Comments : 26

Hi friends, how are you? Before we begin, congratulations to the winner of the mixing bowl giveaway-

I sometimes put a little fig jam on my platter. Yours looks delicious, I must say! Enjoy your weekend…and I am expecting my new EH blue and white dragon bowl to be delivered today! Can’t wait!

Please email your info to [email protected] so your prize can be on it’s way!

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Isn’t it nuts that we are already in mid July!! Hope you are having a great weekend. Here it’s been a combination of sun, super humid air with a healthy dose of rain…..so not an ideal summer weekend but making the most of it and getting together with friends one night, family the next.

Trying to salvage the most of summer though by all accounts it is a very different summer than any other. I had a strange experience yesterday, keep in mind I don’t really go out unless I must. To my office, market, maybe a friends house and that’s about it. Went to Whole Foods yesterday and could not get over the line outside the door, almost snaking around the building. It was above 90 and incredibly humid, I couldn’t turn my car around fast enough!

Then I suddenly realized that retail stores were open again, have not been in one since March! I drove to a shopping area I like near us, and because they were limiting how many could go inside, once again there was a crazy line which really surprised me. Then I see two people in this line having a heated argument.

I realized then and there, I was not ready for all this and once again turned my car around making a beeline for my house. I got home, never feeling so happy to be there and honestly for a short while, felt like I wouldn’t want to leave anytime soon:) This new norm is still requiring some serious adjusting. OK onwards to happy and pretty things-

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1 HYDRANGEA HEAVEN We have a few beautiful hydrangea hedges in our yard. This year, unlike the year itself has been a phenomenal year for hydrangeas. I keep hearing many saying it…something in the air or soil for hydrangeas this year.

They exploded this year and I could not be happier about it. It has certainly been a bright spot in a rather gloomy summer, make that year. So I have enjoyed not only watching them bloom every day but of course cutting them and making pretty arrangement for around the house. Have a look-

And the perk of course, is being able to go out and cut them and have instant arrangements, no car necessary

 

2 MY AMAZING CUSTOMERS I never cease to be amazed at the incredible talent of my customers. Nothing makes me happier than to get your pictures featuring my products. It totally validates why I do what I do and why I love it so. Thank you and please keep them coming! If you have any pictures featuring our products that you want to share, please send to [email protected].

I will soon announce our annual Summer Love photo contest, so keep that in mind:) Here are some from our latest batch-

 

3 INSTAGRAMS OF INTEREST Such a pretty summery round up this weekend. With it being the middle of July, I am going to enjoy all these summer inspired instagrams while I can (even though its a very weird summer)!

 

4 A PERFECT SUMMER SALAD This salad is so good, so flavorful and so pretty…a trifecta in salads! Found at Gimme some oven, this is GOOD. It pairs wonderfully as a healthy side or could easily be a meal. It’s guilt free and delicious. I have made it twice and if you love fresh herbs with a hint of lemon….you will love this salad, I promise!

  • 12 ounces uncooked orzo (or any pasta shape)
  • 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach, chopped
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
  • 1 English cucumber, diced
  • half a small red onion, diced
  • 1 cup roughly-chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup roughly-chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 12 lemons, zested and juiced
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
  • optional: 1/2 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

 

 

  • Cook the pasta in a large stockpot of generously-salted water until al dente, according to package instructions.  Drain pasta then rinse thoroughly in a strainer with cold water until the pasta is chilled.  Transfer pasta to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl (using cheese if desired).  Toss until evenly combined.  Taste, and season with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, to taste.  (I used about 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.)  Also feel free to add in extra lemon juice if you’d like an extra-lemony salad.  (

 

 

5 A NEW BATCH OF FABRICS TO SWOON OVER One of my favorite brands of fabrics is Quadrille, such a beautiful take fresh yet classic fabrics. Every time I get their lookbook I find myself daydreaming of redoing a few rooms over just to use some of their newest. And this lookbook is certainly no exception. LOVE so many of these:)

Click here to see Quadrilles Lookbook

 

6 SOME PRETTIES HEADING THIS WAY! So smitten with these new floral/trellis wastepaper baskets and tissues. Will be offered in pale blue, pale green and pale pink! I cannot wait to bring some of these home and now need a pink bathroom just to be able to use the pink too. These cannot come a day too soon. We are FINALLY getting in the second container of our big tabletop items next week (the rest of the belljars, etched glass bowls, new glasses and more).

All presales from during Covid will be shipped immediately upon receipt. Then we will hold our usual arrival sale. It is so nice to finally be getting in all our shipments. It’s seriously been like Christmas in summer the last few weeks, getting in 3 or 4 more shipments all mid July. So good things are happening!

Here is one tissue done-

Lots of pagodas will be here in August-

Be sure to check out new arrivals, some beautiful new things were just added, click here to see

 

7  SUNDAYS SURVEY This year we are on our A game with respect to the holidays. I am over the moon with our new papers and cannot wait to show you, very soon! Think its my favorite gift wrap collection yet. Our holiday paper is well underway and our first batch of ornaments are being made as we speak. I am always surprised when we occasionally sell ornaments or holiday gift wrap say in the spring or summer. Then we get people asking about it later summer/early fall. I typically do not start selling these holiday items I guess by some people’s estimation…..too late, normally later fall.

So this year because we are now selling wholesale and we want to be able to offer it to those early birds (smart) and early holiday planners. Wondering when you think is a good idea to start offering holiday goods? I guess I have always operated on how I plan which is later than I think many do and I cannot stand when retailers force seasons on us so early which i am sure subconsciously is another reason I have started later than many. Though every year I am getting better! Curious as to your opinion.


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This was a fun post for me to put together especially featuring things that make me happy and are pretty to look at. Never have I felt the need to focus on the positive and beautiful more than I  do now. There is so much to feel down about looking at our world right now. I am trying to stay positive and surrounding myself with beauty surely does help!

Hope you enjoyed the post, anything particularly resonate with you? Wishing you a great weekend, thanks for stopping in. Until next time…..

PS Our entire porcelain collection is 20% off until tonight! Use code porcelain, click here to see the collection (all subcategories are on the left)

 

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I just loved that blue & white bathroom with the Bali Isle wallpaper, it did my blue heart ? good!!!

Oh how I love hydrangeas and those photos are fantastic! I’ve tried for years to grow them, and they just don’t like the soil in my yard.

You have such treasure in your own backyard with those hydrangeas. Lucky you! Just stunning!!

Your hydrangeas are STUNNING! The shades of deep blue with a touch of purple are simply breathtaking. Thanks for sharing 🙂

Thank you for bringing a small respite from the world in the form of your posts! You are appreciated. Since we are talking about Christmas: I am ready to re-do the main tree, give my crystal/gold/bronze away and start over with your blue and white ornaments. Can you make suggestions for a “kit” which would include various sizes and shapes, both solids and printed. The kit would specify how many of this, how many of those, etc., to get us started on an average size tree. Maybe you have already created this, and I have missed it. Hope we can re-visit this topic. Thank you. Have a great week.

Tina your hydrangeas are absolutely gorgeous! Can you please tell me what the name of the blue ones are? I am definitely going to try the salad. It looks delicious! Thank you for Sunday Seven. I love your posts!

I attempted to purchase two green tulipieres with the sale code but it said code did not apply

The Hydrangeas are awesome this year. I have some amazing, enormous blooms. Plan to cut today & place in vases.

Tina, you bring so much beauty and joy into lives. We are all in this together.

I waited in line in a 100 degree heat yesterday. People not following rules. Hospitals full11 what do they not understand????

I wonder if less air pollution, due to business closures/less traffic, is having a positive effect on hydrangeas and gardens in general this summer? Found a Quadrille fabric I love. Beautiful Sunday post. Thank you.

What do you do to your endless blue hydrangeas…..?? They are gorgeous. Only a few blooms for me this year. Last year they were full of blooms.

Swoon! Mark Sikes for Quadrille is beautiful. Have a love seat similar to the one shown and am looking for just the right textile to recover it. During this shelter in place time I’m grateful for your post to get my mine off the unrest all around us. What ever happened to us? Are we really this angry? Like this quote “What is anger? It’s a punishment we give ourselves for somebody else’s mistake”

Love white hydrangeas but your deep blue really caught my eye, beautiful! And that blue range wow that’s a show stopper.

Dear Tina, The new norm is like every science fiction book I have ever read , the only difference is I’m right in the middle of it! I went shopping today and people fighting over someone without a mask on , while a lady is video taping the scene with her phone. I left and went straight home! Be it ever so humble or grand……………………………… Thank’s for the Beauty Tina

Absolutely loved seeing all your gorgeous hydrangeas! How special to have them so nearby and they look amazing in so many different vases!

Those waste paper baskets and tissues- YES!! Can’t wait till they come in.

Your hydrangeas are beautiful are those Nikei Blue? We just had a huge hedge planted on either side of our entrance, praying they do well!

Yes scary times we are living in- EVERYONE needs to wear a mask since our president is so weak, we all need to fend for ourselves. Very sad.

Love your blog Tina!

Hi Tina what a great post to put together. Your hydrangeas are just beautiful, unfortunately the summers get too hot here and I have not been successful in getting them to grow.

Love all of your new product you have really hit it out of the park and everything that I have gotten from you I’ve been overjoyed with so please keep on doing what you’re doing!

As far as when to offer holiday to me personally I say the earlier the better. I come from a very large family so we plan very early, my planning starts right after Labor Day I start making my gift list and thinking about what I will need for the upcoming holiday season.

I think this year in particular because so many people are home and probably will be in the fall people will start planning earlier than they typically do. Just something for you to consider.

I always look forward to your Seven on Sunday !!! Especially your inspirational stories . How do I enter for your great giveaway ?

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