip dinner. But they didn't even put a dent in all that food and most of it was taken home by the people who brought it. This was not a problem at the open wine bar however. People weren't at all shy in that department. Last year we didn't have a party. Instead we contributed to a local food pantry. I am still making a large contribution there myself because this is such a rough time of year for a lot of people. I scanned the capital letter "C" from one of my antiquarian books. Isn't it beautiful? Rosemary

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Looking Back | Horoscopes 2009 | Did Yours Come True?

A yearful of promises, predictions, and possibilities. It's always fun to check out your predictions for the year after the fact and see if what Town and Country Magazine predicted for you came true in 2009.

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Have You Kissed Your Dog Today?

Webster is brown so my lipstick doesn't show on him. I kiss him at least 100 times a day and he loves it. Does your dog like to be kissed? Image found on Tumblr.

Life's Little Instruction Book, page 147 + Vintage Christmas Images

Today is a much nicer day than yesterday. I had to make a raincoat for Webster out of bubble wrap. I attached it to his coat with clothespins and it worked beautifully. There was a cold icy rain all day. It's much warmer now and clear. Nice. I felt so sorry for the people selling Christmas trees yesterday. Have a great Monday and a good week ahead. Thanks for stopping by the cottage. Rosemary

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Kristin Andreassen | Crayola Doesn't Make A Color For Your Eyes

This is great. You'll definitely feel happy after watching it! Guaranteed. The second grade helpers are pretty wonderful too.

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"Sequins are much more fun than bombs." Lady Gaga

"Sequins are much more fun than bombs."
Lady Gaga




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Watch This Book Come To Life | Video

This is well worth the 2 minutes 11 seconds viewing time. The New Zealand Book Council used an unusual angle to promote reading. Viewers are shown the book Going West by Maurice Gee that quickly becomes an animation using paper cuttings from the actual book. Cool.

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Rabbits' Christmas Party | Beatrix Potter Watercolors Auctioned in London . . .

I hope you have as much fun at all of your Christmas parties as these Beatrix Potter rabbits are having at theirs.

The Rabbits' Christmas Party - 'The Arrival'
Sold at Sotheby's London July 18, 2008 ~ £121,250

The Rabbits' Christmas Party - Roasting Apples
This painting was not in the auction.
It is in the Victoria & Albert Museum.

This is one of a set of four watercolours by Beatrix Potter showing the successive stages of a Christmas party. Here the rabbits are roasting apples on the hearth. These pictures were given to Beatrix Potter's aunt, Lady Roscoe, wife of Sir Henry Roscoe. The date of these watercolours is unknown although the series pre-dates the publication of the 'Tale of Peter Rabbit' in 1901 when Beatrix had begun publishing some of her rabbit drawings as Christmas cards.

This painting is in the movie "Miss Potter" (one of my all-time favorites). She painted it as a Christmas present for Norman Warne, her publisher (and more). I won't give you any more information. Click on my link for Miss Potter and watch a trailer of this wonderful movie. Why not give a DVD to someone on your Christmas list? I have a request for this perfect gift on mine. I hope Santa remembers.

The Rabbits' Christmas Party - Dancing to a Piper
Sale Price - £22,500

The finished watercolour shows eight rabbits (compared to seven as present here) dancing to a piper. Rhubarb stalks are present in a large pot in the upper left corner. The rhubarb and pot are shown here in faint pencil outline. The floor was changed from evenly laid pinkish terracotta tiles to rather haphazard grey flagstone tiles. this version is entirely unknown.The scene was later redrawn with a rabbit playing a 'cello surrounded by five dancing rabbits (and two rabbits nuzzling each other by the back wall).In 1987 Frederick Warne united the four V&A illustrations with the two paintings originally given to Henry P. Coolidge. A fold-out panorama was published as The Rabbits' Christmas Party.

The Rabbits' Christmas Party - 'The Departure'
Sold - £289,000
Multiply 2x for price in US dollars.
On that date 1 British Pound = $2.00 US.

Beatrix Potter’s Christmas rabbits fetch £289,000 at Sotheby's
July 18, 2008 - London:
A previously unseen watercolour by Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) fetched £289,500 at auction yesterday, a record for a book illustration.

The painting, depicting rabbits leaving a Christmas party, was the final piece of a trio painted by Potter, in about 1892. It was sold to a private collector at Sotheby’s in London for nearly five times its upper estimate.

The first in the series - showing five rabbits swathed in overcoats - fetched £121,250 and it was originally given to Potter’s aunt, Lucy, the wife of Sir Henry Roscoe.

The third painting, which shows guests dancing, sold for £22,500.

The watercolours formed part of an archive of illustrations, Christmas cards and letters that fetched £748,200 in total. The archive originated from the collection of Potter’s brother, Bertram, who encouraged his sister’s early efforts to sell her artwork. Potter painted the watercolours more than nine years before paying to have 250 copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit printed in December 1901 after rejections from at least six publishers.

She gave many of them away to friends, and sold the rest for 1s 2d (less than 6p), although they are now worth in the region of £30,000.

Potter invented the character Peter Rabbit in an illustrated letter to the child of her former governess in 1893. It remains the world’s bestselling children’s book, with more than 80 million copies in circulation.

Other paintings include cats, horses, bears, deer and cows, and the collection includes private Christmas cards depicting rabbits painted by Potter for her friends and to illustrate first-edition books and letters to relatives.

The 3 photos with black outlines courtesy BibliOdyssey.

Footnote:
Hobbs, in the Dulwich Picture Gallery exhibition catalogue, noted "The attitudes are both rabbit-like and human. Only an artist with an intimate knowledge of anatomy could convey so well both musculature and the texture of fur. Remarkable, as in all Potter's animal drawing, is her observation of ears."