Sorting Through Life Events and Full Closets

My darling little blog. How I have missed you. It wasn't that I was trying to ignore you, but that real life got in the way of my on line life. Between renovating the cottage, computer issues, family health and much home maintenance there hasn't been time for you. But today is a new day and I carved out a niche of time especially for you.

In the process of packing and downsizing it amazes me the collections of schtuff that seems to creep in. 18 years in one home can have a huge impact on what mozies in. Add the 18 years to the death of grandparents and a parent and it begins to add up quickly. So it has been a pretty heart wretching time, packing and sending mementoes away, hopefully, to be enjoyed by others. I would love to keep it all, but why? It's a hard question as I think deep down in our genes we are all packers and savers. But I'm here to tell you that through all the clutter and through all the tears it is enlightening to have it gone. Guilt....sure. But to be able to look in a closet and find what you're looking for instead of emptying the closet and packing it all back in only to find it stuffed in a dresser is a glorious event indeed.

So today I have some free-time. I am not packing, sorting, crying or throwing things. I am baking. I moved my toaster oven out side as it is much to hot for baking indoors. In packing up the freezer I found blueberries, zucchini and some lemon zest so I got to work. Thanks to Allrecipes for many great great zucchini recipes and to Betty Crocker for the best Blueberry coffee cake...ever! I wish you could smell the gloriousness of cinnamon in the air as you walk out to the back patio.

Found Things

Been busy busy busy getting the cottage revamped. We are so excited with this newly acquired abode. But since I don't have any pics to share I will skip all the boring details of the work accomplished thus far. I am sure you can picture all the effort into renovating a home that has not had any updating or work done to it in years. But I will show you some of the things that I have managed to get done.

So lets talk about the things you can do with 'found' objects. Now being the frugal (cheap) person that I am, I get very excited at the little things life throws at me. During a walk with my dear companion Cody, I came across a deer skull in the woods. Now what to do with it? Most would think to toss it asside I'm sure, but not me. Not long after Dad showed up with a shepards hook and Uncle Butch brought me a box of assorted size bottle neck gourds. Now you may want to ask yourself, what could she possibly be thinking of making with a skull, a shepards hook and some bottle neck gourds. Well let me show you

This was a great project and took very little time. Tho I did have to break out a cordless drill, a box cutter and raid hubbys supply of wire (I 'found' it). So don't hold back when you find some very odd things in your possession. Am very much looking forward to seeing the Morning Glories creeping up the shepards hook this summer.

So now all the seeds are planted and I can sit back and enjoy watching them grow. Ok, maybe not sit back. Floor still needs to be laid, wall paper hung, and paint applied. Good things to do on a rainy day. Happy gardening and blessings to all.

Dandelion Honey

It has been too crazy around here. One day here one day there. It makes planning meals impossible so there has been a lot of eating out of cans. Yuck! But things quieted down enough I was able to get outside for some much needed gardening. But lo and behold when I stepped outside much to my delight the yard was covered in those bright yellow beautiful, only to me tho, dandelions.

So that meant I just had to stop gardening and get to work.

After spending an hour or so picking dandelion flowers and plucking off petals I finally had enough so headed inside. After adding 4 cups of flower petals and 6 cups of water I set it on the stove to boil then turned it down to simmer for a couple of hours. To have a variety of flavors you can add a small amount of vanilla beans or lavender blossoms to the mix.

Once this is complete the water should be a golden yellow. Strain all the solids from the liquid keeping the liquid. Dispose of all the solids. Place the liquid on the burner add 4 cups of sugar and bring to a slow boil. Let it cook like this, stirring occasionally, for 3 or more hours. It will start to take on a dark golden color. To test thickness of liquid, place some on a plate. Once cool it should have the consistency of honey. While the liquid is boiling, clean your jars and get rings and lids ready to use. Now you are ready to fill you jars. Make sure you tighten the lids and let cool. And oui la....you have made hone from those pesky weeds.

Gardening Fun

I confess, there has been some neglect going on here. Such a shame. The weather has been so fabulous. Honey got out the lawnmower and I trotted off to the veggie patch to see what might me salvageable. To my delight the leeks I seeded last fall popped up 3" and are waving sweetly in the breeze. They are wanting to be thinned and transplanted and that will have to wait.

We ran into some issues renovating our latest purchase. Really, who doesn't run into something they didn't plan on? But waves in the floor? How on earth? But they are there and hubby being the talented do it yourself God that he is knows just how to fix it. So it was off to Lowes for floorleveling goo mud. And in the process I find they have this great sale going on with landscape ties. Whoopee for me. I am recycling the ones I found at the house and have lined them up into a raised garden bed. I love this method of gardening. It is wonderful for persons with a back problem or if you are a bit older. Easier to clean and harvest and looks fabulous when all set up. This one is currently under construction at the cottage property.

This is where I want to bring some of the leeks, but need to finish the boxes first. So between the flooring issue and getting boxes built it is hectic and there is no sewing happening here. Right now I can't even say where my dear Husqvarna sewing machine is located. So sad. But soon it will be over and I can settle into the life of a gypsy and put the world in order again. Until then blessings to all and thank you for stopping in.

Blog Neglect

There's just been so much to do. My poor little blog surely must feel neglected. We've had some very exciting events take shape in the last few weeks so I've dropped in to share them.

First of all it looks like Spring is making an effort to pop in a bit early then usual. No complaints here. It couldn't come soon enough for me. I start getting a bit of cabin fever or garden withdrawal this time of year. I happened to find the Snowdrops on January 29 and they are still out there hanging on in the cold days that have followed. On Wednesday we had temps in the 60's and I was truly excited to get outside and start cleaning the flower beds. Which leads me to the next segment of exciting news.

We bought a small cottage! We found a small parcel with a bit over an acre and a small house on it. I am proud to say we are in the midst of plastering and painting, scrubbing and installing. We are hoping to have it all done by May 1. Told Dear Fred that it can't be later then the 24th as that's when the gardening begins. Hey, I have my priorities. It was such a great day out on Wednesday we spent the day cleaning the yard. It's amazing what a rake and a bonfire can accomplish. And am very much looking forward to the surprises I see peeking thru the ground already. Something else looking forward to Spring. So there you have it dear blog. I have not forgotten you or the things that I want to accomplish this year. Things have been put on hold a bit, but I promise to stop in again soon.

Be Mine

Wishing you a wonderful day filled with love and joy. And, maybe, some chocolates.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Lets talk about organization. I can hear the moans. I am not, by any means, an organized person and envy those of you who are. My Gramma B, Aunt Barb, German Mother In Law and cousin Ruthie now those are some organized women. Not only does everything have it's place, but it's always in the same place. Over and over and over again. How on earth did they do that and raise a family? I did not inherit that gene. It is work for me. Hard work, and I have the comfort of knowing I am not alone in this. Over the years I've gotten much better at putting things back in their place. My hubby I'm sure, will tell a different tale. It has gotten easier. Especially the last year when I became a full time domestic goddess engineer (sounds impressive doesn't it?). So in honor of you who are like me, I give you some helpful hints for making your sewing room a more organized place to hide from the unorganized closets, cupboards and drawers in your homes.

This is the closet. It is an easy DIY project. The shelves are adjustable and will hold alot of weight/fabric. I then raided Walmart and started with a dozen shoebox size Sterilite containers. Very inexpensive and they hold a nice amount of yardage. And did I mention how well they stack? The labels are decorative wine labels, but am sure there are plenty of places online to score some great print your own style of labels.

And then there are the buttons. I love buttons. And I have many. Including Gramma B's jar that she had in her sewing room. Years ago it was great fun to make my own clothes. But that was before I discovered my love of everything quilted. I found this turntable spice rack at a garage sale for $1. The blue-striped lid is a spice label from Martha Stewart. I've also seen them at thrift shops. Works like a charm too.

Here's a nifty idea for your scissors. A pipe holder. And it turns. This has been one of my favorite finds.

Another easy DIY is the bulletin board. Get a drop ceiling tile from Lowes/Home Depot. Cover it with your favorite fabric and hang on the wall.I'm pinning and unpinning stuff from here all the time. Don't mind the mess, I haven't figured out how to organize a bulletin board yet. Maybe next year.

And last but not least, a bit of wall bling to hold all the little charms, grommets, beads, flowers, and hardware that you love to add to your art quilts, mixed media, or scrapping. The silver mesh baskets are silverware organizers from the dollar store. And the little jars I found at the Restore. Now before all those like jars came to my house I used 4 different varieties of spice jars. They looked just as nice but I wanted something with a larger opening.

So there you have it. A bit of organization from a wannabe organizational guru. If you have any tips for me that you use I would love to hear about them. Us messy girls gotta stick together.

Styling Laundry

The sun is shining and the birds are singing here in our little part of the world. Which brings to mind laundry hanging out on the line. This was how I was raised. As soon as the weather got nice out, temps above 50 and sunny, out came the laundry. Now Gramma B was a bit more into the outdoor hanging of the laundry then my fair weather mom. There were times when I would head to Gramma B's in the middle of January and if the sun was out so were some dish towels, dust clothes and maybe a couple of pairs of Grampas socks. She would tell me she didn't want to waste the sun. I am my mothers daughter in this case and much prefer the warmer weather.

So yesterday was one of those sunny nice days that made me realize those clothesline days were getting closer and closer. And where were my clothes pins? This is what I found...a sad old bucket of nasty looking pins.

Ohhhh....I need to fix this. So I spent awhile searching for freebie patterns, finding a site entirely dedicated to them. But none of them were what I was looking for. And I really wanted to use this old wooden hanger I found at the local thrift shop.

So what's a girl to do? Well out came the paper, pencil and ruler and I went to town. This was the final creation. Am very happy with the way it turned out and am looking forward to making my clothesline look extra pretty this year. If you would like to make one like it go to the tab at the top for a quick tutorial...this is my first but I think I nailed it.

Real life has gotten in the way and I am afraid to say, interrupted my blogging. There have been many trips to the States lately to see the real estate agent. We have decided to purchase a smaller second home and use it as a cottage. My friends and family are still all there and it's such a long drive home after visiting. It will also give me the opportunity to spend more time with my Dad golfing and even doing a bit of volunteering on the side. So it is a very exciting adventure we're on at the moment. All we need now is a clear title from the lawyer and we can start moving. Or rather I can start painting, cleaning, shopping, and swearing. Not necessarily in that order.

But thanks to some very dear friends I have been able to get some quilting done. There has been some work on projects to share in the future. Here is a sample of some upcoming projects for your quilting pleasure. A floral credit card holder

and a set of Cupcake Potholders for your baking inspiration. I made a set of these for dear step-daughter for a Christmas gift. And made a pair of hanging hand towels to match. But those pics are for another day.

It is a steel day today. Cold, blustery and dreary all in shades of grey. But I have the rest of the day to sit at my sewing machine and work on some UFO's that are to be gifts. Now if I get them done it's one thing less to move. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Staying inside on a blustery cold day can be fun. Was able to catch up and do some more doodling in my sketchbook. This is really a great project to help stay focused on practicing what you love.

I've started to add some journaling to the sketchbook. My penmanship is definately not what it used to be but I like adding the notes as to why or what it is I'm doing at the time. Who knows, maybe it'll be worth revisiting someday.

To learn more techniques for your sketchbook go to the Sketchbook Challenge It has a plethora, yes that's right, a plethora of info. And if you'd like to see more of the doodles being done at the challenge visit the Flickr page for the group. There is some amazing talent in this world.

As part of my New Years resolution I joined the Sketchbook Challenge. Another Monthly project to look forward to. This months theme is doodling. These are not true doodles as what I know a doodle to be. However, it is what happened when I put pen and brush to paper for this months theme and there you have it. String Beans and Apples.

I've had my watercolors for years but have not mastered them. That is a problem. I want to master them. How about we accept what we can make from them and be satisfied? In the past if something doesn't come out looking the way I want it to, I toss it aside and walk away. Not this time. It's about facing our limitations and being statisfied with what can be done vs an unrealistic vision of greatness. Greatness is not a bad thing. It is something some are born with and others sweat to become. I may not end up a great artist but I can sure try. Even Rembrandt and Michaelangelo had to begin somewhere.

It's been a week?

It amazes me how time flies. Give someone a cold and when the haze clears you realize it's been a week plus and you havent' accomplished a thing. In my defence...it was an achy, sneezing, stuffy cold that keeps you out of your sewing room and from participating in life kinda bug. Throw in a bit of lazy and there you have it. No accomplishments and an empty box of Kleenex.

And I miss my sewing machine...if that's possible. Like a dear friend you haven't seen in awhile. Or maybe it's withdrawal. Oh my dear Viking #1+ how I've missed you. Back at the start of the New Year, I decided I needed something new to do. Something to look forward to each month while I watch the snow pile up outside and the cold winds blow. What would I do? After searching and searching it came to light. There would be a QBOM in my New Year. A little something to look forward to each month. Even tho I've sewed and quilted for years it is never too late to learn/do something new. Even if it is something you are familiar with, when it's presented in a different format there can still be those great AHA moments. So after watching my lessons and grabbing a roll of TP (a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do) it's off to the sewing room to start my QBOM with Amy from Craftsy If you would like to join in the fun, click on the link and get signed up. It's free and you'll have something new to look forward to each month. Happy sewing.

Something new in the New Year

I've resolved to try some new things this year. Ok, so maybe not so new to some, but new to me nevertheless. And one of those is to begin a blog. Friends have told me over the years that I need to share my creativity, so I've decided the time is right so why not?

So in the next few days and months I will start posting. Recipes, quilting, papercrafts and anything else I may think you might be interested in doing. And along the way I'm hoping you will join me and enjoy some fun and learn something new along the way (with me).