Blue Monday: A Few Of My Favorite Blue Thingies...

Good Morning! It's another beautiful Blue Monday at my friend Sally's blog, Smiling Sally, and we are all gathering to share our favorite blues.


Speaking of friends, one of my favorite friends is the very witty Lisa from AKA West, and she tagged me recently to tell six unimportant things I love. If we really get technical, Lisa and I are in agreement that nothing we love is unimportant, but these are things that I enjoy and that make the world a little more colorful. Then another blogger who is one of my favorites and a very talented artist is Jen of Supplies Overflowing. She tagged me to tell seven things I love that are not necessarily noticed. And because it's Monday, I'm going blue! :-)

Seven (seemingly) Unimportant/Not Necessarily Noticed (Blue) Things I Love:

1. Striped Umbrellas: Whether it's a beach umbrella or the fun little umbrellas that come in drinks, I love striped umbrellas and particularly blue ones!



I got these on sale last year at Pier One, and I just love to take them out and play with them.

When I was young, my sister did a Japanese number in a dance recital and twirled a wonderful blue paper umbrella. I wonder where it is now...



2. It's A Plaid, Plaid, Plaid, Plaid World!: My husband is fond of saying I bleed plaid (and having as much Scottish ancestry as I do on both Daddy's and Mama's lines, that's not far from the truth). At the very least, plaid is critical to my happiness. The first time I saw plaid carpet in a stately home/castle in Scotland, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I guess I was in the closest place on earth to heaven being that I was visiting in Scotland and all. ;-)



These plaid tattersall rugs are from a favorite rug dealer, Dash & Albert, and are executed in my favorite fiber, cotton, making them impervious to pesky little moths. Their rugs come in wonderful stripes, too, and in all sorts of colors. I just happen to love the blue...



Also donning cotton (in this case cotton flannel), this antique chair is dressed in its blue and green tartan plaid...



The slipcover for the seat was made to resemble a "kilt"... (see its knee poking out through the kilt pleats... va,va,va,voom!)...



This is the McLeod tartan which is a surname not only in my husband's family, but in my good friend Mrs. Shorehouse's family, too. So, Laura, this plaid's for you and Shorehouse Mom! ;-)



3. Napkin Rings: I didn't realize how many I had until I started opening the drawers in the butler's pantry. Among the variety of colors and summer styles, I spy some navy checks...



4. Blue Eggs : Be they faux or the real thing, I love a blue egg. I have this little soap nest in our powder room on a three-tiered stand. They are for looks only (never fear, there's Dial Pump Soap in there!)...



5. Blue & White Checks: They are cute, and they make me smile! To wit...









6. Blue Balloons: I have always loved balloons, whether it's hot air balloons or the kind you blow up for a birthday party...



Balloons are fun, festive additions to a party, and I love when they fall down on the dance floor on New Year's Eve or at some sort of special event. And I even like silly little balloon animals. I've never met a balloon I didn't like, although I've had them set off our burglar alarm and scare the pants off of us! ;-)

I particularly love balloons that a blue-shirted big brother helps to blow up for a little sister's birthday party...



That makes the balloon (and the party) all the sweeter...



7.. L’HEURE BLEUE (or Blue Hour) Perfume by Guerlain: This was my mother’s favorite fragrance. Though it's been years since I "borrowed" some from Mama, I can smell this scent from memory, and every time I actually do smell it, I think of her. While the box isn't blue, the name is, and the label on the bottle contained blue lettering...



This perfume came in the most wonderful box, and the bottle was crystal. I "think" the bottle might have been made by Baccarat. I found this picture on eBay as the original bottle and box are highly collectible...



I read online that the perfume was named Blue Hour to evoke the image of the time of evening when the French prepare to go out on the town. There were some wonderful things said about it, and I can promise you they are true. I would wear this fragrance myself, but it wouldn't be the same because perfumes change depending on one's body chemistry. All I can tell you is I had the best smelling mother in the world! :-) And with that fragrant memory in mind, you might ask...

WHAT'S THE FAIREST BLUE OF ALL???

While I've given seven answers, I'm adding this answer in a category all by itself. Even though it is not unimportant and it is certainly noticed by a large number of bloggers in the Blogsphere, I cannot talk about my favorite blues without talking about Blue Monday. I love Blue Monday, but even more than that, I love Blue Monday's hostess, Sally. She is so great and never fails to make everyone feel right at home. :-)



Blue Monday is always a fun time, and I hope you will think of joining us if you have something blue to share. Not only is it a way for those of us who love blue to revel in our favorite color, but it's also a great way for new bloggers to meet new friends. :-)

Thank you, Sally, for graciously hosting Blue Monday each week, and thanks to all of you for visiting me at my blog. I look forward to visiting you at yours. Please join me over at Sally's to visit all of the other Blue Monday participants by clicking here!

Warmly,

Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)

P.S. If you would like to do this Meme (or MeMe as the case may be), consider yourself tagged. Remember, it doesn't have to be blue! ;-)