Teggie Needs Waterproof Pantaloons

Teggie smiles with a sigh,
"I Like the Lanai, it's nice and dry!"

My Corgi is a cross between a fox and a deer:
Her face flaunting doe eyes is angular and foxy,
Her Corgi pantaloons with their nubbin, boxy.
She looks upon wet grass with trepidation and fear,

Her belly will be soggy, her fur will be mussed,
She stands in the St. Augustine in utter disgust.
“I prefer to take my business where it’s nice and dry,
Please leave me to myself back on the lanai

To burrow like a fox, make a thicket like a deer...”
Even in the rain, I can’t complain,
Though she’s driving me quite insane.
How can I be cross with my Corgi so dear?

Warmly,
Christiane, Teggie's mom

Deer Editor, Here's Grandmother's Recipe for Shrimp Gumbo *in which the editor goes on and on about her silly lamp, then alas gets to the good stuff!

Here's a photo of my new funky lamp pieced together from part of my Shawnee deer collection, an Eames era lamp shade, and a great handmade antler finial. With modern recessed lighting, lamps are almost obsolete, but I use them as decorating pieces to punctuate the theme of the room. In the office, there are many fawns. And a lot of Corgi art, too. To create a fun photo, my editor's chair is all aglow with this lamp, and the effect is rather spooky, my favorite. It grabs attention poised on the leather inset of my carved desk, balanced by the deer planter companion piece opposite it. If anyone ever wants to really indulge her inner collector, there is no greater surface than an oversized desk. Another obsolete function of the modern household is the mid-century study, but I cannot write properly without my leatherbound notebooks and heavily carved writing surfaces. Helps lend the proper feeling when I edit my projects beneath the pool of amber light from my vintage lamp. ;)


Speaking of writing, I am putting Classy Chassy's Corgi recipe cards to good use mailing out handcopied cards of my Grandmother Lopez's authentic shrimp gumbo from the New Orleans Lopez-Ferrell side of the family. It was always my favorite (although I forgo the Crisco these days):

Shrimp Gumbo

Melt 4T Crisco in heavy iron pot and brown slowly, 4T flour, stirring constantly, do not let burn. Have ready to add:

4 or 5 cloves of garlic (mashed)
4 finely chopped onion
2 large finely chopped Bell peppers

Cook and stir until onions cook limp, then add:

1 can of tomatoes chopped
1 can tomato paste
1 lb chopped fresh okra (or frozen)

Cook and stir until well blended, add enough chicken stock, beef broth or fish stock to thin down to desired thickness. (Mayme Reid uses a medium slice of ham cut up, boiled in water.)

Add:
3 lbs peeled raw shrimp (medium)
1T pepper corns
1T Marjoram
3T file powder
1T Tobasco (we use 1t)
1T Kitchen Bouquet
3 or 4 Bay Leaves
Salt to taste, about 1 1/2T
1T of sugar

Mix well, cover and cook slowly (very slow) about 1 hour. Let cool and reheat, serve over steamed rice, with hot garlic bread and salad.

Enjoy, ya'll!

Look What Came in the Mail Today...

Took this as a thank you photo, and thought I'd share with you part of tiny handcrafted world created with the help of some of my favorite etsians. As I was packaging several photos tonight, I thought about how we are using an "online community" to connect with each other through our art . Perhaps it seems sappy, but I enjoy how we use our hearts and hands to give one another more than just handmade goods; we give a little bit of ourselves, the essence of who we are, to the people we do business with online.

As busy as we are, it's nice that technology can lead us back to that simpler, homespun life and authentic feeling of community. I've been selling handmade goods online for ten years, and treasure the opportunity to brighten someone's day, many times someone who is willing to share a tiny bit of her story with me across the miles. Anyway, check out the etsian storybook characters, footprint cookie press, wooden mushrooms, and tiny universes on my shelves that keep my antiques company.

Moss, Chocolate and Holly Berries

Flora the Faun was listed in my etsy shop today. Thank you, LadyFarrah, for supplying my terrarium hobby with native* moss (*I grew up in Tennessee). My kitchen nook is decorated in mossy green and chocolate brown with red holly berry accents, so the fawn Shawnee planter fits right in. Almost everything in the nook is handmade, much of it by fellow etsians. A few heirloom pieces complete the favorite things theme. Oh, and don't forget the lovebird-ravaged orchids (they are recovering) and lucky bamboo plants in the bay window living happily with the little guardian lizard found in this collage: