try this

one of my favorite places: http://www.smallmeadowpress.com/store/

--- she is taking a holiday break, and will be filling orders in early Jan.

Chirstmas List

I can't think of much I need or want. But I'll try:
1. Old magazines
2. Things to make my closet smell good
3. Lime tree
4. A subscription to Domino
5. Gloves
6. Man Who Listens to Horses because apparently Word has read this book, so I think I'd better catch up.

Mail Call

The package got here safely. Wow... I'm speechless! Thanks! Now I really can't wait for December to start. A small package should be arriving for each of you this week.

Yumm

I'm baking mushroom polenta (Food and Wine supplied the photo - I'm still boiling the milk.) I'm leaving the milk untended on the stove to tell you about the most adorable cards in the world... what do you think? I love everything they make.

Perfection

The perfect clothes: Old Town Clothing

Door knobs

Candle box, cake tin and two door knobs from the British company Period Features.

Just showing off

I took this picture before you visited to show you my enamel bowl. But then the film got developed after your visit! The photo came out nicely so I thought I'd show you anyway!

The mushroom hut?

This is an action shot of a mushroom growing out of our roof!

Washing up

Above is a tea towel from Third Drawer Down

It makes my dish towels of dancing teacups look lame.

Sigh

Meg's world is turned upside down and I am lonely.

This book sculpture is by Su Blackwell.

Trip to the big city

Bags packed. a

Chickens fed. a

Shirts ironed. a

All that' s left to do - go get Bessie + Buttercup....

Be there soon!

Scary Enough for Halloween

I'm working on posting the horror shots of our bathroom renovation on flickr so our landlord can see what she paid for. Warning: extremely graphic images of home repair in stark black and white. View these if you want to feel better by saying "at least its not my house" (Sort of the same reason I watch the movie Wonder Boys on really bad days.)

Cottage Time

This cottage in Scotland has been restored and furnished by

Papa Stour

a charming Scottish company that has many yummy items to browse. But back to this cottage... I think I need a month there gazing at the water and chasing the sheep. I love how this photo makes it seem so secluded. I also love the light blue door. N. made scones yesterday so that was my little taste of Scotland for the week.

Amy Butler's patterns and fabrics are just gorgeous. Maybe she'll be at the quilt show? Speaking of the quilt show, should I be looking into getting advance tickets?

My auction picks

Who thinks of making an owl into a lamp? A genius, that's who! This lamp is 1. Cute as all get out 2. Seasonally appropriate for October 3. Well, its an owl lamp, think about that..... 4. For sale.

Also for sale at the same auction:

Green lamp + huge ship topper thingy = fantastic.

(both images from the Madison Auction Service auction Oct. 21 in Deansboro.)

Chicken Palace

The chickens are now happily roosting in their new, improved palace. We changed the screens with antique curved top windows, improved the other open spaces, and the door is going to be covered with shutters. I'll have to take a picture. With the heat lamp on, all 5 are sleeping up on birch branches and seem content. The first attempt looked like a cross between Rube Goldberg and Ma/Pa Kettle. This actually looks rather real. And I think I can look at it all winter. So, the free chicken sign will not be going up after all.

Travel Plans

My search for rooms in Fredricksburg didn't go as well as I hoped. If you can find some better ones (maybe a bit cheaper) that would be great.

http://www.fredericksburg-lodging.com/Das-Mueller/default.asp

http://www.fredericksburg-lodging.com/Aunt-birdies/default.asp

I'm a little sick of adding pictures.

At Settler's Crossing the Pioneer cabin, the Baag House, the Von Heinrich and the Barn are all available for the day we want.

Chicken Pot Pie

Recipe for Chicken Pot Pie:

1. Take a chicken

2. Put it in a pot

3. Ta da

4. Caution:

Eat the Chicken Pot Pie very quickly before it jumps back out of the pot.

The real me

If I had this black dress I would wake up every morning (yes I would wear it every day) and think "This is me putting on my black silk shirtdress." Then I would walk out of the house (not wearing flip-flops and the same jeans I wore yesterday) thinking "This is me stunning my neighbors with my black silk shirtdress."

2 problems with this:
1. dress costs more than 2 months rent
2. in this fantasy I look like Kim Novak --- I'd better save the cash and wear jeans

I wish Amy Sedaris would move in next door

I've loved Amy Sedaris ever since I read that she wallpapered her front hall with candy wrappers. Can I wait to get her new book? No, I don't think I can.

Vienna Teng

My sister introduced me to Pandora, which introduced me to Vienna Teng, whom I now introduce to you...

By the way: correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Robert Siegal would be with me on this one - her hair? Just right.

Red and White Dahlia

Red, white and yellow (originally uploaded by DorsetBirder on Flickr)

Scheepers! I'm just crazy about this red and white dahlia. Actually I might be a bit crazy about dahlias in general, but this one in particular. I love how the white looks a bit like an accident.

Too bad the only thing I can keep alive and blooming are pentas. I would be too scared to attempt a dahlia because its tragic wilting and slow death would break my heart.

Denyse Schmidt

Denyse Schmidt is all that and a jar of cookies when it comes to quilting. Color, shape, form, she has it all figured out. And I bet she's an HTML wiz too. Probably even get one of these blogs right in one of her first three tries. Anyway, this, her very own tulip design, and so many many more can be found at: www.dsquilts.com/co_tulip.html

3 Easy Steps

To M & A:

Step 1. Add something to this blog, I'm getting lonely.

Step 2. Go to the auction on Friday and buy these bowls.

Step 3. That's it I guess.

New Favorite

Julianna Swaney is my new favorite artist of the day. Her site http://www.ohmycavalier.com/ is a dream. Love it love it love it!

Soon to be on my wall?

I hinted to someone that I wanted this print from Cricket Press
We'll see if he got the hint.

Poster by Paula Schultz

This poster is from the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum. Besides having prints for sale they also host wood type printing and letterpress workshops. How fun would that be?!

Myrtle

This Myrtle print is adorable but then most from this site are: http://www.printspast.com/selected_print.asp?PrintID=10580009&Return=les-fleurs-animees.htm
(the return command at the top of the page takes you back to really too much fun to mention...)

p.s. mmhmm to the blog

Calexico

So last weekend we went to Austin City Limists Festival
Calexico was amazing as were The Flaming Lips
But Calexico wins on account of cute-ness.
This cool poster is from http://www.thesmallstakes.com

Hello

What a gorgeous card! From http://www.papermonkeypress.com/forsale.html.

It takes patience to put an eyepatch on a bird

A tiny quilt by Amy Karol http://kingpod.com/. Love the eyepatch!