just a corner.

 a little
corner
of my world.
in the living room.
i miss walking on the beach and playing in the waves every day.
franklin, tn. would be perfect, if we had a sea....
 Mr. dan and i have been exercising in our neighborhood pool.....as it remains way too hot to play outside, unless swimming.
it was certainly not fun to deal with the
 demise of our A/C this week.  oy.
yes, an unexpected big expense and a reminder of what it is like to live without this luxury.
we take so much for granted in this world!

i have been using this old washbasin as a side table this summer.
in the past, i have used it on my back deck, as a water feature with fishies swimming around....and it may end up outside again...some day....things seem to change around here.  good grief.

ah shells!  i heart the beach.

i love this white ceramic lantern, that i found while junkin around ......i yanked the old electric guts of it ......turned it upside down......and use it as a vase now.
i may have it rewired some day....it would look pretty lit from within and hanging from the ceiling.

big Kit-Ten wants to know...
who said,
 these were the
" dog days of summer"?

keep cool.my friends.

♥
erin


partying at...
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/07/vintage-inspiration-98-talking-trash.html
and
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2012/07/feathered-nest-friday_26.html

back....

beach brain
sand
 and all....
and quite bummed.
post vacation blues, i suppose.....
playing with photos and listening to dave matthews, with a cocktail
 helps.a little.

 being
 back
is
for the birds.

♥
erin

beach bound...

i'll be back...
beach brain and all.
♥
erin

summer hydrangea harvest

 monday was a fabulous day!

just the kinda day i crave.

 i spent the early morning in the gardens

 harvesting some hydrangea blooms for drying.

i like to wait to cut these beauties,

 until they are just starting to turn a paler shade and feel slightly papery.
no need to put them in water, as they are starting to "dry" by themselves.

 i sat tucked under the back porch stripping the leaves off the stems.

the neighborhood very quiet today, as the golf course is closed and it was too hot for most to play outside..

i find stripping leaves and fondling these huge blooms, oh so relaxing.

 blue has been my favorite color my whole life,

with green being a close second.

 what is it about these beautiful flowers that make us swoon?

 i am not even sure what i will do with all of these flowers, but the creative potential makes me giddy.
 yes, a very good day...

 playing with flowers.

outside, in my favorite "room" ....
where i recently added some of my vintage hankies, up top,
 as a makeshift banner.
recently stained the deck too!
in a light grey...which i am lovin.
i'll tell you more about that later...

 of course, i had to bring some hydrangeas inside....

 i tucked some into my cement swans

and made a hydrangea garland for the mantel...

 the shades of blue and green blend beautifully with my latest painting.

 my painting,
"drifting" 

the idea suggested to me by my adorable bloggy friend and fellow artist cindy (thank you, sweets)
 AND inspired by all of the queen annes lace growing in the fields right now. 

i love wide open fields.

i am a claustrophobic.

an open area, like a field or a beach, calms me and makes me feel at peace...

so does, stripping the leaves off of a hydrangea.

my hydrangea garland ....

easily fashioned with strung twine and some clothespins.

easy is good.

summery blues and greens....

like ocean water.

the very best part of this day....

after my shower, i walked into the den and realized some clouds in the sky had darkened the room a little...

i walked to the window and i heard the gentle rumble of forgotten thunder.

and yes

it rained!

just a little, but it was better than nothing.

we continue to be hot and dry here,

and i continue to search for creative outlets and open spaces.

i am heading to the beach on sunday!

in some ways, i am already there.

♥

erin

happy fourth of july!

a light in the valley.

As we light a path for others, 

we naturally light our own way.

~mary anne radmacher

 

photo taken across the field, from my son Ian's house, 

in fernvale, tennessee..

the little church was completely obliterated by a tornado...

 that swept through this valley, a few years ago....

and here it is today...

 rebuilt...

and standing strong...

a little light in the valley.

happy sunday

♥

erin