Taking a little break

A few weeks ago I finally found the last of the plates I was searching for....... you know how a person can think about something and daydream about a certain project or such? Well, it all started last summer when I painted this little bitty wall a fun shade of green....then I made had all these gorgeous Denyse Schmidt fabrics just waiting to be made up into a little something...so that little something turned out to be a mini quilt. Up she went! I kept thinking she looked a little bit lonely on the wall all by herself. Then the idea struck me one day! Aha, plates! Yes, cute little plates. Different colors and sizes! Each time I would poke into an antique shop or Goodwill, I was on the lookout for plates. Not that I don't have enough dishes of my own to begin with, but I needed just the right collection to suit the colors and bring the wall to life!


These nasturtiums remind me of my summery wall~ Just because ~

This is somewhere we ate last weekend, and I have driven past this diner for YEARS and never stopped by for a burger. Can you believe it? People come flocking to Val's from miles around and the place is always humming! We just decided to pull in and try out a Val's burger for the first time! YUM!

One Tomato, Two Tomato, Three Tomato, FOUR

Talk about tomatoes! Eeep! Good thing we love 'em around here, 'cuz we've got 'em coming out our ears......well, not really, but almost! With a daily harvest of these summer beauties, I am getting creative with the cooking. If any of you love tomatoes as much as we do, or just need to use up the ever plentiful supply coming off your vine, I highly recommend checking out The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook! In fact, you can even pick up one here ON SALE!

I even made up a copy of a delicious recipe you might like to try. Go ahead, don't by shy~ It is delish!! Get creative and modify..........add some slivers of purple onion to the already delicious sandwich.

(just click on the recipe to enlarge) Feel free to print a copy for your kitchen!

Something quick and easy

If you are in need of a quick and easy summery table cloth idea, here goes! Just order up some of your favorite fabric, do a quick and easy rolled edge hem stitch on your sewing machine, and away you go! The ideas are endless. I layered three (separate pieces of fabric, not connected to eachother) of these favorite Mod Girls prints that match the colors in my kitchen. *and yes, those are my own homegrown tomatoes!*

Cozy Corner

Even thought it's hot outside, the AC is running constantly inside, and on lazy summer afternoons like we're having today, I feel like cosing up on the sofa with a magazine. I'm always perusing the latest fashion magazines to see the new colors schemes the fashionistas are drawing from.

While I was lazing around (for a mere twenty minutes.....a rare treat), I realized that our sofa pillows needed to go..........yeah, to GO bye bye! They were only two years old, max, but hey, why not some fresh, new ones?! YEAH! I love these hip, playful new pillows I whipped up. Recognize this cute new fabric?!!


Here's a close up of an oil painting I did in college......I still get inspired by these gorgeous tall, tall trees! They remind me up lumbering elephants with their trunks hanging and blowing. There is a great little write up on them in the latest Sunset Magazine.


My ever growing stash of magazines.........just a few from this summer! I constantly have to keep at the pile and cull through them. It's hard to throw any of them out, so out to the garage they go......stash, stash (don't tell hubby)

More cuteness

So the story goes a little like this.........my daughter loves fabric almost as much as her mommy does! I say almost, simply because I've been around a little longer than she. She's online one day, and says, "mommy, lets order some fabric". "I want something peachy pink with roses"....so this is what she picked!! Heather, doesn't she have wonderful taste! We ordered from epb dolls and it was here TWO DAYS LATER! So if you need some more Freshcut fabric, head on over to the lovely elinor's site!

Three cheers for the Red, White & Blue

Hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July!

Itty Bitty Yellow Dish

I'm loving this cute little yellow dish my mom gave me. Isn't it just the sweetest little thing .... good for tiny pincushions, soap, anything tiny and sweet! ~ We've been outdoors a lot enjoying the fresh breezes and sunshine, before it heats up again. A nice reprieve from the heat. I have some fresh projects I hope to share with you by next week. Have a Happy July 4th, all of my American friends and family.