almost france

Hi there! Just back from Quebec City. It was so pretty and reminded me of some trips to France a few years back. Here's some shots of the old part of town. Best part of the trip was visiting the Ile de Orleans, right outside of the city and I have no pictures of that day because I was riding my bike and didn't bother to stop and take pictures. Silly me, but believe me it was gorgeous. I'm off to NH for a visit with my family...no reliable internet access there, but I'll post again when I can. Happy summer to all of you in the northern hemisphere.

xo Jill

home sweet home

Here are some photos from our sweet little summer home. We'll be there in August and I can't wait!

There's a new Poppytalk Handmade Market going on: Home Sweet Home. You can visit my shop there, and there are also many, many, talented folks showcasing gorgeous housewares.

I'm signing off for a little while as we're leaving tomorrow for Montreal and Quebec City for a bit.

Have a good week, everyone!

full on summer

Kids are done with camp and it's full on summer here. Hot days. Blue skies. Ice cream. Swimming. I'll be posting here sporadically for the next couple of weeks. It's vacation time!

late in the evening

Yesterday really felt like summer: hot, humid and by evening a delicious cool breeze was blowing in. My son and I were out on our upstairs deck right before bedtime enjoying the summer night. After the kids were in bed my husband and I went out to the back patio to enjoy the coolness. I hope you all have a wonderful summer weekend!

loving:

housemartin

ill seen ill said

la porte rouge

roe via pia jane bijkerk

india print skirt

Found this wrap around skirt in a little shop in Newport for $19. I remember my mom wearing skirts like these back in the day. I love this color blue!

Check out the beautiful photography at floradouville .

new stuff in the shop

Those grain sacks I showed you last week? They became 3 pairs of pillows. All available here. Plus many lavender pillows. I've added a selection to my shop and will add more soon. Oh, and some new French ticking pillows are here too. Thanks as always for having a look!

newport

Went on a roadtrip to Newport, RI yesterday. The highlight of our trip was visiting the Breakers and the Elms, two of the most opulent of the Newport Mansions. No one has actually lived in them for eighty years or so. They are now historical landmarks which have been restored and preserved for the public to see. Both houses have great self guided audio tours if you are looking for something fun and interesting to do in New England on a summer day.

roses

Roses! And sunshine today here in Cambridge. Today I'm finishing up a bunch of sewing, tomorrow I need to deal with the sorry state this rain has left my garden in. Lots of weeds and roses that need to be deadheaded. But everything is super green. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Link for the day: this cookbook with incredible photographs of food and Turkey. I've been stalking it at the neighborhood bookstore.

current obsessions

In this, the summer that never was (still cold and cloudy here) I am obsessed with tea, chocolate, and knitting. Something nice about the cooler weather is that it's possible to work in my third floor studio without overheating. And it's more fun to knit in the evenings when you're not sweating on the wool. But lots of tea and bits of chocolate are getting me through these cloudy days.

Link for the day: Cafe Cartolina

becoming

I just got some new grain sacks last week. This week they will become pillows and lavender sachets. Got to get sewing!

I found this incredible shop through Seveldge Magazine.

And I LOVE these dishtowels. And everything else in Inklore's shop.

sea + quarry

Finally some sun! The weekend was spent adventuring around the North Shore of Massachusetts. We went for a walk around Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, where a huge fresh water quarry meets the sea. We scrambled over rocks, checked out sea creatures in tidal pools and found some wild blueberry bushes. It was lovely.

in the garden

The kids and I went to visit my parents for the week. It rained, it poured, but the first evening we got there was nice enough to hang out in the garden. Here's what my mom is growing this summer. Happy fourth of July if you are here in the USA!