{dreamy pink peonies}

column 1 :: pink lace stockings, bib tassel necklace, handmade wedding guestbook, double band cuff bracelet, fabric reform sticker

column 2 ::  green fiber ring with stitches, green butterfly vintage collage necklace, ahhh, balloons, bubble gum pink typewriter, balancing act

column 3 :: teacups and a rose, blue martin, pick and mix sweets, pink picnic

one of my favorite color combinations: pink and green! xo, bonnie

wrap up: {etsy} {flowers} {green} {handmade} {inspiration} {pastels} {pink} {summer}

welcome to the maiden vintage! i think lindsay riddell has done an amazing job of capturing the essences of long ago.  yes, pictures are everything because she has completely made me want all these dresses that i probably would have passed up on the rack!  that shows my lack of imagination- as she’s turned each of these once-loved treasures into something truly desirable. best of all? she’s having a sale! visit her blog for all the details.

wrap up: {apparell} {dresses} {etsy} {sale} {summer} {vintage}

hi lovelies! did you have a good weekend?  i spent most of mine prepping and canning green beans with my grandma!  oh if only i could download all of her knowledge into my wee brain… i think she knows everything there is to know about everything- it’s so fun to spend time with her!

today i want to introduce to you a very special guest poster, amanda joy! she sent me the most delectable looking garden salsa recipe and i was so eager to share it with you.  with seasonal veggies this catch-all salsa recipe is the perfect addition to our summer recipe collection. make sure to stop by amanda’s blog joy ever after for inspiration, handmade goodies and diy projects!

Hello! My name is Amanda and I’m super excited to share my recipe with you. Bonnie has been so informative and such an inspiration to eating more local and seasonal foods. My personal strategy involves small, subtle baby steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle, as the lifestyle does not come naturally for me. This recipe is one of my favorites and is perfect for summer produce.

With gardening you suddenly have twenty tomatoes, right? Or in my case, my lovely neighbor has plenty of peppers, onions, and tomatoes so she gladly gives me a bag full. (Lucky, I know!) The great thing about this salsa is I like to think of it as a “catch all” recipe. Basically you can add more or less of any ingredient and it still comes out great. And every time I make it, I think of another meal that it can be used for. Below is the basic recipe, but remember, you can be creative!

ingredients:

4 large tomatoes, chopped
2 medium peppers, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
dash of hot sauce

I hope you make an opportunity to taste this versatile deliciousness! And I would love to hear what ingredients you added or meals you used it in. My most recent was an amazing taco pizza. Thanks to GHTR for letting me share with you!

wrap up: {avocado} {eat local} {pepper} {recipes} {salsa} {seasonal} {summer} {tomato}

raised in sweden now living in san francisco, ulrica wihlborg’s photography captivates timeless design with thoughtful scandinavian influence.  i love the clean lines and summer feel in these shots, and how she pairs photos to take the meaning to a deeper place.  from outdoor living to summer cooking and succulents to gardening- her work fits right in to some of the things i love most.

wrap up: {decor} {gardening} {home} {inspiration} {kitchen} {photography} {summer} {ulrica wihlborg}

one of my dear friends, katy, shared this recipe for blackberry cobbler with me this week, and i couldn’t wait to make it!  i knew the blackberries in my yard were on the verge of perfection and sure enough, i had exactly 2.5 cups of yummy homegrown berries when i was done picking them.

ingredients:

• - 2.5 cups of blackberries
• - 1/3 cup of milk
• - 1 cup of sugar
• - 1 cup of water
• - 1.5 cups of self-rising flour
• - 2 sticks of butter (1/2 cup)
• - a dash of cinnamon
• - 2 tbs of extra sugar

directions:

preheat your oven to 350.  place half of one butter stick into a 9×11 baking pan and place in the oven until the butter melts.  meanwhile, place the water and 1 cup sugar into a saucepan and heat over med-high heat until all the sugar dissolves, then set aside (you’ll use this later!).  cut the remaining butter into your flour until it becomes crumbly.  add the milk while stirring until a dough forms into a ball.  take your dough and after kneading it a few times, roll it out into a rectangle about 1/4″ thick.  spread your yummy berries over the top and sprinkle it with cinnamon.  from one end, roll the dough up like you would a jelly roll, pinching the ends closed so as not to loose any berries!  once you have your roll, cut slices 1″ thick and place them in your baking pan (on top of the melted butter).  pour the sugar water all around your rolls (it will get absorbed) and place in the oven.  bake for 30-45 minutes, sprinkle the tops with the extra sugar and bake for another 15 minutes.  serve with ice cream and enjoy!

i’m telling you, this one is really delicious- i planning on making it again tonight!

{photos: bonnie forkner}

wrap up: {blackberries} {blackberry cobbler} {eating local} {recipes} {seasonal} {summer}

i’m not sure about you, but at my house the flies have arrived and i see them going nowhere soon!  i try to be so careful when closing doors but the little critters never cease to find their way in still.  instead of using harmful chemicals or pricey fly traps, i made my very own fly paper at home with household ingredients and materials, and it was so easy!

what you’ll need:

• a paper grocery sack
• small pot
• scissors
• hole punch
• string
• 1/4 cup each of honey, sugar and water

first, cut your paper bag in to 4″ strips and punch a hole in the end of each of them.  cut a piece of string for each paper strip and loop it around the hole.

combine the honey, sugar and water in your pot over med high heat and cook until the mixture is well dissolved, then turn off the heat.

dip each of your paper strips into the mixture, making sure to coat it really well.

hang your strips up ‘to dry’ on an other string.  you’ll want to put something underneath them to catch the sticky drips that are sure to fall, like newspaper or a baking sheet.  leave them here until they’ve stopped dripping- about 30 minutes.

now you’re ready to hang your fly strip!  these guys are unbelievably sticky, so be careful to hang them out of the way (especially for youngsters or people with long hair!)

wrap up: {bugs} {flies} {fly catcher} {paper} {simple living} {sticky} {strip} {summer}

with some local corn, i made these scrumptious little corn medallions last night, and they turned out so well!  easy to eat, too- they were deliciously crunchy around the edges and just fell off the cob as you ate them.  plus, i think they made for a prettier side than a whole big ear of corn on your plate!

ingredients:

2 ears of corn, shucked and sliced into 1.5″ medallions

2 tbls of butter, melted

1 tbls of fresh herbs; chopped (i used sage, rosemary, dill and oregano)

coarse salt and ground pepper to taste

preheat oven to 450°.  place the corn medallions into a greased baking pan.  mix your chopped herbs into the melted butter and pour over the medallions, tossing to cover them with the mixture.  bake until browned around the edges, about 20 minutes. enjoy!

wrap up: {butter} {corn} {herbs} {medallions} {recipes} {seasonal} {summer}

happy friday lovelies!  today marks the first recipe in our summer series, yeah! summer recipes are always the easiest, just about everything grows in the beautiful warmth of summer!  today’s recipe is easy, beautiful and delicious. i like to call it ‘pepper hole eggs’.

ingredients:

- 1 large sweet pepper (i used local purple heirlooms peppers here, but any kind will work)

- 3 eggs, local eggs are always easy to find!

- 1 tbs of butter

- salt and pepper to taste

directions:

slice your pepper sideways to create hollow rings about 1/3″ thick.  let your butter melt in a skillet over medium heat.  once butter has melted, place your pepper rings in a single layer in the pan.  crack one egg in each pepper hole.  depending on whether you like your eggs over easy, medium or hard you can remove them from the pan or flip them accordingly.  for over hard, let cook until the yellows are slightly firm then flip with a spatula.  let them cook a few more minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

these are delicious by themselves, over salads or as an easy meat replacement for dinner.  you can even sprinkle a little parmesan cheese over them to bring out a new rich flavor, enjoy!

wrap up: {eggs} {local} {pepper} {recipe} {seasonal} {summer}