Outdoor Living

I'm thinking of turning the tiny little 1940's dutch colonial garden shed/garage out back into a summer atelier.

A few of these cots from Hable Construction with some huge patchwork down filled pillows might be just thing to make the new place habitable...

patchwork (1) done

and freshly laundered in Mrs. Meyer's Geranium detergent.  It's hardly perfect, but I love everything about it.

1st of the season

... from my kitchen garden

And while this looks tempting,

[via Tartelette}

I'll probably just slice the berries, whip the cream, split some biscuits, and eat.

Weekend Sewing

I'm happy to announce that a single class with sew-inspired has considerably reduced my machine-induced anxiety. And thanks to Pink Chalk and Purl Patchwork, I'm starting to develop a fairly respectable stash of fabrics.

{love this!}

So now my obsession is reading as many fabulous books on the subject as I can {Amy Butler's In Stitches, Joelle Hoverson's Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts, and Anna Maria Horner's Seams to Me: 24 new reasons to love sewing, just to name a few}.

My favorite right now is Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross.  Last weekend I made pajamas for everyone in an aqua seersucker gingham.  

I'm addicted. Almost as soon as the 1st pair was done, I started cutting the 2nd.

heaven on earth

About a month ago, I blogged a bit on my favourite room in the house. I love its incredible comfort, minimalist quality, the complete lack of clutter.  When I settle in with my Times and french press on a Sunday morning, I have plenty of space to stretch out and relax.

That said, I adore a hint of color.  And this lush wool crewelwork rug from Anthropologie is heavenly. 

Just the treat my favourite room deserves.

House Paint

I'm trying to convince myself that there is a 'right' color other than white...

But I don't think I can.

Kitchen Garden {week 3}

  

See how they've grown? 

If you look closely, you'll find the first Quinault strawberry in the round pot at the top.

patchwork (1) begun

I finished the top of my first patchwork in class yesterday. 

It's the perfect size for a picnic.

Trader Joe's

There is so much I love about Trader Joe's.  

Tempura Vegetable Nests w/ Cracked Pepper Smoked Salmon & Creme Fraiche. Turkey Chili. Thaw & Bake Chocolate Croissants. Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins. Organic Popcorn w/Olive Oil. Kalamata Olive Hummus & Mini Pita.  

But my favorite thing is the amazing selection of flowers.   

Victoria Hagen

Honestly, what's not to love.

Thrift = Style

Make Do and Mend, the iconic guide to thrift first published in 1943, appeared in the UK at a time when both food & clothing were being rationed. While we don't seem to be headed there, the current economic outlook does appear to have led to a newfound appreciation for the 'home arts'. With an interesting impact on what's in Vogue. Literally.

According to the May issue of British Vogue, Liberty of London has re-opened the doors to its sewing school. Liberty Stitch is offering full day workshops in sewing, knitting, crochet & 'patchwork'. 

And Smythson of Bond Street, a luxury purveyor of leather goods owned by (among others) a banker from Goldman Sachs, has featured a 'Sewing Box'* in its newly launched Peppermint Collection. 

Interesting to note that the pale mint, ostrich-embossed calf leather box will likely retail for > $1,000US  -- a price that's a bit more ironic than iconic.

{*also via Style Court)

Fuss

I uncovered these on etsy from Fuss Jewelry.

There are other lovelies in her shop waiting for you.

Might want to stop by.

Cozy

I've decided to have tea in the afternoon. On a tray, steeped in the pot, with sugar & milk. 

I found the tray in a chest upstairs and went digging in the pantry for my old golf trophy 'sugar' and faux bois pitcher. Then I became fixated on the idea of a pure white porcelain teapot. Which is why I love ebay. Within 10 minutes, I'd found it.

A few days later I was reading one of my favorite blogs and saw Zakka Sewing's squirrel tea cozy (+ a link to the pattern.) Now I just need some embroidery floss & wool felt...

Don't you love the web?

Crazy

In honor of Seleta's Fabulous Friday, I'm sharing the latest addition to my ever-increasing textile stash... 

Mom visited Charlotte a few weeks ago. While she was here we found a lovely shop in the country with this fabulous fabric from Portabellopixie.  I (feeling confident, ambitious even) enrolled in one of their classes to make a quilt for my bedroom called Crazy Curves.  

{Please see earlier post re: sewing here}

Am I crazy?

Fall '09 Runway

Looks like black is back,

with just a hint of color.

{via style.com}

Summer in the City

It's your first outdoor party of the season. Caipirinhas flowing / palm leaves blowing.  Oliver Peoples 6  offers 'a soulful, reggae infused sound that embodies the chilled out vibe of the Oliver Peoples retail experience.'  

Sun in your eyes?  Must be time for another round.

Jane Prater

Charlotte knitties-in-the-know love Jane Prater.  In this area, she's a yarn legend. I took my first class with Jane last night @ Charlotte Yarn and now I understand why.

Her custom-knitting class teaches how to knit from the top down, but more importantly, how to make your sweater fit like a Jermyn Street bespoke shirt.  

The Charlotte Yarn advert looked like this:

 

If it isn’t custom fit to your body, then it is just another sweater. Audrey Hepburn wore custom fit and so can you.

What's not to love about that? So maybe I'm prone to hyperbole, but Jane's a hoot & a 1/2 and she has a gift for making the complicated simple. At the end of class, I walked away wondering why I ever got so frustrated about something so silly.

Or as Jane says, lighten up.  It's just sticks and string.

ACK

The rest of us can enjoy weekends on Nantucket again ~ via Continental Airlines, which resumes its jet service to ACK from EWR in June. 

Stay @ The Veranda House

Eat @ 21 Federal

Shop @ Peter Beaton

Enjoy.

Great Danes

{via Copenhagen Cycle Chic}

Love a Garden?

Check out The Guardian's GardeningBlog, one of the best resources for new gardeners on the Web.

Palm Beach Room

The idea harkens back to the '50's, when sun rooms took on all sorts of clever names.

Whatever it's called, this room takes me to a place I want to be... with a pair of shoes to match.