The Cozy Chickadee

Storage ideas a la vintage

2010-03-13T18:37:00.003-07:00

Greeting on a beautiful Saturday! Browsing among decorating websites got me itching to share some new storage and decorating ideas for all of you in blog land who need ideas, pronto!
Truth be told, by camera was left in my car, and the battery was dead, so I had to troll the web for something to post, and what better than some of these...

First we have a large vintage frame, that has chicken wire strung across it, and hung to camouflage an unattractive window. The owner then tucked in her favorite bits of old photos and paper ephemera.

Love this old drink carrier that now stores some cheerful kitchen dish cloths.

Simple idea, but super cute, this old shutter painted a bright green holds the mail.

A vintage suitcase, has now been retro fitted to hold craft supplies. Love the mini clipboard and the scissor holder.

This is actually an old light fixture that has been re-purposed into a vase for some sassy flowers.

My favorite yet, the birdcage that is now a stationary holder and mailing center.

How about an old heat grate, now used to hold the newspaper?

If you had a really large bathroom, (and some skill with a saw), you can turn architectural details into a massive towel rack for your bathroom.

Finally, cute old bottles and silver pieces from teas sets can be turned into little storage holders for your toiletries.

All these storage ideas and more can be found here.

Have a great rest of the weekend, ya'll. It's actually warmed up here in Colorado to almost 60 degrees!

Memories of a printers drawer

2010-03-02T13:31:00.005-07:00

This is a printers drawer that hold special memories. It was my mom's, and my dad gave it to me when she passed away about 18 months ago. She loves to collect little things from all over, and place them in here to look at.

Yikes, how a camera flash shows the dust. I am mortified (But not enought to actually dust every little piece before I take any pics, he he)

So cute!

Love the little jointed dolly on the left, and the old medicine tin. A "pleasant and effective laxative?

The little ceramic chef is one of my favorites. Next to him is an old metal jack, and a pair of old earrings.

More dust, an actual printing stamp of a man's face, and other small trinkets. See the old watch face?

The metal disk below was one of those trinkets you get out of a machine at the fair. You type in what you want, and the machine stamps it out on the disk. It reads- "Pat, Beulah, Cherie, I love you. Pat was my mom, and those were her two best friends. I'm guessing she made this when she was about 14.

So fun to see these things from her past. A few things in there were mine, and she saved them, which is fun to remember, too.
Well, I better get busy dusting out this shelf. I don't do it often, because it takes so long to take all the little things out, and dust before putting them all back in.
Next time I'll share the printers drawer I have of my own, that my parents bought for me when I was a teenager.

Framing inspiring quotes

2010-02-26T11:53:00.007-07:00

Go check out all the cute ideas this time around, and leave a comment!

A fun and easy project? Yep!

I found these cute round frames at Goodwill a long time ago. I originally used them to frame a foot and hand print of Macie when she was newborn. They were gold, I think, and I painted them white with acrylic craft paint.
I found them stashed away recently, and decided they needed to be re-used for something else.

I simply took the back off of them, and used the circle back to trace my favorite scrapbook paper in the same shape. Then, I got on my computer and typed out two of my favorite sayings. The font I used was called Little Lord Fontleroy, which I found on Dafont.com. Here's the direct link to that font. Love it, use it for everything lately! Just cut out your printed words, and glue onto your scrapbook paper, then insert in the frame.

I blinged it out with a vintage button, then tied some black ribbon around the hanging loop.
These are on my bathroom mirror. I attached them with a little rubber suction cup. Super cute, super easy!

Yes, my shower curtain is fabulous. I bought it a couple of years ago at the Sears Home store.. Who would've thunk?

Are you broken?

2010-02-25T09:10:00.006-07:00

Mornin, ya'll. Snow in the forecast today again. Overcast, grey, and chilly. I am soo ready for spring! I want to work the earth, plant some colorful flowers, and hang out on the glider out back, watching the birds splash in the water. {sigh}.
I've been thinkin' about life lately, and why sometimes it can be so hard. I know nothing is ever easy, but I think sometimes trial come in cycles, where there are just several things that just really kick you down.
I know my Heavenly Father loves me, and I am his daughter. I know that trials and adversity make me stronger. I know prayer brings peace and answers. I know sometimes, you just have to hang on and weather the storm!
I found this video on Youtube and wanted to share. Hopefully it will uplift you if you are feeling broken....

Do you love Taste of Home?

2010-02-24T19:33:00.007-07:00

Found a fabulous deal for all you chefs and mommies out there who love to cook.
Go to Shop Taste of Home to see all the Taste of Home and Pillsbury cookbooks on clearance. I'm talking $5.00 a book, for the nice hardback books that have a whole years worth of TOH or Pillsbury recipes. I own two of these, and I LOVE them! The recipes are fabulous, tasty, and easy to make. The books are made very well, and have soo many recipes that you will actually use!

Here are some coupon codes to save even more upon checkout!

Codes:
Save 10% + Free Shipping on order of $40+ LST16
Save 20% on the entire Shop Taste of Home Exclusives category! Includes great cookbooks! LST17
Save 15% on $25, 20% on $35 or 25% on $45 LST18
Free Shipping on $20 or more LST02
Free Shipping on $10 347 - exp UNKNOWN

Now where did I find out about this fabulous deal? Pinchingyourpennies.com is the coolest site ever. You can join the facebook group, or get their daily emails. You get so many coupon codes, and notices on clearance deals on places like Children' place, cheap magazine subscriptions (got me two of 'em) and other well known retailers. Check them out!

What does your day hold?

2010-02-24T08:24:00.008-07:00

This was my day yesterday.

After a long presidency meeting I was:

Doing Laundry.....

Folding clothes.....

Putting away groceries....

Then picking up Macie from school, going to Kohl's to use my Kohl's cash and find some new shoes for Mace,( a BIG drama, let me tell you), coming home, doing homework, and still able to throw a fabulous dinner on the table.
What did you make, Susan, please please please tell!
OK!
I grilled these yummy sausages with cheese that were Johnsonville brand, and also tried my hand at making home made sweet potato fries. I love the ones at Ruumbi, so here's what I did:

I selected about 4 large sweet potatoes, and slice them up into large french fry size slices. I placed them on a greased cookie sheet, and then I swabbed them with butter, then sprinkled them with garlic salt and basil. I placed them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 1/2 hour. If you want to crisp them up a bit, keep them under the broiler for a couple of minutes. They burn quick, so watch them! Serve with ranch or ketchup or whatever sauce you fancy. I didn't think to take pictures, so you'll have to imagine the fabulous tastes of all the foods.
Then, I whipped up some Sassy apples. Those are super easy!

I only have three in my family, so you'll need to adjust accordingly, but I peeled 7 Fuji apples (our favorite), then cored and sliced them with my handy dandy Pampered chef corer/slicer thingy.

OK, so It's NOT Pampered Chef brand, I lied. It's just an inexpensive store brand, and I actually got it at a yard sale for 50 cents, but hey, who can tell?
Throw apples in a pot with 1/2 cup water (more for more apples), and bring to a mild boil for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
At this point, they should be mushy, so go ahead and mash them up with a potato masher. Add a little cinnamon and brown sugar to make 'em sassy, and there you have it! Brilliant!

This girl looks like her day could be going better.....

Brrrr!!!!

Slacker slacker, eat a cracker

2010-02-19T13:41:00.002-07:00

Soooo, I haven't posted for awhile....
I think I forgot how, it's been so long!
I got blogging burnout, but I THINK I can do it again! Looking at how cute and darling and fabulous my blog is, I know I must again join the blogging world and enjoy sharing my talents with all you fabulous ladies out there, so stay tuned.....

Can this cabinet be saved?

2009-08-20T11:01:00.010-06:00

Today I have a confession to make.
Almost 7 years ago, I wallpapered my soon to be born daughter's room. It turned out lovely.
Note: Don't wallpaper a room with your husband unless you REALLY love him, otherwise you may be headed for divorce court.
Back to the subject... Well, the confession is, I never returned the large wallpaper sample book I borrowed.
Yikes, I know!
It has been sitting under our couch for about that time span, and gets pulled out occasionally, and then put back under, due to guilt.
But now I think, heck, it's been SEVEN years since I borrowed it. Do you really think they're going to want it back, let alone that the samples are now obsolete?

Time for a project!

I decided my bathroom cabinet could stand to be cleaned out, so here's what I did.
I went through and pulled out everything, and yuck, I guess I don't clean in there enough, cuz I was grossed out!

I then went through the wallpaper book, and here's the trick: depending on the size of what you're covering, you may need to piece the samples together, and you definitely need two of the same pattern to make it work. I didn't end up having a lot of that, so I had to improvise.
There are some great patterns in this book.
Makes me itch a little to wallpaper something in my house!
Look at some of the fun ones:

Love this one for the laundry room!
So I basically went through the book, and tried to find more than one sheet of the ones I thought would work in my small cabinet.
Alot of the patterns in the book were large, or not the right colors for my bathroom, so I picked something neutral for the project.
I took an exacto knife, and carefully removed the sheets I chose from the book.
Then I fit them in, and cut them to size, again with the exacto knife. These samples were not pre-glued on the back, like regular wallpaper would be, so in my hurry to get it done, ( I am an instant gratification kind of girl) I used tacky glue to adhere them to the bottom and facing side of the inside cabinet. It worked, but I think next time I would use spray adhesive to get a good stick. The tacky glue made it bubble a bit here and there.
'Oh well, no project truly is perfect, is it?

The back has a wider stripe, and the bottom has a narrower, darker one.

A view of the second shelf

So nice and clean! I didn't have enough of one pattern that was the right color to do the back of the second shelf, so I left it as is.
I'm looking for ideas to use the rest of the book with, so leave me a comment if you have any bright ones!

Painting: large and small

2009-08-16T19:21:00.004-06:00

So I saw on someone else's blog about spray painting patio furniture. I have a set that I picked up at a yard sale about 3 years ago. It was in decent shape then. It has since gotten worn looking and a little rust here and there. The hail storms we've gotten have really beaten it up.

After seeing it's not that hard, I went to Lowes and picked up the following:

So first, spray the rust inhibitor in the spots where it's the worst, and let dry for a couple of hours. I was doing this out in 90 degree heat, so it dried instantly, but it was too hot to go back and paint, so I left it for the rest of the day.
Day two, I got an early start after dropping my daughter at school. I laid an old sheet underneath each piece, which you can pick up at the thrift store, and is great for large projects. Also, it doesn't stick to the furniture, like paper does.
So just start spraying, doing a light, even coat, working from top to bottom. I used satin sheen, which I really like.
This is the first time I've used the Valspar brand spray paint, from Lowes, and let me tell you, I LOVE it! It is by far the best I've ever used, and I've used ALL the brands.

Here are the after pics.

My little angel day dreaming on the new glider

Literally looks like a brand new set!
Of course, then I had to go buy new cushions for the seats, which I got at Home Depot.
Paint project #2.
I took this fruit holder, and spray it black, from white. It looks so much better, I think. Would you care for a sweet clementine?

Then there's the little ceramic dish, that started out an avocado green. It screamed "Save me, please take me home and paint me!"

Doesn't it look so cute, spray painted black, and repurposed as my new sponge holder?

And last, but certainly nor least, was the painting of our house.
I told you in a previous post, that the former homeowners were PPP, or pink passionate people. Our carpet throughout the house is pink, the kitchen (which was promptly painted upon move in) was pink. And hey, they didn't stop there. The entire exterior of the house was... you guessed it. PINK.

Seven long years we've lived with the pink, and not by choice!

Our three final choices....

The hardest part of getting the house painted is picking the color. After 10+ samples of paint over the garage, we finally settled on Sherwin Williams Nomadic Desert. We also ordered Black shutters for the windows over the garage, to dress it up a bit.
I love the way it turned out!

What do you think?

No, our house doesn't say Howdy on the front, I just covered up our address with a friendly greeting, in case there are any stalkers reading today.

My friend came over early last week, and said she drove right by my house, because she always looks for the pink house when she drives up my street! Funny, huh?
Have a safe and blessed week, girls!

A girl's gotta right to change her mind, hasn't she?

2009-08-07T19:53:00.007-06:00

HI everyone!
Yes, I'm actually posting! I've been so busy getting my daughter back to school, and then enjoying some time to myself, I just plumb didn't get around to blogging, silly me!
I did complete a couple of projects during that time though. I really DID do more than just eat bon-bons while Macie was at school. Really.
I was browsing at my favorite consignment store last week, looking for a couple of cute outfits, and I spied this cool shelf with mirror and hooks.
Hmmm, that would look so great in the entry way where you come in through the garage, I thought. Wait a minute, said I. You already have a shelf with hooks in the entry way, that you redid, and posted on your blog, showing off how clever and crafty you are. (See this post.)
You don't NEED another one! said I. But I want it, said I.
No, said the other I, the practical cheap one.
So I left it.
And went home.
And thought about it for 2 days.
And went back to the store, hoping it would be there.
And telling myself that I could consign the old one, (NOW who's the clever one), and justify buying the new one.
So I go in the store, and ask if it's still around, and the lady says, No, I think we sold it yesterday.
IKNEWIT! my mind screams. You dummy! You shoulda bought it when you were here 2 days ago!
Then the other lady says, was it the smaller one that was $8.99. NO! it was bigger, and dark green. (don't freak girls, it can be spray painted).
And as I turn, here comes one of the ladies, carrying it up to the front for me. This one? she says, and I shout for joy in the store!
I quickly pay my $16.99 and smile the whole way out. Ya, it's not that cheap garage sale price you brag about, but it screams Pottery Barn, and it will look better in my entry way than the previous shelf, AND I consigned the other one, which will offset the price of this one, so HA!

Here is the before: Kinda ugly hooks, and the greens gotta go!

Here is the after!

I brush painted it black, and replaced the ugly old hooks with some newer ones that are the brushed nickel finish, that I just had laying around. Really!
Don't you just love it! So much better!

I also have this framed saying above the shelf, from Lydia Child, which states " Gratitude is the memory of the heart, therefore, forget not to say often, I have all I ever enjoyed."
If you have a favorite quote, type it out on your computer in Word, using your favorite font (mine was Papyrus), and then print it out on a nice heavier paper, like a calligraphy, or something flecked or textured, like I did. Then frame it in a heavier frame, and it will look like you bought it at a boutique store.

On to project #2 .
I have several vintage brooches that my MIL gave to me some time ago. Occasionally I will wear one on a sweater or jacket, but mostly they are put away. I wanted a way to display them, so I could enjoy them all the time, and I finally saw it.
I was at a local gift boutique, and the lady that had the booth had several old brooches pinned to velvet and silk, and then framed into old oval frames. So easy, and so cute!
Now the hunt for frames. It was hard find a frame with an oval center, and small, and of course, not expensive!
I finally hit the jackpot at a yard sale, and bought several:

Here are some of the brooches:

And the finished product!

I used some green silk leftover fabric I had laying around (again), removed the glass, and laid the silk across the back. Then take a wad of that white stuffing (I can't remember the name of the stuff) and start stuffing it, so it puffs out of the oval, until it's firm, and it looks like you want it to. Then stick the back of the frame back on, letting the fabric hang out a little. Pull at the fabric, working all the way around the back, until there is no puckering in the front, and your oval looks good and firm. Trim any remaining fabric hanging out of the backing to neaten.
Carefully pin your brooch through the fabric and secure the pin.
That's it! I will say that I think velvet, being a little thicker than silk, would be easier to work with, as the silk was thin and flimsy, and hard to make look smooth with the stuffing.

To end, of course, a picture of my lovely girl on her first day of school, my big first grader.
You didn't think I'd forget the most important thing in my post, did you?

I'll be back, countdown to school

2009-07-25T16:55:00.003-06:00

I intend to post again. Really.
Summer had gotten the best of me, and we've had so much fun! Besides our trip to Durango, we have gone to the pool, the water park, the spray park, two museums, the movies, shopping, and various assorted other fun things. We've only had 5 weeks of summer, due to my daughter being in year round school, but none the less....
I am really ready for her to go back!
Don't get me wrong, there's a part of me that knows we've hit another milestone, and gone are the days of 1/2 day kindergarten, and messing around. I'll miss my little boo when she's in school all day, however....
I have a long list of projects to accomplish and share with you!
1. Paint the blue shelf for Macie's room I bought at a yard sale
2. Paint the bookshelf in our living room black
3. Clean out my file cabinet (luckily it's only two drawers!)
4. Catch up on my photo albums and organization
5. Paint the darling headboard I bought at a thrift store (again for Macie)
There seems to be alot of painting in my future!
6. Create some things so that I can actually open my Etsy shop. Journals, magnets, small wall hangings, tags, boxes, etc.
7. Start making freezer meals
8. Make some freezer jam with the frozen strawberries waiting in the freezer
9. Yard sale BY MY SELF on Fridays-- Yeah!
10. Blog more!
Yes, my sister friends, I will be back on the band wagon with many exciting projects, and recipes (look forward to a weekly segment featuring my most requested and loved recipes of all time).
Now let's just count down the days until next Tuesday, when I have two whole days a week to myself!

I love the mountains

2009-07-12T20:18:00.008-06:00

Hi Ya'll! I'm back from vacation, and ready to share pictures of our adventures!
We drove out to Durango, and stayed at the Riverside Resort about 15 miles outside of the city, in the cutest little cabins. They were right on the Animas river, and were so peaceful.
Ours had a deck that overlooked the river, and a picnic table, with big trees over the top of us. Nice and quiet, just what I like!
You could walk down a steep embankment to get to the river below us, and wade in the shallow parts. Macie did, but she said it was cold!
The first day after we got there, we drove up the mountain, trying to find this particular lake that I had read about on the internet, called Potato or Spud Lake. We finally find the turnoff, and it turns into a dirt road right away. So we're driving down it, and it's getting worse, and worse, and we're in our family sedan, which is NOT made for 4x4 type trails, let me tell you. We tortured through it for close to a mile, (with 2 more to go!) and just couldn't do it any longer, so we had to turn back around, go through the same torture again for a mile to get out of there.
We ended up going back down, and finding Lake Haviland, which was right off the road, which allowed fishing. It was a beautiful small lake, and Macie and my hubbie had fun practicing casting and reeling. They didn't actually fish, they just go for fun.
These funny little sparrows kept landing right by us, catching these little winged bugs, several at a time. I think they were Fox sparrows.
After that we drove into Durango, to catch out Hummer 4x4 tour, which takes you up into La Plata canyon, all the way up to the top. This was a 4 hour ride, and was way rougher than I thought it would be, girls. I expected it would be dirt roads, and a little rough here and there, but I was sadly mistaken. the trail was full of huge rocks and ruts.
I have neck issues, and can't be jerked and thrown all over the place, and this is exactly how it was!
I had to end up sitting in the front with the tour guide, looking through a small windsheild and side window most of the trip. Expensive ride. Bummer.
At the top it was beautiful, though, and we had a wonderful sunny day. My daughter laughed and was just in total joy the whole time, so I guess it was worth it since she had a blast.
We also saw several cool waterfalls, from all the snowmelt up there.
Oh, and I saw my first Marmot. Looks like a beaver without the long flat tail.
When we came back down, I checked to make sure my neck could still turn, and we headed off to the Bar D Chuckwagon show and dinner.
This was really fun, eating a traditional cowboy dinner, complete with BBQ chicken, baked beans, baked potato, biscuits, chunky applesauce, and sweet spice bread. Oh, and all the lemonade and coffee you could drink. The show was pretty funny, too. There were 4 cowboys singing and bantering jokes. We laughed about a misfit Old McDonald's farm, including a dyslexic sheep (aab, aab,) a snake with a lisp (Hith, hith,) a stuttering cow (Mmmmm, Mmmmm).
The next day was devoted to Mesa Verde, and seeing the cliff dwellings left behind by the ancient Puebloans. I remember a little of going there when I was about 9 years old with my family.
We did three sites, two of which you had to get tickets for. The most strenuous was the Balcony House, in which you had to climb a 32 foot ladder to get into the dwellings, which was a little scary.
You stand at the bottom, ready to climb up, and all you can think is, don't fall, stupid, don't slip off and break your neck (although the day before's Hummer tour almost did!) Don't be the first in Mesa Verde's history to go flying off this thing, taking out everyone under you! Oh, and DON'T look down!Here's Macie crawling up out of one of the Kivas.

So we all make it up safely, and then soon after have to crawl through a very small long narrow tunnel. Some of the people who had at some point eaten too much Taco Bell in their lives barely shimmied through, let me tell you!
At the end of that tour, you had to climb up an open rock face hanging on to these rails secured(?) into the mountain, trying not to fall backwards or look down. Pretty crazy, that tour.
We all made it out alive, though, really!
The night time brought a nice campfire, and plenty of roasted marshmallow.

On the way home, we drove through Ouray, which was a pretty little town. Every time I saw an antique shop, and there were a few cool ones on your way into Montrose, I wanted so bad to stop and browse. We were all so tired and had such a long drive home, that we really couldn't, though.
There were so many awesome and beautiful areas where we were, that I wish we had more time to explore around, and of course, Durango had so many cool shops down in the historic distric to look at, but we just didn't have the time.
I took lots of fun pictures, which really pressures me to get them into a scrapbook soon. I only have 4,00 other pictures in line, waiting THEIR turn to be put into albums.
Tick tock, tick tock....

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-03T20:00:00.004-06:00

I thought I'd take a moment to wish all of you a very Happy Independence Day!
You know, we don't really ever say Independence day, we usually say the 4th of July. This weekend, let's remember what a blessing it is to live in this country, with all of it's freedoms and privileges.
My flag is proudly flying on our front porch this weekend. I love seeing all of the red, white and blue that pop out during our country's holidays.
Colorado has a ban on fireworks (dang it) but we still buy several fountains and those spinning bloom thingies. My daughter also picked some neon colored sparklers, and in honor of MY childhood, some snakes and glow worms. Big fun back in the 70's, let me tell ya!
I remember my brother, back when you could still purchase firework here, bringing home a large box of fireworks to shoot off. He was always nice enough to buy me some sparklers and snakes. Our church used to run a stand every year, and it was such fun to drive out into what was still partly rural, and look at all of the stuff.
We'll be headed on vacation, down to the SW corner of the state, to climb the Great sand dunes, and see Mesa Verde.
I'll post some fun pics when I get back next week.
Till then, have a great time doing what you love this summer!

Where has my yard sale mojo gone?

2009-06-28T17:15:00.006-06:00

Yep, that's right. I've been searching for my yard sale Mojo all summer.
Maybe it's 'cause the season started out to cold and wet. Maybe it's 'cause I really haven't found the mother load of garage sales yet, and nothing to really get my blood flowing.
Yes, I've found small things here and there, but nothing of epic proportion.
However, instead of just giving up (Hey, I'm no quitter), I drag myself out of bed super early, get cleaned up, and hit the road first thing so I can hit alot of sales, before I have to be to work at 11.
I'm linking up with Southern Hospitality for her Thrifty Treasures party to share my finds this week, and a couple from last week. Go check out everyone's finds!
I found these heavy wrought iron shelf brackets at the first sale I stopped at, for a buck a piece. I don't know for sure how I'll use them, but hey, for that price, I'll figure it out.

The little wire trash can was only 50 cents. Cute for under our computer table.

On our way home from my daughter's swim class, I turn onto our street, and I see a yard sale sign pointing up to the top of our street. Hmmm, so close to home, might as well swing by real quick. I saw this bird cage, which I've been searching for, so that we can get a pair of zebra finches.
I'm way too cheap to spend $50 on a cage at the pet store, so I've been hunting for one.
How much did I pay for it???
It was FREE!
The guy said 5 bucks, and I'm thinking Super, but I put it back down to go look at the stuff on the grass, and then he said, "You can just take it".
Really? Allrighty then!
I also grabbed this old book, which I'd guess is from the 1920's.

The cover was missing, so they sold it to me for 50 cents. The pictures are to die for, and I'll create many cute projects with the pics inside.

Then I saw this computer chair. We've been using an oak mission style antique chair, which is nice to look at, but uncomfortable as heck, with no arms, and a hard seat.Yuck, ignore my messy computer desk, it is a WRECK!
I asked the guy again how much, and he said $5. Right on!
I sent my husband back up to get it in our other car.
OK, so I did get some cool bargains, didn't I?
Last week I found this blue shelf for Macie's room, which I'll paint either light green, or bubblegum pink. $3.

One out of the way sale I stopped at, which I'm glad I did, yielded a couple of sets of cute vintage pictures.
These are in the original frame with paper backing, and are really old. I seriously paid 75 cents a piece for these! They are hanging above my Stickley table that I DIDN'T paint black.
This set the lady said was in her bedroom when she was a child, and her sibling's rooms before that. I love them, don't you? I think I'll take them out of the icky frames they're in, and reframe with mats and hang them in my daughter's room. 50 cents for both. Oh yah!
I had also found a beautiful ceramic oval bowl at Goodwill a few weeks ago for $5 (It had the original TJ Maxx price tag on it of 24.99). It really needed something inside it. At the same sale I found the pictures at, I found packages of these wooden carved balls and natural elements for 50 cents. Perfect.
I created a little vignette with candles and my birdcage I found at a consignment store. What do you think? Does it need something more? It's placed up high, on top of a bookcase, so I really couldn't hang a picture behind it.

Oh, and my in-laws also gave me a large bird feeder, which I hung yesterday. I had a mommy chickadee visiting this morning, and she brought her three babies with her. Oh my gosh, they were so cute, splashing in the bath and chattering all morning in the trees.
OK, so whatever! I did OK this last week, but I still feel like something's missing. What is it? I don't know. I'll let you know when I find it.

Yard sale finds

2009-06-19T19:27:00.003-06:00

Well, I didn't score big by any means today at yard sales, but sometimes it's still fun to find just a couple of little things that are way cool!
I found this little bird sitting on a shell for a quarter. I'm not sure what it will hold just yet. I think he needs a bit of whitewash to make him look cuter. What do you think?
Next was the vintage ceramic snowman. I am so in love with this little guy, let me tell you! He reminds me of what the snowman looked like in the original Frosty the Snowman book from the 1950's. He was 25 cents also.

Also is this little wooden primitive snowman for 25 cents.

Then this Martha Stewart organizing book full of great ideas for $1.00.

Oh, and this lamp for $2.00 was a great find. I don't know why, but I suddenly want lamps everywhere to add mood lighting throughout my house. This is the third one I've bought in 2 weeks! Of course, it needs a shade, pronto. Just one more project redo to make it my own. I love doing that!I think it will get a coat of white spray paint and live in Macie's room for awhile. Then I can steal her milkglass wall lamp with the crystals hanging from it, and use it in my room!
I also bought Macie a couple of activity books for when we go on our road trip in July to Mesa Verde. Those were 50 cents a piece.
How did you all do today? Let me know, so I can come and look!

How to cover a simple lampshade

2009-06-18T19:20:00.007-06:00

Howdy all.
Before we get started, I just wanted to share with everyone the fact that I will NOT be painting the Stickley end table I scored at a yard sale last weekend. This baby is worth some money (not that I care, I wouldn't sell it, and it's not a family piece, but still!)
Actually, it looks good as it is in my living room, take a look. I love the darker finish on it, and the subtle sheen of the wood.
O.K. Here is the long awaited lampshade covering tutorial!
A friend at work loosely showed me how, and then I ran with it.
I have this cute vintage wall lamp in my kitchen, which adds that all important mood lighting at night, and it had a plain shade. Don't you just love the milkglass? I had only added some vintage yellow trim to the top and bottom. Fine for awhile. Then I got bored.
What if I added some material to it? Would it be too fussy?
Heck no, I love it!
Here's how to do your own:
You need-
Fabric of your choice
Large paper to draw a pattern on
Spray adhesive
Sharp scissors
Trim or ribbon
Get a piece of paper to make your pattern from, one long enough to acomodate rolling your lamp shade around. I used a roll of kids wrapping paper. The print on this paper is a little nauseating, but kids love it at birthday parties, so what can I say?
Start your pen at the seam point on your lampshade, so you can stop at the same place. Slowly move your lampshade by rolling it on the paper, following with your pen laying against the edge, making the line all the way around until you come back to the seam. Do the bottom first, then the top again.
I go slightly past the seam point, so I have a little extra overlap.
Don't worry if it's not perfect, it will be close enough.
Cut out your pattern, and then lay it against the shade to see how close you got it. Trim if necessary. Here's how it should look:
Lay this on your fabric of choice, which should be pressed first to remove any wrinkles, etc.
Pin in place, taking into account were the front will hit, so you can get any pattern on the fabric in the right place.
Cut out with sharp scissors, and remove pins. Place AGAIN on the shade, and trim again if needed. Don't get too over zealous on the trimming, as you can trim after it is adhered, too. Here's how my fabric looks when it's cut out. This is leftover fabric my MIL gave me from when she made my quilt. It's similar to the fabric from my new curtain panels, huh? This a a lighter weight fabric, unlike the heavier fabric fro my curtain panels. You want the light to come through.
Here's where the fun begins: Using spray adhesive for me was NOT fun! The can will say for a permanent fix, spray both the shade and the material. Do not do this! You will start to put it on (crookedly, trust me, it's tricky) and you will not be able to remove and reposition!
I sprayed a small section on the shade, started my positioning, and worked my way around from there. It will pull off and reposition, if you work in sections and have patience.
When I came around to the back, I simply folded the fabric over to give it a finished edge, and sprayed it into place to flatten it.
I finished it off with two different ribbons in my stash, and Wah Lah, it was done!
The lamp was originally gold, but I spray painted it with the Bronze spray paint I had used on two other lamps in my house.
I also found this little lamp at Goodwill about 2 weeks ago, with no shade, but I had an extra one that was just the right size, and was plain as could be. Perfect for some MORE of my leftover fabric from my curtain project. It just goes on and on, folks!
So cute! This one is also in my kitchen, on top of the microwave. Hope you all have fun covering your lampshades and adding personality to your homes. Good Luck!

Have a seat!

2009-06-16T18:40:00.006-06:00

I'm participating in Metamorphisis Monday over at Between Naps on the Porch. Go on over and check it out!

I neglected to share with you my one find from Saturday's dismal yard sale day.
I took Macie to her swim class, and although the sun actually made an appearance through the clouds, the wind was cold, and seriously at hurricane level the whole time.
On the way home we decided to stop at a few yard sales, and just weren't seeing anything. We stopped at one, and it was a lady I knew from church. She had a little old wood bench sitting out on the driveway, marked $5. I asked if she would go less, and she said "How about 3?"
Cool, I'll recover it and repaint the bottom, and it'll be cute. Who knows where I'll put it, but I'm a sucker for old furniture with potential!
So I look closer, and it's kinda wobbly, and coming apart in one area, so she says, "Oh, you can just have it!"
Score!

Here are the before pics:

Yike- ees, I know! That orange red has GOT to GO!

So I take off the tacs, and pull up the old material, to reveal yucky foam padding on top of a top that is flat, and it looks like it originally was a small old childrens table. It had been patched with a piece of tin, and large head nails. I can see why it was covered the way it was, now. Interesting.
Not originally a bench at all, but someone had repurposed it into something else. Gotta love e'm.
I of course, painted it black, but let some of the red peep through here and there.
Oh, and if you're looking for the perfect black paint, Glidden makes a perfect one. I didn't see a black on any of the swatch samples, so I asked the guy at HomeDepot, and he said, "Oh ya, Glidden had a nice true black that I'll mix for you."

Does the top material look familiar? It's the leftover fabric from my curtain project. To see it, go here. I then finished it off with moss green ribbon trim, and used the original upholstery tacs to adhere it again.
I decided to place it below my Longerberger shelf I redid, along with the baskets with all of Macie's shoes by our back door, so she had a little place to sit where she could take off and put on her shoes.
Have you ever seen so many shoes for one little girl?
Yet, she'll ONLY wear her Crocs. Go figure!
Sorry I didn't have time to post also about my lamp shade tutorial, but I'll get to that on Thursday.

Stickley, anyone??

2009-06-12T10:58:00.004-06:00

Hey ya'll. How was your yard saling adventures this morning?
Mine were nominal. For some reason, I was not in the mood to go. Blame it on Auntie "Flo" visiting this morning, and my usual weakness due to hormonal changes. I felt extra crabby, and not in the mood to browse or haggle.
There were three community sales in my area, but there was a lot of baby stuff and not much else.
I did grab this beautiful vintage end table. It's solid wood, and in perfect condition.
I asked the lady how much, and she said, "Oh, I don't know. It was my husband's mothers." (He looked to be in his mid 70's).
"Is $10 too much?"
Umm, NO!
Seeing as it has all the original labels inside the drawer, marking it as a piece of Stickley furniture!
My sister-in-law is an interior designer who works for Stickley, and their furniture is high end, nice stuff. I won't tell her I'm going to paint it black, and change out the drawer pull!

I love the thick wood turned legs on this!

How awesome is this going to be once I paint it black?

(Ignore the pink carpet in the picture. The former owners of our house were obviously very pink passionate people (ppp). The exterior of our house is also pink, Ukkk! ) Carpet shopping put us into sticker shock, so for now, we continue to live with it!
We've got swimming lessons tomorrow (if it ever stops raining), and maybe a few yard sales if I start feeling better. Have a super weekend, my friend!

Ain't no sunshine when Creepy comes

2009-06-11T20:40:00.003-06:00

No, I haven't forgotten about my blog, I've been busy, and not feeling very creative.
Ever have one of those weeks (or more) where you just wanted to lay around and do nothing? Maybe grab a couch and some cheetos? Sleep in late? Lay around like a total scrub? That's been me.
I blame this blasted weather, with all the rain and constant overcast skies. I live in a state where we proudly proclaim that we get over 300+ days of sunshine a year. Ummm, not THIS year!
I need the sun, people. It's like a drug to me. The first thing I do when I get up is open up all the blinds and curtains, just to wake me up and start me on the cheerful path.
On Sunday this lil' fella came out of the clouds, and was right over my neighbor hood, hovering like the creepy windy thingy that he is.
Hail poured down like no tomorrow, ripping my poor little petunias to shreds.
Creepy (as I call it) moved about 2 miles east and touched down at our local outdoor mall, throwing stuff around and then it hit the brand new Lowe's that had just opened. Lot's of debri damage.
Freakin' weather.
I just want my sun and the windytornadoishcrappyovercastweatherwithstupidhail to end!

I decided to wait on showing you my lamp recovering project because someone else had a lampapalooza party (which was way cool) and it stole my thunder, so I'll be posting that next time.
Till then, wish me sunny days, puleeeze!

Seriously, what's with the rain?

2009-05-26T20:53:00.002-06:00

I feel like we live in Seattle, what with all the rain and clouds hovering around constantly!

I found this comic that I save from long ago, which pretty much sums it up:

I've always felt a bond with Lucy Vanpelt. She's crabby, I'm crabby. She's bossy, I'm bossy. She is a fussbudget, I'm definately a fussbudget. She fell for a blonde piano player that completely ignored her. (Mine was a guitar player in a Rock band) but you get the point.

The sun promises to come out tomorrow. Until then, the crabbiness will linger around here....

A curtain dilema solved!

2009-05-23T19:06:00.011-06:00

Hey everyone! Hope you're all having a super Memorial day weekend! Ours is low key: barbequeing and hangin' out with family.

I wanted to share a curtain project I recently completed, with the help of my friend Chris. I have this large picture window in our front living room, that is insetted with a window seat underneath. The top of the window hits the ceiling part of the inset, and there is just an 11 inch strip of wall on each side of the window. Really hard to put a rod across, and too short to hang traditional curtains on.

Pretty bare and pathetic!

This calls for a custom curtain treatment!

I knew what colors I wanted for the panels, so I went shopping at Joanne's and found the perfect fabric. I had in my mind the design, but I don't really sew much, and so that's where my friend Chris came in. I descibed what I wanted it to look like, and she told me how much fabric to get. Isn't it lovely?

Now the dilema: how to outfit the area so that you can hang a panel. We took a trip to Home Depot, and with the help of a creative employee we came up with this:

First, we grabbed a pair of closet pole sockets and a 1' wodden dowel.. I spray painted them black. Then we bought a package of 1" rubber leg tip which fit perfectly inside the sockets. Then I purchased 2 traverse rod center supports(at Walmart) to hold the other side of the dowel that will be the curtain rod.

Socket and leg tip

Shows socket, rubber leg tip, and center support piece all mounted.

I cut the dowel a little longer, so the curtain would overlap the edge of the window slightly.
Get it, now that you see it all together?

I also spray painted it black, although you won't see it when the panels are on. Pretty imaginative, huh?

For the panels, we measured the area, and then eyeballed literally how long of a drop I wanted on the black and cream check. We finished the panel with a 1 1'2" seam on the sides and bottom, and made a 3" rod pocket, so it would slide across and cover the closet socket against the wall.

I seriously love it! It makes the room seem so much more cozy and designer-ish like!

Very simple, yet it looks like I bought it custom.

Oh, and to finish off the end of the dowel, I bought two drawer knobs, and spray painted them black. Then I hot glued them on the ends of the dowel to make it look finished.
Hope I inspired you all to tackle that weird space by just starting somewhere, and enlisting the help of a good friend to come up with some great ideas!

Stay tuned for an easy tutorial on how to cover a lampsahde, and make it look like a custom piece!

Have a fun and safe holiday weekend!

Depression, anyone?

2009-05-17T18:00:00.007-06:00

I'm re-posting this at Southern Hospitality's thrifty party, partly because this post is so funny, and partly cause I haven't had anything else thrifty to share. Go checkout everyone else's thrifty treasures!

Hi ya'll. Yes, I've been away too long. Busy life, and bloggers block have kept me away for awhile.

On a funner note, it was an awesome garage sale weekend. I knew of at least 5 large community sales within 15 minutes of my house that were going on, so Macie and I were up very early, to make the most of our morning. I couldn't stand knowing I couldn't hit them all!

She is an afternoon Kindie, so we had to be home by 11 to get her fed, and off to school at noon. Then I had to go to work for awhile.

Seriously, every minute counts when you know there are dozens of sales, and bargains to be had. When you have a 6 year old in tow, time is constantly being wasted, haggling over getting her in the car, out of the car, and ripping her away from sale after sale.

You know what I mean, Moms:

You drive up to a sale, get out of the car, and stand outside the car for who knows how long, telling your child to unstrap and get out; they are busy taking apart something they got at the last sale you stopped at, so they are suddenly deaf.

Again and again, you ask them to get out, as you watch 5 more cars pull up, knowing your bargains are going to be snatched momentarily.

Finally, you snap, and yell at them to listen to you, and get out of the car!

As you finally get their attention, you see out of the corner of your eyes someone carrying off a large, beautiful mirror, the EXACT kind you've been looking for for months! Argg!

This happens at each and every sale you stop at, all morning.

The other scenario is that once you DO get them out of the car, you absolutely cannot get them back IN the car, because they will always go over to the 25 cent box, to mull over for the next 15 minutes which stupid McDonald toy they MUST have.

I can tell within 5 seconds if the sale is a dud, or a good one. I want to get back into the car, and head to the next one, pronto. With a child in tow, there's gonna be a fight, to be sure, if you don't let them browse around for something. Anything.

My daughter insists she wants to GET something. She has the "I wants". She can't stand to leave the sale without buying something. I'm trying to break her of it. Step AWAY from the yucky stuffed animals and crappy McDonalds toys, honey. Just do it.

Really, it's only fair to let them browse, too, especially since they have to go with you, and endure you looking, when there's alot of sales with no kid's items. Macie actually enjoys going with me, and carrying her cute little wallet, with all of her piggy bank coins in it. She is learning the value of each coin in Kindergarten this year, and is so proud to count out her quarters when it's time to buy something.

Let's get on to what I got! This darling ceramic snowman platter, and these four brand new felt snowman placemats, tags still on: 25 cents, and yes, 25 cents for all. Unbelievable! ( I KNOW that my continuing to buy more Christmas stuff is a sickness!)

A bingo game from the '90s. I love the style, so I can age them for my paper projects.
50 cents.

A Puzzle from Springbock. Did I mention I love jigsaw puzzles? But only Springbock. They always have interesting pictures, almost like an eye spy picture. I can't do the 1000 piece farmland scene, where EVERY piece is green. My dear mom loved to work puzzles, and now I honor her by doing them, and always think of her when I do them. I've even gotten my husband interested in them, and we sit side by side, for hours, bantering and stealing each other's pieces.
50 cents.
Sorry for the flash! This one is an open fridge, with all kinds of cool thing in it. I like at the top, the "Cop Stopper" package of donuts.

I also scored several antique plates and depression glass at one sale. The guy said he cleans out foreclosed homes and storage units, and comes across all kinds of cool stuff that people leave behind. Below is a picture of one of the two hand painted Haviland plates I picked up from him. Perfect condition, not a chip on either one.

Beautiful hand-painted detail
Also, a little creamer, he said he thought it was Delft. I think it's flow blue. No markings on the bottom. If anyone knows, drop me a line, please!

I also picked up 6 of these green depression glass dessert cups. I always try to picture who used these way back when, and what kind of yummies they may have eaten from these. Remember, back in the '30's, everything is made from scratch, and that homemade goodness. For now, I'll keep them, and try to make some homemade goodness for my own family to honor these beautiful pieces.

The guy threw these two plates in the box, at the end, to be nice.
They are marked J & G Meakin, Hanley England. I just love them. If anyone knows anything about these, drop me a line.

Hand-painted gold edges, and embossed roses, such pretty details.

Are you ready for the total? 6 depression glass dessert cups, 2 hand painted Haviland china plates, 2 heavy china rose plates, and a Delft? creamer, all for .... $7.00! Yes, I LOVE it!
I also got a cute Express T-shirt for $1.00, and a few cute clothes for my daughter for .50 cents a piece, a great bargain. Oh, and a great fall doormat, for 1.00.
Don'tcha just love finding all kinds of cute stuff that someone else wants to get rid of?
I think now more than ever, people are doing yard sales to make extra cash. In this economy, every dollar counts! I love finding cute clothes at extra cheap prices, cause then I'm saving money on things that I would've had to buy at full retail.
I told my daughter when we were yard saling last weekend, "Honey, I love you, but mommy will be so glad when you start first grade (and start at 8 a.m.) and I can yard sale by myself!"
It's not far away, that end of July date. She is on a year round school schedule, so I'll have some time to myself, before the season ends. Yay!

Adding a signature to your blog

2009-05-03T18:32:00.004-06:00

I found this cool website that lets you create a custom signature to add to your blog. I know some of you have done it, but there are alot of clueless people such as myself, who don't own Photoshop by Adobe, to do such cool things.
This website will help you create one, or you can draw one to make it really custom. I would not recommend downloading your exact signature to the site (which you can do), because of identity theft and all.
The name is my live signature , and it was quick and easy to follow the steps to create my signature. You can pick from limited fonts and colors, but it was cool for me to do it, as I've been wanting one for awhile now.

At the end, I chose to see the html code, which you want to right click and copy, then come back to your blog on your dashboard, go to settings, then formatting. Scroll all the way down to the bottom, then paste it into the template box. It should now appear on all new posts.
Fun, fun, fun!
Hope ya'll had a super weekend; it's looking up here, with finally some sunny days ahead. I should be able to do some digging in my flower beds, and I look forward to my annual Mother's day trip to the local garden center to pick out lots of flowers. What a fun tradition!

Step AWAY from the Christmas stuff, Susan

2009-05-02T14:41:00.004-06:00

O.K., so Spring will just not warm up here! It's overcast, cold, and still downright gloomy here in Colorado! I had been looking forward to going to The Paris Street Market for seriously months, and today was the opening day.

My husband came home and informed me that HE had to work the one and same Saturday, to my disamy. That means I get to stay home with my daughter.

What, you say? Just take her with you?

Let me just step out of the room and laugh.

I'll be back.

O.K. I'm back.

Not on your life.

Here would be the the dialogue:

Honey, don't touch that.. No, I said no, don't touch that. Yipes, that's breakable, I told you not to touch anything that looks breakable... Actually, don't touch ANYTHING! (Dealers giving me and her dirty looks.) HANDS OFF! (Now I'm giving her dirty looks.) Macie! How many times do I have to tell you not to pick up or touch anything? Hey, do you want to go sit in the car? I'll put you there if you touch ONE MORE THING! (and on and on and on.)

And that's if I don't lose her in the crowd of hundreds.

So. Now you get it.

Besides the fact that I hate being cold more than I hate, well, just about anything. And today is cold.

So we resigned ourselves to searching for the almost non-existant yard sales around the neigborhood. (It being cold and all.)

The first one we came to was just junk, but somehow my daughter talked me into buying her a Furbie.

The second was a picked over Estate sale that looked like it wasn't that great to begin with. I did score a cool aluminum ware tray, really large and pretty with detail.

I'll be using it at work, at the salon, to put over the top of my rolling tray that I put color bowls, cutting tools, etc on. Yes, my salon is that nice! Look how pretty!

Beautiful handles. Nice and big, for all of my "accoutrements". Cool word, that one. Snagged it for $4!

Then we met my dad for lunch, and on the way home, we spotted a sale sign, so we pulled in. This is where I found some cool old holiday decorations. First I spotted this large Tom and his wife ceramic turkey salt and pepper shaker. These are seriously really large, although it's hard to tell from a picture. I'm going to use them for display, not S&P. They are very old, which I love the look of.

Next, of course, I saw the Christmas stuff, and not just any ol' Christmas stuff. Cool ol' vintage Christmas stuff. Like, the Bonanza of Christmas stuff!
LOVE the little paperboard Christmas housed with the glitter, and bottle brush trees. Don't you love the Santa and the reindeer pulling the sleigh?

The little elves are all marked Japan on the bottom, nice and old.

Their faces and detail are so darling, don't you think?

Along with several Old bottle brush trees, faded to vintage perfection (not pictured), this rubber faced santa, the bottlebrush wreath, the spray with bells and the switch plate cover (so cute), were also in the box, as well as some hard plastic reindeer.

Also in there was an unusual assortment of these little mirrored ornaments, which were kinda cool.
I'm also a sucker for chalkware figures, so I snagged this angel, which also is a spinning music box, as part of the deal. She's my 4th chalkware angel, and plays Silent night.

All this for $7.00. I feel your jealousy oozing through into my family room right this second!

At this point, I'm not feelin' so bad about missing the Paris Market; after all, it will be here again in 4 weeks. Just think of the money I saved, not going today!

Let's yard sale and Hand Jive!

2009-04-26T17:37:00.010-06:00

How was your weekend, my friends? Mine was busy and fun. Macie and I decided on a snap to check out a couple of yard sales Friday morning before school.

Yard sale season is just beginning out here, with the weather slowly warming up. I love seeing those bright pink signs as I drive through the neighborhood, calling to me: Susan Susan Susan, come look through our junk, come spend money on something you think you need, but don't.

Hence, my finds this week that I really thought I needed, but really probably didn't.

A fun collage project book, with just the inspiration I need to use more of my paper ephemera. Also another french book, I can use the pages for in my projects. 50 cents and 10 cents.

A jar full of fairy glitter, and a cute small mason jar. 20 cents for both.

A baggie full of weird stuff. I bought it for the keys, there were a couple of old ones in there. The tokens were cute, too. They say parking tokens. 25 cents.

A set of four placecard holderd from World Market, I'll probably use these for something else. 50 cents.

A neat heavy wood plaque with a tin frame attached, I'll probably pry it off to use for something else. 50 cents

Old "pillow" book, Night before Christmas. This will be cool for Christmas projects. 10 cents

These were in a baggie with the next picture below. I love the little tree!
I love these little treat cups. These will be a tutorial for my "Christmas in July projects. Behind them is a paper cone covered in sheet music and tinsel trim. So cute. All with above picture: 50 cents.
A Gorham pewter Christmas ornament kitty cat, I bought this after I dropped Macie off at school. I'll slip it in her stocking for Christmas. Yes people, I DO shop early for the holidays. It's never too early to pick up little things here and there, is it?

A leather wallet, in perfect condition. 50 cents. Seriously.

The girls I work with are always changing the purses they carry. I sware they must have a whole wardrobe of purses for every outfit. Me? I'll carry the same purse forever, and not really think about it too much. At least that used to be me. Now I think I actually have three, count them, three purses I actually use on a regular basis. I'm learning, people. Why not do that with wallets, too?

Here are my daughter's treasures.

A Hello Kitty insulated lunch sack, a Benji book, (she loves the movies) and an American Girl book. No she's not a kindergarten reading genius, but she wanted to get the books for "someday". Ahh, a girl after my own heart!

She also got this adorable pink cowgirl hat. She'll probably never wear it, it seems a bit small for her head, but I'll snag it and use it in a display somewhere.

Ya, I know, I buy too much Christmas stuff, but I just can't resist! I'd like to find more Fall
/Halloween things, and more Spring and Easter things, too.

We also went to Macie's school '50's dance. She was so cute in her kitty "poodle" skirt, and I dressed up as a tacky beautician.

I caught this totally candid moment of her applying her eyesahdow and lipgloss before we left for the dance. Yikes, she looks so grown up!

My beautiful doll.

My friend and I hangin' at the dance.

There were hula hoop contests, and lots of dancing to the Hokie Pokie, the Chicken dance, and the Bunny hop, of course. I've never excercised so much in my life!

I even hung in there during the whole "hand jive" dance from the movie Grease. I picked it up pretty quick (she said proudly), but woke up the next morning with bruises on my hands from the continual fist banging during the song! Can you believe!

Then I worked on Saturday, making people beautiful, and solving vexing hair color problems. (Did I mention I'm a hairstylist by profession?)

All in a days work for a mommy, professional hairstylist, bona-fide crafter, and wife/handjive dancer!

Alphabet blocks bookmark

2009-04-23T21:02:00.006-06:00

Hey everyone out there in bloggy land! I've had a very creative week, so I thought I'd share another project with you.
You know I love 'em easy peasy, so here goes! We're making bookmarks out of old wooden alphabet blocks.
You'll need some old wood alphabet children's blocks, copped from a thrift store or yard sale. (or maybe your baby!)
Look for old books that have small illustrations you can cut out, to fit on the sides of the blocks. I used an old Little Golden book I found at the thrift store.

I layed the block on the pictures I thought would fit, then cut them out. You'll need 4 pictures.

I then used an antique colored decoupage glue, and glued them onto the 4 smooth sides of the block. The antique colored matches the color of the wood, making it look more original and old.

Make sure you coat them on the outside as well, once they're glued on to the block

.I trimmed as needed, and overlapped edges as I went, so there was no bare wood showing. The glue will help you seal it all up nice. My blocks were from the 80's, but looked brand new and too shiny, so I took my Mouse hand sander, and just made it look a little worn on the painted parts, and a little on the glued edges, to wear it.

Then I took a small eye and hook attachment, but first drilled into the bottom of the block with a very small drill bit, to get it started. Screw it up into the block, until tight. I got these at Home Depot, in the hardware dept.

See how the edges overlap?

I used fat ribbon, trimmed as long as I needed, and strung through the eye hook, then knotted and finished. I did one hook on the bottom, and one on the top.
How cute is that?

Hope this sparks your imagination to create one of these little beauties. I'd love to see them, let me know if you do!

Antique silverware project

2009-04-21T21:08:00.007-06:00

Finally! Here is my silverware project I promised so long ago!

This is very simple, but first I must give credit for the idea to Rechelle at Walnuthaven Cottage for this fabulous idea. Go check out her version of framed silverware, and then hop on over to cherrysjubilee. She did domething similar, but with old child's school scissors. Love them both!

I rounded up my old antique silverware pieces, then went on the hunt at Goodwill for 2 matching frames. Here's what they looked like before:

Yikes! I know!
Pick a favorite scrapbook paper, preferrably with a smaller print, so it won't compete with the patterns in the silverware. Attach to the back of the frame, and reinsert into frame, securing with staples.
Play with the positioning of the silverware, until it looks right, then hot glue your pieces to your scrapbook backing. Hot glue will not ruin your pieces, and will come off when you want to repurpose them.
That's it! Here's my version, below.

Sorry for the yellow cast, I think that's my flash

A very simple redo, and the frames were 1.99 a piece, and I already had the silverware. If you don't have any, search at thrift stores and yard sales, or see if an antique store has odd mismatched pieces they'll sell for cheap.

Happy hunting!

Paper banner tutorial

2009-04-19T21:11:00.008-06:00

Good morning, all!

Today I thought I'd show you a simple little craft you can do, with a computer, some ribbon, and some printed scrapbook paper.

I saw this on someone else's blog, and was going to give her credit and link back, but her blog disappeared, so what's a girl to do but take full credit for the idea?

I'm sure alot of you have done different versions of this, but here's mine.
This is a paper banner, in which I made my daughter's name to hang in her room.

First, I downloaded some fonts from dafont, and 1001 free fonts. You'll need a chunkier font for this to work.. I chose Callistroke. Edit: I forgot to add that you need to format the font to be outline only, so it prints correctly.
Then print out the letters you want, doing a test on plain computer paper first, to make sure they're all matching in size.

Note: I didn't know how to make my font really large, to fit a 8 1/2 x 11 size, so I found out and here's how: highlight your letter, then in your toolbar, choose format> fonts> then adjust the font size in the box, playing with it until you reach the desired size you want.

When everything looks good, print your letters out on your printed cardstock.

Mount on heavier cardstock, to make your letters sturdier, then cut out.

Punch holes in the top of each letter in a spot where the letters will hang balanced.

String through with ribbon, jute, string, or whatever makes yours unique!

As you can see in the close ups, the font I chose has lines inside the font. I think it gives it a little more of a 3d look, not so flat.

This would be a cute project to do with any word, like HOME, or FAITH, or your family name. Be creative, and have fun!

I also wanted to share small project with vinyl lettering I did for Macie's room.

I ordered the vinyl lettering through Uppercase Living, but almost everyone knows someone who has their own vinyl cutter nowadays. (Is that a word?)

I ordered the lettering mirrored, which means they cut the vinyl with the sticky side on the front.

I removed the back from the frame, then stuck the lettering on the glass from the back, then added the flower last.

You'll need to hot glue the glass back to the inside edge of the frame to secure it. Embellish with ribbon to hang. Super simple!

This week will bring my long awaited silverware project, and maybe a couple of other surprises and home decor ideas from Jo Packhams book I talked about last week. It's supposed to be a really warm week here, so I'll be able to do more of my projects.

Have a beautiful day, my bloggy friends.

Some snow, some sugar, and a crockpot

2009-04-18T10:57:00.005-06:00

Yes, once again, snow has hit us! We've had literally no snow all winter, and once spring came, so did the snow. Here is a view out my front door. So I thought...

Why not make some Monkey bread? Yummy!

How can you resist all that brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon?

I've seen this recipe floating around for years, but never paid much attention until last Christmas, I was getting bored with quick store bought cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. I made these, and boy were they good. Good and fast, with that Islavedoverthisandtheyare definatelyhomemadetaste!

I took this recipe, and tweeked it to make it my own. Will I share? Of course!

Homemade Monkey bread

1/2 Cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cans Grands Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 stick of butter, no substitutes

Heat oven to 350F, lightly spray a fluted bunt pan with cooking oil.

In a large ziplock bag, mix white sugar and the cinnamon. Open biscuits, and cut each one into 4 pieces, then a few at a time, shake in sugar mixture, until all are coated.

Mix melted butter and brown sugar together.

Place half of the coated biscuit pieces in the bunt pan, and pour half of the brown sugar mix over the pieces, then repeat with the second layer of biscuits, pouring the second half of the brown sugar mix to finish the top. If you want the walnuts and raisins in there, just sprinkle them among the two layers evenly.

Bake 30 minutes, uncovered, then pull out to see if the layers are cooked all the way through. I always have to cover it with foil, then bake it an additional 10-12 minutes, to finish it off.

Pull from the oven and eat while still hot. Yumm-o!

My daughter loves the snow, so we bundled her up, to go out and help Dad shovel. That lasted about 10 minutes, then she was off to the backyard to play by herself!

Then, she came in and was treated to some hot chocolate, her favorite.

After that, I assembled everything to put in the crockpot for some hot split pea soup for dinner tonight. If I'm feeling really energetic (which I doubt), I may make some homemade biscuits.

I have to tell you about my crockpot. Last night for dinner, I decided to do some BBQ chicken in the crockpot. I put the stuff in, and turned it on, and forgot about it, like you're supposed to do. I was so busy sewing the poodle skirt, and doing other things, I didn't really notice there was no yummy smells filling the house.

At 5:30, I go up to check dinner, and the crockpot had apparently decided to give up the ghost, AKA die!

I fiddled with the knobs, plugged and unplugged it, and nothing! Stupid thing!

I can say that, because I've always hated my newer crockpot.

About 3 years ago, I bought a bigger, fancy stainless steel looking one, to replace my smaller, totally 90's looking one.

The only thing I liked about it was that it was bigger, so you could cook more food. But it really was weird, because even on low, it vigorously boiled everything to death! The lid rattled to no end the whole time, and you couldn't leave it for the day to cook stuff, or it was burned to a crisp when you came home!

I'm glad it died, because now I can go buy a new one, how cool is that?

Here's my old trusty one, below, that is happy to come out of the cupboard, and tirelessly serve our family, once again.
.

I actually think the pattern on it is rather cute!

The soup is a really easy recipe, which I'll also share with you. I used leftover ham from Easter dinner last week.

"No Hassle" Split pea soup

1 lb. dry green split peas (soak overnight)

4 C. water

3/4 lb. ham, cubed

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 Tb chicken bouillion

1/2 C. celery, chopped

1 C. carrots, sliced

1/4 C. onions

1 bay leaf

Drain peas after soaking overnight, and add all ingredients to your crockpot. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours, or high 4-5 hours.

This fit in my smaller crockpot fine, and was plenty with leftovers. Double and put into the bigger size if you have a large family.

Enjoy!

With the cold temperatures, I will not be able to do my silverware project, due to spray painting in a cold garage gives me the shivers, so stay tuned. Instead I'll be working on something indoors.

Buttons and a poodle skirt?

2009-04-17T16:27:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I was looking at the thrift store, for important purposes, of course. My daughter's school is having a fun 50's dance next week, so I was trying to find a couple of things for our costumes.

I've decided to dress up as a 50's beautician, complete with ugly white smock top, bouffant hair, and cat eye glasses. My husband will be a greaser, and my daughter of course, had to have a poodle skirt. (More on that later).

I cruised the store, and in the back craft area, I found the most amazing buttons.

I bought 2 bags that had old buttons still on the cards, and a whole bag of loose buttons. There are some really old ones in here!

I may put some in my soon to be Etsy shop, so let me know if you're interested

I know! There's more!

The rhinestone pin in the middle of the picture was mixed in with the loose buttons. What a nice surprise!
I also found the missing pieces that I need to start my silverware project I promised was coming! Yay!
I will be working on that tomorrow, and hopefully posting on it soon. It's snowing here in Colorado, and ~~our garage~~ my workshop is freezing, so no spray painting unless I get brave.

So for the 50's dance, I decided I could make a poodle skirt myself, although technically I don't really sew! I do have a great old Singer sewing machine from the 1970's, given to me by my MIL. It was her husband's mom's, and is really a great machine. I've done small things here and there, nothing big.

Here she is, in all her 70's glory. I've actually been told to hold on to this old machine, because they were built so much better than the new ones! I think it's true, what do you think?

My friend came over and helped me get it going again, and explained a few fundamentals of sewing. So today I got out the pattern, and put it together pretty easily. The only part I got stuck on was the waist piece. I only pinned and unpinned it about 16 times, trying to interpret the pattern to get it right! Then I had to go back and shorten the length, which was waaay to long for a 6 year old! What do they think 6 year old are supposed to be, Amazons?

My daughter decided upon looking at the pattern that she wanted a kitty skirt, like the pink one in the picture (did I mention she'd CRAZY about kitty cats?) No poodles for this little miss!

So here it is!

The kitty turned out so cute, and reminds me of a stuffed cat my Aunt gave me when I was young. I think I'm more excited for her to wear it, than she is! I can't wait to get her all dressed up, and show her what the 50's was all about. (Of course, I wasn't there, but you know!)

Ugg, my husband just informed me we have a leak somewhere, 'cause there's water coming down from the ceiling where our window seat is situated. Off to see what's up!
Have a super weekend!

It's finally Spring and vintage bottle ideas

2009-04-14T16:03:00.016-06:00

Yes, my Grape Hyacinths are finally up, and my Alyssum is in full bloom! One of my clients gave me several starts off of what she had in her garden, and the Alyssum was one of them. If you have a spot where you want low growing flowers that will spread like crazy, then this is the plant for you! I've had to dig quite a bit of it up this year and last, because it will spread through your beds, creating a messy look.
Can you see the honey bee on the last flower on the right, at the bottom? He seems quite happy!

I'm also digging up a very stubborn Russian Sage, because I have new plans for the area it's in now. I gave up after awhile, saving the last bit of digging for my husband when he gets home. (He doesn't know it, yet!)

Here's my little helper in her Home Depot apron.

I can't wait to really get digging inn my beds when I have more time.

I also have some pictures to inspire you on ways to dress up a vintage bottle. I scored a couple of old bottles last year, at the antique market, and one at a yard sale. You also remember the large green glass bottle I bought at the thrift store last week. Well, here are the little darlings all gussied up!

I took a beaded bracelet, and threaded the antique brass butterfly pendant through it, then hung an old gold locket from it's chain, to add some length. Then I clipped on a square earring onto the bracelet, and finished off the top with a gold button.

A close up of the gold locket.

This one below is a blue bottle, rather heavy, and I dressed it with a vintage paper luggage advertisement, a snippet from a french manual, an old button, and then hung an inspirational verse on an old card, strung with an old pearl button. I topped it off with some french ribbon in a yummy purple.

Tag with button

This last one was a small bottle I got for $1 at the antique market. I decoupaged on a torn page from a french book, then stuck on an old Victorian label, then tied on a vintage metal button with red ribbon. Beautiful!

A close up of the cool button

Hope this inspires you to create! Stay tuned for more fun projects in the works, including a custom name banner you can make for your kids room!

Have a Happy Spring!

Happy Easter to all!

2009-04-12T08:29:00.004-06:00

Happy Easter to all! God bless your day and all that you do!

Shelf project idea and laundry area 95% complete!

2009-04-11T10:50:00.012-06:00

Happy Easter weekend, ya'll! It is rainy and very windy here today in Colorado, but that persistant ol' sun that we enjoy so much is trying hard to peek through the clouds! I really wanted to go out and work in the garden this morning, but it'll have to wait for another day!

We are going to my niece's house this afternoon to have an Easter egg hunt and enjoy some good food and good company.

Here is the shelf makeover I promised you. Remember the before from my last post? I bought it at a thrift store, and didn't look on the back until last night, when I went to spray paint it. It's marked Longaberger! What a cool find! I almost was afraid to paint it, and then thought, well, I hate it the way it is, so here we go!

Here's another pic of the before:

First, removed the pegs. To do this without losing your mind, take a kitchen towel, and wrap over each peg to protect the wood. Take your hammer, tapping firmly on the end of each peg, to loosen from the hole. Wahlah! Pegs are out!

Then I spay painted it black. Note to self: DO NOT buy the cheapest spray paint, thinking you're saving money cause well, spray paint is spray paint, right? WRONG! I had to do about 1,000 coats to get it to cover, and I just about threw the shelf across the room. (Just kidding, but close!)

2nd note to self: DO NOT think that matte spray paint, and flat spray paint are the same; they ARE NOT. Flat is awful, so I had to finish the shelf off with a satin finish spray paint. Then all was well in Chickadee's land.

After everything is painted to satisfaction, measure your shelf, and pick a coordinating scrapbook paper to accent your shelf with. I settled on paper #3, after trying assorted prints that would go with my family room downstairs.

I then decoupaged the paper onto the flat front under the shelves edge. Feel with your fingers for the original peg holes, and push gently to open the hole back up. Then take your pegs, and pound them back in with a hammer, making sure again to protect your wood by covering the peg top while pounding.

Here is the finished shelf. I love the vintage look of the pattern on this paper. It is old letters and postcards

A close up

Here it is on the wall, complete with all it will hold. Underneath is two metal bins I got at a thrift store a few weeks ago, that are marked PotteryBarn (I'm all about the name brand!). They are perfect to hold all of Macie's shoes.

This area I created with the shelf and the bins sits just as you walk in from the garage into the family room. It's the perfect spot for her to hang coats, her backpack, and drop her shoes.

I feel so organized, what can I say?

My laundry room makeover is also almost complete. Read about it here. The only thing we haven't yet done is to move out the W/D and use our stick on tiles to complete the floor. We did finally get the cabinets hung, and I put my knobs on the doors last night.

I don't have a pic of the before, but trust me, it was bad.

The walls had so many nail and screw marks, and it had never been painted since before we moved in. There were open shelves, so you could see all the junk we were storing on them, all jumbled and messy.

I painted it with a color called Navajo White, took the shelves down, and replaced it with my Craigs list cabinets. Added knobs, put a clip on shade over the bare hanging bulb, and added a nice pull chain.

I pulled all the metal together, color-wise, by using my oil-rubbed bronze I talked about previous.. Like I said in my other post, really underwhelming for most people looking at the pics, but HUGE for me, with how bad it was before!

My lovely new pull chain!

New knobs with new finish

My clip on lamp shade with spray painted finial

Now I just need to add a cute little sign, or some rub one vinyl lettering, to spruce it up a bit more. Thanks for tuning in, and let me know what you think!

Have a safe and fun Easter, everyone! God bless you all!

Thrift store Thursday

2009-04-09T18:30:00.012-06:00

No, I'm not starting another weekly tradition (I don't think) but it's pretty catchy, don'tcha think? I went thrift hunting, it's Thursday.... you do the math!

I thought I'd share pics of the cute things I found today. Someone commented to me that I needed to go down to Lakewood and check out Mile High thrift, which I did today. I also stopped at Savers, too, cause it was about 4 minutes from there.

Here's what I found:

A yummy decorating book by Jo Packham. If you've never seen her stuff, you just gotta! Price: $2.99

Love this layout, with the bird's nest pillow and the bird bath statue in front of the plants.
Nice mantle layouts.

I'm a sucker for holiday items. I already have too much Christmas stuff, so I need to step away from accumulating more! This is a cute quilted table runner (folded in half) and a Hallmark Christmas CD featuring Amy Grant. Price: Runner,$ 2.99, CD $1.99.

A silver tray, price tag visible so you can be jealous, that I'll use somewhere, just had to have it!
Price: $ 2.95

Lots more trim, I just couldn't resist, because there were colors I don't yet have. Price :$1.99 for all!

A wooden shelf with peg hooks. This will get a makeover, which I'll be sharing this weekend, so stay tuned! Price: $3.95
Cute vintage style glass jar. This will hold my cotton pads in the bathroom. Price: $1.95
A super cute silk belt, the flowers are more of a watermelon pink that orangey like the pic looks. Price: $.95
Little china man planter. This will be made over into a pin cushion, and put in my soon to be Etsy shop! Price: $1.95

Nice large basket, my current plan is to corral my daughter's many stuffed animals, to keep them off of my family room floor! Price: $5.95

Vintage style heavy glass green bottle. I didn't need this at all, but it was only.... .95 cents!

Awesome white glass compote. I've wanted one of these for awhile. I think I'll use it in the bedroom or eventually the bathroom. Any great decorating ideas for this one? Let me know!

Love the detail on the stem! Price: $5.95

I had fun searching for treasures today, but the funnest is bringing it home and decorating my nest with the perfect new touches! Happy thrifting, friends!

More vintage Jewelry!

2009-04-06T19:49:00.008-06:00

Well. folks, I totally dropped the ball On Spice up your life Sunday yesterday! We've had family in town, so we were busy catching up with them last night!

On a better note, I promised you that at some point I would show you more of my beautiful vintage jewelry that my MIL gave to me.

We'll start with some beautiful brooches. This red and white one I love to wear on a coat or sweater during the holidays.

These are the oldest of all the jewelry, Victorian era, and I think the stones are real. Yowza! I've worn these several times, and always feel special when I do.

The shape and color of this one below are so perfect for the Holidays, too.

This one is a beautiful Blue sapphire and heavy. I haven't worn this one yet. I don't wear much blue, but I need to figure out what would match with this one. Any ideas?

This is a set of several rhinestone necklaces, with a matching set of earrings and a bracelet.

Look at the detail on this one! So pretty!

Love this one, too!

This one is a ring, made of pearl. I don't know if they're real or not, but they are attatched by sewing them onto a stretchy gold material, which fits my skinny finger perfectly.

I feel privledged to own these special pieces of history, and the keepsakes of someone long ago.

I want to end with another favorite quote, one I printed and framed in a small frame, that sits at my computer desk, to remind me of the "important things."

Life is mostly froth and bubble: two things stand like stone- Kindness in another's trouble, and Courage in your own.

~A.L. Gordon

Have a great week!

Projects in the works

2009-04-04T15:43:00.011-06:00

Well, I'm still waiting for my laundry area to be complete! My husband needs to enlist the help of a friend, to help hang the cabinets above the washer and dryer, so seriously, who KNOWS when that will happen!

I did drag him to Home Depot this afternoon, however, to get a few small things. I picked out 4 knobs to spruce up the cabinets, a cute pull chain for the lightbulb, a clip on lamp shade to cover one and same bare hanging bulb over the W/D. Yes, you can buy a clip on to dress it up. Cool huh?

All of these items had their own shade of metal, from ugly gold to silver, to a fake aged bronze. I saw on someone else's blog, about this Spray paint by Rustoleum called Oil rubbed Bronze.

Here are the pieces, waiting for their friend, Mr. Spray paint.

Here is a before and after of two tall standing lamps I've had for years, that were that bright gold. Cool back in the day, but not now! Yuck....

Awesome with their new coat of Oil rubbed bronze!

I will be spray painting the knobs, finial for the clip on, and the pull chain, which will spruce up the laundry area greatly!

Also, I saw my friend at the salon I work at using this cool stick on "tile" which is actually vinyl tile. You seriously just peel the back off and stick down! We will be installing this on our cement laundry floor, under the W/D, to make it look finished.

We picked a very neutral color called Mojave White (mainly cause it was one of the cheapest!) The whole box, which will cover a 12x 12 area cost $28! Super cool!

When we get it done, I'll post some pics!

I also finally completed my Spice up your Life Sunday challenge to pick out some flowers for myself. If you haven't participated, read about it here.

I was soo wanting to get tulips, my favorite, but I broke the mold and got a Freesia plant, which has beautiful blooms, and can be planted in my garden as soon as it warms up here in Colorado. I just has to take a pic of it in front of my patio door, showing the snow that has returned again today!

I also completed cleaning out all of my paper clutter, and although I don't have a large space, I have conquered it for now!

All incoming mail goes into the brown basket, instead of getting dumped on the kitchen table.

The black and white caddy next to it I made at a class at Archivers. We painted a plain brown caddy with cream paint, then covered it with cute patterned scrapbook paper. Then we designated each cubbie for certain things, like bills, notes, pens, receipts, etc. It has cute areas on the front to add pictures.

This is a cute pocket to hold receipts, which fits into the caddy.

If you are very crafty, you can probably do this yourself, to create something similar!

I was unable to creat a framed board for clipping notes, etc, to, because I didn't have the wall space in my kitchen to hang one, darn it!

Also, stay tuned for a super cute idea for kitchen decor using these below:

Have a crafty Saturday!

I'm working on it!

2009-04-02T16:11:00.006-06:00

Yes, I'm still working on organizing my paper clutter! I've gathered it from the four corners of the ~~earth~~ kitchen, and put it all on the kitchen table to go through.
The hardest part is finding a place for everything, and then having a system in place for keeping it off the table, the microwave, and two other hot spots in my kitchen.
I've also been painting my little laundry closet, and we're going to hang the cabinets we bought off Craigs List, and maybe a cute sign to spruce it up. I'll post pics of the "underwhelming" afters, when we get it done.
It was also a day to clean the bathroom, do lots of laundry, and get several bags ready for an upcoming fundraiser yard sale for our church group. Whew!
Wish me luck on the ongoing battle of paper clutter, and if you've devised a way to keep yours under control, let me know!

Quote for the day:

In April, all over America, the doors fly open, fresh air permeates & the spring cleaning ritual begins. Storm windows come down, blankets & pillows flap from clotheslines (among crowds of daffodils) & dust bunnies are evacuated to the great outdoors to be recycled by home-minded songbirds. The breeze through the open windows carries the fresh smell of the blooming earth.

~ Susan Branch

Happy spring!

Let's get organized

2009-03-29T21:27:00.007-06:00

Yes it's Spice up your Life Sunday, once again! I know I'm posting late, but today I just had to take a long nap after church, seeing as I was up until almost midnight last night, painting and cleaning. I'm working on my family room, and laundry area. We're almost there. I bought some cabinets on Craigs List for above the washer/dryer, so I can shut stuff away, so no-one sees MY clutter!

I just read that the last week in March is Clutter control week! Goes right along with the Spring cleaning bug we all get at this time of year. I've been ruthless, cleaning and tossing stuff that should've seen the trash or the donation center a LONG time ago. It feels so good, freeing up the space!

Hence, my SUYLSunday will fit right in with this.

Your challenge for the week is to tackle ONE area of your home that has been driving you CRAZY! If you feel really motivated, do more!

Maybe it's the medicine cabinet, you know, the one that everytime you open it, you have to move stuff and dig around everything to find your toothpaste. (That's me.)

Or the kitchen cupboard that has 2 million Tupperwares that fall out when you open it. And isn't it ironic how you can NEVER find a lid to match the container you need!? (That used to be me!)

I happen to have a couple of hotspots that accumulate paper clutter on a constant basis. I shift the paper from place to place, because I haven't come up with a organizational solution for it yet. That is what I intend to do this week.

Here are a few websites to motivate and help get you started on your quest this week.

clutterdietblog is a good one as well as getorganizedtips. Tons of articles and tips for getting stuff organized. The other one is a blog that also has a ton of good tips and articles, as well as stuff you can purchase to help the issues you're facing. Check 'em out!

The other thing that motivates me to get cleaning and unclutter my life is to look at home decorator magazines, like House Beautiful, or Country Decorating Ideas. Then I can't stand to live in a messy, cluttered house one more second!
I want my living room to look like this one, below. NO Polly Pockets, no mismatched Barbie shoes (oops, just vacuumed one up), and no smashed cereal in the carpet. Just......clean!

I love this idea from Pottery Barn, but I don't like the $129 price tag. I can make these myself for paper clutter, out of an old frame and some material. Stay tuned!
Keep at it girls! I know it's hard to get rid of things we think we'll use again, but guess what? You probably won't, and if you suddenly did need it, you can go buy another one easily.
Free up your space, feel the clutter leaving, and look forward to less stress, and an easier life!

I'll leave you with a quote from my quote book, which I talked about in this post.

Courage does not always roar. Sometimes courage is the small voice at the end of the day saying "I will try again tomorrow". -unknown

Happy organizing!

Happy "Spring!"

2009-03-27T14:42:00.001-06:00

My favorite age... 6

2009-03-26T10:39:00.005-06:00

I know I just posted, but I had to join (a day late) the writers workshop over at Mama's losin it. The prompt I chose was if you could go back in time, what age would you pick (or something like that).

I picked age 6, kindergarten. Maybe it's cause I have a kindergartener in the house, and she's so cute with her first tooth missing.

Maybe it's cause it was an age for me when I still didn't care about what other kids thought about me. You know, when you're just zen all the time, running around with bed head, mismatched clothes, and food on your face, AND YOU COULD CARE LESS! (Note delirious happy look on my face, DESPITE the fact that my mom chopped up my bangs royally!)

For the most part, you were also too young to help around the house, hence, NO CHORES! How cool is that! No dishes, no dusting, and definately no vacuuming! Just playing playing, playing.

My favorite toys in kindergarten were Fisher Price Little People. I had the house, the school, and the Happy Houseboat, for the bathtub. My friend Lyra had the house too, so together, we had quite a stash. Good times, pretend playing with those little wood bodied people.

Little did I know until Ebay came along, about all the other LP stuff out there that I never had. Wow!

As a kid, I didn't go to the store all the time like consumer savvy kids of today. We got what we got for Christmas, and birthday, and THAT WAS IT! That's all we knew existed out there in the big world of toys.

My daughter, before she could even read, could look through the BIG TOY BOOK, and knew ALL the names of ALL the toys coming out every holiday season, dead on! (Yes, she probably watches too much TV!)

School was easy back then too, unlike today. Kindergarten consisted of crafts, snacks, nap, and recess. Oh, and singing in circle time.

Now? My daughter has no nap, no snack, and has to read and write CORRECTLY, mind you!

She has art occassionally, but it's mostly academic. Thankfully, my admittedly slacker daughter has picked up reading quickly, and is above level, for now.

So that's it. May I go back to be a 6 year old kindergartener, carefree and cute.

Snow Day!

2009-03-26T09:19:00.004-06:00

My daughter's principal called us this morning to say that school was cancelled for today! Talk about personal service! Actually, she is an afternoon "Kindie", so they wanted to make sure we didn't show up at 12 and have to drive back home. We're forecasted to get anywhere from 10-16 inches by tomorrow morning. Yikes!

I'm excited to have a snow day with my daughter, and just watch movies, eat snacks, and cuddle.

Here in Colorado, we have had a dismal, dry winter, which in turn leads to wildfire problems around the state, not to mention watering restrictions for our lawns. The city I live in has had water restrictions for years, and so we never have that beautiful, green lawn that I long for. We worked so hard last year especially, on our backyard, to get all the grass to grow consistantly across the yard. We sodded some really sad, bare areas, and reseeded some thin areas. We cheated (don't tell!) on our watering days, and watered longer, to keep the sod from dying.

Who knew you had to water 2+ hours a day for several weeks, in order to get sod to take root? Umm, not us! We killed several batches the 2 summers before, from minimally watering, not realizing how much it really needed! We finally figured it out this last summer, and got it to take root.

Looking at it as things start to warm up, and knowing we've had literally had NO moisture this winter, I can see alot of the sodded area has only bare dirt, and no grass anywhere! So frustrating! Looks like we'll probably have to seed or sod again this spring

On a lighter note, I did the Spice up your life Sunday challenge, and went to the library to pick a book I normally wouldn't read. I actually picked two! Here's what I came up with:

The first book, Babylon's Ark, is an true story about the experience of rescuing the animals of the Baghdad Zoo during the War. It took the efforts of conservationists, soldiers, and civilians, to put aside their differences to save these animals. Not a book I would normally pick, but I think I'll like it.

The second book is the Official guide to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Again, I wouldn't have sought out this book to read, but I thought hmmm, I'll learn something cool if I pick this one.

Picking out something different than I normally would was much tougher than I though it would be! I kept passing stuff by, thinking, Eh, I don't like that one, or No, that looks boring. But then I said, Hey, that's the point of this whole exercise, Susan! To pick something you normally wouldn't!

Have you picked your books yet? If not, get out there and do it, you might be pleasantly surprised!

Me? I'll be reading and snuggling, watching the fluffy snow come down, knowing I'm safe inside.

Have a great day, whatever the weather, and whatever your book! Happy reading!

Please forgive me

2009-03-22T16:30:00.013-06:00

Spice up your life Sunday

Yes, it's Spice up your life Sunday once again, and yes, it's been a week since my last post! I also must ask forgiveness for those of you reading, for I myself, did not even get around to taking last week's challenge! My week was so busy, and we've had record breaking warm temperature's here in Colorado, so I had to play a little outside!

You'll have to just enjoy a picture of the current arrangement on my kitchen table of my silk sunflowers!

The cute little bunny with his festive ribbon next to the flowers came home from the thrift store on Thursday with me. (Of course I had time to thrift shop!) I will get to your new challenge in a sec, but I thought I'd share a couple of other things I've repurposed and now enjoy in my house, as well. This small aluminum wear tray with scrolly handle I bought for 99 cents, and now holds my napkins at the kitchen table. Cute, Eh?

I copied this idea below from the blog the happy homebody. If you haven't yet checked out this adorable blog, go one over and tell her I sent ya. She has darling home decorating ideas. This was my version of the hanging pitcher. I already had the pitcher and flowers, and I scored the hook at you know where, and spray painted it black to match my kitchen decor. The rooster tray above it I bought just this week at Ross on clearance for $2.99! Super cool!

I love this cute little silver creamer. It is now used to hold the very necessary dixie cups we use everyday in the bathroom. Adds a cottage look for very little money.

The next several pics are of an old paper cigar box someone gave me at a yard sale for FREE last summer. It was just waiting for the perfect redo, so here's what I did:
I measured the box, and when I say measured, I mean loosely (I suck at numbers!) Then I used two coordinating scrapbook papers to cover the sides and the inside lid. For the top I used a graphic from a book I love by Memories of a Lifetime, called Florals and Nature. It comes with a CD of all the vintage images, and you can print whatever you want right away. The quality of these images is unbelievable, and I love old images!

I added some gold trim around the entire edge with tacky glue, and then finished it off in the front with an old clip in earring. I stamped the word "trims" with yes, my mini alphabet stamp set.
On the inside, you can see all of my darling trim that I have found at various thrift stores, all neatly tucked in.
Here's a view of the inside lid, where I glued an original library pocket, then stamped it with an image of a vintage key, and added a butterfly sticker. Tucked in the pocket is a scrap of paper my 5 year old doodled on, practicing writing her name over and over: Macie Macie Macie Macie. So cute!
Hope I gave you some great ideas for treasures to look for when you're out thrifting!

O.K., so I didn't get to the florists this week to pick up some fresh flowers to fill my home with cheer. If you're just joining us for Spice up your life Sunday, you can go and get some flowers for yourself this week, and take me up on this week challenge, which is....

Go to your local library sometime this week, and I want you to check out a totally different book than you normaly would. Sounds easy, right? Well, maybe, but there is a world of books out there that are so out of my realm, that I never even knew existed. If you haven't been to the library in eons, it's time to head on over and see what you're missing!

Don't make a safe choice as you browse, but do look for something that peaks your interest. You might not normally glance twice at something, if you had to buy it, but just remember, your borrowing it.

At the library, it's cake! It's not like you're wasting money on something you're just borrowing . No harm done if it sucks! Think outside the box and start on a journey to try something new this week. Maybe a how-to book, or a biography, or a self-help. (I like those, cuz I need a lot of help!)

I want comments, comments, comment! I want to know WHAT you checked out, and HOW it went. I will be updating you this week, too, on my flower purchase, AND my book choice.

Good luck, and Happy Sunday!

Spice up your life Sunday

2009-03-15T16:00:00.006-06:00

Here's a new feature I'm starting, that will run every Sunday.

Yes folks, stop on by every Sunday to spice up your lives. It's that easy, that good, that fun!

Has your life been stuck in a rut? Do you do the same things, day in and day out? Could you just SCREAM from all the mundane motions you feebly attempt, day after day? No adventure, no excitement, no exileration?

Then Spice up your Sunday is for YOU!

Yes, that's right, stop on by The Cozy Chickadee every Sunday, and get your tip for spicing up your average everyday ordinary life.

I actually got the motivation to start this little adventure from a book, which shall remain nameless, that suggest the simple and everyday things we can do to add adventure and fun to our lives.

I think we get stuck in a rut, and do the same things, over and over. We never shake up the routine, we never step outside the box, we never want to shake things up, or try anything different.

Well this, my friends, is the end of that! Go with me on a journey, to change your routine, your life, your outlook, by doing the simple things I suggest, once a week, and see that you don't find you're living a happier life!

Here's what I mean:

Have you bought the same 2-3 salad dressings, for years on end?

Do you drive the same way to work, the store, your friends house?

Can you remeber the last time you had 2 or more hours, all to yourself, to do whatever you wanted?

Have you tried that cute new restaraunt you keep driving by, or do you always end up at the old standby?

Have you ever bought yourself a new perfume or body spray, or do you just wear the same one?

Are the throw pillows on your sofa or bed the SAME ones from years ago?

Is your closet full of safe, predictable clothes, in the same color pallet as you've always worn?

See what I mean?

It's a proven fact that people who try new things, and shake up the old routine, stimulate their brain on a regular basis, and lead happier lives. Don't be afraid to try or do something new. There are so many cool things out there, just calling your name, if you'll open up and hear them.

I'm going to start with easy things, to give you some motivation to get going. I will be doing these things as well, and reporting back. So let's get started, shall we.

I love this weeks Spice up my Sunday challenge. It is simply this:

This week, I want you to go to your local florist, and pick out some flowers that speak to your soul. Not your regular one that you would pick, mind you! Something different.
I think everyone has a favorite "standby" flower, that they love to pick up or receive now and again. My favorite has always been tulips. Love the cheery colors, the shape, the memories of Spring that they envoke.

I want you to just wander around, and look at all the different flowers they have to offer, and pick something else beside your regular favorite.

Enjoy the colors, the shapes, the scents, and just being in such a pretty place. Bring them home, and give them a prominent place in your home. Place them in a creative container, depending on your style. Here are a couple of ideas I love:

I believe having fresh flowers in your home makes you feel so good, and adds a cheeriness all it's own.

If you can't get to the florists, or don't have one nearby, the market will have to do, and even they have a decent selection of flowers and plants.

It is finally starting to warm up here in Colorado, and I itch to be out in the soil, digging it up, and getting my beds ready for the Spring. Until I can cut my own fresh flowers, I'll have to make do with some from the store.

If you'd like to take the Spice challenge, leave a comment below, and let me know what you picked from the store. If you post about it, leave the link to your blog, I'd love to see all the pictures.

Have a flowery day!

My very own spot!

2009-03-12T12:14:00.015-06:00

I was over at Daisy Cottage, and adorable blog done by Kim, and she posted about how important it is to have your own space, a space that is uniquely yours. Go on over and visit, and tell her I sent ya! (I'm not afraid to ask for credit!) I decided to post about my journey to creating my own space.
In the last few months, I had soo wanted one, but just couldn't figure out where to put it!
I wanted a space to craft and create in, because I hadn't done anything creative in so long! I kept looking at this wall in our "Master" bedroom, and when I say Master, I say it loosely. (It's so small!)

On that wall was an old cedar lined chest that was my Grandmas, given to me in my late teenage years by one of my Aunts. I took it more for storage purposes, than anything, and moved it around with me through the years. The thing is huge, like bigger that your average charming cedar chest, made of walnut, and is a 1930's art deco 'waterfall style".

I decided it had to go, because I pictured me putting a long table there, so I could set up a craft area. The big dilema? I had NOWHERE else in my small house to put the chest!

I decided to call my cousin, and offer it to her, after all, it was my grandma's, and I knew it had to stay in the family. She gladly took it, and my craft area was born.

Below are some pictures I took of my little area that I use all the time.

I took one of those cheap bookshelfs that you put together yourself, and put it on my table, to create "shelves" at the right height for me.

I am a ribbon addict, and have another whole box up on the shelf, to use in all of my projects.

I don't do alot of stamping, but I love the ones that are very vintage-y, and I use my mini alphabet stamps all the time. The standing lamp next to the table was a yard sale find for $3!

I found this little metal box at Goodwill for .99 cents, and it was this ugly gold. I painted it with cream white paint, and then glued on a cute picture from an old children's book, then stamped the word " Play" in brown ink. I also glued an old button on the flap of the lid where you pull it open. Look what's inside.....

Some of my favorite old buttons and earrings for my many projects!

The old copper sugar bowl (I think), had lost it's lid, so I use it for pens, scissors, etc.

The box below was also a thrift store find. I painted it on the bottom, and then glued ric rac around it, and adhered buttons on each side. The top was blue, so I kept that, and went through my vintage postcards, finding the perfect one to glue to the top. I keep my tags in there.

I have alot of old books, that I use the pages and illustrations out of. I'll have to post closer up pictures of some of the cool pages in these.

A metal shelf from a garage sale ($1) holds my decorative scissors in a handy place, and I put some of my fave pics of my daughter as a baby. I painted the edge my favorite color, Robin's egg blue.

I love old buttons, and keep many of them in an old mason jar, so I can dump it, and dig through.
I put a bubble gum pink vinyl leter on the back of my vintage chair, which I scored at an antique auction for $1.50!

Who is brave enough to show what it looks like UNDER their craft desk? I am! Lots of stuff waiting to be painted, covered, and redone!

Love the old wood magazine holder. (Yes, another yard sale find!) I painted it white, and glued on a wood scrolly accent thingy. It holds old sheet music (Ebay), and composition books waiting to be covered.

I love my space, it is so perfect for me. Someday? I'll have my own craft ROOM. (Be still my heart!)

Show me your craft space, or where you relax and unwind , that you've created. Leave me a comment with the link to your blog, I'd love to see them all!

Have a creative day!

Edit: For those of you that have tried commenting, I'm sorry, right now for some reason only those of you who are on Blogger, or Anonymous can comment. I'll try to fix the problem asap! Please keep trying to leave a comment, or if you've personally experienced this, email me if you know how to fix it!

The Glamorous, Glamorous Life

2009-03-09T20:13:00.015-06:00

I love vintage jewelry. I always have. It's no wonder the God's were in my favor last summer when I hit this fantastic yard sale.

It didn't look like much when I pulled up. (It never does, right?) Everything was on blankets, on the ground. A teenage girl and her young brother were running the sale, and as I walked up, I could see all the jewelry sitting on the blankets. Hard to tell exactly what was there, and it didn't look that exciting, but I stooped down and looked anyway.

There was an odd mix, and seriously, the person this jewelry belonged to was a butterfly fanatic!
There were what seemed like hundreds of butterfly pins and necklaces!

I did pick a few pieces, though, and loved what I bought. I really wasn't sure when I picked up this cream flower pin, though, of what it was. It was marked on the back Ming's Ivory.

At this point, I'm trying to play it cool, thinking, Do I have something of value here? So I nonchalantly ask the girl "Who's jewelry was this?" and she said that it had been her grandma's. I could tell alot of the pieces were old, so I was pretty sure this piece was worth something.

Isn't it beautiful? I looked up Ming's and it was a well know company that made one of a kind hand carved pieces out of Ivory, with stores all over the world. Of course, this was before the ban on Ivory, which was put into effect to protect the elephant population from becoming extinct. Below is a shot of the pin that I strung onto a cute silver necklace that I bought at the thrift store for $1.49! Cute look, Eh?

I also snagged this turquoise bead necklace and earring set at the same sale.

And this awesome green glass bead necklace...

And this shorter strand of black glass bead that are faceted....

And this gold butterfly pendant (I think). It has an odd back to it, with a loop on each side of the wings. It's tarnished somewhat, so I think it is Gold overlayed on a different metal perhaps.
I also bought two old butterfly prints, and a small enamel pin for my daughter for.... (Are you ready for the total?)..... Drum roll.........

$8.00! The Ivory pin itself would be worth about $100 by itself, and I know the butterfly pin is very old, so I think I did Great! I also wear the green and the black bead neacklaces on a regular basis, so what a value!

Then there was the antique auction my good friend Dani and I used to go to every Thursday night. I had a booth at an antique mall for a couple of years, and this was a great place to pick up stuff for my booth. There was this box of junk jewelry there, and we both bid a dollar to go up and look in the box, and buy what we wanted. We went up, and both started digging at the same time, and I sware, at the same time our hand both landed on the sweetest pin. ( the rest of the box was total junk, really).

I really wanted that pin, let me tell you. But it was one of those things, where you love your friend, so much more than you love that pin, so I let it go and offered it to her. Well, being the darling that she was, she let it go, too, and offered it to me. How dare she try and take all the glory of being the better friend??

I insisted she have that pin, so she went ahead and bought it for $1. (how dare she not INSIST that I take that pin, after all, she seriously was the kindest, most generous friend I have ever had, to this day!)

A few months later, maybe for my birthday, she delivered a little package to me, and in it were the cutest little potpourri packets, one with a little bird stitched on, and the other pinned with that little round jeweled pin. I laughed so hard, knowing her generous spirit had beat me, once again!

I think they are rhinestones, but ooh, maybe they are diamonds! I don't care, I just love to wear it on a necklace, or pinned to a sweater.

A few years back my Mother-in-law decided she "trusted" me enough to give me some of her Mom's jewelry. (Just kidding, Mom!)

I took photos of some of my favorite earring that I picked out. There were some really pretty brooches, and rhinestone jewelry, which I'll post pics of soon. She let me take whatever I wanted, which means she MUST love me. (Again, kidding, Mom.)

Love the four leaf clover ones!

A couple of different cameo earrings in there, one large and one small. I love the round gold circles, too. I wear alot of it on a daily basis, which I always get compliments on. You can't buy this stuff at Kohl's, people!

The earring below belonged to my Great Aunt Hallie. When she died several years back, my mom got her jewelry box, and let me look through it. I'm ashamed to say, I just wasn't into vintage stuff back then, so I only picked two pair of earring from the box.

I love this pair of gold and rhinestone balls, kinda disco-ee.

My Aunt Hallie was so cool, and was the older sister of my grandma. She could play the piano like a crazy lady. I have fond memories of traveling to Arizona in the summer with my family, and gathering around the piano, singing with all my aunts and uncles and cousins. Showtunes, like Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Wizard of Oz, stuff like that. Her house was packed with old folk knick knack, and that was fascinating to an eight year old. I'd climb up on a chair, and touch all her figurines and STUFF! My mom would yell at me to be careful, and get down off that chair! but my Aunt would laugh and say it was fine. She'd even say, Do you want that, you can have it! and my Mom would say No! that's your Aunt Hallies!

She also had candy dishes everywhere in her cram packed house, and I'd gorge all day on spicy gum drops, and Kraft Milkmaid chews. Good times!

Add some glamour to your day with a fun vintage brooch or pair of earrings. If you haven't inherited any, pay a visit to your local antique mall, and find the perfect piece. I guarantee you will love it every time you wear it, for it is a special part of the past that no one else owns but you!

For the love of a journal

2009-03-01T16:18:00.006-07:00

As promised, I am posting pictures of my altered journal projects. These are so special, and truly one of a kind. The story behind these as is follows:

There is this incredible antique market that runs every summer, here in Colorado. It's called A Paris Street Market, and it's the first Saturday of every month, May thru October. I was wandering the stalls, and walked towards the back of one that really didn't look very promising. You know, the ones that just look like just a bunch of junk.

I spotted a table full of albums, and alot of scattered maps and paper, just a mess. But what I picked up was gold! These albums were full of the most amazing vintage paper ephemera, a recently love of mine. I had been wanting some, to start making journals and other things. I had been inspired by the book by Anna Corba, Vintage Paper crafts.

I haggled with the seller, and ending up buying three full albums, one of which was filled with about 50 old postcards, from the very early 1900's. The other two had old tickets, travel labels, and seriously like every bit of paper ephemera you could think of! All very old, from early to about 1950's. I was in heaven, as I love to look at things like this, and wonder who owned these things, and what were they like.

Below are some of the journals I covered, using pages from old children's books on the front of a composition notebook. On the inside and backside covers, I used pages from a french manual, and decoupaged labels and other bits on from the albums I found. Then I made bookmarks from fatter ribbon, attaching old buttons on the top, or I used old playing cards or other things from the albums as a bookmark.

I didn't get to take pictures of the insides, because they were at a boutique night, and they were already sold, so I quickly remembered to take pics of just the outside, before she came back to collect them.

These turned out so cute, and when you spend so much time creating something, it's hard to sell! These were all one of a kind, with original pages and other paper pieces, and I really wanted them to be that way. I could've photo copied them, to use again and again, but I really like the charm and character, that they truly are a one of a kind piece.

These were a smaller version with spiral sides. From a 1930's primer.
I just free-handed a dress shape for this one, and stamped on it, adding buttons under the black bow.
I did photo copy and reduce the size of the cover of this sheet music, to decoupage on the cover of this one.

Love this one, from an old Bible stories book from the 1940's.

I've found that when I use decoupage glue to attach these, they warp pretty bad, no matter how careful I am, so I use a glue stick, and cover the back thoroughly, then lay it on the cover, and smooth it firmly.

I also stamped little words here and there, and glued vintage buttons on to add some bling.

You can be as creative as you'd like on the inside, depending on theme. I own so many old books, from dictionaries, to books written in french, and I especially love old children's book, because they have fabulous illustrations in them. Also, antique pictures are darling on the cover, or inside as well.

Start scouring your local thrift stores for cheap old books to use, to make your own vintage inspired journals, then hit the flea and antique markets this summer, you never know what you may find!

I also look for old buttons, ribbons, and trims. Pick up bits of old jewelry, even if it's broken. You can take it apart, and use the jewels or pearls to add to your project.

Please feel free to email me, if you need help, or have questions.

Have a journal inspired day!

Spring, Spring, wherefore art thou, spring?

2009-02-23T11:31:00.010-07:00

This is what I woke up to on Saturday morning:

SNOW!

We didn't get alot, but it was cold, only 19 degrees, and dreary. Luckily, the beautiful sunshine came out and warmed things up to the high 40's.

Our winter here in Colorado has been fairly mild, compared to other winters, where it dumped on us Big-time (think 2006). That was one of the worst I can remember, with 2 storm, back to back. It left us completely buried for days, and our roads a nightmare for weeks and weeks afterwards. I think my car is still suffering the effects of driving through snow sinkholes 2 feet across!

I thought I'd post a few pictures of my garden last year, for those of us who are suffering from Spring fever, and are sick of the cold weather. My snapdragons, delphiniums, and roses are my favorite, so full of bright, cheerful color.

I'm excited to get out in my garden and start planting. I am totally redoing 2 of my beds, by relocating some of my salvia (I had salvia overplanting issues last year!), and pulling out 2 large Russian sage, to let the Liatrus I planted there last year have some room.

The dang squirrels kept digging up the bulbs, after I planted them, and so I had to keep going out and reburying them! They could smell the fresh dirt all dug up, and knew something was going on, so they wouldn't leave the area alone!

This is not one of MY squirrels; when I went out to take pics of the 59 squirrels that live in MY yard, of course, there were NONE to be found! I borrowed one off of a squirrel picture website. Who knew there were so many squirrel fans out there?

I am an avid birder, so I have no fondness for squirrels anymore. Sure, they're cute when they frolick around the yard, with their stupid little antics, but when they destroy all my bird feeders trying to get the seed out, and gnaw their teeth down on my wood deck, and dig up and eat my bulbs, then they are on my black list!

I have baffles and deterrants on my feeders, but I am really limited on where I can place my feeders, due to the many trees on my property. My inlaws live out in the country, and they get those cute little ground squirrels, you know the ones that look like a chipmunk? They hate them , because they burrow tunnels everywhere, and ruin the lawn.

Today marked the return of Doves to my backyard. I have the Eurasian collared doves, and the mourning doves. I love the way they coo in the morning, so soft and sweet. Soon they will have babies, and bring them into the yard for food and water. Here is a baby from last year.

And a robin, freezing in our late spring snow!

The dove babies are so unafraid, that you can literally walk right up to them, as they are laying in the grass. They just stare at you, so cute and small. I'll post pics of them, when they are finally here. Just today in my yard, I've had Juncos, assorted Sparrows and Finches, Robins, 2 kinds of Doves, Black-capped Chickadees, Flickers, Blue Jays, and a few hungry squirrels. The juncos will soon be moving on, and we'll have spring migration moving through. What do you get in your yard during migration? Comment on your favorite visitor!

Hang in there, it's almost Spring!
(As promised, tonight or tomorrow I will post pics of all of the journals I made, covered with vintage paper ephemera.) I'll also do a short tutorial on how to make these darlings, so start scouring your local flea and antique store, for old paper things to use.

Do you love vintage images?

2009-02-18T21:14:00.006-07:00

I wanted to post a quick note, to let you know about some of my favorite web sites, that share free vintage images to use for whatever you want. The first is Vintagerio, which has many cool images, Victorian, and what not. Look for the free section in that one. The second is The Vintage Moth (Love this One). It has so many Old fashion and vintage images, all free. The third is Art-E-Zine, which has really old style vintage images, though not as many. I have used all three of these websites to pull images for my paper collaging, and journals. I'll post pics of those soon.

Love this darling Easter bunny. He'd look cute on the front of an old paper mache type box, with lots of old ribbon entwined through out.

Aren't these too cute? I love these labels, you can size them, to fit your particular bottles. Have fun searching, and finding just the right one, for your projects!

Also, I wanted to tell you about a blogger I love, Joy over at Cupids Charm. She recently did a post about quotes, also. She has a great love for quotes also, and shared a post about happiness. She gave me permission to post one of her quotes.
Thanks, Joy, for cheering up my day! And today, make up your mind to be happy, no matter what.

A quote will cheer your day!

2009-02-16T08:56:00.008-07:00

I thought I'd share a story with you, that started me on my way to collecting quotes. My mom used to have this book full of quotes that she collected, and wrote down. The book was very, what we crafty girls would call, primitive. It was just a small 3 ring binder, and I remember it being covered with something like contact paper printed with small flowers. Obviously this was back in the day, before Michael's and Hobby Lobby, where you could buy something to bling up your stuff.

We were in the basement one day, after I was grown and out of the house, going through some stuff, when she pulled it out and showed me. I flipped through it and thought "What a cool idea". She told me she had just written stuff down, as it inspired her, and the book had come to be.

Well, years went by, and I thought I would like to start my own, so I got just an inexpensive blank book, and added a few I had found here and there.

My book is about half full now, with many inpriring quotes that I turn to now and again, to lift me up, and help me to be a better person. I noticed in looking through it recently, that I have a lot of quotes that relate to courage, and trying harder, and not being afraid. That probably stems from being picked on when I was in Elementary school.

I had no clue how to defend myself, and I wished my parents would've taught me how to stand up for myself. Trust me, it wasn't in me, I just had no idea!

Anyhooo.... I'd like to share a couple of my favorites, and then, I'll add a few here and there, when I post, as a tradition. I'll also challenge you, my readers, to go out and get a blank journal that speaks to your soul, and start your own quote book. Start filling it with things that uplift and inspire you, and read it often.

Some of my favorite quotes are by Eleanor Roosevelt

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...You must do the thing you think you cannot do. -Eleanor Roosevelt.

and I love this one:

Life is like a field of newly fallen snow; where I choose to walk every step will show. - unknown

My mom's book? I don't know what ever happened to it. When she died last summer (from Alzheimers) my sister and I went through everything with my dad, and I didn't see it in her things. Maybe she thought it wasn't important, and threw it away at some point. I know I will keep my book, and someday give it to my daughter, so she can see a glimpse into her mom's life, and what made me happy.

Mom, I dedicate my quote book to you, for all the love and inspiration you gave to me.

What's in a name?

2009-02-15T15:56:00.006-07:00

So I thought I'd explain how I came to the name of my blog, The Cozy Chickadee. Several years ago, my Brother in law got me interested in birding, or Bird-watching, as some call it. Now let me tell you, he is BIG time into birding. Keeps a jounal of a list of daily birds he sees in his backyard, along with what the weather was that day. etc. Also catergorizes by state, and Life list, of course. Has every Birding book known to man. Worked in a Wild Bird store for awhile, just to get the discount on birdseed, which can run a couple hundred a month, according to my sister. Also takes awesome pictures of birds from all over, some of which have been published.
I really have just enjoyed it as a side hobby, and I put out seed on a regular basis, and have had alot of really cool birds visit my yard. My rarest sightings have been a Lazuli Bunting, an Oven Bird, and a Spotted Towhee. But for some reason, my favorite bird of all is the Chickadee. Doesn't matter if it's a Black-capped, or a Mountain Chickadee, I love them both the same. Their perky cutenes steals my heart, and they are not greedy at the feeder, like alot of birds. They take one sunflower seed at a time from the feeder, flying up into my Pine tree, and peck it open. Then they come back for another. They also have the cutest 2 note whistle ever, which just cheers my day right up.
Can you believe, I actually got to hold one of these darling little creatures a while back? One afternoon, we heard a loud thump against out patio door, and ran over, knowing it had to be a bird.
There, on the deck, was a very still Mountain Chickadee. I about died, thinking it was surely dead. I picked it up, and it seriously was light as a feather! I could feel it breathing really fast, but it's eyes were closed, so I thought it would probably die of shock, or a broken neck.
Then, it slowly opened it's eyes, and fluffed up a little. It sat in my hand for a minute more, with me saying words in little birdy talk, and then it perched on my hand, and flew up into the nearest tree. What a neat-o experience!
I was shopping at my favorite Goodwill store a few weeks back, and already having named my Blog, and getting it ready, it was fate that I stumbled upon this darling picture of a Chickadee. It was like a nubby material stretched across a wood frame, really plain.

Of course, my creative spirit could not let it stay like this, so here's what a little imagination and creative spirit did:
And here is a farther away shot, showing on my wall, above my little craft studio: area:

I will post more photos of my craft area, probably next week, to show you how I manage to stay organized in a such a small space. And by small, I mean one area of our already small master bedroom. You can get creative, and still have an area to call your own. Have any ideas for creating in a small space? Any cool bird stories? Leave me a comment, I'd love to hear inspiration from my fellow Bloggers!

A tail waggin' full of Love!

2009-02-13T19:52:00.008-07:00

I used to love Valentine's day as a young girl. The preparation of filling out the Valentines, sorting through, and picking the biggest and best ones out of the pack. One for the cutest boys, or the girls who were my favorite friends. So many politics, like how to sign them: Love, or Like? If you gave a big one to someone you liked, would they get the wrong impression? (How impressionable could you possibly be, at 8 years old?)
Back in the day (the 70's) you didn't have to be nice, and bring a Valentine for every boy and girl in class, you just brought to those you liked. I remember one year, coming home and counting the Valentines in my bag, measuring against how many were actually in our class. I wanted to know how many snubbed me, and then figure out in my mind who was mean enough to leave me out!
I hope this year, no one leaves you out, and if they do, tell them to go take a hike!

This Valentine is dear to my heart. My husband gave it to me several years ago, because he knew I collected vintage Valentines, so he went to a nearby antique store, and bought it for me. He surprised me with it on V day, with a sweet sentiment on the back.
Now, my husband is not romantic by any stretch, or really thoughful. Not in the way us girls THINK should be thoughtful. He has a hard time buying gifts, period, even when I post ideas all over the house! Just doesn't get it. But I'll tell you what really makes my heart pitter patter ( and when I say this, I know I've been married waaay too long), is when he empties the dishwasher, or takes bath duty everynight with our active 6 year old, or when he runs to the grocery store at 11 p.m. for Kleenex and cold medicine. Now THAT is love! I love you, Honey! Happy Valentine's day!