Farmers' Market

Well, it's been one original summer! This week is my last week at the Farmers' Market, other than a few random fall days and a Christmas market. I decided to take a little break from it. It's been a lot of fun, but I have to use my day off from my regular job to prep every week, and I'm ready for some down-time. LOVELYgoods was an adventure that I've always wanted to take - have my own Farmers' Market booth! I didn't make a cent of profit, but it was a whole lot of fun and I was able to cover my costs!

Here's a pic of my tablescape from last week:

Isn't it cute? I love the whole rustic look that we had going on with the antique crates, burlap, and chalkboard. The only prop that I had to buy was another covered cake stand. All of the items are from my home, or borrowed from Mom or my boss. I found the little itty-bitty covered stand (I think it may be for cheese) at a thrift shop a month ago and it's the perfect size to use for samples! Gotta love it!

If you're in my area, drop down to our Farmers' Market from 3-7 this Friday for my last officially scheduled market day. I have a great menu planned as kind of a last hurrah. Our local wild blueberries are in season, so you can expect an appearance from them! Granola's always on the menu, of course, and tarts, too. You will have to find out the other surprises when you get here...

Happy Wednesday!

Pinned

Source: design-seeds.com via Katie on Pinterest

                                                               Source: design-seeds.com via Katie on Pinterest

                                            Source: design-seeds.com via Katie on Pinterest

Oh, Pinterest, you're too much. How beautiful are these colour combos? I haven't spotted a combo from Design Seeds that I don't like yet! Pinterest brings all the loveliest images together, and without it, I wouldn't have discovered Design Seeds.

I'm itching to start a new craft project: paint something, sew something, papercut something, create something. Take a dreamy photograph and pull all of your colours from it. Easy-peasy. Sometimes you just need a little inspiration to get started. How about you?

Happy Tuesday! 

Basil, My Friend

Recipe time!

I don't know about you, but my absolute favourite herb is basil. Used fresh in sandwiches and dips, tossed in steamed Jasmine rice, added to a stirfry or curry, whatever. That's one amazing herb.

I did a little trade off with my boss - a bag of my Cranberry Chai granola for a big ol' bag of her sweet basil. I have some growing, but not to the extent  that she does. I wanted to make a mean batch of pesto, so she shared her trusted, well-used recipe with me. Here I am, sharing it with you!

Classic Basil Pesto

3 c basil, washed and packed
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 c nuts
3/4 c parmesan, freshly grated
3/4 c parsley, packed
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt

Place in food processor and blend, blend, blend!

I used parsley from my own garden, and the freshest walnuts that I've ever tasted from a shop that gets them in from the Middle East. I don't know if I will ever be able to go back to getting nuts at the Bulk Barn :)

Pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays, then popped out and frozen in a bag or container. You can use it in soups, rice, stirfry, eggs, pasta, dips, sky's the limit!

Do you love basil? How do you use it?

Happy Monday!

Multitude Monday

I can't believe it's almost the end of August! I had a busy but fun summer, but there are so many more things that I planned on doing. Oh, well - there's still a week or two left! I hope to pack these weeks full of fun-ness.

It's Multitude Monday time! Each week, I like to share ten things that I am thankful for. Today, I'm thankful for:

230 - Celebrating four years of being married to the best guy ever! Our anniversary was August 17th, and we had a nice relaxing evening and tried out a new-to-us (yummy!) restaurant.

231 - Preparing and enjoying fresh local produce at every meal - it tastes better, feels fresher, and supports our local economy! What more could you ask for?

232 - Learning so much about gardening at a perennial workshop over the weekend - it would be so nice to own a home and have a luscious garden!

233 - Having our big grand opening of the Farmers' Market - sales were decent, but more importantly, it was great seeing how much exposure our market got

234 - Going on carnival rides with my family on Saturday and not being scared silly. Okay, okay, I admit it, I only went on basically a kiddy ride. I'm a wuss.

235 - Sage being so well behaved for the last month - I'm rewarding him with lots of homemade treats, and feeling a lot less afraid of him running off when we're outside together.

236 - Slowly getting more freckles - hey, if I can't get a tan, I'm more than satisfied with being a freckle chick!

237 - Getting new décor books in the mail! Yay for Decorate!

238 - Getting anything in the mail :) What can I say? Snail mail rocks my world.

239 - God using His word to give me support and comfort with my daily life - I need to learn to rely on Him so much more.

Happy Monday!

See you soon!

Our computer is feeling unwell and a doctors visit is necessary, 

so Polka Dot Soup will be on a little break. 

See you when we're feeling better :)

Polyvore Loves Week: Day 5

It's the last day of Polyvore Loves Week!

This outfit is... uhhhhm... a dream outfit. I based it around one of my favourite designers, Marc Jacobs. I'm not one for high-end fashion, but Jacobs really knocks it out of the park, every time.

The outfit would be fantastic for any really dressy occasion, like going to see a big production or a fancy date night with your darling. The neutral colours would suit just about any skin tone. I can wear just about any colour... except light pink. I look like death, since it's pretty much my skin colour. Yup, I'm that pale.

The beautiful brocade dress gets grounded by a pair of sturdy, yet gorgeous ivory pumps. The solid-looking heel would help you from any embarrassing moments of toppling... I think :) If you are as clumsy as I am, you'll trip when you're barefoot. That's just the way it is.... :)

The dreamy python and leather clutch is so chic and classic. You could pass it down to your daughter as a family heirloom - and at that price, that's what it would have to be! A little spritz of Marc Jacobs perfume, and you are out the door!

What do you like wearing for dressy occasions?

Happy Friday!

day5 by littleohme featuring summer dresses

Polyvore Loves Week: Day 4

Hope your Thursday is great... 'cuz it's time for Polyvore Loves!

I based this outfit on items from Ruche... it's my favourite online store. Seriously. I would wear just about every piece of clothing on their website. They have got one nice selection!

How cute is this little denim dress? I love me a nice denim dress, and it's so different from any I've ever seen before. The detailing is fantastic - wooden buttons, striping, ruffle sleeves. It would look great with tights and boots for fall, too! Sigh... dresses are my favourite.

I paired the darling dress with a big ol' ruffly purse, girly heels, and a great pair of glamazon sunglasses. It's a nice neutral outfit for a change of pace... and it's super versatile! You could wear all of the pieces in a number of different ways, both dressy and casual. Versatility is key!

How do you like to rock dresses?

Happy Thursday!

 

day4 by littleohme featuring glass shades

Polyvore Loves Week: Day 3

It's Day 3 of Polyvore Loves week already!

This outfit is straight from Anthropologie. How can a girl go wrong? I based the outfit around the super-cute Lemon Liftoff Blouse... I think it would transition perfectly from summer to fall. Dress it up, dress it down, this little blouse is a wardrobe staple!

I paired the blouse with a nicely detailed navy skirt - classic, but fun. I think a gal would get a lot of use out of that sweet skirt. A shorter length trench is great with this outfit, and is very versatile: perfect for work, play, or weekend wear. The light colour is good for every season, too.

You know me and shoes... these ones are crying to be in my closet. Nothing a pair of vintage-inspired heels can't fix in an outfit. The pretty lady-like jewelry keeps the outfit dressy and fun.

What's your favourite summer to fall transition item?

Happy Wednesday!

day3 by littleohme featuring shirts & blouses

Polyvore Loves Week: Day 2

Today's outfit is based on all things Old Navy. They're a great store for cheap, trendy clothing... and I do mean both cheap as in inexpensive and also not great quality. By the time their clothes wear out, you're a little sick of them, anyway :)

I chose a pair of jeans that I picked up on our vacation... Sweetheart (my fave cut - and the only one I buy!) dark-wash skinny jeans. Brave, right? A not-so-skinny girl in skinny jeans?! They passed my inspection... and Daniel's, too. They're super fun - I wore them last week with gladiator sandals and a beige and white plaid tunic. Cute.

The jeans would be lovely with a striped sweater! What? No cardigan? I decided to be brave and use a pullover instead. Hey, this is just for fun... not from my own closet :) The black motorcycle boots would look killer with this outfit, and the khaki purse and necklace? Perfect.

What's your favourite way to rock jeans?

Happy Tuesday!

day2 by littleohme featuring fold over boots

Polyvore Loves Week: Day 1

It's a special week, ladies (and gents...)! Polyvore Loves week!

Each week, I chose an outfit based around a theme. Since this week is Polyvore Loves week here on Polka Dot Soup, I based each outfit around a store or brand that I love. It's so much fun to window shop via the Internet, you don't need to drag your darling through the mall... or send him to Future Shop or a sports store :)

Today's outfit is from H&M. I love this mustard yellow dress! I almost tried it on last weekend while I was shopping, but resisted. I am not quite ready to buy fall clothing... I grabbed two summer dresses instead. This dress would be perfect in so many ways! With a pair of tights and big chunky scarf, or a pair of lady-like heels and a clutch, or the way that I styled it here...

I chose a juicy pair of big brown boots, brown leather (or pleather?!) handbag, and girly gold accessories. The retro dress just cries out for a bangle, and that necklace? That almost came home with me on my shopping trip, too! I'd rock this outfit any day of the week!

How would you wear this dress?

Happy Monday!

Day1 by littleohme featuring leather handbags

LOVELYgoods

Here's what is on the menu for this week's farmers' market (as always, using real butter and organic oats):

Chewy Chocolate Brownies
Lemon Tart Bars

Cranberry Raisin Tarts

Pork Pies
Cranberry Chai Granola
Tropical Energy Granola

Drop down and say hi tomorrow evening!

Happy Thursday!

B-b-b-back!

image via weheartit.com

 

Hello again! I'm b-b-b-back!

We arrived back from Vacationland aka our mini vacation late last night. We left Saturday morning at 6:00 am after a busy, busy week last week, so we enjoyed our down time immensely. We covered three provinces in a day - whirlwind! Daniel and I enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and had an adventure or two over the few days that we were gone. Good times.

I worked all day today (and it was a super duper busy day - eep!), went out for a delicious supper with a forever friend that I haven't seen in years, and now I'm going to collapse on the sofa with my darling (and a new book that came in the mail today!). I can't wait to share some new photos and posts with you over the next few days!

Happy Wednesday!