I am a camp girl and so is Miss Is.

Camp is a wonderful place to spend a summer.

Both Miss Is and I went to a small all girls camp for the whole summer.

I went to Camp Asquam on Squam Lake in NH, but it closed in the 70's.

I searched long and hard for a similar camp for Miss Is

and I found Camp Onaway which is located on Newfound Lake in NH.

It is all I looked for and more.

Onaway is 100 years old this year.

A testament to a wonderful place

where girls grow to be strong and independent,

and kind, loving and community oriented.

Plus all the fun activities day in and day out.

Here are the oldest girls on a program called OWLES

Outdoor Wilderness Leadership Program

The girls spend 3 weeks in the wilderness hiking, canoeing and rock climbing.

This program is offered to 16 year olds - it is the last step in the camp experience

before becoming an aide and counselor.

Congratulations to Onaway

and to all who have made it what it is today.

P.S. The campers and counselors wear uniforms (so sensible)

and the girls shirts are made out of brown and white seersucker

almost identical to the frame fabric.

Hence the perfect frame

to mark the 100th anniversary.

I am sending it to the Camp Director to mark the occasion.

What to do with this blazer patch.

This patch has been in my desk drawer for 25 years or more.

Can't imagine putting it on a blazer.

But decorating a box

or designing a needlepoint cushion around it.

A conversation starter, no?

I need to remember this phrase these days.

wilton winter wonderland

homemade soup & homemade pound cake courtesy miss is

with homemade lemon curd by moi

a cup of lady grey tea

knitting by the fire

movie queued up

enjoy your weekend

Sorority frames

are my latest big seller.

I heard about lots of girls going back to school for rush.

I, myself, was not a sorority girl,

but if you know one

she just might like one of these fun frames.

lots of seersucker combinations

Now I just have to connect with the sororities directly.

These are a few of my favorite things

Kaffe Fassett is now creating ribbons.

A terrific addition to his needlepoint and fabric creations.

This is my mother back in 1985.

She looks so happy and full of sparkle.

She died 25 years ago today.

This photograph makes me smile.

We were fooling around in my Aunt Brenda's pool.

I was taking loads of photos because I wanted to create

a photocollage in the style of

David Hockney.

Look carefully at this photocollage and you will see how Hockney

created this one picture with dozens of photos.

He experimented with these designs between 1982-1987

and he called them joiners.

I was fresh off an art history program in London

1985-1986

where I learned all about David Hockney

and was excited to create my own joiner.

I never made the montage

but I came across these photos when my sister asked me to dig

for old photographs so she could create a

computer photo frame for our father.

Dad loved seeing all the old pics.

Last year I did a wonderful post on my mother

and how she inspired me

and still inspires me - click here.

I think about her often

and

wonder how different life would be if she had lived a long full life.

I am almost the same age as she was when she died.

Hard to believe.

I miss you.

I saw these posters from lesley and pea of the keep calm gallery

on swissmiss a while back

and

the sentiment is just perfect for today

it's a new year.

Veni, Vidi, Vici

I came, I saw, I conquered?

2010 was a hard year.

But I pushed hard and kept talking to myself in the mirror.

I can do it. I conquer each day as it comes, task by task, issue by issue.

I am supremely grateful for the good things in my life. I believe that we are all exactly where we are meant to be, but it takes superhuman strength to push through some of the difficulties. And to believe in yourself and to push on. "...accepting hardships as the pathway to peace..."

I will conquer.

Bust adorned by baubles - creation of Mary Tucciarone. Mary of this week's previous posts. Photo by Tim Geany.

There was no time before Christmas for much blogging

but I am ready to go now.

Take a look at my friend Mary's terrific Christmas decorations.

These photos were published

in two magazines:

Christmas Ideas and the Wilton Magazine

Mary has three boys

but they indulge her girly, glittery, decorated look.

Don't you just love the place setting

For all her little princes.

Hard to read but the crown has a banner with Thomas printed

Such fun a fun place card.

What a happy home this must be!

before and after we finished shoveling...

you can barely see my little white lights

it looks like we live in a swiss village - our stairway is carved out of the snow.

a lovely sight

the nor'easter blew in

weathervane is now almost covered by a snowbank

three times we shoveled the driveway

a tree came tumbling down

shed unscathed

I said a prayer of gratitude

winds still howling

that's it for the weather report.

Christmas Greetings again

I donned my Christmas hat for Midnight Mass

This is a Tracey Tooker original dating back to 1992.

I love this hat. A lady on Madison Avenue once told me it was a happy hat.

I agree; it makes me happy every time I wear it.

It has wonderful memories too;

I bought it with the profits of mrr design after my first year of business.

Giant poppies, a velvet ribbon, and navy,

just perfect for me.

While I receive compliments from outsiders,

not too many folks within the family fold are keen on the hat.

but that doesn't deter me.

Here, here for being me!

Christmas Day 2010 Greetings from my house to yours

I have taken this straight from the Writer's Almanac - because it is spot on:

Novelist Oren Arnold had the following Christmas gift suggestions: "To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example.

To yourself, respect."

With all my good wishes for a wonderful Christmas and if you do not celebrate this holiday, a peaceful day. Thank you for visiting the blog.

Peace and happiness to everyone who is reading.

xo Marnie

Christmas Eve 2010

Variations on the

CRÈCHE

Somewhere in Rhode Island. Photographed by Dominique Browning from Slow Love Life

I would have stopped in my tracks too if I drove by this creche.

Makes you think.

Traditional, I have forgotten where I found this image.

Sweet, as seen on Inchmark Journal

Whimsical, as seen on Chance

designed by comic strip artist Massimo Giacon for Italian design house Alessi.

Simple and beautiful from Switzerland.

A friend gave this creche in a log to me last year.

It is a 3-d puzzle piece - the pieces push out for a wonderful effect.

And finally, the creche from my youth.

I love this not only because it is beautiful but because of the family associations.

It fills me with joy when I set it up each year with Miss Is.

And for an extra treat, you can wind up the music box

and hear lovely Christmas music

Oh Come All Ye Faithful

&

Silent Night

I have been swamped this year with work,

both at the day job

and

with mrr design.

A good problem to have

but I am derilict in the Christmas decorating category.

This vase of flowers was all I had until today.

The arrangement is stunning in real life;

my camera doesn't do it justice.

This lovely arrangement was at a wine tasting

that my firm sponsored.

It was a lovely evening

and

I was happy to come home with these beautiful flowers.

Lucky for me because that's all I have had for Christmas decorations.

Today I caught the brief 24 hour mild weather window

and

was able to quickly fill my urns with evergreens.

The soil was frozen solid 48 hours ago

and

it is snowing now.

Just in time.

In a few more days time, I will get the wreaths up

and

the Christmas Card boards,

creche,

and finally the tree.

Before I know it - pouf - Christmas will have come and gone.