Bird Seed Wreaths

I found this idea at www.cherryhillcottage.typepad.com and thought it looked like something we could do (scroll down to July 3rd).

Jonge helped me with the first batch, which made a nice size wreath in a bunt pan.

Famke was my helper with the second batch, which we made in individual ring jello moulds.

I just happened to have everything to make them on hand.

The recipe is easy and they popped right out of the pans without much loss of seed at all.

Kado was a wee bit less than thrilled. He was sleeping when we mixed them up on Monday. Perhaps he was wishing they were donuts?

Anyway..,

I'll let you know what the birds think!

The only problem I had was that the mixture is thick. I have problems with my wrists occasionally, although not for a few years. Stirring two batches caused it ALL to come back. This morning I tried to lift a pitcher of water and nearly collapsed from the pain.

So all I can say is, those birds better LOVE them!

And, I plan to make these often. I'll just have THGGM do the stirring.

Birthday Reflection Box

More tweaking has been done! I LOVE the mirrored back to this, except that it makes it difficult to get a picture without ME in the background. I do like how the bright blue sky is reflected, and also my dog, who is watching me from his favorite spot on the back of the couch.

The dog charm reminds me of my beloved Westie, Niki. And the pink fur reminds me of the time Oldest Son dyed the fur on the top of her head with red Koolaid. Her fur stayed pink for a VERY long time.

Oh, there are just too too many uses for colored paper Easter basket grass. There are only three candles because another fifty would not fit in the space. And, I was three. Once. I also had those bangs.

Don't they just look adorable from behind? Another one of the reasons I like the mirrored back.

I'm looking for a tiny glass bottle for the flowers. I know I have one somewhere (now there's a phrase i say a lot).

Wrapping those two tiny squares in the dotted paper took FOREVER. If I add any more, they will be wrapped in tin foil.

Besides how much I like the reflections from the mirrored back, I also like the glass sides which draw things outside the box into the scene. Don't those two look like they'd be fun to have at a birthday party?

Seriously. You should make one of these.

Making Do

I found this reflective shadow box at a thrift store. It was $1.00. At the time I hadn't given much thought to what I would do with it but I've had several of the smaller box type and they lend themselves nicely to a variety of ideas.

Soon after I purchased Amy Power's latest "Inspired Ideas" www.inspireco.com . Her idea used a shadow box with individual removable boxes (from Tim Holtz) and it is absolutely adorable. But I didn't have those boxes.

But I remembered my $1.00 mirrored box and thought I'd give it a whirl.

All my life I've never seemed to have the right stuff so improvising is nothing new to me.

Because it is backed with mirrors it's been difficult to photograph without me and my camera appearing in the background. Oh, well.

It's had A LOT of tweaking, and will still be getting more. Almost everything in it came from thrift stores or clearance bins. Everything but the homely little baby which I bought at a toy store in Traverse City last year.

I'm putting it together for my own birthday - which seems rather lame. But I already have pieces set aside to make it over for THGGM's birthday too.

For the rest of the weekend I shall be moving things around until it's just 'so'. I have some sprinkles for the cupcake but need to find a way to glue them to syrofoam. And, I have a few more wood block presents to wrap.

The Sick Girl Makes Stuff

Ugh. Still sick. I slept all morning. I never do that.

In the afternoon I took a book out to the backyard with me and sat for awhile in the sun. Normally, that is not something I enjoy - reading in the sun. I'm a shade person. But, it was nice.

While I was out there I heard a commotion and looked up to see a hawk being chased overhead by several pair of angry small birds.

So the hawk is still around. I hadn't seen it for awhile.

Before I went back inside, I checked on my peony plants. They are coming along nicely.

Next to the peonies were the remaining stems from last years purple balloon flowers.

Hmm. Looking at them gave me an idea.

Perfect stems for gluing on red pompoms, don't you think?

Not sure if I'll leave them in the kitchen, but for now, that's where they are.

So unbelievably simple. You should try it!

Working On a Project

I do not have the time to be doing this now, but, I am.

THGGM has been helpful. By helpful I mean that he is saying helpful things like, "Are you done yet?"

The entire thing was his idea. Actually, it was sort of my idea a looooong time ago, but with different pictures, smaller frames, local non-exotic birds, etc.

But, tonight, when he noticed that I ALMOST went stark raving bonkers about the whole thing, he stepped in with his manly tape measure and lined up everything as close to perfect as we get around here.

Presently, all nine of them have been properly framed and are laying on the living room floor while we adjust the grid.

Now, if we can just get them to all hang properly.

Oh, and there's the question of should we or should we not put things in front of them, and maybe we should have gone with twelve instead of nine...

The nine frames were on sale last week at Michael's. $3.99 a piece. The paper, also on sale for .49 is from Martha Stewart and is called bamboo. The book of famous bird artists was a .50 thrift find. The most expensive single item was the tacky spray adhesive.

Now, here's hoping that it WORKS. Even if it only looks somewhat like what I have in my head, I'll be pleased.

But if they are all crookedy and wonky looking, I just may melt down. Again.

Pennies

Daughter came for lunch today!

She brought me my birthday present.

Although, what I REALLY wanted was a grandson on my birthday, I like this present too.

She brought me a 2009 penny for my penny box. Since I turned 51 this month, it is my 52nd penny.

The first penny which is from 1958 is the very last year of the wheat penny.

The next 50 pennies have the Lincoln Memorial on the back.

And, the new one looks like this!

I'm sure my children hope that I live long, at least long enough so that when I die they can each inherit twenty-five cents a piece.

This is it kids, aside from assorted value-less bits of dinged up odds and ends, your mom is worth 52 cents.

(the idea for my penny box came from the book 'the hundred penny box' by Sharon Bell Mathis - good book - look it up!)

Fairy Jar

Too many great ideas in the new "Somerset Life".

The fairy jars reminded me that I had a blurry picture of Famke wearing wings.

The blurriness suited the picture nicely, for this. All I had to do was cutout whatever wasn't Famke.

I found the canning jar, tea-dyed cheese cloth, and the paper roses in the bedroom.

The rock was on the living room floor, for some reason that I cannot recall (what? you don't have random rocks on YOUR living room floor?).

The rhinestone pin was in the bathroom.

You would not believe how easy it is to make a decent bow with cheesecloth.

I need to buy more of that.

The interesting lighting comes from setting the jar on the recessed light in the mantle.

I suppose another option would be to put a battery operated votive into the jar.

Next time I rework this (i love projects that do not require anything to be permanently adhered) I might add some tiny shells to the jar and place a larger shell on the lid.

Lots of possibilities here.

Too Simple Too Fun

This idea came from the new issue of "Somerset Life". I love that book-a-zine.
Sketch out something in pencil, go over it in plain old Elmer's Glue, and sprinkle it with something.
In the book they used dried larkspur. I didn't have that. This is some lavender that has been sitting in a tea cup in my bathroom for awhile.
But now I'm starting to look with interest at the plethora (hey.., didn't i used to have another blog named that?) of old spices in my spice rack. That just might be fun, too!

I tried writing out "hope" in cursive, but the loopy parts became clogged with the lavender. So, I rubbed it off, turned it over, and sketched out a tea cup just to see if something other than a letter would work.

It would.

Now I only wish I had drawn it more carefully.

Oh, well. Live and learn.

I really think you should try this.