Category Archives: Other craftyNess

I changed my home’s entryway.

entryway-before

For the last 8 years the entrance of our home  has been a little less than welcoming.   Two large bookcases clogging up the walkway.

Thanksgiving day found me with some time on my hands.  So, Batman and I got to work.  He moved the bookcases and I painted that wall and moved some pictures and…TA DA!

new-entryway

That fabulous wall hook is from Pottery Barn.    I had the paint on hand from painting the kitchen earlier this year.  Total cost of this little endeavor – $50.   Wooo!!

My new entryway has already been used by a few guests.    Here’s a photo of the first use  (for some friends who had a little Facebook fight over who’d be first.  HA):

First-use-of-new-coat-hook

Can I tell you a cool story about that picture on the bottom left?   The black and white shot.   That picture was taken in 1944.   It is the youth group at The Salvation Army where my grandparents were the pastors.    The first time I saw that picture was in 1994.   The person who took the picture was anxious to show us the photo because my Mom  and Mike’s mom were in it together.

Backstory: While we were dating in the early 80′s,  Mike and I discovered that our extended families had crossed paths back in Maryland, many years before we were born.  It was no surprise to hear that there was a photo of my Grandparents with some of Mike’s relatives.   But it was INCREDIBLE to us to see the photo with both of our Mom’s in it.   Even MORE INCREDIBLE   was the placement of those Mom’s.       (See the circled pair)

our-moms-in-1944

Mike and I first met in 1982,  in California.

How cool is that?!

An Unplanned Visit to Sisters’ Harvest Faire

My friend Marci and I spent some time in beautiful Sisters, OR  last weekend.  The Harvest Faire was happening in the middle of town and we decided to take a stroll through.

I made some discoveries I want to tell you about.

Just A Little Charm sells beautiful and fun little copper items made from up-Cycled copper.    She even had some little tiny copper guitar pick charms  that Marci and I thought our older boys would love to use as a  zipper pull.    Go check her out.

The next thing to turn my head  was Dean Crouser’s incredible paintings.   He described a little of his process to us.   I am thoroughly in love with the colors and the details.

One of the funniest finds  was from Darwin Connections, from Wilkerson, WA.   It’s a sock monkey water bottle cozy!   It makes me laugh.

Since we were there later in the day on the second day of the Faire,  bargains were numerous!  I found this garden sign at Laurie Miller Designs’  booth.  Everything she had was exactly the sort of thing that I love.    (Click on her name and go visit her etsy shop)

It stands nice and tall.  And I have to call your attention to my fabulous new ironing board cover.  I got inspired by my friend Melissa over at Melissa Loves Color.

So, that’s one way I’ve been making my world more beautiful.

Tune in on Nov. 5th when I answer the question, “What would you tell your 20 year old self?”   hooo boy…  where does one begin?

 

 

 

Making the backyard pretty again.

The chickens have been moved to a new home and I’ve been busy making plans to make the yard less barnyard and more peaceful retreat.

In one of my Pinterest excursions I came across this link about making a flower tower with terra cotta pots.

I used the pots I already had  and a plant stake from the garage  and  bam…  I made my own tower.

I made mine crooked. I don’t like things to be too balanced. ha

I’ve also planted a little  in other planters on the deck.

The area most demolished by the chickens has been transformed into a vegetable garden.

This photo was taken before Batman put up the fencing.

 

Batman is planning to work on the lawn and get it all lawned up again.   The photos reveal quite a few bare spots.   Here’s a shot of the grass  BEFORE chickens:

 

To be fair, Lando also tore up the yard pretty good during his first two years of doggie life.  So what you see above is the yard before  chickens  AND  dog.

My March Project: Learn to knit socks!

I bought yarn. (this isn’t exactly the color I got…photos to come in next week)

I got a book.

I ordered the 40″ circular needle.

Now I’m impatiently waiting for the needles to arrive. It’s been five days already.

WHAT’S TAKING SO LONG?!

…meanwhile it has snowed. A real snow this time. Six inches. The chickens were so funny when I opened their coop door and they saw all the white. The four of them stood poking their heads out but not stepping out. It would have made a great photo. Naturally, I didn’t have my camera handy. When I opened the run, later in the day, to let them run in the yard they flew quickly across the snow and huddled together in one of the chairs on the back deck. They stood around and ate snow and held up one foot at a time. Silly girls.

I ended up picking them up and putting them back in the run. I spread a full bale of redwood chips in the run and it was much nicer for them to stand on. They didn’t object.

I promise to try and get a decent photo or two of these funny chickens in the snow.