Le Petit Dejeuner du Dimanche.

Last Sunday, while the air conditioner was still out and it was actually still pleasant outside, I set the table. By the time Sleepy awoke, this is what he saw.
Quilted and embroidered place mats over a blue linen table cloth (Williams Sonoma). Our everyday kitchen dishes, stainless and eggs boiled to perfection. Here's a link to an older post using the entire embroidered set.
I lugged this rooster home from the Cracker Barrel in Oklahoma City. You know the one, right there by OESD, very close to where I-40 and I-44 intersect. I've brought stranger and more aromatic things home too, like Krispy Kreme donuts for my American Airlines staff! I saw him, I loved him, I bought him, I brought him home, check the computer, carry-on the rooster. He is actually a pitcher but has never been used as such ;-).
Real butter served wrapped up in Vietri cabbage leaves.
Brought home these French hand-blown goblets from a wonderful store in Santa Fe. Too bad it's not there anymore. Sleepy is glad they are not, we still have a nest egg!
Sterling salt and peppers found at an estate sale some time ago.
Oneida stainless. Good. Heavy. Sturdy. Perfect for everyday.
Boiled eggs. Whites done. Yolks runny. Remind me of my grandmother, who could cook them perfectly every single time. She used a timer. Tiny spoons with which to scoop out the deliciousness. How many minutes with the steeping method - 7 1/2!
Noritake Summer Estate. Sadly out of production but still available from Replacements.com. If you have never been to one of their sales.. it should be on your bucket list. It's that good.
Don't you love the colors? I just love how the green and blue look, especially when coupled with the brighter colors of the rooster.

I was inspired to search for tall clay pots when I saw some in a window at a cute little local place. They looked so "French". I finally found some that were tall, not square like the originals, but these fit perfectly on my kitchen window. In the winter time, the red blooms on the geraniums sure beat the winter-time blues away.
Kikeriki.. Cocorico. Cock-a-doodle-doo. Did you know that animals have different sounds in foreign languages?
Purchased the quilted place mats some time ago. Used the Bernina binder attachment #84 with binder foot #94 to finish the edges anew once I removed the binding that was in place. I love the addition of the Moda bound edge. I believe this was part of the Provence collection.
As a crowning finish, I embroidered two roosters on each place mat. This one can be found here.
Here's the link to this fine feathered fowl.

Hope you enjoyed our Sunday morning together. Come back soon and we'll do it again. Oh Sleepy was so impressed, he hurried into the kitchen and made some bacon, biscuits and fresh coffee!

Hey, there is a giveaway going on till the 11th - you need to leave a post on this blog post - click here! It's a lovely hand embroidery book... I'll be drawing on Friday!

And I'm sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch! Go check out the rest of the wonderful set ups for more ideas.

June QK Club project - club date has changed!! June 12th now.

It's the rick-rack season! QuicKutz came out with a new 6" die set consisting of zigzag outlines, circles and zigzag edged circles. I fell in love with this set when I spotted it hanging on the shelf in the store Love it. Can you spell L O V E??
So I paired with with rick-rack and voila! a pretty cool combo if I say so myself. We are going to lean to make some NO SEW rick-rack flowers. Why do I emphasize the no-sew??? Because traditionally these are made with a needle and thread. But I figured out how to make them without those two little tools.. wooo hooo.

Supplies:
Designer Paper as shown (My Mind's Eye)
1 yd mini green rick-rack
1 yd blue rick-rack
1 yd pink rick-rack
1" circle punch
1/2" circle punch
Tweezers
2 straight pins
Baby Blue Liquid Pearls
Color box cats eye ink pads: robins egg, lime pastel and olive
4 mini brads and brad setting tools
1/4" Terrifically Tacky tape (this is a must this time!!)
Glue dots
Adhesive of choice
removable tape

QuicKutz dies:
Nesting rick rack circles
popup leaves

See you June 12th, 10am!

Hey there is a giveaway going on till the 11th - you need to leave a post on this blog post - click here! It's a lovely hand embroidery book... I'll be drawing on Friday!

Hotter than hot calls for very cold food.

Ceviche. Cold. Perfect for a very hot day.

Although today a tiny bit cooler than yesterday, it was more humid. Ugly combination for those of us who aren’t used to it. And the compressor went out on the air conditioner Saturday evening a bit after 6:30pm. Of course tightwad won’t call the service guy until Monday morning. Let’s just say I have a new respect for those who lived a long time ago without air conditioning AND wore layers of clothes from their necks to their toes…

So today, I made Ceviche. Ceviche basically is seafood that is cooked in something acidic instead of using heat. Being quite the adventurous eater, I have no problems with this concept. However, tightwad does. So to appease him, it’s possible to precook the seafood for just a skosh and then mix it with the remainder of the ingredients. Be very careful to not overcook as the acid in the recipe will continue to cook the seafood.

Shrimp Ceviche

~~from 1000 Mexican Recipes cookbook

1 pound (16 to 20) large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 medium tomato, chopped

¼ medium white onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and deveined and finely chopped (or use I jarred pickled jalapeno chile, seeded and deveined)

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup fresh lime juice

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

1 large avocado cut into ½ inch dice

2 teaspoons olive oil

Bring a medium pan of water to a boil. Cut the shrimp crosswise into thirds (I leave mine whole). Drop the shrimp into the boiling water until they just turn pink, about 45 seconds. Drain immediately and cool under running water. Put the shrimp in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Add the tomato, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Stir. Cover and refrigerate 3 to 4 hours. Shortly before serving, gently stir in the avocado and olive oil. Serve in small bowls or cocktail glasses.

There's a bit of craziness abound. Come on in!

A metal shrine, some fabric scraps, lace, beads, and milagros - carefully mix all ingredients. When finished, enjoy your art piece. I came across this shrine during our last trip to Santa Fe. The front glass door opens to reveal an interior that is approximately 3/4" deep. Perfect to display a small piece of artwork. The interior measures 4" x 6" - superbly suited to an afternoon's work.
Sorry about the bad pic, but this is really the reason I love my Bernina so much. The perfect foot for each and every task. Makes sewing 'sew' easy and fun. I used a #37 Patchwork foot and a #23 clear applique foot.
I prefer to audition my embellishments on the finished piece of crazy patch fabric. The crazy patch technique is easy to master, I promise. You start with a 5 sided piece of fabric and sew fabric pieces to each straight edge of the 5 sided piece one piece at a time. Click here for a quick tutorial. Also check out Judith Baker Montano's and Gloria McKinnon's lovely work! Thanks Gloria for the lovely inspiration while I was in Dallas! I certainly needed that jolt. By the way, the little silk cigarette silk is from Anne's Glory Box.

Here is the finished piece. I backed it with a piece of chipboard and then used Tim Holtz's
Tiny Attacher to staple the fabric to the chipboard. I love the rough look the staples add to the delicate stitching and laces.
A close up of the lady in prayer, the bead work at the bottom of the silk cigarette print, and the stitched ribbon.
French knots decorate the tiny lace addition.
French silk flower ribbon covers one seam while a button is attached with some embroidery floss. The silver mesh you see in the background is an antique piece of silver mesh. It's very delicate and doesn't lend itself well to clothing construction but is perfect for this type of decorative work.
And old buckle and strap from a pair of Brighton shoes.
Vintage buttons.
The finished piece. I had to photograph it with the door open so that you could see how lovely this looks as a finished piece. Hope you like it and are inspired to do something along these lines of your own.
Guess what??? It's my 200th blog post! I can hardly believe that. To celebrate, I'm giving away a copy of the book A-Z of Thread Painting. Be sure to leave a comment on this blog, one per day for the next week. I'll draw for the prize on June 11th. Be nice and share this giveaway with your friends.

I've linked up with Romantic Homes blog to partake in Cindy's Show and Tell Friday. Stop by for a visit, you won't regret it!

What helps you decide what's for dinner?

Welcome to dining alfresco Bennett style. We tend to spend a lot of time outside in the spring, summer and fall. Well, mainly spring and fall because the summer evenings are just too hot around here. And sometimes, I even set a special table for just the two of us. Does it look like seafood is on the menu?

I was in TJ Maxx the other day and saw these scrumptiously cute starfish plates. I was enthralled and knew that they would match the place mats, glasses and votive I already had. And seeing them, I knew what was for dinner. Seafood. We were going to eat outside and husband was fixing seafood. So off to the supermarket I went whilst visions of the perfect table danced in my head.

The dinner plates came from TJ Maxx several years ago. I love the scallops and the shells on the rim.

And these are what prompted our dinner plans for the evening. I think they are just too cute. Perfect as bread and butter plates, or salad plates or even for a delectable dessert.

The silverware is by WMF, a German company, and were a gift from my mother a decade or two ago.

A fish knife does not have a serrated blade. The blade is curved so that it helps separate the fish from the skin or to separate a smaller piece from the entire piece.

The goblets came from United Market Street a couple of years ago. They have the faintest blue tint to them. They remind me of the beautiful blues you see in the waters in the Caribbean. When I found the goblets, Stein Mart graciously offered the placemats for sale! They were just meant to be - don't you think?

I surrounded the matching large votive with shells that were purchased at a craft store.


Of course if you live by the beach you can simply pick them up on your walk on the beach. Just be sure to bring them home and place them in gently boiling water to kill any micro-organisms that might inhabit them.
I love to use the unexpected. These fingertip towels from Martha Pullen Company make great napkins. If you have an embroidery machine, a simple monogram makes a beautiful addition.

I love mixing the patterns. This one has several rows of beautiful hemstitching. Buying it ready made turns this into instant gratification.

This towel/napkin has raised dots in between two rows of hemstitching. Quite delectable.

The napkins were tied with a bit of raffia to play off the light wooden beads on the edge of the place mats and the wicker on both the goblets and votive.

So what did the starfish plates inspire for dinner? Copper River Salmon! Click the link to find out what all the hype is about. It's available at United Market Street and the price ranges from very expensive at the beginning of the mid-May season to less expensive at the end of the Mid-June run. We love to eat it fresh at the beginning of the season, start freezing it by the middle of the season so that we can enjoy this delicacy a few more times throughout the year. Keep in mind that a serving size is the size of a deck of cards, keeps the price down! Husband fashions a tray from tin foil, sprays it with a non-stick coating and then during the cooking (over moderate heat and only for a few minutes) sprinkles the juice of a Tangelo over the meat. Awesome.

A green salad of butter lettuce, radishes, avocados and green onions lightly doused with a French vinaigrette; Haricot vert and parslied new, red potatoes are the simple touches that let the Copper River Salmon take center stage, as so it should.

I hope you enjoyed joining us for dinner. Come back soon and we can do it again some time! And to see more cool tablescapes, click on the picture below..