Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR
2011!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year. 

Thank you to all our wonderful family, friends and

customers for a blessed year!

Were featured in a great new treasury on Etsy!

Thanks so much to lexiloohoodesigns for the feature!
Happy Weekend to all!

Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"

For the past few months I have been thinking about fall and Halloween.  I love this time of year!  For many years now I have wanted to have a Halloween costume party for kids and adults.  Even though it won't happen this year, I still like to think about what would make a great, unique costume.  I do not like the current style of horror movies, you know the leave nothing to the imagination slash and gore movies. Any one can just fill up the screen with all those typical horror movie effects, but not everyone can make a classic movie like Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds".  This great movie was filmed in 1963 and depicts the city of Bodega Bay, CA which has suddenly become the home of wildly strange acting black birds who are terrifying and attacking the citizens.  It features actress Tippi Hedren in the title role as a visitor to the city.  Her outfits and style is so wonderfully vintage. She wears classic 60's suits and is featured with black birds in her hair and specs of blood where the birds have attacked her.  A must see thriller if you have never seen it and a great Halloween costume!  Happy Halloween !

Crisp, cool, fall air! Yes!

It's here!  It's here! Cooler air is finally arriving!  After an incredibly hot summer it feels really great this year!
It is time to break out the sweater, boots and pumpkin spice latte!!  I have designed some new note cards
just to celebrate the season!

ENJOY THE FALL!

Etsy Front page

I felt so honored and happy that my 3 Gourds note cards made it to the front page of Etsy! 
If you have never checked out Etsy you must go there now!!!  It is full of wonderful and beautiful
handmade items!  Thanks so much to myothercloset for featuring us in her great treasury!

                                                               Gourd note cards

Vintage Boxed Halloween Costumes

I can remember every Halloween going to the 5 and 10 store and getting a boxed Halloween costume.
There were all just magical to me!  Each one had a mask and the outfit and sold in a colorful box with the mask showing through the clear window.  I would look and look and it was so hard to decide.  Does anyone else remember these?  I may be showing my age!  I wish my outfits today would each come in a box with everything matching for each day!!!  Hey, I might have just come up with an idea to pursue!  I know all us working moms would love to grap a box each day and never have to think about what to wear!
Enjoy all these wonderful vintage finds from Etsy seller missellepea .

Me? A Farmer??

I must admit that I have never really considered myself a farmer, but I feel like that is changing!!
Growing up my parents were and still are the most self sufficient people I will ever know.  They once went 8 days without electricity during a snow storm! They always have had the most beautiful vegetable garden and flower garden.  My mom is such a terrific cook and can take any produce and turn it into a gourmet meal. My dad can take any piece of wood and turn it into the most beautiful farm table you have ever seen.  He recently did this for me with wood from my great grandmother's old barn.  I consider them renaissance people!  Recently I have found myself moving backwards to a simpler way of life and admiring the way they have always done things.  I have had my own little garden this year, 2 feet x 2 feet that has over flowed with success!  Never have I wanted or even been able to grow a garden.  I have also planted gourd seeds, from my parents, this year and I am just fascinated with them!  There are so many varieties!  I had to show you some of the pictures of my gourds that are growing and one of a beautiful birdhouse my dad made.
It is amazing to think gourds have been useful tools to people for hundreds of years and even still today.

Design Sponge blog post

I love all things old and vintage so I was thrilled to see this post from Design Sponge today!  If you have never checked out the blog from Design Sponge you must!  Today's post was from a building for sale in Austin, TX.  It is the entire Capital Saddlery building!  You must watch the realtor's slide show.  If you have a cool 4.4 million laying around this is the perfect home!  Great blend of old and new.  I love all the great colors and mixes of fabrics and furniture.
Have a great Saturday!  Today is a gift that is why it is called the Present!!

Thank you today to Invitation Buzz for featuring our "Eat Your Veggies Note Card on their blog.
They have a wonderful article on the importance of vegetables in our diet!  I am growing my own veggies
this year in a small tiny 2" x 2" plot in my backyard!  It is thriving!!  I have never had much luck in the past but this year it is really doing well!  It is amazing that you can grow so much in such a little space. 

Eat Your Veggies note cards

Outstanding in the Field

I love this site Outstanding in the Field.  You have to check it out!  They go all over the country
in their great bus and set up dinner on farms and actually out in the field.  The food is all grown
from the area.  Their mission, as stated on their website, is to re-connect diners to the land and the
origins of their food, and to honor the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. 
Outstanding in the Field is a roving culinary adventure – literally a restaurant without walls. 
The dinner set ups are breathtaking!  There are calendars on their site to see if they are coming
 to a farm near you!

New Products!

New tags and wedding invites on the site today!

fleur de lie tags

Pink Handbag Invitation

                                                                                 

Picnics!

There are so many cute picnic baskets and gear out these days!  Love these  ideas below!

It doesn't matter if you have a destination or just picnicking with close friends in the backyard.

Sutherland-Baskets-Hexcited-Picnic-Basket

Around-the-World-Americana-Printed-Quilt-Tote

This cute quilt above comes with its own matching tote for quick carrying! 

Great menu to take!

The Menu

Goat Cheese Spread and crackers

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Pasta Salad With Asparagus and Lemon

Oatmeal-Raspberry Bars

Click here to get these recipes from RealSimple.com

Don't forget the invite - Ants Go Marching!

HAPPY PICNICKING!

Retro Camping!

I have fallen in love with these cute teardrop campers!  They just scream SUMMER!
They are light weight and sleep 2 comfortably and more if you all squeeze in tight!  The kitchen is actually on the back in a lift up door.  These cute campers have been around since the 1940's.  There are even many kits available to build one in your garage.  I  have visions that you could put one in the backyard with the back door opened up for an outside kitchen at parties!
It would be convenient and so vintage!  These are so light that you can pull them with any car with a hitch, even a mini cooper!  Time to hit the open road!

Teardrops and Tiny-Trailers - Book on Amazon.com

Wonderful Weddings!

Weddings can be personalized so much these days!  They can be botanical, whimsical, formal, simple and as over the top as you care to be!  It is all about choosing your style and following through with all the little details to make it work!  I love that weddings have become a little more relaxed and fun!  We have introduced our own line of whimsical wedding invites!  We have all the reception cards, response cards, maps and thank you to match.  We love to customize every invite to match your vision.

Whimsical Fall Tree Invitation

Brown and Blue Topiary Invitation

Bunting, Bunting Everywhere!

Plumo

Everywhere you look these days you see bunting, banners, streamers, etc.  I really like the look and you can get so creative with different fabrics and colors!  You can use paper or any left over fabric you have on hand to make one! 

Strung Bunting with paper from Activity Village:

Great to get the kids involved, too!
Use the bunting template( click below) to cut shapes out of different-coloured paper. On the wrong side of the paper, paint the rectangular shape at the top of the triangle with white glue (PVA), then either fold directly over a length of string or (our preferred method), roll the paper around a length of plastic drinking straw. The straw adds stability to the flag and then allows even the youngest children to thread the flags onto string.

Click here to get the pattern for bunting from Activity Village
You could just as easily sew a bunting with fabric and stitch the triangles to a cord or strip of fabric.

Here is our take on Bunting with a Welcome Baby Invitation from our shop!

Welcome Sweet Baby Bunting Invite

The Junk Gypsy Company

Good Day to all!  Today I have to highlight one of my favorite companies!  The Junk Gypsy Company!  If you have never been to their website you must check them out!  They are a retail company that follows their dreams and sells extremely cool apparel and jewelry.  It is a mix of cowgirl meets gypsy! 
Their t-shirts have sayings that are a tribute to the wonderer and feisty soul in us all!  They even have a Junk Gypsy Prom every year in Warrenton, Texas!  You can't have much more fun than that! Now you will never meet an old soul who likes flea markets and junk finding more than me!  You know what they say, "One man's, oops (woman's) junk is another woman's treasure!  But I think I have found some soul sisters with these girls!!  Be sure to stop by their site!

Treasury by Lemon Lizard on Etsy

I have made my first treasury on Etsy!  If you are not familiar with Esty you must check it out today!!
It is a wonderful site for all thinks handmade.  You will find the most beautiful products all made with loving care!  The items are not cookie cutter designs and are truly one of a kind.  Sellers each have their own store full of all their products.  I also have a store on Etsy.   I made my treasury based on water with beautiful blue sea and red coral colors.  Check out the great sellers featured there!  You can check out the treasury here!

silverbucket

Low Country Boil Party

Summer is finally here!  I don't know if you are as glad as I am, but bring on the sun!  Now, don't get me wrong I love Fall and the Holidays, but this year I am ready to be outside and feel my feet on the grass, bug spray and all!  I love Adirondack chairs, dining by big chunky white candles flickering in the sunset on pretty floral tablecloths, laughing with the neighbors over wine and all our kids playing and laughing!  I feel a low country boil night coming on!  This is an easy meal to serve with few ingredients.  There are many variations on the recipe but I am including one from Paula Deen.  Who knows food better!
I also love these beautiful picnic blankets from SewnNatural on Etsy!
They would be so pretty on the tables or ground!

SewnNatural on Etsy - mandala-couples-picnic-blanket

Invite from Lemon Lizard

Ingredients:
6 ears of corn

6 4-inch smoked sausage link sausage

12 red new potatoes

3 lb fresh shrimp, unpeeled

Crab boil, 2 teaspoons per quart of water

Directions

Fill a large pot with enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Add the crab boil and bring to a boil. Adjust the crab boil to suit your taste. When the water boils, add the potatoes and sausage. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Add corn and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for no more than 3 minutes. Drain and serve with warm bread.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Difficulty: Easy