Cozy Homemaking

l will not forget you

This morning, my mom's uncle passed away. I had asked you to keep him in your thoughts, but he was saddly at the end of his journey.

He had a special charisma, which I suppose helped him a lot during his life as a priest. He will be missed by a lot of people. Specially my grandfather (93) who wonders why he's still here, and why his wife, one of his sons, one of his sons-in-law, his brothers & sisters, and now his brother-in-law, have all gone before him. My heart breaks for him too.

I will not forget you, dear Tonton Jacques. You'll be in a corner of my heart, next to my dad, and my two grandmas.

Thanks for reading & for keeping him in your thoughts today too.

xoxo

S

summer colours week : blue friday

Sadly, here comes the last day of Poppytalk Summer Colour Week ... and today is blue. I tried to dig a little deeper in my archives, this time.

OK, I think I managed to find many of them, right ? I love blue.

The boys' summer break will be here very soon. I'll be blogging next week & the start of the other, then will be obliged to have an almost 2 weeks break since we'll be going to my parents' summer house one very last time before it gets rented in September. So it won't be all relaxing, as you may have guessed, and it will for sure be bittersweet for me, and way more for my mom. No internet connection over there, which will a good thing, I know. Maybe then I'll focus on some creating & crafting .... ahem.

Then we shall not move the rest of the summer, except one day here, two days there.

Will you be leaving on vacations ? Will you stay online this summer, even though much less ? Who will make a desired or forced break ? I'd love to know !

Have a nice weekend everyone & thanks for stopping by !

xoxo

S

summer colours week : red thursday

Yet again, not that many photos for today's color, I wonder if tomorrow will bring more photos ?!!

 If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you already  know that yesterday afternoon I didn't feel well, mainly because of the heat. I'm fine today, and temps are supposed to go a tiny little down (we'll still be above 30°C) ... thank goodness. I am so not a summer girl !

I'll try to take it easy today, as much as I possibly can. I may ask Gary the way to do it, he is soooo an expert at this ahahah !

xoxo

S

 

summer colours week : pink wednesday

"Only" a handful of photos for today 's colour ...

May your Wednesday be as sweet as pink can be. Be happy. And stay cool if you need to. If you're looking for me, I'll be right by the fan !!

xoxo

S

summer colours week : yellow tuesday

And here we are again for Poppytalk's Summer Colours Week, and today is yellow ! Put your sunglasses on, it's going to be suuuuunny !

If you like photography & colours, you really should have a go, it's so much fun ! I love it that I have a bunch of friends who are in : Margie, Geninne, Kristy, Kathleen, Claire & Deborah too ! Won't you join us too ? Are you already in ?

Have a sunny day today ! (I can share if you don't have any sun, we've had our share, thank you very much !) See you tomorrow !

xoxo

S

summer colours week : green monday

Hello everyone ! Although I have tons of photos to share from this past weekend, I'm going to keep them for next week ... for this week is Poppytalk's Summer Colours Week ! And I'm in ! I hope you'll be too !

I will not upload new photos on Flickr this week for that matter, but will pick in my recent uploads (until March or April maximum, so I should have plenty to pick from). Therefore, if you're a frequent reader/visitor, you have already seen all of the photos I'll post here this week, I'm sorry. But it's always fun for me to dive a little in the archives !

Hard to pick green photos without picking photos of nature, right ?! ;-) At least it's refreshing, and I'll take anything refreshing & cool these days. We're in the middle of a heatwave in southern France. (while the northen half has crappy weather & cold temps, go figure) Boys are still in school, until next Tuesday. The last line before summer break.

Thank you very much for the birthday wishes for my big boy yesterday. He was very touched when I forwarded him each & every wish ! He had a nice day, and we had too. We were in nature from 9am to 2pm, up in local mountains, and it was so much cooler than down there in Montpellier. Our lightening flash trip was very refreshing, we know we are lucky to have such mountains rather close (1h30 by car)

OK, have a colorful week ! See you tomorrow for yellow ! :)

xoxo

S

on my board & on my mind

On my board ...

... some naturally dyed pieces of fabrics, waiting for me to use them. I have plans for these, they're just waiting the right moment. My two linen covered cork baords (made 3 months ago) are now almost fully covered with bits & pieces & mostly bunches of little papers filled with doodles & ideas.

On my mind ...

... the fact that on Sunday my first born is turning 10. TEN. Like a seed, he's grown from almost nothing, but was already full of potential. I'm so proud of what he has already achieved & of who he's growing into.

We'll be going on a super short trip this weekend to go there, upon his request. (staying here, in this modest hotel) We'll oblige, and will enjoy the abrupt change of temps & vegetation. (very much)

... My mom's uncle (her mom's brother), 89 & a retired priest, is in the hospital right now. He is not doing so well, and we all wonder about his (near) future. He's not been eating & drinking well for weeks, he has always refused any help of any kind, until his doctor got him enter the hospital for having exams done, two weeks ago. As of today he's much worse than when he entered, so please have a little thought for him.

.... It's been 8 months & one day since my father passed away. Eight months that we've been working to find the best solutions for everyone, hoping everything will go right, for everyone, and for a long time.

May you have a peaceful yet full weekend, friends.

xoxo

S

forever immortelle

OK, the title is lame, sorry, I think my brain cells are melting away ! Here are results & photos today of a dyeing I've made last week. (or was it the week before, I can't remember anymore. (see, no more brain cells, oy !) Wait ... let me see, we picked the immortelle flowers on ... May 31st. OK, that was even longer ago than I thought ...

So I used the flower tops only, and this is what it gave. (note that we dyed with immortelle flowers two years ago ... already)

on this photo (above) you can see :
cotton,  wool fabric, silk fabric, linen,
cotton lace, wool yarn & silk yarn 

for the linen (left) I had used the flowers
(used to make the dyebath), bundled, tied & dyed

in the front : silk yarn

in the front : wool yarn

As you can see on some of the photos, I had made small bouquets of immortelles, that are finishing to dry. I'll soon give one away to my mom, and one to my mother in law, and will keep the last one for me.

Don't they look like little sunshines of their own ? Thank you beautiful immortelles for providing such a warm color, and such a strong (curry like) fragrance !

Happy Summer OR Winter solstice to you all, may this new season bring you warmth for your soul or/and for your body !

xoxo

S

necklace N.1

This is the little project I talked about yesterday. It was a necklace. No closure, made of raw/natural linen, hemp cord, (reclaimed) copper ring, 10 Bohemian crystal beads, and a genuine (vintage, and salvaged from a broken necklace) turquoise bead.

here's a close up
(that's the reflection of the turquoise you see
in the crystal beads, not turquoise thread)

It can be found in the shop, at prototype price.

I hope this means that my mojo's back, because let's face it, I haven't been very productive in 2012, and this has made me even more unmotivated, uninspired. Photo wise or natural dyeing wise, it's been OK, but crafting wise, not so much, right ?

When I committed in January 2011  & then again in January 2012, that I wouldn't buy any new fabric, I had a vague idea that it would actually be stimulating (even though it hasn't shown in my creations YET). It has helped me looking at all the fabrics in my stash with a new eye. And helped me seeing in other kinds of fabrics, potential sources of fabric material for my creations. I'm talking about the lining of pockets of an old, worn (and not wearable anymore) man suit ... I'm talking about bed sheets or pillow covers from my own childhood, fabrics that were used in many different ways that I can't possibly all name here & now. But it is much preferable that I re-use or re-purpose all of these fabrics into new things, rather than for them to be sleeping in a chest or on shelves till the end of time, or even worse, rather than going to the garbage bin, which I've always made a point of avoiding.

I really, sincerely, do hope that this summer, even though being busy (because/for my mom's houses), will bring some kind of renewal, a new breath to my creative process.

Love, peace & positive thoughts to all.

xoxo

S

saturday : second stop, tumulus de Lamalou

After the first place I showed you yesterday, we drove further, longing for having a place "of our own" (read : only the four of us), and we stopped by another of our favorites : the tumulus of Lamalou.

This is where we picnicked, and where P did his lovely nature drawing. We spotted a whole field of False Ilex Hairstreaks (Satyrium esculi / thècle du kermès), when we arrived :

I hope you can look closer at the fringe of his wings,
they were like tiny rainbows ! (above) 

oh, these are my boys, the apples of my eyes !

Just a couple of meters after this photo was taken, U suddenly stopped us from walking any further ! Why ? Because he had seen this friend, vunerable because so young & new, trying to find its way, most probably to the nearest tree.

We were kind of in awe, and I was super excited to take such photos of a cicada alive, because we usually don't see them here, they stay well hidden in the trees. The three little red dots you see on its face are "simple eyes", called "ocelli". (of course I didn't know until I looked up on Wiki)

where we picnicked

my little big artist at work

That'll be all for our little Saturday day trip. We all needed that nature break in June madness, for sure.

If you love butterflies, you may want to watch (again, if you've been a long time reader here) the videos (1 & 2) I had made last year, and here's also another, of cicada's song, also from last year.

Yesterday evening, miracle ô miracle, I grabbed linen, thread, needle, and other materials, and actually managed to complete, before the night came, what I was doing. It was unexpected, it is not perfect, but made with lots of love. I may put it in the shop tonight or tomorrow, most probably at a "prototype price" since it may be the first one of a series. Looking forward to showing it to you, girls.

Have a wonderful day !

xoxo

S

saturday : first stop, Brissac

On Saturday we went on a little day trip, took the car, the four of us, and drove to Brissac. (one of our favorite spots, specially in the spring/summer) Here are photos from this moment we spent there, dipping shy feet in the cold water of the river (yes, coldissimo), admiring the many dragonflies, playing with the Playmobil boat & its brave occupant, and playing freesbie before it got really too hot in the sun.

this was around 10am, see the light ...
it was going to be a hot day ! 

love to see ivy, fresh or dry

down in the grass

in the river ... I love to imagine
the life that's growing underwater

clover all over the place

loving the ripples & wrinkles of water

adventurous one (not me LOL)

one of the maaaany dragonflies we saw
(didn't get wonderful pics of them) 

dipping  toes

one of my favorite photos of the set

On a very different note, we've found renters for my parents house (what a relief !!!!), which mean that everything will need to be 100% done before mid-August. We'll be away for almost 2 weeks in July, so it'll be very busy days until we leave, and then again once we'll be back, until the day the renters will enter their new nest for good. Like a million details to think of .... still !!

Looking back, it's been 8 months of hard work & determination. I'm extremely grateful to my husband for the tremendous amount of work he has done for my mom, for us all. And I know it's not over yet.  I think that the desire for everything to be completely over as soon as possible (and in the best conditions) motivated him & I very much. We want a "normal" (as much as normal exist ... that is) life back. Who doesn't, anyway ? I  think we strive for a life back to less chores & obligations, all related to my parents' houses (cars ... and so on).

OK ... I agree ... normal life is sooooo overrated ! ;-)

oxox

S

most of this past week

... in Instagram photos.

Tuesday : Saint-Guilhem-Le-Désert

and at home too

Thursday : in town with P's class

and at home too

Friday : a parcel from Australia turned my day upside down

Saturday : a day out, only the 4 of us (a rarity now)

we hadn't been there for a year already ...

Summer made its come back today ... and we met a little friend on the way :

We changed spots & found another of our favorites. Had been there more recently. Took lots of photos too (to be shared next week)

P (10 next week) made me so proud with his drawings in nature. He drew an oak leaf, and two leaves of grass (or whatever you call it), I NEED to give him the love for nature drawing, he totally stole my heart with this drawing.

His little brother (8 in August) cared less about the whole thing (less patience), but it may be a nice idea to go to the botanical garden on a regular basis, sketchbook & pencil in hand, and have short but valuable drawing session together.

I hope your weekend is a good & nice one. Thanks for stopping by !

xoxo

S

yay, CHILLYSUMMER for you !

Although the temperatures are slowly but surely rising again (I think we'll be back to fully seasonal temps this weekend), I know it's been rather wet and chilly in other parts of this world.

(sneaky, I know, but sorry, sometimes I have no shame doing some self promotion ...) There are scarves in the shop, silk or cotton, all naturally dyed, and they are all on sale until Saturday midnight (Paris time). The photo below says it all ...

So silk scarves are U$ 34 instead of 40, the yellow cotton scarves are U$ 21.25 instead of 25, and the last cotton scarf (onion dyed) is U$ 17 instead of 20. (+ shipping fees) You can see more details in the shop directly : here.

Thanks for reading, everyone. May this post find you happy & healthy.

xoxo

S

sport option

First, I need to thank you all for the comments yesterday ! Wasn't it amazing ? You see why I really did have to share !

Changing subject, I'm dedicating today's post to Gary. In two weeks from now, it'll be 9 months since he entered our lives.

I discovered, not long ago, when trying to take photos of the boys and of the cat, in the apartment, that the best option on my camera was the "SPORT" option, where the icon is a running man. I can shoot many photos in a raffle too, which I didn't know until now. (duh) I always shoot manual, but with ever moving children and cat, it's nearly impossible to get decent photos ! Not with the "sport" option anymore ! All the photos below were taken using this option.

Isn't he expressive ? He was captivated by something in the bathroom & took advantage of this focus for shooting away !

I recommend you to try using it, making tests, to see how good it can be with the "moving" subject you've chosen. Experimenting is fun ! I tried it with my boys & got lovely results too !

Off to the contemporary arts museum this afternoon with the boys (and friends), and tomorrow morning I'm going along P's class in town, for a little discovery of old & new architecture. A very artistic couple of days.

Wishing you all a lovely middle of the week. Sunny & windy here, and a high of 23°C.

oxox

S

with my beady eyes, I spied ...

Last Saturday afternoon, we all decided to go to the cinema. Leaving our building, we passed along the place where the garbage bags are "stored" (before being picked up). One of the bags was clear (meant for plastics & papers for recycling), and as we passed rather quickly, I spotted something ... "lacey". I told myself, that I'd have to stop by longer & have a closer look (with my mom) when we'd come back home from the cinema.

That's what I did. On our way home, we stopped by longer & had a closer look. What was our surprise when we realized that what was in this bag were antique pieces of clothing, all stained either with rust or "simple" age stains (yellow). I didn't think about it twice & brought the bag inside our building ! My mom & I delicately took each & every piece out of the bag, observed them & decided what could be saved & what could not. Only a couple of pieces returned to the bin, but the rest of the pieces, we KEPT ! I gave a boil (machine) to what could handle it, and a more delicate wash to what couldn't.

We suppose that these clothes were hidden in an old cupboard or drawer or trunk, for many many years, and therefore they have that specific smell. But they're all clean & smell good now. Only they have stains and holes in some parts, like any antique piece would have. We're working on getting the stains off (I'll report if it works), but I couldn't resist, oh no, I couldn't, taking photos of these treasures, to share with you.

Ladies, enjoy !

I can't get over these gorgeous treasures. I think I could look at them all day. They'll inspire me, that's pretty sure. I can't help but wondering who were the ladies who made them, the ones who wore them, when did they live, what these pieces of clothing & persons did witness from history past ... All these pieces were hand sewn and hand embroidered, and it really put my feet back on the ground when I looked at them.

I really had to share with you. So much beauty can't be kept for oneself.

oxox

S

delights

I'm a bit short on time today, so I'll try not to be (too) chatty today (biting my tongue LOL).

I received this morning a well sized parcel. I wasn't expecting anything (so soon), but when I saw the many, gorgeous stamps, and then the name of the sender ... I knew what it was.

Last week, I won a giveaway (oh yes, very lucky me, I know) over at Barbara's blog (I had let you know too), and she sent it very fast & it arrived all the way from eastern Canada to southern France in NO time ! (it ain't that fast when I send things in the other direction, just saying ...)

Look at that marvel, isn't it just perfect ? Barbara introduced a new design last week, I'm sure you'd like to see everything she sells in  her very lovely shop. I had the opportunity to meet her last year in Canada, and I can tell you she is a sweeeeet sweeet lady, and talented at that ! (I hope we'll meet again, Barb !)

As you can see, I was not alone to be enjoying the parcel ... someone else enjoyed the box too, very much :)

Other kinds of delights now ...

My mom & hubby had to go to what soon will be "what used to be my parents' summer house", to show it around to what will undoubtedbly be the future renters. And in the garden grow wild strawberries (since I had dyed with the leaves that had brought me a couple of weeks ago). This time instead of the leaves, they brought back the fruits ! Yummy !

And with frozen raspberries, also from that garden, but not growing wild (frozen from last summer's bounty), I baked (heavenly, yes heavenly) raspberries yesterday. They're being our breakfast this week. (and since there are more, there will be more raspberries muffins soon) If you're interested in the recipe, ring my bell, ok ?

Combine the two, and you have the tastiest of all desserts ! YUM !

(yep, with a bit of extra butter, ahem)

I'll tell you tomorrow something that happened to me/us on Saturday afternoon. Don't worry, it's something nice, and I'm excited to share with you. (no, no baby, no lottery winning ticket -we don't even buy any, how could we win ?!-)

OK, I said I wouldn't be chatty & I was anyway. I guess I can't help it !

Wishing you a superb week ahead ! (I'm behind many blog visits, I apologize, I'll try to catch up ASAP)

xoxo

S 

rising my cup to you & to this weekend

For no particular reason. Just because :)

In my bathroom, minutes ago, the sun has returned. Avocado pits infusing, succulents sunbathing, silks soaking in immortelle dyebath (for a "cold" dyeing)

I have discovered so many artists (singers) via online friends, and I'm so thankful about that. If I had to make a little list, they would be :

- Damien Rice

- Emily Portman

- Connan Mockasin

- Django Django

- Lullatone

- The Lumineers

- the Mountain Man trio

- Xavier Rudd

I think the persons who recommended these artists will recognize themselves. If you have recommendations of new, old, or any artists that you love yourself, and would love to share here, please do so (in the comment section), I'm open to everything. I'm sure everyone will enjoy too.

This is a mix I stumbled upon last winter, and which I must have listened to, like um ... let me ... almost a hundred times. (no kidding) The name of the mix totally fitted the feeling of winter.

May your weekend be sunshiny, relaxing, fullfilling, dreamy, full of discoveries (small and big) anything you can think of.

(Gary listening religiously to the washing machine, as it washes the new cotton rugs. That guy LOVES the washing machine, that's like his ritual "show" LOL)

Love your way

xoxo

S

unseasonable

I don't know what the weather is like in your corner of the world, but in France (everywhere), it has been unseasonably chilly, grey and/or even raining/drizzling. Yes, even here. I will NOT complain about this, you know now how I feel about too much (and too early) heat. Today it was really chilly, 20°C all day, with an almost constant drizzle is NOT a typical weather for almost mid June in the southern France. As a result, I feel like I'm running out of energy, & of motivation for anything crafty. I would sleep half of the day if I could, or would snug on the sofa with a book, mag or ipad. Half laziness, half tireness, I don't know. Maybe I'm on summer mode already without knowing ! ahah !

Nevermind ! Here are a couple of (Instagram because I haven't used the other camera this week, don't ask me why, I don't know) photos from the last couple of days.

birthday boy with his birthday little cake (at lunch) 

homemade guacamole & tortillas, his birthday diner (yum !)

refreshing (despite the not-really-warmth)

on Wednesday, trying to keep the boys busy

sewing 2 cotton rugs (that I bought two days ago) together,
in order to make a larger one (will add a third one to them) 

I got back to the shop where I bought the cotton rugs
and bought 9 others (for 2,90 euros each, I didn't hesitate)
(they're not all pictured here) I will sew togethe the yellow one
on top with the two at the bottom, too. 

today I received a small parcel coming from Emily,
thank you so very much !! 

... which makes me think I had not posted the photo of Monika's gift
too (oak galls in the jar, and a naturally dyed doily)

Thank you again, both, very much !

I am very grateful for the life I live, for the friends I have, for the love I get. I do not take anything for granted. Thank you for stopping by my little corner of the online world, it would be useless or pointless, or boring, if you were not around. 

xoxo

S

glimpses of my week so far

Simply glimpses of my week so far ...

shipping postcards (before removing them from the shop !)

Gary looking as adorable as ever

admiring how naturally dyed colors
mix & match wonderfully, no matter what 

one of our meals : paninis (to be grilled, on this photo)
and organic cantaloupe + raspberries 

close up here

a book borrowed by my eldest son at the school's library
(a book about children's  drawings, of nature) 

bought 7 cotton rugs for merely 25 * (20 euros)
just washed them all, and can't stop looking at them 

eating out at our friends', whose dog girl Gaia would
adore meeting Geninne's Turbo ! 

loving the flowers in their garden

even the ones growing in the lawn ... so tiny yet perfect

and even the decaying ones
I imagine multi layers silk dresses when I see these

no kidding, do take the time to "stop and smell the flowers"
life is short & precious, and life shall be celebrated
everyday, like it was your last day on earth 

Gary approving the new rugs too !

and most importantly,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

to my beloved half

37 today & as good as new !!! ahahah !

oxox

S

where we pick immortelles (+ last call for the postcards !!)

Before showing the photos from last week's little trip in nature ...

... please let me remind you one last time that I will be withdrawing the postcards from the shop tomorrow (because they almost never sold) & that today's your last chance for purchasing some (if you had thought about getting some, that is) There are still THREE free linen coasters, to be shipped with the next THREE orders from the shop.

OK, I'll stop about it now. Now, onto the photos from last week. This is what the place looks like :

a little closer :

yes those yellow flowers are the immortelles ! (helichrysum stoechas)
Here's a close up on  the flowers themselves :

then here's a tour of what we saw when walking around

fragrant (and blooming) etruscan honeysuckle (lonicera etrusca)

wild asparagus dry "leaves" (asparagus acutifolius)

a special specimen of Chris in the background

very rare & precious shade !!

half of the tadpoles had turned into tiny little froggies

nature at its best on the very last day of May

the pink (starting to ripen) berries of the white mulberry (morus alba)

the simple sophistication of the dogrose (rosa canina)

common rue (ruta graveolens) with the beautifully
crowned ribwort plantain (plantago lanceolata)

and the extravagant Viper's bugloss (echium vulgare)

I can't get enough of early summer's nature ! It's so prolific & colorful ! In a matter of less than a month though, most of them will be over already, because it'll be too hot and there won't be enough water falling from the sky. Southern flowers are to be admired at their best from mid-May to mid-June (or a little later if it wasn't that hot).

I hope you enjoyed the little tour. All photos were taken with the regular lens, I realized when I arrived in situ, that I hadn't the macro lens on, or even with me. Nevermind. (but still, I swore a bit, on the moment !)

oxox

S

mother's day in colors (+ last chance for getting postcards from the shop)

So like I said yesterday, Sunday 03rd was Mother's day in France. (on this subject, why is this celebration day not unified all over the world, I wonder ... I mean, how stupid is this ?) It was a grey, overcast, muggy, and rainy kind of day. I wasn't unhappy about it, at all ! It was perfectly fine with me !

I spent all morning dyeing & dyeing some more. The dyepots are still in place, waiting for me to use them again today. They both gave me such pretty results, I hope to make things with these fabrics & fibers soon !

Yesterday my boys wore the wild fennel tie-dyed teeshirts we had made last year (I  think), and they were so darling in them. I need to get more organic cotton teeshirts & do the same thing again.

at home, from top left, clockwise :

peonies from my parents' summer house
making immortelle flowers bouquets for drying
(1 for my mom, 1 for my mother in law, 1 for me)
results of yesterday morning's dyeing sessions
my boys wearing the said (above) teeshirts 

at my inlaws', from top left, clockwise :

ipomoeas starting to climb & twist
finding beauty in this decaying/aging rose
old, weathered, cracked pot
blue hydrangeas

We also moved Nigella damascena (love in the mist) sprouts and I hope they'll soon be blooming with their blue & white pretty flowers !

Speaking of my inlaws ... tomorrow my mother in law will have a cataract surgery on a first eye (the other eye, next Tuesday !) It's been years (really) since I've been saying that she wasn't seeing properly but she always denied. (and probably everyone was thinking I was nuts) I finally decided to take an appointment for her, earlier this year, and thing is the cataract is so advanced that she got an appointment for surgery in VERY brief delays. (which is NEVER the case) I know this kind of surgery is nowadays so "easy" and breezy, but my mother-in-law has ALWAYS had mishappenings during the many surgeries she's had in her life, and for that matter is always very anxious.
My dad had had cataract surgery last July, and everything had been OK. He just had a couple of eye drops before and after the surgery. My mother in law has so many, (and for both eyes), several times a day, that hubby had to write her a schedule for each day, starting last Friday, until July 01st. Oh my, I feel for her.
All that for saying that, had I not insisted on the fact that she NEEDED to go see an ophtalmologist, she would have gone blind in a matter of years, seriously thinking that she was actually seeing properly & correctly. (which is technically impossible, given the advancement in her cataract)
I read in an article that cataract is the cause of 40% of the 37 millions of blind people in the Third World. Could you believe that ? But, thinking back, and seeing what could have happened to my own mother in law, I am now not that much surprised.

Before I leave, I want to wish my friend Jane a very happy birthday today !

And before I actually go, (and if you haven't already seen this on Twitter or FB) ... if you were thinking of purchasing POSTCARDS in the shop but always hesitated, NOW is the time ! They hardly ever sold, so I will be taking them off the (virtual) shelves soon.

oxox

S

one of our summer classics

With high temps, lots of sun, (and of course some water, but it hardly ever comes from the sky, here, sadly) summer fruits & veggies are growing fast fast fast. We went to the natural food store yesterday & came back home with organic peaches, cantaloupe, peas, avocadoes, kiwis, grapefruits ... and tomatoes.

We love to eat tomatoes as is, raw, but I also like to make a tart with it. If you've been a long time reader of the blog, you know I've posted this recipe a couple of times (at least) already. You may (and it is your right) even get bored of seeing this recipe on my blog, but I love it so, for me it's a sign that summer's here & for this matter, feels like a mark in the year timeline.

☀

Tomatoe, cheese & mustard tart
all you need is

and nothing more. Well an oven too.

Preheat your oven at 210°C/410°F.
Lay your ready made or homemade shortcrust pastry in a tart dish.
(I leave the parchment paper that comes with the one I buy at the natural food store)

Using your fork teeth, make little holes/marks in the pastry a little bit all over,
pour a little olive oil on it, and using your (um, clean) finger,
spread it over the whole pastry. It will help "waterproofing" the pastry.
Then sprinkle Herbes de Provence or any dry herb you have on hand.
(thyme for instance, is fabulous !)

Pour four teaspoons of mustard (I used "Moutarde de Dijon")
on the tart, and spread it carefully all over. I need to be strong
mustard (like "of Dijon") so keep this in mind when you make it,
and who will eat it (people who may not like strong mustard  !!!!)
and adapt the quantity if needed.

Then, cut your Swiss cheese into slices. For the record,
all I had in my fridge was "Comté" cheese & it was OK too !!!
Lay the slices all over the tart, covering the whole surface.

 Time to cut your tomatoes into slices. Again, adapt
the recipe to your needs. Someone in the family doesn't like
tomatoe seeds, so I take them all out & cut the tomatoes into (quarter) slices.
But you can totally keep them & cut perfectly round slices.
If you do so, you'll need much less tomatoes to cover the surface !

 The last thing to do is to sprinkle more herbs, and to add shredded
Swiss cheese on top of the tomatoes, and cover them all.
Now the tart is ready to put in the over for 35 minutes !

 I would love to show you the final result ... but ...
I  forgot to take the photo, and when I thought about it,
it was waaaaaaay too late. OOPS.

So here is a photo from 2009 !

See, easy peasy, right ? And it can be made ahead of time too. Tastes as good when it's not hot from the oven. It goes very well with a simple salad, by the way. (like we had it with)

It's Mother's day today in France, but needless to say that mamas need to be reminded of & celebrated everyday, not one single particular day.

Hoping you're having a lovely weekend !

oxox

S

not your usual fridge

Why ... don't you have several bottles of dyebaths in your fridge ? Well, I do. Two days ago I thought about listing which dyebaths I had been keeping in the fridge (for future dyeing sessions), and this is the list (I have sometimes several bottles of one dyebath) :

- italian buckthorn leaves dyebath
- fennel greens dyebath
- ivy leaves dyebath
- onion skins dyebath
- blue gum bark dyebath
- red cabbage dyebath
- wild strawberry leaves dyebath
- avocado peels dyebath

Though I decided  today to use one of them & to throw a couple of them away, because they were  too old, and that I'll need room for the next dyeings. Dyeing in an appartment, with no garage, garden, balcony or spare room is a real challenge. I am a living proof that it IS possible, but it requires a bunch of organization & compromises.

Yesterday afternoon, despite the big heat, turned out even better than I thought. We did manage to pick what we had planned, immortelle flowers :

Then we decided to drive a tiny little bit further & go to a village famous for its potters & pottery. (we want to go there for the annual pottery fair, on August 04th & 05th) We had a drink & then visited the museum of the ceramic. It was really unexpected, and really enjoyed. It was a great museum & we'll make sure to bring the boys & my mom there in the summer.

In the boutique of the museum, I spotted ceramics that I loved at first sight. I didn't buy anything (imagine the self control here !!!!) but promised to go visit her atelier soon & buy things directly from her.

If I can, I would love to buy bowls from her, like these :

or these

photo credit : Véronique Ferber

Today I'm on my own with the boys again, and June promises to be super busy just like today it. I must take P to the doctor's tthis evening afternoon for a cough that won't stop.

I know you're all super busy yourselves, so I won't be too long now. If you missed it this week (if you don't visit everyday), I added silk scarves in the shop, and the cotton ones were marked down. Beautiful & natural colors for your lovely neck, you can see them HERE ! And the next four orders will ship with a free, lovely coaster as well !

Oh, and before I go ...

• if you're in the Toronto area, you don't want to miss Margie's super yard sale !
• Barbara is having a giveaway for celebrating her 500th blog post !
• Arounna is also having a giveaway on her blog

Have a fun filled weekend, everyone , and take good care ! Happy, busy & safe June ! May we all survive ! Ahahah ! 

xoxo

S