My niece Jessie sent me a cute little handmade bag this winter.

  i was so impressed that she knew how to make them

 (although i shouldn't be, she's very creative).

it's lined and has a zipper at the top and 2 pockets. 

 one day i was on pinterest and a tutorial popped up on how to

make the little bags and i got the bug! i decided if she could make them

surely i could figure it out~ and i was off and running.

i had some fabric on hand, but no zippers, so i went shopping and tried making the

first one. i watched the online video and picked a random size to try

for my first attempt. for some reason getting the lining in correctly just

didn't make sense and i sewed and ripped and sewed and ripped about

5 times before i got it figured out. (i really think the video had it

backwards...) anyhooo, when i finally got that first one right i snapped

a few pictures so i wouldn't forget how to do it the

next time. i haven't sewed a zipper in anything for years, but thanks to

good old home economics and my gram, that part came back to me.

here's a view of how they go together~



this is the first one. the guinea pig of bags.

this one bag has now turned into 60 and counting.

:  )

 ************

what girl do you know that doesn't like a new bag for makeup, jewelry or 

misc. items in her purse?

i liked the idea of a metal zipper, but it turned out to be pretty

bulky so i've been using mostly plastic ones since.

i've made many more trips to buy fabric and that part is so fun.

you have to search to find the right combo of fabric that looks good together and 

that i think other girls will like, but now i have a pile of available

fabric choices piled up on a chair. : )

here's a lineup of the first batch

i had the opportunity to sell my bags at a charity event in eden prairie recently.

if you haven't discovered MADISON HOUSE INTERIORS yet, it's a really

fun shop. sarah, the owner/interior designer is funny and very talented.

she's recently started a non profit in the twin cities called

the healing chair.

this organization raises money and buys lift recliners to loan to

women undergoing breast cancer treatment.

i was excited to be a part of her launch and to help raise money

for such a worthwhile cause.

*coming to the event meant you got to eat complimentary bundteenies! yum

anywhooo, if you're in need of a fun little gift for someone special,

i have a whole bunch of my bags on hand.

thanks jessie, for inspiring me to dust off my sewing machine and 

try something new~

 i have soooo much gardening waiting for me outside that

i'd better dust off my rubber garden shoes now and get out there!

xo, beth

 it's april and it's friday and here's what i think. i think orange ranunculus

are the prettiest.

right after soft pink that is.

or maybe white.

or red.

ok, i just love them all. and today orange are getting their 5 minutes of fame.

you did not loose your eyesight. i thought these blurry (bokeh'd out) images were too

pretty to erase. they kind of look like monet paintings maybe?

and... seriously. these ranunculus have been on my table for 3 weeks. actually

over 3 weeks!  & yes, they are loosing their luster, but i love them from beginning

to end and they are still so beautiful to me as they fade and fall to the table.

today is april 8th and we just had a mini snowstorm.

what E V E R~

my girl and her hubby are traveling home from jamaica as i'm writing this

and they don't even care~ they miss their pup who's been

at my house and they're ready to be home.    'eh mon we're back!

i hit up my first garage sale of the year   < : D 

and stopped at a darling baby/kids shop in the

little town of victoria this morning. if you have littles in your life

you should check it out. 

keep it local.

it's called tazzie.

they have so many unique things for children

and moms and i love to see small independent

shops succeed. ( i used to own one myself).

it's my son's girlfriend's birthday today and she 

LOVES her birthday... 

and i just love it when people love their own birthdays!

it says something to me about them and how they

embrace gratitude and joy in their lives, how they aren't afraid to say

"hey i was born on this day and it might be my favorite day of the year.

i'm glad i was born~wanna celebrate with me?"

*other birthday lovers on that list are:

maggie, cindy, sue k.w.

*************

happy birthday sarah.

24 is a real good number.

xo, beth

weekend wrap~

Easter was last sunday and here's my little teeny table set for 6.

i did add glassware, silverware and removed the centerpiece for dinner.  : )

my china cupboard is right behind the table, so we just passed the food

and then set it all back there.

it was cozy, that's for sure~

i bought deep pink ranunculus this week, but am on the lookout for the 

soft pink ones that are my all time favorites. 

i hold on to ranunculus till they are just petals on the table because.....

why not?

 they just get prettier and prettier for days, swaying and drooping poetically.

now, the food. i don't like to cook right, so i asked lars if he'd like to

make the meal. (he does like to cook). i said i'd clean the house and

set the table and be his sous-chef.

he was up to the challenge and decided to make prime rib for the first time,

accompanied by mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted asparagus, ciabatta rolls and a 

lemon torte for dessert.

(my manly-man-hunter-gatherer husband likes to make fancy desserts)

: ) for reals.

he baked a yellow cake and cooled it. then he made lemon pudding. a lot of 

lemon pudding and cooled that, and then the construction began.

the sous-chef rustled up a pretty platter and lars cut cake to size and started

layering cake and lemon filling.

he got it 3 layers high, (i forgot to take a photo- HEY, don't judge, i was 

setting the table and making a pasta salad). things started to slide, so he

refrigerated it and hoped it would set up.

well~~~~~~       it didn't.

he handled it like a champ. he took one look at it coming apart in the fridge,

and said "ok, i'm mad, get me a bowl- it's going to be a trifle"

i was trying hard not to laugh, but of course i did, but we both knew

it was going to taste amazing anyway, so he scooped it all

into a bowl and whipped fresh cream for the top and moved on.

(it was delicious by the way).

there was no horseradish in the trifle. that my friends was for the meat.

the head chef consulted with a butcher at lunds/byerlys about how to

best prepare prime rib and it started with a rub.

then it rested...(and so did he). what followed was a carefully

orchestrated roasting. you start with a very hot oven to get a crust on the

roast, then reduce the heat and cook slower to a precise temperature.

you don't want to screw this up.

the verdict was that the meat was done to perfection. good job hon~

i forgot to take photos when everyone was in the kitchen, but here's the lone one of

3 of the kids. chris was here too- i promise. eric wasn't.

sweet sarah brought me this beautiful bouquet and chris and adria

brought shrimp cocktail for everyone.

later in the day, cole worked on projects in the garage. sarah calls them

his "dad jobs". she patiently hung out till he was done with a shelf he made

for liquor bottles & mason jar glasses, then she got busy and wowed

me with her painting skills to finish it off.

cole's also making cool state maps from weathered pallet wood.

i'm in charge of marketing for him, so let me know if you want one!

they are 24" tall and can be stained, painted or left weathered.

you can also have a favorite location marked on them with a 

heart or star.

before i end this, i have to show you the table and chairs i 

found free at a drop off site last week.

two friends and i were driving out in the country to tour a remodeled farm house

and a parade home, and i saw all this furniture piled by one

of those metal dumpster deals that are for clothing and shoes.

i said "sorry girls, but i just have to swing in and see what all this

stuff is". being the junker i am- i decided to squeeze as

many chairs in my small jeep as we could. 

3 fit- 4 was a stretch, but i thought 4 matching 

chairs would be useful for one of my kids. lol

well, my big hearted friend cindy immediately said,

"we'll go home and get my van and come back for the table

and the rest of the chairs." she wouldn't take no for an

answer-- i felt bad because it was about 30 minutes from home,

but she said she didn't mind (bless, bless, bless her!) and so we came home,

dropped off my car, got hers and headed back and 

praise Jesus, it was all still there!

can you even stand it? there are 8 chairs and two more boards

for the table too.

it's too big for my dining room, but it's going to be great for ad and chris.

: )

it needs a fresh finish on the top of the table but otherwise it's in really 

great shape.

one man's junk is another man's treasure, right? what a fun find!

________________________________________

*hey!  anyone need a box spring? free! please?

doesn't spring feel great? i had the windows open today and i raked

off one of my gardens. there are all kinds of bulbs peeking up

through the hard soil . i have a lot of yard work to do and i can't wait.

with adria's wedding last spring i was a slacker about the gardens both here and

up north, but i intend to get them shaped up this year. : )

it's so great how even if i neglect them, the perennials still come up and

bloom and it all just makes me happy.

have a good week, 

xo, beth

this is my dining room.

                                                                                                                      birch lane

*just kidding.

i don't even have a proper dining table right now.

i have a cute little number that seats 4 (barely) that i picked up at goodwill for $14.

i sold my antique one 2 years ago and am waiting for something really great to

find me. 

 i haven't looked reeeal hard, but occasionally i pop on one of these online

stores to see what's new. have you ever looked at these sites?

Birch Lane

Joss & Main

i spent some time perusing them this week and saved some

of my very favorite things to show you.

i love all these muted grays, browns and navy with a little

gold thrown in for a kick.  : )

joss & main

birch

table and chairs~  joss & main

birch lane. we're in the process of putting up galvanized lights something like
this at the lodge. (inside) i'll show you them when they are up.

birch

birch

ohh...this long mirror!    birch

and this beveled mirror. what a beauty~ again:  birch

joss & main

birch

birch

this bench and pillows~ joss & main

joss & main

i love trays with handles. this one is from~ birch

bucket, joss &main

i  just saw this art at a local shop (madison house in eden prairie)  joss & main

birch lane
my youngest could make this. he's making all kinds of stuff from pallet wood.

joss & main

*girlfriends need an outdoor recliner to read in*

birch

                        both of these accessories and the rug below are from joss & main

goodbye now,

go enjoy your weekend. 

if it's snowing~don't despair. we're more

than half way through march, it'll be

gone before we know it.

my daffodils and tulips are up in the

garden and i'm not covering them--nope

it's survival of the fittest here on 

canyon curve and i think they'll be ok.
it's holy week.
one of the things i love about easter is
it's association with flowers.
spring, flowers & resurrection,
praise Jesus!

xo, beth