Surrounded by Color

I just can't get enough color this spring...everything is bright, beautiful and colorful...I can add happy and joyful to the list as well!

As seen out and about town....

Yesterday before I went to work ( I have the most fun job in the world...more on that later). I stopped in to a few of my favorite stores and got some spring time inspiration. I usually look at a display and think to myself... "I can make that".... and know that I will have so much fun doing it! Here are some of the things I saw yesterday and are now part of my visual note book.






For the birds..lots of bird inspired decorating items.





How about a lovely pot of tea?





Isn't this a great sign?





How about this? Inside this huge store they have all these shipping containers with teak floors as rooms..omg, they are amazing..I want one flown to a hillside to use as a remote cabin...don't laugh..just look up shipping containers and see what has been built with them...amazing! HERE

News Flash!

Photo just in..Claire wearing my little crocheted blanket in a most unconventional style...as a head scarf and in this photo covering her lap while she sits in her little chair called a "bumbo"



"Oma, is it true you made me a hat?..I am so excited to see you on Mother's Day...I am saving up all my laughs for when you come down!"

Claire's new garden cloche hat...

Using Lily Cotton and Cream for Claire's little cloche hat, I was so happy to find this pattern HERE. Anneliese who is so generous has provided this great tutorial and her little model is adorable! Make sure you check out her blog..so beautiful! Since I am still learning (does it ever end) I think I might of interrupted the pattern into my own way..but I think the outcome looks sweet. Claire will not mind if her Oma didn't follow the pattern perfectly,will she?

Adriana's Barranquilla

We have friends..Adriana ( who is from Colombia) and Greg (Canadian) that moved back to Colombia a few months ago..She sent me these wonderful photos of where they are settling in. About 5 years ago, Jim and I went to Colombia for 3 weeks when Shane and Laurie were living there and had always hoped to go back. It is a beautiful country with friendly people, terrific food and the scenery is amazing....Maybe the time will be right to go back next year...who knows..















Barranquilla, Colombia

Barranquilla is the major industrial city on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. It lies at the mouth of the Magdalena River. Barranquilla is known as Curramba the Beautiful (Spanish: Curramba la Bella), and those hailing from Barranquilla, like international recording artist Shakira and Boston Red Sox shortstop Edgar Rentería, are known as "Curramberos."

Climate
Located not too far from the Equator, the city has a year-round tropical climate, averaging almost 90°F (32°C). From December through March the trade winds bring relief from heat. The rainy season usually begins late in May and continues through October, when there are showers nearly every day, although the skies are mostly clear during the month of July when an odd season known as the San Juan Summer prevails.

Culture
The most popular cultural event is Barranquilla's annual Carnival (Carnaval de Barranquilla), which is celebrated 4 days before Ash Wednesday and is broadly recognized as one of the world's largest Carnivals. Residents claim it is second only to the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. In November of 2003, UNESCO proclaimed it as one of 28 different "masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity". Giving additional weight to the city's cultural life is the famous hall of the Banco de la Republica where exhibitions of fine paintings and sculptures are held.

Cindy's Thrifty Finds!

I have been on the lookout for a tarnished shabby tray for a couple of my glass garden cloches...sending Cindy the dimensions I needed..she was so sorry to report she only found this one for herself...She polished it up...left it a bit tarnished..and put few beautiful yellow spring blooms in it to grace her table...well done Cindy....you still have a chance to find mine for me!

Caroline's Cake....

Here is my sweet sister Caroline's recipe to share. I made it today and it was a hit!

1/4 c melted margarine or butter
1 egg beaten
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-8 oz can of fruit cocktail
Add 1 1/2 cups of flour
1tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together
turn mixture into 9x9 pan

( I used a removable bottom fluted tart pan),

sprinkle with a 1/4 cup of brown sugar....bake for 35-45min

in 400 degree oven or untill done.
Enjoy and have a great day.

Claire as an Easter Bunny

Just melt my heart..my sweet little one and our beautiful family.

I love this cute little serious photo of Claire with her Easter Ears on! I wonder what she was thinking about when Jeremy and Julie took this photo? And better yet..what we she think when she see this years down the road? So sweet!


Here she is less serious and a lovely pink outfit including her rabbit!





My Cindy decorated her tree at the front of her house to welcome her family for Easter dinner...we wish we lived closer to her as she is an awesome cook as well as a baker..pumpkin spice cake for desert! Oh what a dinner we missed!


To say nothing about the treats that were at each place setting with a little gift of an egg cup! Easter might be over but the memory lingers on. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Seen thru our windshield...

Jim and I went on a picnic yesterday to Oliver. As we drove along the lake and saw the Buffalo Aircraft ( of the History Channel fame Ice Pilots NWT) doing touch and go's on the water...flying really low to pick up the water and then dumping it....they are doing these training runs for the fire season coming up! Would not of wanted to be kayaking any where near where they were dumping all those gallons of water!








Land locked and abandoned...what a sad sight to see this once beautiful old boat just rot away in a farmers field..It must of been a glorious sight to see the MV Golden Dolphin ply the waters of our beautiful Okanagan Lake long ago. "sigh"




We headed towards Summerland and took a wrong turn...we always look at this as an opportunity to see something new..we were very surprised to see all this farmland in a valley right below the town..who knew?....not us apparently.




There flowers grown on the hillside..they are called
Arrow-Leaved Balsamroot

Balsamorhiza sagittata
L.sagittata arrow-shaped; balsa reference to the root scent of Balsam pitch.
Description. A perennial of the Sunflower family, and growing to 20-8-cm (8-32”) tall, the Arrow-Leaved Balsamroot is likely the most recognizable flower of our native areas. The plant, growing from a woody taproot, has arrowhead-shaped leaves up to 12” long, silvery green and covered with felt-like hairs. Balsamroot blooms in spring, with bright yellow daisy-like blooms, and then goes slowly dormant as the heat of summer increases. The plant can be found carpeting the dry grassy slopes of Knox Mountain Park.( which is near where we live.)

Historical plant use. All parts of the plant were used by the Interior Native peoples as a food source. The young leaves were eaten raw or cooked, the roots were roasted or dried, and the seeds pounded into flour. Elk, deep and sheep graze on Balsamroot throughout the year.





So there you have it...all these photos except for the flowers above were taken from the car..some thru the windshield and others when Jim stopped and I rolled the window down! Our picnic was lovely...the weather was spring like with only a hint of a breeze..it was indeed a good day!

Easter eggs..focus52/16

It is not a secret in our family that my Jim does not like eggs..no eggs for him..none...except in all things baked!
But I love eggs....all eggs..scrambled, hard cooked, poached, in an omelet, deviled, and especially colored for Easter. I tried Suzanne's method for marbled eggs but hers turned out much better...{click on her name to see her lovely marbled eggs}..I am definitely a pastel sort of gal..but I was pleased with the 5 eggs I made..my fingers can attest to my egg dyeing effort!
It was a beautiful day here yesterday..we walked in the sunshine and it was 17c.= 63f = :) fabulous down by the water. Why is it that when the sun shines, everything seems more wonderful? I am not going to question this gift!









How I learn...

With my IPad on to the pattern I am trying to learn...I am able to teach myself with some of the great tutorials that are out there...some are in written and others are in video format. Here is the bottom of the bag I am making from Lucy . Her step by step tutorials on how to make this bag as well as many other lovely and colorful projects are clear cut and rather funny at times. She writes in such an enjoyable and entertaining way.




The start of the bottom of the bag...at this point you can fold it in half and it will become a bird decoration...check out her site for that as well.




The yarn that I am using..merino wool and cotton blend.






The newest British Country Living as well as British Country Homes and Interiors..( a wink to Suzanne..the magazine maven)





This is Lucy's bag...every time I see it I just "sigh" so I knew I had to learn how to make it for myself..I saw one similar to this in Artful Blogger from Raina at Raining Sheep. She was kind enough to tell me about Lucy and where I could find the pattern..the other good news...I found a fabulous knitting store here in Kelowna...I will be joining group of knitter's to learn more techniques...the wool is amazing...photos to follow!


Have a wonderful Easter Weekend where ever you are! :)

Oh the fun of it all...

Today was one of the most fun days I have had...crocheting wise...just time to play and learning how to make some wristlets I found this lovely blog..

Here...Attic24..
Lucy has the most wonderful tutorials and patterns available...check it out...this is where I learned to make these wrist warmers.

Ta-Dah!

I was so pleased with myself I took a photo of me in the mirror wearing them!

I also finished knitting the green scarf.....made a new flower....the one with the pink edging and learned from Lucy how to make a bobble edge from the wrist warmers...

The bobble edging still had to be added on..a good after thought I think!

Color....

A burst of color to welcome spring...when ever spring decides to make an appearance..cold all over BC...understandable...but here in the sunny Okanagan Valley...how is this possible?...however without complaining too much about the weather...the sun is shining brightly and rising earlier and setting later everyday..surely spring will find it's way here to us! :)