Blogger Issues....again

Please stay tuned....Blogger is not cooperating again. I tried to post on Friday and again this morning but it will not let me upload pictures. I have WIP pictures, yard sale finds, and some pictures from the this weekend's garden walk, which was really wonderful.

Hope you all had a great weekend. I'll be back soon....I hope...

Corners of my Home~Bedroom III

Wow, what a terrible blogger I have been lately...there has just been so much going on lately, such as:

~buying 25 lbs of sour cherries for freezing

~getting together my vintage button swap package

~taking son for a doctor's appointment

~painting shutters a new color

~getting a birthday surprise package ready

~working on the tote bag, which is still not finished

~some garage sales

~watching Stephanie horseback ride

~enjoying the pool to escape the heat

But I have managed to pull something together for 'Corners of my Home'.

This is a little antique clock in my bedroom that I love even though it no longer works.

Here, below, is the dresser it sits on along with some photographs, fabric covered boxes, and hatstand. Beneath is an old suitcase that I use for storing scrapbooking supplies.

This is a hat I wore when very little...my sister had a matching one with a blue ribbon...

The bed is white iron with brass (actually bought new!) and over it hangs some wreaths...

To make this, I cut a branch and entwined it with some grapevines. Then I glued some artificial apples to each wreath and hung them from the branch with ribbon.

I do have a few garage sale finds I will post soon.

Have a great day!

WIP...a day late

This is a new bag I'm working on using some of the new rose fabric I bought last week. I'm going to use the pink polka dot for the lining. It's a simple tote bag with an oval shaped bottom and an inside pocket. I probably could have had it done yesterday, but it was such a beautiful day I spent it outdoors.

While I was out I took a picture of the cement urn I got last weekend. I planted it with a fern that I am trying to nurse back to health. It needed a bigger pot and is starting to look much better now.

I spent much of the morning weeding flower beds. When I'm in the mood for it, it is very relaxing and therapeutic, and yesterday was one of those days. Below is a picture of the morning glories just starting to flower in front of the barn. They are surrounded by allysum which self-seeds each year.

In the afternoon, I tackled the chicken yard fence. I got it all painted and am happy to cross that off my list. It was hot and sticky out, so it felt nice to jump in the pool when I finished. The chickens were eagerly looking for some scratch...

These are a couple of the flowers on one of my hydrangea bushes. The whole bush only has two flowers, but they are the biggest I've ever seen. There must be some secret to getting hydrangeas to flower, as I don't seem to have much luck with them.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Corners of my Home ~ Bedroom II

This is another corner of my bedroom where I have a little dressing table. I found the table at a yard sale; it has two pull out arms in the front in order to access a little front drawer hidden under the fabric. I made the skirt out of that Ralph Lauren fabric (also seen in the foyer), which was a lucky find some years ago at Walmart, of all places. I also made a duvet cover for the bed of the same fabric.

The mirror was an estate sale find and has a bow detail at the top. I use a little china dish and a white pitcher to hold jewlery and makeup brushes. The tiny wicker basket keeps makeup out of sight. To the side are more of my wicker hamper collection, which I love to use for storage. I covered the seat of the yard sale chair with a piece of needlepoint I found on e-bay ~ it seemed a good match for the roses fabric.

I could not believe today was already Corners of my Home Thursday. That's the trouble with summer here ~ it just isn't long enough and we all try to pack in so much during this time that it flys by. I have a 'much too long' to-do list of things that really need to be done outdoors and am beginning to feel guilty about my computer time. Blueberries, zucchini, & cucumbers need picking and freezing/or baking. The chickens fence really needs painting, as well as the horses pasture fence, and weeding...there seems to be no end! So I'm off...have a great day everyone. Please know that I am enjoying and appreciate all your comments!

my weekend...

It was a great summer weekend here. Friday night we went to the drive-in with our daughter to see Pirates of the Caribbean. It was a beautiful warm night so we sat outside. Saturday, Mike & I took a bike ride along the Erie Canal, stopped for breakfast, then rode home ~ about 13 miles round trip ~ and jumped in the pool. It was very hot & humid here!
Saturday and Sunday I worked on the polka dot and pom pom fringe book bag for the party on Sunday and then put some books in each bag for the kids. We had a nice time at the picnic which was at a lakefront cottage with a great cool breeze.

On Monday I enjoyed reading all your comments, and as I did I realized something...I forgot to take a picture of the polka dot book bag! I have been aggravated ever since that I forgot to do that, because I know when I visit blogs I love to see everyone's finished projects. Sorry, everybody :(

I did also get to a few yard sales over the weekend and here is what $12 bought me...

...a cement urn (I love urns!), the black iron candleholder which I bought because of it's interesting shape, the beautiful piece of china ($1 !),

and a brand new, still in the box, micro-go-round and a brand new in the package 100% cotton bedsheet which I didn't bother to photograph.

Mail !

I was soooo excited to receive this 'note' in the mail yesterday from Dawn of 4:53am. It is so beautiful and creative; it is a gift in itself.

Thank you Dawn, it is going up on my bulletin board ~ I love it!

Have a great weekend everyone. It's sweltering here, so I am going to spend as much time poolside as possible. Next week I will try to continue catching up with you all.

WIP

This week I've been working on a couple of kids' little totes/book bags for gifts. For the little girl I'm using this purple polka dot (looks more purple in real life) with the floral for the lining. On the outside I'm going to use the pom pom fringe.

This is the bag I'm making for the little boy. It's that cowboy fabric I had bought and is lined with red bandana-look fabric.

This morning I made a trip to my local quilt shop to check out their big July sale. All fabrics were 30% off. It was hard to narrow down my choices, but I did. This is what I came home with.

On the left some Denyse Schmidt and on the right some florals and coordinating prints. I can't wait to get started on some more bags for my shop.

Corners of my Home ~ Bedroom

In my bedroom, I have a Victorian 'fainting couch'. It was probably my first major antique purchase and the first time I ever bid on and won something at an auction. I remember being nervous at the time ~ especially spending $80 on it. It looked quite bedraggled and was covered in a tattered red velvet. I found a gentleman, locally, who did reupholstery, and he transformed it.

Sometimes, though not often enough, I will lie down midafternoon and close my eyes here for twenty minutes or so; sometimes I read.

The afghan was a wedding present, and the pillow came from a garage sale for 2 or 3 dollars...
This little tea tray sits on an old wicker trunk at the foot of my bed. Some morning I just know someone will bring me breakfast, or at least tea, in bed! :)

Zucchini, blueberries...

The garden was loaded with zucchini when we returned from vacation. I gave some away and have pulled out all my zucchini recipes to try and use some up. For tea today I had a zucchini cranberry muffin which is one of my favorites.

The blue willow salt & pepper shakers were a gift from my sister ~ I just love them!

Zucchini Cranberry Muffins


1 c. canola oil 1 c. whole wheat flour
4 eggs 1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 c. sugar ½ tsp sea salt
2 c. grated zucchini 1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 c. craisins ¾ tsp baking powder
2 ½ c. unbleached flour

Combine oil, eggs, and sugar. Add zucchini and craisins. Combine dry ingredients, then add to wet ingredients; stir just to mix. Fill muffin cups and bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (depending upon the size of your muffins).

*Sorry about the way this came out...I can't seem to get it to line up properly!

There were also blueberries ready, so last night my daughter helped me pick them and today I baked a pie for our dessert.

Tomorrow, blueberry pancakes and maybe stuffed zucchini for dinner...

Back from vacation...

We had a wonderful time camping last week, with beautiful weather and only one day of rain. We did some rock climbing, biked, and hiked a lot to make up for eating too much good food. On the 4th we found a spot on the edge of the lake beside some pines to watch the fireworks. It was amazing to hear how the sound echoed off the surrounding mountains. Here's a view from atop the stone tower we visited one day...

A visit to Thunder Rocks was a must, especially for my 16 yr old son who wanted to climb them all. Sadly, I forgot my camera that day...but they are really interesting rock formations and some are quite challenging to climb. I did take my camera when we hiked to the bear caves...

My son ...

another view...

Although we were supposed to stay through Friday, we found out late Thursday night that our son was leaving 24 hours earlier than expected for the Bahamas and our daughter was leaving a day early for her out-of-town equestrian event. We ended up driving home in the middle of the night and doing laundry so my son would be ready to leave at 4:30 AM. After a couple hours sleep, we were up and helping our daughter to pack up for her trip. Saturday and Sunday were spent traveling back and forth so we could see her ride. Below is a picture of her and Sparky doing cross country...

Yesterday and today have been spent trying to catch up on laundry, picking blueberries and loads of zucchini, and pulling weeds which grew amazingly while I was gone.

When I read your comment Lisa, I smiled. You're right ~ vacation's over! I am looking forward to catching up with all of you this week.

Have a Happy Fourth!

Have a great Fourth of July everyone. I'll be away for awhile, so I will be sure to catch up with you all when I return!
















gurukul.american.edu

We're headed to Allegany State Park for some camping and lots of hiking. This a picture of the lodge where we love to go for breakfast ~ the dining room is upstairs and very quaint.












Allegany State Park Historical Society


Have a great week!