~ Garden Potting Bench

An oldie but a goodie to start off Spring!

Is this just the best use of old junk you've seen in a long time? Kirk (kirkus in WA) posted this on Garden Web last year and it popped up when I was searching for ways to incorporated architectural finds/junk in the new little potting bench - arbor Sweet Husband is building right now. I have to say this was absolutely my favorite potting bench I found. If you click on the picture it will take you to his post where he shows the bench before, and he talks about how he created it.

Kirk on GardenWeb shows how he built this fabulous Potting Bench! 

The link only has the discussion. No pictures now. 

Restoration Hardware had the one above for about $900. I think you could make something like this one fairly easily. I'm surprised I didn't find any pictures of people making their own knock-offs. One thing that was not easily noticeable on it was that it had no back. This is the gray wall behind it showing through the shelves.

My taste fluctuates greatly between a love for such clean lines of the RH and then the fun scroll delights of Kirk's.

This one is very functional. I love the pull out bin for potting soil. I looks like it has a container inside of it. Good idea.

A simple vinyl one. Of course this would look great with the pvc fencing, and would last a very long time as well.

The one "we" are building is much smaller than the previous garden potting shed. But it will still be functional and I hope half as cute as Kirk's. I'm off to see what old junk I have put away in the sheds, even though I don't remember having anything as pretty as those old scroll brackets.

~ Liberty Enlightening the World - The Statue of Liberty ~ Happy July 4th!

This magnificent gift from France is now a symbol that holds a special place in the hearts of many.  It is so hard to believe that Americans turned their back on this incredible gift of the statue as many proclaimed it was just plain ugly. It took the insight and incredible hard work of just a few people to build this stunning sculpture in her home where she is greatly loved today by us. If you get a chance to see a repeat of the PBS show about the statue, you might learn somethings you never knew about it.  Today she still stands as a symbol of what most Americans want for our country.

The words from a poem inscribed on the plaque read:

Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my  lamp beside the golden door!  

(The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.)

Without France, our destiny may have been quite different. The French people also sacrificed greatly for our independence, even if those who were starving had little say about the help France gave to us. The gift of the Statue of Liberty is a constant reminder of

our quest for democracy, equality and compassion. 

Enjoy the vintage photos of the Statue of Liberty:

The Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World; French: La Liberté éclairant le monde) stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. She is a colossal size neoclassical scuplture of a robed woman who represents Libertas the Roman Goddess of freedom. She holds a torch in one hand, and a tabula ansata, or a tablet evoking the law, in the other on which is inscribed the date July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet which Bartholdi decided not to have her holding . This beautiful piece of art was named and designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue was a gift to the United States from the people of France as a symbol of our countries' friendship.

 

1886 The statue being created in Paris.

1886 the top of the statue in Paris

The amazing original copper finish!

 

Now you can see the patina and oxidation of the copper as we see it today. This is actually after a very long and painstakingly difficult job of cleaning away years of dirt and grime. It took many, many years for the Statue of Liberty to be truly appreciated, but it certainly is today. It remains a stunning piece of sculpture and art. 

A huge Thank You! to the France for this beautiful gift. 

Happy 4th of July!

Comments are closed. Thanks for stopping by. 

See Y'all Soon~

Christmas Time

I love the fresh green tree when we first bring it in the house. It is nice to just be

thankful to Mother Nature and the hard working tree farmers.

Then the lights go on, and they are plentiful! For a few days the tree just sparkles with the lights, and nothing else. After that the ornaments are put on. This year there are even fewer, just simplicity. 

Simply White and Silver,

Icicles and Snowflakes. 

Thank you to Christmas Tree Farmers for

a  Real Christmas Tree! 

~ Halloween Decor :: Vintage & Elegant :: Black & White with Mercury Glass :: Entry Table 2013

Entry ~ Halloween 2013

The entry table is another favorite place to decorate for the holidays.  I shared photos highlighting some of the different elements that are shown here in  previous posts that can bee seen by clicking here:  Details of My Velvet Pumpkin,  The Monogram Pumpkin with Paper Butterflies

The Mercury glass pumpkins and gourds are a really wonderful addition to Fall and Halloween since they add a touch of elegance and reflective light. And if you have come by in years past, you know those little silver crowns get used as often as possible when a little bit of silver is sure to add a sparkle.

The foyer table is black marble and has a simple burlap runner on the top for  texture and feeling of Fall. To complement the other black elements, there is  a tall black urn holding one of the painted white pumpkins. The pumpkins were painted a couple of years ago with ASCP and simple white paint as well. The pumpkin on the antique books and the one on the vintage silver piece are both velvet pumpkins which are newly made this year. I showed how I made mine HERE.  The small black pumpkin is a faux pumpkin that was painted a few years ago with spray paint. Look for the kind that will work on plastic, like Fusion and Universal. Both will give you nice coverage. Of course if you have some black Chalk Paint it will work too.

 Ravens wear collars, and the spiders wear glitter.

 

Antique books and a garden urn with a Mercury glass gourd on top,

with a Mercury glass pumpkin sitting on a black and white pinwheel made of wired ribbon.

A little silver crown and antique skeleton keys round out the display.

 The other raven wears a fun harlequin collar.

 The vintage mirror is lightly wrapped with white web while glittered spiders climb to the top.

 And Velvet Pumpkins add another little touch of elegance and texture.

Black and White Paper Butterflies and Spiders, too. 

These Velvet Pumpkins have real (dried) pumpkins stems. 

See Y'All Soon~

Halloween Decorating ~ Black and White Elegant Fun

Those silly crows certainly enjoy a Halloween gathering. Give them a few minutes to roam freely and they are all dressed up with hats and collars, too. I think they are imitating the art of my little witch Izabella  decked out in a snazzy black hat!  For the entry table, I made a tall pumpkin topiary with white pumpkins and a more traditional orange one in the center. This way I can have some Fall color by leaving it as is when Halloween is done.

On the mantel is another (faux - foam) pumpkin painted with Annie Sloan Chalk paint. Why? I just like the way the paint looks, it covers over orange very well, and I already had it on hand. Another crow with her party hat a few spiders, and a mercury glass gourd makes a fun arrangement. 

A sister crow sits on top of a small rattan chest along with a beautiful antique vellum book and a sweet little plush velvet pumpkin with a paper clay stem. 

DIY Ideas in the post for you to try:

1. Painted foam pumpkins. Any good paint will work. You might have to use one with a primer in it to cover up the really strong orange ones. But if you have some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, it works very well. 

2. Make some little hats and collars for your crows. Really simple to do, the hats are just a cone and a circle of black construction paper. Cut a hole in the center of the circle and attach to the cone. 

For a quick collar, you can use a cupcake paper liner or weave a wire through some vintage (or new) lace and make a circle out of it. Or you can use wired ribbon, cut off one side, and pull the wire on the other side to gather it into a circle to put around the neck. 

3. Make your own plush velvet pumpkins. 

And fill with your own style and imagination! 
 

See Y'All Soon~

~ DIY : How to Make Velvet Pumpkins Plush & Pretty Fall Decorating - Tutorial

I think the lovely velvet pumpkins are still a wonderful
addition to our Fall decorating. The instructions that I posted a
while ago is still one of the easiest ones to make.
Although I have seen some highly embellished, and some
imported ones of China or wherever, to me to the simplest handcrafted ones
you can make yourself are still the nicest.
____________________________________________

 How to Make Plush and Pretty Velvet Pumpkins:

It's getting to be that time of year again! Here is an early Fall Project 
you can make now, and use through Thanksgiving. 

 

You can find so many tutorials for making these pretty velvet pumpkins, it didn't seem necessary to write another one in great detail with step by step pictures.  Pinterest has lots of examples for DIY pumpkins and they are mostly the same. I have a bit different way of making them and I'm going to share that with you along with some finished pictures of course!

 

It was tough finding velvet when I made these! I guess there just isn't much demand. The type of fabric the companies use who make these commercially, and sell for big bucks, is silk velvet. You can order it online, if you cannot find it in the store. But one of the fabric stores had a nice stretch velvet in cream, off-white which was mainly what I wanted anyway, and that is what I used.

Close up of Stem and Ruching Details.

Inside my pumpkin is one of those cheap dollar pumpkins. Those things are pretty ugly. They are easy to spot because they have  bulky seam running across them. Unless you decorate them in some way to cover it, they always look odd. However, used as the inside center  of my new velvet pumpkin they work great!

Here is my method of a less floppy pumpkin. But it is equally as plush!

1.  Start with a cheap faux pumpkin, and cut a circle from your fabric to cover the whole thing, plus some extra for the bulk that you are going to add. Remember you can always cut it smaller, but you can't make it bigger once it is cut.

2.  Some of the more expensive velvet pumpkins have plastic (doll making) pellets inside.  This is not my choice if there are kids or dogs around who might get them.

The best alternative that I found is to use beans instead. I used dried lentils and dried black beans. Both were equally good for this purpose. You can find large, very inexpensive bags of beans at both costco and bj's.

3.  Put your faux pumpkin in a plastic bag; I used a gallon size zip lock bag.  Then cut off the zip part of the bag,  and tape the folds of the edge of the bag up around the pumpkin to a more round shape so that the bag will lay more flatly against the pumpkin. But leave the bag open enough to put in the beans.

4.  Now fill up the between the plastic bag, and around the pumpkin, with the beans. Move them around so that you have a layer of beans all around the pumpkin.

Then tie up the plastic bag with a baggie tie around the pumpkin and the beans.

5. Take the circle of fabric, and sew a simple basting stick about 1/4 inch from the edge all the way around. Use a double thread so you when you pull, it will be less likely to break.

6. Gather the thread around the edge, making a sack or bag for the pumpkin. Leave it open enough so that the pumpkin will fit inside.

7.  Put the bean-bag-pumpkin inside the center, and continue pulling the gathering thread until it is closed and then sew it from side to side to close it tight. Now you will have a lovely ruching at the top which you can adjust after you tie off the thread.

8.  Now you can play with the beans and pinch the velvet and beans to make ribs.

9.  Hot glue, or regular glue, a real pumpkin stem on the velvet pumpkin. Be sure that has been thoroughly dried. (Do not store real pumpkin stems you collect and dry in a plastic bag unless they are very, very dry, or they will mildew.)

So now you can see that by doing your pumpkins this way they have a little different look. I like to make pretty ribs, and have them stay that way.

The stem is real, but I dry brushed some lime green on it instead of leaving it all brown. See the previous post for how to make a really pretty stem from air-dry clay.

You'll notice that my pumpkin is not floppy. It holds it shape exactly. If you want a floppy version, most of the tutorials I found make them so.  Some used polyester batting inside and nothing that holds the shape like the faux pumpkin and the beans. Those can be nice as well, it just  wasn't the look I was after.

See Y'All Soon~

Donna

How to Add a Pretty DIY Stem to Your Velvet Pumpkins

Velvet Pumpkin with Air-Dry Clay Stem

The velvet pumpkins are such a pretty addition to your Fall and Halloween décor. You can certainly have them out from September through Thanksgiving.  One of the nicest ways to finish them is by adding a real pumpkin stem which adds a touch of realism and rustic charm. You can save stems from your own pumpkins each year, or use ones you found at the market maybe.  It is so interesting to see how many different shapes the stems take on while growing.

  

Sometimes you might need a certain size or a more whimsical look than you might have saved. I had one pumpkin stem that was my favorite, but it was too large for this little velvet pumpkin. So I used the real stem as inspiration for making one the right size.. This one is made of  an air dry clay. It will say "air dry" on the package. Sometimes it might be paper clay, but there are other kinds as well. The one shown here is a paper clay type.  It is very easy to use, and you can keep it from drying out by when you store it for longer periods of time by  keeping a damp paper towel in a plastic bag with it.

 

********************************

*Start by rolling out a fat piece of clay the size that seems good for your size pumpkin.
*Adjust the size of the roll to be fatter at one end, and slimmer at the other.
*Make some lines down the sides with a knife or other slim object like a real pumpkin stems have.   
*Give it a nice twist, until you like the way the lines and curve looks to you.
*You can separate the bottom part like the one above.
*Let it dry completely.
*Paint your pretty stem with any acrylic or craft paints in the colors that make it look like a real   stem: browns,  green yellows, grays.

**********************************

(Of course you can use a clay that needs to be baked like Sculpey as well.)

Now you have no problem if you can't find just the right real stem for your pumpkins, just make your own.  Of course these work wonderfully on the foam faux pumpkins that are just perfect for painting.

See Y'all Soon~ 

Donna

Easter Week ~ 2020

 Easter Week ~ April 2020. 

Let Your Light Shine. But Stay Home. 

Help everyone to stay safe.

Thank You!

March 23, 2020 ~ Staying Home

I hope you and your loved ones are keeping healthy and safe. 

Stay home if you can, protect yourself and others. 

Valentine's Day Pillows

Valentine's Day (or any day) Pillow in Neutrals
with Felt Cut Out Heart and
Fabric, Lace and Felt Flowers
----------------------------------

What is easier than changing pillows to bring in some fun for the next holiday, Valentine's Day!
Since it is just a few shorts weeks a way, linked at the end of the post are dozens of ideas for you.
See if you find something that makes you smile and maybe try something like this pretty Heart Pillow.
You can find the complete directions by clicking HERE.

Tutorials for the Fabric Flowers:

Click HERE and HERE

Valentine's Day Pillow Ideas

click on link above for pinterest 

See Y'All Soon~

Christmas Angel ~ Shine a Light

There is no unique story about finding this Angel, or of it being a special gift. But she helps to get me in the Christmas Spirit each year. I know you've read many heartwarming stories about Christmas ornaments. Hallmark tries hard to make it seem like you need a new one each year.  This Angel has no such story. She came from a store maybe 10 years or more ago. Every Christmas she shines a little light in our home. That's all there is to her story. Maybe that's all any of us need to be. Wishing you Light.

Fall Mantel ~ Celebrating Fall

It never really feels like Autumn this time of year, but since the first day of the new season is Monday, it's time to celebrate the season just the same. People always say how Fall is their favorite season. I love it as well, but I don't play favorites. Everyday is a celebration of Life, no matter the season. 

This beautiful vase reminds me of an magic vessel that if you gently rub it, a genie might appear. 

So far none have answered the rub. There are so many art festivals this time of year, maybe you can find something handmade that  brings a some beauty to your home.

To Our Sweet Puppy Girl Regen ~ We Love You

I confessed 10 years ago, right here, that before Cody Bear came along, I didn't really understand crazy dog people. I guess I  did think they were just a tiny bit overzealous when it came to their "furbabies." But after Cody came in the family, I totally understood. Cody had both his houses, ours and our daughter's,  much to himself as well as the people who came with each house. He spends every weekday with us, and the evenings and weekends are with his mommy at her house.

When Regen came to live with Cody and his mommy, she brought along her daddy (a human 😁) and her brother another large dog, a Belgian Malinois. Cody has taken it all in stride.

Just a few short weeks ago, Regen suddenly seemed not to be feeling well, and when her daddy took her to the vet, he found out she had a serious problem with her spleen and it would need to be removed. And that most dogs didn't survive the surgery, and if she did, the spleen could have cancer. It was a huge, and very sad, shock to say the least.

Incredibly, she went through it all extremely well, and they said she recovered better than any dog they had seen before for this surgery. We were so happy, but even more ecstatic when the test came back negative for her spleen tissue. Then we celebrated big time!

Then out of the blue, she looked a bit strange  Saturday morning 2 weeks later, and her daddy took it to the vet again. She immediately sent him to another clinic that could do a more advanced ultrasound. That day the heartbreak began again.

The vet  said Regen had a rare, very fast moving cancer of the blood. They suggested she be "put to  rest" that day. If you have, or have ever had, a dog that is/was as close as a human to you as you can imagine, then you know what that day was like. She came home with her daddy, to all the love we could give.

Regen was the puppy of the family. She was only 8 years old, and acted like 2 or 3, just a complete silly, sweet puppy girl. Her mommy and daddy were so devastated. They took her to a wholistic vet as well to see if there was anything else they could do. For about 2 weeks, she had everything we were told might help. And a few days she seemed better, not fully back, but better. She liked her special meals of homemade bone broth, grilled salmon and steak with choice vegetables. We had hope of her being with us longer.

As she slowed down, at first we brought all 3 dogs to our house during the day. When it was more difficult for her, I went over to their house and stayed during the day so she wouldn't be alone at all since both her "parent" had to go back to work. Sweet hubby spent some hours there too so I would a have a break. Last Wed, it began is seemed much closer to her going. And that night - early morning she quietly went in her sleep. Cody had stayed with her most of the night, which is very unusual for him. He likes his own space. The time went by so fast, only a few short weeks between thinking she was perfectly healthy to her being gone. We've cried for  days as everything little thing reminds us of her.

Only a week later it is so difficult. Every time an old blog friend has lost a pet over the last 10 years I could feel their pain, more after Cody came into our lives. When Regen, and her brother Timi, came along I found there was room to love even more dogs. And I am so thankful that they did come into our lives. I thank you for stopping by, and listening.

Our Beloved Regen left this world on Feb 21 2019

As we told you daily before you had to go.

Thank You! Reggie, We will love you always. 

Ex Voto, Heart Beach Stones & Red Roses for Valentine's Day

I wrote about these pretty beach heart stones that we found at the beach a few years ago before. I was looking for beach stones and shells in colors to inspire the colors for decorating our home.   It seemed like it took a couple of years to find some pretty way to display the heart stone and keep them in sight to remind us of our love of the ocean and a wonderful little vacation. Finally I found the shadow box and added the antique key and the Ex-Voto silver Heart. The white shadow box has stayed just like this, simply moved around sometimes. 

Even at Christmas time red was a bit too bright for me.  But as the colors outside fade with the winter months, the red roses were a welcome treat to bring home. Even this early before Valentine's Day.

See Y'All Soon~

Happy Puppy Come Day!

December 31st. It's Puppy Come Day! 

From Cody Bear and his Family,

we send our heartfelt thanks to all of those who rescue Pups 

and Cats, too. ❤️🐶

Rescued and Found Puppy Day... Almost Here!

Not that I would ever spoil a puppy dog, but Cody Bear has a few days when we celebrate just him. Oct 13th is his birthday, and he thinks that's a big deal. If you start singing Happy Birthday, to anyone, on any day, he starts looking for his presents. 

On December 26th, the day after Christmas he found my sweet daughter and me when we drove by a dog rescue event at Petco.  My daughter had decided that since she had bought her own home, it was time for a dog. And Cody Bear was just waiting for her.  So December 26th is Found Puppy Day. Cody likes this day as well, and you know, he kind of gets a few presents that day too.  

But he was actually home yet.  We had to wait until December 31st for him to arrive. And of course that day is very special and is Puppy Come Home Day! Crazy dog people, we have definitely joined the tribe wholeheartedly. And our whole hearts is what he owns.  

Even Christmas decorating sometimes is influence by our love of dogs. There a few of the bottle brush dogs included, and one always has a curled tail in honor of Cody Bear. 

There are great national charities that help dogs and cats, but remember to check your local charities as well. One that I discovered this year which is not local to me, but very special is Muttville. Senior dogs are the first to be eliminated. Not many people go looking for a senior dog. Muttville has excellent charity ratings and right now, there is matching funds for donations. 

Also the Petco Foundation is one the best for helping dogs and cats. Again excellent charity reviews. 

Everyday I am so thankful that Cody found us and agreed to be a rescue dog. To all of you who have rescue dogs, thank you so very much!

(The bottle brush dogs were purchase a  while back from Pottery Barn. They still sell the same pup only the new one is carrying a Christmas tree on his back. It is only available in the store. )

Pottery Barn Wreath Pillow Knock-Off ~ Christmas Winter Decor

After pining for the Pottery Barn Wreath Pillow for awhile, I saw there had been a few copycat knock-offs. None where quite what I was looking for. Even the Pottery Barn version was the reverse of the colors I that I really wanted.

At first it seem the easiest solution was to just buy the one at Pottery Barn, and it was very pretty with the white background and greige leaves as you can see from the picture below. But it wasn't the combination that I really wanted and the pillow was also smaller than the size I needed.

What was more appealing for my decorating colors was to have a greige cotton/linen background and white leaves and berries. The one I made which is pictured next, is the color scheme more to my personal taste.  It is a 16 inch square and of course you can make it larger or smaller to your own liking.

I spent more time running around trying to find the leaves pre-cut than it took to just cut them and make the pillow. And while I was out hunting, I didn't realize at first that I wanted white leaves, so it was good I never found any. Afterwards I did see pre-cut leaves for sale. But since I have no patience, I wouldn't have waited for them to arrive anyway.

If you were thinking that pillow looked pretty simple to make, you were right! Give it a try. I like that my leaves are a bit larger/thicker. But you can make them however you like. One of the things you'll notice on the Pottery Barn version is that there is a stitch down the center for a vein look. The only thing I might do differently is to choose a beige colored thread so that the veins show up a little more.  But it is one of things that really makes the pillow look great.  I'm very happy with it and it was made from  simple unbleached cotton linen cotton, and a couple of 35 cent squares of white felt for the leaves.

** Tip: Do not use hot glue to attach the leaves and pom poms. Hot glue dries hard, makes a stringy mess while gluing this many things, and it's really easy to burn you fingers with little pom poms. :) There are several different brands of Fabric Glue made just for a project such as this.

See Y'All Soon~
Donna

Christmas Decorating with Lime Green

 

A few years ago,  I used some lime green with my Christmas decorating. As I unpacked the boxes this year, I began to fill a  couple of empty boxes with ornaments and everything else. I want to simplify. But Christmas is really a hard to time to do that. So now I am second guessing about giving away all those lime green pretties. They are such a nice complement to silver and gold, and also black and white. 

I still  love that large Mercury glass acorn. None of the Mercury glass decorations have gotten tired or old to me. The sparkle is still very Christmas shiny and bright. So off to GoodWill before I start taking things out of those boxes. Have a Happy Day!

White & Silver Christmas Mystic Centerpiece - Inspired by Mythic Nest Anthropologie

In 2009 Anthropologie showed a wonderful Christmas decoration that they called the Mythic Nest Tree topper. It did look like the fairies might have created it. I missed it in 2009, and  the knock-offs appeared in Blogland. After seeing it pop up somewhere a few weeks ago, my searching led me to the company which had actually made it for the store. They called it a crown nest. Which made sense as well. The funky natural kingdom meets glitter world was intriguing.

After filing away the image for a while, it kept coming back in my mind how much I loved certain elements, especially from the original ones. So I set out to make my own version that went with the colors and feeling of our Christmas decorating.

The base is a simple cream/white bleached bottle brush wreath that I used as the crown/nest. I added some sparky eyelash silver yarn, and other things that mimic the colors of my favorite found nest. I had a found an abandoned bird nest which the Momma bird built in something that looked like cotton from a field, very soft, fluffy and cream colored, do I also add some yarn was the same color she used in an eyelash style with a tiny bit of gold woven in.

The glittered branches came from a  craft store, and they are glittered better than I could have done with homemade, although you could do that yourself. A few pearl and silver balls adds to the sparkle of the crown, and dried sticks from the outdoors completes the nest look.

Mine turned into a centerpiece for the dining room table with a tall candle in the center. This should be really easy to change a little each year if you decided you wanted a little change.

Happy ThanksGiving

Wishing you all a

Happy ThanksGiving!