Flea Market

After baking a quiche for breakfast today, we walked to the flea market. Seeing these flower baskets was a welcome treat. I love how this lady uses old baskets and crates as flower pots. It gives her arrangements a nostalgic and organic feel to it.


It's cloudy today, walking along is easier without the usual summer heat. As of this post, I'm still looking for vintage fabrics & buttons to use for my fall/ winter collection.

Hopefully, I'll find what I'm looking for.

How about you, where are you headed this Sunday?

- Posted from my iPhone

Fresh from the Farmers Market

Saturdays are farmers' market days here in our town. I got up early this morning with my boys to shop for fresh produce.


Here, we're picking out the juiciest peaches for the peach crepes I'll be making


Sweet corn on the cob for lunch with grilled pesto chicken.


Cucumbers & onions for the salad. Try sliced cucumbers drizzled with red balsamic vinegar, dash of salt & pepper, and brown sugar. A tasty, refreshing summer side dish.


We love these granola bars from the Amish. These make for healthy quick snack, especially for our little guys.


Loading up on these greens!


And don't forget the carrots. We love snacking on these. Blanch it in hot water then drizzle with agave syrup to cap off your sweet cravings.

Can't wait to cook things up for an al fresco dining with family today.

Have you been to the market today? Share your photos too.

- Posted from my iPhone

ABCs of a Tea Party

With clear skies and nice weather, summer is the perfect time for tea parties. I'm not talking about the political 'tea parties'. This is after all, an art blog.

I recently held a tea party for the kids in our family. I want to share with you my ABC's for preparing a budget-friendly tea party for the little ones and the kids at heart too. I marked the photo above for your reference.

a - For the table napkins, I bought 2 yards of linen fabric and hand drawn the leaf prints with fabric pens.

b - My favorite flea market find! Twenty two set of white and silver vintage china in perfect condition. I wanted my little guests (and the not so little) to have a genuine experience using real tea cups.

c - Set of wooden bowls from Goodwill. Tough and durable for little hands.

d - For my flower centerpiece, I plucked some Nikko Blue Hydrangeas from our yard and set it on vintage blue wine glasses (another flea market find!).

e - No tea bags for that day, only loose leaf teas brewed in IKEA cafe presses.

f - Freshly squeezed lemonade mixed with mango juice, for refreshment.

g - Perfectly warmed tea bread and pastries from our local bakery.

And since my little guests know I'm an artist, I gave them their own 'art kits' complete with sets of paints, paper canvases and brushes from the dollar store. We let them express their creativity painting whatever subject they fancy.

Do I think they had a great time? The smiles from my tiniest guests say it all.

There you go! Have fun hosting your own tea party. Share your photos, I would love to see them too.

Farmers Market

Summertime is farmers market time! Every weekend, I love strolling along the busy market downtown to buy fresh produce. Our two year old loves carrying my bag, filling it up with farm treasures along the way. He loves tasting the freshly baked baguette too!

We say 'no' to plastic bags whenever a vendor asks us if we want a bag or not. It feels good to know that we're helping in our own little way to minimize waste by using our own 'lovely' reusable bag. We are going 'green', are you?

Click here to find more eco-facts about using plastic and paper bags.

Wonderful Wednesday

Today's picks to brighten your day.

Click here to find out more about today's picks.

Sweet Twee Feature

Sweet Twee Blog has graciously and proudly featured my Fruit and Veggie Baggie.

For a mix of everything cute and fun, head over to Sweet Twee.

Thanks again for the sweet feature Sweet Twee.

Why it Pays to be Green

Fruit Market Baggie, $17.

Did you know that one less grocery bag per person in a year would reduce waste by 5 million lbs. and save $250,000 in disposal costs?  

So, shop smart and stay 'green'.   These reusable and washable baggies are my best bets.  

I'm totally saying 'bye' to plastics.  How about you?

Four Thousand Blooms

Four thousand miles, that is. That's how far you need travel to see these beautiful tropical blooms from Kona.  I took this shot when I stopped at the farmers market in Kailua-Kona last time we were in Hawaii.

I just fell in love with the bursting colors and spiky textures from this bouquet.  The more you get up close, the more it's details become interesting.  Like the folks around us.

In our lifetime, we'll come across four thousand or more people.  Some, we'll take time to meet.  Others, we'll just pass by.  Oftentimes, it's worth stopping by to discover their resplendent attributes.