Start of Easter

I am gradually getting Easter up. Had to go to town today to get green material for the Easter Village. About 10 huge totes of material in my basement for sewing and do you think I could find the variegated green piece I had bought a few years back. And it was not in the Village box. I finished up my tulle wreath. I had a pretty blue bird on it but decided I liked it better with small glittered Easter eggs and butterflies.  Here it is.

I love the way it turned out. It was just so simple to do but boy you sure do get tired tying on the tulle. I was going to add a bow to it but thought it looked a bit odd so decided to just use some longer strips of the tulle in the light pinkish color I had used and just tie on a big puff . I liked it much better than the bow but did add a bow to the top of the hanger ribbon. I was not sure how much tulle to buy  so bought a yard of each of the 7 colors. I used a light blue, teal,peach, light pink and dark pink, white, lavender.. I cut just 1/2 yard of each so I have enough to do another project.

                                             Maybe I can do a topiary tree of the regular tulle .

                                      Here is the Easter tree I have above the fireplace mantle.

                                                        This  is the fireplace mantle.

Tomarrow I will be getting the village set up. I dragged it upstairs. Oh how I wish I had a one level home with lots of storage.I keep telling  George that if I was ever so lucky to hit a big lottery I was building a brand new home farther back on the property and bull dozing this one into the basement. Of course I am sure it will never happen .I hear that you have to play the lottery to win.

I should also mention  the topiary trees. They are made very cheaply  with all coming from the Dollar Tree. I used a bucket which I bought several of a few years ago just because I thought they were cute and I just knew I would figure out what to do with them at some point in my crafting adventures.  In the bucket I used a Styrofoam ball and pushed it tightly in. Then I stuck in a dowel rod and added a bath sponge to the top of the tree. Then I just hot glued on some small Easter eggs and placed some Easter grass on top of the Styrofoam to cover it.

I made and sold several of these one year at  our Senior Center Craft Sale in the  spring.

Hope you all are having a wonderful week.

And two Weeks Ago Spring Was In The Air

Now cold, cold, and more cold. Where did our spring weather go to. The new gazebo is sitting with just the framed sides up and all work came to a stop. Who wants to be working in 30 degree weather.

I did get all the St. Paatrick's  decorations down  this week and my Easter tree is up above the mantle. Now to dig out the other boxes and get through them. I have no idea where to put the Easter Village this year. It has, over the years outgrown the buffet that I used for many years.

I have had the days home alone this week.  I got quite a bit more done than normal. George's boss from where he retired called last Friday and asked if he would like to work a few days. It was all week and looks like he may work for another couple weeks too. Biggest problem it left me without my car . Truck is in the body shop being repared after  a woman pulled away from a stop sign and hit the back of the truck broad side. Hope the truck is finished today or Monday at the latest. Need my car on Tuesday.

I did get into JoAnn Fabrics  early this week and bought some springy type material, tulle and ribbon . I have a tulle weath just about complete. Love it and will be posting a picture as soon as I get it finished up. Supper simple to make and  with the various colors looks very spring like. I think I will like  it even more when I get  a nice bow and a few butterflies on it.

I also got a couple topiaries done up and on the mantle. Will also post them and the directions to make them. A cheap and cute craft. Everything for that I bought at the dollar tree or had been given in a huge big box of craft items that had been given to me last summer. I love crafting cheaply.

Painting, did I mention painting? We are painting. Got the living room just about done and love it. We had one  area of wall that is brick. Was red brick when we moved in and I had hated the red. So one day after we had remodeled and taken out a bedroom to gain more space in the living room, I decided to paint the brick. I did it in a white and took a sponge and dabbed on black, and different shades of light and dark gray. I have loved the way it came out all these years  but after painting last week it just looked to white for the dark color I did the walls. ( I am really  going from one extreme to another in colors in my older age)  And I must say I certainly did not want to try to paint all those brick again if at all possible. I decided to try dabbing on both the wall color and trim color which is darker than the  wall. It worked great and toned down the white and blended it in with the gold of the walls. I am loving it. We still have a fish tank to move so I can do  the area beside and behind it and the room will be done. I hope we can get the tank emptied out half way this week end to move. Will not take long to finish up with it oput of the way.

Then I can start the kitchen. I am going to pick up the paint for that today when we go to town,. It will give me something to do this week while I am home alone. I will just not want to fall off the ladder like I did last week. Did I mention you sure can loose a lot of paint when the can hits the floor? And it landed upright. Lost about 1/2 of the quart.

Been searching for a few free printables to put into picture frames for Easter and spring. So far I have not had much luck. maybe I should try to make one. OI am just not that computer litteret though. I keep trying. I still am trying to figure out all the  things I can do here on the blog.

Well off and running for now. Hope to get post and pictures done tomorrow or Monday  of Easter at the Cox Family home.  Really one Day I need to name our little corner of the world. Maybe I should hold a contest to do it. I hope you all have a great week end.

Busy Months Ahead

Well the race is on. With our Granddaughters College Graduation fast approaching we have started the countdown to get ready for the big day and her open house here in our home.

After getting all my St. Patricks decorations up husband decided to paint.  Ever try to move a  4 foot  completely decorated wall tree to another room. It now sits proudly in a rocking chair beside my computer. But I did it. Two walls down today , two more to go. And those will be the hard ones. Huge stuffed full china cabinet and large fish tank on one and two huge  curio type cupboards with a bridge over them and the TV in the center. That is going to be lots of fun to move and paint.

After we get that room painted we have the kitchen to do and hopefully we can get new flooring down also. This all needs done by the end of April.

I have mentioned in my last post  about the painting my granddaughter did for me for Christmas. She as I had mentioned  is studying to be an Art Therapist. And  yes I did have to google it to see what it was she would be doing. She plans on working with the elderly rather than children.  This past year with the death of my mother her motivation has been all centered around my mother ( her great grandmother) whom she was very close to.  On a visit to the cemetary one late afternoon she was in awe of the sunset that was takeing place. She stated she saw a cross and decided after returning to school that she wanted to do an oil of what she saw. Since then she has done several different ones.

I want to share the picture she painted for me and the one she did for her mother for Christmas.  I shed many tears on opening this painting. She had never liked oil painting until this year and now she has almost become obcessed with it. This is the picture.

Her Senior Art Show starts in  a short 3 weeks and she has been working very hard on so many items for it. I  just hope I remember my camera for the reception so I can get lots of pictures. I have a terrible habbit of forgetting the camera  when we go anyplace. I will share more of her talent after the reception when I get pictures.

Now to get all the painting finished up the next few days so I can get my St. Patrick's items back in place. Then for next week end I can get  them down and all my Easter things out. Last year I never managed to get Easter out. Just was  not feeling well and when I came home from work I would just want to sleep. It will be nice to again have  something more than aan Easter Tablecloth and centerpiece out.

I hope I find time to get a bit of crafting in too for Easter. I really need a wreath for my door. My old one is getting a bit shabby looking.  I think I want to do one with birdhouses in it so will have to get to painting.

Well I am off. Think we can get the trim put back now the paint is dry and I can move the furniture back for the night.  And then tomorrow I can get fresh washed drapes back up.

Standing on my Tippy Toes and I Think I See SPRING

Already March 6th. And last night snow . About 3 inches of that white stuff but I stood on my tippy toes and I think I see SPRING right around the corner.

And with spring comes the start of all the wonderful holidays . I even managed yesterday to make me up a new plaque to hang by the door for St. Patricks Day.  It was fun and took no time at all. It is  not hanging on the wall as of yet but here is the plaque. It is on the table with my St. Patricks Day Teapot.
It was very simple to do. I used a light colored lime green pickling stain and did two coats on the wood. Then I used a deep olive colored green on the letters and washed it over with the lime pickling gel. I like the way it turned out..  Also posted the pictures of my St. Patricks Day tree and  my fireplace mantle all decked out for St. Patricks Day. Slowly I am gathing more decorations for that day.
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St. Pats Day Wall Plaque



After  that Easter comes along with a hop, skip, and a jump. And oh so much to do before then.I am so ready for warm weather, sunshine and flowers in my yard again.We  have a college granduation open house coming up  on April 30th and need to get yard work caught up and at least potted plants  done up early this year. With Easter being so late in April I may end up with all my Easter village and tree up along with other Easter decorations for the open house. I guess our granddaughter will not mind.

One more week and we have a time change. Later day light hours. I do love the later days but will still be dark again when I get up. It seems my internal clock is still on work time even though I have now been retired for almost 5 months. I ceertainly do not mind as it is time to sit and reflect on all the Blessings in my life.

And  two weeks from today is the first day of spring.

I have several Spring crafts to finish up and do. For one a  couple things for our Granddaughter as she granduates. We are just so proud of her and all she has accomplished in her life.She has lived with us for 7 of the last nine years. We have watched her grow into a beautiful determined young lady with Dreams that she is definately following. She is already applying for graduate School. She is studying to be an Art Therapist.  I will share my Christmas Picture she did for me for Christmas in another post. She has followed her dream and it is now within reach. We sure hate to see her going away to school next year but know that to gain her masters there are no schools close by. She has intervied at two different schools this week end in Chicago and we hope she will be accepted at one of the two. That will make her just 4 hours away.

Better  run. Got a big kettle of bean soup just about ready. Lots to eat and some to freeze for a quick lunch in the future. Need to get a pan of good old corn bread in the oven. Can not have bean soup without having a iron skillet full of corn bread.