I love this bird! He's so bright and cheery... I have some very beautiful, elegant bird pictures that I was planning to use, but this little guy just spoke to me. I couldn't resist! I hope you don't mind the brightness factor!

My ultimate vacation destination would be Australia. This iconic Opera House would be one of the landmarks pretty high on my list. I also dream about snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. I can't even imagine how beautiful it would be!! Of course, my trip would have to be in January and it would have to include the Australian Open! I am a huge tennis fan and that tournament seems really incredible. For those of you who are not tennis fans, the Australian Open has a nickname... it's called "The Happy Slam". Now -- who wouldn't want to go to an event like that?? :)

One of these days, I'll have the opportunity to travel to all sorts of amazing places, but for now, pictures and my imagination are as good as it gets! And if I am going to imagine a wonderful trip to Europe, I'm going to imagine that, while I am there, I am wearing this absolutely fabulous gown to some amazing VIP event!! LOL! I suspect that this picture has been slightly doctored by a talented graphic designer, but isn't it the most beautiful and colorful picture of Big Ben you've ever seen? I sure think so!! Ahhh... the wonders of Photoshop to enhance some already beautiful places!

If you've seen more than a few of my sets, it's probably glaringly obvious, but I absolutely LOVE lots of sweets and yummy desserts!! What you may not know though, is that my greatest weakness of all time is Mini White Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. The regular size ones will do in a pinch, but the ratio of peanut butter to white chocolate is just perfect in the little ones!! I like to keep them in the 'fridge and eat them when they are cold. Yummmmm.... In fact, I have a couple sitting on my desk right now... right next to my diet coke! LOL!!

I've loved flowers my whole life, but as a young adult, I was always renting and never had the chance to have my very own garden. When I was finally able to move into my house, the first thing I did (before I'd even finished unpacking!) was plant some roses. As time went by, my gardens got more and more involved and required more and more upkeep. They were also stunningly beautiful - covering nearly every conceivable square inch of my yard! Even though I've dealt with health problems for many years, this past year has been a big struggle. My precious gardens - especially my glorious rose bushes - became seriously overgrown. Last week, I had to swallow my pride and call in a landscaping company to not only get things looking nice again but also to have them come out bi-weekly and maintain it. It was one of the hardest things I've had to do in a long time. Those rose bushes and my wonderful gardens were so much more than just landscaping to me. They represented my life in a way... my journey to get here. Handing it over and admitting defeat made me very sad. One by one, chronic pain and illness have stolen little pieces of my life but this was a particularly hard one to lose. As I look at my poor little rose bushes, standing so bare and empty, in shock from the severe pruning at the worst possible time of year and wilting sadly in the hot desert sun... I can't help but think that they still represent me - but in a much different way. I know I still have much to be thankful for and I know that my gardens are really nothing more than plants and flowers that can easily be replaced, but it's difficult for me. I gave myself this weekend to mourn the loss of my beautiful, overgrown gardens, as well as the loss of my ability to care for them. Starting tomorrow, I'll dry my eyes and focus on the wonderful, abundant blessings in my life, but tonight this set is a tribute to my gorgeous gardens - with much gratitude for the many years of joy, pride and beauty they have given me.

Have you ever had a Dutch Baby? When I was younger, my mom called them "German Pancakes" but I like the sound of "Dutch Babies". It's a fun name! It's a really, really yummy pancake that looks rather impressive, but is actually really easy to make. The oven does all the work. The hardest part is waiting for it to finish!

I love breakfast! I could have breakfast for almost any meal. Usually, it's the really decadent pictures that get to me, but this one was so bright and cheery and it made me super hungry too. I just couldn't pass it up! Have a wonderful Father's Day!

I found this artist the other day, while relaxing on Pinterest, and I am really impressed! I love her style! Many of her paintings are of birds and most of them use a sort of "flower collage" technique. It's almost as if she's painting with flowers! It is somewhat reminiscent of the brightly colored pottery made by some Mexican artists, but her work is very unique, creative and beautiful. I wanted to do a relatively soft, monochromatic type of set, in order to ensure that her gorgeous painting was the true star here! Hopefully, I succeeded.
 
By the way - I don't know this artist or anything and no one has asked me to make this or say anything nice. I just enjoyed her work and wanted to share it with all of you!
 
#StarlaHalfmann

I'm not sure why, but I rarely do sets with fancy gowns. It's not really an intentional thing - I think they are absolutely fabulous! Today, my brain kept drifting towards this gorgeous, glamorous gown so... I decided to stop fighting it and just go with it! It was oddly "freeing" somehow - to just delete the beautiful "everyday" dress I was working with and get completely lost in my own little fairytale ball! It was fun!!

There are few things that are quite as impressive as a souffle. Have you ever made one? I was intimidated by this wondrous treat for many years. Finally, temptation got the better of me and I scoured the Internet for every little tip or trick I could find. I made a huge production out of the event and a rather large mess in my kitchen! Everything I'd read warned you not to peek - keep that oven door closed until the end, or that beautiful masterpiece will be nothing but a puddle of goop. I tiptoed around the kitchen, nervously watching the timer until, finally, it was time. I couldn't have been more proud when I opened up the oven and saw that amazing, picture perfect souffle. As I reached for my camera to record my achievement for all the world to see... my husband walked in and said, "Gee... that looks good!" Before I could even speak, he grabbed a spoon, stuck in in the souffle and POOF! With a little puff of steam, it was gone - sunken down into the ramekin and looking remarkably like a very ordinary pudding! I was heartbroken that my years of anticipation, weeks of research and hours of preparation could be deflated so quickly - without even a picture! It was a very traumatic event!! Now however, I make souffles quite regularly and I'll let you in on a great big secret... they aren't really that hard to make! If you can beat egg whites and read a recipe, you have all the skills necessary to make a souffle! Really! Just... for your own peace of mind - keep your husband (and everyone else) out of the kitchen 'til you get that first picture!! Have a great day everyone!