The Good, the Bad, and the Tiny

Hi! Oh my goodness, a big ''summer'' storm just blew in, barely made it home before the first lightning began. Safe!

My friend L and I sometimes run errands together. It's not real glam, not ''ladies who lunch'' but it makes everyday chores a bit more fun. (If you buy from my etsy shop, you know my friend L as she is the person who does the hand sewing shut of all the sachets in my shop. She does the most beautiful handwork.) The past few days we've been working through our To Do lists. We took my Jeep to the dealer for its recall repair. That falls in the ''bad'' column, not thrilled about a recall, especially since it's about airbags and off road driving, like I ever drive off road. C'mon. But I could just see hitting a pothole and BOOM, the airbags explode. Sometimes the streets seem off-road-ish especially after all the snow and ice. The good news is the guys at the Jeep place were pretty nice and they also changed my oil, so tick off two things on the List.

While we waited for the car we went to Target, mostly to do returns. A Good Thing---Target has The Best return system and nicest return helpers. Snap! Done. Then we went to look for Target's new Lily Pulitzer line of clothes and home goods. I love Lilly P and have designed entire quilts Beach Umbrellas Quilt around a tiny scrap of Lilly fabric found online or brought back from Key West by my mom.
However there was no Lilly stuff in that Target store. Nada. Well, okay---they had cellphone cases. That's it.

If I want LP flipflops or eyelet shorts or pink and lime tropical plates and napkins [oh! napkins = quilt fabrics? ] Or a Lilly  starfish cuff bracelet...well I 'll have to order online. That was disappointing.
Lilly Pulitzer for Target

BB&B was full of fun beachy stuff. Very cool signs. Loved because of local beaches, how cool is that?

Cute summery dinnerware and so many new Yankee Candles  with beach scents: Pink Sand, Driftwood, Beach Walk, Blue Skies, Blustery Day. I want one of each! Giant sized.

.....
On the home front: I've been redoing a space in my cottage to make it into a sewing and craft room.

Bad news is, it has no view and I like to look at the beach and ocean while I sew. But good that my mess would/ will be hidden. Bad---see the cabinets with the blue doors, below. I went to look for my antique fabrics for Lori of Humble Quilt's new doll quilt swap. Good! So fun and so energizing, at the end of wintery doldrums. Bad: one of those 8 foot high heavy wooden doors fell off! as I opened it, smacked me in the nose and then fell on my shin and finally hit my foot, before slamming to my just-redone-by-me floors. Barely missed poor Mo, who has taken over the bin of plaids. Not the red fabrics bin, not the blue...he only favors in the plaid bin, sprawling there with his giant rawhide bone, puppy heaven.

Is this my new room, mommy?
Where's my cozy plaid stuff?

No my nose is fine and I didn't end up with a black eye or broken foot. But I was, well, scared. Discombobulated? Surprised? How often does a door attack , you know?

I must show you this adorable and sooooo useful tiny gift from my friend Mel.

See the little blue hand?

It's a magnet, a lightweight and very strong magnet, what Mel says is a ''rare earth magnet". The back has a MOP button. The hand and button allow me to pull the magnets apart and affix them to my sewing, to corral my needle. [I'm notorious for losing favorite needles].
It is so strong that it also holds onto the metal ribs of my wicker patio table and keeps the fabric secure in the wind. Great invention, originally inspired by Lori of Notforgotten Farm, refined by Mel when we found that regular craft magnets are too heavy for use on cotton fabric. I love it. ***Do note that rare earth magnets are so powerful that they are hazardous to use and must be handled and stored with great caution!****

Pretty flowers all around.

These are tiny flowers.

Tiniest little bouquets to make us smile. 2" blue and white doll pitcher or jug.

Look at this blue. Beautiful.

Near the koi pond, someone has planted hyacinths. White...

And two shades of pink. The pale eggshell pink is my fave hyacinth color.

These are daffs that have naturalized so well. I snuck out many years ago to a common area in my neighborhood and I planted a big bag of daffodil bulbs. No one caught me or complained and though some of the fancier versions are gone the big classic narcissus types have prospered.

Then, the storm and to end the day.--- rainbow.

Welcome summer! (air temp 46* / windchill 37*/ winds 26 mph/ water temp 44*)

Warm or cold? Are you oh so ready for summer days?And what about vehicle recalls--ever have  a car recalled? Did it make you lose trust in the car or it was no big deal? And---did you even do the recall fix? I read that only 20% of recalled cars are ever repaired!


love

lizzy

gone to the beach