Play With Your Food (Act II ) or In the Pink...

Today is Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum with the lovely and talented Miss Michael aka Gollum hosting, and I have a little something I want to share with you for this fun event. Never fear, I did NOT cook! ;-)



And since this post has some touches of pink, I also thought I would hook up with the Pink Saturday crowd at How Sweet the Sound where Miss Sweetness (aka Beverly) holds court!



Now if you're wondering about that top photo, you might also wonder about this one...



And this one...



Any clue yet? No? Well, I'll give you a better hint. The roof of this little item has some pink stripes to match the pink on the front...



And I spy some more pink stripes inside that little cubby hole...



Now if you are thinking that these little cubby holes bear a striking resemblance to the rooms in a little doll house...



You would be correct...



And the painted part underneath?



It's the door to another compartment which houses two storage shelves...



And in the foreground of this next picture is my hot pink chair that makes rearranging the doll house much easier for munchkins and little old ladies, though we don't have any of the latter around here. Perish the thought! ;-) ...



If you look closely in the green compartment, you will see a little, blonde doll in her pink underpinnings. I have dubbed her Nannette in honor of my good friend Shelia of Notesongs who can often be found saying, "No, No, Nannette!" This Nannette has said that numerous times to the little critters who inhabit the dollhouse. She also happens to look like someone with whom I went to elementary school, a girl whose name just so happens to be Nan...



I found Nannette one morning when I was poking around in the attic of our house. The former owner had left a box full of doll things, and Nannette and some of her supplies were a few of the items I found. More poking around in another box I found has revealed which owner the items belonged to, and I plan to return them to the owner's family. In the mean time, I thought I would share Nannette with you here on the blog, and that's a little Nannette "Mini-Me" (only with black hair and made out of seashells) there on her side table next to the pink phone...



One of my dear, sweet blogger friends, Lindsay-Ann of The Cross Stitch House, saw a little story I wrote about some miniatures I won in a blog drawing. I gave them to Cecelia for her doll house, and Lindsay thought I would enjoy having some more for Cecelia and kindly mailed me some adorable food items, all the way from England! And Lindsay, I cannot thank you enough. She also sent me a fabulous English magazine which I devoured from cover to cover. Very shiny objects, indeed. :-)



Look at this cute little box of fruit and veggies...



And this sweet little basket filled with delicious watermelon, oranges, and other treats...



And just in case you are wondering what Nannette is serving on the white china tea table I found in the attic...



Look closer...



It's some fancy cheeses that Lindsay sent...



And wonderful French bread (also sent by Lindsay)...



Hungry? Pierre, my little French bulldog, sure is...



Look at him, pretending to be so nonchalant about those goodies lurking on the table...



When he's really sizing up the situation...



And figuring out...



Just what it would take to grab one of those loaves...



And a hunk of cheese...



He has hopped up on the chair with his dirty little paws (I have no idea how they got that way, LOL!)...



Meanwhile, Pogo the Pomeranian just got a whiff of the desserts that Lindsay sent...



He puts it into reverse...



And then into forward gear, edging closer...



Zeroing in...



On a chocolate torte...



Then sniffing out...



An English plum pudding...



Pick the chocolate torte, Pogo, and nab me a piece while you're at it, please...



In the mean time, I want to take you on a quick tour through the rest of the rooms. Eventually, I want to set them up as shops, to teach Cecelia about business... a book shop, a pastry shop, a china shop, and an art gallery. Let's check out the bookshop first...



They have a great collection of books (with a whole section of books by Southern author Michael Lee West, everything from Crazy Ladies to Mermaids in the Basement)! And they have the latest in contemporary furniture design with chairs in the shape of letters, executed in pink leather, where you can perch and listen to the radio as you read...



Now, let's check out the art gallery next door...



They have an eclectic mix of art, featuring fine photography of celebrities such as Jaunty Monkey and girlfriend Fay Ray, antique cross stitch and crewel work representing the finest in textile art, and period antique frames...



They also feature contemporary sculpture like these giant clothespins (all purchased along with the fine "colonial" chest at a local thrift shop for a song)...



Next, let's pop into the china shop which is still awaiting its inventory. I found this wire front cabinet for a dollar or two at the same thrifty antique mall...



I think it would look better painted. Pink perchance???



And finally, let's check out the pastry shop which has a lot of little cute "tasty" things and furnishings I found at that same shop...



Some of these little treats look good enough to eat...



Take for instance that lemon meringue pie...



It's vintage and baked in a little bottle cap pie tin...



Or what about the birthday cake that's also vintage. Care to have a slice of that, or would you prefer some of the chocolate cake? How about a glass of milk to go with?



Or maybe some cranberries from this little basket I've had for years? They are still fresh, and the price is right...



But that birthday cake is awfully, awfully tempting...



Decisions...



Decisions...



Then again, the fruit and veggies from Lindsay are the healthy choice...






I can't make up my mind, but I can make up my mind about the fact that I think I got a good deal for all of my little furnishings like the grandfather clock and the chair...



The table and the cabinet...



As well as the two wooden pieces upstairs, the green cabinet downstairs, and all of the food and accessories. They add up to around $10. Plus I have the added bonus of receiving all the lovely little food gifts from Lindsay...









It all equals a good reason to celebrate. After all, it's the little things in life that make you smile! Speaking of which, I think I'll pull up a chair and help myself to some of these treats...



Care to join me? While the dogs managed to polish off most of the goodies, there's still plenty of pink icing left to go around...



Oh, and don't forget to make a wish, blow out the candles, and have a Very Merry Un-Birthday! ;-)

And now, please join me by clicking Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday, and tomorrow please join me by clicking How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday. Kudos to Michael Lee and Beverly for each being the hostess with the mostest! And many thanks again, Lindsay, for your charming gifts. They came in the cutest little gift tin ever! You don't want to miss a chance to visit Linsday's blog The Cross Stitch House as it is very charming and very English just like she is!

[EDIT]: And speaking of English, there is another English blogger I want you all to meet from Pink Saturday. You see, Miss Beverly, our hostess, has encouraged each of us to post about and link to bloggers we've just "met" for the first time. So here goes...

This blogger's name is Ruth,and her blog is called Everyday Life of A Suburban SAHM (SAHM = Stay At Home Mom). I just spent some time checking out her blog, and I was impressed by the fact that not only does Ruth visit others, but she's had several blog giveaways for the Pink Saturday crew! I thought that was just the sweetest! AND she obviously has a divine sense of whimsy. One of the giveaway prizes was the most adorable, cute-as-a-button egg cozy...



And she has given away other cute things like this...



Ruth is apparently a girl who knows her shiny objects! Oh, and she loves Scotland! So take a moment and visit Ruth, and tell her that Mrs. Magpie sent you over. I'm not sure if she knows me from Adam's house cat since I've been MIA most of the summer from Pink Saturday, but hopefully we'll get to know each other better now that I'm back from my break. Click here to visit Ruth!

Thanks to all of you for visiting me, and I look forward to visiting you in return! :-)

Warmly,


Mrs. Magpie (Sheila)

[Today's musical selection is "Tea for Two" from the musical No, No, Nannette!]