MAKING Mondays….Valentine's Day Banner

It's hard to keep an old blog down!  Hi folks!  I've been hit by lightning inspiration lately and I've come to the conclusion that I'm missing this space.  Instagram is great but I miss my friends here in blog land and seeing the creative process through all of your blogs.  We live and learn all the way through life….just happy to be back!

I was looking to save money and repurpose to make some Valentine's Day decor for the house so I got busy cutting up old drapes.

Sketching out the design with pencil, stitching up the edging, painting with gold fabric paint and grabbing a stick from the yard and we now have a little love banner! 

And as for the garden I have been planning, planning, planning!  Here is where I'm getting some of my veggie seeds this year…..High Mowing Organic Seeds


As for what has been shaking over here while we are waiting for the ground to thaw…..

 winter vignettes in the garden

 bird projects with the beans

art making in the studio

 Happy Making, Baking, and Growing!  Thanks for coming by!

MAKING Mondays.....Children's Garden

Happy Mother's Day to all you out there!  We have been working on a little children's garden out back...here's what's happening....


we painted our old fence posts today...

I repurposed my old garden buckets and filled them with cement to hold the posts....

Their little space connects to our veggie plot

buried the buckets and began laying out annuals (Verbena Boniariensis and Salvia black and blue) between the posts....

added some stumps from my parents house for sitting and a pallet for a bridge entering the garden...

Things left to do....

paint the back sides of the posts

make some hooks for our watering cans

plant more annuals between our posts

add some blue stones (shiny as requested from my bean girls) to represent water in-between our bridge slats

have the beans make their pots of annuals that they will be responsible for this summer

So there you have it!  A little spot for the beans to be in the garden.  And I just wanted to say I'm a bit behind with my blog reading but will be around to check in with everyone today!!  Have a great start to your week friends!!!  And happy growing!!!  

MAKING Mondays....quick embroidery (inspired) artwork

I just have a quick one for you today!  

As I continue to create the space for my girls I have found some little tricks to help with the budget.  I recently finished using removable wallpaper to paper their whole closet.  I needed some art in the closet so I jumped over to Pinterest to find some embroidery patterns to make a little piece for their closet wall.

Most of the patterns I found were modern and simple which I find works really well for framed art in their space.  Just sketched it on some brown craft paper and re-traced it in a white paint pen.  Frame it up and there you have it!  

I will be around to visit you all soon after we get in from the snow!

Happy Making today Friends!  

MAKING Mondays.....wire & cord star branch

I do most projects in stages.  This goes for organizing, crafting, baking and gardening.  So yes, I have started thinking about Christmas and because I like to make things I usually start little projects in November.  So here is a quick one for you today!  

I found this great branch in my backyard and knew it would be pretty for the holidays.  It literally has been propped above my kitchen sink for a week now...only a few comments from family about why there is a gigantic branch in the kitchen!  

I love mixing organic items with simple design so when I saw this vintage silver cord at the paper store I knew it would look pretty with my weathered branch.

Here is what you need....

thin wire

silver cord

a branch

and that's it!

Begin by cutting some wire and simply shape it into a star.  Take your cord and wrap over the wire.  Make sure to leave a bit for hanging and you're done!  A bit of whimsy and yes folks I feel like I am doing my dishes under the stars!!!! 

Happy Baking, Making, and Growing!!!  

MAKING Mondays.....a bit like fall

Well, it's not officially fall yet but you would never know it by the temperatures we have been having in these parts!  It has been chilly!!!!  The slow cooker has been running and homemade bread is back in the oven baking.  On days like these I like to sit back and listen to a bit of this...

And when I'm not listening to a bit of that I like to start adding touches of the season to cozy up our little home.  I had seen some Halloween villages in some magazines and thought it would be cute if I made my own for above the coat hooks.  Just black construction paper and tape.

I have a thing for plaid!  After I sewed this pillow my son helped me stuff it and he is so very proud of it!

My fondness for vintage bird prints comes from my grandma.  I was able to track some down HERE for a reasonable price and then just framed them up for the mantle.

And the backyard construction is making progress! Have a look out the kitchen window.....

Not done but we have somewhere to sit now!  

Happy making, baking, and growing friends!  

MAKING Mondays {Fairy Herb Garden Teacher Gift}

Ok, I know I've done this all before but it just so happens that this came in very handy this weekend!  This project was inspired by a Fairy and Gnome House I made last year and one made by a very special friend.

 Miss Sue is my next door neighbor.  She is more than that really.  A friend who has not only taught me about the garden but about life from our over the fence chats.  My beans love looking on to her garden from their bedroom window.  Everyday they knock frantically in hopes that she will turn around and do a happy dance!  She is old school Greek which I relate to quite well as my Pop is old school Italian!    It is just a blessing to have someone like her right next-door.
  

Miss Sue's herb garden

Now with the oldest of our 3 beans finishing up her first year of preschool, I thought that a fairy herb garden would be the perfect gift for her teacher.  A thank you to a wonderful teacher who created a loving learning environment for this fairy!

{Fairy Herb Garden Teacher Gift}

Materials...

~pot

~soil

~herbs (we used basil and oregano)

~stones

~small house (we picked ours up at a hobby store)

~a fairy or a gnome for a little boy 

(we picked this up at our local nursery)

~natural twine

~sign and paint pen (both from the craft store) 

Thank you for helping this fairy fly!

made sure to leave some space for them to fill in as the season goes

A simple end of the year gift for all of those incredible teachers out there!

And to all of my blogging buddies...thank you for inspiring me!
Chasing after my beans keeps me on my toes and about knocks me out at the end of the day!  Being able to visit your blogs reminds me of the many treasures that life offers everyday and refuels my creativity!  It has been a cool adventure for sure!

Wishing you a week full of good things!

MAKING Mondays....ghost garland {and some more pics of our garden room}

I started Making Mondays a while back to push myself to create at least once a week.  Ahhh..... let's just say that didn't happen!  One day the studio will be done, my stuff will be in one place, AND maybe I will have a few minutes to consistently create SO why not hang on to this idea for a bit longer!  

Projects these days have to be somewhat quick or kid orientated.

When the flood hit our home my Ikea curtains got stained from the muck water.  I knew I could repurpose some of the material and was able to do just that with this project.

All of the materials I had lying around...

*styrofoam balls *pushpins *dried flowers and stems *sequins *rope, yarn, ribbon *white material 

Using pins to attach the hanging loops and faces saved me a lot of time!

Instead of stringing my garland like I had originally planned, I hung the individual ghosts from our coat hooks.

Linking up with...

The Shabby Nest

The Lettered Cottage

I Should be Mopping the Floor

And here is what I accomplished today in the garden room...

lattice is installed and climbing hydrangea is planted

Autumn Clematis is safely transplanted to be grown over arbor

Catmint (Montrose White) and Miscanthus sinensis (Graziella) are planted under the window

Joe Pye Weed is planted..I have always wanted one of these guys!  Hope he blocks that meter soon!!

Japanese Forest Grass and Japanese Painted Fern transplanted today

It really doesn't take much to make me happy.  Just looking out the dining room window now brings me pure joy!  

All the best in the week ahead friends! 

Happy making, baking and growing!!!