After I finish this row...

A really good idea...

2011-10-28T14:12:00.001-04:00

ow pretty is this storage for needle felting needles or extra large, long needles, like the kind I use for doll/animal making? The best part is I found all of these glass salt and pepper shakers at the Dollar Store (both for $1). So, I guess that makes it a Dollar Store craft. Of course, you will see, I use these for my glass glitter collection. If you have a few clear vintage shakers, all the better. I have some of my glitters in those as well.

To make a needle holder you will need some wool fiber or a small wad or ball of 100% wool yarn.
Stuff it firmly in your shaker and replace the lid, and put your needles through the holes on top.
Natural wool fiber has lanolin in it, which has the added bonus of keeping your needles in tip top shape!
I also appreciate the fact, that I can leave them in a safe place in between projects, yet readily available. In the past I had used cocktail straws, cut down to size, to protect them. This is a good idea for the extra needles you may have. My fingers have barb scars, everywhere.
Let me know what you think? How do you store your "dangerous needles"?

Meet Abigail...

2011-10-26T17:47:00.000-04:00


Abigail and Phineas

sn't she adorable with her little mouse friend? I was lucky enough to find a vintage infant's dress on Etsy, and it fits her perfectly. I wish you could see it in person, the lace is so beautiful. The fabric is cotton velveteen, that I dyed myself, she has rust ticking arms and legs. I think after Halloween I will display the dress elsewhere, I just can't bear to put it away for another year. Speaking of bears...

Finnegan

Here is Finnegan or "Finn". He is the bear I made for my newest grandson, Eli. I can't wait to give it to him. Seth and Danielle will be visiting in November and I am counting the days. He has a blue scarf because Eli's favorite blanket is also this color of blue. I am thinking, he likes that color. Unlike most babies, he actually picked a homemade blankie to be the "one". It was made by his other Nana and is so beautifully knit with gorgeous cables all through it. Danielle says he won't sleep with out it.

Elijah

Isn't it pretty? Oh, and the baby is too, look at those eyelashes! Love you Eli bean.

What projects have you been working on? Check out my pinterest DIY board if you need some inspiration...I have too much inspiration, right now!

Abigail pattern available here: The Cheswick Company on Etsy.

Finnegan pattern available here: Judi Lynn Designs (Tyler Bear).

Fabulous Shortbread...

2011-10-04T19:03:00.003-04:00

t has been a while since I have shared a recipe. Be forewarned, you will have a hard time staying away from this shortbread, so, for your own sake, have a few family members or friends around to share it.

We are not discussing the fact that I made these yesterday, I am home alone and there are only three left. Let me just say in my defense that I have a genetic fault that causes me euphoria at the mere thought of butter. When I was eighteen months old, my mother sat me in the grocery cart and when her back was turned, I opened up the pound of Land O' Lakes (butter), removed a stick, peeled it like a banana and well, ate it. My mother loves to tell this story, and like all children before me, I blame her. She, who hails from St. Louis, Missouri and never stopped talking about "Gooey Butter Cake" and how her father took two buses every Saturday morning to get her one from the preferred bakery. Who leaves a butter obsessed baby(with these sorts of genes), alone with Land O' Lakes?

She also gets the credit for the many children I have, I am an only child. You see, I tended to romanticize brothers and sisters, so I knew I wanted lots of children. Yikes, you think I would have figured it out after the second one; I don't know, maybe after my son turned the blowup pool, upside down on his infant sister????? Fortunately, for me my wise and laid back friend, Linda (one of five children), said, " that's nothing, wait until he hangs her over the balcony in a few years". What? No, no, not my babies, they are going to love and respect and take care of each other, right? Right. Flash forward to Thanksgiving morning, two sisters home from school for break, Mom comes downstairs to find one of them pinned up against the pantry door...no feet touching! (It seems someone borrowed a certain jacket without asking, and someone else found it in a ball at the bottom of a closet, oops.) For the record, no one actually hung anyone over the balcony, threatened, maybe. No, I am not quick on the uptake. But, I digress...surely you can understand why I cannot give up butter, don't you?

It's okay, Mom understands.

I want to hear from you if you do not think this is the best shortbread you have ever tasted!

Shortbread

1 1/2 c. unbleached flour
3/4 c. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 c. plus 3 T. *superfine sugar, divided
1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature (1 hour), cut into 16 pieces
2 t. vanilla extract

Position rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 300 degrees.
Lightly butter (I use the wrappers) a 13x9 inch pan.

Sift the flour, cornstarch and salt into a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup superfine sugar, and , with electric mixer on low speed,
mix just to blend ingredients. Add butter pieces and vanilla and mix until large (1/4- 1/2 inch) crumbs form, about two minutes.
Very gently, press the crumbs evenly into pan. Don't pack the dough into the pan. Bake until the top of the shortbread just begins to turn golden, about 1 hour.
If your oven is hot, be sure to check sooner. Sometimes it will take an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle remaining
3 tablespoons superfine sugar over the top. Using a sharp knife now cut the shortbread through to the bottom of the pan in 1 1/2 in x 3 in pieces. Cool completely before lifting the shortbread out of the pan.

*If you do not have superfine sugar; pulse regular sugar in a food processor for about 30 seconds.

New project...

2011-09-26T10:49:00.002-04:00

found a beautiful hutch on craigslist. It was just the right size for my studio space. It was solid cherry, a lovely Temple-Stuart 50's piece.
I am painting it of course, and I am feeling a little guilty about it...not enough to stop me, however. The price was right, $50. Here is the progress so far...

The cabinet knobs and pulls are being replaced, I found these small matte black, clay knobs at Hobby Lobby for half price. The drawers will have matte black, bin pulls that I ordered online. They are cast iron and have a raised design of rose and thistle, love them. Painting the hutch with Annie Sloan, old white, has been easy and the results are just what I was hoping for. Two coats, straight on, clear wax, distress edges, dark wax, buff to a gorgeous sheen. This is my second project using this paint and the blog land hype is well deserved. Next up is the cabinet and hutch top. I will water down the paint slightly and roll it on with a foam roller. The surface area is large and the results will be smoother than painting with a brush. Hopefully, soon I will have the finished furniture to show you. Do you think I should paint the back of the hutch another color or wallpaper it?

Studio inspiration...

2011-08-17T19:46:00.002-04:00

n the basement studio, there just isn't the kind of light I crave, need really. So, it has become a storage (dumping gound) for my endless supplies. It does have two small windows and wonderful built-in storage drawers and cabinets (thank you, Mr. B.), but I feel so disconnected down there. Consequently, I make many trips up and down to finish and clear away projects. When I have a friend over to work with me, well, then we take over the whole kitchen! I will probably use the basement room for some of the storage, for example, seasonal supplies. Here are a few inspiration studio favorites from my Pinterest board, Studio.

My son Matt's old room will become my new studio. The light is very good and I will have some space to spread out and keep current projects out if I need to. First, I have to clear out his "stuff", all the things that he did not take with him. I will pack them up and put them in the already overflowing attic. My boy is sentimental about everything, there are actually a couple of old T.V.'s up there that he won't let us part with. I know, I know, where do they get this from???

The room is not very big, about 11 x 13, so I will have to be very organized and storage is a must. First, I will need to remove the "old world map" wallpaper from the back wall. He had a 1930's "Raiders of the Lost Ark" thing going on, complete with bi-plane hanging from the ceiling, that is painted like sky with clouds. Yes, there will be lots of painting. A new floor as well. Mr. B. wants to put hardwood up in the three bedrooms in the children's wing. I think this will work, since much of my studio work involves sewing and fiber. Wet or messy projects can still be handled if care is taken. I used Make Room courtesy of Urban Barn, to lay it out. (Yes, Mr. B. it is to scale, and yes, I am fitting a lot in there.)

work table 42"x60"
desk/sewing table 24"x75"

The color I want for the walls will be a neutral warm greige. The trim will be a warm white. Mr B. will build me a worktable similar to this Ballard Designs one, I just love it and it will give me the room I need to spread out. The zinc top is perfect and impervious. It will also have a couple of stools and in one corner of the room, I will have a comfy chair for hand sewing, knitting, crocheting, etc. I am on the lookout right now for a hutch/ buffet piece that I can paint out, for the back wall. A couple of old file cabinets to paint and an old door on top, will become a desk/sewing table in front of the window. The wall from the closet side wrapping around to the desk side will have pegboard, so that all my tools and thread can be handy. I have this down in the basement room and it is so nice to have everything in sight. The work table wall will have a large pin board and chalk board for inspirations and notes. The chair will have a floor lamp and maybe a small stool or table for my tea! The desk will hold my IMac/printers/silhouette and my sewing machine. The bookcase will hold reference materials and my favorite art books. I particularly like the idea of an old hutch/buffet combo. It will allow me to display some of my favorite things, and be a photo prop for product shoots. The closet has lots of built in shelves, too.

What do you think of my plan?

For your Sunday pleasure...

2011-08-07T18:06:00.001-04:00

Source via The Paper Mulberry

Source

ay I suggest a little eye candy and a very interesting story? My friend Glenda at The Paper Mulberry has the most beautiful blog. This post on natural table settings is gorgeous. It has all of our favorite things, English, old, worn, reused, renewed, whites, linen, farmhouse, and an eye for photography that will take your breath away. You will be clicking all of the archives, I just know it. Glenda and her family live in an Elizabethan era farmhouse, yes that's right from the 1500's. Her story about the house is fascinating.
She lives my anglophile fantasy...

Source via The Paper Mulberry

Thank you Glenda, for sharing your amazing home and for the all the other lovely posts that inspire.

Picnic Table...

2011-07-14T16:40:00.002-04:00

ove my new red picnic table made by Mr. B. It is eight feet long and thirty-six inches wide. We used the free plans from Ana White's site, here, and adjusted them for a bigger size. Now, it just needs a little accessorizing! Perhaps, an outdoor chandelier??

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint...

2011-07-14T16:22:00.005-04:00

After

h, I know you are familiar with this sensation, but I 'll bet you haven't seen a makeover like this one. Forgive me, Annie, but I did not apply your fabulous paint to some gorgeous, vintage piece of furniture. No, I decided to try it on my much hated black slate tile, foyer floor!

before

Imagine if you will, a chalkboard floor after twenty-two years of wear. Yes, that's right it looked the same after two days of wear. It never looked clean showed every little lint and crumb and had to be mopped constantly. I hate to tell you "I told you so", Mr. B. This floor pick of yours has been the bane of my existence since we built our house. Did I mention that the foyer is ten by fifteen feet? It is a slightly angled space also, the biggest rug that will fit in the center is six by nine. Okay, enough venting (I have only been b------- about it for twenty years). The plan was to replace it, but I could not decide what I wanted and I was changing my mind about it all the time. We were not eager to make another costly mistake and I really didn't mind the dark color.
So, after reading about Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint on so many blogs, I decided to give the floor a second chance. The graphite was beautiful and after thoroughly cleaning the floor, I started carefully cutting in. I was floored, pardon the pun, it went on smoothly with the suggested nylon brush, and covered perfectly. It dried in one half hour and I was able to second coat the trim and roll out two full coats in one longish evening. The matte finish was amazing and after keeping all pets and people off it until the morning, it was ready for a finish.
Annie Sloan recommends a low sheen varnish for floor applications, although I am sure they are thinking "wood" floor. I was unable to purchase her Matte Varnish in the USA, so I used a reliable water based, satin polyurethane. The drying time between coats is two hours. In the next two days, I put down four coats. Furniture was not moved in for several more days, to allow the whole floor to cure.

We could not be happier with the result and saved the cost of a new floor, probably about twenty-five hundred dollars. A very big thank you to my new friend at Classic Paint Finishes, Patty, for her help and generosity, (she included a couple of sample jars in my order, so I did not have to order a second quart)! By the way, the floor used just a little over one quart of paint! The best part is that there is no odor at all, and even the poly was low odor. I would use it on a floor again, in a heartbeat, but I am now so anxious to try it on a fabulous old piece of furniture, with some of the Annie Sloan Wax.
What do you think?

Shades Of Amber Annie Sloan Paint Party

Pinterest...

2011-07-12T14:47:00.002-04:00

From my DIY board via Bluebellgray

unky. That's what I am. Follow me here! If you wondered how to save your pictures of inspiration and DIY, etc. without having to describe your pin, just space bar once and pin. Voila, this helps when you do not have very much time, and the picture is self explanatory. My life is plenty busy right now and I apologize for not posting more often. Right now I am planning my son's graduation party and making a lot of decorations. Time is just slipping away...just like summer, isn't it? I hope you will peruse my pinterest site and find the inspiration that has fueled my creativity lately. You have all been busy, too, I see!!!

From Home board

From Roseanna's Style board via Old Gringo.com

XXX

Nest update...

2011-06-17T10:37:00.002-04:00

hen we came home from our vacation in Kiawah Island, SC, we found this. Look closely and you will see a beak peeking out the bottom left of the nest. There is a third baby underneath on the right. Is it me or are these really big baby robins?

I have been very busy the last few weeks and have been working on many projects, large and small. Vacation time spent with our newest grandson, (I miss him so much already) and yard work have consumed all of my time. My goal is to share a few pictures soon. In the meantime here is my Pinterest (have you heard of this great pin board site?) link. Enjoy, and try not to get hooked!
I hope you have a super weekend and fun Father's Day celebrations on Sunday :)

A sign of spring...

2011-05-21T14:13:00.002-04:00

robin's nest made in our porch light fixture. I was delighted to see that this mom used quite a bit of my fluff and scraps. However, where she decided to make her nest, is another matter. The picture of the nest and eggs were snapped standing tiptoe on our porch bench. So beautifully blue! I wanted to share...now I must get back to the herb garden, before it starts raining again, ugh!! Tomorrow I will post some projects I have been working on.
Enjoy your Saturday.

Happy Mother's Day...

2011-05-07T20:43:00.002-04:00

o all the wonderful moms out there. I hope your day is as special as all of you are. A few extra hugs, kisses and kudos to my daughters Lauren and Kate who are the kind of mothers, every child should have. Love to my daughter-in law, Danielle the newest mom in our family (May 4th), Eli is a very lucky bean!

Elijah Parker...

2011-05-06T23:43:00.007-04:00

ur beautiful new grandson. He arrived three weeks early and he is just adorable. Congratulations Danielle and Seth. We can't wait to see him and cuddle...hold on Eli, Papa and I are coming to South Carolina soon! Hugs and kisses.

Jute crochet covered demijohn...

2011-04-05T20:39:00.003-04:00

picked up this "faux" demijohn at TJ Maxx a while ago. The "real" antique demijohns are not in my budget. Forgive the photos it was getting late and I lazily used my flash. The bottle is a nice big size and I wanted to cover it in jute using a lattice design. I could have used a tie on method, but I decided to try crochet instead. A size "N" crochet hook was large enough to handle the thick jute, surprisingly, my hands did not hurt from the rough texture. Crocheting loosely helped as did using a heavy duty hand lotion! The lattice pattern gave me just the effect I was looking for. Now when the vacuum cleaner runs into it on the floor, it will be a little safer. This could be used on one of those carboy bottles or the gallon glass vinegar jugs as well. If anyone wants the how-to, let me know...

I also baked some wholesome, hi-protein bread today. These terracotta bread pans from a local upstate NY potter are my favorite for making sandwich/toast slices. I scatter the bottoms with toasted sesame seed, yummy. It was just the thing for another gray, rainy, day.
I am looking forward to this weekend and some South Carolina sunshine, I will be visiting my oldest son and his wife in Charleston.
They are expecting their first baby, a boy very soon!

...and here is a sneak peek of Mr. B.'s latest project (we hung it temporarily to test the fit) it is knock off of the Pottery Barn Cubby.
It is so well made, I cannot wait to paint it (it also needs its backing on) and put on the little enameled number plates I made for each
cubby, there are 25 of them. The Pottery Barn version just has painted numbers.

I hope you are having a great week!!!
Linking here:

Look what I found....

2011-02-21T13:53:00.000-05:00

20"x30" $1.59

hhhhhh! Let's keep it a secret, okay. I stumbled on to this site while looking for white cotton gauze, to dye for ruffles. I am going to make a new duvet with 125" white muslin, and I wanted wide, floppy, ruffles in hand dyed (palest blue) voile or gauze. I started looking around this site and found the craft burlap bag selection...check out these prices! I am going to do some serious ordering. How cute would the colorful potato bag bag be as a memo board in the kitchen? Even the farm girls who probably have access to this stuff all the time have to agree this is a good source. Not even worth the time to sew a burlap bag. I can think of all kinds of projects for these. Oh, and they had the best price for the muslin, also. What do you think?

27"x40" $2.75

Shredded Magazine Wreath...

2011-02-18T08:06:00.005-05:00

es, I am still playing with those shredding scissors. Actually, I tried to use our paper shredder and discovered it doesn't work anymore. Time to buy a new one. It definitely would make this project a quick one. I love this quirky wreath. Of course, you could also make this out of book pages ( I am a little obsessed). Cleaning out some of my magazines, I was filling up the recycle bin very quickly. What can I do with a few of these? To my dismay, this wreath only used about a dozen pages. However, it would also make great packaging material, so when I purchase a new shredder, I think I will make a bunch more and store it. Uh huh, yeah...put them in the recycle bin, fool. Mr. B. will be laughing right about now, but he really liked the wreath!

Here is what you will need:

Old magazines, or book
Spray mount adhesive (I used Super 77)
Round edge styrofoam wreath (mine is 10 ", from the Dollar store, so I guess this could be called a "Dollar Store" craft)
Paper shredder, or shredder scissors
Heavy thread (I used Button and Craft thread)
wax paper (if using the box method)

1. Set up a spray area (this stuff goes everywhere). I used a plastic drop cloth on my kitchen island and an old box, large enough to hold my wreath.
2. Shred your magazine pages, you will need 12-20 of large format (like Martha Stewart Living) or equivalent, and crumple well.

3. Cover your wreath with strips of additional magazine pages and tape in place where appropriate.
4. Place a sheet of waxed paper in the box, or on the dropcloth

5. Put a mound, about 1/2 of the shredded paper on your work surface
6. Place the covered wreath in the box and lightly spray with the adhesive.

7. Remove the wreath and place spray side down on the mound of shredded pages.
8. Press and re-spray as needed adding additional shreddings

9. When it is even and full, to your liking, set aside to dry the adhesive slightly.
10. Take the spool of heavy thread and wrap around the wreath a couple of times to secure the shredded pages.
11. Trim any unruly shreds and hang!

We have a winner...

2011-02-15T07:38:00.002-05:00

February 2011 Giveaway

andom.org has chosen number 18, Laura, of 52 Flea! Congratulations, Laura. Please email me your information and I will get your treasures off to you. Thank you, to everyone who participated. I will be doing this again soon, I appreciate every one of my readers, and love to hear from you.

More book pages...

2011-02-14T13:49:00.003-05:00

his time made into very cool tassels. I found this idea via a new blog, Quick Fix Mama. Lacie is my kind of girl. She found book page tassels at a store in her hometown for $20, each! That was a little pricey, so she made them herself, and did a great job. There are several things that appealed to me. First off, you know how I am about books, typography, fonts, etc. If you have forgotten, check here, here, here, and here for a few examples. Second, the recycling aspect has me all giddy, especially since I have a very large clear vase that collects corks. Mr. B. was wondering why I was collecting them, so thirdly, credibility! Go check these out on her blog, she has a step by step tutorial as well. Thanks Lacie.

So, here is what I made today...

Here are the materials you will need, plus a glue gun.

I made a few changes as I constructed them, mainly because I could not find the right wire. Oh, I have it alright, just not finding it when I am needing it. Typical. However, I ended up preferring the jute against the cork, anyway.

1. They are embellished with a simple button and a punched butterfly. Attached with the glue gun.

2. I had a pair of shredder scissors (these are so much fun), it made the cutting so easy.

3. I used four half dictionary pages from a 8x6 inch book, and hot glued them around the mushroom stem of the cork.

4. They will look a little wonky, so to secure them tightly I used half a width of strong packing tape around the top. I think if you do the wire version, it will take care of the problem.

5. Next I wound and glued the jute on top of the tape.

6. Screw in (with a little PVC glue) a tiny eye bolt. I chose to use the jute for a hanger.

This will all make sense if you read Lacie's tutorial.

I decided to play around with some crocheted fringe, that I made. There are a lot of other materials to experiment with. I am off to crochet some more fringe to finish off the tassel. I'll post a photo when I am finished with it!

Linking here: Tuesday Treasures

Happy Valentine's Day and last chance...

2011-02-14T07:07:00.003-05:00

his is the last day to enter your name for the giveaway! Random.org will pick a winner tomorrow. Remember to add a comment for being a follower also, for a second chance...Good Luck!

Mr. B. just returned from a business trip to Belgium and now it's Valentine's Day! Score...wait until you see the chocolates he brought home for me.

Happy Birthday, Seth!

2011-02-12T17:55:00.000-05:00

Seth, 18 months

hope you have a wonderful number thirty-four...I remember it as though it were yesterday. In a few short months you will have the joy of welcoming your first child, a son also. You will never be the same gorgeous boy...I love you, with all my heart.
Mom

Sketching...

2011-02-11T16:37:00.003-05:00

have been enjoying my sketchbook again...coming up with some new patterns and ideas. This is one I did when the grandchildren were over, we were all sketching. It is a scribbled drawing of my handmade bear Oliver. I also couldn't sleep the other night and made a crocheted heart garland. I decided the next day to add the MOP heart buttons and baker's twine. It is hanging in kitchen/family room doorway with another garland of jute and crystal prisms from an old chandelier. You can make one too! Skip To My Lou offers a free pattern, here. They work up very quickly. Thank you, Cindy for sharing this great pattern. I don't think they are just for Valentine's Day. I have hearts everywhere all year round, and have been collecting hearts for years. I would love to see yours, if you make one. Wouldn't these be fun to make also... Enjoy your weekend!

The sun is out...

2011-02-11T13:31:00.003-05:00

eah, but it is very cold. I don't care, the sun is out! The house is filled with light. I am feeling like the puppy, cozy and lazy. Tonight is the high school talent show that Ian, my youngest will be the emcee for, like his brother before him, three years ago. No rivalry here, much. They are so different except for their wit. This is so much more than just introducing the performers. There is a whole theme going on and traditionally, the emcee's are as entertaining as the very talented kids that perform. He will be awesome, proud Mom here! It seems like yesterday he was sporting this and now he's going to graduate and go on to college. My last baby, sigh. Except, of course, for those gorgeous grandchildren. Six of them and one on the way (a grandson, Eli)! My mother is still shaking her head at this, I was an only child!

Three of them spent the night here on Saturday and we had such fun...Colin the oldest was working on a paper mache great white shark. It was for the report he is doing today at school (can't wait to hear how it went). Nana helped and we even made a see thru tummy filled with the sort of things that sharks are know to have eaten. The girls, meanwhile were in Valentine collage making heaven. Glue, glitter, lace, paper, ribbon, fabric heaven. Later, there was a big snowstorm outside and we all snuggled upstairs in the sitting room with fireplace lit. Nana loves spending time with them, especially if there are art projects to do! We also like to cook and bake together.

I guess I wore the girls and puppy out!

Just a reminder...to enter my giveaway here!

Vintage Fun Giveaway....

2011-02-07T16:34:00.001-05:00

have been cleaning and organizing lots of spaces in my home. I won't call it an early spring cleaning, it would be an insult to all those spotless housekeepers out there to do so. Rather I have been sorting the "stuff" and I thought it would be fun to have a giveaway with some of my favorite little things, that I would like to share. So here they are. I am showing them in Mr. B's beautifully turned bowl, that is not part of the giveaway!

Here is what you will get : A hand knitted/fulled bird's nest, with three real blown out quail's eggs,

a vintage doily pin made with vintage velvet leaves and seam binding, a recycled crochet covered jar, a shabby stuffed heart with a vintage button tied on with baker's twine, a small garland made with french primer pages, two fabric printed vintage pictures of a little flower girl (who happens to be my aunt Rose at three years old, c. 1923) and two fabric printed urns. (simply remove the paper backing, and use as you like).

I would love it if you will follow me and if you are already a follower, let me know and you will have two chances to win. Just leave a comment below, by Valentines Day, February 14th, that's it. International readers are welcome! I will randomly choose a winner on Tuesday February 15th! Good Luck...

P.S. You can now sign up for email in the right column!

My Etsy...

2011-02-04T19:30:00.002-05:00

hop has an update...finally. I have several more items I will add next week. Please take a look, I welcome your input. I offer free shipping in the United States and Canada. My first update in a long time has some of my hand spun wool items. Yes, I am still spinning. It keeps me sane. I can completely zone out. Sometimes that gets me in trouble.

I have also been working on a little Valentine surprise for the "world" traveler in the family.
Here is a peek...you know how he loves elephants! Shhh! I hope he is too busy to read my blog (he usually doesn't).

Oh, and I am having a giveaway on Monday. I hope you will like it!

My New Muse...

2011-01-26T16:30:00.001-05:00

lliebird. He has decided to "help" me with my projects. Indeed he is helpful with picking up odd threads, bits of fabric trimmings and as I am typing, he is here as well. So please forgive the odd spelling errors, if they should appear. Generally, he doesn't prefer my company. It is Mr. B. whom he really loves. Mr. B. is away at the moment so...well, any port in a storm. Ollie is quite fond of coffee in the morning and is partial to my homemade granola. He does not like banana bread. This little bird was a birthday request from Mr. B. and certainly was not on my list at all. Not a big indoor bird lover. However Ollie has a certain charm and I can deal with caring for him on such a temporary basis. He is growing on me, slowly. The last several days, he has allowed me to scratch his neck and pet his beak, apparently they like this. Do any of you have a bird?

I have been working on an Etsy store update my first in a very long time. Little mixed media treasures with some vintage add ins. I will let you know when the update is complete.

You know, he looks all the rage in his gray, white and taupe self. A little vintage lace, a silver candlestick and grain sack pillow...hmmmmm.

The weekend...

2011-01-17T13:16:00.003-05:00

ere is what I spent most of the weekend doing. Yep, putting together a dollhouse. Usually, if I have something on my mind or I am upset, I bake, and bake, and bake. Not this weekend, I was determined to be distracted and it was time to tackle the dollhouse project. Mr B. (tired of seeing it in pieces in a corner of the dining room, I'm sure) volunteered to help me with some of the construction, I concentrated on the details. It did take nine hands to get this thing resembling a structure of any kind. Fortunately, Mr. B. has some of the best tools, um, clamps on the planet. I was motivated so much more, once it began to look like a house. Lots of sanding, painting and putting together little pieces to create window, casings, doors and trim. I even painted and wallpapered the walls before it went together. Much easier, that way. I also made a wonderful discovery, probably a duh, to most of you out there. Doll house wallpaper paste, otherwise know as mucilage. Remember that old timers, the stuff we had in elementary school in the sixties. I'll jog your memory, caramel colored, curvy bottle, with a red rubber head that had a slit in it. (Oh boy, that sounds a little risque). Anyhow, this stuff is available at Hobby Lobby (in the miniatures/ dollhouse area) and is called, Mini Graphics Wallpaper Mucilage. It dries clear and cleans up with water, and oh, the point of this ramble, it is the best paper glue I have ever worked with!! No bubbles, wrinkles or funky behavior of any sort, and it smoothes on easily (the label says it has silicone in it). I cannot wait to try a decoupage project with it (like this one perhaps). Forget about the Mod Podge folks, except for top coating and sealing. Use the mucilage for attaching the paper, you won't believe how well it behaves. End commercial.

Now, I have this huge dollhouse sitting on my kitchen island, and all the construction doodads everywhere. Here is what is left to finish, porch painting, construction, installation, gingerbread molding, trim and about a million little shake tiles glued to the roof. Uh huh, right.
I need my kitchen back, so I have to get going.

So, are you wondering why I wanted a dollhouse, last Christmas, I might add? Just thought it would be fun to decorate it seasonally and for the holidays. I do have two granddaughters also, and they will love it (give me some credibility) I'm sure. In the meantime, my friends and I will enjoy it in our second childhoods, not unlike the doll bed project of last year!

Button Garland (see dollhouse photo above)

I do have a fun little craft for you, I love this button and wire garland I made at Lauren's last weekend. I incorporated my vintage and new heart buttons, all shell or MOP.
Get yourself some 27 or 30 g. wire. I was using a roll of surgical steel wire, that Lauren had on hand.
Cut the wire to your desired length, I used 8 feet.
String on one button and secure it to the end of the wire, with a few twists.
Continue stringing on buttons, alternating over and under the button holes (refer to pic), leaving 2-3 inches of space between them.
Secure the last button like the first, and drape, hang or wrap.
Repeat, you will want more of these and your friends will too! Beautiful.

No. 7 Protect and Perfect...

2011-01-14T14:28:00.003-05:00

y Boots, a British company, sold at Target. Stop what you are doing and go immediately to Target and buy this product (unless you have been snowed in like we have). In fact, any of the No. 7 line of products. I have used the department store (read, expensive) lotions and potions since I was in my early thirties. Day cream, night cremes, eye serums, you name it, I had it. They were very nice, but these products are better, and less expensive. (I admit it, I am a sucker for an E channel, Entertainment tonight, Dermatologist touting the newest celeb miracle product.) First, I tried the Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum ($19.99). Amazing, disappears completely into the skin and leaves a softer than soft feel. I love this stuff. My skin is sensitive, dry, and prone to winter bouts of dermatitis. Not anymore. There is a reason this has been a top seller in the U.K. It is in a generously sized bottle with a nice pump applicator. I use it in the morning under my makeup and in the evening, along with the toner, and night creme I received for Christmas. Usually Mr. B. gets run over at the Lancome /Estee Lauder counters before he holiday and they load him up, sometimes with irritatingly, redundant products. So this year I steered him to Target and told him about my new found love. I highly recommend the Protect and Perfect Beauty Serum (there is an "intense" version, for a little more $22.99) to start with. See if you agree with me and if you do, try some of the other products. I also liked the day creme (with an SPF), night creme and the eye creme. The rose scented toner is wonderful. They have a line of natural cosmetics, also. Has anyone else tried this brand?

Beautiful Illustrative Initial Caps...

2011-01-12T15:09:00.004-05:00

or your blog or artwork (non-commercial only), scoot over to this site and choose a gorgeous capital letter. Jessica Hische has been working on a series of twelve alphabets, and she is graciously sharing with us. Aren't they amazing? What is more amazing is how easy they are to add. Just click on the letter you would like and to replace a letter in your blog, simply edit the text in html mode and replace the letter with copied code provided by Jessica. See, my fancy H, in the side bar welcome? To learn more about Jessica and how you can purchase her lovely letterpress designs, check out her site here. Thank you, Jessica!

Antique Cake Plate...

2011-01-12T11:54:00.000-05:00

Hi, I am just popping in with a picture from K., of her gorgeous cake plate (mentioned here). Love, love, love. What a great find.
Her new granite countertops aren't bad either!
Thanks, K.

Yesterday's thrifty finds...

2011-01-06T12:17:00.000-05:00

K. and I decided to go to our favorite "they call it an antique shop", we call it "an archeological dig". It is cluttered, chaotic and dirty. Yep, we love it. We have always found something to go home with. I think next time I will take some pictures, you really have to see it, to believe it.
Anyway, K found a gorgeous 1880's pressed glass pedestal cake server. It was square, about twelve inches, and so heavy that when she picked it up, she nearly dropped it. Of course, it was covered in grime, but it cleaned up nicely. She also found a large round globe bowl, possibly a fish bowl, that she will use for seasonal dioramas, like this one. I picked up mine at an antique shop while visiting my daughter, five dollars! Her last find was an amber depression era glass pitcher. I will ask her to take pictures in their new environs.

Here is what I found: large silver plated, footed tray; four elaborately decorated, linen napkins; four piece embroidered linen dresser scarves; wool sweater for fulling; large handwoven wool blanket for fulling; buckles and buttons; two vintage wool yarn skeins; a metal folding ruler (great pewter patina); 1900's letter press, embossed, colored, card.

Aren't these napkins beautiful? They are quite large at twenty inches. What have you been collecting lately? I know, I know I am supposed to be purging in January. It is on the must do list!

One last thing, I wanted to show you the large version of my grain sack tree. It fit perfectly on my urn in the kitchen. I am leaving this one and the smaller one on my mantel up for the winter. I just love them and think they look very seasonal. What do you think?

Happy New Year...

2011-01-02T10:42:00.006-05:00

...and a little project. I hope everyone is enjoying the last day of vacation. I wish for you a wonderful new beginning and a peaceful, productive, creative, prosperous year!

The baking marathon in my kitchen this holiday season was hectic, but fun. It did however, remind me that a few things in my kitchen needed replacing. Specifically the pathetic kitchen towels I've been using.
So, after the baking was done, I pulled out the sewing machine and whipped up six new towels. I used this great tutorial from Sew Take a Hike and decorator fabric that was 100% cotton (washed first). Penny's blog is fun and she has a whole list of tutorials...they are easy to follow, very well done. Thank you, Penny! I also have to thank Karen the "Graphics Fairy" for the gorgeous advertisement download she provided. Isn't this little girl adorable...I knew the minute I saw it, I would be using it somewhere. So far, I have only had time to embellish two of them.
There are so many other new graphics to sort through!! What is your kitchen in need of?

Here is a little project inspired by the delightful "Dottie Angel" blog (scroll down). These were a gift to a dear friend and fellow thrifter!

Linking to Brag Monday at the Graphics Fairy

A message to my children...

2010-12-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

Hi beans. I ran across this in my saved documents, and you all know how much I loved, love, Erma Bombeck. She had a wonderfully witty way of netting it out. This article is for you, now parents and soon to be parents. My youngest boys, listen up...your time will come!
I love you all so very much.
Mommydoon

From her column, "At Wit's End" by Erma Bombeck:

On a rainy day last week I met my past.

It was a chance meeting. As I rolled over in bed and listened to the thunder outside, I declared for myself a day off from the typewriter. To do what? What was it I used to do before the deadlines, the travels and the mail? How did I spend my time before I became a "fulfilled woman," before my worth measured by a credit line, before I got my black belt in goal setting?

I sat at the kitchen table over a cup of coffee. It was 8 a.m. By this time in my first life I would have had three kids who smelled of spray starch and vitamin breath off to school with a lunch box and thermos of soup which they wouldn't bother to open.

I would promise myself that I would knit until 9 and then I would absolutely get dressed and bring the house up to minimal health standards.

During the years, I would remember birthdays with appropriate celebrations, clothes that were in the cleaners, pets to be fed, doctor and dental appointments for everyone, homework that was due, science projects to be started, bills to be paid, overdue books returned, deposits made at the bank, and five bags of fertilizer for the lawn.

I would remove spots, add water, scrub toilets, write letters, polish shoes, clean ears, plant trees, knot shoestrings, mend wading pools, and blow up balloons.

I would hustle food, keep laundry moving, volunteer in the community, decorate the house, keep staples in supply, dispense chores, counsel, discipline, mediate arguments, hand down decisions and listen. I would listen a lot.

As I showered I wondered if I could go "home" again. Home to that domestic treadmill that I had fought to escape. I called my mother "just to talk." I called my best girlfriend and we dumped on one another. I called our kids and invited them to dinner and proceeded to fry chicken, bake biscuits and snap fresh green beans. We ate laughed, argued, talked and disagreed.

By present-day standards, it had been a non-productive day. I hadn't earned a dime. Hadn't made an impact on anyone or put down anything on paper for posterity.

Then why did I feel at peace with myself? Like I had done something special that day that no one else could do? It was the way I used to feel when I bedded down three kids between clean sheets and they all had clean feet and no one's nose was running. It was my turf and I knew it.

Lying in bed I thought about that person of the past and her day. What had she done that made her feel so important, so vital, when she herself had categorized it all as crud detail.

Then it hit me. My turf. Wouldn't it be ironic if my turf yielded the most important commodity being grown today...a family. A crop of children, seeded by two people, nourished with values, protected form disease and emotional storms and in 18-20 years harvested into worthwhile human being to go through the entire process again.

Nothing else I would do would equal it in importance.

Wouldn't you have thought someone would have told us?

Food fight in Mom's kitchen!

Happy Holidays...

2010-12-24T13:18:00.002-05:00

...to all my friends and family. May everyone be safe and contented. I cannot wait for the new year to begin. An adventure awaits!
Love,
Roseanna

via the Graphics Fairy

Baker's Twine...

2010-12-13T17:42:00.002-05:00

Do you love the colorful twisted twine that is everywhere, it seems, in blog land? I am smitten. Some Etsy sellers are charging ridiculous amounts for five yards, wound around an old spool. I ordered a small amount in a few colors a while ago. The quality was sorely disappointing. It was very thin and hardly showed up at all on my brown gift packaging or parchment paper wrapped goodies. When I started to ration myself, I knew I had to find a better source or a substitute. I found both! I wanted something more substantial, and still all cotton. Look at what I discovered, in Wal-Mart no less. Yep, $1.47. It is all cotton, strong and the twists come in many colors. Lily brand Sugar 'n Cream Twists. I picked up this green and a barn red. Each skein is ninety-five yards. You can also order it on-line here, at The Knitting-Warehouse, for $2.14. Red Heart sells their Eco-cotton (a blend, some acrylic) recycled skeins in a few twist colors also. I love the marled linen. The price for this one is about $1.99. Far better than the other flimsy stuff.

Just look at how I store mine. This was a salsa jar, the perfect size. I crocheted a round top and pulled the string through, a very cute container. I keep mine right on the kitchen counter, along with the linen butcher's twine in a beautiful hand turned (by Mr. B) dispenser.

If you are still a purist, and insist on using authentic baker's twine, go to the source. A bakery supply store, like this one, Country Clean Paper Supplies. Here you can purchase a two pound cone, that 's 3400 yards of 4 ply twine in at least 5 twist colors, for $8.95-$10.50. I may do this in order to get the black/ white twine I need. Now go get some decent twine...it's hot, hot, hot!

Christmas mantel...

2010-12-11T16:04:00.002-05:00

Done...I love the woodland feel of this year's mantel(pay no attention to that awful mirror glare). The holly bushes in my yard provided jut the right touch of greenery. I did add the faux berries because I have heard that holly berries are toxic. We planted them years ago and they are healthy, shiny and waxy. They will hold up nicely into the new year. A little prickly, though! The candles have been dressed up with burlap, linen, flax and just a few little items from my Christmas stash. I especially like the tall one that has a small branch tied to it. The wreath is made from coffee filters (very tedious). Do you like my kitchy deer? It was an Etsy find a while back, as were my beautiful old german sheep. The tattered seam binding was just the right touch for the grain sack tree. You are only able to see a small portion of the burlap Christmas stockings I made for our animals, two girl cats, a male cockatiel (his stocking has a free motion stitched cockatiel on it...spoiled bird), and of course, my Mr. Darcy doglet, the snow lover!

Here is the small tree I placed in the old urn. I used my collection of "candy" ornaments to decorate it. I really love these faux gumdrop ornaments, I have never seen them again anywhere. A local nursery was closing out their Christmas section and I scooped them up for 75% off. I bought everyone they had left. The glass candies were also purchased there. My batting coated little girl tops the tree nicely. The "snow globe" was fun to put together. The "snow" is plain old epson salts! What do you think? I think it is time to start the baking!!

I am linking up to Centsational Girl Christmas Craft Party

Completed and mailed...

2010-12-10T15:29:00.000-05:00

My ornaments for the Freshly Blended swap of 2010! I really enjoyed making the cotton batting stockings. They are adorable and soft. Each one is adorned with a different snowflake that I crocheted. They are simple and sweet with vintage buttons. I will leave it to the recipient to embellish further if they wish to. A few evergreens peeking out would be nice or maybe a candy cane or two! I hope they like them! Have you been doing any swaps this year? I would love to see what you have made.

Christmas decorating progress...

2010-12-08T15:27:00.002-05:00

I am getting there, slowly. Here are a few shots of my foyer, where the main tree is.
the tree is sporting some handmade paper, watercolor postcards from our trip to Europe in September! There are the shelves and bannister to finish. I had a few crocheted snowflakes leftover from an old project. I decided to hang them in the french door windows with sticky tack, just a dot in each corner. The picture really does not capture how lovely they look. I think I will make a few more. How are you coming along?

The beginning of a Christmas mantel...

2010-12-06T21:41:00.003-05:00

Hi. I am just popping in to share the Christmas mantel, in process. I will be attacking the outdoor plants and trees as soon as I can open the back porch door and find them. Lovely snow, about eighteen inches, and then there is the drifting. Do you see where procrastination will get you? The dog is bewildered but is having fun nonetheless, he comes in after a romp with snowballs attached to his backside. Gee, I was on a roll too. Mr B. and I went to get the trees on Saturday, before the storm. Pork roast slowly cooking in the oven while we were gone, the house smelled wonderful when we walked in. We were congratulating each other on the lack of minus 20 degree wind chill and blinding snowfall that usually accompanies whatever day we pick to get the trees. Instead it was smooth sailing...uh huh. My fervent desire to have an urned tree in the family room was a three hour fiasco. If someone out there will please tell me how Martha gets her trees to stay upright in an urn, I would be very grateful. I won't bore you with the details and the unkind words I had, for said Martha. Let's just say it wasn't pretty and my mother didn't name me Grace for a reason. The perfect four foot tree for my antique urn is now frozen to the ground buried in snow just outside the back door. I stuck the three foot fake Martha Stewart K-Mart tree in the urn and begrudgingly decorated it. Ugh, not what I envisioned at all, but at least there is a tree in the urn!

Let's move on...to the "national" Christmas tree in the foyer. Okay, okay, it is not as big as my friend K's fifteen footer. It may as well be. Do you know when you start trimming and you can't seem to stop? This is not as pretty as it was in the woods, of that I am certain. We would never have brought home such a lopsided nine foot tree, right? Right. Well, when I got done with it, it had some symmetry to it...except for one little branch over (enter Mr. B removing the clippers from my hands) here. I think I had enough branches on the foyer floor to make a whole other tree. By this time I am tired and cranky and I wanted pork roast and mashed potatoes.

Sunday the storm hit and it is still snowing now...storm warning until Tuesday at noon. I managed to put up the lights, checking them first of course. One thousand lights later, perfection! Two minutes later a string goes out. Why do they always do that! It was working fine until I got them tangled in tree branches and sap. In total frustration I have boycotted finishing, until I am in the mood to deal with it!

On to the mantel. I decided to make a "grainsack" Christmas tree and placed it on a slice of apple wood branch that Mr. B. had cut for me.
I really like how this turned out. I sewed one for my daughter and brought it with me on Thanksgiving. I knew I would make another as soon as I got home. If you are interested in a tutorial let me know in the comments. This year my mantel will be neutral woodsy and filled with homemade and vintage items (Sure, Roe, what else can you do with that wall color at Christmas?). I have more to finish and I have an idea where my boxwood, spruce and holly are located. They will add the finishing touches. The animal children have new burlap and linen stockings and I just finished a coffee filter wreath for in front of the leaning mirror, and wrapped candles with burlap, linen and woolen crochet pieces. ( Mr. B. made the wood pedestal bowl and candlestick) I promise to post pictures of my projects soon. After all, the baking marathon begins on Wednesday! K and I are getting together to make pizzelles.

Now, how has your decorating season been going? Come on make me feel better...

Hugs,
Roe

Folded Page Book Art...

2010-11-20T00:10:00.001-05:00

Today I finished a little project I have had in my head for a while. It took a lot of folding time, so I worked on it over several days. Using an old book to craft new art has always intrigued me. There are some beautiful examples that I found here, here, and here. Martha Stewart had an article in Living with directions for folded page book sculptures. I used a few old books to practice (they look like these) and liked them well enough to "shelve" in my niche at the top of the stairway. Truth is, I liked the fact that they had red hardcovers and I needed that color there. There are many artists who also slice , dice and crumple their books into incredible distortion, that is impossible to resist. I am drawn to it all. My favorites are the works of Cara Barer, Jacqueline Rush Lee, Su Blackwell and Brian Dettmer.

It is pretty intimidating stuff for sure. (above: Cara Barer, Su Blackwell)
Nevertheless, I gave it a shot and here is my creation. It sort of looks like a tree (Christmas on the brain, already) or not? I decided to use newspaper for the garland, flowers and leaves...there is slight bits of color.

Do you think this is something you would like to try?

Finished...

2010-11-18T18:42:00.001-05:00

The fabric cornucopia today, I hope Lauren likes it. I made a few fabric pumpkins, two with burlap and three with cotton velveteen. I lightly painted with water colors and used small grapevine twigs for stems. they are prettier in person. I printed a thanksgiving dictionary definition (thanks, Jessica) on old book paper and I had the heart and the felted acorns already. The vintage lace was perfect and I attached the vintage doily to the outside. There may be more tweaking when we set it up on the table next week, but overall, it came out the way I saw it in my head. What do you think?

Next up, working on the children's table...

Sneak peek...

2010-11-17T19:56:00.001-05:00

My fabric cornucopia design for my daughter's Thankgiving table. (The picture was taken with my cell phone, hence the quality is poor.) This is the first time I will not be cooking thanksgiving dinner in my home for over thirty years. We will all gather at L and T's house this year. I don't know if I am ready to pass the baton on permanently just yet, but I have to admit I am looking forward to handing it over to her capable hands next week. It has been a very busy fall and K (daughter #2) and I have the supporting roles. So, K who is a terrific baker is handling the desserts (it is also Lawson's fifth birthday next Thursday) and I will be contributing my stuffing and pecan pie, a special request from K's husband. the very first time I met him was at Thanksgiving and he loved the pecan pie...it has been on the menu ever since! I also volunteered to style the adult and children's table. Go ahead twist my arm.

Neutral tones will prevail, allowing the food itself to take the starring role. It took no time at all to make this cornucopia with leftover slipcover fabric in a diamond pattern. It had enough body to forgo the usual interfacing and the burlap ruffle was a rustic addition. The pattern is just a basic cone shape with a little flourish on the end, cut from newspaper. Easy. One seam and stuffed with fiberfill, about halfway. The ruffle was simply pleated as I sewed and edge stitched after. It stayed open the way I thought it would. The frayed, shabby roses were left over from another project. I like the vintage doily on the outside. Now comes the fun embellishing. Some painted walnuts, fabric and twine pumpkins, pine cones...anything else I can find. I will post a picture (using the "real" camera) of the finished project.

The children's table will have chalkboard placemats and little gingerbread houses on name coasters. the latter inspired by Martha Stewart as seen in the December issue of Living. I also thought they would enjoy these sweet paper toys that they can put together from here. The talented Marilyn Scott-Waters, generously offers a variety downloads for free. You will be enchanted with her designs. Her books are on my Christmas shopping list.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Lovely shoe and...

2010-11-14T00:42:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Faux deer head...

2010-11-10T09:49:00.002-05:00

Here is my take on the faux deer head trend. It is on the wall in my foyer, headed (no pun, intended) up the stairs. Yes, my husband does think I have lost my mind. I really like it, though. He has a nice garland of dictionary pages and a fun paper ball to match. What do you think?

I made the ball with a small styrofoam ball (1 1/2 in), paperback dictionary pages cut into quarters, a pencil and hot glue.
Place the eraser end of the pencil in middle of one quarter page, and wrap around in a way that suits you. Put a small drop of hot glue on bottom of page and press onto ball with pencil. Easy, and no burned fingertips. I am going to make more of these, they are surprisingly sturdy!

All these mice...

2010-10-30T23:32:00.001-04:00

...and Prance is not perturbed, in the least!

Morning in Lapio...

2010-10-19T14:46:00.000-04:00

Here is where we enjoyed morning cappuccino, the view from my uncle's large wrap around balcony was fabulous. On a clearer day you can see the Alps. It is just outside Vicenza (the home of Palladio, Jefferson's inspiration for Monticello, see picture below of a villa designed by Palladio in Vicenza), in the Veneto region of Italy. Venice is about forty miles away. We took the train to Bolzano, Venice and Florence. Eating our way there, of course. Beneath his large three bedroom apartment was a wonderful antica style restaurant, owned by good friends. The specialty of the house as well as the region was a pasta called bigoli. A thick, round, long, pasta, it was handmade with a unique contraption. My uncle has actually made this himself after a lesson from Guiseppe, and ordering a bigoli maker online. He has promised to show me how to make it on a future trip to his home in Maryland. It is especially suited to rich deeply flavored sauces. Particularly the thick meat Ragu, or as we sampled another day in Vicenza, a rich duck sauce. We were told by Guiseppe and his wife that they had just been to the northern italian fields the day before to pick wild mushrooms and greens. No contest, the first night that we ate there I opted for the Bigoli with Funghi sauce, rich and flavorful as my primo. Mr. B. chose the Bigoli with Ragu. Both were amazing! The bigoli was as big a star as the sauces, so light for a thick pasta. Ian enjoyed his bigoli with a simple tomato sauce. Secondi, wood fired mixed grill and those delicious fresh greens, sauteed with olive oil and garlic, a squeeze of lemon. The wine was a delightful rosso and the after dinner homemade liquor with espresso, a perfect end. We were happy to climb the stairs and tuck into our beds.

I am back...

2010-10-13T19:17:00.000-04:00

We arrived home from our European vacation last night. I am still very tired. Five hundred pieces of mail and lots to catch up on!
I will share a few pictures after I get them downloaded. Istanbul was fantastic, exotic and colorful. Mr. B. went on to Moldova for business reasons. My bags need unpacking, my laundry needs doing, my house needs cleaning and my doglet needs loving! See you soon...
R.

Etsy Sunday window shopping...

2010-09-12T14:06:00.002-04:00

Some of my Etsy favorites. I hope everyone is having a relaxing day!

I love September, ramblings...

2010-09-07T18:06:00.002-04:00

The heat is finally subsiding as well as the humidity. This summer has not been one of my favorites, for a variety of reasons. The high humidity we endured is certainly one of them. I would not make a very good southern belle! Air conditioning is a luxury, and I am thankful to have it, but it was on so often. I really missed having the windows open and pleasant breezes wafting through the house. Mr. B. thrives in this weather, perhaps because he grew up in Washington, D.C. and spent his summers at the family cottage (since the '30's) on Chesapeake Bay (the picture above is the road, single lane, that takes us to the cottage). We often went down in August (the crabs were abundant) and spent two weeks on the bay. I remember 108 degree days in Annapolis and eight months pregnant, not particularly fun. All of our children remember those days fondly and it is a beautiful, special place for sure. Our son Matthew wrote this poem about "our bay" in sixth grade. (He was recovering from a skiing accident, leg broken in three places, and was tutored at home for four months...a very long winter in a cast that stuck straight out. This is why he could not be in school. He must have been wishing for those sunny, hot and humid days!)

At The Bay

The warm, humid air,

Crab pots baited,

Crab pots steaming,

Newspaper laid tables.

The smell of fresh fish,

Whirling clouds over sun,

The dock worn and gray,

Hot feet on hot sand, the

Relief of thunderstorms.

Boat rides to Skipper's Pier,

Fireworks off in the distance,

Playing cards until late.

Hungry sea gulls loud,

Morning songs,

Grandma's corn fritters,

Feeding the horses.

The warm, humid air...

At the Bay.

We have been reminiscing lately about those days...so many changes going on there now. Changes here too, our youngest Ian, started his senior year of high school today. Our last child beginning an exciting year with many wonderful things to look forward to. One of them is our family trip to Italy in a few weeks. We will be staying with my Uncle in Vicenza and will visit Venice, Florence, Bolzano, and anywhere else that we feel like wandering to. The adventure continues on to Istanbul, Turkey before Ian and I head home and Mr. B. travels on to Moldova for business. Istanbul was Ian's idea, he is fascinated with history and really wanted to see this ancient place. I will be sure to share our adventures upon our return!

Meanwhile, I have been busy with a few projects around the house, mine and my daughter Lauren's. She and her family have settled in to their gorgeous Arts and Crafts, turn of the century home and have begun the fun part, making it "their" home. I visited last weekend and we shopped until we dropped. Home Depot, Lowes, Marhall's, antique and thrift stores. So many treasures were found. We stayed up late and drew up design boards and made plans. Since I left, she has stripped, stained, and painted a variety of furniture. Including a favorite find, an arts and crafts style mantle/ over mantle that she stripped, only to discover solid tiger oak. The top piece of the mantle is a 2 1/4 inch solid slab of tiger oak. It will be installed in the dining room. The price you ask, $100, and it was delivered the same day, a Sunday! Score!!! Here is a picture after it was stripped (an iphone shot).

My own projects have involved a lot of painting. The back porch furniture needed some spiffing up. The southern exposure has been tough on everything out there. I decided to change up the color scheme and add some red (my favorite color) to the mix. I am not done yet with all the little details, but here is a peek at what I have done so far. Painted the dresser, wicker chairs, wicker table, wicker chest, and lamps. New lampshades, but they still need some adornment. The "Taj Mahal" of birdcages will not be staying. I will be making new slipcovers for the wicker chair seats and the table chairs. The table's chair seats will be covered with french styled grain sacks, drawstrings tied to the back of the chairs. I came up with this idea in the middle of the night and I will share a tutorial on how they are made. It all starts with drop cloths, of course! They will be easy to remove and wash when required, just undo the drawstring...I know, it sounds crazy, but trust me you will love them! Thanks for visiting and listening as always, friends!

Chocolate Chip Cookies, a bigger batch...

2010-07-21T08:33:00.000-04:00

Let's face it, it is hard to beat the good old Toll House recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I have used it for years and really, I have not been tempted to try any other recipe. Until now. Someone gave me this recipe and it appealed to me in two ways. Basically, it is the Toll House recipe, the way that I make them, half butter, half shortening. Second, it increased those ingredients to make a bigger batch, ie. three cups of flour, instead of two and a quarter. I tried them and I now think this is the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever made. I know it is hard to stray from the tried and true, but I do not think you will regret trying this version. I use the larger cookie scoop and bake them for fourteen minutes...stick with the recipe time for the normal size cookie scoop. Don't they look amazing?

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2/3 c. shortening
2/3 c. butter (not margarine)
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts(optional)
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix thoroughly first 6 ingredients. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop on greased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes about seven dozen. This recipe can be doubled.

Crochet covered stones...

2010-07-20T12:13:00.004-04:00

Purl Bee has a lovely tutorial by Margaret Oomen of Resurrection Fern. She has graciously shared a beautiful pattern for a crochet cover for a smooth rock or river stone. Her art and nature studies are amazing as I am sure you know. If you are not familiar with her blog, you must go over soon! I have not been lucky enough to purchase one of her gorgeous rocks (they are gone in an instant) in her Etsy store, but I do own this wonderful print.

When I couldn't find any more appropriate stones, I decided to try her pattern out on a couple of maple limb slices my husband cut for me. It worked perfectly, and even gave me a nice flat surface to display my little birds. I love how it looks on the pebble mat in the porch.

I also found these nifty ideas from Design Sponge DIY's for using wood slices,

embroidered and buttons!

This pattern is fairly simple using basic crochet stitches. Give it a try! I am going to try and find some nice big stones when we go hiking later this summer (my outdoorsy son will be home visiting from SC). After all, a name like Stony Brook State Park is bound to have just what I'm looking for!

Chandelier duster...

2010-07-13T17:36:00.000-04:00

Yes, that is my new duster, Ollie Belle the Cockatiel chick!

Some of my Flickr Faves...

2010-07-13T10:29:00.001-04:00

Happy Tuesday. Here are some of my Flickr favorites and the beautiful art they are representing. Enjoy!

1. Je, 2. almost spring, 3. work in progress, 4. a ring of birch and lichens, 5. a ring of birch and lichens, 6. aLL fInIsHeD, 7. Pottery Barn Wooden Buttons, 8. will soon become a patchwork covered stone, 9. The crochet garland..., 10. hare, 11. flock embroidery detail, 12. wip seamstress detail, 13. florence drops the birds, 14. Fun eco friendly project, 15. Four little pincuhions all in a row!!, 16. Lilla Mu - needle felted cow, 17. bag lining, 18. Off to town, 19. Farm Fresh, 20. no peeking!, 21. acorn mushrooms, 22. teeny home, 23. blüten im schnee, 24. DSC_0005, 25. Red Sheep

Happy Fourth of July and...

2010-07-04T09:05:00.001-04:00

...some freshly picked, from my backyard, black raspberries! I hope everyone has a fun, happy, and most of all safe, holiday. It will be a scorcher here in upstate NY, so we will be by and in the pool! Enjoy!

Pebble Mat

2010-06-29T08:57:00.015-04:00

Dollar store craft alert! Look at this pebble mat I made from Dollar store pebbles and heavy wool felt I had on hand. I saw these in a local floral shop and knew I had to make one. Here is how I did it!

Supplies

2 bags of river stone pebbles
1 placemat or suitable sturdy fabric cut to preferred size
(mine was 11" x 16 ")
1 tube e-6000 or liquid nails
lots of time...think mosaics

Time was the only real "investment" in this project, and it was so easy!

Spill out your pebbles and randomly "glue" with a small amount of adhesive. Go easy, you do not want this to show later. Start at one corner and work outward for the best result. Fit your pebbles together as close as possible. This is why I chose a stony color for my base fabric.
Let dry/cure for at least twenty-four hours.

This mat would be lovely on a table as a centerpiece with a plant on it or if you were very ambitious you could make a set as placemats!

Lauren's Upholstery Project

2010-06-28T09:11:00.002-04:00

I don't think my daughter Lauren needs my help to recover her chair finds. Take a look at this beauty she did all by herself, first time no less! You will want to see the before of this chair, a hand me down from her sister-in-law. (scroll down)

I guess I'd better get busy with her other "barn" chair before she finishes these new chairs,
purchased for $12.50 each. They are very heavy and were used in an office. I love the lines and I know they will turn out beautifully! Good job, Lauren!

Glass Spinning Wheel

2010-06-19T15:04:00.003-04:00

Beautiful kinetic sculpture by Andy Paiko, a very talented glass artist. Amazing video!

Concrete Casting: Rhubarb Leaf Birdbath

2010-06-19T12:43:00.004-04:00

This birdbath was created by casting concrete over a large rhubarb leaf, and is my Father's Day present for Mr. B. I know he won't see this today, he is traveling home. So, I can share my secret with you! This was such a fun project. I will definitely be making more of them. The leaf is a shallow pool for water that is just perfect for his new cockatiel chick, Ollie. He can be spritzed here too (I hear they like that). A small wrought iron plate stand, picked up at GoodWill for $.50, turned out to be a perfect pedestal. It elevated the leaf nicely and is a stable base.

A very big thank you to Joy Beadworks for the excellent tutorial found here. Oh, and another thank you to my friend Kathleen, for supplying the rhubarb leaf plucked from her yard! I hope everyone has a wonderful Father's Day!

Sweetness...

2010-06-08T16:11:00.004-04:00

Nice hair "do"(don't?), I think Ava is trying her best to look like Mr. Darcy doglet. It took her whole nap time to work this one up!

That dog just loves her.

Speaking of sweetness, I made these S'Mores Bars (Baked Perfection), using homemade Marshmallow Fluff. Thanks to Homemade Mamas (via Craft Gossip). They are more like a candy and small portions are sufficient. If you are a big fan of S'Mores, you will love this recipe! I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make the Fluff. There are several ways in which it can be used. We were dipping fresh strawberries in it...yummy! It would be fantastic layered in a parfait glass with my chocolate pudding (maybe with some graham cracker crumbs as a layer?). The consistency is much easier to deal with than that commercial stuff. Give it a try, just because it is such a cool idea! Here is a picture of my bars...

P.S. I made a few changes...the Marshmallow Fluff recipe calls for 1/2 tsp. salt, I used 1/4 tsp., and it was plenty.

A nine inch pan is a better size for the S'Mores Bars and I used Hershey milk chocolate bars (5) of the six that come in the package usually used for outdoor S'Mores. I also had no problem, just sprinkling the top crumbs over and pressing down gently...no need to put into a plastic bag first and press out.

That frisbee definitely does not belong in the house naughty doglet!!!

Have a great day, everyone!!!

Hummus Recipe..

2010-06-02T11:50:00.002-04:00

A great treat to serve with drinks outside, it can stand the heat without spoiling. I have been making this for years and everyone loves it.
The other day it was 88 degrees and humid. Mr. B. and I were sitting by the pool with iced Coronas in hand. We were hungry for a little something. I went in the kitchen and whipped this up in no time. I cut up some multi-grain pita breads and put them in a cloth lined basket, so that we could cover them up if the flies were about. Then I made the hummus, a very simple version.

Hummus

1 can 15.5 oz. garbanzo beans (chick peas)

1 heaping T. tahini (sesame paste), optional

2 T. lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/3 c. olive oil

2 T. plain yogurt or sour cream, optional

Drain and briefly rinse the chick peas. Place in the food processor with tahini, lemon juice, garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Pulse until well mixed, scraping down sides if necessary. Remove tube and slowly add the olive oil and continue blending until very smooth. Add yogurt or sour cream if using. Mix again until well combined. Place in a bowl and serve with pita chips or vegetables.

There is room for additional ingredients or garnishes if you like: minced parsley or mint, roasted red peppers, or feta cheese, for example.

That day we left it simple, it was delicious. I hope you will try it and let me know what you think. In a post coming soon, I will show you how I incorporate this recipe into a Greek summer feast. Featured are: marinated, grilled, butterfly leg of lamb, tabouleh salad, moussaka,

tatziki sauce, feta and pitas!

Chocolate Pudding...

2010-05-22T08:54:00.001-04:00

It has been a while since I have shared a recipe. It will be a very warm weekend here and I don't feel like baking. This is such an easy chocolate pudding recipe, nothing fancy, but it is very good! I make it often, it is a family favorite. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pudding

1 cup sugar
1/2 c. cocoa (regular or dutch)
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt

2 1/2 c. milk (I use 1%)

2 T. butter
2 t. vanilla extract

In medium saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Slowly add, while whisking the milk.
Place over medium high heat and whisk constantly until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat and immediately add the butter and vanilla extract. Stir until butter is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into a large bowl and cover with clear plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming while it cools. Refrigerate until set at least two hours.

Puppy In Training, and...

2010-05-20T15:23:00.003-04:00

I have been diligently dedicated to training Mr. Darcy. You can see, we have our ups and downs. He still hates his crate, but he is making progress on "outside" duty training. Fortunately, he doesn't mind going out in the rain like I do. We may have this licked (no pun intended) in a week or two.
The visit to the Vet went well. He created quite a stir and everyone just fawned all over him, he sure didn't like that much, right! A few techs thought he looked like a stuffed animal, "Where'd you buy that nose, Hobby Lobby"? Maybe I will add a "Henry Darcy Doglet"(what he is called at home) to my stuffed repertoire! He was a complete show off, rolling his eyes and licking everything and everybody in sight. Darcy did not even notice the shot, once they put the meat baby food in front of him.

I was able to get the second slipcover finished, now I need to do some painting. The weather today and through the weekend looks promising, so maybe I can complete a few more projects. Lauren's lamps have been painted with "oil rubbed bronze" paint and I am very pleased with the outcome. I ran out of paint, so I still have to finish one lamp harp. One of the candle covers broke so I will replace it. Lampshades and cord covers(in bronze silk), will be next. So far, so good. I will be looking for the right size drum shades as I feel this will update the feel of these lamps. The pumpkin colored lamp is not as bright as it appears in this picture. In front of the lamps is a brass candelabra, I picked up for $5 at ReHouse, a salvage shop in town. The picture isn't great just a pile of things accumulating in the living room, ready to bring to Lauren's next week. I will post the lamps again when they are finished.

This chair? Really? Okay...

2010-05-17T08:13:00.004-04:00

My daughter Lauren found this chair in the "barn" of her current home. She has wanted to refinish and reupholster it for a long time. Now that she is moving soon, the time was right. Her family will be needing some extra chairs for sure. I know it looks rough, but my blog friends, I know you can envision it as it will be (insert lots of imagination, here). I really like the mix of mid-century modern with a hint of traditional in the slightly turned out legs. The barn is more like a large dry garage space and it was kept dry if not clean.

Yesterday, was a beautiful day and when the phone rang, I knew it was Lauren. We live two hours apart and she was SO wanting Mom there to work on a project, together. I was in intensive puppy training and Papa is going to Pittsburgh, so an impromptu visit, wasn't going to happen. Instead we came up with preparing the chair for refinishing. "That will keep you busy", I said. Oh yes, "a thousand tacks later", as she put it, and a little joint tightening, courtesy of her handy father-in-law, the chair was in pretty good shape. The springs were tight and did not have to be replaced. We will replace the tattered burlap with modern webbing and of course, new foam and batting. She will make a pattern from the removed fabric and when the new fabric is chosen we will refinish the legs appropriately. I will be going to visit on the 27th, so we will work on it together then.

The boys are looking forward to seeing Darcy as much as Nana, I suspect. Layton, age 2, did say "I love you Nana", and that he would see me in "two times". Okay(melted here). I miss them all so much. Two hours isn't very far away, and I am grateful that it isn't further. Sometimes I wish they were around the corner, though. I am lucky to have my younger daughter Kate ( BTW, Can you make another Key Lime Pie? She is a fabulous baker) here with her family, so I guess I am just greedy. Their older brother Seth and his wife (no babies, yet) live in South Carolina, a much bigger trip! Charleston is a great place to visit and Kiawah Island is a favorite vacation place for us. We have often dreamed of having a "Kennedy" type compound there for family reunions, uh huh, sure! Have a great Monday!!

Mother's Day gift...Meet Darcy

2010-05-10T08:17:00.004-04:00

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day. The weather was scary around here with fifty mile an hour winds, downed trees and power lines.
And cold..it snowed again. Inside was cheery and warm, especially with the newest member of the family, Darcy (I am a huge Jane Austen fan). Darcy is a Malta-poo and he is nine weeks old. I am completely in love with this dog! He has the sweetest personality. We are hoping that the cats, Prance and Lilybelle will be accepting. They are staying separate for now until they are used to the smell of the dog in the house.
These dogs make terrific pets, not only because of their mellow personalities, but, because they do not shed and are hypo-allergenic. They have hair, not fur. Periodic haircuts are needed at the groomers. Oh, that face.

If you are an expert in training dogs you will not want to hear this next part. We are failures at crate training. The cries were heartbreaking, and Mr. B. is a big softie. Darcy prefers to sleep in our bed. Very bad, I know. He sleeps soundly through the night and only wakes up when we do. He has had his first bath and is doing quite well with paper training. Darcy will be trained to go outside after he receives his next shots this week. Right now, he is sitting next to me in a chair, asleep again. We have a soft crate for him to retreat to in the family room and he feels comfortable there. Thank you, Mr. B for indulging me this gift. Now if we can only find a home for the teenagers we would be all set. Just kidding boys ;) (sorry about that IMac cord in the pictures)

Thrifty Lamps for the Library...

2010-05-07T20:16:00.003-04:00

Today, my mother and I attended an event at Isabella's primary school. We were her "special guests" as her grandmother and great grandmother. She performed her speaking part beautifully and it was so much fun to hear them sing songs with the same melodies my mother and I remembered so well. Only the lyrics have changed. The teacher reminded us that educators have known for a long time that singing and learning go hand in hand. Remember how you learned your abc's, you sang the song, of course!

We decided after the school visit to do a little thrift shopping at the Good Will in my Mom's little town. She has been telling me about the great bargains she has found there, but this was my first visit. Well, what a good idea that turned out to be. My daughter Lauren is moving into a new "old" home, an early Arts and Crafts (1890), over 4000 square feet. Needless to say, she will need a lot more furniture and lamps. We have designed the function of each room on paper and have determined what she will need in them. It was helpful to draw it out to scale, so that we could place room features and furniture pieces in it. Believe or not, we used Google Docs and worked together on our computers to draw out the entire downstairs rooms. She lives a little over two hours away and we working on the same document! Ain't technology grand.

Okay, so here are the lamps we found for the "library". A room with built ins and beautiful large, stained glass windows. She will put a large old library table, preferably with drawers in the center of the room and add benches on either side for homework and projects. There will be more bookcases and the corners will have comfy chairs, small tables and "lamps". This room has lots of mahogany trim and will need ample light. Check out these babies in their "before" state. The cost $6.99, $7.99 and $7.99. They are very heavy solid brass and the large multiple socket one has two switches in case less light is needed.

I will be spraying the brass parts with "oil rubbed bronze" in keeping with the Arts and Crafts era. The candlesticks will be freshened up and the wooden base lamp will be done in a fun color. The best part will be finding the perfect lampshades. I will share the "afters" when I am finished. Lauren still needs many more lamps, but this is such a great start. What do you think of this bargain? My mom purchased them for her and she totally could envision them...gotta love Mom! I am linking here:

Learning to make slip covers...

2010-05-06T10:27:00.003-04:00

I wanted to try my hand at slip covers, so the children chairs seemed like a good place to start. I used the method of pinning in place, marking and trimming. First, I used newspaper to make a pattern of the main pieces I needed. This was my first slip so I used muslin to make a fabric pattern for my toile (isn't it pretty?). Do not pay any attention to the green legs on the chair, both chairs and table will be painted in a light taupe. Remember, I am the "horse before the cart" kind of girl. What do you think? I am satisfied with this one, now I will sew the other. I can't wait for the girls (Bella and Ava) to see it.

Here is a lampshade embellishment I really like, there will be a pair of these. Love the ruffled bias tape, easy and fast on the machine...need to work on getting it perfectly centered, but, I think I have it worked it out. It is attached with SOBO fabric glue, tacky and I did not have to hold it on, it grabs right away...love that. Roses attached this way also.

This is a fish fossil that I bought from MW Nature's Antiquities, an Etsy shop you must visit! Mr B. wants to hang it here, above the stove. I think he is right, it looks amazing against the tile and adds a nice touch. We are still figuring out how to hang it, maybe epoxy a hanger on the back of the fossil and use a 3M removable hanger on the tile?

I am linking here today.

New Treasures Found...And Finished Plate Rack

2010-05-01T11:24:00.001-04:00

Shhh! I am supposed to be cleaning out the back porch then working in the yard. Here I am sharing with you the treasures I found on Thursday with K. Our stops included: Salvation Army Thrift Store, Artiques ( a great little shop), and the Ontario Antique Mall. Oh, there was another antique store as well, just can't remember the name of it. Another great day of finds.

This is what I purchased at the SA:

A large bisque planter with beautiful bas relief castles (will be painted) $3.99
Beautiful bottle with raised design in harlequin check pattern $.99
Two children's chairs, solid wood, sturdy (need refinishing) $ 7.99 each

At Artiques and the other little shop I found : a vintage children's apron, a brown majolica pitcher, an amethyst glass flower frog, a bird flower frog, a handmade covered hanging basket (I will use for cat treats), vintage rhinestone buckle (no pic, sorry), a globe with wonderful raised relief 1960, (the antique tailors press board was from an earlier excursion with Mr. B.) and a coal miners little wooden canary cage (no pic, sorry) I will be using some of these things in future projects.

At the Ontario Antiques Mall I found: a vintage peanut butter jar with zinc top (an adorable jumble peanut elephant decoration), an flower embroidered pillow case, and a little pressed glass top, I will use in a making a cloche (see above SA pic).

Here is the plate rack after painting...I still need to style it a bit but I put some things in it so you can get the idea. You will notice some of my new treasures have made the cut (child apron, majolica pitcher, peanut butter jar, bird "frog") Thank you, Mr. B. it is beautiful!

Now, I want to commission Julie Whitmore (gorgeous french faience pottery, go check it out) to design a special platter for me.

A New Member of the Family...

2010-04-28T17:45:00.001-04:00

Claude has a new pet...at least he will in about 4 weeks, when it is weaned. A cockatiel he has named Jack. It is a birthday present from me.
I was hoping this new baby would be ready by May 14th., which is his actual birthday. Jack will have a white face and a pretty comb as he gets older. Dad will visit often, in order to bond and Jack will be hand raised. Apparently, that will make him a nicely behaved bird. I am not so sure
that we have "nicely" behaved cats, however. Perhaps, they will want to be friends with Jack instead of making him dinner? Here is his first appearance on video.

Welcome Jack!!

April Snow...

2010-04-27T10:38:00.001-04:00

We awoke this morning to find this:

If you click to enlarge the picture, you will see it more clearly...yeah, a little blizzard. Welcome to upstate NY, where we like to say "If you don't like the weather, stick around, it will change in ten minutes!". Yes, and there is a nice blowing, chilly, air current going on. My blossoming cherry tree is lovely, isn't it?

I think it is a great day to stay home and bake something.

UPDATE: "10 minutes later"...

Thrifty Finds Today

2010-04-21T20:00:00.002-04:00

I spent a wonderful afternoon with my friend K. We went to ReHouse (salvage, etc.) and one of our favorite antique shops. It was a small haul but, I really am happy with my little purchases. In fact everything was on a little list in my head.

Brass candelabra (will be painted) $5, children's 50's tea set (looks like

jadeite) $10, zinc topped jars $8 (I especially like the one that has raised glass lettering

that says French's mustard, made right here in Rochester, NY).

I can't think of a better way to avoid to housework on a gorgeous, sunny, warm day. Can you?

An Easel For Your Flat Screen?

2010-04-21T19:48:00.002-04:00

Oh yes! There are some who consider the TV (big, elephant in the room) a decorating nightmare. Trust me, every chance I get, I am closing up the media cabinet doors. However, even I like this really cool idea from Restoration Hardware. An Artist easel for your flat screen TV.
The price is $995...a bit pricey for something that will ONLY hold the TV, no storage.

Let's just say we find another place for the DVD and doodads. I found this one on Ebay for $399 and your choice of several finishes.

Of course, for less than $200 you could buy this easel and figure it out for yourself. It would look especially nice in a corner room configuration (Lauren), much less bulky than trying to fit a corner cabinet into the space. I think this would be a stylish and practical solution. I like these alternatives that can make it inexpensive, as well. What do you think?

Eco Friendly Lighting I Love....

2010-04-20T20:59:00.003-04:00

1. Natural Ostrich Egg Lamp, 2. Lampshades, 3. Wool_Felt_Wrap_Lampshade, 4. lampshade botanical handmade paper, 5. Vintage Crochet Lampshade, 6. Barclay, 7. Canyon Dancer, 8. Ash Pendant No1, 9. this years tree, 10. "THIS" Light Series #2c, 11. Fabric flower garland, 12. doilie light

Here is a lampshade I made from a discarded lampshade frame and my backyard curly willow tree. It sits on an old converted kerosene floor lamp that belonged to Mr. B.'s grandmother. It was given a coat of copper and verdigris and is very pretty on the back porch. If you look closely, you will see that I found little round bulbs for it...they kind of look like eggs. The handmade bird finial was the perfect touch. Making finials for lamps is very simple to do. In the last picture I have used an odd salt shaker with no mate, isn't the frog adorable, holding a doll?

I am linking here:

Beautiful Heirloom Plate

2010-04-15T13:16:00.005-04:00

Popping in, again, ( Renee, that's three times today!) to show you a pretty plate that my husband had from his grandmother. It is a lone little bread plate, part of a much larger set (no idea who ended up with it). It is Haviland china. I thought it deserved to be noticed and I placed it on a small painted candlestick with museum putty. I did not want to permanently mount it. We used it in our Easter table decoration with a small nest on it. Is it delightful!

Handmade Plate Rack...need your opinion!

2010-04-15T13:06:00.004-04:00

This was my anniversary present from Mr. B. He has outdid himself once again. Isn't beautiful? We put it up temporarily so that I could decide how to finish it. I know I want it painted, but I am undecided, should I choose black (like the island, he also made) or the frosted off white of the cabinets. Here are a few pics of my kitchen (ignore the porch mess), what do think would be best? Right now I am leaning toward painting it the frosted white (with some light distressing) with black on the beadboard...help, please!

Here are the kichen pics...

Ottoman Crocheted

2010-04-15T12:47:00.003-04:00

Hi, I have been away too long. Here are a few of the projects I have been working on. First, an ottoman made for my daughter Lauren's family room. It is made out of "Thick 'n Quick" yarn, that has a percentage of wool in it and is very soft. The name says thick and it is, crocheted with a size "N" hook. Again, it was fairly quick, especially considering I was designing it as I went along. Sometimes you just have to dive in
and go for it. I had clear idea of how big I wanted it (it is very big 24 inches diameter, 12 inches tall). After all, the three beans (grandsons, aged 2-7) would have to wrestle on it I was sure! The ottoman is filled with a cushion I made from brushed twill in the same color, the cushion is stuffed with 2, 24 inch pillows (on sale at JoAnn's) and additional fiber fill. The pillows filled out the cushion nicely and I was able to shape them with rounded edges with a little more fiber. I wanted the ottoman to be firm but still flexible. This combo worked perfectly. Still deciding on a button for the center...What do you think? If there is interest I could do a tutorial.

There was a skein leftover(the ottoman used 6 1/4 skeins) so I made this little basket...I think it would look great lined with a waterproof material and a nice weathered large pot in it. It is about 10 inches in diameter.

I am linking this project here:

Finishing projects...

2010-03-15T17:19:00.006-04:00

Felt like creating again...been in a little slump. Here are two projects I have been wanting to complete. These fingerless gloves meant for my aunt (who now lives in Florida), and this linen bucket with tattered roses. I am pleased with how they turned out. In particular, I will be making more of theses fabric buckets. It is a great way to use up some of the beautiful fabrics and trims that have amassed in my studio, aka, craft storage facility! They are terrific for storing yarn, projects and many other things. I love that they stand up alone, but you can fold them up if you need to. These will end up in my Etsy store soon, I will let you know when I have an update.

Spring has begun to show up around here, slowly. I thought it would be a good idea to make a few pillow covers for the family room and lighten up the space. The walls are cozy and warm in the fall and winter, but in the spring and summer I like to bring in a little green.
Here is a start. The ubiquitous (at least around our house, Mr. B. collects them) "elephant" pillow for "his" chair. Thank you to the Graphics Fairy for the lovely print. I used an iron transfer sheet on the muslin torn strip and simply stitched around it in heavy black thread, onto the green cotton print background, with my machine. I made it removable for washing by giving it a sham back. One down six to go. The rest will be different prints and solids. I have been inspired by some of the Pottery Barn and Anthropologie pillows I have seen.

Do you like the little burlap and lace belt I made for my PB lamp?
I have had the vintage belt buckle for a while. It is not permanent...it really is just a belt! In case, you know, I change my mind.

The last project was for my grandchildren. I have placed a little table and chairs (I will post pictures after I have painted them) in the family room corner for them. This old frame and another terrific graphic alphabet from the Graphics Fairy, came together as a small tack board. The print was iron transferred to the linen and I used spray adhesive to attach it to foam core. Tacks were made from vintage buttons. It hangs just above the table. They will love it!

Thanks for visiting enjoy your day...

Busted Jewelry

2010-03-06T14:59:00.005-05:00

Ha! Got your attention. I saw this little project on Design Sponge, and really thought it was clever. However, I have always wanted a marble bust in a classical style and was more inclined toward the Martha Stewart version , which was the inspiration for it. Pictured here. The beautiful bust shown is available (with many other choices as well) online from this company , as mentioned in the article. I went to Statues.com and fell in love with an Aphrodite bust 12 inches tall. Perfect. The price was not outrageous, (and they looked high quality) but still at $98, I could not justify it only to display my favorite and vintage jewelry pieces on my dresser.
While wandering down the 80% off aisle at Hobby Lobby I spied a resin bust of a classically styled woman in YUK, resin, YUK, YUK YUK phony, bronze, verdigris, resin (sorry, no before picture). Her shape was okay, there was a good weight to her, so, those visions of spray paint began to dance in my head. Did I mention her price tag? Okay, for $6, she would have to do!
I used Rustoleum's heirloom white first, three coats. Then a few days later I coated her with an acrylic gesso. It added a slightly matte, marble feel and look. Antique glaze was wiped on. She was dressed in pretty blue crumpled seam binding from Etsy's 5 Dollar French Market , my favorite Anthropologie necklace and vintage finds. I think she turned into a beauty!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T18:56:00.003-05:00

Not quite ready to begin the madness....

2009-12-07T16:22:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, I spent time with my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. They arrived home from cutting their own Christmas tree at a local farm and setting it in the stand. A quick trip to Wal-Mart for a few more lights (it is quite a rotund tree) and it was time to hang the ornaments.
The children were filled with hot chocolate and wonder, just the way it should be. I felt peaceful and happy in a way I haven't in a long time. Mr. B.'s recent illness was a scary time and I am hopelessly behind in my own Christmas decorating and gift making, shopping and wrapping.
Today was a welcome respite, with Mr. B. finally home from the hospital and slowly recovering.

What a privilege it was to participate in the mayhem. Colin and Bella also brought down their little bedroom trees for decorating. Ava was positively giddy with the prospect of being allowed to add ornaments to the tree. It was a bit of a challenge and "Nani" was asked to "help".
Excited whispers from Bella, about the newly purchased Christmas present she was giving to Colin. "It's perfect Nana", she exclaimed with that shrill talking laugh that is infectious. Colin was frantically looking for that paper mache, lucky pickle he made last year for the tree.
The house smelled wonderfully of chicken chili in the crock pot. A cup of gingerbread tea and a glass of wine later, all was right with my world! There were no pictures of our little decorating party, but I am sure I will never forget it. Some events just need to be savored in our hearts and souls, do you know what I mean?

Nana helped with the last minute finishing of homework. Bella also completed her get well Papa letter, with lovely drawings of them both with handfuls of balloons( the international symbol of happy, I think), flowers, clouds and grass. Baths were taken and given, warm jammies on, and some cuddling on the couch with snacks before bedtime. Perfect. Love you beans!

Moss gathering and other projects...

2009-11-17T16:04:00.008-05:00

I love moss, lichen and miniatures. It started with collecting some moss from my neighbor's yard (with her permission, of course).

Here is a plant that even I can't kill, right? Definition of moss and lichen here and here. It's one of those things they say is as old as dirt, evolutionary wise. So...I am thinking it can probably survive my feeble attempts at making it thrive (read: die). Anyhow, I am enamored of the miniature nature of these tiny, vertically growing, green lovelies. Terrariums here we come. A perfect excuse to felt more rocks, mushrooms and acorns for decoration. Throw in some little deer, bunny and gnome figurines and well, it's a party in a glass container. A trip to the dollar store, T.J. Maxx and the Home Depot and we were ready to make some terrariums.

Materials, not so many really. Find a container, covered or not. I used a variety of them, covered glass, uncovered glass and ancient looking terracotta(T.J.'s) pots. Purchase rocks, (dollar store) charcoal bits, (home or pet store), and potting soil. The fun part is finding little items to add to your tiny forest. I had a myriad of those little figurines that come in the boxes of Red Rose tea. I even used a few cupcake decorations. Grape vine, twist in a covered container could look like a tree? I'll have to try that in my tall terrarium. Moss and lichen are found in damp, darkish spots in your yard. I found this site on Etsy, that sells a gallon bag of mixed mosses and lichens. It was very reasonable and there are enough plants for a small army of terrariums. Christmas gifts anyone?

Layer like this:

rocks, about an inch or two

charcoal, a half inch (it will keep it sweet smelling)

potting soil

moss and lichen

decorative items

Water lightly, if covered it will stay moist and create a micro environment, misting at night and morning...so cool!

Keep out of direct sun and water lightly as needed to maintain a damp environment...not too much, though.

Oh, and if you decide to add a gnome, fairy or two, be sure to include some of these.

Have you spotted the imposter yet? One of these terrariums is not like the others! Check out this link and the lovely embroidered

moss and lichen that Keyka Lou makes. I could not resist them. I think my faux moss looks wonderful next to the real thing. The only stitch you need to know is the french knot. I hope you will give one of these a try, they make terrific hostess gifts!

Natural Treasures Garland

2009-11-17T15:00:00.005-05:00

When it was time to take down my "witches garland" after Halloween it looked a little bare. We had gotten use to having something

seasonal hanging in the doorway to the family room. I had some beautiful hand tail spun wool and my own novelty spun wool and I came up with this idea. A Natural Treasures Garland! I love how this turned out. It is delicate and subtle. More or less woodsy items can be added as desired. Here is a short tutorial if you'd like to make one yourself. You can do this before Thanksgiving, trust me it is quite easy!

Natural Treasures Garland

Materials

1 chunky home spun or purchased wool yarn (several yards)in an earth tone

1 novelty coordinating yarn (a few yards)

Size N crochet hook or larger (you could alternatively, knit (13 needles) a couple of long rows to span doorway)

2 small finish nails for top of casing in doorway

various natural treasures (the backyard was a "gold mine") I used:

pheasant feathers

cinnamon sticks

sedum blossoms

rosemary

rose hips

chive seed heads

small pine cones

small cedar roses

acorn caps

dried seed pods

grapevine

add whatever is in your backyard, even colorful leaves would be easy to include.

First I crocheted along chain of the tail spin yarn and double crocheted a second row. I strung it up on the same tiny nails from the previous garland and then added my novelty yarn to it, letting it drape a little below. Gather up your natural treasures and tuck them as you please into the little holes created with the crochet. A spot of hot glue may be needed here a there. I used the grapevine on top of the casing, tucking the ends around the tiny finish nails. It would look equally nice as part of the draping wool. You could use small ornament hooks to hang other items. I found it was easier to add things after the wool was hung, stepping back to check to the progress. Easy, right? I would love to see what you create! Have fun.

I am working on a Christmas version of this that is quite fun...I will post a how to when it is finished!

Look what I won!

2009-10-30T10:45:00.003-04:00

I was fortunate enough to win this exquisite, embroidered, beaded heart brooch from Pat Eaton of Bird Nest on the Ground blog.

I wish you could see this in person, her work is amazing! Visit her blog and you are sure to be inspired. She even included these lovely extras...I plan on using them soon on another "heart project". Thank you Pat for your generosity and inspiration!

Halloween Little Witches Garland

2009-10-19T20:03:00.006-04:00

Just popping in for a moment to share my Halloween garland. Eight lovely little witches printed on cotton, placed on patched and quilted rectangles. Each is a different size as whimsy would have it. A few vintage buttons, tinsel, spooky words, and whatnots all

strung up on jute twine with wooden hand painted beads between.

A very satisfying afternoon spent...

Linking here:

Crocheted "Sugar Skull"

2009-10-07T14:00:00.002-04:00

I found this pattern for a crocheted skull, and decided to make it a "sugar skull" decorated in the style and spirit of El Día de los Muertos (day of the dead). It was quick to make and I think I will make a couple more of them.

Halloween is starting to creep(no pun intended) into our fall decorating...gearing up for our Pumpkin Carving Party on the 24th! It's a fun day spent with family, friends and neighbors. Carving pumpkins in the backyard with a fire to keep warm(other stuff too...), the T.V. with football on, soup, chili, bread, mulled cider, hot chocolate and desserts, what more could you ask for?(May we please have one one of those pretty fall days, not too cold and lots of sun?) We are not deterred in bad weather we move it into the garage. Costumes of course, are encouraged. Pictures to follow...maybe? It all depends on how crazy we get this year!

Autumn...my favorite season

2009-10-07T13:12:00.009-04:00

We spent Sunday afternoon in the yard, preparing it for the winter onslaught that is Upstate New York. The pool will be closed soon. The garden furniture is put away and any remaining annuals in their pots are looking pretty sad. Still, the perennials are are wealth of beauty in a fading sort of way. Shabby chic hydrangeas are the nicest, changing into various shades of green, blush, deep purple blue and the older blooms, a lovely pinkish beige. The cone flowers are only cones now, and the butterfly bush struggles to put out it's last purple flowers. Plenty of red rose hips on the climbing pink rosebushes, of course the mums and burgundy yarrow are at their best now. Japanese lanterns are a pop of color in the back by the fence, where my holly bushes are shiny and dark green, waiting for their turn to star in the winter decor. I am hoping the birds will leave just a few of the blood red berries appearing on them now. All of the above as well as the delicious herbs still flourishing will make gorgeous arrangements. I love to use hollowed out pumpkins for the fall leftovers of plants. I concentrated on using the hydrangeas, there were so many! I cut the flowers and wired them to a wreath frame. They will dry, hanging up in the kitchen window. The moss from my neighbor's yard is destined for my terrariums. Here are a few of my gatherings so far...

I will leave you with these thoughts for I must go bake something apple, quickly.

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. " ~George Eliot

"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face." ~John Donne

Another Bear, the sailor...

2009-09-11T19:59:00.007-04:00

I have finished making the "sailor" bear for little S. I am really pleased with this very big bear, he is more than 24" tall. He is going to live in a warm place and I thought the sailor outfit (a childlike interpretation) was appropriate. Imagining a resourceful bear, looking for an adventure in play, I wanted a paper folded hat. It is actually made from interfaced muslin that has the comic pages transfered on strategic areas. It is not only a sturdier alternative for an active boy, but is a reminder of the city it came from as well as the date it was constructed. A simple sailor's collar and fishy heart completed the costume. He has a wool felt heart nestled inside his stuffing, with the child's name and date. S. will give him a name! My uncle was delighted with him and will be delivering "sailor bear" for me to a very special boy in his life.

P.S. I was having fun with Photoshop in the first picture!

Norwegian Purl for Continental Knitters

2009-09-09T10:32:00.006-04:00

This is for the continental or "picking" knitters out there. I hated purling! It always felt awkward for me and slowed me down a bit.

I had this odd way of "throwing" when I needed to purl, using my left hand to throw, ridiculous, I know. We probably all have some unusual habits when it comes to knitting or crocheting. I am convinced it is a combination of how old we were when we were taught and if we were quite young (me, for instance) our imitation of the teacher, accomplished in a way that our (my) immature fingers could manage. Does that make any sense? Over the years I became quite adept at making the end product look tensioned evenly, but it wasn't pretty to watch. I was told that everyone does it differently, but I still felt slightly embarrassed in front of other knitters, who somehow "got" the continental purling technique down pat and were just as quick and fluid with it as their garter stitches.

Enter...Norwegian purling! Here is the youtube.com video that changed everything (as far as purling is concerned) for me. I believe it was featured in a whipup.net article that I received in an email "round up". I will not attempt to explain it in detail (just watch), but the basic idea is, this stitching method let's you purl without moving the working yarn to the front! If you hate to purl, give this a try. You will have to practice it, but once you have it you will love it. Now I rib and cable like a pro...let me know if you decide to try it.

Beautiful Felted Vest

2009-09-08T07:12:00.004-04:00

I just love the beautiful felted vest made by Margo (Her Majesty Margo). The colors are magnificent, the cut of it is perfect. She made this vest as part of a workshop given by Myfawny Stirling, another incredible artist. I can only hope she will give another workshop soon. Wet felting is a glorious process, in which all sorts of transformations take place under your hands. It has an ancient history in many cultures, of course, functional as well as decorative, but todays artists are stretching the boundaries in the most extraordinary ways. Incorporating various materials, such as the silk in Margo's vest, known as Nuno, is one of my favorites. Silk, another ancient medium, adds a strong but light dimension to dense felt. An oxymoron for sure, but the results are undeniably

remarkable. Thank you Margo, for sharing your workshop experience and the gorgeous result of your endeavors! Check out some of Margo's other work here.

Creative Time

2009-08-30T18:36:00.009-04:00

Having the flu in August is not fun. It set me back a week or two. I fell fast and hard and my husband and the boys followed. I just hope this is not a bad omen for the coming winter. We are all feeling better now, sort of. Each one of us in various states of recovery. Ian is not happy that he will have his wisdom teeth taken out on Tuesday...yet another melodrama. I am just glad that there is another week before school starts, thanks to the late Labor Day this year.

What has any of this have to do with creative time? Despite feeling rather lousy, I have been productive with my drawing pad and sorting things out. I also was able to complete several projects I had started. The most important being the shower gift for E. It was to be a Poohish sort of bear (based on the "real Pooh, now residing in the children section of the NYC Library), a little free motion stitched pillow and a appliqued laundry bag to wrap it all up in. The "grand-mom to be" was taking it to Boston this weekend for the baby shower...hope you liked it E. Hugs...

While I had the sewing machine out, I thought I would make another bear. Oh, and cut out a third for little S., made a few more ceramic cups with the Jane Austen quotes, spun some wool for dyeing, helped Bella make her first quilt( she picked out all the fabric, helped cut the squares, laid them out in her preferred order, stitched for the first time on the sewing machine), and free motion stitched a dragon pillow for Colin. The drawings I worked on were for a collaborative effort with my friend M., a very talented potter, and some beaded necklaces that will be Christmas gifts....shhh!

So there you have it, creative time. I think I need a nap...

Leaves With Scraps...Tutorial

2009-08-01T12:31:00.007-04:00

I stumbled across this wonderful blog, CAROLYN SAXBY MIXED MEDIA TEXTILE ART, and wanted to share it with you. She has generously provided her readers with an excellent tutorial on textile leaves made with scraps (we all have them, I am sure of that).

This kind of crafting appeals to me immensely and these leaves can be used in so many ways, on jewelry, book covers, clothing, or with some beautiful fabric flowers, such as these. Aren't they gorgeous? I can hardly wait to start making them. A stockpile of these will certainly get the juices going. Of course, you could make something other than the leaf shape or color. How about a larger piece of base fabric to make a clutch or jewelry bag? Let's see what you can come up with...skills needed are minimal, and you could even stitch the whole thing by hand.

You will enjoy looking around in her blog she is a very talented fiber artist. Thank you Carolyn, for sharing!

Beads!

2009-07-19T19:16:00.010-04:00

Two weeks ago, as I was browsing in Hobby Lobby, they had a fantastic 50% off sale on most of their beads. I wanted to try my hand at making a multi-layered pearl necklace with some vintage glass and a unique pendant that I have. Glass pearls would be perfect, I love the way they feel. There were so many to choose from, but I bought several sizes of the off white ones. I also bought a few strands of the black pearls, they were lovely. The weight and sheen is so nice. They were a great buy at half off, so I stocked up. I know a few girls who might like these necklaces! The other beads I bought will incorporate nicely, they were a periwinkle faceted glass, again in multiple sizes. I will share pictures when I have finished them.

If you need inspiration for a design, the Beadin' Path is the place to go. I stumbled upon this site and it is a great find. Just look at these earrings. They have tutorials and material lists available. You can click what you need right into your basket. Way, way to easy...and dangerous! Go there and see for yourself, there are pages and pages of free designs for earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, as well as, how-tos on basic beading. These pieces would make the perfect gift.

So, jewelry has been on my mind lately, especially the handmade lovelies! This one is from my summer swap partner, Ellen of Village Fiber Works. I have been wearing it a lot lately and receiving many compliments...thanks again, Ellen.

Here is the picture of the fiber necklace I made for her. She loved it and I was so glad. I definitely want to make more of these. It was fun to use my wool singles and my felted balls (courtesy of Woolly Fabulous).

Go make yourself something fabulous...and don't forget to share!

My Little Artists

2009-07-07T16:37:00.010-04:00

Here is my little Luke, age 6 giving a "Mario 3" drawing instruction...is this cute or what? He loves to draw and does it constantly.

The love of art is genetic, of course and Nana encourages him in his endeavors!

Luke's cousin Colin is also a fine artist, and was invited to a special event at a local college, he won first prize for his "jewelry" entry!

He created this video presentation all by himself and sent it to me, he was 8 years old at the time. He is a computer expert as well and I ask for his expertise when I am having troubles with mine!

I am so lucky to have these two "knuckleheads" in my life!!! Nana loves you, guys!

Elephant Needle Felt Sculpture

2009-07-03T20:44:00.005-04:00

A wonderful Japanese book called Felt Zoo inspired me to try a needle felted sculpture. I have been needle felting for some time, but other than a bead or rope, I have never tried a three dimensional object. It was a challenge but very enjoyable. It was completed in an afternoon. Mr B. has been collecting elephants for quite some time and I am always on the look out for a new medium to add to his obsession. This was a Father's Day present along with some very nice Pro-V golf balls. He really loves it and I do too. We decided together that she had a definite female personality. Her name is "Binky", not my idea...???

It may sound a little scary, but I really think the dolls and other toys I make, become alive to me. They all have a distinct personality that seems to tell a story. Okay, hmmm....

If you have any interest in trying needle sculpting with wool fiber, I would recommend this book. although it would be great if you could translate Japanese, as with most of their excellent craft books, you don't need to. The illustrations are easy to understand and dimensions are given in metric. There are many books out there on the subject as well as internet tutorials, and of course, various objects to create. This particular book had a wide variety of realistic animals with delightful details. I am tempted to give this chipmunk a try. Our cats will love it!

Crocheted Knobs

2009-06-22T21:15:00.006-04:00

Here is a really beautiful project. Check out these crocheted knobs, from Pickles. They are not hard to make and use a very simple crochet stitch. While you are there check out the rest of this wonderful site! A small detail like this can really make a difference. It would make a great gift as well. Let me know if you try it, okay? Thanks Pickles!

Here are few more tutorials you might like:

Pretty hair elastics

Felted window drape

Crocheted lampshade

Felted Rocks, Rock!!

2009-06-17T13:38:00.010-04:00

I can't stop, help...I can't stop felting rocks, backyard rocks, beach rocks, dollar store pebbles, stones found on walks. It is insidious, I thought I would just do a few to add to my nature table, ha! I was soon looking for all kinds of rocks and begging from friends if they happened to have a very "stony" backyard. I would warn you not to try this at home...but I know you will, anyway. They are just too beautiful to resist, especially after they are embellished with embroidery. Simple french knots with hand spun wool was my choice for these. The possibilities however are endless. I have seen these around the blogs for a while now, and everyone asks "WHY?".

Artist do not have to have a reason for anything I have decided. There!

Just in case you insist on a function for these beauties, I have come up with one. At least for the smallish ones (for example the size you find in the "floral" aisle of the dollar store, used to line vases). Before felting I add a small powerful little round magnet (Hobby Lobby or other craft store) you can glue it first to a flat side with E-6000, but it really isn't necessary(unless you choose to felt by hand, let set overnight first). The felting process will keep it put. I have felted some by hand, and some by machine, both give great results. Thank you, Design Sponge and Resurrection Fern for the excellent tutorials.

The picture above is one of my black felted rock magnets, on a metal blackboard...say that three times, fast! If you make some, functional or not, will you please share a picture here?

The winner is...

2009-06-15T14:34:00.002-04:00

The winner of my little giveaway is Heidi, from Digital Misfit! Congratulations! I have sent you an email requesting your information so that I can mail your goodies to you, right away. Thanks to those that participated, I will definitely be doing this again soon.

P.S. Mr. B chose the winner in a random draw of names.

Felted Sunflower Door Hanging

2009-06-13T22:17:00.006-04:00

My daughter Kate was trying to find something unique to hang on her front door. She wasn't sure about a wreath, and she could not find one she liked. I told her I would come up with something different and here it is. This is a picture of it on my front door, while it was drying. Her door is a soft red color and not quite as large. It will show up nicely on her door. I used a 7 inch metal ring and crocheted around the edge with hand spun wool in an apple color. In the center I crocheted green wool chains in a grid pattern attaching across the circle. The intersections of the grid were tied with "seed" colored wool. This arrangement provided a way to also hang the sunflower, the metal ring gave it stability.

The next step was adding the golden wool crocheted fringe, this was attached with matching thread. Into the washer it went, and sixteen minutes later, it was felted. I crocheted a 5 stitch i-cord, and large leaves with some bulky green single yarn. They were also felted. To assemble I inserted wire into the i-cord for about 14 inches and wove some green florist wire into the leaves, so that I could shape them. The leaves, stem and flower were sewn together with strong thread. Done.

I hung it up to dry and was getting a little attached to it...but, alas Kate liked what "I came up with" and took it home!

I have been busy...having fun!

2009-06-13T21:57:00.012-04:00

Here is the knitted, felted teapot I made for little Ava. I used this pattern from the Pattern Box.

You can download it for a small fee. It is worth it. The pattern has clear instructions and is easy to make in an evening, at least the knitting part. Isn't it adorable? Ava loves it, yeah! Now, if I can just get her to use the handle for pouring. It seems it was good to the last drop! I cannot decide whether to needle felt the teacups with polka dots as well. What do you think? I kept it simple and knitted my own version of teacups...no handles or saucers. However, the download pattern includes the matching teacups. The wool I used was Paton's Wool, I have used this colorway before and it always felts perfectly. The pumpkin shade is so cheerful.

If you decide to make one, I would love to see your version...enjoy!

Giveaway!!

2009-06-01T12:21:00.005-04:00

Hi, today is give away day. I have selected a few things that I hope you will like. First is a felted vessel made from crocheted hand spun wool, with a flower that has a vintage button center. It measures about 4 inches high and 4 inches in diameter. The colors are not as bright as in the photo. Second is a knitted and felted wool heart, also about 4 inches in diameter. Next, is a beautiful stitch marker, handmade by my daughter, Lauren. Finally, I will include a yard of hand crocheted fringe trim. The trim is crocheted with a very nice acrylic yarn that is very soft. I chose this yarn in case you decided to use it on something that will be washed.

So there it is...just leave me a comment and a way to get in touch with you. If you would like a second chance then link this page to your blog, then let me know! I will choose a winner at random on Sunday, June 14. Good luck!!

Giveaway on Monday!

2009-05-30T16:55:00.003-04:00

I have decided on a "giveaway" and will tell you about it on Monday! The art community has been so generous to me, it is time to give back. Check back for the details. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Vintage 1929 Sun Bather with Hat

2009-05-22T20:55:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, I told you about a project I had started. Well, here it is. I was inspired by an old photo of a lovely model from 1929, with a very large hat. It was such fun to work on. I sketched an outline of the photo and scanned it into my computer. I adjusted the size in Photoshop and lightened the lines quite an bit. It was then printed onto computer printer fabric and fused to the background. The ticking stripe reminded me of a cabana and I had some left over from Isabella's doll bed mattress. It was the first time I had tried this method and it gave me a very nice "underpainting" to work from. I sandwiched the top with thin cotton batting and more ticking for the back. It was small enough to just pin instead of baste, and I stitched all together around the fused portion several times with heavy black thread. Now I was ready to do the same for a horizon line. Finally, I free motion stitched around the under painted lines. The painting was done with watercolor pencils and watered down acrylics. I heat set it with an iron when it was dry. I used a black micron pen, which is permanent for face details. The hat was crocheted using some hand spun linen/flax I picked up on Ebay a while back. It was tacked in place. I love the dimension the hat adds. The piece was trimmed and bound with a purchased bias tape, again I just happened to have the red in my stash. To hang it, I sewed an ironed flat piece of bias tape across the top back. I slipped in some doweling and added a simple crocheted chain from the linen. Done.

The back door is stylin' now. Welcome summer, bring it on!
P.S. Don't you love it when that "middle of the night idea", actually turns out the way you wanted it to?