Heather Bullard

Opening Day

    Open for business at 8am, pst! I hope you like our new look and new products. If you have any trouble viewing the website be sure to try refreshing your browser. We've tested it in every browser application we could think of and it all seemed to be working great on our end.

To make the event more fun....I'll be drawing names for a few Grand Re-opening prizes from the comments today. Thanks everyone for such wonderful support and kindness, it really makes my job so rewarding and meaningful. Hugs, H

EDITED: Winners announced! Congratulations to the following winners of the door prizes. There will be surprise packages in the mail to you as soon as you send me your addresses.

your friend, Michelle said:

Heather the site is just gorgeous! Congrats!!!

Yesterday on Opening Day

 

cheryl in kansas said:

soooo excited! can't wait to see everything. also, saw your entry in Somerset Life coming out this month...as usual...SUPER! thanks so much for sharing your talent with us! best wishes

 

Arlene McComas said:

How exciting. Congratulations.

2 days ago on Opening Day

 

Thank you seems like such a small gesture with the amount of overwhelming kindness you've sent my way. Today the world is full of sunshine and flowers thanks to each of your lovely comments.

Save The Date

    The date has finally come to celebrate our Grand Re-Opening on Monday, June 1st! It has been so much fun renovating the website and it's very exciting to finally be able to share with you what's been going on behind the scenes. I do hope you can make it! The newsletter will be going out at the end of this week with some sneak peeks so be sure to sign up if you haven't already.

PS. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your 2 cents on my wallpaper dilema. I'm going to tally them up and finish that project this week. I got a kick out off all the responses because it made me feel like I'm surely not the only one who has a hard time making decisions. Thanks for your votes dear friends!

Rustic Apple Tart

    If you're looking for a quick, easy, wow 'em kind of dessert then you'll love my favorite go to recipe for a rustic tart. The last one I made I used apples but really you could use other fruit such as pears, peaches, plums or apricots.  And with summer right around the corner they will be in season in no time. Now if you're not a big baker don't worry...I promise this is as easy as pie!

Rustic Apple Tart

1 disc of store bought pie pastry dough
2-3 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
5 TBS sugar
1 TBS Cornstarch
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 stick butter cut in small cubes

1 egg mixed with 2 tsp water or milk
3 TBS Sugar in the Raw (turbinado)

Unroll your pie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. In a separate bowl, combine apples, sugar, cornstarch and spices. Fill the center of the pie shell, pile it up high in the middle. Gently fold the outside of the shell into the center to hold the fruit inside. Dot apples with the butter cubes. Brush the outside of the tart with your egg wash and sprinkle the crust with the turbinado sugar. This will give it a crunchy crust and makes it look spectacular! Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

    If you like you can add a glaze of peach, apple or apricot jam to the top to give it some sheen but it's not necessary and will taste just as delicious without it. Another hint is to let your pie dough sit out for a few minutes before you start working with it. That tends to keep it from breaking too much while you're folding in the sides. And the pie pastry usually has two per package so you can easily double this recipe for a crowd. Serve with whip cream or vanilla bean ice cream if you're into gilding the lily! Bon Appetite!

Garden Lantern

    A month or so ago while at the flea market, I came across this old lighting fixture that had been removed of all of it's wiring and attachments leaving just a hollow piece of beautiful scrap. I asked the dealer how much he wanted and when he said $3 I thought to myself "Hmmm....I'll think of something".

    When an idea finally struck me I asked The Man to help out. He found some old chain in the garage and attached it to the top metal tabs to create a way to hang the lantern.

    And I found an old brass tray that I was going to throw away because it wobbled and wouldn't sit right on a table. Drove me crazy! So, I asked him to cut out part of the tray to use as the bottom for the lantern. Just a little bit of glue and it was secure. Now I have a unique outdoor lantern to nestle in my garden beds. And don't you think it looks much more expensive than $3? Gotta love repurposing and reusing!

Good Things....

     There have been so many Good Things happening in the last few weeks and I thought I'd share a glimpse with you. First up was an award from the famous Ki of Junk Revolution. I'm sure many of you know of her talents and follow her regularly. I was so happy to be awarded her Good Junk Seal of Approval. Always a pleasure to be in the company of great junkers! Thanks so much Ki!

    And my artwork made the cover of the latest Somerset Life. Such a surprise! I didn't even know until I ran into Jenny Doh and she told me the news. It's jam packed with talented women and creative ways to embellish your life. They are available at most major booksellers so be sure to pick up a copy and take some time to sit back, relax and be inspired!

And the best of the Good Things has been the latest happenings in Sweet Girls life. She got all glammed up for prom. Seriously, her dress was movie star gorgeous. She's at that age where I'm beginning to see a beautiful woman and not that little girl any more. Makes my heart ache and yet also makes me feel completely happy.

 

 

       She celebrated a milestone birthday too!  I made her a strawberry cake with strawberry icing and filled with fresh strawberries! Can you guess what she loves to eat?

     And she also got a new car to run around in. Look out California drivers! I'm posting this so you can keep an eye out for me!

    And don't worry, we already warned her about how much the police and boys love red convertibles. 

The other Good Thing has been the progress with the website renovations. The grand re-opening will probably be happening in the month of May. More details to follow soon. Yippee, finally!

Simple Alfresco Dining Ideas

    With the season beginning to warm up it's time for one of my all time favorite activities...outdoor dining. And because I tend to eat almost all my lunches and many of my dinners outdoors, I've learned a few tricks to making it look extravagant with minimal effort. So I thought I'd walk you through my recent alfresco meal and share how I dressed the table.

    First off, I pulled my old chippy table and chairs out from behind the wood pile. Yes, you read that right. I used a vintage grain sack for the tablecloth which conveniently covered up a multitude of sins. Next I went inside and grabbed a giant basket and filled it with votive candles, a couple plates, flatware and glasses.

    Doesn't candle light make everything look better? I also found a bowl of strawberries in the fridge so I brought them out and set them inside a wire cloche.

    Next up was snipping a few flowers from my rose bushes and setting them inside a garden urn from the potting bench.

    Grilled chicken salad was on the menu and a few dinner rolls from the bakery at Costco. See? I told you simple.

    They just look more appetizing inside a candy dish and topped with a wire nest. 

 All of this took about 15 minutes to put together. The biggest time saver is gathering everything you need at once. Just go around your house, garage, potting shed and pantry to see what catches your eye. It's like a grown up scavenger hunt. The biggest benefit is how enjoyable your meal will be no matter what's on the menu and how taking the time to create the atmosphere will set the tone for a relaxing evening. The perfect ending to any day!