Happy new Year!

Thank you Margie of www.margieloveswool.blogspot.com
for the nice award you gave me and for your friendship!

to Tone of http://www.toneshage.blogspot.com/
...she is an enthusiastic woman and I love her blog! I hope to meet you in Lucca!

to Kerstin of http://www.mitthvitehus.blogspot.com/... her blog and webshop are a source of inspiration for me!

to my friend Sandra from Argentina http://www.elatelierdesandra.blogspot.com...she is a very nice and creative person...

to Mira of http://www.belle-blanc.blogspot.com...I adore the white and bright atmosphere of her blog!

to Jeanette http://www.jeanette-justjeanette.blogspot.com)...her blog is fantastic and all her photos are art works!

to Magny http://www.magnyslillekrinkelkrok.blogspot.com....she has a lovely blog an web-shop!

to Pirre http://www.gallerihonshuset.blogspot.com...she has a nice blog and a beutiful "nordic" home!

I want to thank all my blogfriends for the friendship you expressed to me during these months! It has been a difficult year and you all encouraged me in starting a new chapter of life!
I wish you all a marvellous and creative 2009!!!
Baci e abbracci!

Creative time!

Christmas is over and now I've some days of holidays...I can spend my time doing what I love to do...adding new items to my web-shop! It's very cold now and winter is here, but I'm already thinking about spring and summer..my favourite seasons! So I show you a preview of my follow collection!
Enjoy your vacations and be creative!

















The pic-nic basket is lined with special fabric and linen to keep food and beverage cool during the hot days of summer...

























I love the glass transparence! I usually buy old bottles and jars at the flea markets and then I etch them...i like personalizing most of my items...










































Finally, I bought this Madonna at the last antik market in Lucca. I like this statue a lot...she is so sweet...

Buon Natale!!!

The Xmas tree, made in Murano glass by a famous artist, is placed in Piazza dell'Anfiteatro. In the background a sound and light show celebrates the 150° anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's birth.
With this postcard from Lucca, I wish you all Merry Christmas!!!
BUON NATALE!!!
Baci e abbracci!

Sacra famiglia

This is one of the paintings shown in the Pompeo Batoni exhibition in Lucca.
The exhibition takes place in the Palazzo Ducale, residence of Elisa Baciocchi, sister of Napoleon. I invite all of you to visit it until March 29th 2009! You can read all the information about the exhibit visiting the web-site www.pompeobatoni.it
Enjoy!

Christmas trees!

This year I've made two Christmas tree...a big and traditional one, as my daughter required, and a little one with the decorations I made for my web-shop. The big one, in the sitting room, will host all the Christmas gifts of my family...the little one, decorates another sitting room in "my area" of my mother's home.

Thank you Margie!

I'd like to thank my friend Margie of http://margieloveswool.blogspot.com/ for the nice award she gave me!!!
Thank you my friend....it has been a lovely Christmas gift!

Christmas sale!

During the month of December, we make a special sale for Christmas at Paola's home. We sell the products of our shop on-line and this is also the occasion to stay with some friends and for Chistmas wishes!



























We usually buy bottles and jars at the flea markets and then we etch them.
We make by ourselves most of our items. That's relaxing and enjoyable and give us the chance to be creative! And this is very important for us!!!
Happy week end!!!

Christmas touches!

Some home decorations for Christmas! I haven't too much time in this period...many things to do at work. Tomorrow we'll open a wide exhibition of the '700 master painter Pompeo Batoni. He was from Lucca and he was very famous among the nobles who came to Italy during the Grand Tour in the XVIII century. But I found the time to make some decorations with my daughter Ginevra...she loves Christmas and she made the red wreath by herself!

















That's Ginevra' wreath!
Have a nice week end!

A creative week end!

I bought this commode on Saturday. It's perfect for my new bedroom! I repainted it and gave it a patina to have a more charming look. I'm satisfied....when I'm creative I'm always satisfied of myself! I've also added some new items on my web-shop (http://lescotrions.it/) and I've made some Christmas decorations too.

Markets in the French Riviera

The provencal food market in Antibes

This week end I was in South of France with my friend Paola. We love this area and we try to go there everytime is possible! I wish to move there in the future...but it's only a dream...
We visited some markets and for the first time...we made a vide-grenier! It was fantastic! We spent most of the time laughing...we'll do it again and again!

Our car ready to go to the vide-grenier in Nice...we're ready to sell!!!

Nice antique-market...we're ready to buy!!!

Madonna...

I bought this Madonna statue at the last antique market ...I've been looking for it for a long time...that's strange but in a catholic country as Italy I'd difficulties to find it! I bought the table in Antibes some years ago...I've repainted it with the "patine" technique...I want to give a new look to some pieces of furniture...new home new look! I'm going definitively to move to my mum's home next Monday...the last effort before enjoying a well-earned rest!

Lucca antique market

Here they are some pictures of Lucca antique market. It takes place in some squares and streets every third week end...I like go hunting, but I think it's a little bit expensive!

















Anyway, I always find something to buy...I really cannot resist!

Bathroom corner!

Here they are two pictures of the bathroom in my mother's home. Her house is now a mass...all my things have to move there so we have to change the furnitures' positions and create new settings! In one way it's enjoyable, but also a bit tiring! I can't wait for some relaxing days!















Have a nice week end!!!

Tea break!

So many things to do...dismantling my old house and moving to my mother's one...boxes, furniture, objects to be packed and moved! And also a lot of things to do at work...I work in an art Foundation and we'll have three exhibitions to be open in the next 2 months! But yesterday was a sunny day and I enjoyed a cup of tea on the balcony...may be the last one...I'm not sad...a new chapter of my life will open and it may be very interesting!
I wish you all a great week!

Cloche-mania!!!

These are some of my cloches! I like them so much...glass, willow, metal... I love putting everything inside them!
Have a sunny week end!!!
Hugs,
Vale

Thank you!!!

I want to thank you my friends for all your encouraging words!!! I think that with all your wishes my life may only be fantastic!!! I'm sure you'll bring me luck!!! It's so nice for me to have found so many blogfriends!!!
Have a sunny week end!!!

Kitchen corner!

I'll have to move from my home...that's very sad because I spent all my energies, passion, love, time and money to decor it! May be I made a wrong investment, but I don't think so...I have enjoied both my home and terrace for three years and I haven't regrets...nothing is for ever and when a door closes...may be a gate will open! I'm going to move to my mother's home...it's a wonderful and big house but it isn't mine and the cohabitation with her scares me! What I really want is a my own home for me and my children, my freedom and my independence...nothing in my life has been more disappointing than living with a man! So now I've found an aim in my life...having a house and making it my home!!! I don't know if or when I'll be able to do it, but... dreaming is free! So I show some corners of my home before I dismantle it! This is a corner of my kitchen...I bought the garde-manger in Antibes with my friend Paola and I repainted it...the white and green tea-cups are ancient and from England, while the bowls are from a flea market in Stockholm. The cream cups are from Norway and the cake stand comes from Antibes too. They are lovely souvenirs because they remind me happy moments of my life!

Tanti baci!!!

My life is changing...

My life is changing...it isn't the first time I must restart my life...every time it's difficult, stressing and tiring but I think that we can learn from every situation...we may lose something but surely we may gain something else... what it's really difficult for me it's "resetting" my mind..but I'm sure I'll make it!


I want to give this nice award Magny (http://magnyslillekrinkelkrok.blogspot.com) gave me, to some blog friends...I really love their blogs...they are a source of inspiration for me and they all are very nice and creative persons!

to Marja Kristina (http://homefromheart.blogspot.com/)
to Pirre (http://gallerihonshuset.blogspot.com/)
to Janneke (http://harten3-janneke.blogspot.com/)
and to Lisbeth (http://lisbethsinlilleverden.blogspot.com/)

A warm "ciao" to all of you!!!

Award!

I want to thank my friend Magny (http://magnyslillekrinkelkrok.blogspot.com/) for the nice award she gave me!!! She has a lovely blog and she is a very creative person!!! I'll give the award to other friends as soon as possible!
Thank you all for the shows of affection and friendship you give me!!!
Have a nice day!!!

Back to work!

Holidays are over... it hasn't been a fantastic summer this year... many problems to handle... life isn't always easy, but we say that after the storm sunshine always comes back! I've neglected my blog in the last weeks, but I hope to recover my energies for my hobbies! Creativity is an important help for overcoming difficulties!

Morning cofee!

Lazy mornings...cofee break before going to the beach...a rest time before starting a new long year of everyday life!

Hot summer!

After some sunny and cooler days, it's now very hot again!
What's better than iced water and night breeze waiting for summer vacations???

My grand-grandmother's coffe-pots

I've found these two old enamelled coffe-pots in my mother's loft ...they belonged to my grand-grandmother! They are a little bit ruined but... I put them on a shelf of my kitchen and I'm very proud of my old family memories!
I wish you a nice week end!

Plants shopping by bike!

I love my bike! It's so old...and it has 2 very big baskets! I live in the pedestrian area, so I always use it to go to work, to do shopping, to visit friends...my bike is a part of me!!! I've bought some new plants for the balcony...it has been very hot during the past days and some of the old plants died!

I want to give this award which Iris gave me, to other three blogs I like so much! It has been a very difficult choice, because I really love all your blogs!
The first one I give to Desireé (http://vosgesparis.blogspot.com/). She was the first who helped me when I start blogging. Her blog is charming and sophisticated, a source of inspiration!
The second is for Marjolijn (http://somethingwhite.blogspot.com/). Her blog is charming and romantic and she is one of the first persons I met blogging!
I give the third award to Ann-Catrin (http://finthemma.blogspot.com/). I like the brightness and the joy of life of her blog!!!

I didn't understand what a blog was and how many friends it could give the chance to meet! Now I know! Thank you all!

Have a nice week-end!

Two months ago I bought this old bird-cage at Lucca's antique market! The seller told me that it's from Tyrol! I thought to repaint it, because it's a bit spoilt, but I've now decided I like it in this way! I often wonder why I love cages so much...I'm even phobic of birds... they are hanging on the wall of my balcony and from the ceiling of the kitchen!

I want to thank my German friend Iris/Herzblatt (http://corapatchwork.blogspot.com/) who gave me a nice award!!! She is so friendly and she has a very nice blog! I'll give this award to two other blogs... I'll do it as soon as possible...but now I must go to work!!!

Happy week end!!!