Patina Moon

Hi friends,  I made some simple little May Day baskets  to share today.  It's always good when you can use supplies you already have  to create some happiness.  I also wanted to share some crochet stuff with you.  This is a scarf/shawl I just finished. It's worked with two strands of size 10 bamboo thread.  The thread is very soft, and wasn't really all that difficult to work with.  So, now that I still have "how to work" the pattern in my head,  and remembering my mistakes, I'm  thinking of trying it again only in a different color.  Found these cute little sun and moon motifs in a  book I have.  You know I just had to crochet some, especially  the moon!  I'm thinking they might look good on my denim  jacket or maybe an old pair of jeans.  Remember wearing those iron-on  patches on your jeans when you were younger?...

Hello friends, how is springtime in your part of the world?  Today is my friend, Priscilla's Birthday, so I thought  it would be a good time to show you this  beautiful rhododendron she has in her front garden. Beautiful buds burst into soft, pale color.  "Rhodies" come in so many pretty colors. I love this soft peachy pink one that Priscilla has.  Yesterday, it was 70 degrees here in Seattle!  I took Priscilla to  one of our favorite nurseries to have lunch in their Garden Cafe (outdoor table of course)  and to shop for plants.  Oh, and there was a couple of mimosas involved too.  :-)  Happy Birthday Priscilla!  I'm so happy to have you as my neighbor and dear friend.  Becca 

Just dropping in to wish you a Happy Easter! Here it is the night before, and I'm playing at my desk  decorating some eggs, while my sweetie has a leg of lamb roasting  in the oven.  Smells so good!  Beautiful weather is expected here the next few days so  I'm looking forward to spending some time outdoors around the house.   We have new neighbor's moving into the house next door.  This is the little bird house in their garden and they have already  put a lovely wooden bench under this magnolia tree. (I'll have to shoot that later to show you.)  We're looking forward to getting to know them.  So many blessings this Easter!  Wishing you a lovely weekend!  Becca 

We've been blessed with such nice weather lately, that I've been wanting to be outdoors all the time!  (yes, I crochet outside too. :-) So, it was the perfect time to get out all those tea tins I've been saving and do something fun with them!  I admit, I am a bit of a hoarder  "keeper of things"  Ok, not THAT bad, but you know what I mean.  Right? I had a hard time throwing out these cute little Tazo Tea tins because  I wanted to eventually repurpose them, so this is what I did.  I decided on succulents because I want to keep these indoors. I wish I had one of those cute little kitchen window sills over the sink to  keep herbs and such.  I just love that look!  So, instead, we have this little "coffee bar" area that's fun to  decorate for the seasons.  There's a lot of coffee and tea drinking going on over here.  I mean, it is Seatt...

Oh my, have you seen a copy of  Bella Grace  yet?  I've been hearing so much about it from all of you lovelies out there,  for so long now, that I'm probably one of the last to talk about it!    I did start with the last winter issue, so cozy and heartwarming, and now  this spring issue is just so lovely!  I guess I'm telling you this now, because today was one of  those days where I just felt blah and all I wanted to do was  surround myself with some of my favorite things.  So, it was a great day to just sit with my coffee  and get lost in pages and pages of inspiring stories and images!   Rain Drops on Roses?  No, just lavender, lots of lavender!    Looking through the photographs I took while visiting the lavender farms  in Sequim last year makes me  eager for warmer days and catching whiffs of lavender while strolling  ...

...or at least in this case, maybe it's ok.  I'm not even sure when Easter is this year, April 5th right?  All I know is that the weather has been telling me it's just around the  corner, and if I want to crochet some egg covers I'd better get busy!   I picked up this vintage wire egg basket years ago and the dealer gave me the  plastic eggs that she had displayed in it.   I remember thinking that I'd decoupage the eggs with colorful paper.  (still like that idea...hum, now I need more plastic eggs)  But, for now I decided to crochet covers, since I  love crochet so much!  You DO know that about me don't you? :-)  I pulled out all of my thread stash and decided on  "natural" colors and threads; cotton and my favorite, linen.  It was a great way to use up thread I already had, and with the  natural color selection I think I can get away with l...

Two days ago, I woke up to this beautiful surprise.  Pink Magnolia blossoms!   It was quite a surprise because we've been living in this house now  just under 3 years and I have NEVER seen this bloom.  I didn't even know it was a magnolia tree!  It's always been more like a wimpy looking "stick-tree" growing out of the  middle of some thick and unruly bamboo. So, one gray and rainy morning, something pretty and pink caught my eye! I've been so fascinated with it, because it wasn't until we moved to  Washington that I ever really saw a Magnolia tree.  Don't you just love the brown felt-like buds that open?  A happy surprise indeed!  Found this vintage botanical postcard print on Pinterest. (original source unknown) I'm feeling inspired to draw or paint.  Wishing you all a happy surprise and burst of inspiration!  Becca  ...