Pink Friday-10/24/08-Coming Up Roses

Tomorrow is the big day, Coming Up Roses. There has been such a buzz about this theme, so I don't think you will want to miss it. It is one of the MMP Boutique's favorites, as well as a favorite amongst our customers. There should be an amazing array to browse through. With the cold weather we've been having in the Northeast, it should warm us up a bit to look at everyone's favorite flower.


The venerable rose is an amazing thing. It speaks of romance and love, ahhh, don't you just feel all warm and fuzzy? But in addition to it's romantic history, the rose is an all around useful flower. What can be created with roses is truly awe inspiring.


The rose is edible and quite good. Rose jelly is a delicacy you have to try (I suggest on homemade scones), rose vinegar is just yummy, it can also be found in teas and sandwiches (now how elegant is that?).


A beautiful touch for your next gathering or shower is to place a rose petal in your ice cubes. Fill ice cube trays halfway with water and freeze. When frozen, place a single perfect rose petal -must be pesticide free-and fill the rest of the way with water. Freeze again. There you have it, the lowly ice cube has just hit new heights!


And who hasn't had perfumes or powders or cold creams or lotions or potions fragranced and enriched with rose oil? Even our grammies knew the value of this amazing rose. Glycerin and rose water was the standard hand treatment to keep hands soft and, supposedly, age spot free.


Where would Valentine Day be without the rose? Very few weddings are held where the venerable rose is not present. Any special occasion, bring roses, you simply can't go wrong!

And then, near and dear to my heart, what would potpourri be without roses? It is one of the mainstays of my craft. In colonial and Victorian times, every housewife worth her salt had a 'rose jar' in the parlor or best room. After the sweeping and cleaning were completed, the jar was opened and stirred to freshen up the air. Remember, this is when fresh air was thought to be harmful, the houses and rooms were not aired out as we do in modern day. This was quite an important item to have in the home. In addition, sachets and pomanders were used to help control odors in the household. I'm thinking I am so glad that deodorant has been invented-just saying. Love my potpourris and sachets, but that must have been some under note to the fragrance.


And then, last but not least, the rose is our national flower. So, it would be the patriotic thing to do to come visit us on Pink Friday! Keep smiling, see you tomorrow at Patricia Rose.


http://www.patriciarose-apotpourri.com/

Show and Tell Monday, 10/20/08

Going to work a little in reverse today. Sunday, 10/19/08, was the JDRF Walk for the Cure. It was a record setter, 3500 walkers. It was so inspiring to see so many people out to support these children who have been diagnosed with Type I Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes). Our team, Justin's Jungle Joggers, was 120 strong, all friends and family. How do you thank people enough for supporting Justin like this? It was a crystal clear Autumn morning with the bluest sky. It was a little cool and breezy, but nobody seemed to mind.

My grandchildren, once again, designed our team T-shirt. Black tie dye with neon yellow and pink lettering and a neon yellow Volkswagen type van on the front and on the back the sponsors in neon green. We were quite colorful and stood out in this sea of walkers. Think we may have a shot at the T-shirt award this year!

This walk was held at the Medco Corporations campus in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. This is so lovely, beautiful paths, lightly wooded in spots, a gorgeous pond where we always take a little detour to check on the swans (We're a little sad, there was only one swan this year. They are monogamous and we're afraid the one has lost its mate. It was the only sad note of the day.

There are gates that got locked at 10AM and the entrance was manned so the area is nice and safe. Plus, over the years we have gotten to know a lot of the families that participate and it is so much fun to see how the children grow from year to year. We won't see most of them until July 2009 at the awards dinner. At any rate, everyone is watching all the children.

There was pumpkin painting, face painting, spin painting, sandwiches and soda, those huge blow-up bouncy things for the kids. This is the only day of the year Justin is not unhappy to have diabetes. It was a wonderful day for all. Thank you to all who have supported us and pledged.

During the week, my youngest son (24) decided he needed a Halloween costume and came home Friday night for the weekend. Well, he was bound and determined he was going to be Beaker from the Muppets. This is the result,

We had an awful lot of fun with this. I think it came out pretty well! He's going to wear a white lab coat and he has a pair of Mickey Mouse white hands to wear. Wouldn't seeing this guy respond to your emergency instill a lot of confidence?

This is the NYC firefighter! He's planning on going out with his nieces and nephews for Halloween before the grown up stuff!

Make sure you check back soon. Lots of big news coming up. This week's Pink Friday is Coming Up Roses. I think this is just about everyone's favorite, both sellers and customers. And the next Shop Hop is just around the corner--it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--is that a good enough hint? Everyone at Make Mine Pink is as busy as an elf. We are gearing up to get all the Christmas goodies ready so our customers can get a head start on things. It's awfully sparkly around here!

Have a wonderful Monday, come on back Wednesday or Thursday for the Pink Friday update. There just might be something about a new give away, as well!

In The Hope Chest, Pink Friday, 10/17/08

This Friday, 10/17/08, the Make Mine Pink Pink Friday theme is "In The Hope Chest". That conjures up so many wonderful thoughts to me. There is something hopelessly romantic about a hope chest.
A young girl's hope chest is full of her dreams of the future. Putting away precious items for the day she has a place of her own. In days gone by, as girls were learning to sew and embroider, each project was tucked away in the hope chest to be used when she married. All the linens for a household were carefully hand made and took years to accumulate--no Target for them! Each hand towel and bed sheet were carefully stitched, a tiny bit of embroidery to make each item special.
Those of us who have reached the age when we have our households, the hope chest takes on the role of saving precious memories- The baby shoes, the christening dresses, the first lock of hair from each child, the prom pictures of our children, the diplomas, their wedding photos, the precious memories of our parents and grandparents.
No matter what role it is serving now, the hope chest is a wonderful tradition. Wouldn't it be fun to start hope chests for your own daughters, grandaughters, god children, nieces?
Please come visit at Make Mine Pink, www.makeminepink.com, to visit all the participating boutiques and share what we envision can be saved in the hope chest of today. Make the tradition of yesteryear relevant once again. We cannot have too much romance in our lives.