This and That

After spending WAY TOO MUCH TIME the past few days working on it, I now have a "real" banner for my blog! I've been blog hopping, looking for ideas and inspiration for what to do with mine for a while. I'm very much limited by my ability and knowledge of how things actually "work" here in blog land. Of course, there ARE people out there you can pay to design these things for you, but I'm a real DIY kind of woman. I will say, trying to figure it all out has been a great teacher and I've learned a lot. But, it's been a very slow and "trial and error" process. For now, this is what I have. It's better than the text title only I had before, but I'll probably be tweaking more from time to time!

I've just completed Elizabeth Berg's new book, THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU. It's a light read and somewhat predictable. The story follows several "sixty-something" year olds as they approach their fortieth high school reunion. Each coming with different expectations and life situations, the events of the actual reunion are not what was anticipated by any of the classmates. It's a story of second opportunities, and of how people are changed after forty years of life's lessons. Take it with you for a vacation read, but it probably won't stay with you much beyond your return home.



I've just started a scarf with these yarns. I know, I know...crazy to be knitting a wool scarf in August. It's a compulsion. I ALWAYS need something on my knitting needles. This is going to be finished quickly, so hopefully I'll show it to you in a couple of days.

Enjoy your week.

Joining a Tablescape Party for the First Time!

Since discovering Susan's blog at Between Naps on the Porch, I've wanted to take part in one of her Thursday Tablescape Parties. To be honest, I haven't "dressed" the table and taken pictures of it this entire summer. So, I resorted to the past. About this time last year, Buttermilk Cottage was included in our neighborhood's garden tour. Nancy, my sister, the gardener, and I invited a few friends for lunch afterwards. What you see here is our luncheon table.

Before lunch, everyone had a chance to tour "The Catbird Garden." Nancy loves gardening, cats and birds. I'm not sure in what order they should be listed!

This is our garden shed, which was, when we bought the house, one of those "lovely" portable buildings. We had the lattice added and are slowly softening the whole effect with English ivy and other plantings.

The front of the house was all in order for our guests.




After the tour, we celebrated with lunch and friends. I'm sorry I don't have close up pictures, particularly of the napkins, which are from an aunt's estate and were hand painted with representations of seed packets.


Be sure to join Susan's other "guest" and many more tablescape inspirations at


Between Naps on the Porch.

Treasure Hunting

This past weekend we were in the mood for a "treasure" hunt, so we headed off to Corner Nest Antiques, one of our favorite local dealers. It's a huge place, consisting of two floors and looks to have been some sort of factory in past days. My first "find" was this set of Chinese candlesticks. After getting them home I realized they don't exactly stand up straight, but I love their color.

My big find of the day was this big, copper pot. I hope to clean and polish it a bit. It will be perfect to load with ice and use for cold drinks on the porch when we have a crowd here.

Other times, I plan to use it for storage, since I'm always short of that.

Finally, I found these two framed prints that will be perfect in my downstairs powder room, which is a little gallery of Paris storefronts. The frames were actually white when I found them (oops, forgot to take my "before" picture), but are now perfect with a new coat of paint.

We found this cute booth of shabby chic items that was so warm it made us want to linger.

This "shop-within-the-shop" is called The Shabby Cottage Studio and was brimming with lovely items and ideas.

I later discovered that Shabby Cottage Studio has a blog of her own and you can find her here.

She also has an Etsy shop specializing in mixed media, collage and altered art. You might want to take a look here.

Plaid Treasury!!

I had a nice surprise this morning when I received a message from Anna, a fellow Etsy shopkeeper. (You can check out her shop featuring paper jewelry here and her second shop,

which specializes in crocheted and knitted accessories.)

Anna was letting me know my plaid tote above had been included in a "Plaid Treasury" she had just put together. You can take a look at the Treasury here.

Thank you Anna for including my plaid tote.

Plaid always reminds me of "back to school." Unbelievably, our schools start back this upcoming week. It seems way too early, doesn't it?

Just Finished Knitting Today!

Just off the needles and added to my Etsy Shop today is this cropped wool jacket with three quarters length sleeves.

The asymmetrical styling is accented with two over sized buttons at the neckline.


I knitted this jacket with a strand of ecru wool and a strand of Buttermilk Cottage's own boutique yarn, FUSION, held together throughout. This FUSION colorway is a blend of peach, lavender, yellow, mint green and beige.

How about a little armchair shopping this weekend?

Have a great one!

Sir's Fabrics--THE WORLD'S BEST FABRIC STORE!

I have many weaknesses--I like chocolate WAY more than I should, I'm a sucker for SEX AND THE CITY. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, how many times I've already seen it, if I happen upon a repeat episode, I'll sit and watch it. But my biggest weakness is fabric. Lucky for me, there's SIRS FABRICS. Also, lucky for me, they are located six hours away from where I live, so I can't go every other day.







But when I do go, it's pure heaven. I can literally spend all day there. SIR'S has been in operation in Fayetteville, Tennessee since 1948. The surprising thing about it, is its size and that it's there at all. The business consists of two separate stores, one across the street from the other, and each is huge. Fayetteville is a lovely small, southern town in a largely farming area. You just never expect this explosion of designer fabrics when you walk through the door.




SIR'S is and always has been a family owned and operated business. It has been the mainstay of my tote bag business almost since its beginning. A side benefit of getting an order from a yarn shop for an an assortment of tote bags and needle cases is that it gives me an excuse for another trip to SIR'S to buy more fabric!













And did I mention trims? There is no lack of choice for those either.

Here's my latest treasure, picked up earlier this month. I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with it...I just know I love it and I have about ten yards of it. I see it as maybe in a series of small totes, think fabric baskets, or I can always use it somewhere in my house, because the colors are perfect...more on that later...I need to go sew for a while...

Quinoa

Ready

to

make

Quinoa

Black

Bean

Salad

Perhaps I'm a bit out of touch, but I had never heard of quinoa (KEEN-wah) until two months ago. My friend Betty was visiting from Miami and telling me about her trip to Peru, where she was introduced to it. Then, a week or so ago, I saw it mentioned at ALL THE BEST BLOG. Finally, this morning, it was mentioned once again, this time on the TODAY SHOW. Well, third time is a charm! It's time for me to share with you!

Betty had sent me a recipe which I had already tried by the time I heard the other two references to it. Although it looks like a grain, it's really a relative of leafy green vegetables. Quinoa is a complete protein and contains all nine essential amino acids. You probably cannot find a healthier food. Or, a tastier one, if you use Betty's recipe for...

QUINOA BLACK BEAN SALAD

1 cup uncooked quinoa (red or white or combo)

2 T. grated lime zest

2 T. fresh lime juice

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t. sea salt (I used Kosher, because that's what I had)

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 14-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 small tomatoes, diced

4 scallions, chopped

1/3 to 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro

Cook quinoa according to directions on package. Allow to cool.

Whisk together lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper in a small bowl.

Combine all ingredients and toss well. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Serve warm or enjoy as a cold salad.

This dish keeps quite well. It makes an excellent main course or a nice side dish. We had it warm the first evening I made it. Leftovers were just as tasty a couple of days later.

You'll find another quinoa recipe at the above link for All the Best Blog. I haven't yet tried it, but it sounds quite good, with feta cheese, thyme and Kalamata olives.

Thank you Betty!

Abundance of Zucchini

Zucchini Bread

There's an abundance of zucchini from the garden now and I have an excellent idea for what to do with some of it.  As a matter of fact, I've already  put six loaves in my freezer.  It freezes well and is great to have on hand if someone stops by for a cup of coffee or glass of tea.  Here's the recipe I always use:

ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 cups flour

2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 t. vanilla

1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups shredded zucchini

3/4 cups (the recipe calls for walnuts, but I always use) pecans (it's a southern thing)

Sift all dry ingredients together. Set aside.   Beat eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla and pineapple.  Add dry ingredients.  Fold in zucchini and nuts.  Pour into two oiled and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Seriously Cute Slippers

I've just completed knitting some seriously cute slippers.  They're not my design, unfortunately;  I wish they were!.  They are a design from Tiny Owl Knits.  I found the free pattern on RAVELRY.  They are called, Amy March's Slippers, remember LITTLE WOMEN?  If you want a little knitting project, I thoroughly recommend these.  Knitted from BROWN SHEEP'S LAMBS PRIDE,  they are a quick, fun project and won't I be "the cat's meow" wearing them???  Have a great weekend!

The "Be Sweet...Repeat" Bag

I was delighted to hear from fellow blogger, SIX THIRTY THREE, that she was showing one of my bags in her post today. Thank you very much! It's always nice when that happens!

This little bag is an eco-friendly, reusable tote and is available at my Etsy store here. The blue, faux animal print is a durable, outdoor fabric, so it can handle any job you give it, from hauling groceries, carrying books, or going to the beach. It also folds into a small 4x6 1/2-inches, so you can tuck it into your purse, glove box or anywhere else you might need an extra bag.