Seizing the Day

Tis the season for apples. Via Pinterest I found this recipe for an Apple Upside-Down Cake. I made it last night for dinner, and took a picture, using a flash, which means it's not the greatest photo. The cake was good, not spectacular, but good, slightly spicy, juicy with apples. The sauce definitely made it. Here's a link to the King Arthur Flour site where the recipe originated.

I recently won a giveaway at the Hostess of the Humble Bungalow. It arrived yesterday, prettily packaged and accompanied by a lovely card.

As I contemplate going back to work, this book will definitely be useful. Time to ditch my usual uniform of jeans/cords plus knit top plus sweater/vest. Thank you, Hostess!

As I turned on my computer this morning, I glanced out the window and saw the lovely play of morning light on the Virginia Creeper outside my window. I enjoyed it for a few seconds, then sat down and looked at the screen.

The colours, shadows and textures drew me back, so I seized my camera and went outside (brrr) so that I could share this beauty with you. 

What's beautiful in your world today?

It's been one of those weeks. A couple of major disappointments put me into a bit of a funk. On the positive side, I finished another course (the dreadful Political Science), and received some lovely mail two days in a row.

The fabric above is from Cloud 9, and I won it in a giveaway on Noodlehead's blog. Along with the fabric she included a download of her 241 Bag pattern. I hope to be making the bag soonish. The fabric is organic cotton and has a lovely feel to it. Thank you, Anna.

Yesterday this parcel arrived. French scent and soaps, oooh la la! The scent is Rose Eternelle and smells like the flowers from one of my rosebushes in our garden in Victoria. Sweet and light. Love it. This giveaway was hosted by Slavica from Seductively French. Thank you, Slavica.

And although the week has not been the best, I'm looking forward to the weekend. Our son and his wife are coming up (with the grandbaby, of course). So today I'm fluffing the house, shopping for groceries, and cooking - with a spritz of rose scent to make me feel elegant.

I've Got Mail

We no longer have our mail delivered directly to the door. But the community mailbox is just across the street so I can keep an eye on when the mail is delivered. I haven't actually seen the delivery yet, but I think it's in the afternoon because that's when our neighbours stroll by. 

We have a key for our own box, which holds regular sized letters and magazines. For anything larger another key is left in our box which opens the bigger community box. I've been opening that box a lot recently.

Several weeks ago I opened up a parcel from my friend Karen who is wonderfully creative. She must have been keeping an eye on my decorating scheme because the tag collage above is what showed up. It fits perfectly in our new gray bedroom. Look at all the elements she included - feathers, pressed flowers, seashells, and more. It reminds me very much of Sarah Lugg's collages which were featured in Victoria magazine quite a few years ago. 

Anna from Nest Happenings sent me this fun tote bag and sewing case, both of which she stitched. Anna belongs to the same group I do that is currently doing a round robin embroidery project. I love the vibrant colours on the tote bag. Now, if the sun would only shine here so I could use the bag for the beach or the park!

If you have never checked out French General, you really must. They have all sorts of wonderful notions, fabrics and books. Kaari is a very creative person and I have a couple of her books. I recently won a giveaway on her blog The Warp and the Weft. It came packaged in red toile tissue paper, along with postcards featuring her book covers, and stickers that say (in both French and English) "I dream in French."

Well I'm dreaming in French these days but it's not much fun. I'm trying to sort out adverbial complements from parallel actions and cramming all sorts of new vocabulary into my head for my exam in French Composition next Thursday. But back to my parcel...

I'd much prefer to be dreaming about French sewing projects, like what I'm going to do with this lovely jelly roll assortment of fabric from French General. I'm thinking of making a table runner, or some placemats. What would you make with all this lusciousness?

Doesn't the swirl look just like creamy pudding mixed with swirls of cherry jam and chocolate? Mmm, I could eat it up! 

Men in Tuxedos

I'm 99.9% certain that none of the men in my family read my blog. Any who do might want to stop NOW.

 Don't men in tuxedos look wonderful? This photo of my son and husband was taken about 3 years ago at our son's wedding. I think it's a shame that they don't have opportunity to wear tuxes more often.

A couple of years ago I made my husband a tuxedo apron. He asked for an apron to wear once in awhile at work when the management put on special coffees for the staff. I came up with this idea, and he loved it.

 This year, for Christmas, I made three of these aprons. One for our son, our son-in-law, and our daughter's boyfriend. They all like to cook. When I asked my husband to model this yesterday afternoon for a photo (on a dark and rainy afternoon), he insisted that it wouldn't look authentic without a kitchen tool in his hand. Hence the barbecue flipper.

And on another note, Robin's Egg Blue is having a wonderful giveaway, all themed in her signature colour. Check it out. You'll be inspired.

Monograms

I've always loved the idea of monograms - embroidered in white thread on white sheets, pillowcases, napkins and tablecloths - or front and center on a piece of thick stationery - or on note cards - or stenciled on a wall.

Well, thanks to Cathe at Just Something I Made, I now have my very own personal monograms to use in a kazillion ways. She had a giveaway and I won! Yippee! Thank you, Cathe. And without further ado...here are my monograms....

Aren't they lovely? Cathe collects vintage monograms and goes through them to find the initials required. Sometimes she combines vintage monograms to get the initials she wants. If you check out her blog, you'll see what you can do with monograms, and lots of other wonderful stuff Cathe is up to. She's a very creative lady.

And the winner is...

Trudi of Bits of Wool

I'll be contacting Trudi for her mailing address to send her the cottage charm goodies soon. This has been a lot of fun AND I've found a whole bunch of new blogs that are simply lovely. I'll be sharing them with you as time passes.

Cottage Charm Giveaway Update

Here are a couple more items I'm adding to the giveaway...

a sweet book bag with eyelet lace trim. The bag is lined in white and above the eyelet is some flowered ribbon. Just perfect for a trip to the library or the beach.

a cottagey quotation collaged and embellished. So much fun to place in a vignette on a side table, dresser or guest room nightstand.

If you haven't signed up yet for the Cottage Charm giveaway, here's the link to all of the sites with giveaways, and here's the link to mine. Just post, leaving an email address or blog where you can be contacted. The draw will be held Saturday, May 31, so you have a couple more days to enter. There are lots of pretty things out there.

Cottage Charm Giveaway

I've been so inspired by bloggers and wish that I had something to give back. So I'm offering my first giveaway.



Kim at The Twice Remembered Cottage is hosting this lovely event. Visit her for a list of all the giveaway participants - there are some wonderful artists and generous people out there willing to share.

And don't forget to sign up here. I'll be adding a few more things to my giveaway package, but wanted to get started so here's what I'm offering so far
* a hand-embroidered crazy patch pillow to tuck on a bed, dresser, or chair
* a decorated bottle, great for a window sill or bathroom counter - tuck in a few flower stems or greenery
* a creamy Battenberg lace doily
* a tag with some trims for your own projects - bits of lace, ribbon and buttons

The winner will be drawn on May 31, so don't hesitate - sign up now. If you don't have a blog through which I can contact you, just leave an email address in the comment section.

Shimmer and Shine

I won this beautiful piece from Lilli. I've been hanging it in different places, wanting to enjoy the colours everywhere. But for now it will stay hanging on a shelf in my office/studio where I can look up from the computer and watch it shimmer and gently sway.

Lilli also included a few other goodies - several "L" items and a soft creamy crocheted flower. Such sweetness. Thank you, Lilli.