Oh, Serge!

It's all mine! Can you believe it? My husband surprised me this morning with a Husqvarna-Viking Huskylock 936! I can hardly stand it. I am going to serge everything that doesn't move! It has a built in sewing advisor that helps set tension etc. when starting a project. You select the fabric you will be using and it adjusts itself automatically-very cool. We were laughing that some of my "fabrics" may not be in the system...newsprint, Capri Sun pouches, plastisized maps...

Heritage Rose

One of my "Heritage" David Austin English Roses has 36 buds on it! Wahoo. The Garden Club came to check the progress of the plants yesterday. The consensus was that we should hold the garden walk "when the hydrangeas bloom." The garden walk is when the neighbors are issued hand-colored tickets and invited to walk around my yard. We serve brownies and lemonade and make a small speech about our mission to learn about plants. We welcome questions. The girls narrate the walk around the yard. I love these girls and to hear dahlia and nasturium tripping off their tongues makes me truely happy. We have a new rose bed this year and they have already memorized their names: McCartney, Whisper, Diana:Princess of Wales, Royal Ameythst, Remember Me & Secret. I'll post a picture of the new bed soon.

Swedish Clock

I love this! I call my decorating style "Swedish Beach house" - blue & cream fabrics, china collections, plate racks. I thought that a little clock on the stove would be a cute touch...so I made one out of a "Swedish Style" pancake & waffle mix box. It is sooo cute. What? Oh, no, I haven't tried the mix yet. Priorities, you know.

Simply Strawberries

It is really fun to pull off at a roadside stand and find carton after carton of sweet smelling strawberries. Can it really be time already? Is this the year for freezer jam? I have been repurposing empty Smuckers jam jars into polka dot painted vases this Spring...should I should I go backwards and actually use jam jars for jam? I like to ask the big questions on Monday.

Glen Arbor at Dusk

I love to spend the morning shopping in Glen Arbor with my Mom. Our first stop? Bittersweet, a home store that has both Japanese and Swedish influences (love it!) - check the link to see what I mean. It was love at first sight many years ago and each Summer I look forward to seeing the furniture, displays and design elements that Mary has found. In addition to everything else, what do I always buy on my first trip? A plant. Bittersweet has lovely little plants that add such a nice touch around the house. My favorite? A Maidenhair fern. This photo was taken outside of Le Bear restaurant in Glen Arbor- look at the soft apricot colors!

Blue For You

Last year my Nikko Blue hydrangeas were happy, healthy & loaded with blooms. The only thing they weren't? Blue. My soil requires the addition of MirAcid to amend the soil acidity and make them blue - which I forgot to do last year. So today's the day (plus I have to remember to add it a few more times this summer). I promise to show you the glorious results!

Heirloom Tomato Soup with Cilantro Sorbet

We just planted our tomato and pepper plants (red, yellow & orange) and I am already looking forward to all the recipes I can create with our bounty. I had this delicious Heirloom Tomato Soup with Cilantro Sorbet at the Palmetto Cafe in the Charleston Place Hotel in Charleston, SC. It was the perfect cold soup on a steamy southern afternoon. The split bowl presentation was beautiful and has inspired me to try this technique myself. Now I just have to wait until...August? I have no idea how long it will take for the tomatoes to grow & ripen, but I'm ready!

Always Try

Always try to capture your life in photographs - even when you think it may not "come out." I was in a moving (speeding?) car driving across France with my parents when I snapped this shot through the passenger window. I turned off the flash and gave it a try. Amazing. We were just outside of the town of Dijon, hence the mustard fields. I could have tried to describe a field that was completely yellow, but would my words have done this justice? Always try.

History of Delight

Did you know that in 2005, Delight totes first debuted as graphic art in a Northern Michigan gallery art sale & exhibition?

It has been a wonderful 2 years for DELIGHT and I am proud to say that my most popular covers are now available as totes at www.annereeves.etsy.com.  

I describe Delight totes as very "Tokyo," meaning that they are fresh, modern and push graphics into fashion. I want to look at what I love, so I designed a daybag based on the cover of a magazine with article titles I would read and photographs I enjoy. See the interview with me (in the sidebar below left) to hear me explain it. :-)

Movie Guide purse

Totally cute, eh? I designed this Movie Guide purse for my niece last Fall and I plan to offer it on my website www.anadesigns.com as part of a limited edition collection. It is super-thin and totally worthy of a night out. I just had to show you. Ocean's 13, anyone?

Raspberry Sundae Peony

This is my favorite peony, Raspberry Sundae. It is supposed to look like a scoop of vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce poured over it - love it! I found it in the Martha Stewart garden collection at Kmart, back when they had Martha Stewart brand plants- 1999? I love to cut a blossom and display it in our foyer. As long as you put a cage around the plant for support, peonies are easy to grow, bloom year after year and make a lovely show long before your roses are in the mood. Ants you say? Simply submerge the blossom under water and they will all float off. No worries!

Market Day

On Saturday, my friend, Barb, and I went down to Detroit's Eastern Market. It was a perfect morning and with a wagon and a camera we made our way through display after display of flats of flowers, fresh produce and local bakery vendors. I bought some gorgeous tomatoes, stalks of rhubarb about 3 ft long (yes, I want more crisp!) and loads of blueberries. We stopped to contemplate our choices (Barb wanted some flats of flowers) and had cider and fresh donuts.
Oh happy day. We went to Barb's favorite spice store and as I checked out, I realized that I have a salt collection. I bought 2 beautiful containers for $1.99/each to display in my kitchen. Yes, display. I will probably never open them - I love graphics and often buy things for the packaging more than products. Anyway, with 2 more packages, I think what I have at home now constitues a collection.