a saturday in motown

Steve and I spent our Saturday afternoon in the historic district of Detroit.  First perusing all the fantastic pottery & tiles at Pewabic House & Garden Show (that’s still going on this Sunday)

Some of my favorite collections included these amazing cups, bowls and plates by Liz Kinder.

These colorful city scapes are done by Linda Buck who resides in Berkley, Michigan.  So much talent… (right in our backyard)

Suzanne Vitti has a fun whimsical style.  I also love her ‘learning to speak Spanish kitchen series’.

And more fun from the always humorous, Doug Spalding.

Love the color, texture and graphics of Xenia Taler.

After Pewabic, we strolled through a number of impressive homes and gardens in the beautiful historic district of Indian Village.

It was a lovely way to welcome the first Saturday in June. (especially knowing that next Saturday will jammed packed full of activity with the Berkley Art Bash and our sidewalk sale)

scrumptious summer salad

When this month’s Detroit Home landed in my mailbox, I started salivating.  Doesn’t that salad look delish?  And the recipe is pretty simple too.

Summer Salad

Serves 4-6

4 cups mixed greens

1 carrot, julienned

2 sliced radishes

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

1/2 pint fresh raspberries

1/2 pint sliced fresh strawberries

1/4 cup candied nuts (almonds or pecans work best)

Toss greens, carrot and radish with blueberry dill vinaigrette (see below).  Garnish with berries and nuts.

Blueberry Dill Vinaigrette

2 cups fresh orange juice (about 10 oranges)

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

In a small pot, reduce the orange juice over medium heat to 1/2 cup.  Do not boil.  In a blender, combine the blueberries and the orange juice reduction.  Add sugar, salt and olive oil.  Finish with dill.

Need a little inspiration when it comes to the kitchen?  We love finding yummy recipes that you’ll want to make.  Simply sign up to receive these blog posts in your email inbox and pretty soon your family will be begging for your signature dishes!

just because presents – my favorite!

A curious box came my way recently from my very good friend, Michelle.

These are my very, very, very favorite kind of surprises – the ones just because.

Even Tuesday had a fine time playing with the raffia & tissue paper.

This funny retro squirrel & nut box is so cute.  It even has ‘Betty ’59’ inscribed on the bottom (a true crafty keepsake).  It was full of goodies for art journaling and finds from her China travels.

Ahhh… it truly is the little things in life that make living grand.

Thank you Michelle – you’re a treasure:)

our sex and the city five-some

A few of the catching fireflies gals and I spent the evening swept away in the land of Carrie Bradshaw.

We’re hardly the fashionistas that Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda & Samantha are, however we still know how to have a grand time… even in blue jeans.

Okay, here’s the shoe review for the evening…

Cheryl in a flirty floral number with a punchy pink polish… very tropical!

Sara in a spring green preppy style that says "hello summer"

Courtney in a cute crocheted flat

Danielle in a classic brown flat with subtle detailing (I don’t know about those black man socks though… good thing she’s behind the counter most of the day) … Ahhh, I kid because I love her!

And me with one of my latest Miz Mooz additions – the perfect marriage of understated style and true comfort.

Needless to say, there are no Manolo Blahniks in our closet but that doesn’t stop us from strutting our sassy selves around town.  Cheers to good girlfriends!

gift tags for your goodies

As a thank you for signing up for our monthly enews, we invite you to print these pretty package tags on white card stock or an 8.5 x 11 adhesive sheet.

Even if you can’t print them right now, feel free to save them to your computer and use them at a later date or when you have the appropriate paper to print on.

Thanks so much and happy gift giving!

catching fireflies – a summer’s delight

This lovely article titled Catching Fireflies from Metro Parent caught the attention of one of our crew and I thought I’d share it with you.

Summer nights sparkle thanks to these meadow meanderers – by Jennifer Sullivan

The life of a firefly seems romantic, doesn’t it?  From about May through August, these twinkling insects can be seen dancing across the dark summer sky in search of a soul mate.

Fireflies, or lighting bugs as they are sometimes called, aren’t really flies; they’re actually beetles.

There are many different species of fireflies, many of which are bioluminescent, meaning they have the ability glow.  According to Rochester Hills entomologist Dick Taylor, fireflies produce a cold light in their abdomens, caused by a chemical reaction.  Different species of fireflies possess different flashing patterns, varying in sequence and duration.

On warm summer nights, males can be seen flying about attempting to attract a mate.  Females, which stay close to the ground, will flash in response if interested.  Her luminescent body acts as landing lights for the incoming male and mating takes place – sometimes.

Even insects aren’t immune to rocky relationships, and because female fireflies are predacious, the males literally risk their lives when it comes to the dating scene.

Females will actually eat other species of fireflies, thus making courtship for the boys complicated.  The females have the ability to mimic up to 11 different species.  Taylor says, therefore being able to trick the male and lure him into her trap.

"By eating the males, the female acquires a poisonous substance which makes her distasteful to predators like birds and spiders," Taylor says.

If the female is sincere and mating does take place, she will lay her eggs and the cycle continues. Even so, as summer comes to a close, the firefly’s days also are numbered.

So before the dance of the fireflies ends, Taylor encourages youngsters to observe these fascinating insects both in the wild and in captivity.  Fireflies are best found in meadows, along the edges of streams and near woodland trails.  Observing their true flashing patterns is best done in the wild, Taylor says.  Try to find different species by observing the frequency of their flashes.  Taylor also points out, "Wherever they are flashing, kids should look on the ground to see if they see a female flashing back."

To get a glimpse of them up close, Taylor recommends heading outside about a half hour after dusk and capturing them with a butterfly net.  Put them in a glass jar with some damp leaves and don’t forget to poke a few holes in the top.  Remember, these little critters won’t live past a week when captured, so be sure to always release them back into the wild.   

sex & the city shoe sale

In case you haven’t heard, Sex and the City opens this weekend and in celebration – snazzy shoe shop City Style (just a couple doors down from our Berkley location) is offering 20% off all their pumps the rest of the week.

They even suggested styles for your pseudo character… so fun!

If your weekend itinerary involves seeing this long awaited film… shhh!  Don’t share Carrie’s destiny with us- the c.f. girls and I are makin’ an evening of it on Monday.

Happy movie-going!

tuesday’s memorial day festivities

Nothing like some morning theater sitting in the newly screened window sill.

Followed by lounging in the soft green grass (and purposely getting in the way of me planting flowers)

A snooze in the sun after a day of fun.

abundant blessings

Meet Susan & Connie.  These two women are friends, colleagues, moms, volunteers, optimistically active members of our global community and the creators of the Blessing Bowl.

Their business began with a simple holiday gift eight years ago.

Susan, mom of four children, created the original Blessings Bowl for friends and teachers who had touched her life during the past year.  Starting with beautiful, unique bowls, special paper and ribbon tailored to the bowl and the friend, she wrote poems expressing her gratitude for the special gifts these people had given to her life. 

And then she asked each recipient to think about and write down the blessings they had in their own lives, furthering the spread of awareness and gratitude.  The response from her children’s teachers and many friends convinced her that others in the world wanted to give ~ and receive ~ this kind of gift, also.

A blessing bowl is more than just a gift.  It’s an opportunity to express, in your own words, how an important person has impacted your life. This is the perfect gift when you are seeking something personal, meaningful, and truly touching.  We offer the original polished aluminum style and the the crackled glass style.

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where will you be five years from today?

Boy-oh-boy I wish I had this book 12 years ago. 

I truly will never regret my rollercoaster ride of art fairs, marrying Steve, wholesale shows, working like maniacs, opening a shop, opening another shop, lauching a website, closing a shop & reopening it in another location, starting a blog…

but this book helps put all my craziness in perspective.

"This is your life, your one-and-only-life, and you don't want to miss any part of it.  So, what is it going to be?  You decide.  Starting today, you can make the next five years the most exciting, satisfying, productive and amazing years of your life so far – or just another five years."

"The purpose of this book is to stir your creative juices and to inspire you to really get in touch with your dreams.  The goal is not to provide a list of what "should" be done with the next five years – but to stir up some exciting possibilities of what "could" be done."

"In the following pages, you'll find fresh ways of thinking about different areas in your life.  It could be something as significant as tracing your roots, developing an exciting idea, pursuing a heart-quickening adventure, or finding creative ways to give back.  The truth is, you really can turn any "what if?" into "what is."

Over the next five years, what do you really want to do?  What do you really want to have?  What do you really want to be?  Where do you really want to go?