Summer Snack Basket

Here's a shot of my favorite summer snack. Fresh cherries, crackers, cashews, and a little string cheese. I'd actually rather have this than breakfast or lunch. So simple and the flavors all meld together to make one seriously tasty one-woman party!

The past two summers we've spent time in the northwest corner of the country. Taking planes, autos, boats, and trains we wound our way around the coast of Washington and Oregon, taking full advantage of the cool, crisp air coming off the Pacific. But the one part that sticks in my mind was the "Fruit Loop" around Mt. Hood. We drove around the mountain on a scenic loop that was peppered with hundreds of fresh fruit stands. I think we stopped at nearly every one of them. And out there, their "fruit stands" consist of not only the freshest produce, but baked goods, honey and even art. Just about anything somebody might be in the market for. But, for us, it made for some really great snacking along the way.

And that's when I fell madly in love with fresh cherries. And we even saw them growing on the trees! If it wasn't for those pesky pits to dispose of, cherries would be my favorite food. I lean toward Rainers, but I'll settle for Bing that I can get at my local grocery store...and be darn happy most of the summer. In fact, that's probably my favorite thing about summer is the fresh fruit available and oh is it so tasty...

To dress this snack up so St. Wayne will think it's a meal, I use my little wire produce baskets I've had a hundred years, line them with natural parchment and start filling. To keep consumption of the crackers and nuts at a minimum, I use regular cupcake liners for the crackers and mini liners for the nuts.

Try it, the presentation will convince you it's fun to eat and when you're finished snacking on that fabulous combination of flavors, you're totally satisfied. Light, fun and just a little party in a basket!

Monograms and More...

In February of 2010 my friend Cathie's daughter, Julie, got married. When I designed the wedding invitations, I started with a design of the couple's monogram. From there we printed it onto a tag to embellish the satin ribbon tying the invitation. This is a scan of the finished design.

Now that the happy couple are expecting a daughter in September, Julie's busy nesting. She posted a picture on Facebook several weeks ago of a project she'd finished for their master bedroom. She covered her plain headboard with quilt batting and a drop cloth. They are very inexpensive, have a wonderful nubby texture, and are available for next to nothing in Walmart's paint department. And the bonus is you get a huge piece of fabric to work with. Here's a picture of the headboard with the new covering...



Well, her monogram instantly came to my mind when I saw the headboard. So I suggested she let me cut a long strip of leftover drop cloth I had from an earlier project of my own, hem the sides, and transfer the monogram onto the fabric. She liked that idea so when her mom came to visit a few weeks ago, we got it done. I ended up having to go over it with a black sharpie marker because we wanted it a rich, deep black and the transfer came out with a green tint to it.



The above picture is of her and Dave's finished bedroom and the picture below is a close-up. I think it looks terrific! She just wrapped the monogramed strip around the headboard and pinned it into place. That way, if she ever gets tired of it, she can take it off. Good job, Julie!

Sprng Has Left Me Sprung...

You may have noticed I haven't been around. It's been an emotional Spring as our family has suffered the loss of my sister-in-law, Syd to a massive stroke in April. She left behind two incredible children in their twenties and lots of friends and family who will sorely miss her. Her beautiful send-off was planned by her daughter, son, and daughter-in-law and was such a wonderful tribute to her. She would have been so proud to know the church was packed with friends who had wonderful things to say about her. We all have sweet memories of Syd. She's pictured above with a quilt she made me a couple of years ago that I cherish and keep displayed in my living room.


We have also had lots of houseguests...seven waves of company in a six week period. All glorious visits from people we love, but it's kept me busy cooking and cleaning and running to the grocery store. We really like nothing better than our family and friends coming to visit and always look forward to the next wave. That's what happens when you live this close to the beach!

One really outstandingly happy thing to tell you about...I'VE RETIRED! No more wedding invitations to assemble all night long to meet a deadline, no more page after page of addresses to calligraph onto envelopes, no more sales taxes to file and pay, so many "no more"s! I'm excited to do lunch any time I want to and I'm especially excited about naps! Ah, daytime naps are such luxuries...

I hope you have a wonderful Summer and I hope I'll find it fun and refreshing and full of all kinds of inspiration to piddle with to help fill this new found time. Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted!

If You Can..

If you can start the day without caffeine;
If you can get going without pep pills;
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains;
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles;
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it;
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time;
If you can forgive a friend's lack of consideration;
If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when,
through no fault of your own, something goes wrong;
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment;
If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him;
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend;
If you can face the world without lies and deceit;
If you can conquer tension without medical help;
If you can relax without liquor;
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs;
If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice
against creed or color, religion or politics; then, my friend, you are
almost as good as your dog.


The above quote is sooo true! And it can be said about my little grandogger, CoCo. She has spent the past week with us while her mom and dad were on a cruise. She's had a great time, chasing squirrels, keeping the birds in order, and just generally making sure all is well in the backyard.


She's usually here for a two-day visit, three max, so she didn't pace herself. She came on like gangbusters when she got here last Saturday afternoon. And by Tuesday night, she was exhausted. She's perpetual motion, never stopping from sunup until sundown. She makes me tired just watching from inside the patio doors.


Is that the sweetest little face? I can't say I'm really a "dog person." I don't stop on the street and put strays in my car, but I like dogs...in small doses. But I think dogs are lots of trouble if done properly and I'm not willing to get into it. Alot of my family and friends don't understand that. Especially my sister who is the most devoted animal lover I've ever known. I have to admit, though, I've really enjoyed having this little four-legged squirrel posse here to pet and rub her tummy on those rare occasions she lies still long enough. She is a sweetheart.

And tomorrow she goes home. Back to where life is a bowl of cherries and her mom and dad adore her and fulfill her every wish and whimper. And I'll get back to doing just what I want when I want without any consideration of a poor little pup to put back in the kennel for a few hours so I can go have lunch with the girls, play cards, or go out to eat with St. Wayne. I've actually done very little of that this week just because I hate to call her in from the yard to that lonely little "cage." I think I mind it more than she does. She happily takes a nap while she's inprisoned but when I get back and once that door is opened, she's a black streak through the house and I'd better have the back door standing open when she gets back there or it's crying and carrying on like you wouldn't believe.

CoCo, it's been fun. I've so enjoyed having you here. Come back real soon...you're always welcome. love, Grandma

Quick and Easy Little Books

Some dear, really dear, friends of ours have offered the use of their ultimately located condo for my family to use for a week this summer. We can't wait. So, I wanted to offer them something for the new condo that they couldn't buy anywhere else. This is a guest book for friends and family to leave comments about how much they enjoyed their stay. They'll always have a record of the fun times that have taken place there.

It's something that's quick and easy and fun to do. I set up lines on my computer and printed 50 or so pages. Lined pages (instead of blank, unlined pages) are much easier and less intimidating to use for most people. I only printed on one side, so if they wanted to draw something or add a photo that didn't fit on the lines, they could always use the back. Then I took the pages to my local printer to have them trimmed and two holes drilled.

Then I found some heavy-weight stock to use as the cover, punched a few holes, tied a cabinet door handle on with ribbon and, viola! it's a fun, oddly bound book. You can decorate the cover anyway you like. I have to admit, this is my first elk. I found the image to trace by typing in "elk silhouette" on Google images. A piece of cake.


This is another one I made several years ago for our family history as written by my Aunt Faye. This cover was made from corrugated cardboard. So simple and fun to do. Now go make a couple of these...it doesn't have to be a guest book, they could include family recipes, favorite photos of a special occasion, or anything else your heart desires. Go on, quit wasting time surfin' the internet and do some productive piddlin'...take a picture and send me a sample of what you've created!

More Inspiration

Here is a book by Sarah Lugg, The Handcrafted Wedding. You don't have to be planning a wedding to find inspiration here. She is the mother of all hang tags and I've admired her work for years. In fact I have had a print of her tags hanging in my bathroom for over eight years. I've removed the print from the frame and scanned it so you can see her tag art.



Being in the wedding business, I buy lots of books pertaining to weddings. Mainly to steal, um, I mean cultivate ideas that I can offer my brides. This one is a beauty. Lots of interesting ideas if you're looking for something different.

It was published in 2003 and it looks like they've changed the cover, but it is available on Amazon. Check it out...it's sweet.

Tag Art

Last Thursday, Debby from The Gracious Home, came over to my studio and we spent a little while piddlin' with mailing tags. She takes lots of time and has just that special little something she wants to put on hers and it turns out exquisive. Go to the sidebar and click on her link to see a photo of hers in a post she did today. Me? I'm quick and dirty. I actually didn't complete anything while she was here because I was letting everything simmer. At least that's my story. I think I might have been just a tad bit intimidated by her deliberate creation. I'm more of a "quick and dirty" kind of girl.

So a few days later, with the millions of pieces of emphemera still out on the worktable, I sat down again. This is what I finished with. A dozen of the cutest things I ever saw. First thing I did was download and printed some old photos I had. There's one of my parents kissing at the flagpole, several girlfriends as children, even some old and odd photos I had on my computer from other projects. Then I glued the photo to the tag and added "stuff." And this is what I came up with...ta da...



You can click on the picture to enlarge and see the detail. I think my favorite one is on the center row with the sealing wax.

Haven't decided yet how I'll use them...maybe gifts or even framed in a shadowbox. Who knows...but it sure was a fun way to kill a couple of hours. Just a warning: This is a dangerous piddlin' project...once you get started, you don't want to stop.