Lavender Festival

We aren't usually in California in June, but lucky me, I was able to go to a  Lavender Festival with my sisters at the Highland Springs Resort in Cherry Valley. 

The lavender fields were fragrant, and so pretty. 

There were tents set up for venders, crafts and food. 

There were tables set up to have lunch, and a string quartet played while we ate. 

The property was used as a stagecoach stop, and there is a stunning 1100 year old Live Oak tree on the property. 

http://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/usa/california/riversidecounty/8948_highlandspringsresort/

Of course the day wouldn't be complete without buying some lavender infused goodies. Yum!

"Emily" is Published in Sew Somerset

I shared a wall hanging titled "Emily" with you a while back, and now she appears in the latest edition of Sew Somerset.

I received my complimentary copy a couple of weeks ago, and I'm happy to be a contributor.  You should be able to find it in stores today.
























Take a peek inside to my article:

Here is a link within my blog to the post where I describe "Emily".

"Emily"

New Creations Listed in My Etsy Shop

Sewing Lessons

I recently finished a few small quilties that I added to my Etsy shop.

McCall Girls

Simplicity Girls

Swallow on Blue

Los Angeles & Los Feliz - From Shabby Chic to The Getty Center

I spent a few days with my sister in the Los Angeles/Los Feliz area, and I always enjoy the city with her. 

I've always wanted to shop at Rachael Ashwell's Shabby Chic store in Santa Monica, and it was lovely. 

I bought this pretty stationary:

Five designs - six sheets each. The image is muted in grayscale on the back as that is the writing area. 

A nearby store had some amazing trims - I bought these two:

On another day, we walked to Los Feliz and had lunch at Fred 62 on Vermont, and then caught a movie across the street at the old (1934) Los Feliz theater. 

A trip to LA wouldn't be complete without going to The Getty. 

The Getty was built with limestone that was taken from the same quarry as the limestone that was used to build St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Much of the stone has fossil imprints of leaves:

Here is a "Selfie" of sorts - taken in a window reflexion.

I love this Renoir painting (La Promenade), and enjoy seeing it every time I go to The Getty: 

I am fascinated with seeing how artists paint textiles with such realism:

Here is the entire painting and info:

I found this cute coin purse at the Getty gift shop - it has two handy zipper compartments:

I got these two photos while on the freeway ( Not to worry - I was the passenger):

The Capitol Records building.

And the Hollywood Tower Hotel - (Disney's Hollywood Tower of Terror anyone?)

 

And like any visit - it was over in a flash!

 

A Little Something

John and I were poking around at an antique store yesterday, and I had to go away with at least a little something.  I'm always drawn to the textiles, and even though I don't really need another thing, I couldn't pass up this Art Deco hanky.

Our evening ended with a visit to the bookstore where I bought Rachael Ashwell's new book, Couture Prairie.  I've been a fan of hers for a long time, and her new book is rich with photographs.  I'd show you the inside, but I'm sure that is a no-no.  Her new book is about the property she purchased and turned into a Bed and Breakfast near Round Top, Texas.  I'm looking forward to reading all about it, and who knows, maybe stay there one day.

My Dress Form "Pally" and Her New Look

I have always wanted an antique dress form.  But since I haven't found one that I am willing to spend a large sum of money to buy, I decided to redo a newer one.

 

I painted the neck, finial, and stand with gold embossed paint.  Then, I decoupaged the body with pages from a book titled: The Sun is My Undoing by Marguerite Steen first published in 1941.  I found one copy of the book that was falling apart that I used for this project, and two intact copies all within about a week of each other.

 

Pallas is one of the main characters in the book, and her nickname is Pally.  This is the book where my mother got my name, Pallas.  Since Pally is also the nickname my family uses for me, I decided to name my dress form Pally.

 

I intend to read this book that takes place in the 18th century during the slave commerce in the English Port of Bristol, Africa and the Caribbean.  There is also the thread of love stories woven between the characters in the book.  If nothing else, I'd like to read the story that inspired my mother to name me Pallas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before

This is how she looked when I got her

 

Front Porch / Deck Makeover

I have been wanting to make changes to the front porch on our Kentucky cottage for quite some time.  I just didn't know what I really wanted it to be. 

I decided to make it into a deck rather than a porch.  John removed the railings for me after I told him to trust me that I knew what I wanted to do.  I repainted the new deck with two coats of green porch paint.  I added outdoor chairs (used to be James) and colorful striped cushions, potted flowers, birdbath (also James) and a bird feeder.  Now it is a place where I enjoy sitting, and I think it makes a prettier entry for company.  I am going to paint the front door next summer - I'm thinking of doing it in a yellow, but not as bright of yellow as the flowers in the pots.

 















This is how the porch looked when we first bought the cottage.

We had a green metal roof installed, and we replaced the porch railings, and painted them white.  We also painted the decking green, and added a step to replace the cement blocks that were there before. It was like this for quite a while, but I wanted a change.  I decided it was the railings that I never liked.

 

Busy Summer at an End

I have been missing on my blog posts most of this summer, and thought I'd share some of the summer with you today.  There are also projects that I will share in other posts.

A trip to Lexington, KY and the Woodford Reserve bourbon distillery:

Also in Lexington, we visited Three Chimneys horse farm.  The farm where thoroughbred race horses are boarded and bred.  We were able to see Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, as well as many other beautiful horses:

One of the Stables

Big Brown

 

 

We also went to the horse races at Churchill Downs (where the KY Derby runs), but I didn't take any pictures that evening.  I did win on a few races though.

 

Cruising the Heartland in Elizabethtown, KY was a blast.  Lots of old cars, food and live bands:

 

 

We took a trip to Oak Ridge, TN.  There we visited the science museum, and saw the Secret City Manhattan Project exhibit.  We've all heard of the Manhattan Project that produced the atom bomb, but were you aware that the city of Oak Ridge was a secret?  The city wasn't on any map, nor were its roads.  But at the height of the project, the city's population was 70,000.  Now that is some secret!

 

 

I have started reading a book titled: "The Girls of Atomic City" that documents the lives of some of the people who were there working on the project - they just didn't know what they were working on.

Photo used on the cover of the book - The Girls of Atomic City

There were many types of houses available to the workers, from temporary dwellings to more permanent ones.  This Flat Top house was set up at the museum and open for us to see.

 

We went to the airfield to watch Scott fly his ultra light plane:

 

 

Found a rabbit nest in the yard.  The mom moved them the next day - good thing because it was in a clearing, and not well protected.  Their eyes were not open, and they were just new babies.

 

 

I grew herbs again this year, in the small space at the bottom of the porch steps just off the kitchen:

This year I have Thyme, Rosemary, Greek Oregano, Marjoram, Sage, Sweet Basil and Spearmint:

 

 

 

I found places for the various things we brought home from John's parents home.  I posted the quilt earlier, and most of the other things are mostly sentimental.  I actually needed to bid on James' toolbox because I didn't see it until the day of the auction.  James was a carpenter, and was building barracks on Fort Knox in the early forties when he was called up to serve in WWII, and his homemade toolbox was with him. 

 

 

 

Butter Churn John's mom used, and his dad's lunch pail

Forties or Fifties Step Stool

Small Sharpening Stone

Large Sharpening Stone

Irene's Little Red Riding Hood Cookie and Candy Jar.  Hall bowels, and blue crock bowl.