Amaze Me Monday #25

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Hello my party friends!!

Thank you for coming over and partying with me!  Each week I get so many wonderful ideas from each of you talented people.  I never run out of ideas! If only I could say the same about the hours in a day!

This weekend I spend all my time and energy working outside in the “Operation Storm Clean-Up Rally”.  Yes, we all gather together in effort to remove a lot of the derby that was left by the nasty storm that come through my town and left us without power for three days.   The weather stayed nice and we were able to accomplish a lot.  I even managed to get a really bad case of poison oak all over my face, neck, down both arms, and a small spot on my leg as well as my husband.   I am happy to put an end to this week and look forward to a great (scratching. lol) week ahead.   I will be traveling with my teenagers  for two days to the next town over as they take some of their finial exams this week.  Thank you for staying with me.  I know I haven’t inspired anyone lately but I promise to have some new energy and some new projects to share (and hopefully to inspire).

I wish each of you a wonderful week and may it be filled with ideas and inspiration that you got from here!

What a breath of fresh air this DIY Spring Wreath and Mantel is by The Sweet Survival.

Totally love this Distressed Table shared by Girl In Air

This Keep Calm and Eat A Brownie Sign made my husband and I smile and giggle. (okay maybe I was the only one giggling).  Thank you for sharing Rita of  May Days.

Thank you to Cindy at Dwellings, I enjoyed my tour of the Historic King’s Daughters Inn.

Mexican Dorito Casserole by Jam Hands.  Okay, so I just may have to try this recipe because an open bag of Doritos have about a .1 second shelf life in my home!

This French Farm Kitchen is AMAZING!!  Doesn’t it look like it belongs in a magazine?  Job well done, Shabby French Cottage.

Amaze Me Monday Blog Party Link Up

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New Article from Momo Pics

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Check out my latest little review on the bike tube wrist watch from Momo Pics. This girl is so nice. I think that makes us online friends:


http://momopics.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/friday-feature-7/


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Garden Knee rails, coop peek & out smarting hungry chickens

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One thing I dislike about the beginning of garden season is the bareness of it all. Which has brought  problems with mysterious child like foot prints, appearing in all the newly sown beds. Of course no one knows where these prints come from and usually are accompanied by tiny paw prints as well.
My solution in hopes to curb the trampling is these rustic "knee rails" I whipped up the other day. I salvaged pieces from last years garden obelisks. The white Birch will look so nice when things have grown up and out a bit.
In the future I may need to add some "Chest rails" about 5 inches from the ground. ..to help with those tiny paw prints popping up as well.
I began my Long Pie pumpkins & various melon seeds far too early this year. The black cloth to the left in the above is their intended home, so remains bare for now. I am shocked at how quick they sprouted from seed this time around. I planted the seeds in the flat around dinner time 2 days ago. A few melons were already 2 inches tall just 24 hours later! I Kid you not!
I know it's been a while since I brought the new chicken coop home and although it is ALMOST in it's final state, I thought I would share a little peek. Not as Fancy as I had envisioned but FAR nicer then any coop I have had before:
See that dirt in the dutch door bottom? Yeah. Umm. That would be from the wood apparently swelling so we have had to kick it into the door frame when being closed. Gotta break out the jigsaw and take a little off the area. It will have to be on a day that someone else can entertain these chickens. They are like little kids, following me EVERYWHERE with their curiosity and of course determination I have food hiding somewhere on my person.
Why just the other morning I went to let them out of their coop but made the mistake of not bringing their food with me. I walk towards the gate. 17 chickens walk  Run towards the gate. I stop. They stop. Feathered bodies between and under my feet all the way. So I make a mad dash back towards their coop, thinking I could shake them by going around the coop, after all they are not the best at taking corners ,then RUN for the gate. Slam! tiny little heads popping out the chain link. I could not help but laugh. Most people run from A mean rooster. Me? A mob of breakfast hungry chickens.
What makes it worse is when you go in the ....barefoot!
And gosh forbid your nails are painted {even as chipped and in need of refreshing as mine:
Oh! I forgot to mention, it's egg watching time! Coming up on 5 months in 2 weeks. I wonder who will be the first? Will I actually find the first few eggs in the coop or will they be in their yard wherever the "urge" hits them?  Will it send them all into a clucking competition as they try to figure out what just happened? What about "Root Beer" the Rooster? Will he Crow for the first time or will he continue on with just sweet chatter to his ladies??
Silly chickens. They never cease to amuse me.
Sweet Dreams,
~Tammie

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Istanbul, where oriental bazaars meet trendy design

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P108 P124 P122 P120 P118 P116 P114 P112 P140 P138 P136 P134 P132 P130 P128 P110 P126
See the full gallery on Posterous

I am writing this on the plane, traveling back from a wonderful week with friends in Istanbul. This city was always on my 'to-go-list' and I am pleased to say: it was 100% worth it! Istanbul is surprisingly western; a big mediterrenean city interspersed with minarets. It feels modern and familiar, even though you can find plenty of more traditional neighbourhoods as well, with muslim women fully covered in long black dresses or at least wearing head scarves and long coats. We were staying in the Beyoglu part however, which is full of the young and trendy and saturated with buzzing cafes, original boutiques and yummy restaurants. A great area as starting point for your daily trips through the city.

Sure, we did all the usual touristy stuff including visits to Aya Sofia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi palace and Byzantine churches. We wandered endlessly through the grand bazaar, ancient tiny streets, snacked all Turkish street food under the sun and took a boat trip up the Bosporus lined by the most expensive villas and boulevards full of posh looking people with big designer sun glasses.

But we also ended up a bit 'off the beaten track' at Santral, a lovely art centre (with even lovelier museum shop ;-) in an impressive looking old electricity plant, on the university campus just outside busy Istanbul city centre. Changing art exhibitions in one part, a science museum in the other. The shop contained some great ceramics by Turkish designers as well as a rather cool chair made out of a suitcase.

If you rather buy some traditional Turkish style products, you'll find plenty of ceramics, kelims and decorative items in the Grand bazaar and around the tourist hot spots. I bought a designer necklace as well as some colourful blue tiles (to use as coasters or just as decoration). I also bought loads of Turkish delight and I doubt whether that will last the week!

Beyoglu, 'our neighbourhood', has some superb independent designer boutiques (mainly clothes and jewelry) and a couple of streets full of antiques. Great to see some beautiful old Turkish furniture, old maps, vases and textiles - different from styles in the UK. To further please my interior and vintage obsession, we were lucky to stay in a gorgeous loft-style apartment, tastefully decorated by the French owner in a mix of antiques and IKEA.

If you haven't been to Istanbul, put it on your list! It is a friendly, welcoming city that stimulates the senses: wonderful food, plenty to see. You'll come home recharged and inspired.

Photos top to bottom: antiques in Beyoglu, tiles in a mosque, interior shop in Beyoglu, more antiques in Beyoglu, shops, textiles and cafe in the Grand bazaar, suitcase chair and ceramics in Santral museum shop, a trendy cafe near Santral, detail in byzantine church, Turkish breakfast at garden cafe Limonlu bahce in Beyoglu, our apartment and the Blue mosque.

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Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

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Giveaways can be so much fun, even better when it's something that keeps on giving.Thank you to all who have entered. Comments are always a joy to read. Having an Unusual prize made this one rather exciting.
 I wish I could give everyone of you a prize. To have your own mushrooms growing just outside your home. Truly I do. So easy, so delicious and rather "Unique" as our winner said in her comment for the contest.
Panda & I sat down before the school bus came so she could do the Randomizer, for a computer generated winner. So when the number came up, she counted down the entrants and announced "Sharon Lovejoy is the winner! Does she really live in a sunflower house?" Which made me laugh and I explained the meaning behind it.
Sharon Lovejoy is a wonderful Author & Illustrator. One can not help but be inspired not only by her words but the sight of her beautiful Art. The actual inspiration behind Panda's own Sunflower house many years ago before I "met" Sharon in Cyber world. My writing of her could never justify such a gift of a person she is to all us.
Rather fitting she has won, being she has given so much to many many families with her writings. An amazing & inspiring woman whom now can add Mushroom Gardener to her diverse activities.
Congratulations Sharon! May your adventure with Mushroom growing be as pleasurable as the moments you have inspired for so many.

And a thousand Thank You's to Field and Forest, Proud to be a part of this Rotting world! They so kindly sponsored this  Unusual Giveaway.  A true asset for Backyard & Larger scale Mushroom growers, coming highly recommended by many fungi growers I have spoken with.
Just because your number did not come up here does not mean you can't grow your own. Check out their informative & easily navigated site for your Backyard start up. For under $20, you could have your very own 2 pounds of Wine Cap Spore in sawdust delivered right to your door. Giving Many years of edible, delicious Adventures.
Sweetest dreams,
~Tammie

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"Her Royal Highness"

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Photo 101woonideeen

Building up with matching sidetables. These little tables are often available in opshops, paint them white and create the contrast againts the dark wall. Use for storing decorative items, books, magazines etc.
Statement piece!

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Mix&Match

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Photo Lounge NL

Be BOLD to mix colours, patterns and materials. Colour your life!

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Old door gets a new life

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Photo 101woonideeen

Give a new life to an old door. It serves well as a moodboard& noticeboard, displaying your precious collectables. Or in the rental home it saves the walls from holes, just attach different kind of hooks on the door to hang your clothing& accessories.

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Heart on the Wall

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Hang your favourite pictures of loved ones in the shape of a heart - meaningful wall deco

Photo 101woonideeen

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Store in Steps

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Clever storage idea...build in drawers in each step.


Photo Klikk No


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Interiors: Recycled Pallet Furniture

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I recently discovered Pinterest, a virtual bulletin board for all the images that capture us on the web--and I'm now hooked on the constantly updated stream of funny, thought-provoking and inspiring images its members discover. As far as interiors go, I've been noticing trends in the images that are being pinned. One trend that I'm loving is the stacking of shipping pallets as daybeds, sofas and coffee tables. I love this idea on several levels. Firstly, it's extremely inexpensive. Pallets are a necessity of the shipping process that often end up in landfills when their initial task has been fulfilled. I've seen Ikea sell them for a song, which makes them the perfect candidate for recycling. But none of this would matter a bit if the end result wasn't gorgeous. To me these photos are proof that style doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg and that a couple of rustic pallets create a perfect place to crash at the end of the day, among other things.









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It's the Bee's Knee's and beauty of Spring Storms

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Before I begin, Just a reminder to get your comment in on The Backyard Mushroom spore Giveaway in my previous post. Deadline is May 4th, so be sure to get your name in the ring for a chance to experience your own growing of Easy edible Mushrooms!
Our bee hive has been very active. With this hive, I am able to sit within a foot and at times just inches of their entry spot. It became so fascinating to watch their activity with the most amusing being the traffic jam of having just the finger width hole for entry & exit.
If you had read my last post from setting up their hive, you will remember I placed grass in the 1/2 inch spot where my entry reducer was just a tad too short on one end. {can be seen in the picture of our hive in that post}. The "House keeper" bee's have been very busy removing it all. Rather endearing to watch a small insect pulling a long blade of grass from the hole, so determined to get it done as others were constantly walking and bumping into it. Then you have the workers... What a thrill it was to notice the many different colors of pollen on their legs. Hues of bright to mellow yellow. Dark brown oranges to almost a neon orange in color. You begin to wonder where are they traveling to? What plant have they found that gives them such a color?
Not too mention, look at all the different sizes of their pollen collection. The larger amounts almost look like Saddle bags:
You can see the brighter color pollen collected on one of the bee's in this picture below. Not sure why, but the ones with the brighter color yellow's and Oranges were harder to catch for a photo. This is a poor example for sharing of brighter colors. Truly, there were many with more Neon color Nectar.
The winds picked up yesterday so Frog & I walked to the back field for some camera fun. The blades of field grass were bending so beautifully. Waves across the green. The clouds were beginning to get that stormy look as well.So full with variations of white and grey. The sun brightening their back drop. One of the most beautiful things in a Spring storm is when it has a long build up like this one. Air is so warm yet the strong winds have a slight coldness as they whip through. The clouds appeared almost as though they were racing above us. A perfect time to grab a blanket and wonder out to the field for some cloud watching and allow Frog to practice picture taking. She has taken a big interest in it of late. Being 5 1/2 she has not fully comprehended all the skills but has surprised with some of her random snapshots:
Now if this recent over pour of Rain will stay away for the weekend, I may actually get the chicken coop painted with it's final coating of color. I might even get The Captain to do the post holes for my Garden fencing. Yay!
Experimenting with a potential oh so cool project this week. I had read of it's doing in a book published for Ladies in 1890. Of course deciphering  a certain material was nothing but a quick trip to my friends at Abruzzo's, my Favorite Home Brew shop. It's not what ya think, so stay tuned for a little tutorial and what to do with all those first time mini chicken eggs.

Sweet Dreams,
~Tammie

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Backyard Mushroom growing GIVEAWAY!

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Been thinking about growing mushrooms but have not made the leap to include them in your adventures? Well then I have the PERFECT thing to help get your toes wet.
Not too long ago a reader had emailed, inviting me out to their place. She has been growing mushrooms in her backyard for a few years now. Generously she has offered to share some start up for growing our own Wine Cap & Shitake mushrooms once her 'Shrooms start to show face in the next few weeks. The more I learned of her set up the more I knew she would make a great spotlight video. If I am inspired just from our writing and her pictures, then surely you too will be hopping on the mushroom growing adventure.
 Backyard Mushroom growing will be our first Video of 2011.
So in the spirit of what is to come I contacted a Mushroom spore & supply company whom has been recommended by MANY of those I have spoken to who grow backyard mushrooms.
Field and Forest is giving away 1 two pound bag of Wine Cap spore in sawdust
{Plants 25 sq. ft of chips or sawdust 3 inches deep. Includes instructions.}
to ONE lucky reader, RIGHT HERE on my blog! Ya wont find it anywhere else people.
Your prize will be mailed to you directly from the company. You MUST provide an actual residence address if you are the lucky winner*please see small print rules below*

Wildman Steve with Wine cap Mushrooms he harvested from the wild
"Wine Caps are some of the easiest mushrooms to grow and they are really beautiful. The mushroom features a robust white stalk with a port wine colored cap. These are crisp, slightly nut flavored mushrooms that are great for cooking and grilling.Keep the beds watered to keep the chips moist but not saturated. Regular garden-style watering is usually enough. In a few weeks you should detect the strong white mycelium growing out through the wood chips. Fruiting occurs late summer through fall, then again the following year around Memorial Day. Add fresh chips to the bed after the spring fruiting to keep it fresh and create new beds periodically by transferring shovels full of inoculated chips from the established old bed to new locations. If you have a gardener’s eye you’ll soon see potential Wine Cap beds everywhere you look!"

My sincere gratitude to Field and Forest for participating in this giveaway. Such friendly people and their prices?{you know I'm all about saving the green} You will be happy to note that they are very agreeable in their pricing with superior stock and an AMAZING wealth of information. They do not just sell the supply on their site. They explain, teach and share a wealth of information in a very understandable format. Not to mention, when I called the company for the first time, the OWNER answered the phone. Now how often does that happen with companies out there? Be sure to check out their site {highlighted words or just enter http://www.fieldforest.net%7dand/ grow mushrooms in your backyard!

Oh yes, of course. How can you win your very own Wine cap mushrooms?
Just leave a comment, a simple just throwing your name in the ring comment will do.
You have until midnight EASTERN time May 4th 2011 to get your comment in. Tell your fellow bloggers as well. This is a great opportunity to begin or simply experiment with Mushroom growing. Easy, fun & interesting. Not too mention...EDIBLE!
The small print "rules":
Winner will be picked by number randomizer. 1 comment per person. Play nice. To enter you MUST have a public profile PLUS a way for immediate contact {via email on your profile}. You will have 2 days to respond to my email of your winning & if no return contact is made in that time I reserve the right to randomize another winner. MUST have a street residence  mailing address for prize to be recieved. NO P.O box, etc.
I reserve the right to make any changes I feel are neccasary with this contest.  

So what are you waiting for?! Leave your comment entry now!

Sweet "Mushroom" dreams,
~Tammie

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Finding Robin egg's & the weeping Cherry tree's

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Here at the Stone Cottage, Spring has been sharing many delights. The weeping Cherry trees are in bloom and the Weeping Willow has begun showing it's green leaves.
 

Frog & I began doing some Spring clean up. Edging the driveway was our first duty. As usual, Frog began to play around under the weeping Cherry trees and soon she found a beautiful surprise!
I assume a Nest robber has been at work since upon our inspection, there were no nests above where the ice cold egg was found. Soon we began searching the other weeping cherries and found another cold Robins egg just 2 trees over. The closest nest to where the eggs lay was a good 25 to 30 ft away. Although it does appear as though there may have been a nest in the one tree between where the eggs were found. All these rains may very well have destroyed the nest, Winds or the action of falling, causing the eggs to go in opposite directions.
We decided they would have a new home in the Birds nest I found a few years back which contained some of our  Beloved Chia's Hair. The one I found that Spring after her death.
I began thinking of that old Girl today. Between the beautiful weather, dandelions showing their golden faces, then the robin eggs. Flashes of past Springs from the old house come flooding back. I was hit with the most intense heart ache as soon as she came into my thoughts. I miss her terribly. Probably far more then I should after all these years.
I thought of the May day Dandelion crowns we make every year and she always ate her crown after indulging me for a few moments. Who will wear the crowns we make and be our May Day Queen? Who will I have to keep me company as I make my way through the early Spring chores? Spring always reminds me of her. From the walks in parks with my Goat on a leash to the delight as she scratched off her winter coat with some amazing acrobats.
I miss that silly old goat. Maybe it's the rarity of her personality that I fear will never be found again or that I will compare others to her, never letting them be on her "pedestal". I only hope she comes back to me when I have it in me {and the ability} to take goats on again.
For now I have the beautiful memories. A beautiful Spring to enjoy. And of course plenty of projects up ahead.
Sweetest Dreams,
~Tammie

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The Langmaid Practice

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Resist the common urge to conform and norm… find out how and learn about Breakthrough Psychology at The Langmaid Practice. New identity and website, with some great photography by Katherine Fawssett.

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