Category Archives: food

strawberry season

strawberry fields on a sunny, perfect day.

It’s strawberry time (finally!). This was our second time going this season! Such a wonderful event to do with a little one. And being in the berry fields in the sunshine is enough to forget any troubles. Now we are looking forward to blackberry/ raspberry season. Soon!

ginger gold

As autumn-ish things come to an end (we are in for a hurricane which while remove every last leaf I am sure) I am still thinking APPLES!! My little guy absolutely loves to go apple picking. This season we started all autumn festivities early, picking apples mid-August. Ginger golds are the seasons first apples. They are absolutely perfect for pies!

Happy late autumn all!

gray day strawberry picking (with a few sunny spots too)

So many adventures as-of-recent! I am awakening from a long slumber (and hopefully this blog is too).

June begins the fruit picking season. Strawberries are first to ripen, then raspberries, peaches…

I took my little one to the orchard a few days ago. The day was gray with a few sunny spots and so perfect for being out in the strawberry fields. I’m not much of a sun person so when it peaks out from the clouds for brief moments I am most happy. The strawberries were just so red, plump, juicy and warm from their brief encounter with the sun’s rays. Most of the fields were full of delicate blossoms awaiting to grow into succulent berries.

By the time we left the field we were dappled in strawberry juice from head to toe (little one more so). And as soon as we arrived home I had this delicious cake baking in the oven. So perfect for early summer, with baked-in strawberries, it’s a nice change from classic strawberry shortcake.

And so it begins, onward with all of summer’s adventures!

lemon balm and mint (and lemonade too)

Keeping busy making summertime concoctions, as well as drying herbs for fall’s tea-time weather. I made some refreshing vanilla-infused lemonade from organic lemons the other day (my little one wanted to help until he realized how sour the lemons were). But to me it was so delicious!

Yesterday I decided to harvest some mint and lemon balm from my mothers herb garden. It was so relaxing to be in the sun shine with the bees and monarch butterflies. I made these into a few bunches and they are now hanging upside down to dry (their sweet smell filling my little studio room.) I can’t wait to see how my handcrafted tea blends turn out. I think I am going to store them in old mason jars with pretty hand-drawn illustrated labels.

And thanks for all your sweet comments on my last post (about leaving my job). So far this summer has been such bliss, I couldn’t be happier.

A side note-recently I have been snapping photographs with my iphone, which is quick and ok but I really, really need to start using my real camera again:)

feathers, herbs, and sunflowers

…and all the nice things from this weekend! First let me say I have been working on customizing a beautiful Italian journal that will be in my shop tomorrow, around 8:00 pm eastern time. I will give a little hint…“One Misty Morning” is the theme of this lovely journal/ sketchbook.

This weekend I took a picture of my collection of various feathers collected over the summer months.

The blackbird wins as submitting the most feathers to my collection (probably due to an unfortunate incident but I won’t get into that now!) And the biggest feather, from a hawk found during a forest forage…

This weekend we visited an organic farm in the Hudson Valley. They had the yummiest veg food and it was so pretty! After eating brunch I stocked up all my favorite delicious greens, such as kale, mesclun, and a new one for me (which is actually a yummy weed!) perslane.… I am set for the week!

The quaint barn was a hodgepodge of old windows with a tin roof…

The inside was an absolute earthy dream! Look at the drying Yarrow, the Black Eyed Susan’s and the stainless pails filled to the brim with sunflowers…

A bountiful selection of amazing herbs.

Sunflowers were everywhere in colorful recycled cans.

I find this sort of place so incredibly inspiring. I am searching for more of it’s kind.

orange marmalade, embroidery and other things

Yum! Part of Saturday morning breakfast.

I opened the fridge the other day to find the most delightful jar of orange marmalade (put there by my husband who is quite the foodie). Besides the marmalade’s amazing taste and subtle orangey zing, the jar is so pretty. My paint brushes are sure to find a home in it when empty. It’s made from a thick milky-white glass and the antique-inspired labels make me feel like it’s from very long ago (and the label says established 1797 so I’m in).

Inspiring me the past couple of days…

Rich, fall-like embroidery, velvets and wool. So perfect for September!

Went to a bag sale yesterday and thrifted these little vintage white gloves. They are completely hand sewn and I am in love with the delicate little bow details. They found a home clothes-pinned to my inspiration ribbon, behind my desk.

I have been thinking about goats since last weekend when we visited a farm. They must enter my painting sometime soon! The snippet above is from the book Heidi by Johanna Spyri.

I so wanted to take this little guy home:

It’s a rainy night and I am tucked away in my little room sorting through boxes of wool and calico. I am thinking about making a few totes and picking out the fabric is half the fun. Looking forward to tomorrow, we are visiting an organic farm (and I hope they have goats there!).
A good weekend to all!

Blackberry Breakfast

My latest find is the most perfect tea cup for me. A sepia ship adorns the side of the tea cup and the saucer as well. I drink iced tea in the summer so I decided to use it as a dish for blackberries.