#450...camellia clippings

My dwarf camellia tree has been blooming for a few weeks. It is almost through its blooming season, and I wanted to clip a few blooms to enjoy indoors for Valentine's Day. I'm a few days late, but we now have a pretty pink bouquet to enjoy for the weekend.

#449...pocket square

In a few weeks, Tyler and I are attending a wedding on a ranch, and we've been gathering together our wedding western digs. I've been on the lookout for a western inspired pocket square for Tyler. I decided that for Valentine's Day, I'd sew him up a couple of options. I found a couple pieces of vintage silk, and quickly stitched them up. I tested them out in a vest, wondering which pattern he will choose to wear. I just stuck the square in the pocket to view the fabric, but there are in fact some very fancy methods for folding a pocket square....see here.

#448...trina turk's home

On a dreary Monday.... following a dreary weekend here in Houston, I am digging the sunny, mid-century, vibe of fashion designer Trina Turks's home, featured here in Elle Decor.

#447...lately in my kitchen

I've been busy whipping up dishes from the veggies I got last week. Cooking is not my forte, so I'm pretty pleased with myself that I made these edible and also yummy dishes.

Quinoa Salad

Braised Daikon in Mirin and Shoyu

Beet Hummus

....and to top off all this healthy eating, I gobbled up two of these giant shortbread jam heart cookies that an admirer left on my porch as a sweet Valentine's treat!

#446...wikstenmade tank

I bought this tank pattern from Jenny of Wiksten last year, and finally got around to testing it out.

It is a really simple sewing pattern, but it employs some of my favorite techniques like a french seam, and bias finished neck and arm holes. You have the choice of making a shirt length tank or a dress length tank. I made the longer tank as a nightie for my friend Nancy from some vintage Liberty of London fabric that I've had stashed for awhile.

My sister Sarah asked me to teach her how to sew, so she too made a tank dress for her first project. I helped her with the curved portions, but she cut it out, sewed the side seams and pocket all by herself. Here is a pic of Sarah's tank. She said she may wear it as a swimsuit cover-up, which I thought a clever use.

There is an entire flickr pool dedicated to the Wikstenmade patterns. Here are a few of my favorites of the tank pattern from flickr.

#445...botanical photography

I'm enamoured with the beautiful botanical photography of  Kari Herer. This weekend, I played around with my camera and a bouquet of dendrobium orchids trying to capture their beauty in a similar style.

Thanks for the pretty flowers Sol

#444...super quick staging

Sometimes, when I am looking for items for a real estate staging project the Shopping Gods smile on me, and I find everything I need in about 30 minutes at exactly the price point that fits in my budget. Case in point.....

before

after

King Bed-in-a-Bag Set from Ross $35

Set of Toss Pillows from HomeGoods $25

Starburst Mirror over bed from HomeGoods $45