The showroom is filled with unique handmade items, which I am continually replenishing to keep the displays fresh! Have a look at the latest...

Charlie Brown needs to try a new snack... It sure is better than a rock and a lot more nutritious than candy corn. I bet he and Peppermint Patty could easily handle the simple recipe, with Snoopy picking up the ingredients for them at the supermarket. 

Pumpkin frozen yogurt... Yeah, go ahead... Yummy... It is very easy to prepare and in just twenty minutes, not only do you have a satisfying sweet treat, but a pretty  healthy one too! Let me share the recipe with you...

Great Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt (from Relish Magazine)

1 1/2 cups low-fat Greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar

2 cups pureed pumpkin

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Pour into container of ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. This recipe said it makes about 10 servings.

Well, let's be realistic... I would say maybe only 5 servings... I like it in a bigger bowl, of course...

I bet Linus and Sally would have loved this while they waited in the pumpkin patch.

Give it a try... Enjoy your own Great Pumpkin treat... xoxo-Sonya

A shy glance sweeps the room, secret guests hide behind gilded facades... Who is here? And over there? No one really knows at the masquerade ball...

Elegant masks have been in fashion since the twelfth century, fancied at Venetian carnivals to keep guests' true identity hidden. Wealthy socials were forbidden to consort with commoners, yet behind a mask, they were free to be anything they wanted for the evening, enabling conversation with ones outside their social circle. During the Italian Renaissance they were used for high society balls and parties. Luxury and elegance reigned at these affairs, and people often used the soirees to make illegal or secret financial transactions as well as sexual favors. No one knew because in disguise, they were anonymous to everyone else. How very naughty...

Masquerade... to disguise yourself or to look as a another person, creature or thing. It also stands for mystery and intrigue. Both men and women alike wore these masks, made into an image of what they desired to become. So elaborate were the designs and workmanship, they commanded the highest caliber of artistry and still remain popular today, especially during  Halloween  and Mardi Gras.

Here is a little something for the ball... All  made by hand of lace, brocade, encrusted with jewels, glass, and feathers, I created these beauties in the spirit of a time past, to echo opulence suited for a contemporary affair. Have a look...

Gilded Gold

Masquerade Trio

Elegance in Ebony

Are you ready for the Masquerade?... xoxo-Sonya

The 6:30 alarm starts the radio, Robert leans over, automatically hitting the snooze button. Already awake, I just figured I might as well get up. With the busy Saturday behind us, this cloudy and cooler Sunday morning awaits to take us to a familiar place, not too far... It is becoming our second home, since we frequent these grounds at least once a month. We hit the road for breakfast en route to the New York Botanical Garden...

"Guiomar" in bronze and cor-ten steel depicting foliage that Mr. Valdés modeled after fern specimens he saw in photographs of the garden.

The path to discover these beauties provided a perfect retreat this brisk autumn day. Not even the rain could dampen the beauty of these larger-than-life works of art... xoxo-Sonya