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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

over at the willows

It seems like we are always getting new little prizes in at the store and before I even mention them they have all flown off the shelves (like the super cute black strapless knit dress we got in last week that is already completely sold out... don't worry, we are working hard on getting more). Here are just a few of the fun little items currently gracing the shelves around the Willows, although I am sure I have missed a few, so scoot on over and take a peek for yourself.

These pillows were designed and made by our very own Willows' design team. We are so excited about them and we're just dying to know what you think?

So, what do you think?

A few new things gracing our tables...

And some fantastic new prizes to check out in apparel...

Anything special catch your eye?

Stop over and see us! We'd love to see you!

Garden Path Irises

This is the third year for the Japanese irises (iris ensata) in my garden. I began by using the irises along the dry stream. I am gradually dividing the clumps each fall. These divisions have been planted in groups along a garden path.

Of the three irises that I grow, my favorite is a lavender-blue, but the only one positively identified is the white 'Mount Fuji'. Although the blooms don't last very long, the foliage remains beautiful until fall. Most of the time, the irises are ignored by the deer, but an occasional bloom may be picked. I've not had sufficient damage to be deterred from growing the irises and consider the perennials to be deer tolerant.

Japanese irises prefer rich, moist soil, but mine easily survived drought, once they were established. Growing in full or partial sun in zones 4-9 and reaching heights of 24-36 inches, these are easy perennials to use in the garden.

The irises are great plants to use with coneflowers (echinacea) and bee balm (monarda) for a similar bloom time. I also use swamp milkweed (asclepias incarnata) for summer bloom and recently added joe pye weed (eupatorium dubium) as a fall bloom companion.

Words and photos by Freda Cameron, Defining Your Home, Garden and Travel.

A Little Bit Of Italy

One of THE BEST meals I have ever had was a very simple one. Two years ago we went to Italy. One place we stopped was Assisi. After touring the city and the Tomb of St. Francis, we saw a restaurant sign pointing up a steep flight of stairs. Intrigued, we decided to check it out.

The proprietors didn't speak English and we didn't speak Italian, but with much gesturing we ordered. I had pappardella pasta with fresh asparagus and truffles. Here is a picture I took of the dish in the restaurant- sorry it is so blurry but it was an older camera...

When we returned home I tried to recreate the dish. I couldn't find any truffles to shave, so instead I purchased some Truffle Oil and added some mushrooms. Here is how I did it...

First I gathered my ingredients.

put a small amount of olive oil in the pan and sauteed the asparagus with fresh cracked pepper and course sea salt.

Sliced the mushrooms and added them to the asparagus when it was half way cooked...

grated some Parmesan cheese...

Boiled the pasta until al dente. Drained - reserving one cup of pasta water.

Tossed the asparagus, mushrooms, pasta, pasta water and Parmesan cheese together and then drizzled with the Truffle Oil.

It was ALMOST as good as the original.

(these pictures were taken 2 years ago in my old house...I just found them while going through some old pics).

Welcome Home,

Penny

Link Party No.10 /My Little Project " Bleached!"

Welcome back to the "Wednesday at Tea Rose Home link party"! This week, I am going to close the link on Thursday night, and post the link love on Saturday. Since I usually post every other day, if I Post "Link Love" on Monday, and the "Link Party" on Wednesday, it's like most of the week's posts become one big link party post.

I love doing the link party, but my intention for my blog is not to be identified as a link blog. I wanted a little more space between the link posts. I am still trying to see what the best way is to do this, and I might change something in the future too. Sorry for the inconvenience!

I will share a project that I did... I named this project "Bleached!".

One day, I got a call that unexpected guests were coming... I had to go through my house and did some spot cleaning (who told you that my house is always clean? That is just an illusion...). The bathroom was one of the areas that I had to take care of.

The next day, as I was folding the laundry, I noticed that my shirt that I wore the day before had gotten some bleach on it! Noooo! Don't you hate it when that happens? I was being careful but obviously I wasn't careful enough. When I found the bleached area my face was like this:

I loved the shirt, but good-bye...I decided to make this into something Rachel could wear.

Here is what I did:

1. I cut the bottom area (that is the bleached area).

2. Cut the sleeves off too.

3. Open up the sleeves to make bias tape.

4. Cut 1" off from the top to make the neckline shorter.

5. Pin the bias tapes around the sleeve area and sew. Turn, pin and stitch.

6. I made a pocket to give a more kids clothes feel to it.

Done!

Rachel enjoyed watching the process of "Mommy's clothes become her clothes."

I enjoyed watching her wearing it and being happy. I guess my clothes getting bleached wasn't such a bad thing. ;)

Ok, it is your turn. Please show me (and the other readers), what you have been working on and enjoy the party!

Here are the rules:

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.

<br /><a href="http://tearosehome.blogspot.com"><img border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462799092490427250" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 160px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHA1Y3e8436nZvEAbFSLbjc96IlUlfua-zm3HLrEk8wOcmDu7rtB5aUbeM7KHX-A3lxmUNWmy0NtsfO-IXrRZ1GUEKB68Eib49R0FPw0jq81WBxGYcLCIkv_yT_UGQyCysfRkz7wH3S08/s200/GrabButtonLinkParty.jpg" /></a><br />

where i've been...

I realize I somewhat dropped off the blogging map last week without so much as a mention (if anyone even noticed), so I thought I would share a brief update on where I have been. It just so happens I have been right here in my own backyard. The lovely Chicago Burches decided to make the trek out to Phoenix for the highly anticipated "Purple" - a golf tournament my son Peter started about 6 years ago, which has become quite the tradition (Peter is big into planning events and making traditions out of them - see here and here). Thus, between swimming, playing, talking, laughing, shopping, eating, more eating and smooching on babies, I have not even touched the computer, let alone had a minute to collect my thoughts long enough to have anything at all to write (and, I must admit, it is nice to take a break sometimes). Now that I am sitting down, of course, I can think of hundreds of things to write about... but that is neither here nor there. We had lots of fantastic family time during the week and when the boys were gone for the weekend playing golf, the kids continued to have tons of fun running all around with their cousins. I hope these are the memories they hold onto when they grow up. They certainly are a wonderful group of kids, if I do say so myself.

And what better way to entertain all the kids while the dads are off playing golf, than to take them to the most fantastic candy store in Phoenix (and quite possibly anywhere), Smeeks. You know you are in a fine establishment when you walk in with 16 kids and they welcome you with open arms. If you haven't been already, go. Go now. I promise you will enjoy yourself.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to take a picture of 16 kids? To get them all willing to sit there and look and cooperate... tough stuff. Suggestions are greatly appreciated.

So, that is what my week looked like. Pretty fantastic, no?

How was your weekend? Do anything fabulous for memorial day?

Lots to share this week with what is new in the store, new with the kitchen remodel and Jen is hard at work putting together a most fantastic blog post about her Italian wedding for us all to gush over. As always, we love to hear what you think!

Seeing a Monarch butterfly—in any stage of the lifecycle—is, and continues to be, the biggest thrill for me. Capturing this shot of a Monarch caterpillar as it begins the formation of a chrysalis is the photo that makes me happiest.

What I like about the photo (click to enlarge) is the depth-of-field, the lavender bloom of the lantana and the detail of the caterpillar attached to the arched plume of fountain grass. The background is the gray flagstone of my garden walk.

This caterpillar left the planting of milkweed in the garden and chose to use a container arrangement for the chrysalis! The Monarch butterfly successfully emerged and was also captured by my camera.

The Monarch butterflies will hopefully return to my area soon. There is now even more milkweed in my garden, a Monarch Waystation, ready to host the amazing stages of the Monarch lifecycle.