Archives for May 2014

Making pretty with what you have

May 27, 2014

We hosted a little birthday celebration for my mom yesterday.
As we were driving back from the beach in the morning my mind began to wander as to what needed to be done once I got home to prepare for the party. Bake a strawberry rhubarb cobbler, clean the bathroom, marinate the chicken and asparagus for the grill, make a few flower arrangements…..

I wanted to be able to entertain mostly outdoors since it was going to be a warm evening but I began to get into a funk as I thought about our back porch which is looking a bit run down (plans to rebuild it next month!) and the fact that we needed new outdoor furniture and that I wished there was some money in the budget for some new plants and …… you get the point.
I stopped myself and said “Amy you can do this. You can get creative and make a beautiful outdoor experience with what you have. I know you can!”

After the car was unpacked and a visit to the market I got to work.
I swept the patio and porch clean (what a difference a clean swept space makes!) and unearthed the patio umbrella from the garage. I brought out a woven rug and laid it out on the porch. To serve hors d’oeuvres, I set up my antique ironing board with a pretty cloth napkin and glass jars filled with stems of Solomons Seal and Honeysuckle. I placed a piece of large flagstone on top of a clay crock and one on top of the stand that holds our fire pit to make little tables to set food and drinks on. I used a basket tray to place on top of one the tables for a homey feel and set out a bouquet of flowers and a votive. Instead of buying flowers, I made arrangements from my own garden of Lambs Ear, Catmint, Hosta leaves, Enonymous and Comfrey. I got out the birthday flags and stuck them in arrangements and planters and set out a chalkboard wishing my mom a Happy Birthday when she arrived.

When I was finished I stepped back and fell in love with the cozy outdoor party space made entirely with things found around my home and garden. Later that night as I was blowing out candles and cleaning glasses off of my makeshift tables I realized I hadn’t noticed all night how run down the porch was. I sort of like it now.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

May 24, 2014

It’s Friday and I am over at Tend with a Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble. Just in time for the holiday weekend.

Happy Weekend Friends! xo

Pasteli

May 22, 2014

This past Christmas a friend gifted us a beautiful box full of homemade Pasteli. The minute I bit into the chewy, golden, Greek pastry I was hooked. I actually hid it away from the rest of my family and ate the entire box myself! Feeling a bit guilty I asked her for the recipe so I could make it and share the next time. This delicious candy consists of only two ingredients ~ honey and sesame seeds. With sesame seeds containing high amounts of vitamins and nutrients and honey being an antioxidant, Pasteli is the perfect energy bar. Eat it for breakfast, as a lunchbox snack, a mid day pick me up or for dessert.

Pasteli

~2/3 cup honey
~1 1/2 cup sesame seeds

Bring honey to a slow boil over medium heat. Add sesame seeds and cook until it reaches 270 degrees on a candy thermometer (hard ball stage) stirring frequently. Pour onto buttered parchment paper and cover with second sheet of buttered parchment. Using a wide dough scraper level to 1/4″. Cool completely. Oil the blades of kitchen shears and cut (through parchment and all) into bite size pieces.

*Nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, or almonds are also common in some versions of pasteli.

You can remove parchment paper and store in air tight container or use a patterned parchment and store with it on. It’s fun peeling it off individual pieces~ just like a candy wrapper!

Assateague Island and Banana Boats

May 19, 2014

We ventured south for our annual Assateague Island getaway this past weekend. The weather was absolutely perfect and so was the time spent with our most favorite friends. If you have never camped on a beach, I highly recommend it. Falling asleep and waking to the sound of the ocean is pure bliss. The first night I was woken to a full moon streaming through our tent and the song of the Eastern Whippoorwill. The second night I fell asleep kissed by the sun and fresh air and slept like a log. Harry and I were the first ones up each morning to catch the sunrise and there were even a few wild pony sitings.
The kids romped in the water and played in the dunes which always reminds me of the book Roxaboxen.
There was a roaring campfire each night along with jokes and ghost stories.
And of course there were marshmallows and s’mores. But our favorite is a banana boat hot off the flames. It’s like a campfire sundae!

Banana Boats

Peel back one piece of banana peel.
Scoop out a channel and eat.
Fill channel with chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, peanut butter, fresh berries.
Pull peel back over and wrap whole banana in tin foil.
Roast over fire until warm and gooey.
Grab a spoon and dig in.

Mother nature creates the most beautiful vignettes

May 14, 2014

I love how at this time of year my house feels like it stretches it’s wings and extends out into the garden. Everything feels a bit more roomy, like we have put on an addition.
Our home takes a big inhale drawing in the light, palette, textures and shapes from the garden giving the inside a whole new feel.

Just as I favor certain corners of my home I am also drawn to specific corners in my garden.
A fern growing out of a rock wall, moss growing in between the cracks of a pathway, a climbing vine peeking through a fence, a chartreuse leaf intertwined with a deep purple one.

I like to create vignettes both inside and out but many times it’s mother nature that creates the most beautiful ones without my help at all.

Ask Yourself, Do I Truly Love This?

May 13, 2014

My all time favorite quote by William Morris is Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. I live by this rule and it has only allowed for order, appreciation and joy.
I can honestly say there is hardly a thing in my home that I do not love.

It’s amazing how much less is bought or accumulated when you ask yourself at the store or when looking through a pile of hand me downs “Do I LOVE this? I mean do I really, really LOVE this?” And yes this should apply to everything, even a broom or dust pan.

Above are a few things I brought home recently from the thrift/antique store that I truly love. They even give me a touch of the goosebumps I love them so much.

Arrow floor lamp (dining room)
Hand forged iron and brass sconce (dining room)
Unsigned still life watercolor (dining room)
Studio pottery pitcher (kitchen)
Black and gold wood mirror (living room)
Wicker bee skep (garden)

Note: In my Creating Space for Beauty and Simplicity in the Home subscription I will touch more on this topic along with simple practices and ideas on creating spaces that reflect beauty, originality and simplicity in the home.
Stay tuned!

New and Improved!

May 7, 2014

mantle

Hi Friends! Apologies for the little cat nap we have been taking here at Second and Edgemont. Actually there has been no napping involved whatsoever. There has been a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes thanks to my talented friend Kate!

Welcome to my new and improved site! Things are still quite the same but a bit more user friendly. There is now a gallery full of photos of my home and garden that will be updated regularly as well as a list of categories on the sidebar which will link you to past posts. Check out the Work With Me page for services I offer including garden consultations. And stay tuned for online subscription classes highlighting my Creating Space for Beauty and Simplicity series.

Check out Second and Edgemont’s Flickr and Instagram feed and head over to our Facebook page and like us!

For those of you who like to pin, you can now easily pin photos throughout the entire site directly to your Pinterest boards (check out Second and Edgemont over at Pinterest by clicking on the icon in the sidebar).

And don’t forget to click on Tend for loads of garden inspiration!

I am so excited for the change and some new and exciting things to come.

Archives for May 2014

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