Molten Works Glass Studio: Express Yourself in Color

I didn't know quite what to expect when I signed up with a few friends for an evening of glass fusing at Molten Works Glass Studio in Woodinville, WA.  I knew that I would be allowed to do whatever I wanted with color and that's all I really needed to know. It was so much fun and I definitely want to try it again, especially when all of these supplies are at our disposal.

The Junior League of Seattle often has social nights for the members to reconnect and enjoy each other's company. This Sip n Fuse night was a really neat way to gather members across the city on a work night to relax and create. They had live music with the blues duo Blue Healers and I absolutely loved their sound. Bravo.

Molten Works also has a small bar serving wine, beer, alcoholic seltzers and sparkling water spritzers. So perfect. 

I decided that I wanted to try a landscape, so I sketched a scene of stairs leading down to a favorite Lake Michigan beach from a photo on my phone. The ink burns off in the kiln, so I don't have to worry as I sketched my idea.

I hope it looks generally like this after it is fired; I really like it and I know exactly where it is. I also liked that the sand-like frit could be sprinkled between the worn boards of my stairs to look like sand. So cool!

It was all I could do not to start on another piece right then. I mean, I had so many Ideas when I saw this striated blue glass.

I highly recommend a Sip n Fuse night in Woodinville. It felt really wonderful to create and chat and make something permanently pretty. Delight can be trying something new.

#glassfusing #colorwheel #creatingart #finddelight @blue_healers
 

Chateau Ste Michelle Winery: Weekday Wine Flight

While Heidi was visiting, I took her to the perfect place that would allow us to sit and talk but still experience something special in our area, Chateau Ste Michelle winery!

It wasn't busy midweek and it was the perfect place to stop in after driving her around the Eastside after lunch. I was happy to see a lovely menu available in case we shown up at a different time of day. I will keep this in mind for future guests coming to Seattle.

The grounds are beautiful and daffodils were blooming. It was chilly but the rain stopped and it really felt like spring. I would love to sit outside here on a warmer day. Chateau Ste Michelle has an outdoor summer concert series that my travel schedule hasn't synced up with all these years, but this summer I hope to snag tickets to a concert.  

#chateaustemichelle #woodinvillewinery #flightofwine #finddelight 

 

Northwest Flower and Garden Show: Viva la France

The Northwest Flower and Garden Show...a French influence. Today I will highlight the booths and displays with a decidedly French feel. 

I was so happy to see Woodinville Lavender at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle. I spent a lovely afternoon there last June when the fields were in full bloom and it looks just as beautiful as their poster - breathtaking. I was also impressed with the extensive selection of lavender products in their shop and vowed to come back to the farm to purchase even more. Lucky for us, they brought the store and more to the garden show. Sachets, tea, culinary lavender, soap and even an array of lavender-themed dishtowels, porcelain mugs and books. Look at the table (below) brimming with live lavender plants. 

Every garden deserves as touch of ooh-la-la and lavender provides it.

Rose Marie Designs' booth was teeming with women imagining themselves in lace-trimmed dresses, fabric flower coursages and white-on-white ensembles. The effect of white parasols and fairy lights drew women to her booth like moths to a flame. Gardeners love beauty and Rose Marie has it.

My husband actually saw this booth of fine French linens first and waited to see my reaction as I came upon it.  Be still my heart.  If I remember correctly many were made by Garnier Thiebaut and all of them were of the highest quality. It is times like this that I curse myself for not logging my kitchen and dining room table dimensions into my phone. The image above is the display of dishtowels - I recognized several that I have and several that I have been coveting. 

Honestly a girl needs to be warned before she is faced with such a selection. I did not expect to find French linens at a Flower and Garden Show, but they are certainly welcome in my book. The booth was named MD Arts and Linens, but unfortunately the referenced website (www.provencedecor.com) is not active, so I can't send you to his shop. Come back to the show next year? You bet!

Seattle: Lavender Farm in Woodinville

Provence? No, Seattle!  This beautiful lavender farm is in Woodinville, Washington - just 10 minutes north of where I stay in Redmond, an eastern suburb of Seattle. (*Note: this farm closed to the public in late 2016. It has changed its business plan to concentrating on hosting private events)

The breeze was light and fragrant when I pulled into the little driveway at Woodinville Lavender Farm.  I arrived just 30 minutes before closing, perhaps the perfect time to get a picture - I had the outdoor space to myself.  I introduced myself to the shop girl, Rachel, and she encouraged me to wander the perimeter of the gardens and enjoy the space.  The lavender is not quite ready to cut, I was there at the perfect time!  There are other large sections of the farm with different lavender varieties that bloom at different times.

The farm is available for private events and I can't imagine a lovelier spot to wander around with a glass of wine. There is a lot to be said for anticipation and being able to look forward to an evening at a lavender farm would be at the top of my list. There is a romance to it, isn't there?

The porch out that leads to the lavender shop offers a variety of healthy plants for sale - if I could keep them alive in my hotel room and then tucked them in my suitcase, I would have bought an armful. Look how beautiful they are! And I saw many types in bloom (in pots) that I have never seen before.

I saw a little boy eating an ice cream on the back patio and I had the wisdom to ask inside about it.  Yes! They sell lavender-kissed ice cream bars and pints. They are made locally by Whidbey Island Ice Cream company and after much deliberation I chose the "Chocolate Chardonnay Lavender" ice cream bar dipped in chocolate.  Yep, I do it all for you.  Sometimes delight requires research (wink).

I am going to take a minute and list the choices of chocolate dipped ice cream bars, just so you can see their commitment to lavender delicacies.

• Vanilla Lavender
• Hazelnut Lavender
• Cardamom Lavender
• Coconut Lavender
• Strawberry Champagne Lavender
• Blackberry Lavender
• Chocolate Lavender
• Chocolate Orange Lavender
• Chocolate Chardonnay Lavender

My ice cream bar was so good, I joked with my husband that it was "made with cream from cows whose feet never touch the earth" poking fun at the ever-growing list of foodie descriptions. 

I intend to return and the Strawberry Champagne Lavender ice cream bar has my name on it! 

I was impressed with the extensive selection of lavender products available for purchase. This sweet-smelling shop has everything from art and lavender essence, to sachets and books - you can peek at their selection here.

I love it here and I am so thankful that I can share it with you.  So many people travel to the Seattle-area and I like to think that they may find me on Google and find some ways to make their trip even more delightful. A stop at a lavender farm (June-August bloom time) will do that for sure!  Are you in town July 11th? Woodinville Lavender is hosting their own lavender festival! 

Remember when I went to a lavender festival in Michigan? Loved it!