This Week's Blog Post

Magnolia Necklace Set
I purchased this magnolia pendant on Etsy as an option for the magnolia necklace giveaway. The larger, bolder pendant was chosen for that project. This pendant is sweet and little, made on the backside of a Scrabble game piece.

It called for delicate beads so I used rose quartz and white howlite. I love the pretty, summer-like result! Available at Miss Val’s Creations.

Stevens Coolidge Place
Jim and I stopped at Stevens-Coolidge Place which is located in the town I was raised (North Andover, MA).

This is a historical home I remember visiting during a field trip as a little girl. The inside was open and decorated with period furniture and décor.

Currently the inside is closed. However grounds are open year round.

The architecture is late-Federal period farmhouse circa 1800-1820.

Originally a farm, this yard was transformed into an agricultural estate by Helen Steven Coolidge in the early 1900’s using Colonial Revival aesthetics. Upon her passing she donated the estate to The Trustees of Reservation.

This is the great ash tree which is thought to have brought on the name of the farm, Ashdale Farm.

Some apple trees remain and are guesstimated to be dated back to mid-19^th century.

My favorite part of the visit was all the gorgeous blooms.

This is the upper terrace overlooking the gardens. It would be wonderful to spread a blanket here and lay down.

The walled garden has so much charm.

This well is located on a brick terrace which overlooks the gardens.

 

These beauties are in a perennial garden which I am sure changes throughout the seasons.

We will likely go back during the summer months when the roses and other pretties are in bloom! Picnicking is allowed her so it would make a perfect spot for a beautiful summer afternoon!

We also encountered some creepy old trees! This one would be perfect in a horror film.

I hope you enjoyed our trip through this delightful estate! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live amongst such charm? Have a great week! ~Val



This Week's Blog Post

Onyx With Gold 

Black onyx eyeglass chains and lanyards have always been a staple in my shop. However I have only made these using silver accents!

So I whipped up a gold eyeglass chain and will be doing the same with a lanyard. Onyx is such an affordable classic for every woman’s wardrobe! Available at Miss Val's Creations.

She’s So Creative

4 of my girlfriends celebrate May birthdays. This year I did my card shopping through She’s SoCreative on Etsy!

This one has salad dressing on the outside and reads “It’s Your Birthday! Just Vegetate.” Inside.

This one reads “Edna’s therapist tries a new approach to curing her fear of sharks.” on the outside and reads “Forget all our worries and have a happy birthday” on the inside.

This one reads “The Origin of Turkey Bacon” on the outside and “And that’s why they don’t have happy hour on farms anymore.” on the inside.

This one reads “The Dog Walk” on the outside and reads “Woof, woof! Happy birthday” on the inside.

Besides birthday cards, this shop has a great selection of other cards for various occasions. She also offers art prints, notepads, napkins, aprons and more! Stop by She’s So Creative for some fun shopping! I love her play on words!!! See her interpretation of pasta bowl or french chicks.  Like her on Facebook.

Brunch Fun

The May birthday girls came over for brunch. One of them and her daughter brought me a beautiful, vibrant bouquet!

A week later, the flowers still look fabulous. I decided to give the big orange one its own vase which Emmett thought was really cool.

I was craving one of my favorite things which I had to make….a corn salsa dip!  Simply combine the following in a bowl:

• 3 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 avocados, chopped
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, if desired
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing (I actually only use 1/4 cup of light)

It is ridiculously delicious as is or with tortilla chips. Luckily this has no effect on my gluten free diet!!!!

Rhododendron

I have a huge rhododendron that has amazing blooms. Here is the evolution of this bloom!

New Hairstyle

Every 6 months or so I feel a need to change my hair style (in the side bar). This is the latest. I actually had a different cut for the last 5 weeks which I did not care for. This is a modification of the last style combined with my former style.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a great weekend and week!!!  ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

Custom Lanyard
A customer asked me to make a purple celestial lanyard which will be a gift for someone who loves purple.

I opted for these color tones which will make the lanyard more wearable with different outfits as opposed to Crayola purple!

Weeds!
My lawn boasts all sorts of pretty weeds. Before mowing over these beauties I wanted to celebrate them!

I think this is buttercup which we used to put under our friends’ chins to determine if they liked butter as a child. I feel strange saying we used to do this so please let me know if you did this with your friends too so I do not feel so weird!

These purple things are fascinating with their oddness.

My favorite lawn weed is this sweet little white flower. I can count on the weeds to continue visiting me throughout the summer!

Super Moon – May 5, 2012
I hope you all had a chance to observe the super moon on May 5! It was quite a sight! There are so many amazing photos from around the world of this celestial wonder from the evening. These are all published on Boston.com.

This is my favorite. A simple photo of the moon with the ocean!

rosebuds in Los Angeles, CA

Rio de Janiero, Brazil

St. Petersburg, Russia

It is amazing to think we all enjoy the same celestial beings!

Dark Shadows
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton did it again! Another fun flick! I did not read up on Dark Shadows before seeing the movie and found out the day of that this used to be a television series (soap opera style) from 1966 – 1971. This must have been the beginning of insane, supernatural writing for soaps.

Anyway I do not want to give away any of the plot but if you love Depp and Burton this is worth the expensive theater ticket! It is not scary, but somewhat creepy with a whole lot of funny. Great 70s music in this too! Alice Cooper is such a rock phenomenon, never aging.

Have a great week! We are actually having perfect weather this weekend in MA. So wonderful! ~Val

This Week's Blog Post

White Howlite Lanyards
I have always loved white howlite’s whiteness! I even think it is perfect for winter since it is as white as snow! These are certainly great for summer wear too.

Available at Miss Val’sCreations.

Gluten Free Diet 

Happy intestines = A happy me!

I recently discovered that I suffer from gluten sensitivity and probably have for the last 20 years! Gluten is a protein composite found in wheat, barley and rye. Lightbulbs went off in my head when reading up on this topic. So I spent a week gluten free to see if this is indeed the cause of my stomach issues.

My new diet started with a bunch of gluten free snacks since most of my prior snack foods contained gluten. The first week of dinners was rice and vegetables. My breakfast is always oatmeal and my lunch is salad so no changes there!

Gluten free breads and baked goods have a bad reputation for their taste and texture so as a bread and pizza lover, this was concerning. But the internet brought me to The Gluten Free Goddess. What made this an amazing find was the huge section of gluten free vegetarian recipes!!!

Here is my first gluten free pizza! I was very concerned that this would taste nasty. Ironically Jim and I both agreed that this is some of the best pizza crust we ever had! The “dough” was more like pancake batter than bread dough which was really strange to work with. Since the recipe made a large amount of dough we froze half for the following weekend and it thawed and cooked up perfectly! Crust recipe here.

After eating our first gluten free pizza, Jim offered to cook up my first batch of wraps which I had been planning to attempt the next day. These were also delicious with added dried basil and thyme in the batter. Wrap recipe here.

Attempting to roll these up with my filling of choice did not go well so I ate them pizza style with a fork and knife which was still very satisfying. I plan on investing in a tortilla press for making these which will eliminate the cleanup of oil splatter!!!

Here is my first gluten free bread! Something strange happened when taking it out of the bread machine….flour flew everywhere from the sides of the loaf. Bread recipe here.

I used the rapid cycle on the machine so next time I will try the normal, slow setting! Cutting showed a pleasant surprise inside and the taste was delicious. This recipe would be great with dried spices added making a perfect oil dipping bread! Mmmm!

Granola bars have always been a staple for me so I needed to come up with a gluten free version. Via Pinterest, I came across this recipe for making granola muffins! I added chopped walnuts and dried cranberries, omitting the sweetener since the cranberries do the trick. Such an easy, delicious snack or breakfast! Granola recipe here.

This discovery of gluten sensitivity brought me to further research on my wacky stomach. I am lactose intolerant and have always had a rocky relationship with cheese. Cheddar has always been my favorite with its amazing flavor. Reading up on this I learned that most cheese loses its lactose in the cheese making process but some cheese still have 1 – 2% lactose left in them which I am apparently sensitive to!

I learned that Cabot cheeses are lactose free!!!! So I am eating cheddar again. Big yay! I cannot express how happy this makes me and I am buying local (bonus).  

I feel a need to spread the word here about gluten sensitivity because from what I read is that many people go through their lives not realizing this is their problem (or celiac disease which can have some serious side effects) and suffer through it. That was me for many years!

While this is a bit of a nuisance I am trying to focus on the positive. Such as trying new things and working with new ingredients like tapioca flour. I am actually looking forward to trying quinoa or rice pasta. Then there is my new relationship with cheddar cheese. My intestines feel normal which is the best part of all! Also very important is that I can still enjoy my daily dose of red wine.

Iris Bloom

This is my first iris of the season. Love her!!!

This one it ready to show her petals!

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there!  ~Val