Butter Pats Project

 

Remember the stack of delicate butter pats I got last week? 

 

This is the inspiration for what I am going to do with them.

 

A pretty frame, some shabby chic scrapbook paper and the delicate little butter pats.

 

I will have some of these in my Etsy shop later.  But, if you have your own, make yourself one - or two!!

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time, Judy

WINNER!! WINNER!! and Some Special Announcements

 

Congratulations to Gill who won the Giveaway for the two delightful Craft Tree books and the door organizer that I made.

 

If you will email me your address, I will get these in the mail to you ASAP.

 

Now, on to some special announcements - at least, special to me.  I would like to let you know what is going on at my home for the next couple of months.  So, if you think I am going crazy, you'll know why, OK?

 

 

When we took our two precious granddaughters to raise many, many years ago, I decided that they needed a playhouse.  You know, I was thinking of a small, little playhouse.  But, not Poppy!!  He had this storage building built (12' x 24') so that they would really have a playhouse!

 

We got kitchen cabinets, it was wired and had a ceiling fan, lights, telephone and all of the necessities of modern life.  We got a stove top and microwave and took all of the innards out so they had the real thing.  They had wallpaper, curtains, a table and chairs and a daybed.  So, you can see, it was a nice little playhouse.

 

You can see that the door I painted was a Mary Englebreit design and it was time to change it.

 

Years pass and the girls are grown and I decided I would make myself a workshop out of it.  It had steps at one time but they had rotten out and we just had pallets there.  So, we are building a porch and using some things that I've gathered in the past.

 

Also, I need a place to store my inventory (I'm sure that's not a surprise to you).

 

 

Remember this monstrosity?

 

 

Some posts I picked up along the way......

 

 

While it is taking a little longer than I thought, Laynee has thoroughly enjoyed being outside and playing.  Her favorite thing was playing in a 5 gallon bucket!

 

 

She thought that was great fun.  That with a tent, blowing bubbles, sidewalk chalk and playing ball with Bella.

 

 

Don't you wish you'd fit inside a 5 gallon bucket? 

 

I do!!

 

OK, so besides that, I am getting ready to start on my kitchen, (which I am doing most of the work myself), I am working on making 30 some new Christmas items for my Etsy shop's Christmas in July sale, making new items for my Etsy shop and then......

 

The last week of June and the first week of July, my sister and I are going on a cruise to Alaska.  I am so excited! We will spend several days in Seattle before the cruise.  I have never been either place.

 

So, if I seem a little disorganized or dingy - just say OK!

 

OK?

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time, Judy

 

 

 

Saturday Treasures 4/27/2013

 

Saturday Treasurers were small in quantity but large in quality this week.  Look at that huge stack of crochet, lace, linens and doilies I got for 75% off. SCORE!!

 

 

Isn't this juicer just the most darling piece?

 

At an Estate Sale, I found this tiny miniature metal furniture and some earrings to use as flower centers.

 

Also, this handful of silverware.  This will be fun for a Christmas project I'm working on.

 

 

But, the most important find yesterday was a Potty Chair - brand new with the book.  Do people not train little ones with a potty chair anymore?  I have been looking for one everywhere for the past month.  Laynee is just about to that point.  We bought her some "big girl panties" so, I think we are ready to start!!

 

Enjoy!

 

Don't forget!!  Sign up today for the last chance on the Giveaway for two Craft Tree books and the door organizer.  I will draw a name in the morning and announce the winner. 

 

Good luck!

 

Till next time, Judy

 

 

 

Brightening Up The Front Flower Beds

 

I decided that my front flower beds needed some color.  They are doing great but they are all green. I intentionally have planted vinca, monkey grass, and boxwood that comes back year after year.

 

 

I dug around in my storage building and found this old chair.

 

 

I sprayed it with Rustoleum Primer in white.

 

 

Then I sprayed it with Rustoleum Aqua.

 

 

This paint covers so great!

 

 

John cut me a piece of Masonite to fit the seat.

 

 

I then layered my piece of Masonite, 1" foam rubber, 2 layers of thick batting and my red and white check heavy fabric.

 

 

I attached the seat to the chair.  I found an old vintage tablecloth and made a square pillow out of it.  I used red ball fringe around the edges.

 

 

I spray painted this old overnight case in a bright cherry red and filled with greenery and geraniums.  And yes, those are artificial geraniums.  I went to the garden centers and hunted for pretty geraniums.  We had a terrible storm this week and had high winds and hail.  It literally beat most of the flowers down.  So, live with it!!

 

So, in a couple of days and costing nothing, I turned my front flower bed into all green with a pop of color.

 

 

While I was hunting geraniums, I found this planter filled with pansies and greenery.  It was only $3.98 and doesn't it look great with my phlox?

 

 

Don't forget to sign up for the Giveaway of two Craft Tree books and the door organizer I made.  You can sign up by commenting today, Saturday and Sunday.  I will pick a winner on Sunday evening.  All you have to do is write a comment!!

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time, Judy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time For A Giveaway!!

 

It's time for a Giveaway!!

 

(Notice the new red clock?)

 

 

I have a spectacular giveaway!  This giveaway includes two of the great Craft Tree Instructions Books.

 

 

The first one is Teacher Gifts.  This book has 17 wonderful ideas for teachers.

 

It has all kind of desk sets, bags, glass cases, mug cozy, and a wide variety of other things suitable for teachers.

 

 

The second book is Everyday Totes. 

 

It has every kind of bag to make from grocery bags to book bags.

 

But wait, that's not all!!

 

 

You will also receive one of the door organizers like I made for the review of one of their other books - Fun Home Accessories.

 

These books were provided to me for review by Interweave. These books sell for $14.99 which is a great price for so many projects. These books can be purchased at your favorite retailer or order online at:

 

interweavestore.com

 

Interweave/F+W Media, Inc.

 

This giveaway will conclude on Sunday, 4/28/2013.  You may enter by commenting on my post daily from now thru Sunday.

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time, Judy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Powder & Lotion

 

Is there anything sweeter and better than a little one - fresh out of the bathtub smelling of baby powder and baby lotion?

 

I don't think so.

 

 

Laynee was over for the day and we played outside all day.  I gave her a bath and when she got out, nothing would do except that she put a headband on her wet hair. 

 

She is so all girl!

 

 

She always has pretzels when she's over and she shares with Bella.

 

 

Aren't those the cutest shoes?

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time, Judy

 

 

 

Saturday Treasures

 

This episode of Saturday Treasures is kinda sparse.  I don't know if I just wasn't in a shopping mood (like that would ever happen!) or the items at the Flea Market just weren't what I was looking for. But, I did get a few treasures and am anxious to share this week with you what I am going to do with some of these beauties!

 

 

Would you believe I got that whole roll of eyelet - 100 yards for $1.00?  Amazing!  A couple of old books, a set of salt and pepper shakers (surprised?), a beautiful blue print cup and saucer, that gorgeous red cherry teapot, the little cabinet with pull out tin drawers, a Scotty dog, a tiny pitcher and a gnome for my Fairy Garden this summer.

 

 

I bought a couple of dozen vintage hankerchiefs, a bag of wooden pieces, some vintage linens, a cute little cherry print container (it's about the right size for Sweet & Low packets) and my find of the day........

 

a dozen little butter pats! 

 

The butter pats were what  I went looking for and was so excited to find this many.

 

So, will show you later this week what I'm doing with the butter pats.  It's so CUTE!  You'll love it.

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time, Judy

 

 

I'm a True Coca Cola Person

 

Yes, I will admit that I am a real, authentic Coca Cola girl!  I am and probably always will be a diehard Coca Cola fan.  (I prefer to not call myself an addict)

 

I have a Coca Cola big machine in my back yard that I use to decorate with.  I have a Coca Cola wooden keg dated early 1900's that syrup was delivered to the drug stores in.

 

I have been to Vicksburg, Mississippi where the first soda fountain served Coke.  I have been to the Coke store and museum in Las Vegas.

 

 

Let me tell you how long I have loved my Coca Cola.

 

When I started to school, I had 25 cents for lunch.  There was a small store on the way to school that had Coke in the little bottles (absolutely the best ones).  I took 10 cents every morning on the way to school and bought a Coke.  And then I took another 10 cents on the way home from school to buy another one.

 

My Mother would have freaked out if she knew that, but I didn't tell her until I was grown and she couldn't do anything about it. LOL We had a large family and we didn't have pop at home very often.

 

I took the Pepsi Challenge when they did it and could always pick out the Coke over the Pepsi.

 

I got some Cokes once and told a friend of mine that worked as a distributor for Coke that they were really bad.  The next day, a semi pulled in front of my house and unloaded several cases of Coke and wanted the ones I had gotten that were bad.  My friend had told them that if Judy said they were bad, they were bad and they wanted to take them back to their lab and have them checked.

 

As it turned out, the bottles were sticky.  They said that anytime you get a bottle that is sticky, it has been dropped and apparently the cap spewed out some taking with it the fizz.

 

When they decided to come out many years ago with the new Coke, I wrote a letter to them saying I didn't know why they were doing that.

 

John & I gathered all of our friends one evening and we hit every store we could find and bought the old original Coke. I had quite a haul.

 

Several months later, they decided to revive the old Coke and do away with the new.  I was excited!!!!!

 

 

So, I carry a Coca Cola purse and have quite a collection of Coke collectibles.  I have so many friends who go to other countries and bring me back a bottle of Coke or if that's not allowed, they bring me back a bottle cap.

 

So, do you like Coke?

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time, Judy

 

 

 

 

What An Honor!

 

I was contacted by the publishers of Interweave Press to review some of their books that I had an interest in.  I was so honored and thrilled.  Even more so when I received the books and they had so many creative ideas in them.

 

There are popular patterns for quick and easy projects in these books and there are quite a variety of titles.  I will tell you about one of them today and we'll go over more of them later.

 

The first one is "Fun Home Accessories".  The pictures are clear and precise.  The instructions are very detailed giving you step-by-step instructions.  They have a Materials List with everything you would need down to the needle and thread.  The patterns are included and some of the templates need to be enlarged, but overall generally, the patterns are actual size.

 

Let's get to the goodies!

 

To give you an idea of how many projects are in this book, here is a list:

 

Fabric Panel Shower Curtain

Inspirational Pincushions

Patchwork Coatrack

Lavender Trivet

Plaid Curves Table Runner

Artful Embroidery Chair Cushion

Set of Nesting Baskets

Contemporary Table Runner

Door Organizer

Quick Fused Napkin Rings

Scrappy Oven Mitt

Strings Attached Pot Holders and Trivet

 

 

This Lavender Trivet is so fast and easy to make.  When you set something hot on it, the pleasant aroma of lavender fills the air.

 

 

The set of Nesting Baskets are so cute.  There are instructions for making your own custom sized one in addition to the ones shown here.

 

Think outside the box at how cute these would be in various fabrics!

 

 

I love this Door Organizer and it was the first project I made out of the book. 

 

 

I varied the fabrics and colors and made it to go on my bedroom door with all of my necessities.

 

 

Isn't it cute?  I try to keep my notebook, scissors and glasses in every room.  With this, it's a cinch!

 

This book is compiled by Barbara Delaney and she has done an awesome job of coordinating various projects from different designers.

 

These craft books sell for $14.99 and can be purchased at your favorite retailer or order online at

interweavestore.com

 

Interweave/F+W Media, Inc.

 

Interweave furnished these books to me for the review.

 

Thanks again Interweave!

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time, Judy

 

 

 

 

 

Interweave

Amazon

Bella Has A New Pasttime!!

 

While working out in the backyard, I noticed that Bella was spellbound by something.  She would not budge from that spot.

 

Trying to find what had her attention, I went farther into the back and found out what was getting her attention.

 

 

We have a Mourning Dove that has built a nest in our 50' pine tree!

 

 

See the little black, beady eye?

 

Is it Morning Dove or Mourning Dove?

 

I went to Goggle (another thing Brenda has taught me) and found some interesting things. 

 

They are also called Turtle Dove, American Mourning Dove or Rain Dove.

 

The male leads the female to potential nesting sites and the female chooses. The female also builds the nest (we aren't surprised at that one) and the nest is constructed of twigs, conifer needles and grass and is very flimsy.

 

The "clutch" size is almost always two eggs.  The eggs are white.  Both sexes incubate, the male from morning to afternoon, and the female the rest of the day and at night.  They are very devoted parents; nests are rarely left unattended.

 

Incubation takes two weeks.  The hatched young, called squabs, are altricial (meaning requiring nourishment), being helpless at hatching and are covered with down.

 

The pair of doves may raise up to six broods in a season.

 

The Mourning Dove is monogamous and forms strong pair bonds.  Pairs typically reconvene in the same area the following season and sometimes remain together throughout the winter.

 

They are called "Mourning" due to color and the sound they make which some think sounds sad.  Also, doves sometimes literally mourn themselves to death over the loss of a mate.

 

So, that's your lesson on Mourning Doves for today.  We will follow the incubation and I'm sure Bella will keep track of them.

 

 

Is there anything any prettier than phlox flowing over the side of a flower bed?  I don't think so.

 

 

If you remember the story behind my Weeping Cherry Tree given to me by my friend Carole - she also started this bed of phlox which she gifted to me on another birthday.  Can you tell she is an outdoor person?

 

 

The dainty little purple flowers by the door are growing like crazy.

 

 

This was the pot of Hostas last week - look at them today!

 

 

WOW!

 

 

So, enjoy this beautiful Spring day because it's suppose to be cold again later in the week! 

 

Enjoy!

 

Till next time, Judy