Admist many conversations the night of the firepit and S’Mores, wine aside, I actually remembered one very important piece of neighborly information that Sherrie told me which was that the neighbors right across the alley have a fantastic plum tree! So when I took out the recycling the other day there it was – tucked in the corner and just bursting with plums. Not being able to resist I grabbed one off the branch and popped it immediately into my mouth. Wow! exactly what a plum should taste like – sweet, delicious and perfectly ripe. Not like those little grenades you might find in the grocery store!

So what to make? Lets start with a recipe for Plum Tart from Gourmet Magazine and a compote or chutney that I think would be delicious with a roasted pork when the weather gets a little colder.

About fifteen years ago my friends and I loved to do the whole Flea Market/ thrift shop thing and boy did we find treasures! I’ll never forget the $5 chandelier I found at Salvation Army that I stupidly got rid of when I sold my condo and then re-bought the same thing years later for $75. Oh well, live and learn. Seems since then that the Thrift Stores in Los Angeles went down hill, many of them replaced by Out of the Closet, a great charity but mostly full of bad stuff from the 70′s and early 80′s.

Now having a bigger house in Seattle to furnish and wanting and liking to add some more rustic pieces we set out to discover the Seattle world of Flea, Thrift and Antique. With Gavin as our tour guide, how could we go wrong? Hmmmmm…..

Our fearless leader took us to a great mix of places, high and low including this fantastic antique mall called Pacific Galleries where with the right wallet you could just go berserk!

Someone does a great job at merchandising!

My find a couple days later at a Yard Sale in Ballard and since this table had been” sitting out in the garden for a while” it was selling for the hefty price of $5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Miss Cozy snapped that table up so fast it made people’s heads spin!

And then they hit St. Vincent de Paul with the monthly 50% sale…….(since when do Thrift shops have 50% sales????)
Who cares cuz they do and we made out like bandits!

This vase almost has a Mercury glass type finish…

Pasta bowls from Italy and beautiful little dessert plates too

tall, skinny olive oil bottle

one of my favorites, an old wooden tackle box

sand hued pillows, a mix of old and new

and lots lots more – a couple little wooden tables, lamps, books and a few chairs all equal pure charm and that means Cozy!

I love impromptu get togethers but it seemed in Los Angeles that it never happened. People just lived too far away from each other or just didn’t like “dropping in” one their neighbors. I can understand this a little bit but it sure is nice to have your doorbell ring, as it did this past Friday night, and have your neighbors Sherrie and Scott invite you into the backyard for a little firepit surprise.

The surprise was a bag of marshmallows, a box of graham crackers and a couple of Hershey bars. You all know where this is leading!
S’Mores!!!!!!!!

I learned I’m a lot out of practice from toasting the perfect marshmallow (but they were still good and the fire department was not called!)

I learned that Zinfandal goes quite well with this fireside treat! Our bottle of Gnarly Head Zinfandal was a gift from my LA buddy Marissa and just so you know, it was really delicious and we did drink it with Mr. Gnarly Head himself! (G, I mean that in a good way of course!)

And if you are so inclined (mabye a little more crazy than cozy?) a funny tale and recipe for homemade marshmallows from SmittenKitchen.com

Whichever way you do it, campfires and S’Mores on a summer night are a cozy trip down memory lane!

Cozyland loves Hydrangeas and Queen Anne seems to know that – they are everywhere and in every color, shape and size.
Driving home today from getting our cars weighed (don’t ask…) we took the scenic route through the neighborhood on Highland Drive and stopped for a minute at Marshall Park to check out the gorgeous view of the water and the islands. This house has that view 365 days a year – wow. They also have the most gigantic snowball hydrangea bush I have ever seen!

Because I can’t seem to get enough of this amazing flower I will soon post some more pics of a magnificent mop head but in a deep, dark purple that I have never seen anywhere before. For those of you who don’t know how hydrangeas work, the Ph level in the soil determines whether you get pink or blue hydrangea. White is white and cannot be altered by adding aluminum unlike it’s pink or blue cousins. Also, intensity of color cannot be altered, so why this purple is so out of control is to ask why Angelina Jolie is so beautiful!
Stay tuned for pics soon…

The sky really was almost that blue……

Bullwinkle seems to be right at home in Seattle!!! Yes, someone LOVES having his belly scratched, no matter what day of the week it is!

Fall is approaching and that means soon we get to see all the new magazines and advertising campaigns. Cozyland LOVES magazines and can’t wait for all these new issues to be out! But what Cozyland loves even more is unbelievably beautiful advertising (it’s been a while..)and the new Louis Vuitton campaign epitomizes just that!

The idea is that Marc Jacobs took 3 supermodels from 3 different decades and put them all into one gorgeous campaign! We have the brunette, Christy Turlington, the redhead, Karen Elson (wife of Jack White from the White Stripes) and the blonde who is the baby, Natalia Vodianova. The style is pure glamour and dressing ladylike – a concept seemingly long forgotten!

If this doesn’t bring back the ponytail, I don’t know what will!!!

The campaign was shot in New York by Steven Meisel. Marc Jacobs had this to say:
“The strength of Louis Vuitton is its almost magical ability to reinvent itself every season,” says Artistic Director Marc Jacobs. “Last season was all about the idea of the New Age traveler. This season was a manifesto for beautiful, ladylike clothes. Two different collections, two different campaigns, but one Louis Vuitton.”

Phew! Seattle does have a LV store! For a second there I thought I was going to have to improvise!

And that, my friends, is called Cozy Sarcasm!!!!

This past Sunday, the Glen Ella Springs Inn, located near Clarkesville Georgia, was host to the 7th Annual Heirloom Tomato festival. Driving 2 hours from Asheville, North Carolina to attend were tomato enthusiasts and family members brother John, sister LuAnn, Vinnie (of John and Vinnie) and Susan, friend of LuAnn and consumate hostess and cook! The gang would spend the night at Lu’s friend Beth’s cozy cabin also located in Glen Ella Springs, how convenient!

Unable to attend this festival myself I asked John (that’s JPP for John Powers Patson) to be a Cozyland guest blogger – he did a fabulous job and here is his story!

“The two hour drive from Asheville was a blur of greenery and we arrived at Beth’s cabin mid morning. We were happy to find out it was just a short and beautiful walk to the Glen Ella Inn where the festival was being held.

Before reaching our destination, we made a quick stop at Goats on the Roof. This was a touristy, but cute, shop that sold gifts and refreshments, besides having goats on their roof! Chevre anyone?

The 120 year old inn’s beautiful gardens and sprawling meadow were the perfect backdrop to the delicious tomato inspired culinary treats, as well as art and crafts. Items on the menu included Tomato & Goat Cheese Tartlets, Fried Green Tomatoes with a spicy Remoulade Sauce, Tomato and Mayonaise Sandwiches (John says YUK to this one!), and Homemade Tortilla Chips with Fresh Tomato Salsa.

The tomato tasting table was a crowd favorite, with almost 50 varieties to try. Hey, gimme back my toothpick!

After getting our fill of tomato treats, we took an afternoon break, which inluded a screening in the cabin’s livingroom of the classic movie Deliverance; shot nearby on the Chatooga River. Such a light movie….not!

As we were watching the film, a fierce afternoon thunderstorm set an eerie mood as twisted as the raging river. Luckily, the evening was spent back at the inn’s Pavillion for the Twilight Tomato Supper.

Menu items included Applewood Smoked Pork Tenderloin, Garlic Cracker Crusted Chicken with Sundried Tomato Sauce,Tomato Basil Cheese Grits, Sauteed Asparagus with Cherry Tomatoes, ‘Mater Biscuits, and of course, Peach & Blueberry Cobbler with fresh Whipped Cream!
An amazing dinner and an amazing festival! We highly recommend it!”

Wow, wow, wow! Miss Cozy is practically in tears she missed this! It sounds incredible and did you check out the prices on that chalkboard? And howabout the dinner? It sounded so delicious and inspiring too! If only I could get “Dueling Banjos” out of my head now….

Another big thanks to my favorite (!) brother John for this great report from Glen Ella Springs – we loved it! BTW, If anyone else has something greatly COZY they want to let Cozyland know about, please email me – guest bloggers are encouraged and welcome!