Farmers Market

Farmers Market on Polyvore

Visiting our local farmers market is a highlight of summer.
I love supporting the local growers while
supplying my family with healthy produce.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the best that
your farmers market has to offer:

Blackberries & blueberries - the bottom of the container
should be dry, not moist or stained.
The berries should be ripened and plump, not squished.

Cantaloupe - Use your nose. It should have a distinct melon aroma.
And it should be firm and round.

Cherries - look for flexile, bright green stems

Okra - Find a small bunch (under 5 inches).
If it's long and tall, the okra will be tougher.

Sweet corn - Buy early in the day.
It looses its sweetness sitting outside all day.

And finally, get to know the vendors.
They can answer your questions and provide many tips.
Then enjoy shopping at your farmers market
as you "buy fresh, buy local"!

Coffee Station

As a hardcore coffee addict, I would be overjoyed to have my own coffee station. Currently, my "coffee station" is a simple Mr. Coffee machine - sitting next to my Betta fish bowl - on a small corner of the kitchen counter. It's not very stylish, but I can dream...

Coffee Station on Polyvore

Open shelving - Crazy Mary

Pull out tray and folding doors - the kitchen

Coffee shop style - decor pad

Modern and simple - homedit

Vintage kitchen area - White Vintage

Sleek machine and simple tray - Dust Jacket

Country style kitchen - mybungalow

Love the sugar cube art - homedit

Happy start to the morning - DCD Kitchen & Bath Design

Etsy

Amal Clooney's Style

Most successful lawyers usually dress in conservative suits with simple accessories. But recent celebrity Amal Clooney has broken the mold of stodgy barristers with her classic daytime outfits. And for fun, she throws in some unusual accessories and shoes. Every woman's favorite! Ever since her handsome husband George brought her international fame, Amal Clooney has shown the world how to dress in classic - but modern - style!

Amal Clooney - Street Style on Polyvore

My Luscious Life

Harpers Bazaar

Glamour

Tom and Lorenzo

Daily Mail

Daily Mail

Daily Mail

Creative Lemonade Stands

When my children were younger, they loved selling lemonade during the summer. (And they even had a donut and hot chocolate stand during the winter!) Luckily for them, their stand resembled a teeki hut. Built by a friend, the stand was unbelievably heavy to move to the street. But it was a visual magnet for every car and neighbor passing by. Just by seeing creative lemonade stands online, I can also picture sticky fingers and Dixie cups of watery lemonade. Enjoy these fun summer creations!

lemonade stand on Polyvore

Hostess with the Mostess

DIY instructions at Babble

DIY instructions at lil luna

HomeGoods

His Hands Photographs

Hostess with the Mostess

ivillage

Etsy

Grownup Treehouse

As we head into summer, my sweetest memories are of my children always playing outdoors. And their treehouse was their special summer hangout. In our backyard, we had a simple playhouse built on piers beside our pool. It's seen little use as my daughters have grown. But now it's a "happening place" again. My youngest teenage daughter decided it would make a great place for her and her friends to sleep in overnight. So my husband took it on as a project. He insulated it, put up beadboard walls and wired it for electricity. In a few years, it may not be used for sleepovers, but it will be a great studio for me to write and paint. A "grownup treehouse" is definitely in my future!

Grownup Treehouse on Polyvore

Midwest Living

Apartment Therapy

Apartment Therapy

Smart Creative Women

HGTV Gardens

Vintage Mother's Day

Mother's Day gifts can be inexpensive or extremely costly. Vintage-style presents are a popular choice. But while "vintage" might sound expensive, you have several options in gifts as well as wrappings. With a little research, I've gathered a few ideas for vintage-style presents as well as retro presentations.

Vintage Mother's Day on Polyvore (with links to all the items)

Teacup candle - Etsy

Botanical print - Etsy

Decorative plant stand - Amazon

Retro necklace - Amazon

And you can create Mother's Day cards and

tags with the vintage-look images below. 

Or you can cut and paste one of the graphics onto simple brown paper. 

So with little effort, you'll give your gift a touch of vintage style 

without the vintage price!

Free printable graphic & tags at Free Pretty Things For You

Free printable wine labels at The Graphics Fairy

Free gift tag printable at Sassaby