Tuesday, May 26, 2009


Il Mercato e aperto....
I greatly appreciate all your comments and support.  BellaRusticaMarket  is now open, finalmente. I made an effort to answer all your notes but was not able to find e-mail addresses within blogs for everybody so would you please go to the Mailing List on the website and either enter or update you information.  Mille grazie. 

I am adding more pillow designs and a new shade of natural burlap.  See the photos of my "Grazia e Grazie" pillows below and on the website. I have added a subtle image below the words and removed the english translation for the two-side "Grazia e Grazie" pillow. I am looking for your thoughts.  



Thursday, May 14, 2009


I Did It!

BellaRustica is featured in the June 2009 edition of Better Homes and Gardens (BH&G) which is available as of today (thought I had another week since it is still mid-May...) The title of the one page article is "I Did It" and it is located near the back. I need another week to get my website and Market up so please have patience until then. In the meantime, please leave your contact information in a post here and I will add you to my mailing list and advise you when BellaRusticaMarket is open for business.

Special thanks again to Cordelia Mendoza, of Cottage Antiques of Ocean Beach, CA, for getting me this gig. It all started out about a photo-shoot of my kitchen; see photo below. Cordelia's incredible kitchen was featured in BH&G so she recommended my kitchen to them and after sending photos I was told they were interested and we scheduled the photo-shoot. Somewhere along the line I must have missed an e-mail because when the photographer came to evaluate the house and lighting the Thursday before the Monday photo-shoot he mentioned the editor wanted to have me jumping out of a pile of my pillows or laying on top of a pile of my pillows."My pillows" I exclaimed confused". He explained. "You mean I have to be in the photos?" I said. The photographer laughed and assured me I was a natural but I suspected he said that to everyone. Oh, and they wanted me to wear pink. Now, for anyone who knows me, I don't even own pink. I am a denim and neutral kind of girl. Well, you'll notice I wore pink.

Initially the editor (in Des Moines, Iowa) thought my pink top was too risque. Again, for anyone who knows me, risque is not the first word you'd use to describe me, but I digress. The photographer was uploading the images during the photo-shoot as they had a deadline to meet. He looked at me and said to the editor, "I am looking right at her and she is not risque". See, I told you. He then explained we were, in fact, in Southern CA, and it was almost 70 degrees that day. They finally decided "This is not grandmother's Better Homes and Gardens anymore" so there you have it.







Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Bella Rustica Market....Take a moment to see my new website designed by the talented Sara Duckett of SadieOlive.com. We have completed the basic design and will be working behind the scenes to finish the details.  "Buona Notte" pillowcases will be one of many lovely items available (Cost for Scout - priceless).
BellaRusticaMarket




Sunday, May 3, 2009


A very belated thank you for all who attended our Mercato di Pasqua.  Like all things worthwhile, it is more work than you imagine but the payoff, if you watch expectations, is a great deal of grace and surprises, some funny, some heartfelt, and lessons learned - there are always those darn lessons.  For those who could not make it, welcome to my home.