Tomato Basil Pasta

Sweet summertime! It has been pretty hot this summer and August is here. The last couple of days have been beautiful though with a wonderful breeze! One of the things I love about summer is the fresh fruits and vegetables. If you read this blog you know I belong to a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture.
I get wonderful fresh certified organic vegetables. My favorite are the tomatoes!


Growing up in an Italian household you couldn't get enough of these plump, delicious things! One recipe I grew up on was this pasta!


It is easy and delicious.

The ingredients are
Tomatoes 6-8 diced
Extra Virgin Olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
fresh basil 
salt

Cut tomatoes into diced pieces and fill bowl. Mince 3 cloves of garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. You can chop if you would like it stronger. I like a lot of fresh basil. 4-5 leaves chopped and 1/4 cop of Olive Oil. Mix together and add water to top tomatoes. Let stand and marinate a few hours. Overnight is great too! The longer it sits the better it tastes.

Using fresh ingredients are the key! If you don't have fresh basil used dried but fresh is better.

Your mixture should look like this. Now boil a pound of your favorite pasta. Add this on top like a sauce. It does not get cook.  The heat from the pasta warms it and you will not be able to stop eating it!

This mixture is also great to top chicken and steak. Enjoy!

Auctions and Antiques

 Don't forget if you want to place an order with ColorStoryHome they are offering FREE shipping thru August with this code!

I have been gone for a couple of days! I am way behind on so many things but I had such a fun weekend!

I went traveling on Friday to various small towns in Tennessee antiquing and thrifting. I felt like I should be cast in one of those "pickers" show! I didn't have a truck or trailer with me so I passed on a lot of great finds.  Since my garage is full of furniture to redo that is probably a good thing! Some of the places had such great stuff. I can't wait to go back.

 

It was nice to go into a place that had color!

 

There was a lot of neutral pieces too!

 

The funny thing is that even though it was a Friday there were so many shops closed. I didn't understand that one!

On Saturday I attended my first house auction.  I soon found out that people pay way to much for items at an auction.  

 

 

Look at the white cabinet on the right. I wanted it!!!!!!

and the trunks to the left.

 

 I did however get some good buys.

Some of my great finds were:

a vintage scale

 

a coffee pot with glass top

a great piece of luggage

 

another piece of English Ironstone

 

old file

 

glassware

This is just a few things! I had a trunk load. I will be busy pricing these for the store today.

I want to thank all of my friends who have paid me a visit at The Roost the last couple of months! I appreciate all your support and friendship.

I will announce the winner tomorrow so check back with me!

Do you ever notice that it is hard to get back into the swing of things when you return from a trip?

I need some more caffeine!

Take Advantage of the Repost

 Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Remember FREE SHIPPING going on now thru Aug!!

Gone for a few days will be back soon! Enjoy! 

 WOW Check out all of the GOODIES going on! There is a GIVEAWAY and now read this post for MORE!

Color and Design are two of my favorite words. I like to think that  my blog encompasses the two. From time to time I come across interesting people and places that incorporate what I love and I like to showcase them. Nothing says color and design more than this store.


A friend of mine owns a store in New Jersey called ColorStoryHome. I know a perfect name right? I had the pleasure of interviewing her and I thought you would enjoy reading about this awesome store and seeing pictures. She has graciously offered free shipping to anyone interested in shopping! Read more below.

1.Tell us about CSH

ColorStoryHome is defined by the simplest of philosophies. If a color makes you happy, live in it. There are no mistakes.
(see about us on website) http://www.colorstoryhome.com/

2. How would you describe your design style?

Eclectic at best, inspired by all types of design - a melting pot really...of pieces that thru some simple relation work well together - love the unexpected.

I love this so much!!!!



3. What type of items can we expect to find?

All types of home accents and furniture in fab colors.

4. Do you showcase a particular collection?

Many in fact. Some favorites: Porcelain hand-graphic'd dinnerware from Christopher Jagmin Designs, Sid Dickens Collection of Timeless Memory Blocks (shop only but can be ordered via phone, 973-744-8338), Jonathan Adler, etc.
Just added Waechtersbach Ceramics from Germany and the Joya Perfumes in Porcelain Collection.

I love Sid Dickens!
 
5. Do you have a favorite piece?

This Cloisonne Box designed by Fabienne Jouvin, Paris. It is beyond my favorite. A piece that looks so simple from a distance but in fact, the workmanship is incredibly crafted and the pigmentation of color is sublime. This box has been the inspiration for many a design.

Thank you so much Barbara for taking your time out to show us this fabulous store!

If you place an order you will get FREE shipping!!! Use the code DREAMINGINCOLOR2011 


Barbara will offer this thru the end of August!!! So have fun shopping!



You can go to her facebook page and "like" her! There are always new things and specials you can find there.
http://www.colorstoryhome.com/
you can also find her on twitter.

Thanks to Homework for the feature of my Cool Cooler! 

Hand-Painted Stool

If you didn't get to see yesterdays post click here for some FREE fun! Also the GIVEAWAY ends this weekend so be sure to enter!!


The other day as I was thumbing through old photos, I came across a stool I painted. It was one of those unfinished pieces you buy in the store.


I bought it and hand-painted it with frogs and flies! I added some fun designs to the legs too!

Love the details on the legs and the flies on the top edge. Even though it was done a long time ago, it is still in fashion today. 

The picture quality is lacking but I just had to show you this. Painting to me is always so much fun. Use your imagination and do what you love. You won't regret it! It is a piece of art to treasure always!

Color and Design An Interview and Gift

 WOW Check out all of the GOODIES going on! There is a GIVEAWAY and now read this post for MORE!

Color and Design are two of my favorite words. I like to think that  my blog encompasses the two. From time to time I come across interesting people and places that incorporate what I love and I like to showcase them. Nothing says color and design more than this store.


A friend of mine owns a store in New Jersey called ColorStoryHome. I know a perfect name right? I had the pleasure of interviewing her and I thought you would enjoy reading about this awesome store and seeing pictures. She has graciously offered free shipping to anyone interested in shopping! Read more below.

1.Tell us about CSH

ColorStoryHome is defined by the simplest of philosophies. If a color makes you happy, live in it. There are no mistakes.
(see about us on website) http://www.colorstoryhome.com/

2. How would you describe your design style?

Eclectic at best, inspired by all types of design - a melting pot really...of pieces that thru some simple relation work well together - love the unexpected.

I love this so much!!!!



3. What type of items can we expect to find?

All types of home accents and furniture in fab colors.

4. Do you showcase a particular collection?

Many in fact. Some favorites: Porcelain hand-graphic'd dinnerware from Christopher Jagmin Designs, Sid Dickens Collection of Timeless Memory Blocks (shop only but can be ordered via phone, 973-744-8338), Jonathan Adler, etc.
Just added Waechtersbach Ceramics from Germany and the Joya Perfumes in Porcelain Collection.

I love Sid Dickens!
 
5. Do you have a favorite piece?

This Cloisonne Box designed by Fabienne Jouvin, Paris. It is beyond my favorite. A piece that looks so simple from a distance but in fact, the workmanship is incredibly crafted and the pigmentation of color is sublime. This box has been the inspiration for many a design.

Thank you so much Barbara for taking your time out to show us this fabulous store!

If you place an order you will get FREE shipping!!! Use the code DREAMINGINCOLOR2011 


Barbara will offer this thru the end of August!!! So have fun shopping!



You can go to her facebook page and "like" her! There are always new things and specials you can find there.
http://www.colorstoryhome.com/
you can also find her on twitter.

Boys Bedroom

 Be sure to sign up for the GIVEAWAY! It ends this weekend!


After all these years I have found the pictures of my son's room when he was a little boy. Unfortunately it isn't the whole room just the murals.


I have been redoing way before the blogs or HGTV! It is funny how I can remember how hard it was to find anything that was artsy for my redos.


Back then I couldn't find pretty drawer pulls or cool accessories. I simply had to figure it out on my own.


I think one of the more creative rooms I did for my son was a beach/underwater room.


I painted a scene on the wall and made his bed into a sailboat. I don't have the picture of the bed but it had a sailboat quilt on a twin bed.  I nailed molding to the wall and cut a white sheet for the sail and roped it to the molding.

 

I anchored the bed to a pier post with a heavy rope. I cut the post out of a landscape timber and wrapped the top with rope.

Below it was a treasure chest that held all of his dress-up clothes of a fireman, policeman, pirate, and monster etc.

I used wooden oars for his window treatment. I made a valance out of navy and white ticking to slip over the oars and hung them above the windows. I found fish rugs and scattered them around the floor.

 

He requested a sea turtle and a shark! Surprised he didn't have nightmares but he was so into sea life.

Painting is affordable and it was my tool for creating rooms for my children. It became something that others wanted too! I began painting murals from there.

 

I really enjoy "coloring" on walls. I would rather do this than just paint a wall. To me that is boring! So I try to find help when I have to repaint walls and trim.

All of these are hand drawn and painted.

It was fun to reminisce! Thanks for joining me!

A big thank you to Homework for featuring my Lavender Sachets! They can be found in my Etsy shop!

Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY! It ends this weekend!

White Ironstone

There is still a Giveaway going on for a Gift Card and Goodies. Go check it out and sign up! 

 Two winners will be announced!

It has been a busy weekend to say the least. It was my mother-in-laws birthday and we celebrated on Friday. On Saturday I went looking for treasures all day. Sunday a new Goodwill which turned out to be a bust.

It is the week of the Longest Yard Sale so I stayed away from that and hit up some locals. I went to some shops I have never visited before.  Some junk, some treasures! Lots of rust!

I will be hitting an auction at the end of the week. I have never gone to a house auction before so it should be interesting.

I found a spot I think I will be visiting often. It is my little secret! I found some really awesome things. My favorite was a piece of white ironstone. It is the first piece I own.

I also found some trinkets for the store. I will be picking up some furniture this week too to redo! YAY!

So here is a sneak peek!

old carafe

little pitcher

old brown glass bottle

old suitcase

little old plates

But this was my favorite piece

a chamber pot w/lid

love the detailing and shape

I am not sure if I can give this piece up. It is so pretty.

I did buy it to put in the store though (sad face here)

I will show you pictures of my furniture soon. I can't wait to post on the auction I am going to on Sat. It should be interesting!

Have a great week!

Don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY!