a great photographer....and a friend

the sweet Zaira posted this today, and I had to share it with you too...(she has such a beautiful blog too!!)

I'm a huge fan of Loretta's work because of Zaira, (and a blog follower as well), and this photo shoot has my mind into a whole other world right now.....everything about this photograph styling is conjuring up a great story.......

click on picture to see more of Loretta's photography:
this is my favorite one....I have spent many a morning with my babushka on making pastry of some kind (not this beautiful to look at, but I "feel" this picture)

AND I HAD TO SHARE WITH YOU A VERY GOOD FRIEND IN ITALY:

FRA

AND HER ABSOLUTELY WARMING LIVING ROOM!!

(click on image to visit her fireside!)

isn't it lovely??? she's expecting in Febuary, and I would love nothing more than to be by the fire with her and drink our hot cocoa together!!!

simply with nature....

The colder weather and Christmas approaching doesn't 'freak me out'....does it you?

Instead of running around buying gifts, try buying from your favorite bloggers' shops that they have online....

seriously

you can buy anything from organic handmade soaps, to jewelry, to nostalgic items, to even macroons and books!

I'm not plugging my own shop....I just know why I do it, and hope that others do too...

"to support local businesses..."

trust me...it's not about the money

(that under $10 item I sold for the month of November, well, I'm not relying on that to feed these guys...it's just fun)



(a few years ago...i don't know about you, but I hate looking at the kids when they are so young...time goes so fast....)



I went out this past weekend with my sister-in-law and seriously couldn't even believe how much stuff in the stores were "made in china"

that really puts people in our free country out of business you know.......

help support each other....by doing so, you are not only supporting small businesses, but also cutting back on the  pollution that is involved with all that transporting from goods overseas to here....

not that I don't like the goods from other countries.....just be conscious of what you are doing this holiday-

or better yet......do what we do, and not give but one gift per child and spend the weekend with them snowboarding and making memories........

it's just a good thing to look at the 'big picture' when it comes to this holiday season:

don't get caught up in spending your money

but DO get caught up in the belief of the WHY we are celebrating

think about it: would you rather give your child a plastic toy with harmful chemicals on it to suck on and break a week (or sooner) after they get it from you?

or would you rather give your child your time together?  making homemade hot cocoa and wrapping gifts for families that are in need??  let them know the word "charity" not "selfish" or "spoiled"

it starts at home, and to us here at the farm......its simply with nature.....

Black and White Sunday....

 Even though I am surrounded by color, life is still so nice to see when it's black and white

~at least on Sunday~

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend with family and friends!

xo+blessings, 

thanks...

bare foot and pregnant wearing a babushka

if a rosary is in her basket (and if she looked like she just swallowed a basketball) then that sums me up right now...

always one foot forward, one grounded, and always looking back when i should be watching where i am going

(are those clams in her basket?  i hate clams if so...let's pretend it's Hungarian peppers okay?)

your personal e-mails about my last post, on 'trust' were shocking

in a good way

why?

because when I write here, it's from my soul

-who i am -

i'm not thinking of pleasing you, the reader, but just writing

like a journal

some of you inspire me however, and that is amazing

since it's over the computer

and when you, the reader, acknowledge my sentiments, and actually read what i write, and leave me comments, or send me an email about how it changed your life, or made you feel, or think, well, it truly warms my heart and my soul...deeply

thank you.......have a blessed Thanksgiving Holiday

~with or without turkey~ 

(just in case i don't "see" you here on the farm again this week)

trust...

we spend our lives building up a sanctuary for ourselves....this is a place where i feel comfortable...

sometimes intruders come inside this sanctuary who shouldn't be there, or i should say, i don't want there

letting go of the gates, i must force myself to push them wide open and accept their company

all over me

and i am tired

leaving the doors open so wide, more than one unexpected "guest" blows in like a gust of wind

to what do i hold onto

what do i do

and i am tired

until i no longer look inside my sanctuary, but look outside of it

leaving the place where i call my home...my sanctuary...who i am...

takes not courage...not fear...not love...but trust

fear is useless

but trust is everything 

i have so much to hold on tight to, if only i let go of my home, my sanctuary

there is so much trust in me....for me...for my gusts of wind

i try so it doesn't dissapear from  me

to let it go...let all the past go...think not of the future.....trust

the new season ahead of us is harmonizing within my soul to do this....

trust

Holiday Menu...."from scratch"

For the May 2010 Sale at the farm here, I sold bundles of 'raw books'...old books that my daughter and I removed the binding from (this was hard to do to books I must say)

What was left, was these beautiful old binders, and being that they were red, they inspired me to use them for the "Na-Da Farm Menu" for our recent dinner party (see here)

Everything was made from scratch...the food and the decorations
the best advice I can give anyone attempting a dinner party "from scratch" is to plan, organize, and make ahead some of the food!

Here's what you'll need:

~ old book covers (front, back, and binding still in tack)

~ a glue stick

~ old sheet music

~ and some bits of old lace and feathers (if desired)

~ some hemp twine for the tie

~ an awl and hammer

~ and of course, the printed image for your cover

First off, take the awl and hammer and make holes in your (now) menu covers

This is the image I used courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

(feel free to use any of these print outs for your own use)

for the cover, I just added text and sized it to a 5"x7" to fit my book cover

then took it into my little computer arts program and just erased the deer to get this:

then flipped it, added text and came up with this:

(this is the finished inside of the Menu)

With that same scroll design, I flipped it once again, and added text to the inside top:

Paste the papers (cut to fit for the inside so as not to be in front of the hole)

to cover the rather ugly inside of the binding, I adhered old lace with glue

and on the outside of the Menu, a sprig of rosemary and a small pheasant feather (which was also used in the buffet decorations) tied with another piece of vintage black lace

I cut some small strips of old sheet music (a whole page of music also took the place of a "placemat" on the table) under and above the front of the Menu with the glue stick 

Of course, now looking at them, I probably wouldn't have used the black lace, but rather the vintage ticking, but the great thing about these, is that you can reuse them time and time again!!

Here's to enjoying your holiday season! 

~Have a fantastic weekend~

xo+blessings,

Cabbages and Roses...

You all know my L.O.V.E. for Cabbages and Roses fabric.......(see here)......and to have two of my very good friends, Maria AND Tracey have a giveaway with their fabrics is just too good to be true!  Especially with the holidays approaching!

think lavender sachets!

pillow shams!

stockings!!!  all made out of their new Hobury Line (see here for the full line)

Of the best quality...I can assure you...it is worth the extra dollars!!

All the best to those who enter the giveaways!!!

Go see Maria to enter hers!

and

Go see Tracey to enter hers!!

xo+blessings,

Holiday Transition: Dinner Party...

the word "gathering" alone implores your complete senses to invite others to your home....

(at least it does mine :)

you all can thank Tracey for these photographs I altered, because I was putting together supper while she took my camera and captured the table setting....
thanks Tracey!!

not to mention being able to cook for others from your garden and enjoy their company!!

(i absolutely love cooking for others from the garden)

Well, that's exactly what my husband and I did this past weekend...

Tracey and Jennifer came over for a dinner party, with their charming husbands,

 for food and cocktails....

for a Gathering

and lots of food we had!!

it was based on the menu

(printed inside old book covers...a tutorial will be soon on how I did this)

since it was a dinner party, the decorations and atmosphere is based on that menu....the menu was of vegetables from our garden, and other local foods....and as always, paired with certain wines and cocktails to compliment the dishes.....

The plain white pumpkins on the buffet stayed, but greenery from various types of evergreens on our property were introduced here and there.......

when i have catered events in the past, mixing fruit with evergreens is always

such an inexpensive (and useful!) way to

make the buffet look 'fresh'

and relaxed

and comfortable....

We literally ate for about 4 hours...and occasionally would leave our seats between

courses, but I tell you what...someday having comfortable wing back

chairs circling the table would be dreamy!!!

Having a gathering during this time can be "tricky" with decorating, but just stick

to this motto:

~ tuck Autumn into the upcoming season with evergreens and fruit ~

So CHEERS! to a great holiday season!!!

xo+blessings,

Holiday Transition I...

Bringing branches in from outdoors and tying skeleton leaves (magnolia) onto the tips was a way to say

"goodbye to autumn"........

seeing through the leaves to another season

a shrine of sorts erected by chance....who knew!

i do flip through some of these books.....but having a little of my religious grouped together just seemed to invoke a sense of Christmas.......does it not?? 

it's my absolute favorite piece of art in the house.....my husband bought it for me on my birthday a number of years ago......it is an original lithograph......signed.......with a gold border of daisies

this art used to be in my dining room, but moving Her into the living room, and taking down all my original oil on canvases really was a Christmas transition from autumn to winter/holiday season...

the rest of this month, and into December, I will be featuring different ideas to help transition from autumn to winter decorating...and don't expect a lot of money involved!  Those leaves were only $4 and everything else was just ushered in from other places in our home......

Hope you are all having a wonderful day so far!!

if not.....why not start now?

xo+blessings,