Whew! What a wild week this has been! Wildly busy and fast moving, and exciting while being among friends and genuinely good humans. While browsing Pinterest I happened upon the Gratitude Scavenger Hunt List and thought it to be a perfect summary and rhymed with our recent Porch Sale. Folks were sharing pictures of their bargains and finds and telling me they were gifting some of the items that they purchased with friends. That makes me feel good, and it's lovely to know that the items I once treasured are going to new homes that will be loved once again!
I think we're in for a long hot summer. We're experiencing some really hot and dry days and I've been watering my flowers almost every day because I know that once it starts getting hot they will not last long. It's always a good flower garden summer when I have hydrangea blooms. We're going to have a bounty crop! I've been babying them and giving them lots of drinks, because I want to enjoy them for as long as possible. Don't forget to smash the stem of a hydrangea if you cut it for an arrangement. It won't last through the day if you don't. I usually take a case knife and gently smash the bottom of the stem and then place it in a vase filled with fresh water. If you do this, the bloom will last over a week! Something I learned first hand many years ago. This summer I'm going to pick as many as I can for bouquets, and then I'll leave a few behind for drying. There's also a trick to drying hydrangea, but it's a super easy trick. The key to having a perfect dried hydrangea is the time that you cut it. You must wait until after it blooms and becomes heavy and the petals turn green. That's when you pick it for drying. Then simply place it in a vase or jar and leave it alone. It's usually dried to perfection within a week or so. Another little tip that I've learned along the way.
Since it's getting hot I've been craving fruity cold drinks. I have one of these that we use to blend cold concoctions. It's handy, quick and not bulky to store, and it makes the best smoothies! I picked up Peach Juice and made Peachy Coconut Smoothies that were well received after coming in from the hot Missouri sun. The simpler the better, and if you blend juice with coconut milk and a few ice cubes = refreshing summer goodness! You can add a few drops of vanilla syrup if you like it sweet. The kind that you blend in coffee drinks. For some reason I always crave Peach this time of year!
My friend Judy always brings me bouquets from her garden. I'm especially fond of feverfew, and it's delicate mini daisy like petals. The herb has several medicinal properties, but I simply love it for how it looks!
We have been making Picture Ledges. Have you seen them before? They're kind of nifty, easy to make, and a great way to showcase pictures. They also require minimal materials to construct. Some people stain or paint them, but I prefer raw wood. I love the look of raw wood!
If that old trunk could talk it would tell you that's traveled to and thro over the years. It is a treasured piece that I inherited from my mom. We've always had it in our dining room, and I use it for storage. I love old trunks! What was once a necessity for travelers is still very much a valued piece in our home. I kind of like knowing it was probably once on a ship or train, or maybe even traveled to the wild west on a wagon wheel. They are just cool! My mom always had her trunks refurbished and lined with pretty wall paper. I love that too!
I am loving our new wicker blinds! The trick to achieving a clean look is to hang the blind inside the frame and only cover the window. One of the reasons I like this method of window covering it not only because they add texture, they are also easy to maneuver. My taste has changed over the years, but I've always loved wicker blinds and baskets. Both are inexpensive and add great design to a space.
In the weeks to come I'll be cutting fresh herbs and putting together Palo Santo Bundles. The herbal posies can then be burned and used to cleanse the air. Palo Santo is an amazing tree! It's kind of like cedar, but is much more aromatic especially if you burn it. I would say it smells very much like incense.
Soap making has still been fast and furious the past few weeks. There's not a week go by that I'm not making soap. What we need is lots of soap! There used to be a children's book that I read to Patrick and it had that phrase in it. We would always laugh when we read it! It's funny how you remember certain story's that you read to your kids. I still remember books that my mom read to me as a kid. There was one about picking hazelnuts that I loved. I've tried to find the book but have never located it. Then there's the Tasha Tudor books that I was memorized with.
We introduced a new Smoothie a few weeks ago, and I'm always eager to keep the apothecary shop fresh by adding new soaps, and skincare. Summertime is one of my favorite seasons for creating new blends as most of my herbs are blooming and we can make hydrosols and take in all of its glory one herb at a time!
I'm getting ready to upgrade our shop. We'll be adding exciting new items and our summer collections are by far the best we've ever shared to date.
I'm moving more towards completing home projects too. Summer is a great time to paint and spruce up things on the Homefront.
Lastly, thank you for attending the porch sale. It's a joy to cleanse my backroom and an even bigger joy knowing you're going to bring life to so many treasured pieces.
Jill xo
