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The weather could not have been more perfect for Saturday's street fair. And the vendors...well, suffice to say, they were some of the nicest, friendliest people I have ever met. (And I have met a lot of people, people.) A great time was had by all, and that includes my bestie, Clark.Here are a few pictures from the day...
Thanks to everyone that came out to shop and visit with us! we'll be doing this show next year as well!
Charles M. Schwab
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Busy days this week. Tomorrow is the Camas Vintage Street Faire!
Next week I have every reason to believe that I will be back on track with blogging more regularly and sharing some new projects I am working on...but, right now...it's back to work!
I must, 'coz I keep choosing to do it that way.
Mmmm hmm. The next big Vintage Faire is this Saturday and I am not ready. If you know me, you're not shocked or surprised, or even a little taken aback. You know that I am going to pull it all out in the last hour, promising anyone and everyone who will listen that this is the very last time this will happen. I will announce to strangers on the street that I have learned my lesson this time and will plan my time more wisely on the next go-round. (Of course, if you really know me, you know that none of that is ever going to actually happen for me in my lifetime.)
*sigh*
Yes, I tend to learn most life lessons the hard way. I think it's just how I am made.
Meet Bentley.
Okay, let me begin by saying that I am a dog person, although not necessarily a tiny dog person, but...oh. my. ga. When I met Bentley a few months ago, I was smitten. Well, little Mr. Bentley was back for a visit this past weekend, (He is my cousin's little pup, rescued a while back from the side of the highway) and he was an absolute hoot to have around the house, let me tell you. (Is he adorable, or what?!)
Oh, in case you were wondering...Moose adored Bentley too.
Mmmmm mmmm mmm. So good. Better than good. Good-with-a-cherry-on-the-top good.
I had family in visiting for the weekend and so I made us all a nice Sunday breakfast, which was fun for me. Living alone, you don't always do the big comfort food kind of meals.I made my personal favorite, Creme Brulee French toast, with fresh fruit, sausage and bacon. Yes, a bit of an overkill in the meat department, but hey, I said it was for company.
Anyway, I thought you'd like the recipe for this more-calories-than-any-one-woman-should-consume-in-a-week dish. 'Coz, it's that yummy, and it can be prepped the night before. (Oh, and by the way, it's the same good recipe I used for this party.)
It's Creme Brulee French Toast, according to my recipe title, but it's actually not creme brulee like at all. What it is, is a slice of heaven on a breakfast plate, that's for sure. Here is the recipe:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 C. packed brown sugar
2 T. maple syrup
1/2 t. rum extract
1 country-style bread (an 8- to 9-inch round)
6 eggs
1 3/4 C. half-and-half
1 t. vanilla extract
2 teaspoons Grand Marnier
1/4 t. salt
Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the sugar, maple syrup,
and rum extract. Pour the mixture into the dish.
Cut six 1 1/2-inch thick slices from the center of the bread. Arrange the bread
slices in one layer in the baking dish, squeezing them slightly so they fit.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, and salt.
Pour the mixture evenly over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at
least 8 hours and for up to one day.
Let the dish sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Set the oven at 350° F.
Uncover the dish and bake the French toast for 35 to 40 minutes or until puffed
and golden. Serve at once.
Do yourself a big favor sometime soon and make this recipe for someone you love. You'll be glad (and so will they) that you did.
You decide every moment of every day who you are and what you believe in. You get a second chance, every second.
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...still prepping for my booth at the Camas Vintage Street Fair a week from Saturday. I finally got myself a new sign painted to hang at the back of my booth, so I won't look as anonymous as I felt like I did at Barn House.
I'll be weathering the wording on the sign later today, along with finishing up so pretty cute pieces of furniture....only ten days and counting till the show!
Regardless of what ever languages he chooses to speak, he's got me completely captivated.
"Don't say you don't have enough time.
You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to
Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da
Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
H. Jackson Brown Jr
Oh my. I guess that puts things in perspective. With a bit less than two weeks until the Camas Vintage Street Faire, I need to get busy, and stop whining that I don't have enough time.
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My daughter is one of those people that sometimes has pretty interesting things happen to her. Do you know someone like that?
Earlier this week, she won four tickets from a radio station to go to an intimate bar setting to hear Sara Barreilles, up close and personal. I got to be one of her guests, along with my other daughter and one of my daughter's friends. So much fun.
Now, both of my daughters have shared some of our excitement...on her blog and her blog already, so I thought I'd share more of the behind-the-music-moments that occurred during the event.
Anyway.
We were all quite excited, and I was to be in charge of taking pictures to commemorate the "girls-bonding-moment-with-a really-cool-singer-that-we-all-love", and, most especially, I was to make sure I got some pictures of Sara Barreiles with the daughter that won the tickets in particular.
It sounded easy enough to me. After all, I take pictures pretty much every day of my life.
Hmmmm...ya. Notsomuch.
The top photo is pretty much the only photo that isn't blurry. I am still perplexed myself as to what went wrong exactly, but suffice to say, there were many accusations theories tossed about. (Was it the fact that I had half of a light beer while enjoying the show? Was I nervous? Star-struck? Perhaps I am losing my touch? My age was even mentioned as a potential cause.) In the end, our big bonding moment included a nice collection of blurry photos, along with a lot of laughs, even if most of them were at my expense....
Here are a couple of..um...out-takes... (all of them include the daughter and Sara)
(For anyone that might not be sure, my daughter is the one with the crazy-as-all-get-out look on her face, and Sara is the one in the background.)
Wait! There was one more shot that was clear, and again, it includes the daughter and Sara....
(nice shot of both of them, don'tcha think?)
...Like I said, we made a memory. It's all about making those memories, people.
I'm a busy little bee today, as I am gearing up for my next show at the end of the month! That's right, the Camas Vintage Street Faire is going on in beautiful downtown 4th Avenue here, on August 26th and I have lots to get done (Does any of this sound familiar to you? It feels very deja vu-like to me...) so this is just a quick lil' post to let you know I am alive and well, and covered in paint in Camas Washington.
My garage is a virtual sea of white...primed pieces, waiting for the coat of muted color to re-invent them into something wonderful.
My daughter finds the best junk. Really, she does. She found this piece for me over a month ago, and I have drooled over it in my garage each time I look at it. I am not quite sure if it is a hutch top or a wall piece.It is very large, measuring about three and a half feet wide (or more) and almost five feet tall.
The piece is very large. The glass is missing from the door, and I plan to replace it with screening or bunny wire (which do you think would look best?) It needs to be painted, and I am leaning towards a creamy, weathered white. The detail molding is sweet as can be, and it has such a huge amount of cottage charm.
It has three shelves, and I can imagine this charming piece, mounted on a wall, filled with old white stoneware and tarnished silver pieces. The dilemma I am having now is that I will have trouble showcasing it in my booth (see how it doesn't look quite right sitting on the ground?) because there is no way to hang it on the wall, and it is coupled with the fact that I have the perfect spot on my dining room wall (where I currently have a plate collection) to hang this gem myself. The big question is..do I need to keep this baby, or should it find a new home?
Pam Brown
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If you'd like to join me in sharing your own "Weekly Words to Live By", use the Mr. Linky tool below to link your blog post to this week's specific Words to live By post, and please remember to link back to this post here on Notes From A Cottage Industry.
I haven't baked my favorite sugar cookies in I-don't-know-when. (I haven't baked them since I moved to the Pacific Northwest, I know that much...)
I was talking about my baking with a friend last week, and my cookies came up in conversation. That sparked me to make a batch.(What had I been waiting for? They are a cinch to make, and they are dee-lish.)
Oh. My. Ga.
They are just so yummy. And so pretty. (Even if I do say so myself.) And for no special occasion, no less! (although, I like to think every day is special....)
If you'd like my recipe, I shared it here, a long ways back. Mmmmmmmmm, little bites of heaven on earth...really.
Both of my daughters attended the Barn House event last Saturday and found some fabulous treasures for their homes. Today I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at my daughter's home office, which is still a work in progress, but coming together oh, so nicely!
Bare with me on the following lousy photo..(it was hard to capture half of the room in one shot) She already had the wooden table desk (a find from Portland's Monticello!) and a sweet little thrifted upholstered chair (which is to be newly slip covered in the very near future!) ....
so she really only needed a couple more large pieces to hold books and collectables, and to serve as a work table.
She found both items at Barn House! This wonderful cupboard was in Joy's incredible booth...
And this over-the-top-adorable piece came from Lisa's booth, at the very end of the day. (We couldn't believe it hadn't sold!)
The accessories are all that is left to finish off this room. (and you know I will be sharing pictures of the finished project!)
You can see my other daughter's purchases from Barn House on her blog...here!
Yesterday I hit a couple of thrift shops over in Portland with my daughter, and the trip was well worth my time. I got some oh-so-charming cane backed dining chairs (wait till I get them painted and share them with you!) and this incredible painting of Jesus.
It was hard to capture the soft shades of pinks, corals, blues and creams with the evening lighting, so I may edit this post later when it's daylight and I can attempt to get more natural lighting.
Anyway, the picture is actually a nice big one (I usually find fairly small Jesus pictures, you know?) I love the subtle colors, and the kind of weathered finish that time has created on the painting. The shabby white frame adds the perfect finishing touch to make this gem just to charming for me to let go of, at least for now.
Now, all that's left to do is find the perfect wall to showcase this latest lil' treasure now....
Oh, it was everything I anticipated and so much more! The booths were all amazing...
The crowd was unbelievable....
...my good friend Clark turned out to be a fabulous booth partner, and my daughter was on hand to help in the morning as well.....
....and we can't wait for next year's event! Thanks Joe and Jermonne, for a wonderful weekend!
