Got Sweaters?

I do!

I spent a couple of days last week

visiting my parents 

who live about six hours from me.

Along the way I was able to 

visit two of my favorite thrift shops.

And did I find some treasures!

From textures and colors,

to cables,

I found a mother lode of  sweaters!

If you need me during the next

several days...

...you'll find me in my studio 

happily making new

Sweater Pillows!

Yard Sale Wrap Up

I am happy to say

another Tree Street Yard Sale

has come and gone

quite successfully!

Nancy and I spent most of last 

Thursday setting out our wares

on the front porch.

As in the past,

our plan was to sell

all we could on Friday.

Then late in the afternoon we would

transition whatever was left

to the drive way and set up our

Bistro on the Porch

for Saturday.

We had an incredibly busy day Friday.

The weather was pleasant.

However, the predictions for Saturday

were not good.

100% chance of thunderstorms ALL day!

 

So this year for the first time

we had to combine the Bistro

with some remaining yard sale on the porch.

We lacked a bit of our

usual ambiance,

...but the food was plentiful,

and our customers didn't seem to mind.

We carried on through the dreadful weather

and had our most successful weekend yet!

Isn't Life a Bowl of Cherries?

Thirty plus years ago I had a friend named Kathy.

Kathy and I were friends by default.

Our husbands had been boyhood friends,

having grown up across the street

from one another.  

We became friends early in 

Kathy's marriage

because of our 

husbands' friendship.

We lived in different states,

but had periodic visits.

We welcomed all our children

into our circle

as they came into our lives,

four for Kathy,

one for me.

As lives became busier with

children, careers, and homemaking

our visits grew less and less.

By the time my marriage ended

ten years ago,

I had not had any 

contact with Kathy for some time.

As is often the case in divorce,

alliances form along the lines 

of "couple" relationships

("his" friends/"her" friends).

I moved ahead,

getting totally engrossed 

in forging a new life for myself

and never made any attempt to keep

my relationship with Kathy alive.

Then out of the blue

a few weeks ago,

I got an email from...KATHY!

She had stumbled upon

my Etsy shop and hence this blog.

She took the time to read my past posts

and reached out to me.

She tells me she read

ALL my blogs posts!

I can say without a doubt,

no one has done that except me!

I don't doubt her because this week 

I received the above three bottles of

Mexican vanilla in the mail

from Kathy as a result of my post of

January 13, 2013.

Now Kathy and I are

reconnecting totally on our own

as two middle aged, divorced women

with grown children.

We will create a new friendship

based upon who we are now. 

Life is certainly

a twisty tale,

isn't it?

Now about that Mexican vanilla...

I used to make a wonderful

homemade vanilla ice cream.

But, with our current consciousness

concerning uncooked eggs,

I hesitate to share the recipe with you

because it is a "no-cook" one.

It also requires an ice cream maker

which I no longer own.

It was one of the many "things"

I shed when I reinvented myself

at Buttermilk Cottage.

I offer you instead a simple new

one I intend to try soon

with some of my

Mexican vanilla.

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream

14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Mix the condensed milk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Whip the cream with an electric mixer

until stiff peaks form.

With the mixer on low speed,

slowly add the vanilla mixture

to the whipped heavy cream and combine.

Pour into a freezer safe container 

and freeze for 6 hours or overnight.

 Google Images

Thank you Kathy

for the Mexican vanilla,

I've been without it for quite a while.

But mostly, thank you for reaching out.

You've put the cherry on top of my ice cream!

It's Almost Time...

...for our colossal

neighborhood yard sale

next week.

Buttermilk Cottage

has been a state

of total disorder

since last week.

My sister and I have been

pulling out,

organizing and pricing

all the "junque" we have

acquired since last year.

My entry and living room

have become a staging area

until we can take it all outside.

And I have been

baking and freezing

to prepare for our 

"Bistro on the Porch"

during the sale.

This yearly event

brings thousands of

shoppers to our neighborhood

each year.

We do our best to let them know

we're happy to have them!

Back in Business Again...or

...finally finishing the past week's project

of painting my office/sewing room/studio.

Small room...big painting job, 

for me anyway.

Here's what I started with last Monday:

This room was last painted about ten years ago

when I moved into Buttermilk Cottage.

Vivid color seems to have been the mood then.

But I have been thinking lately 

perhaps a paler shade 

would be a bit more calming.

This lighter shade of blue is 

called "Dewdrop."

Monday morning I started my day with

a trip to Lowe's to purchase supplies.

The color had already been chosen,

so I was home quickly.

Then came the huge job of

dismantling the room.

This small space is the 

command center of my business and 

I pack a LOT into it!

Everything came out except my office desk

and a large work table.

There was no space for them to be moved to, 

so I had to work around them.

A temporary sewing center was established

in the dining room for any work that

came in and needed doing while I was in

the midst of the great painting project.

Next came the wall prep and caulking.

By the end of the day,

a coat of primer had been applied.

On the second day, 

I began applying the real paint.

(From this angle you can see into my

bedroom which is the "old" blue.

It will soon be painted the "new" blue too.)

By the end of the day the walls were all painted,

including any needed touch ups.

Day Three was a slow and tedious day.

I did two coats of glossy white on the crown molding

and one coat of off white on all the trim work.

That's masking tape you see under the 

crown molding.

Finally on Thursday I began moving things back in

and establishing some order.

From this...

...to this.

While getting things back in order, 

I have been very conscious of 

simplifying things.

Some of the artwork is gone, or changed 

for a fresher look.

My idea board was moved from one wall

to the opposite side of the room.

Except for some final

decor tweaking,

which for me, is always an evolving process,

all done!

I have decided painting is a lot like housework.

I hate doing it,

but love how I feel once it is done.

A Blog for Knitters

Here's a shout out to a great

blog for knitters!

It has lots of designs,

patterns and informative articles.

Today, blogger, Teresa has a great post about

different types of stitch holders,

all of which can be found in various 

Etsy shops.

If you knit, it is well worth your time

to check out this blog!

Happy Knitting!

From My Book Shelf

Just finished this very interesting book.

The premise explores the 

different paths life could take

if we were able to keep repeating

it (life) until we "got it right."

What Can You Do with an Old Sweater?

Specially, what can you do with an old

Laura Ashley sweater?

This is one I picked up at a thrift shop

during a visit to Florida last winter.

You can make a really sweet set of

Sweater Pillows.

The larger pillow is from the sweater's back

and the smaller, with the original crocheted 

button band and shell buttons

is made from the front.

And what about the sleeves?

Well, for me,

little sheep ornaments are ALWAYS

an option!

Waste not, want not!

Pizza Love

This morning is pickup day for recycling on my street.

As Daisy, the dog and I took our morning walk

I noted that every recycling box

we passed except one, 

had one or more take out pizza boxes in it.

We, and I am certainly no exception,

love our pizza!

New in My Shop - Knitter's Tools!

 If you haven't visited my shop lately,

you haven't seen some of the handy

Knitting Tools I have recently added!

 One of my all time favorites is the 

"Katcha-Katcha"

a nifty little counter to help you

keep track of rows, stitches, repeats, etc

when knitting.

I actually have 2 or 3 of these

so I can always put my hands on one.

All knitters know what a hassle

a slippery yarn can be when knitting it.

"Yarn Bras" are the perfect tool to keep

them upright and perky!

I have even selected the ones I consider

absolute "essentials" for any knitting bag

and have them available in a 

pretty chevron Accessory Bag.

Wouldn't this make a great gift

for any beginner knitter?

Happy Weekend!

You'll find me on the porch knitting!

A Little Pop of Color

I know why Valentine's Day

comes in February.

It's because most of us

need a little pop of red

during the cold and dreary 

month of February.

My little pop of red color 

wasn't a Valentine gift.

It was actually a gift to myself

during the Christmas holidays.

After Christmas, during a day trip to

Asheville, NC

I found it in a gallery there.

It's by Susan Stanton,

a North Carolina photographer.

I am normally not an impulse shopper,

but as soon as I saw it,

even though I had no idea 

where I would put it,

I knew it had my name on it.

It found a home hanging just inside the front door.

It's the little pop of red I needed there!