A Little Friday Inspiration

I just love Dena Fishbein and all of her amazing creations on Dena Designs.  I wrote a post about her ideas for embellishing throw pillows a while back.  Here is her Youtube channel, filled with inspiration.

One of her favorite things to do is purchase Vintage salt and pepper shakers and turn them into tiny vases. I purchased these yesterday in a nearby Vintage market and went outside to cut tiny buds to put inside.  Dena says it makes the perfect little gift too.

Here's a video of embellishing a tote bag, which I want to try using one of my totes.  I love embellishing, and this seems like a fun project.

As I sit here this morning, I have a vase next to me filled with Tiger Lilies.  They always remind me of summers that I spent in the Hamptons with my Mom and sisters.

The house that they were living in was in Water Mill, NY.  When I went to visit them on weekends from Manhattan,  I was greeted by hundreds of Tiger Liles lining their driveway.  Flowers hold so many memories.

My sister, Lynne now lives in Pinehurst, NC with my brother-in-law, Steve.  Last weekend we took a drive to visit them and toured the Pinehurst Resort.

The 2014 US. Open Golf Championship will be held this June at the Pinehurst Resort.  June 12, 2014

After we sat on the porch and looked out at the greens, we walked through the charming town and I spotted the most glorious Magnolia trees.

The flowers look like teacups that you would see in a fairytale.

I will be packing my bags to head home to Massachusetts late June for my Mother's 88th Birthday.  Here she is modeling one of my tote bags for a listing on my shop.  She is so cute and amazing at 87 years old.

So, I want to tackle a list of things before heading home.  

I have a list of things that I would like to create today.  Fridays are always a good day to create, bake and read.

What are you creating?

Gardens, Farmer's Market and Memorizing the magic

I can't help myself, I have been memorizing so many gardens here, and I brought Ned along to share the beautiful flowers.

The roses are in full bloom at Reynolda Gardens.  I missed the Spring blossoms, but I was able to see the rose gardens.

There is so much history surrounding Reynolda Gardens.  I plan on visiting Reynolda House this week.  It's on the same property as the gardens shown here.

It was a beautiful weekend.  How about you, did you have a lovely time?

We were peeking over picket fences on Saturday and memorizing what we found.

Not too long ago, this was the picture outside our back door in North Carolina.

Now it is summer here and the birds can't stop singing.

I went to my first Farmer's Market the other day.

 The strawberries were magnificent.   I returned home with some delicious things for breakfast.

Speaking of breakfast, I think that I'll stop and have some now.  I hope that you have a beautiful day.

Nesting in North Carolina again

We drove back from Massachusetts to North Carolina, and now I am busy nesting again.

When I was back home in Massachusetts, I was busy creating new pillows for our couches here to add a bit of cottage to our home.

Arriving at our front door, I was so pleased to be greeted with gorgeous red roses in full bloom.

It made me want to take a drive nearby to the Secret Garden I had found last winter.  I was curious to see what was beyond the garden gates.

Yes, it was in full bloom!  I felt just like Mary Lennox seeing beyond the garden gate into a lush and lovely secret garden.

What a thrill it was to walk thru such lovely gardens, lush with greenery and flowers in bloom. The Peonies were in full bloom.

I am enjoying seeing everything in bloom.

Nesting in North Carolina also gives me an opportunity to enjoy making our home cozy.

Nesting is always easier for me when the weather is warm and the flowers are in bloom.  Have you been nesting lately?