Saturday, July 31, 2010

Summer Crab Feast...

watercolor painted by Ceci Kueltzo

W ell,  I am missing out, and feeling pretty bummed out about it. Every year my grandfather hosts a Crab Feast in Annapolis, Maryland with the star of the party a bushel(s) of scrumptious, juicy, Maryland Crabs. Maryland is famous for their crabs,and rightly so, YUMMO! Ever since I can remember this has been a family tradition, July/August we all gather for a day of family and crabs. My immediate family made the trek from South Carolina crossing the mason dixon into crab country. The tables (old wooden card tables) are set with newspaper, and all of the cracking tools, a roll of paper towels, and a pile of crabs.


We all sit around and pick, and eat, pick and eat, until we just can't stand it any more. My mouth is watering as I write!

As any card carrying Marylander knows, there IS a proper way to pick crabs...it is a right of passage for a an Eisele child to be able to pick their own crab. I remember my grandfather would sit over us until we knew the right way, and then we were able to work on picking on our own (his generation does not want children wasting perfectly good crab!) He still keeps a watchful eye today, and if he feels you have wasted any, he will call you out! I hope my family had a great day! I wish we could have been there.

Here is a bit of crab feast eye candy, via the girls at Design SpongeTHis table is gorgeous!  Look at those lights.

Dahlias are so pretty, and the invites are perfect.  Notice the use of butcher paper instead of newspaper, very chic.


I am feeling like my husband would really like the beer idea!








Crab feasts really are an easy AND FUN way to entertain!  Come on, the summer isn't over yet...This is inspiring, I feel a party coming on!  I am feeling better alread

--Gretchen






Friday, July 30, 2010

Ingenius...it's magic...a magic fountain!

Fountain in Ypres, Belgium


Santa Galdana, Menorca




Aqualand Bahia de Cadiz in Spain

not sure where this one is, but imagine what this girl is thinking.

Just imagine the ingenius person who first came up with this.  So creative...I love the graphic and sculptural aspect of these fountains.  It took me a little while to figure out how they work...I refrained from immediately finding out on the internet, once I thought I had the answer, I confirmed with my old friend google.

Can you figure it out?? 
Have a great weekend everyone,
-- Gretchen

Thursday, July 29, 2010

The good Ol watering Can


I have said it before and I will say it again...."It is HOT, Damn HOT" (has anyone seen Good Morning Vietnam, I am saying it like Robin Williams said it in that movie.)  Everything planted is WILTING faster than we can water.  I started to think about watering cans and all of the options out there, from the antique to the super modern, there are so many sizes shapes and colors.  It might make watering all of those wilting plants just a little more fun.
via Martha Stewart
so many shapes and sizes



Loving all of the colors
Photo credit: Courtesy of gardeners.com

not sure how this might work, but looks cool!
via luxeryhousingtrends.com
Cool and modern
emmohome.com


this is a sweet miniature watering can from 1stdibs.com
Dixon Lane Antiques


Do you have a favorite watering device...and don't say the sprinkler system, because that would be mine if I had one!!!!:):)

Have a great day.  Enjoy watering those plants.

--Gretchen



Wednesday, July 28, 2010

got me to thinking....


Can be purchased here

Today I went to Little Green Notebook's blog and she had a fabric for sale in her shop that I LOVE.

The chinoisserie is so pretty...and I am really liking the little birdie in the fabric as well. It might just be mine soon:) Anyhoo. It got me to thinking about some photos that I took when I was at the National Zoo in DC this summer with the kids.
 
                    
BTW: these were the only pics I took of birds...I was evidently drawn to certain colors that day.

Do you see a color story??? These colors look very familiar to what I have been posting lately.  Here, Here, and Here.  Amazing to me how a design can really start stewing in your head before you really know it, or can pinpoint it.  I took these pictures almost a month ago, and it is starting to become clear to me what I need to do, and it might just start with a certain fabric....


Have a great day.

--Gretchen

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

AHHHHH!



Hello from the world of summer with kids.  I am having trouble completing thoughts at the moment, in between...'i need this, I need that', I am hungry,' etc. etc. etc and on and on.   soooo, this is all I can muster for the day.

I am seeing it on a tee shirt, a poster or MY FOREHEAD.

Have a great day, and I hope that SOMEONE out there is able to complete a thought.  Anyone else having the same problem?

--Gretchen

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Le Tour de France....et fini.





Every summer we look forward to watching the Tour de France.  It all started, for me at least, with the 7 year winning streak of Lance Armstrong.  My husband is an avid cyclist...and in another time I was too (I like to call myself a former radical chic) Anyhoo, the Tour comes to a close today, congratulations to Alberto Contador.

We will now be back to our normal programming...ie trash tv in the evenings.   Since the Tour de France has been associated with the color yellow, I leave you with some yellow inspiration.  ENJOY.


Yummy Yellow French Sofa




Little French Lamp...1stdibs.com



Super Cute Messenger Bag via Etsy
ikabags



Liking this yellow pillow via etsy. 
The rossette reminds me of a wheel
micasabella

BTW: When I go to France the next time this is the Tour that I have in mind. Le Trip.  A guided antique tour by Jill Mitchell. Wouldn't THAT be fun????


Have a great week.

Gretchen



Friday, July 23, 2010

Seltzer bottle love...


My bottles in the window in my living room. 
Another view.
I am still fiddling but I like the way it emulates the blue line in the print on the wall.


R
ecently I bought 6 vintage blue seltzer bottles at an auction for CHEAP!  I saw them at an antique store for $60 apiece a while back, and couldn't justify buying a bottle for that much. I would periodically think about those bottles, and how I would use them.  Now I am having fun moving them about my house.   I still haven't found the 'perfect' home for them.  Back to my fiddling tendencies:)  The blue is so pretty, the etchings are so cool.  Back in the day, these bottles were just every day objects...just bottles...  now we see them for the beauty in the color, the etching, the history behind them.   The craftsmanship in every day objects.

Here is some 'seltzperation'. Enjoy.


A tablescape that I found, I can't find the attribution:(



via beachbungalow8



via seltzersisters.com
(can you think of anyone that these might be appropriate for, I surely can!)
SCHMUCK BROS. I still can't stop myself form smiling when I see these:):):)

via kitchenisms.com

via Sundance
How inventive.  Leave it to sundance.


via 1stdibs.com 
These lamps are awesome, I DO like the french seltzers.





How would you use seltzer bottles? Where would you put them?

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Sew HOT!

Made from Dupioni Silk  and Lawn Bias Tape
that I had for a top that was never made.

The Back is a sample swatch from Robert Allan.
My signature, I never quite finish anything. 
Mommy duty called, but it still looks nice.

I t is so HOT here that going outside is miserable!  I thought I would have a sew day...or couple hours yesterday.      Since it is HOT, the children are inside, so my productivity level isn't exactly steller, but it made me happy, and it was just the punch of color my living room needed. As my daughter said.  "Mommy does that pillow stand for Ophganorse":)  Why, honey, yes it does!

Feeling very inspired by this room.


Melissa Warner's Rental Apartment
Photographed for the cover of House Beautiful May 2010 issue.


Have a great, and hopefully not as hot as it is here day!




Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A confession...


A grouping of objects in my living room...
I am really into the color orange  these days.

My favorite little orange container in its previous location and house.
Photos by yours truly

 Ijust can't stand it any more, I don't know who I was kidding 5 rooms in 5 months.   I am such a design fanatic that I move around from room to room, doing projects, fiddling with this or that making things feel like home. I LOVE to fiddle, I LOVE to move things around, I LOVE little projects...the pride I have when I have finished something, and I can say, I DID THAT:)  Let's face it, my house will NEVER be totally done.  And I really kind of like it that way:)    I am just going to post what I am doing right now, what i am into at the moment.   I want to shout 'HERE IS MY HOME, MY WORK IN PROGRESS, I LOVE IT'!!! I am proud of what we as a family have accomplished in the past few months. 

My home is ever changing, I am ever changing.... and THAT is THAT:):)

Who knows, I might have a Fiddling Freakout and finish 5 rooms in 5 days:):)

Have a great day:)