Gabrielle Messina Just a Girl

January Glass

 Now that all my Christmas decorations are down, I washed and dried all the apothecary jars, candle holders, cake stands and other vessels that held vintage ornaments and fluffy snow and sparkly tinsel.  When they were all dried, I put them on my buffet just so they would be out of the way. As a temporary spot for them to sit until I figured where I wanted them to go next. Along with the empty vessels, I put anything I may have used as a little prop or stand for the decorations. I'm loving the way it looks with all the empty glassware on it. It's far from uncluttered, but, it's sort of a clean clutter... Do you girls get me? Or am I talking plain crazy here? No sight of a doilie or lace runner.. just the bare furniture. No millinery flowers, either.
 Kind of reminds me of the month of January. The gleaming glass sort reflects the magic of the holidays, but other than that, not there's not too much going on in January... at least for us, here! 
  
 
 

Home Office Plans

 Color Inspiration for the our home office.... It's always been too green... It was a shock to see that the sage I picked out was more like a cabbage and that the painters had already had the entire room complete.... That was three years ago.... I've lived with it long enough.... We're going with the darker one in the middle... Hopsack, is it's name.... As for the other details, I've been drawing some inspiration throughout the house.... 
   A favorite postcard....
  Dusty rose... a perfect shade There will be velvets....
 And sparkle... I found a rug and ordered it. It's on backorder 'til late February. As for new curtains, I'm thinking velvet and lace. Maybe, with all the changes to the room, I'll actually enjoy doing things like writing checks and doing taxes.... Yes, I guess that's pushing it! 

 
 
 

Throwing A Baby Shower

 My brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first baby in February. Their expecting a little girl.... Maria. So cute! I am so thrilled for them both! They are on cloud nine and so ready... she, especially.  She is always ready and willing to watch the kids and I wanted to say "thank you" to her. I thought throwing her a baby shower would be a perfect way to show my gratitude. With the holidays, I sort of put the shower planning on the back burner. So, with 3 days to go, I started on a diaper cake. The girls helped as well. I had everything I needed for the cake at home. I used my son's size four diapers so she would be able to keep the cake intact for a while longer. I really didn't give it much thought to it 'til now, but I used Seventh Generation diapers. They are not printed like other diapers.... I imagine this would make the cake making a little easier, rather than having to wrap without the little characters etc. that are on most. I went with one of my favorite color combinations... pink(of course... for a girl) and pale yellow(notice the striped walls in the background?) with some green as well.  Just as soon as I finished the cake, I went to work on making a Baby Bunch for her. Have you seen these? You can buy them from the website, but they also share a video clip with instructions from The Martha Stewart show for those who would rather make their own. You can use any type of layette items, really. I decided to use onesies.  I tucked in some paper and silk flowers and added vintage leaves to the bunch. These are so fun to make!! I think I'll be making one of theses for each shower I attend. Little gifties for a sure to be sweet baby girl and her mama.
   I luckily, had a lot of these little baby carriages on hand for favors. I had bought them for the girls' birthday party one year, and then we went with something other than the "Baby Doll" theme. Glad to put them to good use. Glad I did not have to go out and search for them! I love the way they look all spread out on the table in the process of assembling them.
  And here they are bundled in their tulle and tied.As for the decorations, I used honeycomb balls.... honeycomb bells... and honeycomb fans. These are the decorations I bring out for every party. I use them over and over again. They are light and fluffy and reminiscent. You can find them in any shade of the rainbow! Well girls, that's all for today! Hope the New Year is off to a good start for you! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

New Year's Came Early....

 This year, for New Year's, my husband and I agreed that we'd stay home and celebrate quietly with a romantic dinner for two and a fancy bottle of champagne... just as soon as the kids were put to bed. New Year's is a busy time at our pizzeria... we stay open 'til eight then he's home by nine. I wanted our kids to be able to celebrate and ring in the New Year in style as well.. only problem is they are in bed long before that time. So, just as soon as it turned dark... around 4:30 we decided to have our own little celebration. Just me and the kids.  We kicked it off with a snazzy bottle of sparkling peach juice. Popped like real champagne and everything!  Had some sparkling lemonade, as well!! Yup, we went all out. They were impressed!  An appetizer of entertainer's crackers with cream cheese. MMMM.... For our main course we had the girls' favorite... bow-tie pasta with homemade alfredo. And, for dessert poached pears and....   A double layer spice cake with pink cream cheese frosting... baked in the Easy Baked oven earlier.... This is the piece we were saving for  Daddy when he comes home. I rigged a little apparatus up and over the mirror and tied a string onto a star. At "midnight," we watched the star drop over our little village. We counted down and kissed and toasted our "fancy" glasses and sippy cup! I pulled the star back up and we counted down again... three times! I am hoping you girls had a wonderful New Years Eve! Now, I am off to put my pork in the oven so we can may have a LUCKY 2010!!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Good Tidings

 Hello friends! I just can't believe Christmas is in two days!! Time just seems to slip away faster and faster as the years go by. Please tell me, it's not just me that feels this way! I wanted to take the time now to wish you all the Merriest Christmas, 'cause come Christmas day, we will be at our church's traditional Midnight mass, something I look forward to each year, we will go to sleep and wake to find those presents under the tree that Santa left. We will load up the car with gifts and goodies and head off to enjoy the most wonderful day of the year with our family!  There will be kissing(and pinching!!) of babies and gifts and games for the kids. We are expected to have a white Christmas, here this year too! Something, in my book that just makes Christmas all the more magical! I can hardly contain my excitement! Isn't this the very best time of year? I hope your day is filled with peace, hope, joy and laughter. With family and friends and good food. I hope all your Christmas wishes come true!  Merry Christmas, friends!
 
 
 
 

Christmas Baking

 I have been with my husband for ten years. For ten years, I've been eating his mom's cookies and loving every single bite! The cookies... (or "gookie," the way she says cookies in her Sicilian accent) may have even played a small part in why I decided to marry him... For ten years, I've been wanting these recipes, so I could make them... Now, my MIL and I get along wonderfully, love her like my own mother. But, for some reason, I was too intimidated to ask for these recipes... I know, she's really not the best at explaining things, she'd rather just come to my house and make the cookies for me. I guess, that played a part in the intimidation. LOL This year, my husband told his mom to fork over the recipes to me! She agreed and invited me to make them with her! Of course, I was thrilled. 

 Lots of Italian biscotti... Limone e Crema... sprinkled with chopped pistachio.  So, anyway, like I mentioned a few posts ago, We began baking and for 4 days we baked. Eighteen cookievarieties and at least 2, usually 3 or 4 batches of each! The bakeries of Little Italy in N.Y.C.  havenothin' on her! She'll give them to everyone on her list... this includes her family doctor and chiropractor and then stocks a freezer with them for events and celebrations throughout the year. A very traditional biscotti of almond then dipped in chocolate. My hubby's fond of these dunked into coffee in the morning. These are my very favorite Italian cookie. They are called Cornetti. They are a light and flaky dough, filled with Nutella then rolled in a crescent shape. They are wonderful. Heavenly would best describe them.  Melt in your mouth deliciousness! I savor every bite of this cookie then go back for another... or two.  These cookies, are a close second for me. They are called Moscardini, she also refers to them as "Dead Bones" what an appealing name for a cookie... Anyway, these cookies are light, airy and chewy. That's a big air bubble on each cookie. I could sit and eat these all day.... My thighs are what tells me I need to stop!  Here's a little international plate of German, Italian and old fashioned American treats. 

   Limone iced and chocolate iced German gingerbread.  Traditional Italian fig cookies large enough to make a meal of!  Plenty of the old stand by... chocolate chip with nuts.  Chocolate truffles and nut balls.
  Finally, some Buckeyes... I find these irresistible. So I made sure to only take a few home with me... I have no discipline. 

 

Vintage Christmas Monday: Little Man's Christmas Decorations

 Today, I'm going to take you on a little tour of my son's bedroom, all cozy for Christmas. He has a few red accents here and there and it works out perfectly for Christmas decorating because, I have accumulated a lot of vintage red decorations I don't use anywhere else in the house. The ones that seem to come one or two in the box of all pink ones at antique stores and flea markets. Others were given to me. Love this little honeycomb Santa!  This is his little tinsel tree all decorated in mostly reds. It sits on top of his dresser. The tree, I picked up at Michael's last year, and then spray painted it a platinum/ gold color and it looks like it's now been around for years!  A sweet little elf... I did buy this one at Silver Bella's vendor night... for a mere two dollars. He was too cute to pass by. His nestled into the tree with some other jolly characters.... Like St. Nick himself. A tiny flocked boot and bell. An ornament wreath to welcome, complete with a vintage felt stocking depicting a toy soldier, teddy and car. He has a second tree in his bedroom as well. I placed it close enough to the window in his room so you can see it from outside....  A vintage aluminum one I bought moons ago at an antique shop downtown. I used it in my bedroom as a teenager and then it was the tree my husband and I used in our tiny apartment, too small for a "real" tree. Every year I buy the kids an ornament, this is the one I found at local boutique, for my son. It's a little German made replica of a tin toy produced in the 1930's. It came with a sweet story and the history of tin toys... Who knew they dated back to the 1800s and that the first registered tin toy manufacturer in America was in Philadelphia and that there was even an embargo on their impost during WWI. I love facts like that. Years ago, I saw this hiding on my grandma's tree and asked her if I could have it. I'd love to made some of these folded paper ornaments.... I'll have to try and find someone in my family that has made them back in the day.... Besides his "Baby's First Christmas" ornament, Frosty, here was one he received last year from his mama and dada. Another little felt stocking hangs on his headboard. Santa will fill it with little treats so he can "find" it before heading downstairs Christmas morning. And I guess this wraps up our little vintage Christmas tour for today. Can you believe Christmas is only a few days away? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 

I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

 

Lots and lots of hustle and bustle this time of year isn't there? Although I try to stay organized, there is only so much you have control over. I know I can't plan out every moment of everyday. In between the long lines at the post office, the insane rates of mailing a few cards overseas, in between the presents ordered and the presents not received(me starting to now panic) then there is the wrapping of presents and the baking.... thankfully, my work... most of it, is now done... just waiting on those few gifts I've ordered to show up at my door stop. We've been listening to music to keep the Christmas spirit alive. I've added our very favorites to my play list. So, go ahead, turn it on... if you wish and lend an ear! This year's favorite is "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"  Have you heard it? It's been out since '53! "Where has it been all my life?" Is the question my kids are asking. LOL The girls can't get enough of it and I am just as bad. Sure to be a classic in this family as it always puts a smile on your face. Our other annul holiday favorite is "Dominick the Donkey... the Italian Christmas Donkey" Another silly song! It's been a favorite of my husband's and mine since we were little, growing up in Italian homes... you can now hear it played over the radio. We have the CD and it's on our iPods so we can listen over and over again.

All throughout the year, Dean Martin... the King of Cool, is a permanent fixture on our iPods.  Always at the top of my list and Christmas time's no different. The smoothest, sexiest voice and smoldering good looks(they come through the airwaves.. you know) are hard to beat. I've grown up with Dino, as my kids will. My youngest daughter actually requested a Dean Martin CD last year for Christmas so she would be able to play it on her own, in her Strawberry Shortcake CD player... she was just about to turn three then. It still cracks me up. "Marshmallow World" is our favorite.  When I was about six I began watching his hilarious movies with Jerry Lewis and the movies let to his music. By eight, I knew for sure I wanted to marry the man... I guess not getting the concept of the slight age difference.  So, we keep the spirit by listening to Dino and Ella Fitzgerald and some Peggy Lee. Of course, throwing some silly songs in just for fun. Who's your favorite at Christmas?

  

Wear to Work

 So, by now, most of you know that my husband and I have a pizzeria. Just a small little place.... seats about forty or so... no delivery, you gotta come to us to get it. It's easier that way, for us. The less complicated, the better. My wonderful husband's the one who carry's the load there. I work on Friday and Saturday nights for a few hours. He's there lots. And, as much as I love being at home with my kids through the week, this is a perfect little break away for both parties. I was thinking the other night,  just that sometimes I'd love a job where I could dress up. Wear silky skirts, and fancy suits and high heels! And then I realized, that this is me, this pizzeria is where I want to be, I'm working with who I want to be working with and serving customers I've come to love. And, wiping messy little fingers on a pair of jeans seems much more practical than wiping them on a fancy suit. So, my "uniform" for the shop is a pair of jeans, and a tee. I do however, accessorize and this bracelet above, is one of my favorites, especially for working at the shop. It can withstand the beating I give it there... It was a birthday gift from my mom when I turned 13. The flower, I'll sometimes tuck into pony tail or messy bun. I made this bracelet a few weeks ago, after I came home from Silver Bella, I had a few of these vintage pink lucite rose beads I had plan to use in a project, but didn't and thought I put some to use as a new bracelet for myself. The off white beads, are new. They did such a great job replicating these, I love a great reproduction. The oval beads were from a vintage broken rosary. Imagine my surprise when I walked into my dark closet and they glowed! Apparently, they've been around longer than I previously thought... LOL! I had not idea! A small St. Teresa medal dangles from it as well. This big ol' bangle is another favorite to wear to work. It's plastic and pretty. I love it.  I wear a plain white apron our linen service provides, but it really does not cut it, for me. Although I'd like to wear this apron to work, or another vintage one I have stuffed in my kitchen drawer but, they are rather delicate. I will have to be on the look out for a vintage one to wear to work, that will hold up to the washing machine and and stain removers.... 
 
 Even more often than a flower in my hair, is some sort of head scarf/ headband... lately this one has been my favorite. I just realized now, how similar the patterns are on the head scarf and bangle.... funny I didn't realize that before...  And, perhaps the most important accessory is not an accessory, but a necessity. Comfy, yet cute shoes. I am not a sneaker girl, never been. And ballet flats are out of the question, here... I need some tread and support. So, these pink ones are my favorites and have been. I'm on my second pair of them and let me tell you, they wear like tanks. El NaturaLista... If you need a pair for yourself. Well, that's it for today girls. I have gifts to wrap and am feeling rather uninspired to do them this year. Let's hope some Christmas music can put me into the wrapping mode! 
 
 
 

Vintage Christmas Monday: Current Happenings and A Festive Spirit

    Hello dear friends, seems as though life's gotten in the way of blogging... the reason for no "Vintage Christmas Monday" on Monday. All good things going on though, I've been baking... learning to make all sorts of Italian cookies from my mother in law... or, as she call would call them, in her Sicilian accent, "gookie". Something that I have been wanting to learn for a long time.. the recipes are all written in Sicilian and she's not the best at explaining methods, so it's something I have to watch and do to learn... I am having so much fun! I've been cooking like crazy as well, something I always do a lot of, but extra going on lately... seems like I just can't get out of the kitchen. I've been teaching my youngest daughter to sew a button and she has become obsessed with it now. She'll beg and beg to sew and has even been able to thread a needle that takes me upwards of a minute to thread sometimes. LOL As soon as that button's finished, she'll cut it off her piece of fabric and begin the process again. Tonight, my husband and I are taking the kids to see a local park with millions upon millions of Christmas lights. Santa's there, and I'm hoping that my little man won't follow in his sisters' footsteps and will sit on his lap!  Anyway, I wanted to share these few pictures of  the outside of a home near us.  These are all vintage decorations and I have never seen others like them. Frosty, pictured here is at least six feet tall and moves his head from side to side!  The pictures here do them little justice... (I took them from the car) they are just so magical and make you feel like a little kid! There's a story that goes with these decorations. It's said that the man that originally owned this home... (a Brady Bunch style house, very 1960's) was cared for by a nurse and upon his passing, gave her the home and all the contents in it. Included in those contents, were these decorations. The house has been sold a few times since then, but the decorations have remained and each new owner puts them out at Christmas time, like the previous owner. I can't help but to think the man who had such magical decorations would have to have the most festive spirit... a childlike outlook on each and every new day. Such a wonderful perspective on life to have, isn't it? I know how each and every day passes by in sometimes, what seems to be a blink of an eye... just makes me want to treasure every last moment a little more.  Oh, I wish I could have walked up to their door and asked them if I could roam around their front lawn and snap photos, but, I was afraid that would sound a little creepy.... This is a mechanical see saw that moves, slowly, up and down with strange little children on for a ride. Another motorized ride, carousel, filled with all sorts of little critters and vintage toys. Magical. I wonder if he knows how many generations of men, women and children he has touched with his whimsical decorations? I hope he does.