Fern & Flora Wednesday: Something New

The other night my Horseshoe Market Pal and I got together to whip up something new to sell at the upcoming market. It took a bit of doing to track down some of the needed supplies, but seeing that we both live a midst mountains of ribbon, paper and vintage tidbits, we knew that creating these romantic and pretty candles would make a lovely (and easy to create) addition to our market offerings. Now I want to just sit and make them all day long. It was really nice to switch up the creative process and work with a different medium for a moment. And talk about a splendid gift idea. Oh yes.

The pretties shown above will be available for purchase at the Horseshoe Market as well as a plethora of note cards, hair accessories and vintage wares. It's going to be a spectacular market, so please come if you can! 

Hail to the Hollyhock

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On Thursday night we went to a going away party for some friends. The lovely gent that hosted the party had some of these old fashioned beauties growing wild in his back yard. That's the thing about hollyhocks, they seem to sort of pop up without any notice. My grandma used to grow them down by the rhubarb patch at their farm. They're just so old timey and casual and sweet.... The pale pink gorgeousness above is a double hollyhock I believe - all ruffly and thick. Did your grandma grow them too? I bet she did.

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Talkin' 'Bout a Heat Wave!

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I think it's safe to say that virtually everyone in the whole stinking continental US is trying not to melt away from the blazing hot temps. Although the heat in our state is a dry one, we are 5000 feet higher than those living at sea level, so it's an intense dry heat and it's still gonna be in the high 90s if not 100 this weekend. I'm such a heat weenie. Don't like to sweat. Don't like to be out in the sun. Just wanna stay inside where it's cool and eat Pink Berry and watch movies. Yep. That's pretty much it. 

Where ever you are this weekend, stay cool and hydrated and dream of cooler autumn temps! 

xo

Something Different and Completely Tender

While listening to Talk of Nation this afternoon, the host shared that today is the 150th Anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run and then proceeded to play a clip from Ken Burns' film The Civil War - the reading of a letter by army major Sullivan Ballou, anticipating his imminent death, to his wife Sarah. I've heard it read before and it never fails to make me cry. I tell ya, people just don't write letters like this anymore. Ready the Kleenex... 

To Market, To Market

The fabulous Horseshoe Market is two weeks from this Saturday (eeek!), and this little lady is gonna be ready. No rushing around like a chicken with my head cut off or staying up half the night pricing. Noooo. I will be cool, calm and collected the days leading up to market. I'm pricing everything now and getting it all in my handy-dandy excel spreadsheet that Ike has set up for me and insists I use to track my merchandise. I hated that thing at first, but we're becoming friends now and it really does help me in the long run. Anyway, I spent the better part of yesterday pricing, tracking, tagging, etc and even though I'd rather be crafting, getting the icky stuff out of the way now, helps clear my head and just makes me feel good. Perhaps I'm turning over a new leaf...

p.s. if you're in the area on Saturday, August 6, COME TO THE MARKET. It is going to be amazing.

Feeling Loved

I had a truly lovely birthday weekend - the cards, phone calls, gifts, texts and facebook messages left me feeling like  the richest girl alive. 

Ike was so generous and thoughtful, leaving me little birthday notes around the house, and cleaning up with extra vigor and motivation while readying the house for company, and wishing me a happy birthday over and over. 

These flowers, along with a gluten-free cheesecake and a star-shaped sparkler dessert topper were thoughtful tokens from our friends who just moved into our neighborhood. I'm so happy to be two blocks from them, if only for a month before we move to our new place. 

And the gifts?! Hello fabulous. Vintage jewelry, art, delicious body products from Lollia, botanical stickers I plan on sticking on everything and a Kindle! 

Thank you friends and family for making me feel so loved. 

How was your weekend? 

Birthday Weekend

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Hello friends. How was your week? Mine had it's up and downs but now it's Friday (bring it on) and Sunday is my birthday so I'm going to spend the weekend celebrating. Yes ma'am. 

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What better to celebrate than with lots of tasty treats... 

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...and little gifts sent in the mail from family a far.. 

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...and the company of people you like (hopefully watching the US women's soccer team beat Japan in the World Cup finale on my birthday afternoon! I'm gettin all swept up in the fever)

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And if I really get what I want, there will be an outing for bread pudding with the mister. It's become my birthday tradition and it's fun every once in a while to shake a fist at gluten free foods and splurge on some gluten-full goodness. Happy birthday to me. 

And a happy weekend to all.

Fern & Flora Wednesday

I'm excited to share some fresh accessories from my shop! These little beauts developed recently as I was working on a gift for my friend's birthday. They are fun and feminine and perfect for someone who likes a ring with some girth and at $12 a piece, you can get one for yourself and a friend. Take a peek at the rings and other new accessories right here. 

Waiting for the Keys

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Over the weekend (and how was yours, by the way?) Ike and I were talking about how we had little going on and how nice it was to eat a lazy breakfast on the patio, take naps and watch World Cup coverage (hooray for the USA's victory over Brazil! I'm not a huge soccer fan, but even I was jumping around the living room after that incredible last minute win). It was a strange feeling of nothing to do in in the moment with the anticipation of loads to do in the near future. If things continue to go well with our house buying process, we will be closing two weeks from Thursday and the place will be ours! It's not a completely done deal yet, but more than likely it will be, which means lots of elbow grease, grit, sweat and the like to pack up our stuff, clean the old place, clean and do some renovations on the new place then move in... Should I start packing now? Seems a bit early. At least that's what we determined over the weekend and thus embraced one of the last weekends in a while where we won't have anything to do. And it was nice.

A Perfect Summer Dinner

I cannot wait any longer! I must share the details of our incredible, summery dinner on Wednesday night to celebrate my friend Kara's birthday. It was TO DIE FOR. Here's what we had: 

Kara's brother Lane, his charming wife Ruby and Kara's parents (who are lovely, gracious people) were all in town to celebrate July 4th and family birthdays. Ike and I were lucky enough to get an invitation to partake in this outrageous family dinner prepared by Kara's chef brother. In addition to the good eats, there was wine and champagne and candle light and jazz, lots of laughing and good conversation. It was truly the highlight of our summer thus far. 

p.s. Lane cooked this dinner for eight in a tiny kitchen with a lousy oven and minimal counter space in the guest suite of Kara's building with few tools and little time. (He purchased most of the food at a farmer's market in Boulder at 4 o'clock that day!) It was sort of like a Top Chef challenge or something. He rose to the occasion, big time. Thanks to all the Rosenberry clan for sharing a delightful evening with us. 

Etsy Love: Dresses Divine

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In about three weeks, my brother-in-law is getting married and so I've been thinking about what to wear (as most girls would) to the nuptials. I have a pretty cute little vintage number I picked up at an estate sale for like $8 last fall but it needs to be tailored before I can wear it and I'm wondering how much I'd end up spending to get it in tip top shape. Is it worth the hassle and cost to have it shortened and taken in? Anyway, Etsy is of course, jam packed with lovely summer, vintage offerings for such an occasion. Here are a few of my favorites: 

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Oh! And last night's birthday festivities for my friend Kara, were utterly divine! She is so fortunate to have a brother who really knows how to cook. I will be posting about the splendid meal we had soon. It was out of this world. Thanks Lane! 

Fern & Flora Wednesday: This and That

As always, I like to share a bit of what's coming out of my studio these days. Creams and golds seem to be the theme this week... (these babies will be for sale in my shop soon....)

Aside from that, I'm trying to figure out why my allergies have been off the charts yesterday and today. Sneezing, itching, blowing of the nose, which Ike calls The Horn of Gondor (it's pretty loud, I must admit). And what's up with all the bugs? It's not even 10 am and I've already killed an ant, a spider AND got bitten by a mosquito and haven't even set foot out side! Summer time... sheesh. 

Oh! And a happy birthday shout out to my lovely friend Kara of Kara Rosenberry Company! Kara's professional chef brother is visiting and he's making us a splendid birthday dinner tonight. I cannot wait. There WILL be a post all about it I'm sure, so stay tuned! 

Three Cheers for Freedom!

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Hip Hip! Hooray!

Hip Hip! Hooray!

Hip Hip! Hooray!

Happy July 4th fellow Americans! Aren't we glad we get to be Americans? Aren't we grateful we get to live in this amazing country? Aren't we thankful for all those who have given so much, past and present to so we can be safe and free? Yes we are! So let's celebrate!

Summer Weekend Bliss

It's Friday! And it's July 4th weekend which means lots of time with friends and yummy food and no doubt some fireworks. Here are some summery (and uber romantic) images from Skippy Designs to get your weekend started off in a happy way: