PS Stores + Salvage Studio = Sunday Fun

What is worth leaving your cozy house for on a Sunday? Seeing all the new green gifts and wrapping ideas we have cooked up with one of our favorite business buddies – PS Stores.

Please join us this Sunday, November 1 at 1 p.m. at their Seattle store. Our snappy show and tell will share all new ideas for quick, inexpensive and fun gifts perfect for nearly everyone on your holiday list. We’ll combine green and sustainable products from PS Stores, along with easy to find items from thrift stores.

Turn an old record into the star ingredient of a chips and dip set!

Reserve your space for $10, and in return, you will receive a $10 voucher plus a 20% coupon for in-store purchases. You can’t lose on that deal. Call 206-762-0540 for reservations. Check the PS Stores website for more details.

AND if you have some other hot date for November 1, we’re offering the same zippy presentation at their Redmond store on the following Sunday, November 8 at 1 p.m.

Space is limited, so please pick up that phone!

Fall Garden Glory

Here are a few shots of our friend Collene's oh so wonderful garden. It had been one of those dark and rainy days we have been having lately. By the late afternoon, the pouring rain stopped, some clouds parted, and this glorious light appeared!

These two chairs would look good any day. Different shapes united with charming color.

Who wouldn't want to park it in this lovely spot?

Fall leaves adorning a swell bird bath.

Hope you are enjoying the pretty fall colors wherever you live.

Who doesn't love a Tea Party?

Lisa and I, along with one of our charm swap buddies - Debbie, spent a recent Saturday being treated like queens at an afternoon tea party given by our mutual friend Collene! We felt like such grown-ups and lapped up the lavish treatment. The food was delicious, the laughs abundant, and the fun chatter non-stop. We were even able to tour Collene's most charming garden when we first arrived. I'll share those photos in a couple of days. Debbie, Lisa, Beth

Altered Christmas Cards Workshop this Saturday

There is still space available in this sure-to-be-fun workshop. Click on the link to see all the details.

Over the Top Blog Award

Thank you Linda of Luluz. We are tickled that you included us in one of your picks!

Rules to the award...

1.) Thank and post URL to the blog that gave the award.

2.) Pass the award along to 6 brilliantly over the top blogs (blogs you love!) Alert them so they know to receive the award.

3.) Copy and paste this quiz... Change the answers, ONE word only!!

I am so sorry, but one word just is not going to happen. (Linda’s addition, and Beth & Lisa agree.)

4.) Have Fun

Quiz: (Beth’s answers are in Blue…Lisa’s are in Red)

Where is your cell phone? usually in the charger, being ignored; in my purse

Your hair? finally being wavy like it has tried to be for 57 years; gray

Your mother? marie, who taught me to love making things with my hands; Beth

Your father? bob, who left this life way too soon in mine; Mike

Your favorite food? Popcorn; Indian

Your favorite drink? gin and tonic; Corona

Your dream last night? a silly worry; Bejeweled Blitz from Facebook

Your dream/goal? to live in the present – no frets about the future or regrets about the past; house with a water view

What room are you in? studio; family room

Your hobby? reinventing stuff; gardening and kitty wrangler

Your fear? doing a head stand in yoga class; losing my loved ones

Where do you want to be in 6 years? spending more time travelling the world; home

Where were you last night? studio; family room

Something that you aren't? un-opinionated; athletic!

Muffin? pumpkin with cream cheese filling; chocolate with cream cheese filling

Wish list item? more free time; I second that

Where did you grow up? Bremerton, Washington; Wapato, WA

Last thing you did? surfed my favorite blogs; prepped veggies

What are you wearing? one of my uniforms – jeans and a turtleneck sweater; who’s asking?

Your TV? a semi big thing with a DVR; I second that

Your pets? Hank and Harry – 2 kitties; Grayson, John-Boy, Bunny, Delilah and Spicy - kitties

Friends? the best ever; the more the merrier

Your life? full and wonderful; delightful

Your mood? Happy; cheerful

Missing someone? granddaughter Claire; Mom

Vehicle? Subaru Forrester; Saturn Vue

Something you aren't wearing? Spanx; socks

Your favorite store? French thrift stores; Goodwill

Favorite color? Aquamarine; red

When was the last time you laughed? at a tea party this early evening; a few minutes ago

Last time you cried? felt like it yesterday, but didn’t; don’t cry very often

Your best friend? my hubby Raoul; Doug

One place you go to over and over? quiet places; Café India

One person who emails you regularly? Lisa; Karen

Favorite place to eat? my kitchen with my family; Café India

Now for the six blogs we love to visit:

Retreat

Artsy Fartsy Junk Finds

Robs World

Lambsworld

Bountiful Home

Artgirl Island

Silver Bella

I am headed to a fancy schmancy art retreat called Silver Bella in mid November. You can click on the crown logo on the side of our blog for all the glorious details. I am really looking forward to the five workshops I got into from rock star crafting instructors – Kaari Meng, Pam Garrison, Charlotte Lyons, Rebecca Sowers and Teresa McFayden. As part of the pre-fun preparations, you could sign up for all sorts of swaps. I signed up for three of them, and just survived getting my second one completed. It sounded so deceptively simple – trading favorite holiday dessert recipes. But it evolved into making 32 pieces of altered art.

Since it is about receiving and not giving (sometimes), it was all worth it! At Silver Bella, I’ll receive a completed recipe book with 16 family favorites, all decorated to the nines.

Here’s a picture of my completed heap of stuff.

A little close up snippet of a page.

And since all of you can’t join us in Omaha, here are my two recipes. -- Beth

OATMEAL GUMDROP COOKIES

I found this recipe in our local Seattle Times newspaper a few years back. It has been the one cookie I make sure to bake every Christmas, no matter how hectic the holiday season is. It’s like a great oatmeal raisin cookie made even greater with the addition of gumdrops!

OATMEAL GUMDROP COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons buttermilk

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ cups flour

2 cups oatmeal (rolled oats)

1 pound spiced gumdrops, cut into ¼ inch pieces.

(My Safeway has 13 oz bags, so I use 2 bags.)

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ cup raisins

1. In a mixer, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy. Then add eggs, vanilla and buttermilk; mix until smooth. Sift together dry ingredients and blend in. Mix in oatmeal, gumdrops, walnuts and raisins. Chill, covered, 2 hours.

2. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden.

Cool on a rack.

Makes six dozen cookies.

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

I wish I could say this was a family heirloom recipe, but it’s not. My mom could sew up a storm, but the same couldn’t be said for her cooking. My grandmas did meat and potatoes food. Now my friend Nancy is another story – you beg for the recipe every time she makes something! She discovered this delicious combination on epicurious.com. It is now one of our family’s favorite desserts.

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING WITH CARAMEL SAUCE

Bread Pudding:

2 cups half and half

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin

1 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

10 cups ½-inch cubes egg bread (about 10 ounces) – croissants are highly recommended!

½ + cup golden raisins

Caramel Sauce:

1 ¼ cups (packed) dark brown sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

½ cup whipping cream

For bread pudding:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk half and half, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes. Stir in golden raisins. Transfer mixture to 11x7-inch glass baking dish. Let stand 15 minutes. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare caramel sauce:

Whisk brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Serve warm with caramel sauce. Makes 6 – 8 servings.

Upcoming Elegant Clutter Event this Saturday

There is still room in the Elegant Clutter Event this Saturday.

It will be a fun show and tell/make and take combo. We will show you lots of ideas and then you get to make and take home the three projects above (you provide your own silver-plated vase). Click here to read all the details. Contact Lisa or Kelly at Elegant Clutter to register at 425-745-8002.

And, there will be refreshments!

Sunday at Sand Point Antique Show

Our Sunday as vendors at the Sand Point Antique Show was one heck of a fun day! Lisa and I enjoyed visiting with so many of our customer friends and making lots of new ones. Our friendships with fellow dealers continues to grow, and when they complimented us on how good our booth looked – well we felt like we were sitting at the grown-ups table! And before I go any further, we’d like to thank the owner of the show, Dennis Eros, for our very nice location and all of his help making this show so successful.

When you do a show like this, it doesn’t matter how early you wake up, there is never enough time before the doors open. So I sadly didn’t take any pictures of other booths. Please visit My Sweet Savannah for some terrific pictures of the Queen of Tarte’s to-die-for space. Cindy’s style amazes me. Deb and Bob’s Retreat space was absolutely dreamy! As always, we love seeing Linda of Luluz (and we met her new buddy, Buddy) and JohnBob. The Sand Point Antique and Design Market blog has photo snippets of many of the other wonderful booths.

At one point, I called this child’s wheelbarrow a wheelchair. After two days of working on a cold concrete floor, that is probably what I secretly wanted.

Rusty bedsprings holding botanical prints from the 1930s. These large rusty metal spheres were hugely popular.

My favorite part of this shot is the mirror reflecting other parts of our space.

The pipe and faucet handles were wrapped with wire to hold photos or cards. Jill of Horseshoe in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle bought lots of them. It’s always great to meet other junk-loving souls who get what we are doing.

This china hutch still needs a home. But it enjoyed its adventure to the big city and back.

Message boards in and out of a rescued cage.

And still our favorite vignette of the show – our tablescape mixing it up with book covers as placemats, rusty pieces from a farm and timeless transferware. This charming table and two chairs are also still waiting to be adopted.

Please mark your calendars for December 6 for the next Sand Point show. We’re reserving our space for it today!

Sand Point Antique Show Here We Come!

Here is a sneak preview of a tablescape for our booth at this weekend's Sand Point Antique Show. The show is Sunday, October 11, from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Cough up the higher admission price and get in the door bright and early at 8 a.m. For more information on location and admission prices, visit their site.


Remember these ugly duckling lamps?


Here's two of them all gussied up and ready to go out the door on Sunday.

The third one has been adopted for our home, and I'll show that reveal as soon as it's ready.

Sunday is going to be a tiptop show. Please come by and have a bunch of fun with us!

Mark your 2010 Calendar

A nice and chubby envelope arrived recently from the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. The first piece of good news is the show has new owners, and will continue as one of the best flower and garden shows in our country. Next year’s dates are February 3-7. The second piece of good news is I will be speaking on Outdoor Entertaining Salvage Style on February 5 at 12:30 p.m. Last year I felt like I had received a promotion, as I was placed in one of the big seminar rooms. This upcoming assignment even has a terrific time. Lisa loves to joke that I have been the dinner show the last few years!

This photo is a preview of one of the outdoor entertaining areas I shot this summer. Lots of ooh la la! I’ll share a variety of decorating styles with lots of handy dandy tips and advice.

Remodeling is Humbling

Our master bathroom remodeling is taking forever and a day! It got off to a rip-roaring start back in January, when Raoul discovered warm vinegar would easily remove the floral wallpaper. Sometime this summer, a contractor friend and his son removed acres of mirrors and shiny brass light fixtures from the 80’s. Since then, two of these dangling 60 watt bulbs have been our light source! Big ugh. But we’re on the move again – we’ve hired a professional tile guy to come in and do the floors next month. And of course, we don’t want paint to get on the new tile floors, so we’re hoping to get our bathroom homework done before his arrival. Nevertheless, don’t hold your breath waiting for a photo of the new bathroom. Our home projects run on variable speeds! -- Beth