Memories of Love

Have you caught a glimpse of this gorgeous fabric in your local quilt or craft store?  It's called Memories of Love by Maywood Studios.  I bet when you read the title of this post you thought were about to step into a sappy romance novel, didn't you?  Sorry to disappoint!  But I am in love with this fabric...  Oh sweet dusty pink roses, be still my heart!  I bought one yard nearly a month ago and have been hoarding saving it for a special project!  As I gathered some recent estate sale finds to take to the shop today, I decided I needed a pretty backdrop/display to pull everything together.  I quickly and easily assembled this "memo" board with a painted frame, foam board, vintage trim, wooden clothespins and my trusty hot glue gun! 

This lovely vintage lamp didn't quite make it to the shop this evening.  It parked it's pretty self on top of my craft cabinet today and there it remains!  It looked so sweet and cozy that I couldn't bring myself to pack it up!  Maybe next week.  Maybe.

Aren't these vintage earrings awesome?  I have been collecting some really interesting antique jewelry lately.  I have a few fun ideas for them that I will be sharing in the near future!

I had such fun adding new treasures to my booth space this evening and changing up the display.  And I think that creating this memo board today really got my crafty juices flowing!  I can't wait to get started on some more projects.  I still have a good sized piece of that lovely fabric left!  You just might be seeing those gorgeous dusty pink roses again this week!

Thank you so very much for your sweet visit!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Joining in on these fun parties:

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Treasures and Transformations at Pink Postcard

Wednesday Link Party at Tea Rose Home

Show and Tell Wednesday at Blue Cricket Designs

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

What is it About a Chocolate Chip Cookie?

When I collected my boys from Sunday School this morning, a plate of snickerdoodles was waiting in the lobby of our church.  Both boys immediately devoured a cookie, as did every other child in the vicinity and the plate was quickly emptied!  Minutes later when we passed the plate again, it had been restocked, only this time with chocolate chip cookies.  My biggest little guy fought back tears.  He knew the rule...he had had his one cookie.  "But mom!  Now they have chocolate chip cookies!!!"  What is it about chocolate chip cookies?  There are so many delectable cookie choices out there, but in my humble opinion, and clearly my son's too, nothing beats the classic chocolate chip!

I don't mean to brag, but I get a lot of requests for my chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I'll admit it's a good recipe but I'm not sure it's anything special or unusual.  I sometimes add a few teaspoons of instant coffee which gives it a richer flavor...but not always, as I figure the kiddos probably don't need a shot of caffeine in an already sugary treat.  My husband's friends are so fanatical over my cookies, they swear I have a top secret ingredient.  They were sure it was something horribly bad that made the cookies taste so good...something I would never admit to.  A rumor was started that I put lard in my cookies.  Okay, no offense if you cook with lard...but lard in my cookies - Gross!  No way!  I do believe that the right tools and techniques contribute to the chewy texture of the cookie.  I would love to bake up a big batch to share with each of you, dear friends.  But since that would be sort of difficult to do, I thought I'd share a few tips that I've learned in my many years of cookie baking.  And I'll go ahead and post my recipe too.

I use my kitchen aid mixer with the paddle attachment to mix up the dough.  Your cookies will taste better if you use a pink mixer... wink ;)

I have one baking stone...just one!  It is several years old and obviously very well seasoned.  I use it for absolutely everything!  I think a stone is essential for baking amazing cookies.  I don't think I've ever burned a batch of cookies on this stone.  They come out perfect, every time.

Another baking tool I have found invaluable is a cooling rack.  I try not to let the cookies sit on the stone for more than 5 minutes after they're done baking.  I transfer them to the cooling rack as soon as they are set enough to be handled with a spatula without falling apart.  Allowing them to cool on the rack seems to be a big part of what gives them that desirable chewy texture.  

Recipe:  Yields approx. 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter, softened
2 cups of brown sugar
6 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
3.5 cups of flour
(optional -3 teaspoons of instant coffee)
1.5 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:
1.  Cream the butter with the sugars
2.  Add in the egg and vanilla
3.  Combine the dry ingredients, then add to the butter mixture. 
4.  Stir in chocolate chips
5.  Arrange spoon fulls of dough onto baking stone and bake at 375 for 8-12 minutes.  Know your oven.  Mine seems to bake a little on the cool side.  My cookies are done at exactly 11 minutes..every time!
6.  Transfer to a cooling rack.  Once cookies have completely cooled, arrange them on a pretty plate...and enjoy!

Thank you for your sweet visit!  I hope your weekend was simply lovely!  Cheers to a great week ahead!  Don't forget to bake up a batch of cookies and eat one warm from the oven!  Yummmm!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Sharing With:
Craft-O-Maniac Monday at Craft-O-Maniac Blog
Melt in Your Mouth Monday at Make Ahead Dinners for Busy Moms

Tea Party Sign

It's been a while since I've painted up any tea party signs, but I recently had a special request for one, so I pulled out my paintbrushes this morning and got to work.  It's always flattering when someone asks specifically for something that I've made!  When I first started making these signs, I did just a couple to see if people would actually buy them.  For more than two weeks they sat in my space...not a bite.  Then, all of a sudden both had sold and I was told that there were customers who came in to buy one and were disappointed that they were gone!  I made up one in my usual pinks this morning and dropped it by the shop for the woman who had called in the request.  Then I came home and started playing around with some khaki paint and thought I'd change things up and go for a more neutral look.  I am really liking how this one turned out.  The fabric rosettes are something new I'm trying too.  What do you think? 

How fun would it be to hang this from an ornate garden gate or from a low tree branch, inviting guests to a spring tea party in the rose garden? 

Speaking of roses, the sunshine yesterday coaxed one pink bud open in my garden!  Yes, I have one blooming pink rose...just in time for Pink Saturday!

I used Picnik's focal soften and wood grain texture overlay to add a little more dimension to this photo!  I'll be linking this up with the Photo Feature Friday party at A Rosy Note!

 

Thank you for your sweet visit today!  I hope you'll stop by again soon!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda 

Don't forget to join in on my favorite end of the week linky parties!  A special thanks to all of the lovely hostesses who welcome us each and every week! 

Photo Feature Friday at A Rosy Note

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound
Tea Time Tuesday at Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor

Gifts from a Paris Flea Market!

Hello dear friends!  I hope you're having a delightful week!  Mine is off to a great start!  I worked in my space at the shop last night which is always fun!  This coming weekend is our neighborhood garage sales where I usually find a whole lot of treasures...so I am saving my pennies and counting down the days!  Speaking of treasures...I have a few fun things to share today!

First of all, here are the beautiful barkcloth pillows that my adorable little guys gave me for Mother's Day, propped up in the Family room chairs!  I love them and they work so perfectly in this room!  My little guys are so proud of them too.  Every time they see me fluffing them they say, "you sure like those pillows we got you, don't you mom?"

I know that as soon as my husband sees this photo he's going to wonder where his surround sound speaker is!  Don't worry, honey!  I put it right back after I took the picture!

Basil saw me taking photos and jumped right up into the chair for his cameo.  What a little ham!

I received the sweetest little box of goodies in the mail last week!  Yes, I won a giveaway from Rhonda at A Little Bit French, and can you believe that she shared treasures that she actually purchased at a Paris Flea Market and brought home with her in her carry-on bag?!?  What a treat!  Thank you so very much, Rhonda!  Shopping a Paris Flea Market is a fantasy of mine and I am really enjoying these little treasures and dreaming about where they came from!

Adorable little Eiffel Tower!

Awesome old skeleton key!

Buttons, vintage lace trim and an old French clothespin!

Rhonda made this lovely box!  And I loved how she had everything carefully wrapped in old sewing patterns!  So very clever!

Thank you once again, dear Rhonda for sharing a little bit of Paris with me!  I feel so honored!  If you haven't been to visit Rhonda at A Little Bit French, you must do so!  Her blog is gorgeous and she is a dear!

Thank you for your sweet visit today!

Best Wishes and Blessings to You!

Amanda

I will be joining Kathleen at Faded Charm today for her 100th White Wednesday Post!  Come join the party!  She is having some fabulous giveaways!!!

Flowers and Showers and a Successful Sidewalk Sale!

In spite of the ridiculous weather, our sidewalk sale Saturday at Camas Antiques was really a huge success!  I awoke extra early that morning to run out into the backyard and cut flowers for a few arrangements to add to my display!

Here they are on the breakfast nook table, all ready to be loaded into the truck with the other goodies early Saturday morning!  I had such fun playing flower shop!

Thankfully there was no rain as I unloaded and everything was pretty well protected under the awning for the surprise showers we had throughout the day.

The pink Lily of the Valley did not bloom before Saturday as we had hoped but they were all sold by the end of the day!  I am guessing that there were probably some happy mothers who enjoyed pretty pink blooms on Mother's Day!  Speaking of which, I was "surprised" with my second beautiful barkcloth pillow at 6am Sunday morning!  My biggest little guy just could not wait any longer to present me with the gift he was so proud of!  It was absolutely the sweetest...even being awoken from a dead sleep!  I must say, it was a little difficult to act surprised that early in the morning but I think I pulled it off!

I hope your Mother's Day weekend was all kinds of wonderful!  Thank you for your sweet visit today! 

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Linking up with the following fun parties:

Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design

White Wednesday at Faded Charm
Treasures and Transformations at Pink Postcard
Treasure Hunt Thursday at Blue Creek Home
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound
Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

More Treasures and A Mother's Day Gift I Will Never Forget!

Yes, I brought home more treasures yesterday when I probably should have been cleaning up the ones that have been piling up in the garage!  But I could not miss the giant church rummage sale that I've been shopping twice annually for 5 years now!  A couple of dear friends and I met up early and shivered together outside of the church as we waited for the doors to open.  It was a very fun morning!  The tea set, doilies and wicker case in the photo here were some favorite finds from yesterday.  The chair, table and tote are on their way to the shop and the gorgeous pillow was an early Mother's Day gift from my littlest guy.  There's more to this story...

Remember when I drooled over these beautiful barkcloth pillows at Monticello when I went shopping with my mom for my birthday?  I have been thinking about them ever since!  My mom was at my house watching the little guys yesterday morning while I was out treasure hunting.  When I came home, my littlest guy came down the stairs with a big wrapped gift and a goofy grin on his face.  My mom said, "oh, you were supposed to save that for Mother's Day.  But if you want to give it to her early, you can."  He couldn't wait...so I opened an early Mother's Day gift.  One of the barkcloth pillows I had seen and photographed at Monticello!  I love it!!!!  My oldest little guy said "I have something for you too, but I'm saving it for Sunday!"  Just after my mom left, my littlest guy went back upstairs, and came down a few minutes later proudly presenting me with the second pillow!  Big brother fell apart.  The next few moments were a blur of tears.  My heart broke for him.  He was devastated.  I had to think fast.  Nothing I was saying seemed to console him.  He was so excited to surprise me on Mother's Day, and as far as he was concerned, the whole plan had been ruined.  I offered a role of gift wrap to re-wrap the pillow but he insisted it be the same pastel striped paper that grandma had supplied him with.  So, I helped him piece back together the shredded paper and re-wrap the gift.  We then hid it on a shelf in the linen closet, just out of reach of little brother and I promised to try as hard as I could to forget all about the gift!  He seemed to be convinced that this was possible...probably because he has observed and pointed out many times that my memory is not that great.  Something I will never forget is how important it was to him that this Mother's Day present be a surprise, proudly presented by himself with love.  Later that day, I was photographing for this post and worried about what he was thinking when he saw me with the pillow from little brother.  "Don't you wish you had another pillow just like that one?" he asked with a grin on his face.  I am certain he is convinced that the whole incident has slipped my memory.

I can't stop staring at my lovely new pillow.  Gosh, it would be nice to have another, one for each of my white slipcovered armchairs (wink! wink!)  The colors are so vibrant and beautiful and go just perfectly in our family room.  It is impeccably made too!  In fact, there was a little tag on the corner with a blog address!  Yes, Debbie of My Shabby roses, clearly a very talented seamstress among other things made the pillows and is a fellow blogger whom I had somehow not come across before.  Her blog is gorgeous!  I adore her style, and you can bet that I am a follower now!  I hope she'll read this story and be happy to know that the pillows she so lovingly made became Mother's Day gifts that this mom will treasure and enjoy forever!  Thank you, Debbie!  And thank you to my lovely mom for helping my little guys out with such a special present! 

Happy Mother's Day to all of my dear blog buddies out there!  I hope your Mother's Day weekend is sweet and memorable!  Thank you for stopping by to visit today!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

joining in these fun parties today:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

My Sherpa

If you read my post on Friday, you know that my husband asked to accompany me to an estate sale for the first time ever in the 10 years we have been married!  In case you were curious about how our first Saturday morning out treasure hunting together went down, I think I can say it was a success...for me at least.  He didn't find anything he couldn't live without but was incredibly helpful and for the most part pleasant company!  I loaded his arms full of my treasures as we walked through the home and utilized his excessive height to grab things that sat just out of my reach!  The other shoppers were amused by the bored guy following his wife around, carrying boxes of dishes and linens.  He smiled and told them he was my "Sherpa."   I asked whether he would join me on future Saturday morning outings.  His response was, "we'll see."  I'll keep working on him!

I spent some time painting on Sunday and thought I would share with you a few of my favorite made-over treasures.  We are having a sidewalk sale at the antique shop this Saturday, so I am working hard to have some overstock ready to set up outside that morning!  Please pray for sunshine!  We do have an awning in case of rain, but our day would be so much more pleasant if the sun came out!  Here are a few things I've been working on this week.

The garage is pretty much packed full of more treasures awaiting a good scrub and/or a few coats of paint!  Wish me luck as I attempt to find enough energy to get to them all before Saturday!  I will surely have more to share with you by week-end!

It just occurred to me that I've never properly introduced you to my handsome hubby!  So, here is a face to put with the name...Mr. Girl in Pink?  Nah, I know he wouldn't go for that one!  He doesn't care for "hubby" either.  My hunky Sherpa?

This photo was taken by our dear friends last summer on a road trip to Salt Lake City.

Thank you for your sweet visit!  I hope you are having a lovely week!  If you live in the Camas area, be sure to come down to Camas Antiques on Saturday between 10am and 6pm.  Dealers throughout the store are having sales and several of us will be set up outside with extra goods!  Lots of wonderful last minute Mother's Day gift ideas!  My mom is sending me with some special 1 gallon potted plants to offer as well!  I am especially excited about the pink Lily of the Valley which could possibly be blooming by Saturday!  I'll be sure to take pictures to share!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Linking up with these fun parties:

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Treasures and Transformations at Pink Postcard

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage