Savvy City Farmer Delights Guests

THE SHED  aka    "Shop the Shed"   Is this not darling?

Lots of newly finished goodies awaiting our purchase.

Entering Joy's home into the "summer kitchen", a glass of  ice water, chilled by frozen fruit! Oh my goodness!

I just loved this!

Summer kitchen's coffee station

Such a clever idea - freezing the fruit for "ice cubes".  So beautiful.

Our menu for the the evening

The rustic table awaits our enjoyment.

Fresh salsa for the Summer Corn Cakes

Magical!

Goat Cheese with Cranberries and Pine Nuts

My favorite - Roasted Red Grapes with olive oil, thyme and coarse salt on Ricotta and Baguette Slices

Darling efficient kitchen

Love the cabinet door.

Joy's comfy room for watching tv and hanging out.

Office now located in the dining room- so cleverly done.

Dining room now in old living room- love that map as a table topper.

Comfy sofa

Joy's office in former dining room- perfect use of a formerly little used space.

Herbal tussie mussies from Angela's garden ( Joy's daughter aka"the Parisienne Farmgirl") given to us as parting gifts.

The evening was destined to be  magical . After all, after a blazing hot day of 90 degree plus weather, a thunderstorm moved through the area and plunged the temperature to 75 degrees, just as we were driving to Joy's home.   Upon entering the back of the  1800's farmhouse home, in a charming garden sat this little magical shed with a tin roof - we just sighed. We were excited to "shop the shed" with newly acquired  and finished treasures that Joy had gathered for us.  All of  the Romancing the Home girls and friends found several things that they could not live without in the charming little shed. The cooler weather made it possible for us to enjoy our unhurried time browsing Joy's collections.  After gathering our own little stashes into piles, we were invited into Joy's home and entered through her "summer kitchen", an enclosed porch outfitted with coffee and beverage stations and decorated in the charming French Nordic style.  As some of the girls had never seen her home before, little squeals of delight and "OMG" were heard from several mouths.  We were invited to enjoy our choice of grapefruit margaritas, white and red wine or just the simple beautiful water with fruit.  Entering the kitchen with our cocktails,  an amazing table of delectable appetizers lay before us.  My favorite was the Roasted Grapes on the Ricotta and Baguette Slices. (Recipe to follow). An interesting, wonderful meld of olive oil and thyme on the grapes was absolutely divine - a real keeper of a recipe.  While Joy prepared fresh Summer Corn Cakes, we enjoyed wandering her living and dining spaces and were enchanted by her talent of unique and ispired design.   Some of the girls sat on the front porch and enjoying the view of the street filled with homes built in the 1800's in the quaint little midwestern town of East Dundee.   Finishing  with a yummy dessert , Neiman Marcus cake,  a sweet vanilla cake bottom with a crunchy cream cheese topping( another new recipe for me - google it!),  we loaded our cars and headed back home. As we left, Angela (Joy's daughter) handed us little herbal tussie mussies for our own kitchens- we were all touched by the  sweet gesture .  You know you have been inspired by an evening when the entire conversation on the hour's ride back home is about all the treats and inspirational ideas from Joy's home.   Thank you Joy- we loved it!

Roasted Red Grapes on Ricotta and Baguette Slices

Toss red seedless grapes with olive oil, fresh thyme and coarse salt to taste.  Roast in a 450 degree oven until the grapes burst open,  about 12 minutes.  Meanwhile, slice a baguette on the diagonal into slices about 1/2 inch thick.  Brush with olive oil and toast on one side until light brown. ( do not get too crispy as you want the slice a little soft - easier to bite).  Spread with the best quality ricotta cheese you can find. Dollop the grape mixture  on top!  Enjoy this divine little treat.

Marie Antoinette Inspired Table

It's the last post from our Spirit of 67 Home Tour last week- and my personal favorite table, inspired by Marie Antoinette.  We found wonderful vintage green plates- a perfect shade of green- to set the table.  Venetian blown glasses were rimmed with edible gold glitter and filled with the perfect shade of rose wine.  Pink rose petals floated peacefully in each glass!   Our gold and cream zebra print napkins were folded with the embellished Dolfin candy bars placed in the fold.  The arrangement of the romantic tones of flowers was placed in a crystal compote with crystals around the edge- so girly!   A vintage rhinestone scarf was used around the flowers to soften the top of the tablescape.  Table assignments were identified with scrolled names pinned into Hostess snowballs!  Attaching the tassels to the stems of the glasses added a touch of French style to the setting. We set each glass on a cream and gold rose dessert plate from our store.  The beautiful cookies are from Sweet Ambs- another Etsy shop.  The petite cake was decorated with gum paste roses- just in the perfect shades to complement the table.  This table was lovely in front of the seeded glass French doors that separate the dining space from the living room in Kathleen's beautiful home- a very clever idea for dividing spaces and still letting in the light!  We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to chcck out some great ideas for Mother's Day tables.

Luncheon in a French Flower Shop

For the Spirit of 67 Home Tour, we wanted to create the atmosphere of having lunch in a French flower shop.  Finding  exquisite dinnerware was not a problem, as the homeowner, Kathleen, had an incredible collection of fine china and crystal to choose from.  Using her gold rimmed vintage plates, we layered them with a more contemporary glass salad plate and created fresh floral mosaics under each glass plate.  We arranged  the  small flowers under the  plates  24 hours before the event and they stayed absolutely fresh and perfect- we were so relieved! We set the place settings on individual trays made of a platinum glazed wood.  Our favorite leopard napkins - very French and a best seller at the store- were draped under each setting . A collection of varying heights and sizes of square glass vases were used for the centerpiece, with a different flower in each one, as if you could just pick and choose your own bouquet- just like in a flower shop!  Today we will be joining Susan at www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for Tablescape Thursday.

Black and White Tent- Spirit of 67 Home Tour last minute details

Our tent- finally up with 6 girls helping! We waited until 6  o'clock Wednesday for the weather report- Penny called Gregg- her husband the fireman, for the latest radar report- no storms until late Thursday!  Meanwhile, our local weather forecast was certain for thunderstorms on Thursday. But what was I thinking?  I have been doing this event for 8 years and it has NEVER rained!  So I gathered the troops, we figured out the instructions, erected the tent and tied it to the heavy black urns for hope- the only hope if it rained! I ran to Dominicks- I was completely out of flowers, bought the baby's breath and orange roses and created the floral detail for the chandelier. Julie met me at the home at 7 am in the morning and helped me tie it to the chandelior.  Then out went the pink peacocks, the home owner's wonderful black and white china and our floral embellished cakes.   This tent is from Z-Gallerie and is exquisite with it's finials and black tassels.  It takes a village to set up, but is strong and beautiful.  Inexpensive Chivari chairs ( only  $34.00 online with a cushion  and great little 120 inch  round  table clothes for only   $12 that my friend, Lynda, found on line.(  Email me for the details of these web sites if you are interested.) Kathleen's  grounds are breathtaking- ponds with big green bullfrogs- gorgeous flowers, big huge urns with evergreens under planted with pansies- sigh-  and this tent is perfect for her terrace.