July 7, 2013

Weekend Update

Thanks so much to everyone who inquired as to how Connor fared during the fireworks. I am pleased to say that he did pretty well, possibly because he was squished on the sofa with me and buried under a mound of pillows. connorThis seems to help a lot when storms come in, or when there are fireworks, but obviously, it’s not a long-term solution.
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If you’re looking for a super easy summer dessert, try the dessert I made for a dinner the other night. It’s called Eton Mess, after the exclusive boys’ school in Windsor, England. It takes five minutes! imageBecause of the holiday, I made it with blueberries and raspberries. Here’s the recipe:
  • Blueberries/raspberries/strawberries
  • Whipping cream, or whipped cream
  • Meringues kisses.
  • Sugar
If you buy pre-made meringues, crush them slightly, not to dust, but so there’s still some shape left. Add sugar to the berries, if you want to layer the different berries, keep them separate during this step. Whip the whipping cream until it forms soft peaks, or just scoop it out of the container if you’re using pre-made whipped cream. Layer the meringue, berries, cream, berries, cream, meringue into a bowl/glass/dish. Et voila, you’ve got a simple summer dessert!
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I am adding things every day to my Etsy shop, including some yardage of the ScalamandrĂ© La Dame Aux Cameleas Imari on Black that I found stuck in the back of a thrift shop. You can read the story here. This sells to-the-trade for $400/yard, and I am offering it for $100/yard. It’s really a spectacular textile, with 20 colours, each handprinted. The funniest thing about this is that I had never measured the yardage on the bolt, and thought it was about five yards. Turns out it’s about 15.5 yards.
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There’s an auction at my favourite place this weekend, but I am still trying to get details about one of their gallery sales. If you’re interested in joining me on Saturday morning, just north of Baltimore, let me know. One of the lots they’re auctioning is some fossilized sharks’ teeth, which are actually fairly common along the Chesapeake Bay. sharketeethBu their estimate, I’ve probably got several thousand dollars worth of these stashed in an old tin, as a result of the collections of several of my older cousins.
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I did a favour for a childhood friend recently, and made her some graphics. She had seen something similar in a catalogue, but wanted them slightly different and more personal to where we live. I found the nautical charts for Maryland’s Atlantic coast and used that as a basis for the background. Then I found some great images on the Graphics Fairy (which you should check out) and inverted their colours… and some other things, and came up with these images.
sm for tks2 sm for tks1 sm for tks3
With some Photoshop magic and some non-copyrighted graphics, I was able to create exactly what she wanted for her house at the beach. I am playing around with some other images like these and might make them into fabric with Spoonflower. If you'd like a personalized image or some fabric, check my Etsy site for a customized creation.
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What did you do with your long weekend? Or your short one?

24 comments:

  1. You and your thrift shop finds!

    I may see you next weekend at your favorite place but I will have to work on getting you down I-95 for some fun summer auctions!

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    1. I know I need to come down 95! It's just been hard finding a chunk of time!

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  2. Wonderful fabric Meg... what a find! Your graphics are fabulous... she will love them, xv.

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  3. Meg, have you ever tried a "Thundershirt" for Connor? It's an anti-anxiety vest. One came with the rescued greyhound my daughter adopted. I believe they carry them at Petco and Amazon.com.

    You are lucky to have your cousins' sharks' teeth. I hate to think of all the (now desirable) beach glass that we picked up as children and then disposed of in one move or another.

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    1. We have tried the thundershirt, but it hasn't worked too well.

      Between the beach glass and the sharks' teeth, I coulda been rich!

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  4. Poor Connor! I kind of dread July 4th too because of a cat that's terrified by thunder and fireworks. I don't understand it because he's the one most fearless in other situations. But he runs from hiding place to hiding place without any relief and is a jittery wreck all night long.

    I have found it's helpful to seclude him to a room where an air conditioner is running so the white noise minimizes the impact of the fireworks.

    I did you Oxiclean experiment with great results. Will do a post about it.

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  5. Oh that fabric. If I had an extra $1,500 lying around I would claim it in an instant. Not sure what I would do with it but I know I would find a use. Also love the graphics you made.

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  6. Happy to hear dear Connor survived... what a perfect dessert... off to your Etsy shop now!!!

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  7. Poor Connor. Poor you. I remember going through that with our first dog. The other night, right at the height of all the noise, I made a Pepsi run to the store and on the way back, ran into a friend out for a walk with her dog, who looks just like Connor. There were firecrackers being thrown out of passing car windows and Roman candles shooting up from the the courtyard of the building across the street and the air was full sulfur smoke--and her dog paid absolutely no attention to any of it. In fact, he was a lot more interested in what treats I might have in my bag, which, sadly, contained only Pepsi.

    I told my friend I had never seen a dog that didn't flinch even a little at the noise, and she explained that he had been her grandfather's hunting dog, and that, to him, explosions meant adventure, not danger.

    BTW, that's a great idea for Spoonflower fabric using those shells. Then again, remembering g your Baltimore Toile of a few years back, I'm not surprised that you've got another winner on your hands.

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  8. Hi Meg,
    Fantastic Sclamandre fabric!! I'm glad that Connor survived the 4th. Jones got little tiny bit anxious and Luxie (baby sitting him) was completely fine.
    xoxo
    Mary

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  9. Hi Meg,
    I'm lad Connor was OK with the fireworks. My brothers dog was a basket case every 5th November so I know how you feel.

    I love that fabric but I'm thinking I don't have a space big enough on the boat to show it off. I see it as a large Roman blind.

    I wish I could join you at that auction and how clever are to? Tose images are great. It's anothe hot day here in Cardiff. Wish you were here :-)
    Di
    xxxxx

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    1. Yonks... the roman blind would be terrific! I think that even one of the vases on a pillow would be great.

      Wish you could be at the auction, too. But we'd probably get into a duke-it-out fight over things!

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  10. Lovely images from the Graphics Fairy of the shells! Have you tried a Thunder Shirt for your dog? We used one for our Golden, and it helped a bit. It's calming because it wraps them up tightly. Barb www.king-designs.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks! Tried Thundershirt and it didn't work well enough.

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  11. Hi, I just found your Blog thru Urban Cottage. I was drawn to it because my husband is from Baltimore - E. Clement Street - but he has lived in CT with me for over 40 years. I am commenting because of your dog. We have 2 dogs - one full bred Pit and the other part Pit and part who knows. Nina (the part) is terrified of fire works and thunder storms. She is so bad we got thunder pills from the doctor and they didn't help at all this time. We finally broke down and got a thunder shirt. I thought everyone who raved about it was nuts but OMG did is work. Poor Nina laid on the floor and went to sleep. It was well worth the money. Hope this helps your dog.

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    1. Thanks! I have tried Thundershirt, and it didn't work well enough... He works himself into a tizzy and really gets panic-y.

      I know exactly where Clement Street is! I lived on Locust Point for 10 years!

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  12. I love the seashell art. I get so frustrated every time I try to learn how to use photoshop. Maybe I should try again?

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    1. Alice... try PS Elements. it's much easier than the full PS suite!

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  13. A graphic fairy yes you are ~ and much more than that ~ a nice friend. Great stuff Meg!

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