Out and About ~ Looking-for-Fall Roadtrips

Hi on a very wet evening! My friend L and I have resumed our once a week or so fun outings, our roadtrips as we call them,  for ''fall''....of course it's not fall at all but with school starting soon, in a few weeks, the year is moving on from summer's freedom to autumn's bustle. Our first outing was to Christmas Tree Shop

This is a nod to my Cape Cod homesickness/ family nostalgia; I used to take the kids to the Cape every summer, late August. Shopping at CTS was always a highlight, lots of intriguing goodies, cheap cheap cheap.

Here is the flyer that caught our interest: click

CTS is  merchandising Fall with shades of aqua, cream and a clay/ peach, emphasis on the soft dusty turquoise.

I didn't spend all that  much!

My kids are long past the age of being excited for back to school or Halloween---my purchases tend to be either practical or small pretties to enliven my house in October.

On the practical  side, I got these soup mixes, despite it being one of the hottest days of the summer. Never too early to stock the pantry with winter storm supplies.

I loved these large cups with covers, instead of my faux Japanese bowls I usually use for soups. I  can ladle out portions and they're all ready to go in the fridge when whoever is hungry decides to eat.

I think Mel recommended these mixes, so we'll see.

Lovely fake Nantucket baskets---the large to hold a sewing project, the long narrow one to hold scissors, cutters and rulers on my cutting table.

Fun garden stake:

New face moisturizer and pretty melon pink nail polish.

I quite like the moisturizer so far, halfway between a gel and a light cream.

Closet sachets to combat the prevailing odor of damp and a few extra forks.

An important tradition! I always get my box of coastal inspired Christmas \cards here, $3.99 for 16 cards. And a fun fall shopping list notepad for the kitchen counter. We're big on lists.

On the fun side, an aqua light up pumpkin. I like it, it's very sweet but it is flat. I was picturing a round lantern thing?

Modern autumn dishtowels. I got extra set for little hostess/ girlfriend gifts for fall get-togethers.

A tiny white acorn plate, no clue what for! Butter? Small snack?

A new throw or blankie for Mo, not pictured. It is pale dusty aqua-grey with sprigs or leaves. Sooooo soft. Amazing what  they do w polyester nowadays.

Did not buy but wish I did, this wonderful lifeguard stand floor lamp. Very  on sale! The shade was too big but I could have changed that.  Too bad.

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Another day, we went to Hobby Lobby, our second trip ever. The long drive went pretty well, as I overrode the GPS and took us there via the back beaches and islands  And we both found a few things we liked or needed. L is doing some reupholstering! She has elegant taste and chose something very nice for her bench, a stylized indigo and pale grey block print.

I bought fabric. HL stocks what seem to me to be nice homespuns and as I continue to make ''primitive'' style quilts, I can always use additions to my meager collection. The HL price is about half of a quilt shop price [if indeed we had a quilt shop!]. $6.98/yard less 30%.= $2.45 for 1/2 yard!

And I also got a half yard of the red horseshoes I love. And FINALLY found a white cotton with black sprig "shirting" print for the borders of Blue Baskets. I had pretty much given up looking so was very happy with my find. It is truly white, despite looking cream in the photo.

On the home front, I have found a couple of under $2,oo nature Journals, via various used book sites. My current book is crammed to bursting, with now-illegible notes scribbled even on the page margins. I'll show you these when they arrive.

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Today we had a real rain day. Not a storm, just rain. Rain here in the summer is a rare blessing. The small crock on my deck I use as a rain gauge had at least 4" earlier.  And once the flood waters recede [nowhere for the runoff to go, as we're at sea level], I hope my garden pots perk up and get a second wind.

Have a good week!

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach...

Look closely, late  blooming wildflowers among the grasses, brought out by the rain:

Pink, Pinky, Pinkeroo

Hi! Thank you all for your kind concern about my ''heat exhaustion'' episode!  Despite feeling less than 100% I had lots to do this week [out & about post on Monday or Tuesday], so today, despite the ''cooler'' weather, I have stayed home with Mo and skipped the beach. Kinda sad, the beach days are dwindling, aren't they.
Mo and I enjoyed the still-hot and sunny deck for awhile. He had ice cream! I deadheaded my suddenly sad zinnia pots and quilted a few rows on Bitty. Then the wind died down and the flies arrived. OMG, biting little buggers.

"Mommy it bit my nose!"

Inspired by a huge sheaf of gladiolas from the local market I decided we needed just a little pop of pink for the end of August.

    

Glads always look so amazing and exotic to me---tropical, even, but truly they are local field grown summer flowers, like sunflowers. [I'd love to see the growing fields and farms out east someday.]

Like pink satin cocktail dresses, c. 1940 at the Copacabana! Rumba, tango, cha cha, salsa. Pina coladas and coconut Daiquiris at Trader Vic's. Such glamour. How fun.

This candle is called something odd, like Banana Flowers. Smells delightful and scents the whole house, hard to accomplish in the summer with open doors and fans going.

Deep coral pink nail polish for end of August pedicure.

And this darling gadget, a recent gift from a friend. A small Cuisinart food processor--in PINK! For all the chopped salads and other things I make.

It's evening now, so mellow. Mo the Chub is heading out for a playdate evening. [''me too, me too, can I come!'']. I will have the fun of spraying for bugs nstaed.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.......


Wouldn't this make a wonderful painting, all dark impasto ground and bright densely pigmented flowers in yellow, late added dots of white Queen Anne's Lace!

PS Recently I was reading a blog where the woman took photos of shadows. It was an interesting idea to me, a way to see differently, to see more. So:

 Shadow #1 August ~ Black-eyed susans.