beach treasures

Did a little exploring & thrifting at the beach pre hurricane Irene... Found lots of goodies, some unusual ones too. I'll explain.

For 2 weeks I've been mesmerized by ANTLERS! 

The New Woodsman sells these (and other color combos) for $66 on Etsy.

Don't worry, they're "guilt-free-vegan," but sooo expensive.

Found this guy (don't worry, it's a mold too) thrifting for $10!

Now to paint you white. future post...

A seashell cluster! And barnacles!

Found on an island in NC by yours truly.

Fans for $1! Might paint these white too...

Oh how we love phones from the past, and it was under $15!

More Doilies (under $1!) 

More decorative stones... hehe

Last but not least.

A sweet piece of milk glass ($2.) Now to fill you with posies!

summer quiche

cleaning out the fridge before fruits & veggies go bad...

bell peppers, sweet corn, swiss & sharp. Yum.

2 is better than

This is where our bathroom towel bar use to hang... Not exactly functional. 

1. patch the hole.

2. find studs (umm measure twice.)

3. drill

4. mount 

5. hang another one! 1 bar for 2 people wasn't cutting it!

6. repeat steps 1 through 4 ;) 

+ 

paint touch ups...

2 is definitely better than 1. 

 (did i really document this? oh well, progress is progress.)

rock-stars

I have been admiring Renee Albright's work for a while. She is full of beautiful & creative ideas! Check out some of her stones...

My stone. Made by Me.

 stones we've collected from our creek...

You can do it too! I dare you.

all you need to do is sew the cloth doily together on the underside- so easy!

try Etsy or local thrift shops for doilies- so cheap!

F.O.S.

french onion soup

bouillon cube or fresh homemade broth, 

onions, shallots, white wine or sherry, Worcestershire, bouillon, S&P

french bread & gruyere 

soo good & cheesy :)

cake batter x 3

It started off as 1 batch of cupcakes...

Then Michelle used 1 cup of oil, instead of 1/3 cup!

Toss the batter or buy 2 more boxes of cake mix??

Yep, you guessed right.

34 cupcakes, and 1 cake later...

wrapping up the cake and some cupcakes to freeze... 

saran wrap first, then foil.

Frosting, and more frosting. A neapolitan 

frosting assortment- something for everyone.

vanilla & cream cheese cupcakes.

strawberry & chocolate cake.

having our cake & eating it too. oink. 

climb this

This photo is of our baby Clematis plant- it vines up mailboxes, lamp posts, etc., and blooms sweet, purple flowers. I've heard it takes a full year to root and get settled, but then it will shoot up our lamp post and bloom all Summer- well that's the plan for next year...
This little plant inspired me to finally get a ladder rest. I figured our Clematis would need a destination (goal) to reach, soo obviously this ladder rest is a crucial element ;)

Found it on Amazon for under $10

BEFORE

But I couldn't stand the gold balls...

AFTER

2 coats of black, leftover paint (from when I painted the lamp post this Spring,) and 

Tadaaaaa. Grow little vine, grow. We'll keep you "posted" on it's progress... hah.

Click here to see more of Robin's garden

I'm hoping to post a pic similar to this one next year... 

That's the goal!

fish & chips

It might be restaurant week here in Alexandria, but the Faber's are home cooking meals to clear the fridge before vacation...
Found these adorable baskets at Crate & Barrel outlet for under $1 and they had adorable packs of liners for $1! Oh, how could I resist...

cod & sweet potato fries

fresh from the garden

tomato salad

Step 1

chop tomatos & basil

Step 2

add fresh mozzarella or goat cheese

Step 3

and some EVOO, S&P, and balsamic vinegar

so easy & good