Hello friends! I’m busy working in my studio today…and putting together a “Tea for Two” gift! We gave tea gifts to all of our friends a few years ago, and it’s such a fun way to share the love of tea. You can buy everything new, or you can stash little antique shop/tag sale/ thrift…
Happy Friday! I just got back from a lovely couple hours at my friend Clare’s quilting studio. We shared a bottle of THIS, enjoyed Bavarian pretzels, cheese, crackers and red pears for a happy hour treat. Now I’m back home, hanging out with my family, and looking forward to a weekend balanced with a good…
~ tomato jam ~ This is a tomato jam recipe inspired by my favorite minimalist, Mark Bittman. The man is a genius. ‘Nuff said. I made a couple minor changes to the recipe. It’s amazing. How do you use tomato jam you may ask? Well, the beauty of this condiment is it’s versatility. It’s sweet,…
~ fairy cakes ~ “Flowers add romantic history to our food. They lend a charming, healthy, and unusual dimension to our tables. During Queen Victoria’s reign there was a Primrose Day. A fanciful recipe for fairy cups called for a peck of flowers pounded with ladyfingers, three pints of cream, sixteen eggs and a little…
~ rose butter tea sandwiches with scented sugar ~ Gracie and I enjoyed these fragrant, rosy sandwiches for our teatime today while watching a few episodes of Glee. It’s been raining cats and dogs today in the Mississippi river valley! The perfect kind of weather for snuggling under a quilt, turning on the fireplace, eating…
seeing :: some of my vintage table linens drying in the breeze on my new clothesline that the hubby installed for me. Thanks hubby! …pickles, sauces, jams, syrups, preserves, baked goods, bison, honey, produce and even some baby goats as we perused the stalls at the Red Wing Farmer’s Market… the gorgeous hanging flower baskets…
~ refrigerator pickles ~ My friend Becky gave me a basic refrigerator pickle recipe that I used to create my version. I LOVE dill…and garlic is good in almost everything. I like a lot of pickle juice, so I doubled that without doubling the cucumbers…I did add a few extra though. They turned out SO…
~ herbal simple syrup ~ Transform sugar, water and herbs into a flavorful syrup that will make your iced tea and lemonade sing! It’s so simple I could hardly believe it. The result is a gorgeous syrup that will keep in your fridge all summer. Little bottles of this would make lovely favors for a…
~ fruit can may baskets ~ Happy May Day friends! Do you celebrate the first of May? I do. Ever since reading the beautiful, haunting story of the May-pole of Merry Mount by Nathaniel Hawthorne when I took my first college literature class, I’ve been enchanted by this holiday. It’s such a gorgeous tribute to…
Here are some scenes from the last creativity evening with my friend Clare. I decided on the pattern I want to use for my wooly quilt and started cutting the pieces out on Tuesday. Very excited about this project! This weekend I’ll be felting a bunch of wool sweaters and making some felted mittens and…
