Good Morning Ohio: Ohio State Fair

It's true. I love any and all fairs, festivals, and carnivals. I love deep-fried food on sticks, precarious rides, surly people, and petting zoos. The Ohio State Fair has all that and more and the $6 Kroger ticket price (plus parking costs) makes it worth every penny. This year, we saw a momma cow and her 2-hour old calf, got a 2 lb. bag of candy, ate both a deep-fried S'mores AND a deep-fried Twinkie (and when I said 'we', I meant 'I'), and snapped some cool shots with Hipstamatic. Because Hipstamatic is to the state fair what peanut butter is to jelly. I'm even considering entering some baking or craft handiwork next year. At only $10 to enter plus $1 per item, it's a fun + cheap way to participate.

So if you missed the fair this year, consider coming next year. Eat some deep-fried stuff. Drink a massive iced tea. Take some photos. Get some sun. Pet a cow. It's good times.

I spy a butterfly...

This little butterfly was God's gentle reminder that every choice I make, as simple as line drying my laundry, has an impact. That's the real butterfly effect, folks.

Wanted on Wednesday: Let There Be (Mason Jar) Light!

{top images: Martha Stewart; bottom left: Re-Nest; bottom right HGTV}

Words cannot explain how much I adore DIY mason jar lanterns. I especially love the look of tiny glass jars hanging low from a patio umbrella -- that could be a great way to upcycle old jam jars, don't you think?

DIY LOVE: Pine Cone Bird Feeder

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I love the little cardinals who live near my house. All year, they flutter and fly about, landing on my fence, trees and deck and sing their pretty song.

When I was a kid, I was in Brownies and once we made pine cone bird feeders for our winged winter friends, like the cardinal. If you're looking for a very cheap, fun, easy peasy (and kid-friendly) DIY project, consider making a few yourself! P.S. For just a little time and very little money, they would make great gifts from the wee ones, too, don't you think?

What you'll need:
· pine cones (see if you can find some around your neighborhood!)
· 2 plates
· butter knife
· peanut butter
· bird seed
· length of yarn or ribbon
· scissors

What to do:
· Cut a long length of yarn and find the middle.
· Slide the middle of the yarn into one of the top sections of the pine cone.
· Tie a knot to secure the yarn to the pine cone.
· Tie a knot in the end of the yarn to make a big loop for hanging the pine cone.
· Scoop some peanut butter onto one plate.
· Spread the peanut butter inside the pine cone and around the edges.
· Sprinkle the birdseed onto the peanut butter-covered pine cone (holding over the 2nd plate).
· Roll the pine cone in the extra birdseed that is on the plate.
· Hang the bird feeder on the tree & watch the birds enjoy their treat!

Do You Play..?

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Croquet Makes a Comeback | Peterman's Eye

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Playing croquet reminds me of my childhood and I'm loving the idea of it coming back into fashion. Can you imagine...croquet at football tailgates instead of cornhole or hillbilly golf? I think we'd be OK until someone decided to use the mallet as a weapon :)

A Pink and Green Garden Wedding! - Project Wedding

A Pink and Green Garden Wedding! - Project Wedding

Chelsea over at {frolic!} is a girl after my own heart! Pink+ green are just happy colors, don't you think? Her tablescape reads as clean, classic and feminine without any pretension or stuffiness.

If you find yourself hosting an upcoming event, whether it be a birthday party, baby or bridal shower or a ladies' luncheon, consider this perfect palette. It's almost impossible for it not to look beautiful. Go go complimentary colors! Munsell would be proud.

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Eye Candy: Farmer's Market Fête

Have you seen this over at Duet Weddings? Talk about stunning a stunning collaboration between brilliant artistic minds!

{Courtesy Flickr via Duet Weddings}

These photos...wow. I am nearly rendered speechless. This would be a perfect wedding for about 12 people (which was the first wedding I had planned, before realizing it wouldn't happen for us.) Small, personal, intimate, local, repurposed, green-friendly, delicious, breezy, charming, rustic, romantic... This may be the inspiration for my 30th birthday party that I just realized I wanted to have :) If our back garden keeps growing grass properly, it will be the perfect spot. Now...on to find those birdcages...

I Heart Forsythia

{Courtesy: Fantastic Plants}

I am one of those people where certain sights, sounds and smells inexplicably jerk me back to past experiences and memories in an instant. Forever hopelessly romantic and nostalgic, this is especially true when recalling cherished childhood memories -- crisp spring days, a cardinal's song, the smell of cold grass and the huge forsythia that grew at the corner of the yard next to the small lamp post. To this day it is impossible for me to see a forsythia and not think of my grandma. I think she'd enjoy that about me. She loved her gardens. I wish I was half as good a gardener as she, but the Green Thumb gene skipped me entirely and my sister was born with all of the finesse and patience it takes to be a stellar gardner.

But there is something just so about a forsythia. Just one of those forces of nature you can let go of completely and beautiful things happen without much interference. Just the idea of the stalky, erratic branches shooting out in every direction, covered in tiny bursts of sunlight makes me smile. I do. I love forsythia in springtime.