another summer challenge project completed!

So, as you know I got tired of just pinning away like mad on pinterest without trying to do some of the fabulous ideas for myself. I created my Summer Challenge pinterest board so that I could choose my favourite projects and (hopefully) do them all before the summer ends and my vacation time is over.

Well, my summer holidays are half over and I am sad to say that I have not finished half of the pins. Sigh... I have done 5 completely so far. And I have a couple in process. Still that is better than none, right?

Yesterday I went over to my friend Carol's house to sew. And I started and finished (go me!) this bag. The bag came from a dollar store and the fabric was left over from a donation from one of my class parents this year.

The bag is based on this pin here.

from sew.craft.create

Cute, huh?  I am thinking about adding one more ruffle at the bottom so that the bottom of the bag is completely covered like the inspiration bag but have not yet made up my mind. Either way, I am liking it!

and more from the farm...

I just discovered that my crow snuck out with my camera phone on the farm the other day and took some more awesome photos of the rusty odds and sods. Enjoy! I know I did when I found them!

And a couple floral photos from my daily walks this week.

On the farm...

I had the delightful opportunity to go to a party in farm country the other night. A friend of mine turns 50 this year and his parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year as well so they threw a 50/50 party.

There was a western theme which was very fitting as he grew up on a hobby farm. While they no longer have a plethora of animals on the farm, it is still a very bucolic and peaceful place to be.

And it was filled with all things old. I went photo crazy!!!

The farm next door does still have farm animals. A lot of cows!!!!

And, look at all the shades of green. Oh my!!!

Love the table decorations. there were vases tied with bandanas, horseshoes and barbed wire. It was really cool!

You know what I liked about this one, don't you? All the rust!!!! Bring on the rust, baby!

Boy, I sure do wish that my cowboy boots still fit me! Darn daughter! Being pregnant made my feet go up one size. What a drag, huh?

Can't you just see the checkered table cloth on the ground with a picnic basket and a good bottle of vino?

This old, weathered building was one of my favourite things at the party. Tucked away near the field where we parked our cars (yes, we parked in the field beside the cows!) it has seen better days. Which, of course, is why I love it so!

The dinner was held in what is actually the carport. Not that you could tell with all the tables set up and the carport decorated. Charming!

Living on the farm would never work for me (I am way, way too city for that to ever happen!) but it sure was a lovely place to visit. Good company, good food, good times!

I have been seeing typography trays floating around on the web and pinterest for a little while now.

from visual heart

from the backyard bungalow

from google.uk

It is a look that I really like. In fact, we bought our first typography tray over 15 years ago. It is a great place to keep the odd assortment of objects that my crow has collected over the years.

Every time I walk down the hallway and see the trays, I am reminded of so many childhood memories. Fisher price, crayons, Red Rose tea figurines, dude ranch badges, an old prescription bottle of my grandmother's...

And so many newer memories...odd little miniature pieces of furniture, modern Monopoly markers, Spongebob Squarepants, brass numbers... all brought home to me by my crow.

Some women sigh over big bouquets of flowers or extravagant trips. Me? I sigh over each odd little thing that he brings home knowing that each one will hold a memory of our years together.

I have a black thumb.

Which is good because I also have allergies. Major allergies. 

 Put a flower in my house and I will be miserable kind of allergies.

Sneezing, wheezing, congestion, scratchy eyes...you name an allergy symptom and I get it kind of allergies.

And, yet, I love all the flowers that abound at this time of year.

I know I could never grow them myself even if I didn't have allergies.

Did I mention I have a black thumb?

We are talking the kind of black thumb that kills everything that has the potential for flowering.

Well, to be fair, I do seem to manage to keep hostas and green grass alive.

That and African Violets. You can pretty much ignore African violets for months and months and they keep on going.

They are like that darned Energizer bunny!

Anywho, back to the wonderful gardens that I will never, ever grow for myself.

The ones in my neighbourhood are glorious. 

Just look for yourself!

Porch Love

I have been taking the dog for a lot of walks lately. This is probably one of my least favourite activities but it does allow for one of my most favourite activities which is to look at houses in the neighbourhood and see how other people live.

I have come across some lovely porches in the last week and, compliments of my new iphone, have some equally lovely images of them to show you. (My daughter did say I would love my iphone and, I have to say, so far she was right on the money!)

Imagine you have a lovely glass of ice tea, it is a sunny but not too hot day (perhaps there is a bit of a breeze blowing up from the beach) and you can take yourself to one of these spaces to relax and enjoy a good book. Ah, heaven!

Don't the third and fourth porches just call out for a hammock swinging in the breeze?

One day, I keep telling myself, one day....

What is it about white?

I was just looking over my pinterest boards and paused to look through my decorating one. There are way too many posts on it (over 1200) and I am thinking of creating boards for each area of the house (sort of like I have done for each school subject).

Anywho, what really struck me as I scrolled through my decorating pins is that there is A LOT of white going on.

White walls, white furniture, white linens, white dishes, white, white, white.

When did this love of white start for me? Í don't know but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

I mean, my heart actually stutters and I feel so happy when I see rooms like this...



or this...



(although I don't think I would have so many fishy things going on. More birds than fishes for me)

or this...



(though, I must admit, I have a hard time seeing this staying white given we have a dog - and, now, a cat - sleeping on our bed most of the time!)



I want to sit down to work on my computer at a space like this. Wouldn't you?

And kitchens...geez, don't even let me get started on kitchens. I have one of the last remaining 1980's IKEA kitchens. Picture mud brown counters and ugly cream coloured laminate cupboards. It is terrible. And not something I can just change on a whim as I don't own the space. Oh, but to have a kitchen like this...



or this...

or this...

Oh, what a lovely dream it is to imagine my kitchen all fresh and white like this! Hopefully, our turn for kitchen renewal will come up sooner rather than later at the co-op. Fingers crossed! (And toes, legs, eyes, you get the idea!)

My goal is to slowly work towards having a house that evokes the same feelings in me as these pictures. These spaces always make me smile, they bring a lightness to my heart and spirit. They make me happy. This is how I believe home should feel.

Parts of our space already do this for me. But I want ALL of our space to do this for me. Time and patience plus a lot of elbow grease will get us there. Stay tuned!