a quick thanks

yesterday, thursday, i was in such a funk. so sleepy, so tired. i didn't want to talk to anyone. ever have one of those days?

then, today, i feel fine. great actually. isn't it amazing the differnece a day can make?

anyway, after a busy/weird day i'm posting a little late today. but i needed to say thanks to my friend kim and courtney for the lovely comments on my quilt project.

i am constantly and pleasently amazed at people. i've never met these folks (even though I feel like i have) and they are kind enough to mention my project (and send fabric too).  so a big thanks to you both.

and a happy weekend to everyone!

etsy love = old charm love

i've recently decided to incorporate some hand/home made objects into the gift shoppe (which i'm sorry for all the posts about the gift shoppe recently ... i'm just planning for the change of season and it seems to be on my mind a bit).

anyway, i've decided to search etsy for some talented folks that could help me do this. i've found some wonderful people who are ready and willing to sell their items wholesale ... which will allow me to see them in my shoppe.

i have about a half a dozen people that i will be ordering from over the next couple months, so i wanted to share with your the first addition (which is shipping later this week) to the shoppe.

from william and katie at wkdstudios - their too cool recycled wood signs.

beauty, right? and that amazing exposed brick wall helps a bit too (love that!).

i order a nice selection of different words and colors.

you can even have custom signs made to suit your needs. i'm thinking about ordering one that says 'charming' for my dining room.

what do you think?

my search continues for cool and unique things. if you yourself have a etsy shop and have wholesale options, shoot me an email. i'd love to see what you have!

from crates to shelving

so i had these three soda (or as well call in central PA ... pop) crates that i discovered in my basement when i bought my little inn. they sat in the basement for some time, because i just didn't know what i wanted to do with them.

then a couple months ago after painting my kitchen, i discovered i needed something to fill this big blank wall, and as with most people's kitchens, i need some extra storage/display room.

so after a good scrubing, cleaning and a quick sanding ... check it out.

they are super convinent as they're located to the left of my stove (i'm left handed), so it's a quick reach for salt and pepper. i also keep my measure cups and spoons here along with a mini cutting board. these things get used every morning for breakfast.
 

and yes, i did buy the measure cups i spoke about ealier. and yes, they are as beautiful and cute as they were online. and yes, i probably won't use them for fear of breaking one.

i just hung the crates with a couple nails. i didn't even need to drill holes in the crate since they already had holes on the bottom. (the jars to the right hold my paper muffin liners - again a very commonly used item in my kitchen)

i kept them simple. uncluttered. with the things i use the most often (and a couple pretty things to look at for good measure).
 

 i'm pretty happy with how they look and function ... and it cost me zero dollars ... doens't get better than that!

celebrity fabric

the fabric keeps coming! thank you, thank you! i acutally just borrowed my mom's rotary cutter to get started cutting. i'm a bit nervous though. i just don't want to ruin all these amazing gifts of fabric. but, i should get started. i need to buy the pattern first. maybe i will do that tomorrow?

these two (above and below) fabrics are from mellisa in california. i love them both so much! the top was in extra material from kitchen curtains she made (i'd love too see the curtains). and the lavender is her favorite color (it's one of mine too)!

melissa is a super talented lady. her needlework and baked goods look ah-mazing. you can see them on her flickr page.

there isn't a thing i don't like about this fabric. love the green. love the pattern. i want this on my walls! julie from oklahoma made a special trip to the fabric store to get this for me. isn't she sweet?

totally diggin' this blue fabric and it's fun pattern. so different and unique. is from norma in oregon (which by the way is the state i'd like to visit most.) you need to check out her blog. espcially the lamp re-do she posted on monday. i love, love them. (i'm a bit jealous ... don't tell)

and last, but again, certainly not least is my 'celebrity' (at least i think so) fabric ...

this fabric (which totally reminds me of the past ... and picnics ... and summers) came from eddie ross. yes, that's right. eddie ross. can't you even believe it!? if you don't know eddie, you must get over to his blog ... or turn on hgtv ... or open pretty much any magazine and you will know who he is. he is truly talented, full of inspired ideas and alway using beauitful vintage pieces in the most unique ways. i still can't believe it!

so, thank you again. you are all celebrities in my eyes. this quilt would be nothing without your help. and i never would have been able to choose such an amazing selection of fabrics to create it. i still need lots more fabric (i don't even think i'm a quarter of the way there), so keep it coming. 

melissa, julie, norma and eddie ... i thank you!

oh my! have you heard? have you seen?

country home is back.

as a special interest publication.

one hundred and sixty pages of amazingness. no advertisements. not one.

when i saw it on the shelf it took me a good five minutes to figure out what was going on.

every page is pure genius and beauty. so inspired.

welcome back country home. welcome back. i will savor this issue and look forward to the next arriving in september.

outstanding indeed

remember a while back i mentioned 'a little thing' called outstanding in the field? well, thanks to an amazing sister-in-law (and my brother too.) i'm going. that's right. i'm going. (screams with excitement!!)

i'm currently working on my own version of my life list. (an example of what i mean can be found here) and this is on my list. i honestly can't tell you how excited i am.

so, i assume you want to know when and where. right? we will be attending the dinner on Sunday, August 29th at Mountain Sweet Berry Farm in Roscoe, NY. my sister-in-law bought the tickets a while back and there was some confusion about whether we were going to be able to go, so that's why i haven't mentioned it here, but i think things are pretty certain at this point. (squeals)

you can read more about outstanding in the field from my other post or from their website. sadly the dinner i am attending is sold out, but maybe you could attend one near you?

so. as i said the dinner is at mountain sweet berry farm. i did a little research and found this amazing video about the farm. check it out below...




each dinner had a guest chef. our chef will be jim lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery, NYC. he's pretty much a bread god and has even wrote a book about a 'revolutionary no-work, no-knead bread.'

so it's a little over a month away and i'm just super excited. i'll be sure to post details of the meal and what i thought of the experience, but i'm pretty sure i already loved it.

i bought another cabinet

remember last week when i showed you my zum display and cabinet? 

well, this weekend i went to my favorite local antique shop and found another handsome cabinet. yay!

i assume they are jelly cupboards of some sort. i'm sure they have an official name, but i obviously don't know it. maybe you do?

i just love them. this is the third one i bought for the gift shoppe. (i'd actually like two more) the one you haven't seen holds my homemade jams and jellies.

this new one is blue-ish grey (beautiful). as with the other cabinets, i sanded down all the edges. i just love the natural wood peaking through.

the shelves are shades of brown (they were covered in horrible green contact paper when i bought it), which looks beautiful with the blue.

as with the others, i painted the inside of the door with blackboard paint.

i needed this cabinet as i was running out of room for my candles. bridgewater candle company has been crafting the most amazing new scents and i just needed more space.

this cabinet will hold the 'scents of the season'. i'm a bit early, but these are their fall scents ... autumn avenue, orange clove, caramel apples (literally i almost licked this candle when i smelled it ... it smells exactly like caramel apples ... exactly) and spiced cider.

i'm so happy to have found this... a perfect fit ... don't you think? and the best part ... only $50. yay!

forever young

even though we got quite the downpour of rain right before the party started yesterday (which we needed and actually help cut the humidity) the party was such a success. my mom did a great job organzining and planning and cooking. i guess i know where i get some of my skills from.

my peach sangria was a hit ... and super delicious if i must say so myself. i actually thought i made WAY too much but it was gone before i knew it!

so here's my recipe... i used 6 bottles of white wine (pinot grigio and moscato), 2 -3 cups peach schnapps, 3 cups orange juice, 1 1/2 cups simple syrup, 1 large bottle of pellegrino (or any sparkling water),  6 peaches chopped, 4 granny smith apples chopped, a bunch of green grapes halved, 4 lemons sliced, 6 peached cubed, 3 oranges sliced ... and boy was it yummy. and the smell was crazy good too.

see the invitations i made. the inspiration for the party was a picnic ... and red and white ghinham of course.

there were lots of flowers for decoration...

vintage baskets thrifted from goodwill ...

there was super yummy spinach dip ...

there was an older brother that tried to ruin my vegetable tray picture ...

ahh, that's better...

there was homemade salsa (the final jar from last year - saved for the perfect occasion) ...

there were cookies ...

lots of cookies ...

and of course ... cake ... the most Delicious cake made by my aunt ...
 

i love a good party. don't you?