Enjoying Summer...

This was the only semi-good photo I could get of her holding still!







Need I say more?

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."
~ Sam Keen

The Great GIANT Pumpkin

Remember when I started to write about the GIANT pumpkin here?



Well, my brother and I decided to join Yamagami's Pumpkin Contest this year.



We attended a seminar at Yamagami's given by Stuart Shim back in April. After sprouting the seeds we then transplanted the wee plants on a full moon in May. We are lucky enough to actually plant them in a greenhouse. However as it grows (like seen here) we are training the vines to grow outside. This way they can receive the overhead watering (hopefully this won't cause powdery mildew).



Last week I found this little guy forming! Oh, the excitement!!!! Let's hope this little one is the winner!

"Pumpkin light, Pumpkin bright, first pumpkin I see tonight. Wish I may, wish I might, Wish I had a prizewinner tonight."
~ Unknown

Vegas Vintage Finds

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to shop for some fabulous vintage pieces. Oh, how I love digging through piles of broken jewelry!








My favorite piece! A watch face!



This is how the bargaining went...

Me: "How much for the pile?"
Dealer: "How about 10 bucks"
Me "I'll take it!"
Dealer: "You're suppose to say $8"
Me: "I'm a terrible bargainer, but I probably shouldn't of told you that."
Dealer "Take it for $6"
Me: "Yes! This is the best deal of the day!"

Thank you Mama J for joining me!

“Everything I buy is vintage and smells funny. Maybe that's why I don't have a boyfriend.”
~ Lucy Liu

Journal Pages To Tie You Over....

until the next post.

filled with lyrics from Beastie Boys Namaste.



"Journal writing is a voyage to the interior."
~ Christina Baldwin

Can't believe it's been a month....

since I've posted. I know many of you have giving up on me. But my thoughts are here....I swear! I've been busying myself w/my adorable friends' birthdays.



One of the things I cannot resist is purchasing peonies, no matter how much they cost!



Is was a 2 week process hanging these vintage tissue spheres! We have 1920's plaster ceilings. This ceiling is known to bend nails! The solution? 3M sticky hooks! But even then it was a struggle to keep these fabulous decorations up.



This Birthday banner was made using Alicia Paulson's instructions in her book Stitched In Time!

The birthday girl also received this hand made gift.



Another Birthday girl received this hand made gift.



I think she enjoyed it!

(sorry for the terrible picture)

Happy Birthday June Babies!

"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey!"
~ Barbara Hoffman

All Things Nature

The rescue of baby song birds that fell 20' from a palm tree on a 96 degree day...



The stocking up of nature indoors...



The Goby that sifts our sand...



The fresh fresh mesclun salad cut from the garden...



The great giant pumpkin sprout...

more about this pumpkin later!

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
~Lao Tzu

What's happing in the garden?

It all began with these...

Sweet smelling African Blue Basil

A Pair of Cactus

Unfurling with morning dew

Oh I can't wait to eat this Japanese Lettuce!

Spicy Bush Basil

Cut and Come Again Mesclun

A dash of color to go with all the green

"The trouble with gardening is that is does not remain an avocation. It becomes an obsession."
- Phyllis McGinley

Mochi's Debut!!!!

Mochi made her debut on Zazzle this week. I'm so proud of my girl! Oh and the shirt is pretty cool too! Zazzle is a great bay area company that can custom print anything from business cards to skateboards! Mochi is modeling their new dog apparel line, love it!

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness, forgot about puppies"
-Unknown

Yard Sale

I'm going through that phase again where I feel like I've accumulated TOO much and it's time to purge. When I think about having a yard sale my mind always refers back to an article I acquired many moons ago:







How freakn' awesome would it be to go to this yard sale?

"Desire nothing for yourself, which you do not desire for others."
- Spinoza

Baby Quilts & A Birthday Shout Out

First and foremost...Happy Birthday Karin! Belated Presents are going to the post office. Hope your day is lovely!

Well the camera is dusty, I almost forgot my blog password, people are calling me to see if I'm ok, etc. etc. I'm sorry for taking such long blog breaks...I find myself in a blog rut every so often. But lately there are a lot of babies being born! Which means my hands are busy making quitls!


For this particular quilt, I followed Alicia Paulson's recipe in her book Stitched In Time. Although I didn't have baby clothes to cut up and make into a memory quilt like suggested in the book. I used baby related fabrics. These are so easy and quick to make and makes for a much appreciated gift!


I couldn't forget Baby's Big Sissy! This doll top the Baby quilt gift. I made this with Emily Martin's recipe.
Many Thanks to all you creative Ladies out there sharing their recipes!

"You are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime."
- John P. Grier

Straw::Hay Dilemma

Last week the California weather teased us with a few days of sunshine. It inspired me to start prepping the vegetable garden. But when I last looked, the weeds in the walkway between the raised beds at my Pop's farm were growing at least 3' tall. ugh! I started thinking and I could swear I read somewhere that you can lay straw/hay in the pathways to prevent future weed nuisance.

So off on Craigslist I went and wouldn't you know it "FREE OLD STRAW HAY".
"Wow (I thought to my self) this is meant to be!"
I called up the fellow and he says "Yeah, we have 60 bales out front come and serve yourself." Great, but it'll have to wait until I get off of work and see if K is willing to make the straw run. 6:00pm comes rolling along and K (willingly agrees) and we hop in the truck and head out to take advantage of carpool because the Bales are 25 miles away but very close to Pop's farm.

We only had to drive back and forth in pitch dark about 3 times on the listed street to find that the 12' stack of bales was around the corner (I know how could we miss it the 1st time?)

Woo Hoo, load up the rain drenched hay bales (they were pretty heavy)!

Saturday rolls around and I'm so excited to lay straw. We head out to the farm and as we finish pulling existing weeds, Pop's comes up and says "Oh, I see you brought more weeds!". So I laugh.....ha ha good one!

45 minutes later all weeds are pulled, legs starting to get sore and we cut the string holding the hay bales together and start spreading the miracle that will smother future weeds! My Pop's farmer neighbor comes rolling around on his bike

"Ah, I see you brought the weeds"
Ok....that's 2 farmers who made this comment, not so reassured anymore.
I say "what do you mean?"
"Hay has lots of weed seeds, but try it (as he giggles)"
Great am I making a mistake?

Another half hour later....the same neighbor farmer rolls by and LOL as he shakes his head....
I say to K "maybe I can prove them wrong"
K responds with "You think 2 farmers that have been doing this practically all their lives are wrong?"
Good Point!

One advantage that may benefit, it's old straw hay and the weed seeds may have been killed off by previous seasons. Let's cross our fingers! I mean it can't be any worse that the 3' weeds that we yanked out right?

“The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn't still be a farmer.”
~ Will Rogers

Writer's Block?

Would you believe me if I said I had writer's block? In all actuality I was just plain lazy! But I have been keeping myself busy with all sorts of craftiness.

I present you with Scenery under glass.



As you've probably noticed this apple juice terrarium now dawns my banner.





As some of you may know I have a glass house that usually is decorated with holiday scenery, however the rest of the year it collects dust. I finally decided that I really need to make use of the space for the rest of the seasons. I recruited K and another crafty friend of mine Martin to help me build a pine cone house village.



A few years ago I remember a holiday issue of Martha Stewart that contained an article on how to create this pine cone village but after an hour of searching on her website I turned up with no luck. So, I delve into my archive of old magazine clippings and finally came across it!



The houses were built with bass wood (a lot tougher to cut than balsa wood to my dismay!), twigs, pine needles and pine cone roofs. The wood mushrooms are definitely not to scale but who cares? By the way the mushrooms and tiny bunny were gifted to me from my dear friend Lorena and were part of the inspiration to this quaint village.

Ahh, how I adore minature houses!

“His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking, best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.”
- J.R.R. Tolkien quotes (English Writer and Author of richly inventive epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings, 1892-1973)

Castle In The Air

I'm lucky enough to live near the East Bay because I finally made it to Castle In The Air in Berkeley! It was well worth the trip...


Huge paper vignettes in the window to draw people in!


I tried to get as many photos as possible, but as you can imagine I got distracted with shopping instead. There are also photos on their website.




The most magnificent display was centered in the store...a gnome castle of sorts surrounded by baskets of ornaments.
Tucked in the middle of a trunk is a family of gnomes having a feast (unfortunately you have to be there to see it).





I think the yarn angel is holding home-spun wool yarn, fabulous!


Please visit the store if you're around it is highly inspirational! Plus the store is on a chic street in Berkeley surrounded by many other artist owned shops! However if you can't make it in person they have an online shop!

"Adventure is worthwhile in itself."
- Amelia Earhart