325th post and a prize!

Can you believe it?  First, the post- my first hummingbirds!  Jim saw hummers at the hummingbird feeder last night. I hung it up in May, but never saw a bird. So I didn't maintain the solution in it. Last night there was only rain water. So, I added hummer food last night and re-hung it.
Ah, the reward! They are the cutest things and are flying all over the yard. They love one of my trees and my neighbor's Crepe Myrtle, which is a lovely fuchsia. The feeder is 6 ft from my back door hanging from an awning. Sweet.

Now for the prize. I was going through some art/scrapbooking stuff and decided to give away a small stash of stuff. To win it, leave a comment by next Sunday and I'll draw for the loot. Some you may want, some not, give it away, throw it away, keep it, whatever. I love getting stuff, I'm sure some of you will have wonderful ideas for it!

Among the stash is a set of new calligraphy markers, some stickers, architecture "knockers", napkins from my collection, vintage valentines, vintage pattern, vintage buttons, pack of collage paper, pack of shipping tags, number stamps, etc...

Make sure I have some way to contact you, but also check back next week to see if you are the winner!

Good luck!

More Hipstamatic photos

I really like this old instamatic camera look and am having a lot of fun with it. The app comes with some lenses, (John S, Jimmy, Kaimal Mark ll, Roboto Glitter) "film" (blanko, Ina's 1969, Kodot Verichrome, and I purchased float (the one with the grainy black edges) and flashes (dreampop, berrypop) and you can purchase others. One day I'll switch up the choices and post.

To market we go...

Yummy, yummy, yummy!  Another great day at the farmers market!  It was pleasant outside and the market brought a hint that fall is coming with the wide variety and abundance of apples! One of my favorites.  There were some varieties that I was not familiar with so I picked up a couple of those, too. The green ones are honey crisp (hard, crunchy and mildly sweet)

The yellow with red are gala (small, sweet, semi hard).

The small red are the Akane-I've never tried these.

The green with a hint of red on the top side is the Dixie Red another never tried variety.

I was in a pepper mood, I must make egg muffins, why do I keep procrastinating???

I bought the small cucumbers for Jim and the woman who sells the peppers and cucumbers, offered a free eggplant! Grilled eggplant here I come!

How about that cute little pear shaped tomato?  It is a Japanese Black Truffle- similar in taste to the Cherokee Purple that I love so much. Never tried it before but got it from the organic farmer who had the only Cherokee Purple's this week. Corn is scarce so I guess it is grocery corn this week.

See my Kenny's Cumin Seed Gouda hiding by the vase?  Put that on a thin slice of apple and you have some really good eatin'.

The bottom tomatoes are my final Mortgage Lifters. I've been so pleased to have produced as many tomatoes as I have- a record for me. I'll pull the plant out today.  It is done.

Below is a picture of the FM haul taken with my new Hipstamatic app. Don't you love the effect? I've been taking pictures of everything with it. So cool.

vintage shot

I'll leave you with yet another shot of those fantastic morning glory. It looks like a light is shining out through the middle. They are hurt your eyes blue/violet with electric centers. I love, love love them!

A journey I've longed to take

I've drooled over Artfest courses for years. Mostly when someone talked about going and it was way too late to even consider it.  It is a big investment of time and resources, which I usually have chosen to spend on something else. But, every year I'd look though the long, lovely list of course offering and pick the ones I would have taken if I had gone.

I've been to Fort Worden in Port Townsend with A and R. Port Townsend is a great town, on the water and pretty arty. The white and green buildings are very quaint and memorable.

This year I happened across the Artfest info BEFORE registration time, but with long enough to consider it carefully. I decided to go! I'll combine it with a visit with A and R before and after  and lucky me, it is during spring break when I was off some of my work anyway.
I mailed my registration form yesterday in this envelope. Who can send a boring envelope to register for an art weekend?
Each day is one 6 hour workshop.  I had to make three choices for each day. I would be happy with any I get of the ones I chose. I really had a hard time ordering the choices on day one especially. I would be equally happy with my first and second choice. But, decided I could do the second one on my own more easily and would learn more from the first choice.
I don't know if I'll have a room mate or not and most certainly won't know them if I do, so this is an adventure on many levels. I will have a car (A and R's) so I like that freedom.
Here's a list of the workshops. Keep in mind that I chose things that utilized craft items I am already invested in (though I had to use some restraint there). Wanna guess what I chose?  I'll put the answers down a bit.
What would you choose? I'd love to hear!

My choices day 1:
Lush Layered Canvas
Prayer Flags
Spontaneous Deconstructed journals? I already forgot number 3.

Day 2:
Big Time Book
Journal Mapping
Fabric Paint party

Day 3:
Over-saturated Polaroid
Journal Babies
Wood Collage Totem

I can't wait!!

Surprise!

Our friend, David, offered to fix my hanging guy with his newly developed welding skills!  He and his wife, Diane, took a tour of the back yard this summer and the-tall enough to wave in the wind-wire he hangs on was bare. I explained that he had lost an arm and was inside awaiting repair. So, David offered to repair him last week.
And voila! He just rang the doorbell with him. He looks great! He has a shiny silver bicep now and a silver tattoo on his rear end which will all re-rust soon enough. I went out back immediately to return him to his hanging spot. I snapped a few other pics of our horribly overgrown backyard. Truthfully, it has just been too hot for me to be pruning, but with fall approaching I will get the jungle back in hand. The wisteria has gone crazy along with this pear tomato plant. Look at those yummy Mortgage Lifters which should ripen soon! This will probably be near the end of the basil. Doesn't the lariope look so good down the fence?

A wet market trip!

You should see me now! A drowned rat, I am.  We started out to get coffee at Day's and decided while the rain had stopped to head to the market. Huge down pour! I probably would have gotten a few more things if it hadn't been pouring.  I forgot tomatoes and we used the last one last night. :(
But, I did get tuberose-finally! I have three stems around the house and the whole house smells sweet and wonderful!
It was a big protein week, three packages of bison in various forms, a cut-up chicken and a whole one.
How about this beauty of an eggplant? It's for Mom. Yellow squash on the grill was so good last week, more this week, too. Because it was raining, Jim and I split up to get things quicker, and we both ended up with potatoes! I bought sweet potatoes, too. I am trying to add them to my palate, though I don't really like them much. I'm going to try baked sweet potato fries this week.
Photos are never as good on a cloudy day. No natural light in the kitchen. Boo.

Saturday! Yum...

It is another sweltering day in Louisville.  I can't remember a more miserable summer weather-wise.

But, nothing keeps us from the market, except for maybe tornado or torrential rain. We did have that one hurricane a couple of years ago....

We didn't need a lot of food this week but I did want to grab a dozen ears of corn for 5 bucks and freeze for soup this winter. Three peaches in the $1/# bin, and it was a good week for Cherokee purple tomatoes so a few of those and one Mr. Stripey, which looks like lunch tomorrow.

I have 7 tomatoes on my Mortgage Lifter plant, I'm thinking of picking green so as not to loose them to the critters around here.

I missed tuberose again so maybe next week. I love their sweet smell. I went with sunflowers again, this time with dark centers. I'm trying to welcome fall :)

My friend David, is a cherry pie fan and has wanted a farmers market pie for a couple of years. He works Saturday mornings so usually doesn't get to the market. I told his wife I'd pick one up today. We are going to their house tonight for a celebration of a family wedding.

Breakfast was at Fleur de Lis, scrambled eggs, bacon and whole wheat pancakes, I needed the AC.

Enjoy!

My completed techniques book

I'm pretty happy with this little book. All of the techniques together in a compact book that's cute, too! I still love the faux batik technique, the SBC embossing and the gesso transfer best.

You can count on me for food

 I used my Cake Flour groupon Tuesday. Ooolala and yummy.  I had the best time looking at everything they had. And a tough time choosing.

But in the end I went with two blueberry scones, two savory sweet corn scones, a flour-less chocolate mini cake, their take on a red velvet cupcake and a s'more cupcake. 

It's really too bad that I am the only one in the house who likes sweets :)

The cupcakes are gone as is one of the blueberry scones. The rest is in the freezer and will be eaten soon.

I love Groupon....and Cake Flour....

Before and After

I love garden before and after pictures. You know I love my window boxes, one of the best Christmas presents ever! Here are this year's May picture and a couple of weeks ago. I love how long the silver creeper has gotten. It is well below the garage now.

And how about this volunteer morning glory that is growing by the front porch? I love seeing it trailing the wrought iron.

And here are photos that I don't think I posted of the great urban garden we pass on our way home from the farmers market. It is so cool. I spoke with the owner this week- he said it had been a bad year because of the heat.