Hi friends. Just a quick note to let you know that we were asked to write a guest post on Elissa's blog Crunchy Conservative Herbalist! We show you how to make Honey Marshmallows! Go check it out and while you are there remember to have a look around at all her fabulous and healthy posts!

Here's a photo of my niece enjoying the marshmallow creme. Her official stance on these is that they are"ummy". Niece Approved!

♥Genevieve

Christmas time is here...

Merry Christmas everyone!

Has Christmas arrived at your house yet? It certainly has here, and Boy am I glad! I love Christmas!

We've been baking, decorating, singing, wrapping presents, going to parties and having a wonderful time celebrating God's best gift! Jesus!!

Love to you all!
Marguerite

ps Sorry about the weird coloring on the pictures.. Not quite sure what's happening with that...

5 summer reads

Hello summer with all your sunshiny-goodness,
I'm loving the thought of going out, taking a book to read, and a patchy old quilt. I'll lay it on the freshly cut grass and flip to a yummy chapter in one of those summery books. Oh yes. That's where I'll be this summer. I've created a little list of five of my favorite summer picks. All of them are old friends and I love to invite them over during the summer months. I hope you will treat yourself to a pleasant glass of Iced Tea with them while they're in town.

1. Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace. She is a wonderful author.. All her stuff is so Summery! The Betsy~Tacy books are also a wonderful series to pair with some lemonade and fudge. (You Mustn't Forget The Fudge!) 
2. Meet Me In St. Louis by Sally Benson. This book is one of my favorites for all seasons but it's especially good for Summer. 
3. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. First in the series. It will make you want to be in Avonlea for the Summer but it's worth it! Oh yes.
4. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. What Ecstasies! This is a wonder. Toady, Ratty, Moley, Badger, Otter, Little Porkley... Oh Kenneth Grahame..."You really are a clever Toad.."
5. Leave it to Psmith by Pelham Grenville Wodehouse. This is the bees knees. So hilarious and light. The amazing mind of P. G. Wodehouse is wonderful. The Jeeves and Wooster books are great fun too! I'm sure you can't go wrong with P. G. Wodehouse.     

I hope I have left you with a good list of books you've not yet read, and even if you have, I hope you will want to read them again! they're all such cheery stories.
happy reading!
aimee

The Start of Summer...

Doesn't that just sound like a book title? It is such a charming phrase.

The start of our summer has been raining non stop for about a week!

 

 It is a wonderful thing! It smells quite like heaven outside and quite like baking inside. *grin* I only hope our carrot seeds haven't floated away!

Here's a little of what I've been up to over here at The Three Spinsters...

Tea, Bible and journaling in the morning...

Reading... (after chores, of course.) :]

Haven't read an adventure novel in a while.. much less a western... Thoroughly enjoyed it.

This book belonged to my Great Aunt Lorraine who I never got to meet. It has her name written on the inside.♥ The book was printed in the 1920's I believe. It is so much fun to read a book that has been around and in my own family almost a hundred years!

 Also... Getting ready to plunge head-long into a knitting frenzy!

 Gen is teaching me how to knit, and I simply adore it already! 

So, when Knit Picks had a sale on these gorgeous interchangeable circular needles.. I decided to quit beating about the bush and buy the whole set! Yay!

 It came with a few lengths of cables, end caps, and these pin things to tighten the needles onto the cables (Aren't I scientific with my terminology?), a bag to hold everything and needles from a size 4 - 11.

Aren't they beautiful? They're called Sunstruck. OH! Doesn't that just make you think of Summer and sailing and pink lemonade and swimming and picnics? I also got some stitch markers that are PURPLE! Yay again!

  The Jane Austen Knits magazine and this yarn I received from my Aunt as a 'thank you'. Wasn't that sweet! I'd like to make something from the magazine with it. So that was what gave me the nudge to learn to knit. 

 

 And once I'd been sucked into the knitting vortex... (Don't deny it's a real thing, you knitters.)  :)

I bought this pattern book because it has such lovely patterns in it!

This one is called Baudelaire.

 Can't remember what this one's called but I love it!

And it's an EASY pattern. Yay.

 Other than knitting.. Aimee and I had our first ballet recital in 5 years! It was so much fun!

 We made these for some of the girls in our class.

I made the hair clips and Aimee made the prints. The quote is:

"There is a bit of Insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good." - Edwin Denby

 And some embroidery...

 Clouds are my favorite! They are so beautiful and interesting! Of course, I live in the desert which doesn't see clouds ALL the time, so I can afford to like clouds. :)

And they're fun to embroider to boot, which makes them even more awesome!

I hope you are enjoying the start of your summer!

Please tell me what you've been doing!!

♥ Marguerite

vintage picnic...

Isn't it the time of year for picnics?

 via

I am in love with vintage picnics.

What better way is there to spend an afternoon in the early summer? I ask you!

via

The first two pictures are from an engagement photo session-- which is a lovely idea, but there's absolutely no reason not to have a vintage picnic for no reason! :)

I think picnics are "..SIMPLY CHARMING!"
Like these photos from about a hundred years ago. Aren't they marvelous?

I  say it is high time to get out your prettiest picnic basket, linen napkins and of course your favorite quilt... Make tasty sandwiches and delightful desserts made in canning jars, 

(Like this Chevre + Coconut milk cheesecake)

 via

Bring your favorite game or pastime -- such as scrabble, croquet, badminton, cards, knitting, drawing or embroidery -- 

 and find a nice spot in the grass dappled with sunlight and enjoy the day as if it has been made just for you... Because it has!

Each day is a special gift from our Creator, let's not waste it!

Love, and happy picnicking to you all!

♥ Marguerite

19th Century Dance class!

This would be fun if you live in the Central Oregon area!

You'd have to hurry! It looks like the sign up date is drawing nigh!

Woo Hoo!

Take a look at the website -- watch the video! It's strait out of Emma! 

♥

The Three Spinsters

Radiant Purity and Beauty: Pretty Wit Shop Giveaway

Yay! The lovely Melinda from Radiant Purity and Beauty is having a Springtime giveaway of several things this week. I follow her blog and am always encouraged and challenged by her beautiful posts. She never fails to point me to God  every time. In fact, I'm taking part in her 52 weeks of Psalms online Bible Study and having a lovely time. It's not too late to join if you are hankering for some good study time along some like minded Christian girls.  

Today she posted some things she's giving away from our shop Pretty Wit!  To see what she's giving away click on her blog button or the link below and enter to win win win!

Radiant Purity and Beauty: Pretty Wit Shop Giveaway: The first giveaway is from a lovely Etsy shop called Pretty Wit . I know these girls from way back when I lived in Oregon...which was quite...

Thanks again Melinda! ♥Genevieve

a hat for Mabel..

She has earned it. The poor patient creature has a pitiful and extremely selfish seamstress.. Who, instead of making doll clothes for Mabel, insists on sewing and crocheting things only for herself. *tisk* *tisk*

My sister Marguerite and her doll friend Emaline over at Miss Emaline's Circle of Fashionable Friends are hosting a Winter Craft-Along! (...as I'm sure you know from the post prior to this one.)

This March month has been a fun one to dream up things to craft for one so small! All winter I've been making The Aimee Hat to sell in local shops and in our (rather bare at the moment) Pretty Wit etsy shop. I thought Mabel could use one.

Made from Jamieson and Smith Buttercup Spindrift.
Thank you for looking! Take a look at the other winter doll Projects!

Good day and Happiness,
Aimee

Miss Olive's Opera Hood

Hello Friends! I wanted to post about Miss Olive's knitted Opera Hood that she has made as a part of the Winter Accessory Craft-Along put on by Miss Emaline's Circle of Fashionable Friends. 

She used this pattern from the oh-so-fashionable Godey's Ladies Book:  Opera Hood

 I love this description on the pattern:

 This front is intended to be rolled round, and tied underneath the chin. It will be found extremely simple, and most comfortable, not only for leaving a theatre or ball-room, but for traveling. It has the further advantage of being by no means unbecoming.

Olive purloined this rounded safety pin from me and uses it as a shawl pin. I must say it is quite pretty and effective!

 It was a very chilly and windy day and I (the photographer) was chilled to the bone while she was warm and toasty...and stylish to boot!

It is made from 100% wool yarn by Jamieson and Smith in the color Turf. Olive's dear cousin Emaline bought it for her in Mendocino last year and she had been hoarding it until she found the perfect project.

The pretty white tassels are made from Lion Brand sock yarn in off white.Tassels will ALWAYS be all the rage in Olive's Mind.

 Olive was quite creative and found many ways to wear her new Opera Hood. 

See? She even found a way to make it look like a Bosom Warmer (or Bosom Friend as Miss Emaline likes to call it!)

Now all she needs is an Opera Dress (Unless she will be sitting where it's not so, shall we say...formal)!

 Well, thank you Emaline for hosting this fun event! Can't wait for the next one! 

We hope you are all having a beautiful Spring!

♥Genevieve (writing for Miss Olive Wright)