Time to enjoy some vacation

Hello all! Instead of my usual Friday Links to Love, this is going to short and sweet reminder that my shop is closing for vacation starting Monday, May 10th through May 23rd! Why so long you ask? Well, next week we are heading to NYC and Maryland and I knew I needed a few days to get my family prepared for the trip. And guess where I get to go when in NYC??? THE NEW YORK STATIONERY SHOW!!! Yes, I am THAT excited. I'm not exhibiting or anything (holy cow so not ready for that yet), but I'm planning on going just to check out the scene. See what it really takes to have a booth. Yay, I can't wait! I will take loads of pictures and share them with you all, promise. Then we are in Maryland to relax and enjoy time with my in-laws. Definitely looking forward to the break. You never know, I might even have a bit of time to add some new items to my shop. There are a few things in the works that I know you all will like! So stay tuned, have a wonderful couple of weeks and I'll be back on Monday, May 24th!

Veggie Garden

Finally! I got some pictures taken of my vegetable garden. It's all in and planted and yesterday I got around to putting some mulch on top. Our garden is located on the side yard...our yard is basically L-shaped with a small grassy area right outside our back door, a pool in the left hand corner and our vegetable garden on the side yard. When we moved in 4 years ago this side yard was grass and weeds, so I'm pretty proud of the work we put in to make it into this lovely garden!

Now grow veggies, grow! Here we have some corn

Peppers

Strawberries

A few zinnias...I love zinnias as easy cut flowers for the house so I always try and plant a few!

Basil - hoping to make lots of pesto! I have two other basil plants going too.

Rosemary, sage and mint - these have survived from last year. They are looking a little scraggly but I'm hoping they make a come back!

We also have watermelon, cantalope, squash, zucchini, beans, peas and cucumber planted. I always have such high hopes for my garden. In the past I've had trouble with white flies, snails and tomato stakes that don't do their job. This year I bought new heavy duty tomato cages, plan on spraying the underside of the leaves with water at dusk to kill the white flies (as recommended by my local nursery)...but what to do about the snails? I'm trying to be organic about this whole thing, but everyone says I must use snail bait. Anyone know of other remedies?

HAPPY THURSDAY!

Fun Finds

I had a chance to browse through Better Homes & Gardens over the weekend and I came across a few fun things I wanted to share with all of you!

I'm in love with these hand towels from Kara Weaves! Aren't they just perfect for summer outdoors? My personal favorite is the green. Love the pink too. And well, the blue too. They look casual and easy. Check them out here.

Another great find is the website Rosanna Inc. This pink cake stand was featured in BHG. A sweet stand for your treats!

A white collection too

And I would love to have these in my cupboard. A bowl of cereal in these would just be more fun! Ice cream too :)

And you MUST check out these amazing fabric flower necklaces from Prismera Design. Maybe I'm on a flower kick after Mondays post? This first one was featured in BHG, but I found a couple others from their site that I love too.

Fiona

Vivienne

Stella

Emerson Made

Remember these darling shoes? In a Friday Links to Love back in March I mentioned Emerson Made. Well, I realized it's time to devote a posting entirely to their amazing line of handmade flowers. Started by Emerson as a one woman show in NYC, she now runs her business from a wonderful farm with her partner and husband, Ryan. Hand dyed and hand stitched flowers, I mean seriously, what could be more perfect for spring and the summer ahead?

How about a flower for your hair?

Around your waist?

On your lapel?

Getting married? Beautiful.

For your handbag...love these clutches

And even for your man

And what do I find totally charming about Emerson Made? They take their own photos and are their own models. Love that. They are also launching an apparel line in 2010, so we'll all have to stay tuned! For now check out their website and blog.

HAPPY MONDAY!