Beginning Fall with a Trip!

It seems like ages since I've posted! I'm still in the process of "being home" after a whirlwind trip last week with my "neighbor upstairs." We returned last night after a ten hour drive from NYC back to Tennessee. I love to go, but isn't it always great to return home again? The first leg of our trip was to Maryland for a visit with my brother Rick and his wife Terry. Here they are, with Nancy in the middle (three of my favorite people in the world). We had never been to Maryland before and Rick and Terry showed us the sights!

Terry is a crafter extraordinaire and had just finished several of her Fall projects. This small hanging paper decoration is one of several she crafted from pages of an old book and embellished with stamping and other techniques.

We spent some time prowling through this huge and interesting shop.
The Apple Basket is an emporium of antiques, floral designs and a mix of old and new collectibles.

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Since we don't have an IKEA near Buttermilk Cottage, it's always a real treat when we get to visit one. We found several "must haves" at this one just outside Washington, D.C.

Some of our "stash" from IKEA

En route to Ladew Topiary Gardens
in Monkton, Maryland we unexpectedly came upon these gorgeous fields of sunflowers! What a surprise and delight! Those fields of yellow you see are all sunflowers!

The Ladew Topiary Garden is noted by the Garden Club of America as "The Most Outstanding Topiary Garden in America."

In addition to the whimsical topiary, the garden also includes a nature walk and a house tour of the garden's creator, the late Harvey Ladew. We spent a wonderful afternoon here.

Then, on to New York for a visit with my daughter, Kate and her guy, Dylan.

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We caught the Broadway show MEMPHIS at the Shubert Theatre. This production is the 2010 Tony winner for Best Musical and is about "The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll." Lots of fun!

An unexpected treat was that we just happened to be in NYC for "Fashion Night Out," the kick off for Fashion Week. Hundreds of designer stores were open late for shopping. What fun! A real party atmosphere was created by many of the stores stationing attendants at their entrances to welcome you in, serving drinks and food, deejay music and live models. We felt as though NYC was throwing a huge party and we got to go!

And...what, there's more??? I had a nice treat waiting for me when I returned last night. I was the winner of a giveaway hosted by Laura at Bright, Bold and Beautiful. I haven't yet had the opportunity to try the several products included in my gift from Perricone MD

but I'm looking forward to it!