Check out this new on-line newsletter for new projects and happenings here at Ellen Leigh Interiors.  I always have something exciting in the works, new ideas, and new plans, so be sure to check back here to see what I'm up to- or better yet, subscribe and every month, I'll e-mail you a link when it's up.

August Happenings:  

 The Holman Climax Male Voice Choir

 Check out this You Tube Video of the Choir's tour of Detroit, set to their music.

 What an experience!  They arrived on Thursday night, and although six years had passed since we had seen our friends from Cornwall, it was as if those years had never been!  Big hugs all around, and after a brief orientation for new hosts and guests we returned to our home with the two delightful men staying with us, another host and his guest, plus a couple of friends.  We welcomed them with a huge smoked turkey dinner and a fun evening in the garden.  I won't go into all the details of their stay in Michigan, let's just say we all had a wonderful time, great food, wonderful conversations, and of course the best music!  All too soon it was all over, and it was time for them to return to Cornwall, leaving us with great memories,  very fond friendships made, and places to stay when we  visit Cornwall.

Day at the Lake Bar-b-Que:   It was a spectacular day!  After a whole week of sweltering weather, things cooled off nicely for the week-end and we all enjoyed a lovely day in the 80's full of swimming, boating and eating.  The ribs and chicken were of course 'delish' and so was everything else at this pot luck event.  To  get things rolling on a fairly goofy note, all the guests received a silly stick on tattoo to wear- the sillier the better.  Many thanks to my wonderful parents for once again allowing us to use their cottage to host the event, and to our 2 dozen guests for joining us for fun in the sun!

The crops are in!  I seem to have plenty of heirloom variety tomatos, some lovely pickle cucumbers and loads of leftover corn from the BBQ along with some volunteer dill and my favorite cinnamon basil.  A little research on the internet found several recipes to use some of the corn that looked pretty tasty, so I decided to experiment with the listed ingredients, and came up with my own Corn and Tomato salad recipe.  It turned out so good, I decided to share it with you:

Corn and HeirloomTomato Salad

4 ears of leftover corn- slice kernals off cobs and scrape off juices
1 large Brandywine or other heirloomTomato- chopped- let drain in colander for 30 minutes
3 pickle cucumbers sliced or chopped
1/2 cup loose fresh basil or cinnamon basil thinly sliced chiffonade
1 TBSP fresh dill leaves roughly chopped
1/2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup any good Italian dressing (I make my own with plenty of garlic and parmesan cheese) or to taste

Mix all ingredients together, let stand 15 minutes, or refrigerate up to 2 hours. Really easy- tasty and a great combination of flavors for a great picnic or pot luck salad.  Very refreshing on a hot summer day.

In the Garden: If you are local, check out this conference on Saturday September 22nd put on by the Master Gardener Association of Wayne County: Click Here (download a pdf file of the brochure and print it off to attend) It's a day long event, with some great keynote speakers, a wide variety of classes, lunch and a garden marketplace to boot, and all for just $40.00! Did I mention door prizes? Where else is Bat Guano considered a coveted prize?
There are classes for every level of gardener, from beginner to advanced, I either attend or volunteer every year- sometimes both! It's always a great day, every speaker is terrific and incredibly knowledgeable, and it's just a wonderful thing to hang out with gardeners for the whole day.  Sign up early- it always sells out.
Hope to see you there!

That's all the news for now- I hope you enjoyed my little Newsletter- You can subscribe for free below, (unsubscribe at any time), orif you know I already have your addy, just wait for me to e-mail you a link to my next "What's New" page!

See you on the Web!

Thinking of a faux finish for your home?  Consider 'Bellagio Faux' by Behr.  It's a beautiful finish that looks like antique plaster in lots of blended colors and metallic's.  So far I've used it in one client's bedroom and in another's bathroom- beautiful effect.

Upcoming in September:

 Looks like lots of work! I've had several clients contact me, several appointments in the last couple of weeks and have some interesting projects scheduled. Looks like Summer is over and it's time to think about getting the house ready for the holidays already, so if you are thinking of contacting me for a new project you have in mind, try not to put it off too long- looks like a very busy fall ahead for me! YAY!

Projects in the works:

Fall Jewelry and art

Garage Sale?

Painted Folding Chairs

Orphan Furniture

Recipe web site

 Like the recipe?  Next month, I'll have a great recipe I found for Blueberry Cornmeal Scones that was a big hit for our visitors from Cornwall.  

I'm working on setting up an on line recipe book with lots of great recipes, some invented here in my kitchen,  some family favorites, and some that I've collected through the years.  I love to try new recipes even though I really don't cook much.  If you have any that you'd like to contribute, just let me know.