won't you come to tea?

oh! hello! come right on in! it's a birthday party tea for the drama queen daughter...  LOVE your party duds!

would you like to choose a party hat to go with your gown/tux? and maybe you would like to wear a pair of silky gloves?

a bite of decadent filthy rich chocolate truffle cake? perhaps?

oh yes, we certainly  DID invite Zena Princess Warrior!  and don't you just adore her party hat!

find a comfy place on the gilded, butterfly chiffon-covered couches...  don't you love the drama queen's sarong she hung on the wall? it's one of the most gorgeous sarongs the bohemian has ever seen.  and she's seen a lot of them! never one as breath-taking as this one. she has a wee bit of sarong-envy over it...

choose a dainty tea cup in sherbet-y colors. and would you fancy a soft corn muffin with whipped honey spread lavishly all over it?

maybe you are actually hungry. was that your tummy the bohemian heard rumbling?  carrot-ginger soup or creamy tomato soup?

precious tea cups, dark, rich chocolate, frosted cupcakes and dessert wine?  yes, please!!

oh yes! it was all as wonderfully scrumptious as it looked!!!  happy 30th birthday dear drama queen daughter! the bohemian is sending you yummy new year wishes and jasmine tea hopes for many delectables to come your way...

a flurry of january...

here in bohemia, january is rushing by in a flurry, very few of which are actually snow flurries.

there is a flurry of birthdays... a mother's, a daughter's, a daughter-in-law's, an adopted mother's, a father's, a sister-in-laws. there's a flurry of activity... helping the royal sister get her house in order in preparation of a back surgery, the stamping exchange group, the once-a-month stamping group (and their crafting retreat coming in just a few weeks!!! woo hoo!), a baby shower for a coming grandchild, a tea party for the royal daughter turning 30 (she's aghast!).

there's a flurry of activity in preparing for their annual crafter's retreat that comes along every february. it starts at the end of january this year. that's only a few weeks away! eek! there's so much to be done!

the bohemian is supposed to have 2 shadow boxes, 2 sets of cards, and a box of tags made for the silent auction.  2 shadow boxes are done. she will post pics soon when she reveals the theme for this years weekend by the ocean...crafting for 4 days...all day and into the night...with costumes and prizes... and lovely handmade items to purchase from the silent auction... and deer grazing right outside the door...  but for now, fuzzy warm winter wishes to all!

what snowmen know...

a little wisdom from the bohemian's flaky friends:

*it's okay if you're a little bottom-heavy.
*hold your ground, even when the heat is on.
*wearing white is always appropriate.
*winter is the best of the four seasons.
*it takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.

*there's nothing better than a foul weather friend.
*the key to life is to be a jolly, happy soul.
*it's not the size of the carrot,  but the placement that counts.
*we're all made up of mostly water.
*you know you've made it when they write a song about you.

*accessorize! accessorize! accessorize!
*avoid yellow snow.
*don't get too much sun.
*don't put someone else's corncob pipe in your mouth - you don't know where it's been.
*it's fun to hang out in your front yard.
*there's no stopping you once you're on a roll.

and now the bohemian hopes we are all wiser than we were before.  and from her cold and dark corner of the world, she reminds you: TURN ON THOSE PARTY LIGHTS! wishing you all everything good there is about snow: sparkles, the lightness of floating, the peace in the silence of softly falling snow, the fun of building snow people and making snow angels and throwing snowballs and going on sleigh rides... it's really all about playing, isn't it?  go play...

a few flaky friends...

bohemia is full to the brim of snow people!!  these are a few of the people you might meet in bohemia today:

these three amigos are lanterns, if their fairy godmother remembers to put votives in their backsides... the light glows from their little star cutouts... sweet.

and this special guy got to take over the wreath hanger because he welcomes everyone with his saucy little smile...

and these two little chubby white twins are charming mugs for drinking chocolate or hot toddies... their hats are lids to keep your hot drink hot whilst you are having senior moment and forget where you left your mug last...
just a few bohemian people wishing you a pleasant and cozy warm day full of blissed out pleasure....

one last final party...

the bohemian managed to stretch her christmas celebration out over a week and a half or so...  the last of the parties was at her sister's home by the bay. the bohemian's royal sister decorates even more than the bohemian does!! here is the fairy grandchild absolutely mesmerized by her royal aunt's windowseat presentation:

of course the fairy grandmother was the naggy rule enforcer: don't touch! don't touch! (the bohemian hates that part of the grandmothering job... she was always the "toucher" herself. even NOW that she's grown!)

and then the delightful fairy child serenaded everyone with piano "music" and songs that she made up herself. sitting there on the piano bench like a big girl, in her silver sparkly party dress...

and the fairy boychild, the bohemian's little elfin boy... he got his share of partying done. but the fairy grandmother did a very poor job of capturing his charming drooley smiles.

this morning in bohemia was chilly and white! not white with snow but white with sparkly frost!  and you can bet she kept the woodstove burning full blast all day!!  and with some tiny bit of mourning and pouting, she took the nativities down and put out all her snow people. don't get her wrong! she LOVES her snow people. but she always has a pang putting her nativities away for a whole 'nother year.

so tonight her kitchen windowsill looks like this. notice the "party lights" stay in place and turned ON!

newly purchased magical snowflakes!

so a  new year has come along and the bohemian is wishing you THE BEST year. ever. may peace, love, and hope come to shed sparkle and magic in your heart this coming year. don't forget to play!!!