Dragonflys and Stars

2013-04-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

Ginger and Finn

Frosty February

2013-02-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

I woke up with major spring fever.... and spring has been known to wait until May to show up in these parts. That means a lot of weeks dreaming about gardening while waiting for snow to melt. Thankfully, it was a beautiful frosty foggy February day which reminded me of the beauty of winter. It warmed up to 20 degrees F so took the dogs and my camera and went snowshoeing for a bit this afternoon.

Too many pictures of a warm winter day:

Dandelions are fine

2013-02-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

We are on the northern edge of a snowstorm. No blizzard warning for us all day but roads are shut down and it was a good day to play. The first flowers of spring around here are dandelions. So it seemed making dandelions was a good snowstorm project while dreaming of spring!

I have to say, I think these turned out pretty cool. And I didn't have to buy anything. All the supplies were found rummaging in my bins of 'stuff'.

Do they make you think of sunshine, kids playing in the spring, and lawns?

They are pretty easy to make. I cut a piece of wire from a hanger and wrapped it in floral tape. I cut a strip of yellow felt and made slits along one edge. The yellow felt got wrapped around the stem and I used needle and thread to secure it. Green felt was wrapped around the bottom and secured. The leaf was secured using more floral tape.

They looks sorta cool stuck in an old wood spool with thick green thread.

Yep, it will only be a couple of months until the dandelions start blooming and the grass starts turning green. There is a lot of snow to melt first....

Checking out dandelions on Google images to help with my creating. A fun touch of summer in the middle of winter storm Orko. (So who came up with the name Orko? )

Valentine's cards and caddies

2013-02-08T21:01:00.002-08:00

...and more paper play. These are the rest of my Super Bowl projects.

Cards made using washi tape, stamps, and my new Sillouette Cameo.

And some paper towel or toilet paper tubes up-cycled into treat caddies. This idea came from a number of sources on Pinterest.

Super Bowl Tag(s)

2013-02-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

Truth be told, I am not a huge football fan. I enjoy watching a good game, but don't plan my weekends around football. And I always watch the Super Bowl, even if it is often to catch the advertisements. And I usually am doing at least one other thing when I watch television. This time it was making tags.

I am just finding the joys of washi tape. I see more of that in my future!

Stamps, Sillouette cutouts, paper punch, and bits of this and that combined to make some Valentine tags.

Now what to do with these tags?? Guess I better plan on delivering treats to family and friends to use them.

And a random deer thrown in. There are some birthdays coming up for some of the guys in my family.

So the Super Bowl was a win for me! I made a bunch of cards and treat holders also. Those will show up in my next posts. Hope you enjoyed your Sunday! Football or no football! Do you multi-task also?

Sharing these at:

After the (mini) blizzard

2013-01-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

We had a small fierce blizzard here in North Dakota which left some pretty sights...

Christmas decorating...

2012-12-09T13:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a spot in the eating area of my kitchen decorated for Christmas. It is right be the front door which we never use and holds a collection of Christmas items.

This is my little woodland tree. I love some of the owl ornaments available. I can just imagine in years down the road, people will think back and remember that it was around 2012 when owls were a big thing in home decorating.

A bit of sparkly woodland sits here. And deer, especially sparkly glittered ones, will be remembered either fondly or with a head shake or perhaps deer and owls will become more of a classic.

More bits and pieces put together to create one version of Christmas at my house.

December Chalkboard Art

2012-12-09T13:13:00.001-08:00

Just a short post to show you my chalkboard project for December.

Chalk, paper towel, and q-tips used on some chalkboard paint on the back of a door.

Do you have a spot where you do chalkboard art?

Linens, Lace and History

2012-10-29T21:25:00.001-07:00

These are some items that carry a bit of history as well as adding the interest of old fabrics and lace. They hang in my guest room.

This bonnet is part of my baptism outfit. Along with the bonnet is a sheer white cotton sleeveless dress and a smocked jacket. Time has taken it's toll on the sheer cotton.

The scalloped edge and hand stitching are so dainty.

Here is a close up of the smocking.

Hanging next to the baptism outfit is a crinoline that belonged to my mom.

No starch and hanging softly now.

A soft contrast to my new grey walls.

In the corner is the hem of a dress I wore as a preschooler. Bits of the past lingering in the present and bringing smiles.

Shades of Grey (I am talking paint)

2012-10-29T20:06:00.001-07:00

I have been loving all the shades of gray on Pinterest, (I haven't read the book, have you?) I bought paint, and it sat for about 6 months. I wasn't sure if grey paint would feel to cold or gloomy during our long North Dakota winters so I hesitated. But this past weekend I was ready to make a change.

Lots of pictures...

I painted two walls the darker shade of grey, and the other walls a lighter shade.

The picture above and below capture the two different shades.

I have yet to figure out what I want for a head board here. I had a screen door above the bed before.

Those pictures provide a quick overview of a very small bedroom that serves as our guest room.

This is a lovely old dresser I found and left in all it's shabby white charm. Some of my favorite type objects sit atop it: candles, old silver, tin, mercury glass, vanilla candles, nature, dried roses and hydrangeas, linens, and ephemera. That is a lot of elements in one small space. And the grey and white are not at all cold, as I had feared.

I love this old metal tin. I still regret that I did not buy a second one I ran across a year later.

And yet another picture, just because.

This room holds a lot of the treasures I find. An old tin box sits beside the dresser, An antique circular metal piece leans against an old screen door. Ribbons from one of my horse shows this summer add a touch of yellow to this side of the room.

Old linens add softness and warmth and further hold any coldness at bay.

This is a fairy I bought for myself many years ago and holds a lot of meaning for me.

And another collection of 'things'. Spare and clean is evidently not my style, huh?

Do you like my shades of grey?

Witches invited...

2012-10-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

..to park their brooms! LOL! Sometimes I have way too much fun doing pointless things.

We live out in the country. Wind and rain will probably do a number on this display, so it may not last long. But it was 70 degrees today and likely to be the last day that warm until next April. I had to find something to do outside after work, so I decided to play.

A recent snow fall broke a lot of branches off our trees so I had a lot of choices for broomsticks. This bright green broom is made with day lily leaves.

This broom is made with peonies that had been trimmed back for the winter.

And this broom is made is made from dead evergreen branches.

All witches are invited to park their brooms at my house.... who knows, I may even have a roaring bonfire to sit around while enjoying the cool fall evenings before snow starts falling.

Drinks anyone?

2012-10-07T17:47:00.002-07:00

Halloween is one of those occasions that lends itself to having fun. A little imagination can go a long way with simple additions to vignettes. A few leftovers, items from the dollar store, and a few moments of craftiness add a touch of the macabre.

Gotta love the dollar store! Skeleton parts, skull, and two glass candlesticks and a candle holder for a total of $5.00 add a little Halloween fun.

I glued together two glass candlesticks and spray painted them black and then glued a candle holder on top to hold the small skeleton parts which came from a garland.

The bottle of arsenic is a label found online printed out and glued to a salsa jar painted black.

Appetizers anyone? I am sure they are tasty......

And you can wash them down with a nice glass of Graveyard Spirits or Embalming juice.... mwahahaha....
(Beacon 527 glue is great for gluing labels to bottles.)

Arsnic and lace perhaps? Your welcome to come visit, if you dare.

Here the labels I found when looking for free clip art in case you would like to use them also:

Sharing this post at a few parties:

Introducing Finn

2012-10-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

Finn is our new kitten. I hadn't realized that when I was told he was a Snowshoe kitten that it referred to a breed and not his coloration. His ears are smudge collored and he has a ring tail. It will be fun to see how much the dark points darken as he gets older. Sorta cool having a rare breed of cat. He is such a snuggler and the only kitten we have ever had that goes to bed with us and stays curled up and sleeping until we get up in the morning.

Textures

2012-09-30T20:24:00.002-07:00

Warm hues and rich textures resonate with the season. Autumn leads to shifting attention and projects indoors. Celebrating the warmth of home.

Old yellowed book pages rolled and wrapped with twine then gathered in a basket. Simple items that bring richness. Contrasts of paper, basket, lace and smooth metal. Lights and darks gathered together.

Curves and lines reminding one of classic shapes and architecture.

Inviting one to touch the pages. Warm colors that invite one in.

Simple and complex at the same time.

Fluffing the front yard...

2012-09-30T19:14:00.002-07:00

It was a beautiful fall day today. 85 degrees at the end of a September is a real treat here in northern North Dakota! I took advantage and did some 'fluffing' of the yard.

The chair is handmade and a gift from my sister. Works great for outdoor for decorating purposes. The plant sitting on the chair seat blooms part of the day and then hides overnight....

Definitely fall here. We have had several hard freezes so most of the flowers are done and over for the year.
Nevermore says the raven (but I am counting on spring bringing everything back to life)!

My husband surprised me with the old red wagon one day. He knows what makes me smile!

Had to add some spider webbing for fun. Will have to see how it holds up to 20 to 40 mph winds as we are sure to have some days like that in the near future.

My son that farms was kind enough to let me steal some corn. Given the state of crops with the drought and price of corn, I appreciate his generousity.

Yep, both sides of the entry. Notice the well trained dogs who know they can't go past the fence. We live on a well traveled highway and need to keep them safe!

Hmm, that spider looks more like a fly. But guess that works also. So a little fall and a bit of Halloween thrown in for fun! Hoping we can make it to Halloween without any snowfall. Seems like many Halloweens have been the first snowfall of the year. Makes me really appreciate the 85 degrees today.

Enjoying the outdoors with a toddler

2012-09-01T20:21:00.004-07:00

My 1 year old grand daughter spent an overnight visit with my husband and I. She clearly appreciates being outdoors! I just had to share some pictures of this precious little girl enjoying her day.

She discovered the crab apples on a low branched tree and was quite determined to pick these.

She picked, and tasted, and shook the tree. Then went back to do it all again.

Our kitty Cocoa was not sure what to make of Lydia and stalked her most of the time she was outside.

Evidently you have to find just the right apples to pick!

Curiosity got to Cocoa.... She had to find out what was making noise dropping into the bowl.

Not sure if this face means "come and help" or "enough with the camera!" LOL!

Cocoa was a bit disappointed to discover there was nothing of particular interest to her in the bowl.

After the apples, it was time to check out the garden. Lydia quickly decided that cherry tomatoes taste much better than tiny crab apples!

It took a few tries to learn to bite them in half first and not worry about the dirt.

Yummy! Do you want some of these too?

Handmade Rustic Romantic Wedding

2012-08-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

Time flies so fast! It seems like just last year that the kids were young and their friends were often found hanging out at our house. It was quite busy at times when they were little as I had two sons and a daughter all withing three and a half years.

I did not anticipate that would mean marriages, houses, and babies all coming in rapid succession years later. LOL! It has been a busy few years again. They have managed to get married (all three), buy homes (two oldest), and have children (oldest and soon to be second) all in order.

My daughter was married this past June. She and I had great fun making the wedding decorations. Doing so allowed me to make extra trips to Missouri to spend time with her also. I thought I would share some pictures of the wedding decorations. The wedding was a small destination wedding that occurred lakeside and required everything be brought in and out in a short time.

Coffee stained tags, skeleton keys, and a faux old window frame directed guests to their tables for the reception dinner.

A birdcage served as a wedding card holder.

The table top decorations were burlap, green bowls wrapped in twine and filled with succulents and glass beads, numbers, and mason jar candle holders.

Doves punched from scrapbook paper were scattered on the tables.

The jars were filled with beans and peas to hold the battery operated candle.

Gifts for guests included sunglasses, a cd of the music played (classic rock hits!), and home made dog treats.

The wedding programs were made using the burlap, scrapbook paper, and twine.

The wedding celebration was wonderful. Family and friends all enjoyed themselves. And the bride reported she felt she had the perfect wedding.

Adding a little interest

2012-08-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

Still waiting until I can get my wooden floors, but in the meantime have found a few other ways to improve my kitchen. I used the Giani Granite kit to improve the counter tops. Removed and repainted where there had been a wallpaper boarder. And this weekend I striped a wall.

The was was the grey blue color... which worked but, truth be told, I was just getting bored with it.

It sorta sets of the front entrance which opens right into the kitchen. And who knew that striped could be so easy and quick to paint if you just add them to the color you already have on the wall. Gotta love quick easy updates!

So there you have it, a little stripey interest and a quick easy weekend project.

(Sorry bout the poor photo quality... just could not get enough light to get good pictures... and wood floors will look so much better....)

Avoiding housework...

2012-08-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

Some days the house is mostly under control and I just don't feel like doing the things necessary to shift from mostly to completely. Ever have those days or weeks?

Last night instead of doing some cleaning, I messed around with chalkboard art...

This was copied from CustomChalk.com. Definitely need some practice and tools to make chalkboard graphics look professional. But hey! it got me out of housework!

Posting photographs always makes me see the things I want to do differently: put a frame around the area I painted with chalkboard paint, find a better way to display the areal pictures of our property, change the light in the entry, etc.

Summer Sunsets on the Northern Plains

2012-08-11T22:09:00.001-07:00

May all your sunsets be glorious....

...the canning rack is where?!

2012-07-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Here is my current mantel vignette. Much like the rest of you, this is an ever changing display. The mantel is such an easy place to rearrange, shift the mood of a room, and try new things without too much time or effort. (Much easier than painting or moving large furniture around!)

I am currently continuing my love of neutrals and naturals. I expect that will change at some point. It was fun to work in some different colors on some recent projects. But using unexpected objects likely won't change.

Dried or fresh, hydrangeas or wonderful. I really like them plopped in this sea grass basked. Scrabble tiles and typewriter keys contained in jars sit and wait until I I need them for a project. At a recent garage sale, I scored a large box of assorted lace pieces for a wonderful price.

And the canning rack sits right smack in the middle of the mantel for now. I needed something that added a bit of interest without being too visually heavy and as I wondered around looking for an idea, I spotted the rack. For now, it works just fine and the pendent banner adds a little bit of color. Yea, the red ball is a dog toy... not a decoration. The dogs' toys end up thrown on the hearth to keep them out of the middle of the floor.

More odd assortments on the other side of the mantel. Barbwire, lace and babies go together just fine.

For the moment, I like this mix of some of my favorite collected items. (I can't believe my granddaughter is a year old already! Seems like she was just born. This is one of her newborn pictures.)

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There you have it. A canning rack takes center stage! Who knew?

What to do with all this collected bits and pieces...

2012-07-22T12:35:00.001-07:00

If you are like me, you are always finding things, saving things, and collecting things that catch your attention. You know that someday, the perfect project will require just that very thing.

...scraps of fabric, ephemera, ribbon, beads, buttons, and all kinds of other little bits. On of my favorite ways to use up some of these 'treasures' is to make a collage quilt.

I used drop cloth for the base, batting saved from packaging of some item that arrived at our house, and cut small squares of fabric as the background for the collected bits. And sticks, and wire, and mini clothespins to hold the mini quilt.

This one uses blue and purple as the primary colors. You can see it is an assortment of things that come together.

Buttons, paper, lace, cheese cloth, and creativity come together.

Pretty much anything can get incorporated into these quilts.

It takes a bit of time to come up with the right combinations, but it is great fun to sort through my things to see what I can discover.

And here is another one, done in a different color. This one hangs in my bedroom.

Again, a broad assortment of things... tissue paper, lace, printed card stock, and scrapbook embellishments were some of the items used here.

What things would you use on yours?

This is a fun project that can be quiet personal, or simply made to use up odds and ends collected over time,
I would love to see yours, if you decide to make on of these!

Fairy Garden

2012-07-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love some of the fairy gardens people have created? They really appeal to my imagination. I thought I would share my version of a fairy garden....

I used a metal bracket from an old computer for the corner walls of my 'ruin' and a travertine tile for the floor. I covered the metal bracket with grout to give it texture and create the look of an old wall.

It still needs some more bits and pieces to finish it.

I am so glad I collect things I like.... I found the fence stored in with my crafting supplies.

I am seriously thinking about creating a little pendant garland to hang from the corners of the walls of my 'ruin'.

Simple deck table

2012-07-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

We have been having the most wonderful summer here in North Dakota. It has been in the 80's for weeks. There have been some summers in the recent past when we were lucky if we got on or two days that reached 80. Not everybody living up here appreciates the heat like I do..... This nice summer means enjoying more time in the backyard and on the deck so thought I would share an easy project with you.

I needed a side table for the settee on my deck and the plastic one I had was no longer cutting it! So I rummaged in the leftover wood pile and found what I needed to make a small table. This is made from a square of plywood for the top, 2 x 2's for the legs, and 1 x 4 for the sides. I got to play with the table saw to make this! Don't you just feel like you are super cool when you use the power tools? or is that just me?

I had some leftover green paint from another project and mixed some water and tile grout in with it to make my own version of chalk paint. The grout was pre-mixed rather than powder and that worked out just fine.
Here are some pictures of the texture it provided:

Yep, I have a thing for texture--- so you get lots of pictures of it. As the table is going to sit on my deck, I wasn't too worried about it being all nicely finished. The weather would shortly change that anyway.

Perfect little table to sit on my deck and hold a planter and a drink...

A new job for an old horse

2012-07-11T20:32:00.001-07:00

This is Freida... she is a 31 year old Quarter Horse mare with a new mission. She is making lives better and living the good life in her (semi-) retirement home.

I bought Freida 11 years ago when I started riding horse. She was my mid-life crisis. (that exploded, but that is another story...) She was a safe, older horse that was perfect as I learned to ride and gained confidence around horses. Prior to being my horse, she had belonged to a teenage girl and I was never able to track down her earlier history. As I got comfortable, I added to my herd of horses and soon Freida was being leased to young riders that didn't have a horse of their own for the summers.

This past year I changed barns and Freida was boarded at a farm that sounded like a promising place for her to spend her retirement years. Unfortunately, it wasn't all it seemed and I needed to find a new home for her. After all her years of service, I will make sure she is safe and comfortable for the rest of her days.

At the same time I was looking for a new home for Freida to be boarded, I learned of a new organization in town that was being developed to provide nontraditional therapy services to children with disabilities and struggles in life. And Freida was a stimulus for the development of Stable Days Youth Ranch! One of the families that had leased Frieda did so for a child with difficulties and that was the start of big improvements. The picture on their website is Freida. It is a good story and worth going to the site if you like feel good stories. Freida just recently moved to Stable Days and quickly settled in.

I think she especially appreciates that she is able to be on pasture with trees, a river, and even some hills. She has a new pal who looks a lot like her and he is 35 years old!

Chilling on a warm summer afternoon, and napping in the sun. Not sure what her pal was doing with his tongue out... lol

So rather than retiring completely, Freida is moving into the next chapter of her life and continuing to enrich lives. Love my horses, and love the gifts that horses bring into lives.