Winter Sparkle and Spring Bling

For me, winter is all about having the time and inspiration to plan and dream of ways to add new interest to my shop in anticipation of a spring reopening.   This year I am pairing upcycled leather belts with vintage brooches, turning them into an assortment of bejeweled leather cuffs with snap closures.  

Of course, it is always fun for me to have a sample of offerings for both genders in my shop, so I set about coming up with a design that may catch the eye of someone suited for less bling.  

And to catch the eye of a true magpie, the one below pays homage to the beauty a simple snowflake.  

With another blizzard expected to arrive this weekend, here is my tongue-in-cheek nod to winter.  Presenting my latest creation I have dubbed "Blizzard Bling"!  You know it's cold outside when your champagne bottle sports a fur collar.  As in "just how cold is it outside?"  It is "Blizzard Bling" cold!  What fun I have here in the winter.  

Before I close, I thought you may be interested to see the winter view of the cemetery entrance next to my shop.  If you have been here in person, you know all about this place and our quest to learn more about who is buried there.  

                         

One last shot of my "spring bling" to help coax our thoughts away from winter.  

                     

Thank you for stopping by to visit.  I enjoyed showing you a bit of the "winter side" of my little seasonal shop and a sneak preview of what I have been working on.  

Asleep In The Snow

A blanket of snow seems to make everything a little more quieter.  A little more peaceful.  

A little more reverent.  

Winter changes delicate flowers into wispy trails that continue to adorn in a harsh landscape.     

My new shop sign receives the first of its many exposures to the natural elements of our climate.  

From the shop there is a path that leads into an old forgotten cemetery that we are in the process of restoring.

An angel sleeps.  

A mother with her babes.  

Their names may forever remain unknown, or some day we just may get lucky and figure it all out.

But for now, may they rest in peace knowing they will be remembered by those who find their way here to visit in the many years to come.  

The Power of Suggestion

In real life, I never planned to open a shop on the Coast of Maine called Frenchmans Bay Tea Co. -- I only dreamed about it.   Now it has become a reality that I am very excited to share with you!  

 I am so thrilled to be able to welcome you to the real Frenchmans Bay Tea Co., sited on the 3 mile long peninsula of Sorrento, which is surrounded by the waters of Frenchmans Bay.

First, I must share a couple of  things with you that are interesting about my new shop.  It is housed in an old mobile home that we gutted and salvaged on a shoe string budget.  Our major investment became the cost of several gallons of white paint that we used to transform it's dark, drab and dated interior. We wanted to create the look of a well-worn, yet inviting space that would house a retail shop for our raku pottery and fun vintage treasures as well as coffee, ice cream and sweet treats.   Mission accomplished.

But there is one more thing about the location of our shop that I must share with you.  When we acquired the property and the mobile home, it came with a long forgotten cemetery hidden in the woods, neglected and overgrown with vines, brambles and thick brush.  Granite footers embedded with iron pipes were the only evidence left that it was once a burial ground, and where years ago all of the headstones were mysteriously removed.

In our efforts to restore this cemetery, we hope to honor the memory of each unknown person that is buried there by eventually placing a concrete monument on each of the 17 sites we have found to date.  The above concrete cherub is one of the first monuments that we have placed in the cemetery for this purpose.  

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Rather than delete my previous entries of pretend from this blog, from this date forward, I plan to use this site to share the goings on here at Frenchmans Bay Tea Co. as well as chronicle our fervent efforts to restore this long forgotten burial ground.  I hope you join us in our quest to find out more about the identity of these forgotten residents of Sorrento as we continue to learn how they may link to the very customers that find their way into Frenchmans Bay Tea Co.  Our adventure has just begun!