Tile Lust

I have seen the advertisements for years, but I never checked out the website, http://www.annsacks.com/

I could design hundreds of unique homes from the tile collections. Here are a few of my favorites...

Mud Room Ideas

With our recent summer rains, including a lovely flash flood over the weekend, I have been dreaming about having a mud room. One of my most desired aspects of the dream mud room would be the dog/boot shower. It would be amazing to be able to hose off those muddy paw paws and my wellies after a nice walk in the rain.

In my search for the right accessories for the new utility mud shower I found a pro grooming pet source that has the hardware needed to tackle the dog wash, http://progroom.com/. Here is the link to the wall mounted spray plumbing hardware. A must have: faucet.

My wish list of mud room amenities is extensive, but a mud room is the work horse of the home. I love Shaw fireclay farm sinks and the classic is the 30" original...

I personally would opt for white locker cubbies to store coats, hats, bags, and the mystery collection of scarves that seem to replicate in the cold months. I would opt for a bench and storage drawers below with lovely bin pulls.

I would use dry erase board in the center of the coat cupboard door front so that family members can write helpful reminders. An added benefit would be personal charging stations in each storage locker. An orderly home is a sane home in my opinion. A girl can dream can't she?

The Lovely Iris

Gypsy Romance

Copatonic

Badlands

Brazilian Holiday

BlackDragon

Schreiner's Gardens has the most beautiful Iris collection. Here are a few of my favorites. http://www.schreinersgardens.com/

You have to give props to Ms. Martha Stewart for innovation. I stumbled upon this little idea from her website, and boy do I intend to use it. Just keep an old colander in the garden to rinse off your veggies before you take them in the house and muck up the kitchen. It's a good thing!

Garden Inspirations

Apple Oven Cake

Thanks to Sunset.com I have made this recipe on multiple occasions; it really is wonderful.

Time: 30 minutes. This puffed pancake works nicely as either an elegant breakfast dish or a rustic dessert.

Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sweet apple such as Fuji, peeled and sliced
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Melt butter in a 12-in. ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, swirling to combine. Add apple and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl together eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

After our recent trip to New York City I have had bugs on my mind. You see, one of my clients is The Evolution Store. It is on Spring Street in SoHo. A little enchanting shop full of wonderful curious natural objects... mostly bugs! Since then, I have been thinking about making things, with bugs. I have some ideas up my sleeve, and when I finally do create my first little curiosity I will be sure to share.