I seriously do not understand how fast August is flying by~especially these last two weeks. Happy last Saturday of August and it’s hard to believe the Labor Day weekend is next week. We are so lucky to still be enjoying the cooler mountains of Arizona and lately, I can certainly feel a touch of autumn in the air. Thanks for joining me for Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week.

Hummingbird Frenzy

We have two hummingbird feeding stations just outside the front of the cabin. Both are filled with so many hummingbirds, dipping their beaks into the sweet nectar. It is so entertaining to watch them maneuver while batting their wings at lightning speed.

Most of the hummingbirds I have observed are shades of blue or green, but lately, we are seeing multiple bright orange and red ones. Little did I know but they are the Rufous Hummingbird. Out of all the hummingbirds, this one migrates up to 4,000 miles (from Alaska to Mexico).

Research has revealed that the area of a hummingbird’s brain related to learning and spatial memory — the hippocampus — is proportionately the largest of any bird group studied to date. Hummingbirds “brain volume” is up to five times larger than that found in songbirds, for example.

With enhanced spatial memory, the Rufous and other hummingbirds pinpoint prime locations of nectar, their main food source. Remarkably, hummingbirds can also remember feeder locations from previous years, both on their home territories and along their migratory pathways.

Anyway, just wanted to share a little hummingbird info that I found fascinating this week. In the meantime, we are refilling our feeders almost daily and enjoying their elaborate flight displays, steep dives and territorial nature.

I hope to post a video on Instagram documenting the Rufous Hummingbird invasion~you can see it @lifeatbellaterra.

Fun Finds this week

Speaking of birds, many years ago I purchased these bird plates from Anthropologie as part of a wall grouping. When no longer needed as that, I realize how much I like these plates from their colors to their size. However, I only had 3 of them.

A quick visit to eBay and I find 4 more, with just the blue and yellow border. These are the perfect size for a small meal or dessert. A happy purchase.

Do you use eBay to find or sell your treasures?

A Sustainable Way to Reuse Candle Vessels

I am trying a relatively new product from a company called Siblings. According to their website, they do candle refills, not single-use vessels. Their 100% compostable bag contains everything needed to make a luxe, non-toxic candle in a vessel you already have. A candle with less waste, lighter weight and fewer emissions.

Basically, you microwave the bag and pour the melted candle wax into your own vessel. No fuss, no mess! The scents I ordered are: clove lavender cedarwood, eucalyptus balsam wild berries and bergamot white rose oak moss.

I am making one candle and it is super easy. Check them out. Again, I don’t get a stipend if you buy this, but if you remember the mess with melting candle wax in a pot on the stove…you will love this!

Cute Little Painting

While at Big Lots, I spot this cute 8″ x 10″ painting on a wrapped canvas. The colors match one of my vintage quilts in my daughter’s room. Not sure about the black leaves as I can touch them up with a bit of green, but I will live with it for awhile. A steal at $5.99…..really!

Another find from Big Lots is this faux fern with a basketweave pottery pot. I add it to the nightstand in the cabin guest bedroom~surprising how real it looks! If you missed the post this week about Reworking the Home Office to a Guest Bedroom, you can see it here.

Face Moisturizing Question

In a recent email from Costco entitled $80 OFF Moisturizer, my curiosity leads me to open the marketing piece. I am thinking…$80 off? That’s quite a savings. Then I click on the link which takes me to La Mer Creme De La Mer Moisturizing. The online price for 3.4 oz. container is $409.99; sale price (for 2 days only online) is $329.99.

I then look at the ingredients. Not sure what Miracle Broth is, but the second ingredient is mineral oil, which is a heavily processed petroleum product. For some reason, I am under the impression that mineral oil is not something you want to use on your skin….?

Anyway, after having sticker shock about this product, both the retail and sales price, does anyone use this? Personally, I can’t imagine spending this much money on a face cream unless it’s going to get rid of all my hard earned wrinkles and spots.

Recently, I did switch my day time moisturizer to Clinique Moisture Surge and so far, I am very happy with the way it works on my skin. You can order this directly through Sephora here. However, if you look for this product on Amazon, they only have it with an SPF of 25. Not sure if it is a knock-off, but on the Clinique website they do not have Moisture Surge with an SPF of 25. Make sure you get the real thing with an SPF of 28. Cost is $48.00.

This 1.5 oz container is lasting quite a long time. I’ve been using it every morning for a few months now and only 1/4 of the jar is gone.

What type of moisturizer (day and night) do you use?

Help!

A few months ago, I posted a picture of this wonderful rocking chair given to me by my neighbor across the street. It has a wonderful history and I love the wide, comfortable seat.

I haul it up to the cabin with the intention of stripping off the yellow paint, determining the original wood and perhaps just staining and varnishing it.

Well, I start this project and what a colossal pain in the butt. There are at least 3 layers of paint and after working on it for several days, here is my progress.

Getting the old paint out of the decorative turns is so tedious and often times, impossible….at least so far.

Does anyone have any great solutions to making this stripping go faster? I am using an orange gel stripper and wondering if it is just not strong enough? Dipping the entire piece into stripping solution is not an option due to the woven seat and back of the chair.

Maybe it’s best to just repaint it? Perhaps a heat gun? Would appreciate your thoughts and expertise.

From the Internet

You have heard me mention Chloe from Celebrate and Decorate (such a creative and talented person!). If you are looking for a non-traditional look for Halloween, check out Chloe’s living room mantel. I love it when I see something I’ve never seen before.

Letting Go of Summer with Gratitude

I would consider myself someone who hangs onto summer for as long as I can. It’s rather easy to do when you live in Phoenix, Arizona and the heat really doesn’t seem to end until Halloween. But there is something about the ease and fluidity of days in this season, that doesn’t really happen the rest of the year.

Heather from Home with Heather has a thoughtful post on Letting Go of Summer with Gratitude. If you are having reservations about saying goodbye to the summer rhythms, you may enjoy this.

Easy Sheet Pan Recipes

Quite honestly, I rarely make any meal on a sheet pan. But this article from Food 52, makes a compelling argument on why one should try it. Sheet pan Harissa Chicken with Smashed Olives and Apricots, anyone? See it here.

It’s time to wish you a wonderful weekend. I am driving down to Phoenix for a few days to see my daughter(s), catch up with a doctor’s appointment and maybe a haircut. Be happy and be safe out there!

Last November, we hosted family at our cabin for Thanksgiving. In determining who would sleep where, we decide to take our home office room on the first floor and convert it into a guest bedroom. This particular room is at the end of a hall with its own bathroom, so it makes sense for our out-of-town family to use this as a bedroom. Unfortunately, this is a last minute decision and at that time, the room is functional but not very appealing. Recently, I try to improve upon this space with some aesthetic additions.

The Before~Home Office

This is a good size room (12’10” x 10′) with an eastern window (for morning sun) and large sliding doors to a deck on the south side. As a home office, there is a desk and chair, a day bed and a green leather chair and ottoman.

I purchased this day bed long ago and we used it frequently when the children had friends sleep over. The bottom pulls out and pops up with another mattress. However, it doesn’t get much, if any use now. It’s one of those pieces of furniture that I wonder if I should sell.

Here you can see the green leather chair and the closet doors. This chair and ottoman are leftovers from the previous owner but I am fond of the color and wear of the leather.

This Hekman Queen Anne desk with inlaid leather is one that has been in three home moves. All the wall art (reproduction currency) belongs to my husband. I’m not a fan, but it’s a marriage compromise.

Moving it All

Since I really do not want to purchase any more furniture, we move these pieces to other parts of the cabin. The desk now is in our master bedroom, which has a larger enough space for it. The day bed and leather chair/ottoman go upstairs to another bedroom. A final deep cleaning of the berber carpeting, windows, and walls ready the room for the next step.

From an upstairs bedroom, we move 2 vintage mahogany Georgian style twin beds with a lovely acorn posts by the Van Stee Corporation from Jamestown, New York. I picked up these two sweet beds from a local thrift store at a fabulous price. BTW~have you seen the price of vintage or antique twin beds lately? If you ever see a beautiful set of twin beds at a great price, you may want to consider buying them.

Working with two twin beds allows a bit of flexibility. In this room, we push the twin beds together and use king size sheets, pillow top, comforter and quilt. If we need to separate the beds for two guests, it is rather easy to do as I have all the bedding for twins.

Window Treatments

Since the sliding doors are large and south facing, I get black out drapes from Pottery Barn in a soft blue chambray flax linen.

On the eastern window, we use a woven blind, identical to the cordless ones we use in the pool house renovation. From Factory Direct Blinds, we continue to be pleased with the quality and customer service they offer. I like how they blend in with the natural wood window trim.

Bedding

The walls in this room are SO white, but I’m not up for painting them. Instead I add more blues and neutrals~like the quilt set I buy from The Company Store.

I must have purchased it on clearance because I cannot find the exact one on their website. However, I find something similar on Amazon here. The top stitching and the pattern combination make this feel like a vintage piece.

Surprisingly, I find very cute throw pillows at the local Walmart. This 21″ x 21″ off- white knot pillow from the Better Homes and Garden collection is only $14.98. It is a good quality and the knots give it texture and dimension.

Another great find from Walmart is this very soft rosette plush pillow 22″ x 22″, again from the Better Homes and Garden collection. The ivory is the only color left and you can find it here. I try and stay away from the big box stores and support smaller local businesses. But up here in the mountains, the shopping is very limited and Walmart is a good employer of the local population.

Look how cute these pillows look on the bed with an existing embroidered Ralph Lauren one.

On the Walls

I love vintage and antique quilts and use them extensively here at the cabin. Typically it is difficult to find matching quilts for twin beds. A few years ago, at a Junk in the Trunk vintage market at Westworld in Scottsdale, I find these fabulous flower garden pattern with a scalloped edge . BTW the next Vintage Market is September 15-17th. If you want to attend, find the link here.

Since the unattractive orange peel textured white walls dominate this space, I use these precious quilts like art and hang them from a curtain rod. Our guests can take them off and use them for an extra layer, if needed.

We have a Big Lots store about 20 minutes away that I have recently discovered. What bargains can be found there! This 24″ x 36″ piece of canvas wrapped art work, on sale, is less than $20 (can’t recall if it was $9 or $19). The colors work with the room and I would be hard pressed to find a blank canvas for that price.

Extra Touches

With limited space on either side of the beds, I use a thrift shop find small end table that fits right up against the door trim.

On the other side of the bed, I am looking for either a small table or shelf. An old brass wall lamp is ideal since space here is limited.

I am debating about a dust skirt on the beds. Since the beds take up quite a bit of floor space, I think not having a bed skirt makes it feel a bit more open and perhaps, charming? Your thoughts?

Instead of the bulky green leather chair, I move a ladder back chair from another bedroom. Again, Big Lots has this great artificial plant and basket (on sale) that provides a bit of green to this corner.

Doorstops remind me of my childhood. Since we are at the cabin, this huge pinecone does the trick. I think this is a Coulter pinecone?

Overall, the transformation from home office to guest room is nearly complete. Now I’d like to create a special seating area just outside the sliding doors, so our guests can have private outdoor space too.

In the past, the master bedroom was the only one on the first level of the cabin. This newly transformed bedroom allows our guests to stay on the first floor and not need to navigate the stairs to the second story.

If you enjoy this post, please share on Pinterest.

We are right smack in the middle of summer here in Phoenix. It is hot AND humid. Not a drop of rain predicted until maybe mid-next week. Based on the weather forecast, the temps may get up to 117. Fortunately we are heading to Chicago for a few days and we couldn’t have picked a better time to escape this inferno. It’s that time again for another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things.

Fall Styling Workshop

I am teaming up with Chloe from Celebrate and Decorate for a fabulous Fall Styling Workshop. We would LOVE for you to come and spend the day(s) with us on either October 20 or October 21. The workshop will be from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and includes lunch and some other delicious morsels. All the details are in the Events tab on the top of my website or here. Space is limited so please get your registrations in as soon as possible. We are not sure if we can provide remote access at this time but will let you know if that is a possibility down the road.

Fun Find

Years ago, I used to macrame ALOT. Hard to believe it’s all back in style. I saw these cute storage baskets on another blogger’s website, however, they were out of stock with that manufacturer. So with some internet sleuthing, I found these online for far less money. This 13.5″ macrame storage basket is perfect for plants, or whatever else you want. I like having attractive storage options at a reasonable price under $25.

Garden Update

The remaining spaghetti squash (you can only eat so much) is being enjoyed by the chickens. All the tomatoes disappeared during our trip to Mongolia~not sure what happened. Not much growing in the garden except for the grapes and a few peppers.

If the birds do not eat them, I may try and make grape jelly this year when we return from Chicago.

Foot Update

Over a year ago, I was suffering from Morton’s neuroma in my left foot. I tried healing myself naturally vs. getting a cortisone shot in between my foot bones. At night, I would wear Splay, a set of toe separators or commonly referred to as yoga toes.

I must admit that it is awkward to wear these and it takes some getting used to but I am currently pain free, contributing my success to Splay It took a few months but I no longer use them unless my feet feel tired but would recommend them to anyone who is looking to improve your foot alignment.

Remember to Hydrate

Sometimes we get busy and forget to drink LOTS of water. It also helps to add electrolytes, especially in high heat times. Drinking regular water is fine, but how much more fun is it to drink a naturally flavored water using fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs? Lemons, berries, cucumbers and herbs (cilantro, rosemary, thyme) are some of my favorite flavors.

I try and drink half my body weight in ounces so if you are 120 lbs, then that means 60 ounces of water. Plus it plumps out any wrinkles!

Easy Chicken and Grape Salad

My friend, Rachel from The Pond’s Farmhouse has the easiest recipe for a cool salad on a warm summer evening. Serve it on lettuce or in a freshly baked croissant. Using rotisserie chicken from the supermarket is an easy way to whip this up in no time. See Rachel’s recipe here.

Looking forward to Making this Bedtime Drink

Renae from Peacock Ridge Farm shares an enticing bedtime drink made with lavender, chamomile and vanilla. I am always looking for a warm night time beverage that will help in providing a good night’s sleep and this one sounds like a winner. See Renae’s recipe here.

Mixing Antiques with Modern Touches

I am hooked with the title, “Antique Lover’s Lake House” as I love antiques and anything to do with living by the water. Even though I have never built a new house, I would welcome the opportunity to design one and have it beautifully appointed. This article from Cottages and Bungalows will not disappoint, especially if you love blue and white, vintage collections and Cape-Dutch elements.

Sharing a Bit of the Art Institute of Chicago

Before wrapping up, I thought you’d like to see some of the amazing art on exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago. In addition to a large Van Gogh exhibit, here are some classics you will recognize. I always find it amazing that one can get rather close to the actual piece of art. And after so many years, the colors of these paintings are just rich and gorgeous.

Seeing this self portrait of Van Gogh in person for the first time, is really something! The attention to detail and the colors are so perfect. Did you know Van Gogh created 190 paintings in 2 years while he was in Paris? That’s almost 8 paintings per month!

This is an all time classic~American Gothic by Grant Wood featuring a farmer and his daughter.

John Singer Sargent painted The Fountain, Villa Torlonia Frascati, Italy in 1907 of his friends, artists Wilfrid and Jane Emmet de Glehn. Sargent was frequently interrupted by rain and he completed this painting over several days.

Lastly, I will share a Claude Monet, Water Lilies. The Art Institute has so many beautiful Monets on display but I love the colors that only Monet can do.

If you ever get the chance to visit this amazing art museum, please do. There is so much to see and it’s impossible to take it all in at once. I feel so inspired to paint when I get home.

Have a wonderful weekend. Stay cool out there! I hope you are doing something fun and relaxing.

How can it truly be the last Saturday of April? Happy Saturday and weekend to you. This week seem to move along rather quickly for me and I am ready to slow things down once again. Thanks for joining me today as we chat about all good things this week.

Tackling Another House Project

I truly love my kitchen. It is the hub of our home where everyone gathers, cooks, socializes and is the most used room in the house. As a result, of course, it tends to get a bit messy. Daily cleaning is typical for dishes and counters; weekly the floors and rugs get washed. But when was the last time I cleaned out each and every cupboard? I mean really clean~sorting, tossing what isn’t used, wiping down the shelves, replacing the shelf paper, etc.

This project started this week. So far, I have thoroughly cleaned 16 spaces (cupboards, drawers, shelves) and still have 37 to go. My goal is to complete this project before house guests arrive on May 6th. Naturally it has been all consuming. But there is a slight giddiness when I open a space and see the transformation.

Here is a kitchen drawer before:

And here it is after. All the expired aspirin and vitamins are gone. Similar items are together and organized. It is such a feeling of freedom, right?

A cupboard that holds mostly tea and beverage related items gets a good overhaul. The shelves are scrubbed clean and old labels removed.

Here is the before:

And here is after cleaning and organizing.

Making Focaccia for the First Time

My son, Benjamin, makes focaccia bread all the time. Surprisingly, I have never made it. So this week I decide to try my hand at it, using my sourdough starter, not commercial dry yeast. I add olives, fresh rosemary and a good sprinkling of sea salt. Up to this point, it looks good.

Well, it was a total flop. I think I over proofed it and rushed the process. Other than eating the olives off the top, it was added to the kitchen trash. I will definitely try it again and maybe follow the directions this time?

Have you Ever Made a Hand Knit Blanket?

I finally finish a chunky chenille yarn blanket in a blush pink. It’s a graduation gift for my daughter’s friend, who happens to love the white chunky yarn blanket I made for Elisabeth. Personally, I am an abysmal knitter, but this hand knit blanket is relatively easy and something I can do.

The yarn is from Joann’s Fabric (I order it online) and it comes in 16 colors. It took 6 skeins and the finished size is approximately 3 feet by 5 feet. A fun and doable project~coming from someone that doesn’t have a knitting skill set. There are many tutorials online too.

Flower Botanical Art Work

This week on the blog is an easy DIY Botanical Artwork that you can make with supplies around your house. If you missed it you can see it here. Being curious, I try this same technique but with flowers.

With only enough time to make two of them, what do you think?

Do You Wear Sunscreen?

I try to wear sunscreen on my face and neck all year round. But as the weather gets warmer, especially here in the Valley of the Sun, protecting your skin from the sun is important. Here are two products that I LOVE and use every day.

Colorscience Brush-On Sunscreen Mineral Powder is a substitute for my face powder every day. I also keep one in the car for those long drives where the left side of my face is exposed to the sun. It’s $69.00 and comes in 4 colors. Though a bit pricey, I can honestly say it seems to last forever. You can find it on Amazon here.

I LOVE this product. Again, Colorscience Total Eye 3-in-1 Anti-Aging Renewal Therapy. It immediately brightens and corrects dark circles, while smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. I wear contact lenses and this product does not bother me at all. It has the added benefit of protecting your delicate skin around the eyes with a broad spectrum SPF35. It is a bit pricey at $79.00 but I am still using the tube I bought in June 2022. Comes in 4 colors and you can find it here.

Do you wear sunscreen on your face and neck every day?

New Show We are Watching

We just started watching this yesterday but I am intrigued by the concept of arranged marriages. Though this show is into Season 3, I am just learning about it and starting Season 1. In Indian Matchmaking, Mumbai’s premier matchmaker Sima Taparia, draws from decades of experiences, insights and traditional methods to help single people find their perfect matches. You can find it on Netflix.

Dreaming About an English Cottage?

Nestled in a quiet enclave on the outskirts of Rugby in Warwickshire is this charming four-bedroom thatched cottage…..and it is FOR SALE! Check out the gorgeous pictures and dreamy landscape here. I just found this website and it has a plethora of homes, cottages, apartments for sale~lots of eye candy!

Proud Moments

My youngest child, Elisabeth, is getting ready to graduate college shortly. She attends the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University and her undergraduate requirement is to write and present a thesis. This week she presented her defense on Monday to her professors and I had the honor of watching her as it was held virtually. Not only did she pass, but the comments by her professors made all her efforts worthwhile.

Elisabeth is a Criminal Justice major and is currently interning at the County Medical Examiners Office~makes me cringe a bit but she seems to be learning a great deal about dead bodies.

Well, that’s a wrap for the last Saturday Meanderings in April. Have a spectacular weekend! Do you have any fun plans?

When our children were growing up, I collected their artwork, and framed the best ones. These pieces were hanging in our back staircase until we remodeled and refreshed that area (see that post here). What to do with all of these now that our 3 are grown and living on their own? Of course, they do not want them and so I spent last weekend, taking the artwork out of the frames and keeping just a few. The frames are in great shape (don’t want to donate them) so I am inspired to try and create my own pressed botanical artwork.

Supplies You Will Need

Waxpaper

Scissors

Fresh greens-I cut a variety of sizes and shapes from the yard

Stock paper-this paper comes in a variety of colors and textures. I use mostly white with a linen texture.

Modge Podge

Paintbrush

Books

Spray Adhesive

Frames

Prepare the Greens

Determine the size of the surface you will mount the greens~8 x10, 9 x 12, etc. Select the greens that fit best in the space. Place the greens between 2 sheets of wax paper or one sheet folded over.

Lay the greens/waxpaper in between pages of a heavy book. Make sure your leaves are flat and not curled. I use 4 different books depending on the size of the frame.

Press the greens in the book(s) for a few hours. I left mine overnight in order to get a nice flat leaf.

You can stack the books on top of each other and provide additional weight. I use a 35 lb. kettlebell.

Position the Greens

Once the leaves are flattened, I play with how I want them to be positioned on the stock paper. Notice how the leaf on the lower left is a bit wonky.

Lightly spray the back side of the green with adhesive.

Note of caution: When using greens with delicate leaves, be extra careful when transferring them to the stock paper after applying the spray adhesive. I believe I had the ceiling fan on and the minute I lift the greens off the cardboard, the leaves stuck together. It is impossible to try and separate them once this happens.

Carefully place the leaf onto the stock paper. Gently tap it down to adhere. Use an adhesive that allows time to reposition if necessary. This one from Loctite is acid-free and photo safe. Here is where I fix the curled leaf and lay it flat using the adhesive.

Seal the Greens

Once the greens are secure on the stock paper, paint the leaves with Modge Podge, a water base sealer, glue and finish. Since these will be under glass, I use a matte finish but it also comes in gloss too. Personal preference. Modge Podge dries clear and rather quickly.

After the Modge Podge is dry, you can then insert the greens on stock paper into your frame. It would also be nice to calligraphy the name of the plant at the bottom of the picture.

I have 20 of various black frames. But if you don’t and are looking for some, Amazon has a very nice selection here.

This fig leaf is large enough to stand on its own in the 9 x 12 frame.

Not sure what these sweet fuzzy greens are but I love the color and the texture.

My youngest daughter just moved into a new house with 3 roommates and has a nature/boho theme for her bedroom. I am hoping she loves these so I can fill up the other frames. If not, I will use them in a gallery wall configuration somewhere. I love how easy these are to make, with their simplicity and nod to nature. Quite pleased on how this DIY turned out!

Now I want to try this with flowers! Happy creating!