Friday, July 29, 2011

Do you LOVE Scarves?

I have too, too many scarves tucked in the back of my closet- probably over 50 - but I love to wear them - they add so much texture and color to an outfit:



When I saw this on NeedleNotes, I knew I had to share it:



I am off to Ohio to play with Carter for a week - I'll be checking in!
patti

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Dill Pickles!

I went to the Regional Market on Sunday and bought a bunch of cucumbers:
My grandmother always made pickles, so I learned at a young age how easy they were to make.
I sliced some thinly and others in spears:
And now I have pickles for the winter:
and some to give away:
Ten jars in no time at all!

Monday, July 25, 2011

An inexpensive hostess gift....

When I made these, I also "stamped" some vintage silverware with names of herbs:
I needed quick gifts for two friends so I bought some basil ($1.00 @ Walmart) and 2 creamers ($.59 @ GW):
And as long as I can keep these alive, they will be cute gifts!
I also wanted to giftwrap these....
So I used two paper bags, some cardstock and my favorite Lumocolor pens to duplicate a quote I saw online:
And each one has a name tag:
Quick and easy!
Sharing with:
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm

Time to Shine Tuesday @ A Diamond in the Stuff
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Love this Table!

I bought this table at a garage sale for only $10.00:
I liked that it has 2 drop leaves, sturdy and is compact:
I sanded, primed and painted it. I printed this graphic from the Graphics Fairy a while back (it says something about taking your lunch to the sheets???) To make it fit the table proportionately, I blew up the pattern using a document camera, and then I traced it onto the table top. I painted it with black acrylic paint.
A coat of poly completed the table and I love it!

Sharing this with:

Friday, July 22, 2011

While people stood in line....

...we toured the farm house at MacKenzie-Childs
I saw something that I knew many of my blogging buddies might like. This was a lamp made out of old silver coffee pots, creamers, s&p shakers, etc:
The electric pole was up the middle, so they drilled holes into the silver and glued them with epoxy to hold them steady:

I was so unique and I sure all of these items can be found in thrift stores and garage sales! And Then there was this lamp, made from harps and the bulb and base:
Clever, huh?

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

One of my favorite foods is Banana Bread - and if you add chocolate chips, it even tastes better!
I just bought a new cookbook and this recipe looked so easy ~ and I love the art work in this cookbook, too (reminds me of Susan Branch's art).
This is the second book I have, written by Roxie Kelley and illustrated by Shelly Reeves Smith:
I bought this one last year:
Sometimes I browse looking for recipes, and sometimes just to look at the art work!
What are your favorite cookbooks?

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Random Acts of Kindness

My friend Andrea of Needle Notes is always crafting something ~ knitting, beading, making greeting cards, taking photos, and so on. The other day in the mail I received the prettiest necklaces and earrings to match. The first, in raspberry and crystal, will look so pretty with this outfit:
And this one will go with anything, especially black!
And it will match a bracelet she "knitted with wire" for me about 4 years ago:
She uses magnetic clasps and it makes it so easy to put on - but here's a funny story:

I "lost one of the bracelets she made me and I found it months later - attached to my cheese grater in the cupboard - I must have been wearing it as I pulled the grater out of the dishwasher - and that's how strong the magentic closures are!!

Thanks so much Andrea - you are extremely generous and kind!

Monday, July 18, 2011

The Best Potatoes!

This is an quick and easy potato to bake - and it is delish! Slice a potato into 1/4" slices, but do not cut all the way through to the bottom. Make a sloppy paste of melted butter, a few crushed garlic cloves and some parmesan-reggiano cheese, s&p, - measurements are not important. Spread the paste into each slice by "fanning" open the potato carefully. Spread the rest on the top:
Bake for about an hour and baste halfway through:
DELISH!:
These can also be wrapped in foil and thrown on the grill!
Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed With Grace

Sunday, July 17, 2011

More Garden Markers

I first saw this idea at Artsy Vava's blog and "pinned it" for future reference. This is an easy project for a quick little gift or just for your garden.

I took some paper from my printer and drew a few herbs in permanent ink and then colored with water color pencils:
I ripped them into a rough circle, small enough to fit on a "hammered flat" spoon. I used a green ink pad to smudge some green around the edges:
I adhered the paper with glaze and then covered the whole spoon with the same glaze:
Artsy Vava suggested Diamond Glaze but this was on sale at Michael's for $1.99:
And here are the finished garden markers:
I think this would be a cute hostess gift, along with a small pot of herbs.
Sharing this with:
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle
Tutorial Tues @ Hope Studios

MacKenzie-Childs Barn Sale 2011


Our day began with lunch at the Aurora Inn. My friend Rhonda (pictured) and I sat outside, overlooking Cayuga Lake. Lunch was fabulous; I had a chicken, cucumber and dill salad on a lemon scone with homemade potato chips...never even got a photo because my mouth was watering! The girls in the back right were at M-C Barn Sale, in line, for 2 hours and left after hearing that it would be 2 more hours before they could enter!
The Inn has many rooms and this was a small pub downstairs, picturing the Inn years ago:
This was an outdoor dance area with beautiful views:

We arrived at M-C around 2:00 and were told that the wait was over 3 hours to enter and 1:45 to check out. It was about 85' and the line looked like this one way:
and looked like this at the end:
NO SALE is worth this to me, so we went into the store, shopped a bit and decided to go to Skaneateles Lake for some afternoon cocktails. We stopped at the Blue Water Grill for a drink, shopped some of the boutiques and then had another drink at the Sherwood Inn. A beautiful day, but no Barn Sale, and I was a bit disappointed!! The Saturday paper reported that 4000 people attended the sale on Friday!
I returned on Sunday at 9:00 am, parked in the first row, walked right in, and had a great time shopping! No lines, no crowds, plenty of Courtly Check and only a 5-10 minute check out time!

Here are only a few things I purchased:
Large Honeymoon Bowl (recently retired pattern):
Courtly Check bowls and luncheon plates to fit in my server:
Small teapot and flowers:
Tassels (bought a few different styles):
And some Christmas ornaments:
I can't show you the rest of the treasures I found because they are gifts! But I was pleased with what was left on the last day of the sale and what I purchased. There was only one thing I had on my list that wasn't available and I really didn't need it!

So, the moral of this story is simple:
Have Patience
Go on Sunday, early, and there are no lines, nobody pushing, no grouchy people, and still plenty to choose from (with additional discounts)!