paradise

and then I put them to good use. Swiss, italian, arizonan, lake superior too. The collector meets the practical meets the frugal. What do you collect?

I love the painted stones in this necklace but I am not happy with my finishing technique. I need some instruction on how to get the wire tightened up near the crimping beads. Not pictures but a video or in…

These soft beachy colors remind me of the lake house. soft white sand dune, slate blue water, dark wet shoreline. I bought the slate blue beads as part of a necklace set at a yard sale nearby the lake house.…

I’ve seen a fair number of posts that question whether Pinterest is making us hyper competitive and fueling the wanties even more than mass media has been doing for decades. I’m an avid Pinterest user. But I also have two…

Tonight, the sun was out again, in a cloudless blue sky as the sun set. The beach (we face an eastern shore here, so the sun sets behind the trees) was still sunlit. I took my two children, five and…

I have a five year old and yesterday after a pool party with friends she asked me why I wanted to lose weight. I said that I did not, but that I had some fat around my middle that I…

I concocted this the other night after roasting chicken breasts and red pepper slices. 1 package (about 1-2lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts) 1 red pepper, julienne-sliced Marinate boneless skinless breasts in olive oil and Provençale or Herbs de Provence spices.…

I have a maxi swim coverup from my mom. She got it in Hawaii on her honeymoon  with my dad in 1974. She also brought me (then almost 5) a bikini and coverup dress that my DD is wearing (she’s…

I made this vintage hanky top about 10 years ago, after a friend gave me a pile of them her grandmother had collected. You’ll need 9 hankies or small square scarves, two buttons and thread to complete this project. Select…

A summer wardrobe starts with the thread. I picked up four spools of new thread for new summer sewing. The green is for the sling you see underneath. The photo isn’t as crisp in the evening light in my sewing…