Monday, December 21, 2015

How to Make a HUGE HUGE Bow

Today Friend Danielle asked on fb "Any idea where I can find a huge huge bow for the kids playhouse?"

Now, she wasn't asking me specifically...but because I have nothing better to do four days before Christmas, I decided I'd like to figure out how one makes a HUGE HUGE bow.

Off to pinterest I went, but found little.

So, how could I make a HUGE HUGE bow for friend Danielle?

Here's the story of what I did with it...

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Turn this Into That...A Red Paris Bookcase

It feels great to finish a project.
Even though it took at least 6 months to get this one done, it became just what I knew it could be.

Here it is in bookcase beginning sadness.  Not only did it look like most other little bookcases, but when we brought it home one of the lower doors came off.
So what to do with this little bookcase...

Friday, December 4, 2015

How I Made a Snowman and Snowlady Canvas

This project is a "turn this into that" post for sure.
I needed something fun but not too expensive for an upcoming cookie swap.

Off to the Family Dollar I went for ideas.

I saw these.
Er er er er errrr.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Birthday Cake On A Budget

I've become a pin addict.  Pinterest has become an almost daily activity. It's a brilliant forum for visual learners and puter-togetherers such as myself.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Creating a Patisserie for a Budget-Friendly French Tea Party

To make la table de dessert for Sara's french-themed tea party, I started with a light pink sheet bought at Goodwill for her three-year-ago birthday party, one of the table trellis's (how-to here), a white paint marker (this one), and two pieces of black poster board and a

Friday, October 16, 2015

Let's Play Dress Up...Kid Scientist

A few months back brother Jason asked me to put together a few dress-up outfits for my little foster nephew.  Brother Jason and Krystal-in-law have been parenting J for almost a year now. He is a sweet little guy, and copies everything niece Tessa does.

He is a year younger than Tessa, Jason and Krystal's oldest. (They are due to have a baby THIS Thanksgiving Day!)

Here are their kiddos...
Brother Jason said that J goes around wearing Tessa's princess dresses, and could I please make him or find him a few outfits that are not princess dresses.  And could I do that for around 30 dollars.

Of course I want to do that. How could any person not want to do that?

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Build a Table Trellis for a Party

I had this picture in my head of a table trellis decorating the table for Sara's Paris Birthday Party...the girls drinking tea, eating their sandwiches and cakes under a canopy of vines and fragrant flowers...and so I set out to make it happen.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Make a Ruffled Tablecloth from a Bed Skirt...the easy way


Last spring, I began to share Sara's 11th Birthday Paris Party with you, and haven't gotten back to it. (First post, making invitations, here.)

Today I'll do that by sharing a few photos of the tablecloth-making process.

Sunday, August 16, 2015

A Basket Cart for Mice and Such

Going through some stuff today, I found this little basket cart.
I found it at a Salvation Army for 50 cents, and have been saving it for my niece Tessa the Besta's woodland creature's house...that I hope to complete for her birthday or Christmas this year or next.

But it was too high for them.

So I removed the basket and bent down the handle.

Now the wire part with wheels can be used for working in the garden,
or as a wagon for the kiddos to ride in...
The hay bales can also be used in the garden, the milk can in the kitchen,
and the large basket can hold their blankets and things.
I think they're pretty cute.  What do you think?


How are you making your today world beautiful?


Thursday, June 25, 2015

Tessa's room...a fabric poster and a pillow

We are about to make another trip up north for the summer, and that means stopping to see brother Jason and sister-in-law K on the way.

We are VERY excited to share that they are expecting.  Their pregnancy difficulties are their stories to tell, but this trip will be a time for us all to be happy in their news.

They have of course cutie niece Tessa, and currently two other foster babies.  This means they need more room.  This means they need to remake the storage room upstairs into a big girl, cutie niece Tessa room!  This obviously means I need to be involved.

Sunday, June 7, 2015

The Beginnings of a Budget-Friendly French Tea Birthday Party..Invitations

It's  hard to believe it's been two weeks since Sara's birthday party, and yet I haven't posted any of it.

It's probably better to start at the beginning and work up to the party...so today I'll post some pics of our invitations...

Saturday, May 9, 2015

okay fine, I like stuff

Sometimes I find ugly stuff that needs a lot of work.

Sometimes I get lucky and just find nice things.

For example, this king-sized, iron headboard.
Brand new it is hundreds of dollars, but we found it for 35 dollars (including frames) at a yard sale last Saturday.

Monday, May 4, 2015

a merry merry-go-round

Once upon a time when I was a little girl, we would go visit my grandparents.

They had a red square box with a few toys in it.

In that box was my favorite toy--the one I went for every time.  It was mesmerizing with its little moving chairs and the little song it played (In the Good Ole Summertime) as it went round and around.
When my grandparents passed, I was asked if there was anything particular I'd like to have to remember them.  This was the one thing.

Saturday night we were out and about, when we came upon a moving sale.
And there, down in the grass, was this little community mouse porta potty.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

Trash Pickin Saturday

Here are a few favorite finds trash pickin yard sales today...
It's amazing how much stuff I can accumulate in so little time.

First off, a lady bug complete bed set...
Rug or throw (I'm not really sure), curtains, 2 sets of twin sheets, and bedskirt.
 

Thursday, April 30, 2015

a nasty old chair

There was once a nasty old chair.
 
It was first spotted sitting beside a trash can, one lot over from the Easter party Sara was attending.

"Could someone be throwing away that perfectly good chair?" said me.

Thus began the conversation with myself while waiting for Sara to come out.

There were other random chairs sitting in the yard, so I thought maybe they are not setting it out for the trash. Maybe they are using these scattered chairs for bases...or maybe it's a sitting down kick-ball kind of game these people were doing.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Gathering, Butterflies, and Other Projects

Well, that was a lazy title wasn't it.

yes.

How's everyone doing out there?!!!

What is everyone doing?

I've been in gathering mode.  

It's like hibernating, but with gathering.

It means I look for good deals and hoard buy a bunch of stuff.
This desk is my new crafting station.  It was only 10.00 on craigslist.

yay. yay.

Friday, March 27, 2015

S-P-R-I-N-G...the beginnings of the beginnings of a garden

It is SPRING here in the Enchanted Forest.
That means flip flops, daffodils, and frogs that sing us to sleep at night.
What all the frogs are singing these nights.

Monday, March 9, 2015

A Wintery Frozen Party

UN-Frozen.

That's what I want to be...How about you?
Today we were finally able to open the doors and window.  The horses came out without their coats. I think we're through the winter, and with that and the time-change, I could not be happier!

Last year a few friends and I put together a Christmas surprise for a co-worker and friend of ours...

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Barbie DIY Dream Ballroom Complete...a thrifty furniture and topiary how-to


I must be in denial about my winter lay-off time coming to an end, because I'm getting silly things done and not the big, important things.  

The silly things are much more fun.

This is one project I've worked on this week.
Sara's Barbie ballroom is finally complete with furnishings and plants.
But now that I'm looking at it, should those topiaries have one more ball of green stuff on the top, or would that off-balance the room? Maybe they would just look like green snowmen.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

The Wallet That Isn't Smart (Sequel to The Car With No Heart...)

This is the sequel to yesterday's post, The Car With No Heart.

Yesterday I ventured out in this southern snow storm of an inch or two, to Walmart.
Today I decided I had such luck finding deals yesterday, why not do it again?

But this time the road was 100% clear, no salt needed, all the way to Goodwill..with Sara who is yet another day out of school because of these hazardous southern conditions.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

The Car With No Heart...

In the midst of this icy cold week that has hit the south by storm...I decided I needed to go to Walmart today.  I was so proud of myself leaving the store.  I didn't buy anything!  
Then, after not buying anything, I re-entered the cold car, and tried to drive away. I couldn't drive away. "Why?" you ask, "Why couldn't you drive away? Was it because the stuff in the store was calling out to you?"

Possibly.  But more possible is that I couldn't drive away, because the car with no heart refused to start.

Friday, February 6, 2015

The Robert of Liberty

It is a night like this that I wish I were better at expressing myself as a writer.

I wish to convey to you this feeling of fullness in my heart.

This is a story.  It is not about a specific project.  It does however capture the spirit of this blog-- using our imaginations and ideas to form our realities, and creating a beautiful today by recognizing the beauties surrounding us.  This the the story of The Robert of Liberty.  I hope that throughout this post you'll recognize that spirit in him.
Just a bit ago, Siri and I arrived back from what started as a somewhat silly idea, but ended up in that life category of "most fulfilling experiences".  

Maybe that's why it was so rewarding...because it began as a "I may or may not get around to it" idea, and then turned into about 20 minutes of meaningfulness.

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

sss

Yup, that's all the s's I got out before they stopped working (in the title above).

Now they are working again.

But if you follow me here on FB, you already understand that this indecisive, one step away from evil keyboard will inactivate the s,x,w,@, and 2 keys at any moment.

So let me share with you a few photos and not say much about them.

Here is a photo of R (topped working) of R (tarted orking and then topped orking...incredible)

Here are a fe photo of R-number beteen 1 and 3-D-number beteen 1 and 3 again.

Found him here on the mantel at my brother' houe.
ee him?

Friday, January 23, 2015

One, Two, THREE WEEKS TILL VALENTINE'S DAY...

Valentine's Day is one of those holidays that kinda sneaks up on us. The kiddos are back into their studies and in the midst of creating a baking soda volcano...
and a shoebox diorama of the LaWashibi tribe...they need valentines and a valentines box...and all by "tomorrow".

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

The Story of Potpourri and Hot Chocolate That's Not Really A Story At All...

Hello from the cold ocean.
As I recently wrote on FB, I anticipated blogging quite a few post ideas that have been in my head for awhile now, during this time that Siri and I are away. (one of her extended treatment trips up north)

I had similar intentions this summer, when, you might remember, the internet decided to crash here during the length of our stay.

This time my computer has been giving me some serious attitude. Randomly it will stop typing 2,@,w,s, and x.  This complicates things, as "s" is a really important letter.

It's a given letter on the final "Wheel of Fortune" puzzle.  So you know it's important.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

The Winter Games

Remember The Acorn Games?  

Remember the trophy of awesomeness gnome lady, holding her hand up high with the acorn hot-glued to it?

Well, my brother Jason found this treasure at his local thrift store...
Then he saw this...

and it was clear to him what we must do at our upcoming get-together...
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