Fancy Clothespins

I'm a bit timid when it comes to crafting so I decided to start "small" by decorating these clothespins.  I painted them, decoupaged them, and fancied them up using cute odds and ends I found in my old crafting box (stickers, etc.).  I love that you can make each one personal by adding names:)  All you need is a clothespin, acrylic paint, magazine cuttings, decoupage glue, stickers and anything else your creativity leads you to!  Have fun!

Would you care to sit with me for a cup of English Tea?

As promised I'd love to share afternoon tea with you! Today we're featuring Red Berry infused tea from Fortnum & Mason in London. I love the way the tea bag looks so delicate and how fragrant the berry tea leaves are!



This is how it looked just after a few seconds of steeping....



Very very bright berry indeed! The color was so perfect for Valentine's Day....


...I added a couple of ginger biscuits and took a deep sigh of relaxation....

Today I'm the lucky recipient of the Sisterhood Award from my sister Michelle over at Chocolate and Marmalade Tea. Thank you sis! I love what it represents! So here are the rules of engagement:

1. Put the logo on your post or blog.

2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great "Attitude and/or Gratitude".

3. Be sure to link your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.


I don't have 10 nominees because I'm still fairly new to the blogging world but I'd love to make the following nominations....

1. Cynthia's Cottage Design - for being a constant source of inspiration and for showing us how a beautiful life starts from within...

2. Puppy cove - my daughter's blog because she has such wonderful compassion for all things pets...

3. Katherine's Dream - for teaching us that our dreams aren't far from our hearts!

4. Kathy's Cottage - for making us all feel like she's our sister at heart...

5. Counting Your Blessings - because if you remember to do this first, everything else will fall into place!

Thank you all so much for being such a wonderful source of inspiration!

Presents from Far Away Places

When my husband came back from London last week he brought home treasures from my favorite store Cath Kidston in Covent Garden.....a delightful set of tins that brightens up my kitchen...

...a spotted apron to make cooking so much more fun....and fun-ny....

...a beautiful set of mugs to share tea with a friend....

...a sweet Valentine's tea set including heart shaped sugar cubes!

And of course yummy berry tea which I'll share with you in my next post!

Cheers and have a great weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRO!

Happy Birthday JEFF!  I had to take a cue from our sis Michelle because no matter what kind of E card I tried to send (you should be getting the real ones in the mail!) it just wasn't as good looking as a picture of you!  You rock Doc!  Happy 34th - I know you'll celebrate in style!  Love your other sis:)

The Royal Treatment

My husband just returned from a trip to London and although I was sad he was there during Valentine's Day he brought home so many goodies I felt like I was given the Royal Treatment!

Meanwhile back at home....

We had a few of our own goodies waiting for him....

Hey!  No stealing bites!  Even our dog Max wanted to get in on the act!

Artful Blogging Anyone?

Has anyone read this magazine?  I'm interested in getting it but want to know what you all think and if you thought it was helpful....?

Are you ready for Valentine's Day?

How will you show your love this Valentine's Day?

Salad Makeover

I try my hardest to eat healthy every day, but there are just some days where I get tired of eating.....well, salad.  I've chopped it, tossed it and even spiraled it -- so as I stared blankly into another bowl of greens it occurred to me that it was time....to Wrap it!

So I took a fresh collard leaf, spread a couple tablespoons of hummus on it and wrapped away! Then I decided to cut it into sushi rolls and here's what it ended up looking like...

You can use pretty much anything you normally like in a salad, here I used red leaf lettuce, cucumber, broccoli sprouts, kale, shredded carrots, shredded cucumbers, tomato, avocado and cheese.  In the end I got to see all the pretty colors inside!  Who said healthy can't be fun?  That's a wrap!

Things I love

My dear friend Diana gave me this incredible Amaryllis bulb for Christmas and look what bloomed!  I've never seen such beautiful flowers!  They look as if they're reaching for the sky!                                           

Beautiful tea towels from my mother-in-law....aren't they sweet?

The ending to another beautiful day!