A Door County Sunset

We went up to Door County...the county in Wisconsin's peninsula that juts out into Lake Michigan...last week for a little bit of R&R and camping.  We froze at night in our little tent, believe it or not, but had a great time.  We hiked and fished and shopped.  We went to Wilson's under their famous red and white striped awnings for ice cream.  We had a yummy cinnamon roll at Grandma's Swedish Bakery at the Wagon Wheel Resort.  We walked among the boats at different marinas in the little towns up the coast.  We saw the goats on the grassy roof of Al Johnson's restaurant. It was a perfect few days, and we left relaxed and refreshed (as we always leave Door County).  Did you see the feature in Victoria magazine about Door County?  I haven't read it yet but was glad that Door County was getting some much deserved attention.

A "big deal" is to watch the sun set in the evening--hoping to see a "green flash" after the sun goes down.  One evening we watched from Sunset Park in Fish Creek, and the second evening we climbed the 75 foot tower at Peninsula State Park and watched from there.  When we got to the top...and well out of breath...I saw this pretty sailboat heading into the harbor.  I love the color of the sails.

Then we watched the sun set from our wonderful vantage point.

Going....

Going...

Going...

Gone! 

Ahhh...while we never did see that green flash, it was definitely another end to another perfect day in Door County. 

Catching Up

It HAS been awhile since I blogged last.  Life has gotten busy.  There is only so much time in a day to get things done.  My little blog has suffered.  I can't possibly go back to when I blogged last and catch up on everything.  But I shall try....

In a nutshell:  We finished school at the end of May.  The kids did well this past year, and I'm very pleased with their work.  They are taking a break from violin for the summer but are still working on their piano lessons.  Our daughter is taking swimming lessons to get a little more confident in the water than she is.  We are still doing those lessons, and I certainly see improvement in just this short time.  They are also taking art lessons this summer. 

We went camping for two nights already.  It was fun to get away, and we hope to do some more in a few weeks.  No big vacation is planned this year--just short camping trips around the state.  We really would like to get up to Door County this summer.  I see the newest issue of Victoria magazine has a nice article on Door County.  They are well deserving of the publicity.  It really is pretty and relaxing up there in the "thumb" of Wisconsin.

There have been plenty of parties we've been going to:  graduation, birthday, etc.  My mother-in-law's 70th is on July 4th, and we are helping with a big celebration for her. 

I've been working on many projects.  Unfortunately sales have been a little low, but that is to be expected this time of year when there is so much going on and people are putting their money toward vacations and family get-togethers.  I've been working on some felt projects (I really do enjoy making felt things) and, of course, my vintage jewelry embellishment projects. 

 

Mom and I are thinking of trying a craft show this fall.  She has been in many; I haven't been in any.  We're waiting approval.  I'm not very good at "production", but if we are approved to be in it, I will need to work on that until November. 

Well, I'll try to be more faithful at writing in the days ahead.  Happy summer day to you.

Published? A Gasp Moment

I'm behind...I admit it.  I'm behind in mending, in sorting, in cleaning out things...and in reading all of my magazines.  I subscribe to Tea Time, Romantic Homes, Victoria, and Romantic Country...and I just love every one of them.  They are inspiring, beautiful, and a delight to read and look at.  Life happens, and I've just gotten behind in reading these. In receipt order from oldest on top to most recent on the bottom, they are in a nice neat stack on the corner of our bathtub.  I love to read them when I take a bath, and let's face it....it was an awful hot summer to be lingering in a hot bathtub reading these (but that's beside the fact).  Well, today....TODAY...I picked up my August 2012 issue of Romantic Homes and had a total **GASP** moment when I turned a page and saw this...

These are my vintage jewelry thumbtacks!  I was shocked...stunned.  I SO wish I had seen this months ago when it arrived in my mailbox.  But better late than never, and I'm very, very thankful for Jacqueline putting these in a beautiful picture in the magazine with a shout to my Etsy shop. 

What a blessing! The funny thing is that I had originally sent these to a previous address of Romantic Homes, and I was really disappointed when they were returned in the mail.  So, I did more homework and found their current address and sent these again.  I'm so glad I did!

Mother-of-Pearl

I was captivated by Victoria magazine's January/February 2011 section entitled "Treasure from the Sea." All of the mother-of-pearl in the article (it's on the cover as well) was just gorgeous. I have always liked the warm iridescence of mother-of-pearl, and I like it's "oldness". By oldness I mean that mother-of-pearl has been a beautiful embellishment or material that has been used for centuries. There isn't a shell button that I can't resist. My mother had a mother-of-pearl inlaid compact mirror that I remember admiring as a child. What a pleasing article it was to read!

Well, fresh on the heals of reading that article, I put together this perfume bottle with a little mother-of-pearl bird on it. The sweet bird was a recent antique store find that I immediately liked and knew I could use somewhere. It has an aurora borealis eye that goes perfectly with the pinks of the apple blossom vintage jewelry piece that I used to embellish this pink stopper-topped bottle. Enjoy!

Victoria Magazine's Wrapped in Whimsy

In their November/December 2009 issue, Victoria magazine (above picture from there) has a wonderful article entitled "Wrapped in Whimsy" about a store owned by Nicholas Kniel that specializes in ribbons, buttons, and embellishments galore. It's a wonderful article--just beautiful! I checked out his on-line shop, Nicholas Kniel Fine Ribbons and Embellishment, wherein a person may see, I presume, most if not all of what he has to offer. I'd love to actually go to the shop someday--which is unfortunately in Georgia and far from here. There is nothing like feeling the ribbons and seeing the true colors of things in real life. I especially liked the little blue bird embellishments as seen in the article pictures. If you love ribbons and pretty accents, this article is a must-read and the shop a must-visit.