The tulips in the front beds have started to bloom!
A close up of those white tulips in the front.
And the side yard is full of amazing color!
Seeing this made all the many hours I put into this bed last year soooo worth it! I can't believe how amazing the colors are!
These buds are on one of the pear trees in our orchard...looks like we are going to have some fruit this summer! Those buds are going to be full on blossoms soon!
The pets spent the last week at grandma's house getting spoiled. They were at the house to great us...Bambino gave us an especially happy hello.
Figaro got to hunting the first chance he had. He had been cooped up all week...he loves the kind of weather we had today.
I have so many, many things to share about our trip to Brazil...it was such an amazing time. Coming back home is bittersweet because I had a very "home" feeling in Rio. For today I think I will share what I brought home in the way of fabric souveniers. This was the first time I went on a trip with the idea of bringing home fabric from the destination. When I was searching for fabric stores it started off a little rough...the language barrier made an internet search a bit challenging. I came across the chain below.
But before stopping at Casa Miro we ended up at a home decor fabric shop at a market in old town Rio. The gentlemen running the store were incredibly friendly...we patched together a conversation with them in a few different languages. This was how they packaged the fabric we purchased from them...love it!
Here are the three fabrics I bought from them...the bottom one is a yummy tuscan yellow textile that I am going to use in our living room...just not sure exactly how yet. The palm fabrics will be made into pillows to be used on the wood lounge chairs that we are going to [hopefully] get this summer for our deck. The gentleman that sold me the fabric told me that the palm fabrics "have teflon" for "no water"...perfect for my plan!
The fabrics below came from Casa Miro...all of these fabrics were made in Brazil...I made sure of that before buying them. There was lots to pick from, so I tried to go with the ones that struck a chord with what I was experiencing of Brazilian culture.
These two sweet florals also came from Casa Miro - very sweet, they just look like they'd taste like guava and kiwi!
And this amazing fabric was one that we chanced upon at a little store in Copa Cabanna. It is a "Rio de Janeiro" themed fabric...so fun! I haven't decided for sure what I'll do with it, but I have a few ideas.
On the train ride up Corcovado to see the Christ the Redeemer statue there were many beautiful trees and flowers - we also saw beautiful butterflies in some amazing bright colors - I'd never seen anything like it before! That inspired me to purchase the fabric below...notice the manufacturing notes in Portugese.
The next fabric is my favorite of all, it was also the most expensive fabric I bought...it caught my eye because it reminded me of the mosaic pattern that was on the sidewalks all along the beaches...it was things like this that made me fall in love with Rio. 
This stuff is gorgeous...I bought two yards. Some time (soon?) I am going to turn this into something fabulous to wear!
We had a day stop over in New York on our way back...the husband came up with the idea of exploring the garment district...put mildly it was overwhelming in an amazing way. I had never imagined the volume of choices...I could have spent weeks going into different stores and examining all the different choices.
We ended up in a store specializing in linen fabrics. They had so many beautiful options...I went with the two that jumped out at me the most.
Then we ended up at a store specializing in designer fabrics. The three I picked are Michael Miller designs...love them!
Do you see the bird theme going on?
But before stopping at Casa Miro we ended up at a home decor fabric shop at a market in old town Rio. The gentlemen running the store were incredibly friendly...we patched together a conversation with them in a few different languages. This was how they packaged the fabric we purchased from them...love it!Here are the three fabrics I bought from them...the bottom one is a yummy tuscan yellow textile that I am going to use in our living room...just not sure exactly how yet. The palm fabrics will be made into pillows to be used on the wood lounge chairs that we are going to [hopefully] get this summer for our deck. The gentleman that sold me the fabric told me that the palm fabrics "have teflon" for "no water"...perfect for my plan!The fabrics below came from Casa Miro...all of these fabrics were made in Brazil...I made sure of that before buying them. There was lots to pick from, so I tried to go with the ones that struck a chord with what I was experiencing of Brazilian culture.These two sweet florals also came from Casa Miro - very sweet, they just look like they'd taste like guava and kiwi!And this amazing fabric was one that we chanced upon at a little store in Copa Cabanna. It is a "Rio de Janeiro" themed fabric...so fun! I haven't decided for sure what I'll do with it, but I have a few ideas.On the train ride up Corcovado to see the Christ the Redeemer statue there were many beautiful trees and flowers - we also saw beautiful butterflies in some amazing bright colors - I'd never seen anything like it before! That inspired me to purchase the fabric below...notice the manufacturing notes in Portugese.The next fabric is my favorite of all, it was also the most expensive fabric I bought...it caught my eye because it reminded me of the mosaic pattern that was on the sidewalks all along the beaches...it was things like this that made me fall in love with Rio. This stuff is gorgeous...I bought two yards. Some time (soon?) I am going to turn this into something fabulous to wear!We had a day stop over in New York on our way back...the husband came up with the idea of exploring the garment district...put mildly it was overwhelming in an amazing way. I had never imagined the volume of choices...I could have spent weeks going into different stores and examining all the different choices.We ended up in a store specializing in linen fabrics. They had so many beautiful options...I went with the two that jumped out at me the most.Then we ended up at a store specializing in designer fabrics. The three I picked are Michael Miller designs...love them!
Do you see the bird theme going on?So it is good to be home but bittersweet because that meant leaving Brazil. It is nice to see spring emerging everywhere. Going to work tomorrow is going to be rough for sure, the jet lag has already been brutal! But it was/is worth it. I felt warmth in the people in Brazil, there culture and joy intrigued me...creatively I found inspiration, and being able to experience it all with my husband made us closer. Having the time to rest and talk has been so good for us. I think we both realized that recently life has been taking us for a ride...a fast ride. We got off that ride and had a blast spending so much focused time together. There is definately more of Brazil to come in these posts!
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