Summer is back to a sizzle after a cool gray drizzle. It was such a nice respite from the heat though. The flowers and foliage were also revived a bit. But the change in weather hardly slows us down. We always have projects in and out of the house. I wandered around and took a few snapshots of some of them.
My first project: I've been scanning a bunch of my old food and decorating magazines. Scanning magazines is a BIG project because it's so time consuming. I've been watching old B&W melodramas over my shoulder while hunched over the scanner. Albeit, some 'mindless tasks' are therapeutic, but in my opinion, scanning isn't one of them. If this device could only move a little faster. Fortunately, the charming content is some measure of compensation.
The sitting porch (above) is from Country Living: August, 2007. I really love simple rooms like this. White wicker is a summer classic and seems to never go out of style.
And have a look at this pretty little nook. So perfect for an afternoon nap at the lakeside cottage. (We are using our imaginations here and day dreaming while the scanner hums). Upon closer inspection I spy some hand-stitched pillowcase embroidery.
OK. How pretty is that? And that quilt! Such tiny colorful squares, seemingly random prints, but as a whole--it has the effect of a summer garden.
Speaking of gardens. . . time to take a break from scanner detail and head outside for some fresh air and sunshine.
Oh look . . . I've found Grace in the greenhouse. She's been collecting flowers from the garden to produce natural plant dye for wool. The dried petals will produce soft natural colors for her homespun yarns.
In another corner, a harvest of hollyhock seeds from 'Black Night'. The petals of which produce a pale mauve color like a dusk sky.
I'm SO happy to report that the tomatoes are doing well this year. What isn't eaten fresh from the vine, becomes another project. These tomatoes are an Italian plum variety that Grace started from seed in the spring. They are good for sauces and for drying, as they're not as juicy as others.
Once dried, the tomato bits can be kept on the shelf for years, although they usually get devoured long before that, because they're so good. Just wonderful in all kinds of dishes and full of flavor once reconstituted in hot water. We will probably have a few large pint jars full by summer's end. It's always great to see a row of red jars on the pantry shelf.
And over in the kitchen it's also . . . .
Here we have a quick batch of refrigerator garlic pickles. They should be ready in another week or two. These have not been heat processed, but will be kept cold in the fridge to make crunchy dill pickles. I made a few extra jars to share. This project is super easy. Just pack the cucumbers in sterilized jars, add chopped garlic, dill and a few white peppercorns (if you like them spicy), and cover with a salt and vinegar brine. My full recipe: A Pickle if you Please. More pickle posts here and here. One can never have too many pickles.
Visiting the upstairs studio . . . more crafting goodness.
With Autumn waiting in the wings, Ginger has been hand-crafting adorable things that celebrate the seasons. She just added this gorgeous charm bracelet to her Etsy shop Friendly Hollow. She has an eye for detail and a keen color sense, and loves to create!
Making another comeback, her festive felt horse ornaments are another fun project.
This 'project post' wouldn't be complete without a dollhouse update, so here's what's happening up in the ladies lounge. A cozy little scene, with flowers from the garden, magazines and knitting at the ready. However, some sort of nibbles are in order. For that, we have to pay a visit to the Dainty House Dollhouse Bakery.
Yum! Exactly what was needed.
We hope your own August projects are coming along nicely. Thanks for stopping by!
