Buddy fun

I've been quite busy with Buddy last week, it's like having a baby, he takes most of my time and I'm happy.
He's really a cutie pie, very sweet, but still wild and crazy when on the leash, and my walks with him are 10 times better than a fitness club... :)

Here are some pics

And a fun video..... :)

What a great afternoon!!!!

Spring is blooming everywhere, so I felt like painting in the open today.

I just drew a couple of ovals for the flowers, then I started painting very freely.

The sun was warm, there was breeze, how could I not stay in the sun???

I wanted to do this because, due to the sun and breeze, paper was drying quite quickly, not giving me the time "to think".
I had lots of fun, did not think about the final result.

Here it is, fresh and joyful! :)

....Note to self: do this more often!

Sewing

Here's a little project I did to recycle a duvet cover I had done some years ago in patchwork.

Here it was, on my old bed that I had painted and decoupaged








As it was not easy to put the duvet inside it, I decided to find some other use for it.
The first thing I came pu with was a cover for my mom's sewing machine. It originally had a wooden cabinet where it could be stored with all the accessories, but when I had to sell her home, I did not have any space to keep the whole thing, so I got rid of the wooden part and actually store the sewing machine in my cabinet.

Here I am cutting the fabric. I used a piece of fleece I had laying around as backing

Doing some quilting....

My sewing machine, time to see if I did the measurements right..... :)

Luckily it seems I did!

The other side

And here a close-up of the quilting I did, very easy, but that's what I can do! :)

I did a hand sewn puffy edge with a jeans blue thick silk thread.

Et voila, done! :)

I am a sweet tooth......

I really have a passion for sweets, and I try to experiment with unusual combinations whenever I can.
Here is a compilation of jams, they were a success among my friends too!!!!
I usually use a 3:1 ratio, 3 parts fruit 1 part sugar, and pectin to jellify.

This one isn't very appealing to the eye, but the taste is just fab!!!!

I had lots of persimmons and many kiwis, I would have never been able to eat them before they went bad, so I decided to try and put them together. I also added some vanilla seeds.....delicious!!!!!

I am lucky enough to have a small peach tree on the terrace......

and a wonderful big vase of strawberries......I usually pick up the ready ones, freeze them, and when I have enough I can make either marmalade or liquor...







The following one is just that: my strawberries, my peaches, an apple and mint!

I also like making strawberry glaze, perfect for filling cakes and cupcakes....

It's longer to make compared to jams, as you have to squish all the fruit through a sieve, but it's rather beautiful and smooth looking, and oh, so delicious!!!

These were mixed berries: strawberries, blueberries and raspberries with lemon juice








last year I went with my "sister" (she's my best friend so we call each other sis) to a small village up the mountains. There you may find lots and lots of elderberries, they are a gift of nature, and they are free, so we picked up quit a lot of them. getting all the berries off the stems is a bit of work, but the result was great! I mixed them with strawberries

....perfect on scones!!!!










Here I experimented with pineapple and mangoes, with some ginger for a twist!

Absolutely fantastic!!!!!






And here's the one I did a few days ago, pineapple and strawberries with ginger

Introducing myself

I live, and always did, in Como, on beautiful Lake Como. I had a chance to buy a home some years ago in a very sunny position and that overlooks the bay.

It was love at first sight and, as often happens in my life, this chance came quite unexpectedly.
I have a wonderful and inspiring view

The house vas built in 1901 and was in very poor conditions, so it took me lots of efforts and money and elbow grease to get it where I wanted to, a cozy little nest, a place that literally embraces me and makes me feel at home!

The roof of my home is my terrace, it still needs working but hey, Rome was not built in a day!!!! :)

I spend lots of time here during spring and summertime, I love to plant veggies, I have lots of herbs like rosemary, sage and so on, love picking the fresh veggies, it's lots of fun!