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Saturday, March 23, 2013

Sweet Burlap Nest #2

More fuzzy little chicks in a happy little nest!!
 
In my previous post, I explained how I made the little burlap nest. This one was made the same way. It's just a bit bigger. 

 
Once again, I decoupaged the inside of the bowl with small pieces of old book pages. I glued some dainty pink lace along the upper edge of the bowl. Then, I glued strips of burlap all over the outside to form the nest. I embellished the burlap with pastel threads so the nest would have subtle color, and also to add some interest. I just love how it turned out...
 
 

Look at the secret message in the bottom of the nest! "A golden egg, quite warm yet". "At last the large egg broke, and a young one crept forth".


 Spring Sweetness!
 
Happy Day!
Tracy

Sweet Burlap Nest #1

Spring has sprung and I've been working on some Easter decorations! I love the little fuzzy chicks!! They make me feel happy. I bought some up at the craft store the other day ($2.99 and worth every cent!) and immediately went to work on making a nest for them. I really love how this little nest turned out : )


I decoupaged a little bowl with bits of old book pages. I was so lucky to find this title: "The Little Girl and The Chickens" buried within the book. I had to make sure it had a special place in the bottom of the bowl:


I glued strips of burlap to the outside of the bowl. It's hard to tell from the photo, but I added some fine, gold metallic filaments to each piece of burlap. This gives the nest such a sweet, dainty look.



Isn't it just so cute? Hello little peeps!!

Happy Day!
Tracy




Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Fibber McGee and a Vintage Game Score Card

Here's a scan of a vintage game score card. It would be cute used as gift tags or in a journal I think:

 
When I was at the vintage shop last week I found this old game called Fibber McGee and the Wistful Vista Mystery. It's from 1940!
 

A player who has been appointed as the narrator reads the story from the orange book. There are blank spots throughout the story. When the narrator comes upon a blank spot, one of the players pulls  a yellow card from the deck. The various phrases on the cards fill in the story. Some of the cards have number printed on them which count as points. At the end of the game, the player with the most points wins. I'm not sure what the little round colored pieces are for:

 
Those round pieces would make a cute garland I think. But...I really like the yellow cards! I'm mulling over what to do with them. I know tags are the obvious choice, but I'm trying to come up with something different. Here is a scan of some of the cards that you can save and use:
 
 
Happy Day!
Tracy
 
 

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Lukewarm Coffee Anyone? And Maddie!

I hate these coffee pump carafe things:
Why? Because I like my coffee HOT!
 
Sadly, these things seem to be everywhere now. Whatever happened to a coffee pot on a burner? When I'm out and stop for coffee I know what I'm in for when I see this contraption. Another lukewarm cup a Joe. I had another lukewarm cup to keep me company in the car on the way home from the market today. I nuked it as soon as I got home. There have been times that I've asked the person behind the coffee counter to microwave my cup for me. They've always looked at me as if I had a third eye. I don't ask anymore. :(
 
I'm seriously coveting this right now:
 
 
But alas, my budget won't allow it.  :((   My daughter and I were window shopping at Williams Sonoma in San Francisco a couple of months ago. While we were there, a nice clerk made us  cappuccino with a Nespresso machine. Fast & easy!! And the milk frother was amazing! I've been dreaming about one ever since. Maybe some day...
 
 
On a happier note, I finished Maddie today:
 

 
 
 
Happy Day!
Tracy

Friday, March 15, 2013

Vintage Eggs & Poultry Slip

Here's another cute scan of a tag that I picked it up at a vintage shop. Wouldn't this make cute tags or labels?
 

Happy Day!
Tracy

Vintage Diner Tabs/Checks

I picked up these fun diner checks at the vintage store. I thought that I might use them for tags or something. Of course, they've made their way into my supply stash. I scanned them so you can use them too if you wish. Enjoy!
 
 

Happy Day!
Tracy

Sweet Jam Jar Tags to Download & Print

How sweet are these little tags??
You can find the printable download over at Hamburger Liebe. It's a lovely blog to visit.
 
Happy Day!
Tracy
 
 
 

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

I Made Patio Curtains! And They Look Nice..

This past week I made these patio curtains out of cheap paint drop cloths:
 

Since I don't live out in the country :( privacy is an issue in my back yard. See the neighbor's house just beyond mine? Those people are super nice. But, they LIVE outside! Summer, Winter, Spring and Fall, they're outside. I go out back to let the chickens out of the coop at around 7:00 a.m. and the neighbors are out there. I go out in the afternoon to give the chickens a snack and check on the garden...they're out there. I go out in the evening to put the chickens back in the coop...they're out there. I think you're getting the picture?
 
As I said, they're very nice people. But, when they're standing at their back door, they're looking directly into my yard and onto my patio. Sometimes I just want to be able to go outside in the early morning with my hair sticking out all crazy and not have to see anyone. These curtains have given us a bit of added privacy. Well, at least on the porch.
 
I had seen these curtains on Pinterest and it seemed like an inexpensive way to solve my problem. I did this project on the cheap. So along with the painter's drop clothes, I used wooden replacement broom handles for the rods. At $7.00 each, they were the cheapest option I could find at Home Depot. I think they look great!

 
You can see how I attached the wooden rods here:
 
 
I used those metal brackets that come in different sizes. I had to push them out a bit from the wall with those additional small pieces of scrap wood (see them? behind the brackets?). Otherwise the curtain rings wouldn't slide to open or close because they would have been right up against the wood. Like I said...I went cheap here, so I just made it work.
 
I simply hung the drop cloths with clip-on curtain rings from Walmart. I slid them onto the broom handles, then attached the broom handles (with the curtains hanging on them) to the wall with screws. Once they were hanging, I got my trusty scissors and cut the bottom of each curtain to the length that I wanted. I didn't bother to hem and no one has noticed.
 
For the tie-backs I used pieces of the scrap drop cloth that I had cut from the bottom. I folded the edges over and used my hot glue gun to secure the seams (no sewing thank you very much!). Then, I marked off a stripe with masking tape and painted it black. I attached some velcro to the ends, staple gunned it to the wall and post. And viola! Curtains. When I want to close them, I just undo the velcro on the tie-backs and slide them closed. And, the whole project took about an hour and a half. Love them!
 
Happy Day!
Tracy 

It's Paxton & Pence...

We now have twins in the family! This past November my stepson Tony and his wife Rhiannon brought these to little cuties into the world:
 

The little love on the left is Paxton and the one who appears to be singing :) is Pence. They are the sweetest little boys on this plant. Bar none! Identical? No. Adorable. YES! And what's not to love about new babies? They're SO cute, they smell good and they're just so tiny.

 
We're so enjoying getting to know these little guys. I just can't get enough of them. The one I'm holding above is Paxton. He's the "little guy" because he was a couple of pounds smaller than his brother Pence when they were born. He's catching up now. I'll post more photos as soon as I have a chance.
 
Happy Day!
Tracy

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Jonathan & Maxwell..

This sweet, little 'ol guy is Jonathan. I just finished making him a little red party hat and black polka-dot collar. Cuteness!!
 

 


And then there's Maxwell. I made Maxwell from a salvaged old bear. His head is now on a cute, new body made from old quilt scraps.


 
Sweet little guys!
 
Happy Day!
Tracy

Two Legged Rototillers!

I love my girls! Stella and Rosie give me fresh eggs most days and they're so sweet and entertaining!  I've had them for a full year now. I have to tell you though, that I'm surprised at how much damage they can do to a yard. These two are confined to their "pen" area, so the damage is confined:
 
Since we have a weed lawn, it would be just fine with me if they roamed all over the yard. My husband on the other hand, insists that they not "free-range" around the yard because he doesn't want chicken poop all over the place. It's a valid point. They poop. A lot.

Isn't it amazing that there isn't a single blade of grass in their pen area?? I thought for sure that this spring they would have fresh grass to nibble on. But not one little sprout! I give them kale and lots of veggies, so the do get to eat fresh greens each day. But who knew? They're basically two legged miniature rototillers!

Happy Day!
Tracy