Mosaic Monday on the Lanai

Another Monday and another mosaic! The days are just flying by with all the activity in blog land. Join Mary at Little Red House to see all the amazing mosaics.
If you have been following my last couple of posts you might remember that today is a stay at home, restful, catch up, cup of tea kind of day. The pink pajamas will stay on for a while and then we might go out to lunch. I think a lazy morning is probably all I will be able to do.
When I first moved to Florida and had a lanai, all I could think about was a poolside garden. I had lovely large pots and I filled them with gardenias, hibiscus and lemon trees. I had collected some wrought iron pieces which I arranged on the walls. It was beautiful. We headed back up north for the summer. When we came back the lanai was covered with black mold! The monsoon-like downpours that happen in Florida over the summer had splashed the rich potting soil all over…..So now I have silks. We put the pots away for the summer and set them up when we come back. I replace them every 3-4 years. I can still look out and see greenery but no more black mold.
The mosaic below is done with Photoscape.


The mosaic below was done with Picasa.

The header on my blog is a picture from the lanai wall that I took into Photoshop and turned into a painting done with a palette knife.
Have a great week!

Food for thought…..

This week I am joining Jain at Once in a Blue Moon for her new event beginning on January 16.

 

 

 

Food and reading are a perfect match. I love to read and primarily use my Kindle but every so often I come across a book I have to have in hard or soft cover. Tuscany for Beginners is such a book. Brits living in Tuscany rule the roost and believe that they are the true royalty of the region. Egos abound and the recipes are a travesty to good Italian cooking. The book is just amusing and a good belly laugh or two are contained between the covers.

Imogen Edwards-Jones captures the lives of her characters with great wit and understanding of human nature. I most likely would not try any of the recipes (particularly as the book progresses) but I have developed a fondness for Prosecco!

 

 

 

This a book about perception and reality. It is truly a good read. I keep a copy in my guest room and all who have read it have been truly amused. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

Pink Saturday for a Monday Morning……

Another Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.


I have been working very hard to get my house in order since we got back to Florida in November. I was sidelined by a nasty cold and an even nastier flu bug. My upstairs room was in a shambles as I waited for all to be done there. The holidays were wonderful but busy. So I decided that I need a day off – or at least a morning. I am planning on Monday.
I love our bedroom and as I looked around the room I was amazed at all the pink!! I was appalled at all the dust as well but that is another story for another time. I will put all the pillows on the bed and set the bed tray as if I were having tea in bed, gather my unread quilt magazines, stay in my pink pajamas and generally just have a lazy morning. I may even stop by and say hi to my followers.
First I will set the scene.
The bed tray I found at Bed, Bath and Beyond and the Royal Albert China is Old Country Roses and I found that at Marshall’s. The bedding is from Pottery Barn at few years back and the quilt I made. The pattern is Rosy Romantic and is a Kaffe Fassett. The fabric used in this one is Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett. I made this a few years ago and have made several more of this pattern as gifts.




The pillows I embroidered on my embroidery machine. They were fun to make and unfortunately I have no idea where I put the cd with the design on it.

All my perfect morning needs now are some pretty pink tulips like these at Fresh Market.


Some pink candy might be good as well.


Happy Pink Saturday! Don’t forget to go see the Pinks!

Salad for supper…

At St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota is a restaurant called Columbia. There are a few more scattered throughout the state. On a sunny but not too warm day it is fun to sit outside with a pitcher of Sangria and have their 1905 salad and people watch. The salad is quite garlicky so it is best if everyone you are eating with has the salad too.
The restaurant started in 1905, so the salad most likely gets its name from this date.

1905 Salad
½ head of iceberg lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes, cut in eights
½ cup Swiss cheese, cut in julienne strips
½ cup ham (or turkey or cooked shrimp) cut in julienne strips
1/4 cup green Spanish olives, pitted
2 teaspoons grated Romano cheese

Salad Dressing Ingredients
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin Spanish olive oil
4 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons lemon juice


Mix garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce in a smaller bowl. Beat until smooth and slowly add olive oil to form an emulsion. Add vinegar and lemon juice.
Toss together all salad ingredients in a bowl, reserving the Romano cheese.
Add to salad and mix well. Add cheese and toss again.

Mosaic Monday and my 100th post!

Happy New Year! I know I am a little late. I just can’t seem to catch up. The holidays were wonderful and I hated to put all the decorations away. I  am already planning for next year! My new sewing studio/office/guest room is almost done. I am so anxious to accomplish something creative! I have had to force myself to organize and sort before I start. Today I bent the rules just a tad and did some embroidery on my machine. I helped my friend who owns 2 quilt shops on Friday and Saturday at the Ft. Myers Quilt Show. I know there will be no sympathy from up north but Florida is cold and the civic center was freezing! The quilt show was lovely.
Every Monday Mary at Little Red House hosts Mosaic Monday. She encourages and helps with technique and instruction. Stop by and see what fabulous work the participants contribute.
It just does not seem possible that I have written 100 posts! I started blogging to take my mind off smoking! I needed something that kept my hands busy and my mind occupied so I would not stray to the cupboard or the refrigerator. And I got hooked on blogging. I have learned so much and “met” so many wonderful bloggers. And I don’t smoke. It will be a year in February…yeah.
I think the “funnest thing” I have learned how to do is make mosaics or collages. You have all shared your techniques and tricks most generously. Thank you. The following are some of my favorites.



 


So another year approaches. I will be back next year. Serendipity needs to have a face lift (I could probably have one as well) and I need to learn how use the Mac to do all these wonderful things I did with Windows.
Again Happy New Year everybody!