Friday Drive By

Hi, folks,

Today I spent hours doing deep cleaning in our utility room, which left me hot, sweaty and tired. That's why there was only sufficient energy left for a tiny, little project. 

These are dead easy to make and a good way to use up small bits of ribbon, too. I read all the time and like to use stiff cardboard bookmarks, rather than fabric or other materials. A fun thing to do is use the prettiest parts of greeting cards, too, which has the added benefit of reminding you of the sender. 

Are you attending a wedding, graduation or family reunion this weekend? We're going to the opening reception of an art show for an artist who's a parishioner at my church, so that should be fun!

Take it easy,

Michele

A recipe

Hello, friends, how's it going on your end? Today I  thought I'd share a recipe. We first at this at a fancy deli/restaurant decades ago. At some point it dawned on me it would be super easy to replicate this salad at home, so here it is. The ingredients are:

small red potatoes, cooked and quartered;

sliced mushrooms;

broccoli florets;

 and vinaigrette dressing. Toss them together and you have:

this. Cover and refrigerate till time to serve. This has been a huge hit at every potluck it's ever been taken to, and a staple on our summer menu rota. The dressing is oil and vinegar and bleu cheese. Toss again before eating, and adjust the seasoning if need be. The broccoli gets about a minute to a minute and a half in the microwave so it's not completely raw, but still crisp. There you go, super easy and fine to make ahead. Enjoy!

Take it easy,
Michele

Cloche Encounters

Hello, friends, how are you this warm, wonderful Wednesday? I'm back into my walking routine; maybe one of these days I'll take my camera along and give you a glimpse at our neighborhood.

Today, though, I'm sharing a project copied from Flea Market Style Magazine, here:

It suggested using vases and other containers to make your own cloches.  With two picked up recently at the Sand Dollar, one seen in the  post called Thursday woes, and some other pieces already here, we now have:

As usual, Flossie had to investigate.

It's hard to think of an easier project, especially one with materials you may have on hand already. A vase or glass container that can be turned upside down and something to use as a knob or handle, clear cement and you're all set. I'm already thinking of how to incorporate shells and other summery themed items to use with this pair. 

Do you get a huge sense of satisfaction out of finding a new use for an old item, like I do?

Have a great afternoon,
Michele

Tuesday, I think

Hello, I hope you all enjoyed your three day weekend. One of the highlights of ours was attending a wedding on Sunday. Thanks to  Dawn at We Call it Junkin' for the idea of adding a pretty candle inside the gift cloche. The event was fun and quirky. To give you an idea, one highlight of the reception was a Beer and Bacon Bar on a mezzanine level above the main room; how cool is that?

All good things must come to an end, though, and Mr. B reluctantly went back to work this morning. After cleaning up the results of him being home three days in a row instead of two, I turned my thoughts to the project that didn't get finished last week. It started with this:

 

Yes, it's ugly. It probably cost less than a dollar but I'm still not sure why it came home with me. 

We've had spring decor out for the past couple of months featuring birds, but when June comes it's going to get beachy  around here and there'll be a whole lot of seashells instead. So, with the aid of some spray paint and an old map, those revolting cherubs hit the road for good. Now it looks like this:

It's a little better than it was before. The center section will surely be the  spot to set a starfish or shell or candle, since that wrinkle obstinately refused to smooth out, despite me rolling over it multiple times. With summer about to arrive, whose thoughts don't turn to a Hawaiian getaway, and this will help the daydream, since we won't get there in reality.

Are you thinking ahead to trips and travel and wonderful adventures, or are you more of an armchair traveler?

Till next time,
Michele

Finally Friday

Hello, all,

I hope your week is coasting to a close with plans made to enjoy Memorial Day.

This is a small project. Yesterday I showed you some soap from a local thrift. It is in the middle, the black and white box with a silver sugar bowl on top of it.

Since I'm going to use the very fancy Mandarin orange bar, it won't need the box for long. Its dimensions are 5 3/4" x 2 1/2" x 3 1/4", a nice size. So I upcycled it with some gift tags and a jewelry choker to get this:

I got a bag of 100 new tags once at the Salvation Army store for .99 cents. Two of those covered the logo on the side. The top has a piece with pearls and glass beads on a stretch strap; it was free from a box at a yard sale. 

I think Flossie  is hinting it would be an ideal place to store cat treats, but I was thinking more along the lines of a small gift, a bracelet, key chain, perfume or something like that. It's just a mini makeover, but means this box won't go in the trash and will be ready for a friend on a birthday or other special  occasion.

That's all from me for now; have a wonderful weekend!

Michele

Thursday Woes

Hey, everyone,

This has been a day of frustration for me. I tried to get on the internet this morning to no avail. Mr. B checked things before leaving the house, assuring me everything was up and running. Except it wasn't. I am trying to use his computer which hasn't been easy. Just to get to the screen to do a new post was an ordeal. Which is a long way of saying since I've been fiddling hopelessly with the computer all day, I've not done a project as planned. All there is time to do is show you my purchases of the week.

These are mostly from Family Thrift. I went crazy with sugar bowls for some reason. One is Homer Laughlin, the pink one is Syracuse and the other is silver. I got a new wallet, , a couple of books,new fancy bar of soap in a box and some books. The Air France toiletries bag is cool. It has two toothbrushes with toothpaste, comb. lotion, ear plugs, shoe horn, covers for headphones and a do not disturb sign.

Today at Sand Dollar (it's right by the church where Bible Study is held on Thursdays, how could I pass it up?) I found a few items too.

They include a few books, a cigar box, big vase, little wooden tree and a Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee mug from 1977. The two pads are from the other day but were hard to see in the other picture. They are new from Punch Studio and have magnetic closures, so pretty cool.

I got a book by Ruth Rendell at the Bering Methodist sale last week. It was the second in her Inspector Wexford series, written nearly 50 years ago now. I read her most recent one last week, and he's still working in 2013. Will that poor man ever get to retire? It looks doubtful!

If things get back to normal tonight (translation: if I convince Mr. B that yes, there is indeed a problem with the laptop and he fixes the issue) I hope to do at least one project tomorrow, inspired by pictures in a magazine.

Now there is laundry to fold and a dishwasher to unload, better get busy.

Have a pleasant evening!

Michele

Help needed

Hi, friends,

Mr. B and I have a wedding to attend next Sunday and I've got a question related to it.
Remember the cloche in this picture?

I got the couple the same cloche from their gift registry. It occurred to me, fortunately before it was wrapped, that it would be fun to put something inside it, to add some oomph, so to speak. What do you think would be good to use for that? Champagne flutes sprang to mind, but alas, that was the one and only idea. Does anyone else have a suggestion of a cute or thoughtful extra to stick under the glass before wrapping it up?

Coming to you from the corner of Blank and Uninspired, TIA

Michele