EARLY FALL WREATH AND GIVEAWAY

Sunflower and fall are a perfect match! While many summer flowers are fading, those big moppy heads of bright yellow are at their peek!

Don't you wish their beauty could last longer? Well, they can!

The kind people at THE WREATH DEPOT sent me this gorgeous early fall wreath. Actually, they let me choose the wreath ... and I just couldn't resist the SUNFLOWER SUNSET WREATH!

They also agreed to give one StoneGable reader this very same wreath ... how generous!

POINSETTIAS IN THE SNOW~ 2013 HOLIDAY DESIGN CHALLENGE

I'm getting an early jump on Christmas decorating this year thanks to HOMETALK and  LAMPS PLUS !

As a part of their 2013 HOLIDAY DESIGN CHALLENGE I was asked "how would you fill and decorate this lamp"?

What fun!!!!

With Christmas music blaring and thought of sugarplums dancing in my head I got to work like a busy little elf...

NO-SEW MONOGRAMMED WOOL THROW DIY

I know it's still August and the idea of wrapping yourself in a beautiful cozy blanket may not hold much allure.

But NOW IS the time to make that beautiful cozy blanket for the cooler weather just around the corner!

This is an easy project that can be completed in just a couple of hours and ... it is NO-SEW!

I am joining a group of very talented and creative bloggers for

NO-SEW DECORATING SHOWCASE...

TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS #62

Welcome to

TUTORIAL TIPS AND TIDBITS #62!

Last week I had so much trouble posting TTT... I had all sorts of technical difficulties!

So sorry everyone!!! I hope you will all post your great TUTORIALS, TIPS AND TIDBITS  from the last two weeks!!!!

Here are some inspirations from our last TTT...

CONVERSATION STARTER NAPKINS DIY

My friend Barb is the best hostess you will ever meet! When she has people over for dinner, which is very very often, she always encourages the greatest conversations around the table.

Barb will ask us to tell our life story in 3 minutes. Well, that's always impossible, so we spend the evening taking turn telling our stories and listening to others. We learn wonderful thing about each other around the dinner table. We find interesting connections and similar interests and life experiences. We also find such fascinating things about people... even people we already know!

I now do the same when I entertain... but with a twist!

ON THE MENU MONDAY~ WEEK OF AUGUST 26, 2013

Can you believe Sunday is September 1st? Where did the summer go?

I can tell summer is saying goodbye... a long goodbye... but goodbye none the less...

ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS KITCHEN HOME TOUR

The kitchen at StoneGable is not only the heart of my home but it's hub!

Today I'm sharing and show you my kitchen ready for early fall!

I'm so please to be a part of....





Make sure to enter the fabulous giveaway sponsored by Pfister at the end of the post!!!!


Early fall at StoneGable is a real transition time... as we celebrate the remains of Indian summer and the harbingers of the cooler season to come...

KITCHEN HOME TOURS SNEAK PEEK!

Don't we all love kitchens! Wouldn't it be fun to snoop around a bunch of great  kitchens and take in all the details?

On Thursday and Friday you can do just that!

You are invited to...

ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS

KITCHEN 

HOME TOURS ...

FALL VIGNETTES

I'm so ready for fall...maybe a little too ready!

To help everyone get in the Autumnal spirit and usher in THAT crisp cooler air... colorful leaves and even a pumpkin or two...

I chose a few fall vignettes from my archives to share! 

I hope you get ALL FALL INSPIRED...

ON THE MENU MONDAY~ WEEK OF AUGUST 18, 2013 AND GIVEAWAY WINNER

Do you ever feel like me... that you tend to make the same things over and over again? Because I often cook from the bounty of our veggie garden we tend to eat the same thing. But that's a good thing! At least most of the time! The veggies are so fresh and their flavors are at their peek! But we sure do eat a lot of them!

We are eating the last of the cucumbers this week... thank goodness! I'm a little cucumbered out to tell the truth!

And this is the only time of the year I eat tomatoes... right off the vine! What a treat. So most of our meals have fresh tomatoes!

Our onions are ready to come in so a slow cooker version of FRENCH ONION SOUP is on this week's menu that is absolutely delicious! I bet the Candy Sweet variety of onions will make the soup extra good!

Hope you are also cooking from your gardens, farm stands or local markets, too!

Now, here's the winner of the

StoneGable Ball Jar Home Canning Products

BALL CANNING DISCOVER SET

TOO MANY TOMATOES OR THE SPIRITUAL TRUTH OF SEED MULTIPLICATION!

Today's Sunday Scripture is number 2 in a series... Lessons From My Garden. To see the first post
"THE PROMISE IS IN THE SEED" click HERE.

I met Martha Stewart... yes, I did! 

It was in early March of 1989.  I went to see her give a slide show presentation on gardening. It was awesome!!! I was totally enthralled with her fabulous gardens... especially her vegetable garden!

After the presentation I stood in a long long line clutching her new gardening book to my breast waiting for a brief audience with the queen of "it's a good thing"!

She signed her Gardening Book for me and we exchanged a few brief pleasantries! It was a heady experience... meeting Martha. 

She will probably never know that... in a round about way... she taught me a very valuable spiritual lesson... the lesson of seed multiplication!

BALL JAR BEAUTIES... AND A BALL JAR GIVEAWAY

I  should be the National Spokeswoman for BALL JARS!!!  It's true... I have such a big crush on them!

It all started when I was a small girl and my Nani would pull a new jar of delicious jam from the cellar pantry and spread it's sweet fruity goodness on my toast! Ball jars hold some very dear memories for me!!!

This year I'm teaming up with Ball Jar Home Canning projects to celebrate the third...

NATIONAL CAN-IT FORWARD DAY

Saturday August 17, 2013

 The kind folks at Jarden Home Brands, makers of Ball Jars, are also sponsoring a giveaway here at StoneGable... and I'm sharing some of my favorite recipes and uses for ball jars...

TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS #61

Welcome to... 

TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS #61

And just like the fork says... it's pure BLISS to see you here again and find so many great creative posts all in one place!

Here are a few inspirations from last week's TTT...

WASHED BURLAP TUTORIAL

Don't we all love burlap? 

But most of us would like it to be a little softer and a little less smelly!

Okay, done! 

Here's how to tame burlap to be a soft neutral smelling, easy to handle fabric...

EASY GARLIC DILL REFRIGERATOR PICKLES

My one little cucumber plant is just about done producing this year... and it gave us a huge harvest!!!

What do you do with a bushel of garden fresh cucumbers? Make pickles, of course!

We love puckery, crisp, garlic dills!  These refrigerator pickles are so so easy to make and really delicious and fresh tasting!!!

Grab some cukes from your garden, local farm stand or even the grocery store and make these yummy end of summer pickles...

ON THE MENU MONDAY~ WEEK OF AUGUST 12, 2013

Last night I hosted a BOOKCLUB dinner...here at StoneGable.

I'm the kinda girl who doesn't care that there are a dozen or more unfinished projects in plain sight or that the wallpaper in the foyer is not completely scraped off the walls or that the stair railing still has blue painter's tape all over it because it is a work in progress...

I'M COTTAGE OF THE WEEK AT THE COTTAGE MARKET

You will find me over at 

THE COTTAGE MARKET

where StoneGable is being featured today...

Andrea has a beautiful and creative blog and I'm so thrilled to be 

COTTAGE OF THE WEEK! 

Stop by for a visit!

THE PROMISE IS IN THE SEED...

My garden is riotous right now! It is becoming overgrown and is producing it's little heart out... popping out so many tomatoes I can barely keep up with it's happy production!

I'm always so impressed with the ways of my garden! It's so much more than veggies and flowers and weeds... lots of weeds!

My garden is a virtual classroom of spiritual lessons...

EARLY FALL COFFEE BAR

We are BIG coffee drinkers, here at StoneGable!

Nothing is better than coming down to a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning! Especially when we can each choose the type and flavor of coffee that strikes our fancy!

One of my favorite ways to greet the day, when hosting a houseful of family and friends, is to set out a coffee bar. Our guest can help themselves to a yummy cup or coffee,tea or even hot chocolate and a little nosh while waiting for breakfast...

TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS #60

Welcome to 

TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS #60

I'm full of DIY projects dancing in my head after coming back from Haven and spending time with some of my favorite bloggers!!!! So many ideas!!!!

Sorta like TTT... lots of ideas here too!

Let's get this party started... Here are a few entries last week to inspire you...

FARMER'S MARKET

Let's get out of the house and go on a little field trip today! 

I'm heading to the farmer's market with basket in hand to find the best harvest the summer season has to offer!

Ready? Come on...

STAIR MAKEOVER... ADDING A NATURAL LOOKING RUNNER

Some projects are like chipping away at a mammoth piece of rock to find the masterpiece inside... with a little chisel and a tiny hammer.... chip.... chip... chip!

Can you hear us chipping away at our front hall and stair project?

Yesterday the stair runner was laid. It's not easy to look at a swatch of carpet and envision it as a runner going down the entire staircase!

Here's what we chose...and some tips I found along the way...

ON THE MENU MONDAY~ Week of August 5, 2013

I just got home from HAVEN, a blogging conference in Atlanta for DIY bloggers! It was such a blast!!!! I got to meet and hang out with many other bloggers... what a fun group... and LEARN so so much!

Now that I am home, it's back to working on the foyer! Today the runner comes for the stairs. And this week I'm making those curtains in the living room and dining room I keep putting off!!!!!

The other big project over the next couple of days is to get the cucumbers from the garden canned into yummy garlic dills! We have had one prolific little cuke plant!

The menu this week is full of seasonal ingredients... my favorite way to cook! Lots of great veggies straight from our garden!!!

Here's what's ON THE MENU...

SUNDAY SCRIPTURE ~ AUGUST 4, 2013

This is a wonderful object lesson! TRUTH revealed!

Have a blessed Sunday!

THE STAIRS IN PROGRESS...

We are late... or should I say behind.

 This was supposed to be a post about my pretty newly renovated stairs.  Newly painted risers, newly painted spindles, newly painted shiny black railing, newly painted walls with no marbleized wallpaper and the prettiest new neutral runner down my newly painted stairs!

Not to mention art on the walls and a white or pewter garden stool in the corner on the landing!!!!

As I said... we are running behind.  But I can show you we have done so far...

SPICY CRAB LINGUINI WITH PRESERVED LEMONS

Lemons... what yummy puckery wonderul citrus fruit! We love them...

This week I tried PRESERVED LEMONS and I discovered a whole new tasty dimension of mellow intense lemony flavor! Lemons... only more mysterious and serious and dare I say...sexy!

Come with me on a spicy, almost sinful culinary adventure...