Good day for Chickens

My chickens LOVE the rain.  It means lots of worms and other creepy crawlies to munch on.

We are still only getting eggs from Lulu and Chloe.

They alter where they lay their eggs, so sometimes I have

to search about.  Like hide and seek with chickens!

The other girls should start laying soon, then we'll have eggs out the whazoo!

Two days ago Lulu caught a frog!   I was like what is that in her mouth as I see the two little frog legs sticking out from her beak!  Ha!  Chloe caught one last night, but Lulu stole it from her and ate it!

Yuk.  That's life with chickens.

xoxo

sue

New plantings...

Nature has other plans for me today besides planting up my garden.  You see, today dawned with a cloudy, gray sky and the sound of splattering raindrops on my deck.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon getting a few more of my larger plant in.

I found a Golden Raintree...at Lowe's for $12.98!  Hooray!  It's more of a shrub variety, I had thought it was more of a tree.  This one says it gets to about 12-15 ft in height.  I planted it about 12 feet off the one corner of our deck. Ir gets the most beatiful yellow flower on it.   I'm hoping it will provide some shade, but really it's for ornamentation.  It's hard to plant these bigger bushes without having all the hardscape in, but we'll make do.

Another bright addition to the deck flower beds...

I love the purple color of these.  Brightens up my {currently} boring beds!

I also added two more Knockout Rose bushes in Radrazz around the ugly telephone pole and wire.  I'm hoping these guys get pretty big to deter from the GIANT pole in the middle of my yard!

Although all my plantings are small now and not much to look at, I think it's important to document what I've planted where and I always save the labels so I recall the names!  I can't wait until next year when I photograph it again and can see the growth and how everything has filled in.

My plan was to get my seeds into the ground today.  Yesterday evening while taking in the wonderful smell of burning pine,  I marked off my square foot garden..

64 blocks of planting space.  I'm hoping this whole square foot thing works out for me.

I do think I should have gone with a 4x8 bed so I'd be able to reach the middle though.

Again, we'll make do!

This bed is getting:

Sugar Snap Peas

Snow Peas

Arugula

Redina Lettuce

Beets

Carrots

Radishes

Wish me luck!

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ummmm...I think I see some blue sky out there!

xoxo

sue

Door Re-Do

I had one of those plain old doors from Lowe's that I was utilizing as my craft desk, but I decided it was wayyyyyy to big for the room, so I took it out. So it leaned on a wall for a while, got moved upstairs, then downstairs and finally I just decided to do something with it.

So, I painted it antique white and sanded the edges.  I used my Cricut to cut out a 5 inch parenthesis and the word DREAM from some b/w cardstock I had laying around.

I added two sweet little butterflies....

...then took a pencil eraser top and made polka dots all over it with gesso. 

The whole thing got a coat of modge podge and now it's ready to go up on my bedroom wall!

I didn't get it up there yet, so I don't have a pic of that!

Have to move items from one wall to another...so hopefully I can get that done tomorrow and post some "hung" pictures! 

Great way to repurpose a cheap door...it makes a great paint canvas!

xoxo

sue

Love pic

I repurposed an older pic and frame to make this new pic for our bedroom.

I stamped the mat with my new french script stamp that I used my "hubby's" gift card from Hobby Lobby to purchase (thanks honey!).  I painted the light wood frame with black chalkboard paint and then sanded it to distress it.  I love how chalkboard paint looks!

Next I took a plain old canvas board, painted it with gesso, and pressed the pieces in to hold them instead of using glue.  Worked like a charm!  The heart is canvas, stitched around the edges.  I used plain chipboard, unembellished for the bodies and these cute Tim Holtz hangers in place of faces (so cute!).  Of course, the people couldn't be naked so I added some clothes....it was like paper dolls! 

It's hanging next to my side of the bed...nice addition!

xoxo

sue

sharing this at

I want to be a beautician.

this is what happens when you leave a 6 year old in the craft room by herself.

xoxo

mom

DOOR

I started painting my staircase last week (it's the only spot in the main house I hadn't gotten to yet) and the big old white door at the end of it spoke to me.  It said..."paint me".  I have a thing for BIG letters and I wanted something kind of funny but subtle.  So I thought about what word I could put on this door leading upstairs?  LOVE?  LIFE?  PLAY?  None of them seemed funny or should I just say, obvious, to me. 

Haha!  Obvious but subtle. 

My husband thought it was funny.

He asked me while he was putting the door handle back on

if I wanted to paint "knob" on it?

I told him he didn't understand creativity.

This is coming from a guy who used to put tinfoil on his windows...geez!

xoxo

sue

More bedroom work...

The vision is there..in my head and it's starting to form in the master bedroom.  I am so loving the blue and black color combo and really wanted a b/w comforter with a small print to match the lampshades.

I found this quilted bedspread at TJ MAXX.  It is the perfect print...just what I was looking for but the shams are for a regular sized pillow and I have big old pillows so they will need to become more of an accent pillow.  Also, it's not the most smooshy snuggly bedspread, so I am thinking I need a down comforter maybe with a chenille duvet cover to put under it.  It would make the bed fluffier looking and be a little cozier.

I also need to find matching shams for the other pillows.  All in due time....

I love this print. 

I also changed the curtains out to plain black.  My plan is to embellish the edges with either a toile fabric or maybe a ribbon...not sure..searching for the perfect accent for them since they are super plain.  I like the look though...

I still have to find something for above the bed...and art above the wall.  That little corner on the right up there needs a sophisticated but comfy reading chair.  Footboard needs a long bench maybe?

And I will be searching for a narrow black armoir of some sort for the larger wall (the one I didn't take a pic of)

So whatcha think?  Coming along from the boring white that it was! 

xoxo

sue

Findings

Earlier this week, I went to visit a local garden shoppe here in Statesboro....The Mad Potter.  When I pulled up to the store, I got a sense of cottage gardens, haphazard plantings, lots of statues and hidden garden treats.  A little Dachsund named Flower greeted Sam, Madi and I and we headed over to browse the plants and garden items.  Much to my absolute JOY...inside was a store filled with vintage dressers, cupboards, tables, glassware and the like.  Score!  And then I spied this big old ornate picture frame with a chalkboard insert...checked the price (was good) and I could see it above my bedroom dresser.  I've been searching for a big old frame for there and who would have thought I would find it at a garden store? 

I love the details in the frame.  It's actually hung up on the wall now, i had to replace the wire in the back and mount heavy screws onto the wall to hold it.  I'm thinking the dresser might need to be a shade more antique white.  I have a vision for this room....those curtains are going to be changed out to black and creme toile and I'm on a hunt for either a b/c toile duvet cover or something black and white embroidered for the bed.  The bed frame is also going to be changed out to white and distressed   The room needs a few more pieces..but all in due time.  Just glad I found this lovely frame.  I might eventually put a mirror back in it, but for now I like the chalkboard look...have to find some witty saying to put on there!

xoxo
Sue

Random sewing

I have a secret.  I love to sew.  I'm not very good at it, but I love everything about it.  Wonky stiches, hand stitches, uneven seams, I love it all!  My sewing machine frustrates me somedays, but I love to hear the whirr of it as it places a nice zig-zag stitch down my fabric.

I found a you tube video on how to make a casserole cover that was really easy!  I decided to try it out yesterday.  I made this one (it's too small to hold a casserole dish, but I just wanted to see how it worked out!)

It was really easy.  I quilted my sides and I love how easy the straps attached to it. 

All in all, it took me about 3 hours, with kids running amok!

Want to see the tutorial...go here!

Thanks Crafty Gemini for the easy to follow tute!

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I'm also loving making bags.  I found this fabric at Wally World (lol)

and Jacob wanted a bag, so I added the pocket out of my stash.  

I think it will make a great library tote. :)

I'm kind of loving it!

The pattern is really sweet.  I lined the inside in a gold cotton fabric.

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Banners.  I love them too.

Well, I might love them most of all.

And red hearts, well, red hearts on banners just go together.

My sewing machine decided to get a little crazy and take off on it's on, then it completely missed a whole line of sewing.  Not to worry, I handstitched it and I think it just gives it a little *charm*.

Bitten by the sewing bug, I was today...

happy day to you!

sue

Happy New Year

May the new year be filled with peace, happiness, and the ability to find joy and inspiration in your work.  Do what you love, love what you do.  Be kind to everyone.  Put your family first in all things you do.  And place your faith in God above all else. 

Happy New Year to all!

sue