Hello, March and A Lamb Cake

March came in like a lamb at my cottage. It was 23° when I thought to look at the weather app on my phone but there's no wind. I was thrilled to see a bluebird checking out my bluebird box so hopefully she liked what she saw and is ready to set up housekeeping soon. Fingers crossed.

Do you have a lamb cake mold? No? There's still time to find one and if you do, here's the recipe. I found a link for this mold on Amazon. Be sure to read the reviews about putting wooden skewers in the ears and neck for stability. Happy baking.

Hello, December

Last December I published a red copy of December page from The Procession of the Months by Walter Crane. It seems like yesterday. I worked outside chopping down tall weeds with my electric hedge trimmers and cleared quite a lot of lawn. It felt good to be outside. This was my third day in a row doing such. Today it's much colder and there is a freezing rain that could turn to snow later. I unearthed my snow shovels yesterday too. Enjoy what's left of the first day of December 2019. xo

Hello, September

Hello, September and hello all. Sorry I haven't been around for a while. My washing machine broke and cannot be fixed and I have had a really hard time finding a replacement. The part is no longer available (of course) and the repair man found one on eBay but it was $600. YIKES. I looked and looked and looked and absolutely could not find a front loader that would fit in the tight space in my laundry room. I settled on a Maytag front loader that will fit but it might not exactly line up with my dryer because I completely forgot about the shallow cabinets above. I might have to pull it out farther than the dryer in order to get the top open. I think it will be fine, fingers crossed. It is being delivered on Thursday. I am not at all excited about getting a new one and having to learn how to use it. Nothing is simple these days, right? Things don't last the way they used to and the manufacturers have planned obsolescence built in. I have gotten numerous tips by watching demonstrations on YouTube. Some of the comments are hilarious. My old one was a high efficiency front loader and I could see that it used very little water. My new one is HE too and all the comments were about the lack of water in the drum. It doesn't have the old-fashioned agitator that sticks way up either. My clothes are never very dirty except when I am down on my hands and knees in the garden. I have old work clothes so I don't care if they don't look brand new when they come out of the washer. Sorry to sound out of sorts. I am really fine and just wanted you let you in on what's going on in my life.

Enjoy the long Labor Day weekend. I am loving the cooler weather after a long hot spell. I am not ready to kiss summer goodbye, are you? I love fall except for the leaves which I never get raked until spring rolls around. I have learned the birds like it this way because they can find winter food underneath the leaf cover. I don't feed them so this is the least I can do for my feathered friends. xo

August 1st + Two Legal Drama Movies

August is a month to try to enjoy in spite of the heat because once September rolls around the rest of the year flies by.

I enjoy legal dramas and two that I have enjoyed on Kanopy are shown below.

Emma Thompson is wonderful. View movie trailer here. I loved the interior design of her London apartment too.

This movie is based on a true story and the legal trial takes place in England. 

Based on the acclaimed bookDenial: Holocaust History on Trial, DENIAL recounts Deborah E. Lipstadt’s (Academy Award® winner Rachel Weisz) legal battle for historical truth against David Irving (BAFTA nominee Timothy Spall), who accused her of libel when she declared him a Holocaust denier. In the English legal system, in cases of libel, the burden of proof is on the defendant, therefore it was up to Lipstadt and her legal team, led by Richard Rampton (Academy Award® nominee Tom Wilkinson), to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust occurred. View video movie clips here.

Hello, April

Happy April Fool's Day. This calendar page by Walter Crane has the perfect illustration for welcoming in the first month of Spring that we've all been so anxiously awaiting. It's bright and sunny with a blue cloudless sky here at my cottage but still chilly. I can't believe we are already into this year's second quarter. My, how time flies.

December by Walter Crane

The Procession of the Months, collection in the Houghton Library at Harvard. Illustration by Walter Crane. Verse by his daughter Beatrice Crane. See their November calendar page here. See his woodcut engraving called The Angels here. More information on Walter Crane's life and career here.

'The Angels' by Walter Crane

I am somewhat obsessed with the artwork of Walter Crane. He was friends with William Morris and I love the Pre-Raphaelites of the Arts and Crafts Movement. I found this image on Pinterest.

I voted today in the midterm election but it's way too early to get a feel for who won. The polls don't close in NJ until 8PM. I went this morning in the pouring rain.

William Morris Wallpaper Designs

Brother Rabbit - William Morris - 1882

Marigold, William Morris, 1875
photo credits: Metropolitan Museum of Art

William Morris Wallpaper

I love this pattern. Wallpaper by William Morris called “Marigold”. via

William Morris Illustrated Quote

Incident of Nature by Owen Gildersleeve

An illustration for the Royal Mail's 2011 Year Book, to introduce a chapter on the William Morris stamp collection. This quote is taken from one of Morris' 1892 lectures 'Town and Country', and the design is based on an amalgamation of Morris' patterns.

Fritillaria Watercolor: Charles Rennie Mackintosh

"Fritillaria" 1915 watercolour and pencil
Charles Rennie Mackintosh; (Scottish; 1868-1928)

The drawings of wild flowers which Mackintosh produced in 1915 are probably the most elegant and delicate of all. Fritillaria is a flower with such obvious appeal for Mackintosh that it seems odd he had not drawn it before. The chequer-work on its petals is much like many of his decorative stencils, and he acknowledges his debt by repeating the dicing in the signature box. In Southern Britain, as an indigenous plant, Fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) is a rarity of ancient damp pasture. However, it is commonly grown in gardens. source

Trio of Holiday Mice with Free Knitting Pattern

© Barbara Prime
Free pattern -- Download PDF Here.
Details here.

Rossetti Oil painting: 'The Day Dream' in The Victoria and Albert Museum

The Day Dream painted in 1880 by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painter, artist and poet. The sitter for this painting was Jane Morris, the wife of William Morris, who often posed for Rossetti. At the time this was painted Rossetti was involved in an illicit love affair with Jane. He shows her sitting in the branches of a sycamore tree and holding a sprig of honeysuckle. This sweet-smelling climbing plant symbolized the bonds of love for the Victorians, and Rossetti may have included it here as a subtle reference to the relationship between artist and model. Rossetti was also a poet, and the title relates to his poem of the same name which ends:

She dreams; till now on her forgotten book  

Drops the forgotten blossom from her hand.

 This painting is in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

Custom Architectural Bookplates

I've always loved bookplates and have some nice ones in my collection. Wouldn't it be nice to have a rendering of your home and garden for all of your books on architecture and gardening? via: teaching literacy

The bookplate depicts Kelmscott Manor, the home of William Morris. When you click on the website be sure to click on the HOME tab too for more wonderful images of this English Country Home.

DOT the movie

Click here to watch the movie DOT
starring the world's smallest character.

Shot with a Nokia N8 cell phone. This smartphone has a 12MP camera with Carl Zeiss lenses. I think this is going to be my next phone.

I wasn't able to embed the movie in my blog. When you click on the link there are several fascinating short films to watch and be amazed. Anyone who sews or knits will be especially entertained.

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Elbert Hubbard: Thoughts on Being Appreciative

I've always liked this quote from The Note Book of Elbert Hubbard.
Image scanned from my personal copy.



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Frank Lloyd Wright's Studio

The first photo shows the library within Wright's studio in Oak Park, Illinois. It was an octagonal appendage to the mass of the whole reached by a narrow corridor. No spot could seem more remote or more tranquil. The perfect place to think things out or meet with clients. The studio itself (second photo) wraps around and lies beneath a tall open area that terminates at a canopy ceiling with beams that form umbrella-like ribs. Placed around this space on several levels are work areas with double drafting tables. Light is abundant and the sense of interaction among the spaces is strong, yet the work stations themselves seem very private. This must be considered the dream office for any architect past or present. Agreed? See Wikipedia listing for Frank Lloyd Wright.

Photographed from a favorite book in my Architectural Library: OF HOUSES & TIME by William Seale ~ Personal Histories of America's National Trust Properties. Sorry about the page glare in the second photo. Rosemary




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Happiness Quote by Elbert Hubbard + A Free Font To Download

Elbert Hubbard 1856-1915 was a writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. He was an influential exponent of the Arts and Crafts movement in America. The wonderful font I used is called 'Hill House' and it's a free download here.