One Year Blogiversary

Last weekend marked the first anniversary of my Eastlake Victorian blog. I have been so inspired by all my blog friends. It brings me such pleasure to be able to peek into your amazing lives and see all the great ideas you have!

So to honor you all, I thought I'd do a special post of my All-Time Favorite posts from you, my wonderful friends. So as to not play favorites, I've listed your blogs in alphabetical order. You are all special and remarkable people, and I cherish you all.

So here goes:

Holly from 1881 Project: A Victorian House & Garden uses blogging as inspiration for her stamping and watercolors.

Linda from 1893 Victorian Farmhouse is an expert at painting and is working on restoring and decorating her home and adding an art studio on their property.

Dana from A Cat in My Lap has a great way with words. She blogs about weaving, crafting and decorating and has a cute cat named Daisy that helps her every step of the way. One of my favorite bloggers!

Gwendolyn from A Charming Home blogs about family, friends and life in general.

Zuzu from A Cottage In The Woods has gone back to the basics and is living a simple life. I'm new to her blog, but I was drawn to her photographs.

Estelle from A Modern Day Victorian Lady is a living history reenactor who loves all things Victorian.

Suzie from Cat In The Moon mostly blogs about Halloween, but also cooking, gardening and nature.

Debbie from Debbie-Dabble loves the color pink and shares a lot of her flea market finds.

Rose from Delightful Clutter is a wonderful photographer and blogs about her antique finds and artistic influences.

Diane from Diane Knott's Musings is an accomplished mixed media artist who sells her wares on Etsy.

Jann from Forever Jann blogs about altered art and mixed media, and her daily life and inspirations.

Mary from Framed & Tagged blogs about family, donkeys, nature and her garden with beautiful large photographs.

Grandma's Rose Garden doesn't post often, but when she does, it's about family, gardening, quilting and poetry.

Kathie from Hillbilly Debutante blogs about her life and her new book.

Janis from Rust & Ruffles (formerly Junk Dreams) loves to repurpose junk and vintage items into lovely treasures.

Katy from Katy Elliott was the first blog I followed. She takes us on a journey through her life of restoring her home in Marblehead, MA, her design and thought processes, and some great recipes.

Terry from La Bella Vie blogs about her DIY projects, family, her cats and gardening.

Yvonne from La Petite Gallery talks about art, travel, life in general, and doesn't hesitate to speak her mind.

Katie at Le Beau Paon Victorien is an expert at decorating and beautifying her lovely home. She shares her knowledge of setting the proper table, gardening, and more.

Teresa at Leaves Roots Flowers Shoots is a personal friend and a superb gardener. She blogs about her great gardening tips for growing perennials, annuals, herbs and vegetables.

Martha from Lines From Linderhof is an expert at setting a gorgeous table and entertaining in style. She also blogs about her home and shares her amazing recipes.

Teresa from Marigold Manor blogs about gardening, dollhouses, tattoos, home and travel.

Michelle from Michelle Palmer is a talented illustrator who shares her work and inspirations.

Miss Sandra from Musings From Harmonie House loves nostalgia, tea, poetry and lives a genteel lifestyle. Her cat, Mr. Knightly, is always by her side.

Sea Witch from Musings of a Sea Witch lives for the sea, and blogs about her adventures and antiques.

Andrea from My Feathered Nest blogs about thrift shopping, her pets, books, her garden and life in general.

Nancy from Nancy's Notes writes about her life, family and fun times.

Deena from Nestled In The Singing Woods writes about the flora and fauna of the woods that surround her, and her struggles with cancer.

Marilyn from Our Victorian Cottage writes about everything from her beautiful home and garden, to embroidery, projects, family and life in general.

Ken from Passion For The Past is an historical reenactor and historian who loves to bring history to life in his real life and on his blog.

Christine at Pecan Place Victorian writes about her beautiful home, its renovation, her historic neighborhood, and her life in general.

Shades Of The Departed is a genealogy blog. The author collects old photographs and has an online magazine where you can page through the issues.

Suzi of Silk Stocking Row has written a book about her hometown. Her blog follows its publication and book tour.

Percival from Swell and Dandy writes about traditional values and the role they should play in the modern world.

Veronica from Tea and Scones shares really yummy recipes. She's also a talented doll and bear artisan.

Cass from That Old House has a wonderful way with words. Her post titles crack me up! She writes about her house and her life in general.

Machelle from The Blackwood Cottage crochets and decorates her lovely cottage in St. Louis. This creation really caught my eye!

Anyes from The Dusty Victorian discusses renovating and beautifying her gorgeous Victorian home in Ontario.

Michele from The Northwest Nature Nut has some fantastic photos of plants, animals and scenery from her home base in Portland.

Greg from The Petch House is a guy doing major renovations to his home in Eureka, California. He really gets into the details.

Marcie from The Rustic Victorian blogs about her home, her treasures and her inspirations. I thought this bathroom was so cute!

Sara at The Steampunk Home blogs about the steampunk style and her inspirations. This post was fascinating!

Sweetbrier Cottage has a cat named Cassie, and blogs about archeology, decorating, antiquing and family.

Kim from The Victorian Parlor likes Jane Austen, Queen Victoria, tea, antiques, and she has a cute cat named Kramer and 3 sweet dogs. I always look forward to her posts!

Maritha from Victorian Vignettes posts Victorian digital art for blogs.

Valerie from Wanderlust & Pixie Dust writes about Victorian antiques, books, style and fashion.

Leah from Who Moved My Cheese Straw? has a great sense of humor as she blogs about etiquette, tea, gardening, food, and other fun musings.

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Well, there you have it. Some of my favorite posts from you all this past year. It was hard to chose just one from each, believe me!

Some of the bloggers I've followed have abandoned their blogs. Others took different directions and lost me somewhere along the way. And some of the blogs I follow are not Victorian, cat or garden-related so I didn't include them in this list (you know who you are!). There are even some blogs I can't figure out how to follow! So please do not feel slighted if I did not include you in this post.

I look forward to my next year of blogging, and continuing to be inspired by you all!

Remembering Our Victorian Wedding

June is the favorite month for weddings, so I thought I'd post some pictures of our Victorian wedding!

We got married in October, almost 14 years ago. I wanted our wedding to be as Victorian as possible, without breaking our budget. None of our friends or relatives are Victorian, so we didn't want to impose our tastes too much on anyone.

We decided to add as many touches as we could that would have a Victorian flair. And when I say "Victorian," I use the term loosely, as my theme was based on the 1906 era. That is my favorite year for women's fashions!

We designed programs that were handed out at the church and reception, describing our themes, listing the music and readings, the dinner menu, the reception musical selections, and some fun facts about us.

After the ceremony, we had some pictures taken outdoors at a nearby gazebo. I loved the idea of a gazebo so much, that a few years ago we had one built for our own garden!

The reception hall was very beautiful and accommodating to our wishes. We set oil lamps wrapped in silk greenery on all the round tables. When the overhead lights were dimmed, the glow from the oil lamps was very Victorian!

Our cake was lovely and very delicious! We chose doves as our decoration for the top, because we both love nature and birdwatching.

We had set up an easel with old-fashioned cards describing the different parts of our reception, such as would have been used between the acts of a Victorian play. Some of the other cards were "Dancing," "Cutting The Cake," etc.

I decided to design and sew my own wedding dress. I scoured old photos and pictures of Victorian fashions until I finally settled on the look I wanted. I also designed and sewed our niece Emily's maid-of-honor dress. Our two youngest nieces, Allison and Elisa, wore cute little dresses I made from a pattern. My dress was white, the girls' were ecru, and our accent color was antique peach. The whole look turned out just as I planned!

Terry wore a black tux with tails, a white shirt, white vest and white bow tie. The groomsmen, nephews Joe and Rob, wore black tuxes with white shirts and black bow ties. Very handsome and dashing men!

Did I mention that we had all our nieces and nephews as our wedding party? Since we were older, we felt most of our friends and relatives wouldn't want to go through the whole wedding party thing, and everyone loved the idea of the kids being involved. Since that day, we've added one more niece and two more nephews to our family!

It was an elegant day, full of wonderful memories we will cherish forever!