Monday, Monday . . .

The fun and games from last week are now over (sigh!) ... and it's time to get back to work (double sigh?). Customer orders, new inventory and fabrics, marketing and advertising, as well as a couple of personal 'must-dos' are on my schedule for this week. 

What's on your agenda?

Enjoy your week ...
M-A

Happy Halloween . . .

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ...

No tricks, just treats; a fabric sale just for you!

3 days only!

October 31 - November 4th

Thursday & Friday 10am-5pm

Saturday 10am - 4pm

25% OFF ALL FABRICS

Shop the Showroom: 445 Province Rd, Rt 107, Belmont, NH

Shop the Website: http://www.madcouture.com/fabric.html and call or email for pricing and order info ... 603-524-8801 or info@madcouture.com

Enjoy the day ... 

M-A

In the Spirit of the Season . . .

SUPERSTITIONS: Remember ... They’re only weird if they don’t work!

Hmm ... I've heard there’s a baseball game tonight ... just a few miles down the road and sporting a lot of hairy men.  

And it looks like the infamous “Make Way for Ducklings” statue in the Boston Public Garden is in the spirit of it all and totally decked out for the World Series!

Are you superstitious?  Care to share?

May the best players win ... though, we are 'secretly' cheering for Boston!

Enjoy ...

M-A

The Gift of an Experience . . .

After a business meeting yesterday morning, Tom and I took a few hours in the afternoon to ‘play tourist’ ... and boarded a seaplane to take an aerial tour of Lake Winnipesaukee. Yes, I am deathly afraid of heights, not to mention I haven’t been in a plane in over 20 years. But this was an invitation for an adventure I just couldn’t refuse. And now, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

So if you are looking for a way to impress your out-of-town guests, or just want to try something new, I highly recommend Lakes Region Seaplane Services out of Laconia, NH.  http://www.seaplanetours.net/?page=home

The pilot, David C. French, and his wife Colleen, will welcome you as friends and provide an experience you will want to ‘write home about’. Five starts indeed!!!

Funny, in our day-to-day routine, we never seem to stop and enjoy the beauty that is all around us. I realized I don’t ... until viewed from above yesterday afternoon. Absolutely amazing!

And once back at the dock, Colleen took a picture for us.  And as you can see, I am standing ... and SMILING!

Truth be told, this was a birthday present.  I am not crazy about my age, but I do like my birthdays.  I never know what 'experience' the day will bring.  And that's what it's all about ... sharing an experience and creating a memory that will stay with me for my lifetime.  Fabulous!

.

Enjoy ...

M-A

(PS. I found a cute little video on youtube for Lakes Region Seaplane Services, by Brian Neidhardt. www.youtube.com/watch?v=obF1FX5SdW8. Check it out for yourself. But please note, the ride is ‘smooth as silk’, though this camera view does seem to have a ‘few’ shakes)

Sum, Sum, Summertime! . . .

Today is the first day of summer ... and you need a HAT!

There's no reason to keep wearing that 'ugly' hat ... especially since we make all of our hats in sizes for adults too!

Garden Party Hats!, Shaped Brim Hats! and the Cheshire Hat!

"CC" Caps

You want 'em, we've got 'em!  In all shapes and sizes ...

Garden Party Hat!

Cheshire Hat! with the Bistro Bag

Bistro Hat!

But if you are like me, just not a hat person, we still have a hat for you ... in miniature ...

So ... start this summer season with something pretty and new, then get outside and soak up the sun!

Enjoy ...

M-A

Happy Anniversary . . .

I woke up this morning to find this picture in my inbox.  I love it when customers send photos my way!

Carol is celebrating her 50^th wedding anniversary this weekend and they are having a BIG celebration, with her two granddaughters as her ‘new’ bridesmaids.  Last December she called and ordered two ‘Two Scoops Sundresses’ for this occasion, and I am thrilled to see how nice they look on the girls.  Carol doesn’t look bad either. 

Happy Anniversary and congratulations on 50 years!

Enjoy the party!

M-A 

Driving Miss Daisies . . .

With the elimination of one major distraction this summer, I could actually take a day off this week. What a luxury!  But then, ‘day off’ really isn't the correct term; it’s more like an exchange of my work with fabric and thread to my work with the soil and bedding plants. Oh boy!

The numerous gardens beds on our property are waiting to be planted with annuals, have their perennials trimmed and groomed, and every one of them mulched (we buy mulch by the yard; aka dump trucks loads).

So, it’s that time of year, to get down and dirty (literally)! So on a glorious day of sunshine, warm temps, blue sky, and a few white puffy clouds thrown in for good measure, I managed to get the Showroom bed decked out, along with a few of the containers waiting to be filled with color . . .



As I started my work, I realized that my color scheme for the Showroom bed seemed a ‘bit odd’ this year. Where are my CORALS ... and REDS ... and PURPLES ... and bright YELLOWS?

‘What was I thinking’ when I selected these plants? This color combination seemed too 'sugary sweet' for my taste, with the purples, creamy yellows, lavenders, and pinks. But I had the plants so there was no turning back now, and it was up to me to make the most of it.

Luckily, with the addition of a lime-cream variegated sage and the the Gold Thread Cyprus as a backdrop, the 'sugar was cut' ... and I think ... I like the final results!?

Reality check ... I should not get ahead of myself and call this ‘final’; there’s that mulch to put down, lots and lots of mulch.  But that can be work for another day, along with more planting, watering, pruning, planting, watering, trimming, moving perennials, watering, planting shrubs, watering ... you get the idea!

And now, onto a name (huh?)

In order to identify where you are on this property ... let’s say, when I'm talking to my husband about what I want him to do and where I want him to do it (gardening related help, of course) ... I’ve come to name the garden beds. Crazy? Perhaps. But it works, and for some reason it’s the one thing he seems to be able to remember.

With 5 kinds of daisies in this one area, I may just call this bed ... “Driving Miss Daisies”!

Enjoy ... and may your gardens grow!
M-A

This post is written with my friend, Ellen, in mind. She was my college dorm mate, who informed all of us one day, "It’s soil, NOT dirt!" I think we must have been teasing her about her horticulture studies, and this petite woman finally had enough already!!! Back then, I hadn't a clue about gardening, let along soil vs. dirt, but since moving to NH and developing our properties, I think of her, and that moment, every spring. Thanks for the memories Ellen!





Happy Memorial Day Weekend . . .

Wishing you a happy Memorial Day Weekend! 

From Children's Couture and MadCouture Fabrics

And remembering those who have died and all Veterans this Memorial Day...

Enjoy your holiday ...

M-A

Lovely Day . . .

Today is Easter Sunday ... a day that provides a 'sigh of relief' for me and signifies that Spring is on the way (among a few other things). 

I grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, just 2 miles from Washington, D.C.  Though this area is never quite thought of as The South, it certainly is compared to where I live now ... in New England. 

Growing up, Easter always meant the traditional Easter basket filled with goodies ... AND church.  Mixed in with all this were the pretty new dresses,

fancy new shoes, hats tied with ribbons, blossoming trees and tulips galore.  I can still picture Constitution Avenue in downtown Washington ablaze in the glorious colors provided by millions of tulips planted along the avenue.
Here in New England, not so much!
 

I have done my fair share of Easter orders this year, but it's not quite the same to mix a pretty new dress with snow boots, a fleece cap and a parka, or at the least, layers of sweaters. 

In addition, Easter is so early this year ... in March of all months!  Many areas, including my backyard, still have snow on the ground.  And where the white stuff has melted, the ground is soft, squishy and dark, fondly known around here as "mud season".  And that's no joke ... mud it is! 

Several years ago, my husband and I decided to "get outta Dodge" on Easter Sunday and head ... no, not for the hills but for the ocean.  The incredible ocean, a wonder of nature that heals all that is wrong with the world. 

  One of our favorite beaches is in Ogunquit, Maine ... a perfect place for a much needed day of rest and relaxation, even when it's too chilly to be on the beach.

This has become a tradition and today was that much needed day ... and a lovely day indeed!

The days are so busy.  And the days become the weeks that are so busy.  And that blends into months that are so busy.  Before I know it, an entire year has passed.  These opportunities to get in the car and just go are really priceless.  My husband and I have some of our best conversations in the car.  We discuss topics of importance and alot of what is not.  It really doesn't matter.  This time is to reconnect and enjoy each other's company; something often overlooked in the day-to-day. 

So as we meandered our way along the Maine coast, stopping here and there at various points of interest, it was a lovely day indeed!

Enjoy ...
M-A

Spring Fever . . .

Welcome to Spring ... my favorite day of the year!

Shimmer and Shine Ensemble with our Garden Party Hat

Enjoy this day ... I know I will

M-A

Photo Credit: The Fabulous Robert Diamante

To Whom It Should Concern . . .

Dear Mother Nature,
Are you aware that tomorrow is the first day of SPRING?
I think not!

Well, there may be a new blanket of white outside ... sigh ...

But inside the studio, it's warm and colorful as I work in the delightful shades of the new season to come ...

There is an advantage to working solo in a creative world ... if Spring won't arrive in a timely manner, I'll just "color my world" and pretend!
Enjoy ...
M-A

Walking on Sunshine . . .

The snow is melting ... puddles are everywhere.

The sky is blue ... that Maxfield Parrish shade of blue.

The sun is shining ... can you feel the warmth!

Could it be ...

               Let's Dance Sundress with our so very popular Garden Party Hat and Bistro Bag

Enjoy the day ... I know I will!

M-A

Stayin' Alive . . .

The title of this post is in reference to the Bee Gees era; I'm actually fine, thank you very much!
And I may have just given away my age here, not something I like to do ... but does it really matter anymore? 
So, to proceed ...

Today is Sunday, sometimes referred to as “catch-up” day around here. So there I was this afternoon, in the studio, working on the third of four pieces due Tuesday. In the background, Pandora Radio (Shuffle) was playing.

Normally, I don’t hear the same artist twice ... except for today. Carole King, Carly Simon and (the one and only) Joni Mitchell were plentiful, along with Marvin Gaye, the Bee Gees, Allman Brothers, George Harrison and Stevie Wonder, to name just a few.

This surround sound almost made me think I was back at the University of Connecticut, in the Batterson B dorm with my "old" friends, on a grey and cold Sunday afternoon.



Northwest Quadrant - how lovely!
University of Connecticut

Can you say "Time Warp" ...

My four years at the University of Connecticut were intense, to say the least.  Yes, I do have a Bachelor of Science in Apparel Design, with a minor in Fine Arts/Illustration.  What's so hard about that, you ask?  Well, for one thing my class and lab time were twice as many hours per week as someone studying ... let's say ... business.  And as my "attention to detail" was as strong then as it is now (actually stronger), the homework time required more hours than one day will give.  But this is beside the point.

What may have been just as "intense", in a very positive way, were the friendships created among a large group of us "girls", all living in Batterson B ... some of us for two years, others for three.  We all had different majors; apparel design, art, childhood development, english, physical therapy, nursing, horticulture, large animal science, chemistry ... you name it, one of us was probably studying it.  We all came from different walks of life.  We all had different lifestyles.  But for some reason, we all seemed to get along and had a good time doing it.  It's really amazing when you think about it! 

Freshman Halloween
(sorry girls, it's the only picture I have)

As the music played this afternoon, I found myself engulfed with this feeling I cannot describe.  It wasn't a "memory lane" or emotional kind of thing.  Instead, this was a feeling of being in the right place, at the right time, with the right people.  Yeah ... I do believe that's it!  I had been with the right people who provided support, laughter and a sense of belonging; critical when living in a "dumpy dorm", being an "out-of-stater" and overloaded with work.

So to the girls of Batterson B, I say THANK-YOU.  We don't actually see each other anymore, except through social media platforms, but even after all these years, you are still here ... and you helped turn a Sunday work-day into a very pleasant afternoon, indeed!  We did have a good time and I am confident, should/when we meet once again, the conversation and laughter will pick-up right where we left off!

The times may change but some things will always stay the same; friendships for one ... and again, I thank-you for that!

With love and admiration,

Mal

    
And this is how the class of 2015 spends their time in Batterson B ... I'm too short for this!

Hooray for Hollywood . . .

It’s Oscar night and time for the Red Carpet!

Who will be on your best-dressed list?



The Envelope Please! Dress

She’ll outshine any red carpet celebrity in this feature attraction, with family and friends as her adoring fans. The supporting role stars this distinctive envelope neckline, accentuated by our celebrated contrast edge. Rows of pintucks embellish the bodice, and continue along the length of the back sash and hemline of this elegant full skirt.
Fabulous ... a star is born!
Dress Photo Credit: Robert Diamante

Enjoy ...

M-A

Happy New Year . . .

I hope everyone had a fun (and safe) New Years Eve,

a New Years day doing whatever it is that you want to do ...

and my best to everyone for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013!

Enjoy ...

M-A