Blueberry Pickin'...

It's that time again...

...for my husband to drag me out into the blueberry patches...

...and pick a few buckets of berries...

...and then we go out to lunch...

Mom made a Blueberry Pie and I will be making a Lemon Blueberry Bread

Thanks you CSN!

CSN asked me to review this Rachael Ray Baking dish:

CSN Stores has over 200 different online retail stores to choose from and over one million items, including beautiful dining room tables, children's furniture, and cookware! They offer competitive pricing that you can't find on other retail online stores. Their vision is to be a household brand name and they are currently one of the top 3 online U.S. retailers of home and office goods!

So I prepared baked ziti...

...without greasing the baking dish...oooops...

...and it cleaned up beautifully!!

My favorite part is the handles...so easy to move from oven to tabletop! Every kitchen needs one of these to prepare large casseroles! Visit CSN and order one today!!

Herbal Vinegar

Over the weekend I picked some fresh herbs and made some flavored vinegars:

This is one of the easiest projects I make for quick little hostess gifts:

These are different mixtures of dill, chives, oregano and/or garlic:

All they need now are some cute bows and tags and they are ready to go!

Sharing with Tales From Bloggeritaville

Spray painted jewelry...

I have this cute little ring....I don't know what it is made out of, but it was looking a bit tattered and worn and it was discolored. I hated to throw it away:

I have spray painted just about everything I can think of - so why not jewelry?
Not bad, huh?
Sharing with Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
and
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm

Pardon me while I brag....

It's great being a grandmother:

and I miss this little guy already:

He's as happy as he looks!

That's my Carter!!

M-C Courtly checks

I love black and white - especially the MacKenzie-Childs Courtly Checks:

Last week I added the teapot to my collection:

If I had my way, I would own EVERY piece in the collection, but my husband apparently thinks that other things are more important - things like mortgage, food, clothing, electric bills, health insurance and so on....blah, blah, blah

Little does he know, but I already have my next piece picked out ;-)

Home Again - Mackenzie-Childs

This is the home that Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs lived in when the opened their business in Aurora, NY. Each room is painted similar to the patterns on their pottery, they were the original templates!! A sunroom to the left has assorted tiles on the floor, each pattern diferent from the next. The home is now a Bed and Breakfast, operated by their daughter Heather and her husband, Lars. One of my favorite features of the home is in the master bedroom on the top floor. The doors of a huge armoire opens up to 2 steps which lead to a hidden hallway. This home is on the lakeside and has lovely views. The pergola in the back is covered with wistoria. Victoria's closet still displays some unique shoes and has pottery shards glued all over the ceiling.

Adjacent to the home is a carriage house that houses the Home Again shop which carries Victoria and Richard's new line of lamps, rugs, pottery, dishes, glassware and jewelry. Heather and her family live above the shop:

Isn't this bracelet adorable?

Here's Victoria "signing" pottery and dishes

The brick driveway had this cute tablescape:

with adorable napkin rings:

and colorful glassware:

I wish they still owned the original company, but change happens!

So, I have posted a week of MacKenzie-Childs...stop by tomorrow to see my favorite purchase!

MacKenzie-Childs Store

A few unique items I found hanging in the M-C store...
Here is a grand chandelier on display. It is made from spoons:And this one is made from spoons and tea cups:

I think this could be replicated by some clever bloggers I know!

Stay tuned: Tomorrow I will show photos of Victoria and Richard MacKenzie-Childs home.
If you missed the last 2 days about M-C, read the posts here, the Barn Sale and here, The Farm House.

Offering some inspiration by joining Tales from Bloggeritaville

MacKenzie-Childs Farmhouse

One of the highlights of going to the MacKenzie-Childs store in Aurora, NY is touring the farmhouse. It was decorated in the last 10 years or so by Pleasant Rowland, prior owner of M-C (currently owned by Twin Lakes Capital) and was to be used as a guest house for executives visiting the plant.

The front of the farmhouse faces Cayuga Lake:

The living room has a lovely fireplace:

The dining room displays many of the dishes and a grand chandelier. It is so gorgeous during the Christmas Holidays!

The Breakfast Room is just a beautiful, the chandelier is a teapot and tea cups!:

All the new floral enamelware was on sale during the Barn Sale:

This is one of my favorite pieces in the courtly checks:

And I WANT this table (but I will have to paint it myself because it is too, too expensive):

The bedrooms are quite exquisite...can you see the roosters on top of the bedposts?

A quiet place to write :

And a sweet place to read (I want that lamp, too):

And this is the "piece de resistance", a WHOLE room painted in courtly checks:

And in the same room there are doors painted in a faux marble - can you guess what is behind this door?

This fabulous shower with stunning tiles:

"Fingers" dipped in yellow paint were used to paint this room - this pattern is now retired:

And they didn't leave out the balusters:

Another room overlooks the lake and is used as an office:

Doesn't it make you want to visit? A while back I showed a photo of the pink kitchen. Stop by tomorrow to see a few great chandeliers displayed in the M-C store