Summer Solstice Weekend

 

 

Summer, my favorite season!
Happy Weekend Everyone!

 

Summer Days

Welcome long summer days, short warmer nights, the sound of birds and flutter of butterflies. Welcome farm fresh produce, enjoying meals outdoors, concerts in the park, days by the pool or beach and all that summer means to you.

Welcome Summer!

Enjoy your weekend!

Fluttering, Flying Garden Visitors

This time of year, the garden looks lush and mature and we have many small fluttering and flying visitors. The butterflies' beauty and miraculous metamorphosis is enchanting. And the dazzling dragonflies are attracted to our garden ponds.

A beautiful yellow swallowtail on a butterfly bush bloom.

And a delicate winged turquiose dragonfly on an oleander leaf.

I've attempted to capture their beauty in these photos. A search on Etsy for butterflies and dragonflies shows that these beautiful insects are inspiration to quite a few others, as well. Here are just a few of my fluttering and flying favorites from Etsy sellers and artists. Be sure to click on the photo, item name or shop name for more info on each of these beautiful pieces!

1902 Chromolithograph of North American Butterflies, from bananastrudel

An Adorable and Eco Friendly Organic Cotton and Hemp Blend Dress with a Dragonfly print, from ecoLoveOrganics

Mariposa - Monarch Butterfly OOAK Wool Felt Pin or Hair Clip, from pammydawn

Dragonfly keyhole series necklace, from UnderGlass


And this Tiny Collaged Playing Card Book FLUTTER BY BUTTERFLY, from ElizabethAbernathy

Toasted-Pecan Butter Cookies

Oh my gosh, you must try these! These are my new favorite cookies! The recipe for these Toasted-Pecan Butter Cookies is the "Cookie of the Month" recipe from the January '09 issue of Martha Stewart Living.

These delicate, crisp cookies have a rich buttery taste.

Toasted-Pecan Butter Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
3 1/2 ounces pecan halves, toasted (1 cup)
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted


(Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in oven, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and golden brown, about 10 minutes. )

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Break each pecan half into 2 or 3 pieces. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until pale. With mixer running, add vanilla and salt, then reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour, beating until just incorporated. Stir in pecans until distributed evenly. Cover dough, and refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes (or overnight; let dough come to room temperature before using).
Drop 2-tablespoon scoops of dough onto baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies are golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool. (Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 2 days.) Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

"These rich, crisp, delicate cookies owe their crumbly texture to confectioners' sugar. Pecans enhance their buttery flavor." Enjoy!

New Felted Wool Goodness

I have added a few new items to my Etsy shop this week.

DandlylionEggs put my Red Poppy Felted Flower Brooch in her Red Poppies Treasury. Have a look here at this pretty collection of poppy art.

And I added this cute, new green handbag. It has a beautiful floral print lining.

And last week I added this butterfly applique zippered pouch.

I am working on a series of these pouches with different appliques and a variety of colors.
More on those later!

I have been busy working on a couple of lovely custom orders for felted wool flowers, but tomorrow I WILL share my sweet recipe for Red Raspberry Sorbet! Until then. . .
have a great day!