Bastille Day

In honor of the storming of the Bastille in 1789, let's celebrate the ordinary folk...those who took the power from the monarchy. Let's pop open a bottle of wine (French or not), listen to a little French cafe' music, and salute the common man. Vive la France, vive liberty!

I 'heart' French Poppy Art!

Thursday afternoon Mr. Postman brought me one of Teresa's (French Poppy) wonderful prints that she was so kind to give away last week. I chose the Cafe' print...but it was really hard to make a selection; they're all so beautiful. On my list of things to purchase is this print from her Etsy shop...a wonderful companion piece to hang in the little dining alcove off of my kitchen. Of course, that would entail doing a switch-out of kitchen 'furniture' from the alcove to somewhere else so I could put my small bistro set there. It seems like I'm always moving things around. Next weekend is a three-day for me, so as of right now, that's the plan.

I've had the urge to move lately...I absolutely love where I live and it's so convenient to work. On the minus side, it's quite expensive to heat and it really is much more room than I need. When I look around and see the accumulation of furniture and just plain old 'stuff', the thought of moving it (or divesting myself of it) just about does me in. It would be nice to live in a pared-down space...to spend lots less money on housing and utilities...I just don't know if I'm mentally and physically up to it. One of my co-workers is moving, so last weekend I went to look at the duplex he'll be vacating...it's about a third the size of what I have, but it does have potential...and a real back yard and off-street parking. So much to think about!

Do I 'need' all that I have? No...but it's comforting having it around. Look for a book sale to be posted soon...I think I'll put them up here before I list them on Amazon or Ebay. Step number one in de-feathering my nest.

Pink Saturday

So...if any of you 'pink lovers' are in the mood for a new home, Mary Kay Ash's Pink Mansion is for sale in Texas...for just under $5 million dollars. Think of the Pink Saturday photo ops there!

Back in Indiana, these are my contributions to Pink Saturday...not nearly as heady as the mansion featured, but they are mine!

This is one of my favorite little tea pots...it just holds two cups, but it's perfect for a pre-work cup of tea.
A pedestal plate (sitting on an attached teacup). This is one I purchased from Tina at Cherry Hill Cottage a few months back. It comes with a glass dome. The strawberry (not real, but doesn't it look yummy?) is a gift from my friend Mary.
A small butter pat plate...I'd like to find a few more.
Ribbons...one of my favorite things.

TGIF

Friday miscellany...a real surprise--these little violets I bought late last winter are blooming again. I know that's what they're supposed to do, but I usually can't keep houseplants alive long enough to rebloom. The remaining three are almost ready to bloom.
A friend came over after work yesterday afternoon for a little 'crafting'. Little is the key word here. We had a salad dinner--fruity chicken salad, pasta salad, and cornbread salad. I've been trying to replicate the cornbread salad from one of my favorite lunch spots--Coffee Cottage & Cafe. I may break down and ask (beg) for her ingredient list.

I have two knitting projects going on now; a huge shawl-like wrap that I've been working on for a few years and I probably only have two or three hours of knitting left to do on it, but it's heavy and kind of cumbersome to work with. So what do I do...

I start another little dishcloth. I love doing these...no need to pay attention to what I'm doing, so I can talk, watch TV, almost anything. So it was mostly sitting--a little knitting.

Mini rant

I guess I'm in the mood to be somewhere (anywhere) else...to skip back a century....to float aimlessly in a boat, watching the ducks, feeling the breeze (could they under all of that clothing?), and not having a care in the world. Taking time to smell the roses, and not worrying about pollution, chemicals, and global warming...and not relying on an automobile. Trade-offs are everywhere---better living through science, air conditioning (wouldn't want to be without that), and other modern conveniences, but wouldn't it be nice to go somewhere and NOT see someone walking the dog, driving a car, riding a bicycle AND talking on a cell phone?

Rosemary for Remembrance

This is my entry for the contest at Mind Wide Open. I've assembled it in one of those Martha Stewart presentation boxes that Michael's had on clearance last summer. It has a plexiglas lid with a beautiful scrolled outline. It's also impossible to photograph with the lid on.
I had my first adventure in burning paper edges. Fortunately, I was standing over the kitchen sink while I did this.
Everytime I hear the word remembrance, I think of rosemary...the herb of remembrance.
Assorted items from the goodie drawer found their way into this project.
Voting will commence after all of the images have been uploaded on July 8, and continue until midnight July 14. I'm really glad I participated in this contest; usually when I make something/anything--I give it away or gift it. I'm keeping this one. Edited to add...voting has commenced on the 32 entries in this contest. One vote per person; click HERE to cast your vote!

Can you smell the lavender?

Can you imagine being here at the Norfolk Lavender Farm? The wonderful scent, the buzzing of the bees...I'd love to be there.
Instead, I'll content myself with my two pound bag of lavender buds. I think I can imagine lots of lavender sachets making their way to Etsy!

Today, To Do

When I got home from work yesterday, there was a really nice surprise awaiting me in my email inbox...I won the final giveaway of the week at French Poppy's (a/k/a Teresa Sheeley) blog. I love her whimsical art...and it was hard to decide which print to choose. I can't wait to receive it!

Today's list of things to do is fun stuff. I followed a link in Dawn's ~The Feathered Nest~ blog and ended up at a new blog Mind Wide Open.

There's a challenge involved, featuring a required image and using it in any way you desire...sewing, paper crafting, collage...and the first entry is due by midnight tomorrow evening. The submissions will be posted and voted on. I've never done anything like this before, so I just decided to jump in and do it. I worked on one idea last night, and may go in a different direction today.

That, along with lunch out with my daughter should fill my day pleasantly.

More Red, White & Blue

I hope you all had a safe and fun Fourth of July. My holiday 'weekend' has a minor bump in the road...I go to work this morning. I'll resume the weekend after 5 o'clock this afternoon!
Someone asked about this framed piece I have in my entryway...it's by Becky Geis, owner of The Heart of Newburgh, in Newburgh Indiana. Becky, and her staff (Patty and Michelle --Michelle of http://www.madredhare.blogspot.com/) are so very talented. In the past they've manufactured papier-mache figurines for all holidays...bunnies galore, wonderful primitive Halloween and Christmas pieces, and their products are available on the web and through Country Sampler magazine.

Happy 4th of July!

A little Americana

Here are a few random shots from my entryway. A little bit of red, white, and blue for the upcoming holiday...

I love crisp red, white and blue for outside decorating, but for inside, I like it to be a little aged...Americana in the primitive state.