It's a Bird Feeder!

Remember my last post??? It's been so long, and I have been busy! Those china pieces I showed you created two super cute bird feeders! I actually saw this posted in a craft magazine years and years ago and recently saw them appear in blogland! It jogged my memory about wanting to make one for about TWENTY years! So, not wanting to waste another twenty years without one, I got right on it!

I made two of these adorable bird feeders, spurred on by the fact we have a bird nest on our covered back porch with little baby birds and more birds live in the bush behind the bird feeder!


This was a free $$$ project for me except for the copper caps I purchased for the copper tubing. I had everything else. Most people use a tea cup saucer for the bird seed, but I like the bowls to keep the seed in better. You fill up the cup with water for the birds. Perfect except.................................it's been a week and I have not seen one bird getting seed from them! I am giving them another week and then I am buying a fake bird and setting it on the edge. Just for my own satisfaction!

I have also been busy making the pennant banners for our western/cowboy themed party during 4th of July.

I have them all sewn, I just have to add the ties at the end.

Be back soon!

Crocheting..............Dusting of the Needles

Renee over at GoosieGirl's posted a crochet project that looked super simple and super cute! A super simple shrug! I haven't crocheted in a long time, and I do not know many stitches, but this project had the two stitches I knew.

So I tested my long retired skills with left over witch hair.


Then I tested again with some turquoise yarn that was hanging around the house.


I was then ready to begin MY shrug. This is the start of it that I began on Super Bowl Sunday.


A week later.........


And today......

Funny how you can see all your mistakes in the photo's but not when I am sitting there crocheting. I am just enjoying the process.....mistakes and all!

I just hope I finish before Spring get here!

Be back soon!

Recap Part 1

Recapping things that happened while I was gone (from the blog). Jessie finally learned to french braid hair.

She actually managed to do her own hair here. It took watching U Tube over and over again, but she finally managed to do it! Yeah Jessie! I can't even do that!

Since she was successful with that, she learned to do the fishtail(?) U Tube to the rescue again! (What did we ever do without U Tube?)

Here is my hair, with Jessie's talent, sporting the Fishtail! Pretty cute! I did add a ribbon to cover up that big black hair band at the base of my head.

Be back soon!

It's Halloween and No Cricut?? No Problem!

I think everyone in blog land has a cricut machine, or some other die cutting machine that does the vinyl also. While I would love to have one to play with, I just don't know how much I would use one. I wanted to create some Halloween plates that simply had a vinyl black cat on it. So I did it my way!

I assembled my supplies.


Found a Black Cat Graphic on the internet and printed it off


Cut roughly around the black cat graphic and cut two pieces of clear contact paper a little larger than the cat.

I applied mod podge to the back of the graphic and placed it on top of one of the contact paper pieces. Put it on the clear contact paper side, not the paper backing.


Then I peeled the back off the other piece of contact paper and slowly covered the cat with the contact paper.

I waited for the mod podge to dry, about an hour. Then cut around the shape. I didn't bother cutting out the whiskers. I wanted the cat really black, so I painted over the shape and allowed it to dry. I forgot to take a picture of that.

Aren't they Cute!


Then I added some google eyes. Much better!


Then I just peeled the back and stuck them to my plates. I stuck a ribbon bow at the top with rolled up tape.


The best thing is, I can change these out with the season!

Be back soon!

Strawberry Cookies for Mardi Gras

Wednesday night was spent baking strawberry cake mix cookies for Mardi Gras. One of the 8th graders fund raisers for their trip to Washington DC. I lucked out and since my last began with F, I had to bring in a home baked item, packaged individually!

Well as luck would have it, Wednesday was a busy, busy late work day and I got a late start on these babies!

Oh look, there are some more over there..........

And even more!

I only made two matches of these cookies, but it seemed like I would never be through with them! Now for the packaging..............

I put two cookies in a little cup, so they wouldn't get crushed and put a clear goodie bag over it and tied it with a ribbon.


I think Hubby and I went to bed at about 12:30 a.m. He helped with all the packaging and ribbons. No telling when I would have gotten to bed if he hadn't helped!!

They were delicious and seemed to go well at the "Cake Wheel" game at Mardis Gras.

Be back soon!

That Aqua Thing..................

Remember that thing I was painting on with aqua paint? Well this is the finished product.....




It's a vegetable and dip stand. Vegetables go on the plate with the dip in the tea cup. This will be perfect for a buffet table of appetizers!

I used a vintage plate and cup/saucer that I purchased at the thrift store and combined it with a small concrete planter that I painted and a crystal candlestick.

I repainted the base so many times, trying to get the "right aqua color" that matched the plate. I just could not match the color accurately! I gave up! Sometimes you just have to admit defeat and go on. But I still love it!

I used the glue "Quick Grip" to attach them. I really wanted to show you a nice picture with veggies on the bottom and my "famous-to-me-only" Red Pepper Ranch Dip in the tea cup, but I kept eating the veggies! (I eat raw veggies with lunch almost every day)

I found the little spoon at a small shop in Georgia, where my sister lives.

I did another "Holiday Extravaganza" today at the church, and didn't do as well as the first time, but it was nice to get out and meet/see a lot of people.

Be back soon!

The Christmas Dress that isn't a Dress

Jessie and I went shopping for a Christmas dance dress. The theme is silver and ice (or white - I can't remember). The only thing she found was a dress that was in all black. She loved it, but it didn't fit the theme of the dance! It was also $58.00! It was a simple dress, a black tank top style on the top, with elastic in the middle and black satin on the bottom with black lace over it.

This is our version of the same dress with the Christmas dance theme in mind.

I used a purchased black tank top that looked exactly like what the dress used. I put white lace over a very bright silver fabric that I lined with a black satin, gathered it and then attached that to a piece of wide black elastic. We decided a bow in silver on the side would look good. The original dress didn't have that.

Jessie decided that it was silly to destroy a perfectly good tank top, so we left it as a skirt.
So the Christmas dress is now a tank top and skirt. I think it turned out cute and for a total of $15.00!

I started and completed this on Tuesday night, all except removing the basting stitches. Just what I needed a Quick and Cute sewing project!

Be back soon!

Coffee Table Remake Finished

The coffee table remake is done. Remember this bargain at $4.99?

I should start out by telling you how Hubby didn't like my bargain coffee table. He thought it was ugly. It was purchased to replace the one in the boy's TV room. Hubby made the one in there. It was made from our butcher block kitchen countertop. It was the sink cutout. It is 2" thick and very heavy. Well, one of the legs on this coffee table kept turning in, looking like it was going to break at any moment. We have done several things to try to remedy the situation, all with no luck.

Well, I have to walk past this all the time to get to my sewing room. It literally bugged the heck out of me! Somehow (to me) it made the walls and floors look uneven. Hubby kept saying it could be fixed, but it wasn't. It has been well over a year since it started it's opposite "leaning tower" position. So when I brought this one home to replace it, you know what he did? He actually fixed the the opposite leaning tower coffee table and took it to his "Man Room". Why this couldn't have been fixed sooner.........nobody knows.

He decided we needed to use my bargain coffee table in the family room for the TV and move the coffee table the TV was currently sitting on to the boy's room. Well, this coffee table was an inch shorter than the one we had, and I thought that one was too low. (It was fine if you are slouched on your leather man chair though.)

So he built it up, I spray painted it, he added the knobs to look like drawer pulls and here it is:

This table isn't as long as the one we had before, so it makes the room appear larger. There is a speaker under the the shelf, so that is why you can't really see the shelf. We had everything to fix it up, so there were no additional expenses.

I just love creating something from nothing and that is unique!

And I won't have to bend my neck down to watch TV. Hubby might have to sit a little straighter though!

Be back soon!

Busy, Busy...........

You see this orange pennant? It was driving me crazy! I couldn't find it when I was putting together the other "Vintage Feel" pennants. I always have nine, where is it??? What could I have done with it? After 30 minutes, I gave up and substituted something else. I had to rearrange my whole pattern, but I got it done!

Well, apparently Patrick, the new dog in the house, scooped it up when it fell on the floor and took it to the scrap basket under my sewing table. That's where he lays when I am in my sewing room. He has a dog bone buried in there and he was digging for it tonight and guess what he pulled out?

At least I know I am sane! I knew I had nine of that pattern! Things like that make you think your going crazy though.

I went to Joann's this afternoon. I had two coupons that I had to use soon! I have been on a buying freeze, trying to use what I have, but I needed two items. I needed fabric for the Goldilocks costume and black and white houndstooth for my older daughters "Young Detective" costume from the new Martha Stewart Halloween magazine. She desperately needs it! And her dog needs one too! Just like the picture.

See, I got exactly what I needed.

Then I decided to wander to the remnant racks. Just to look. I found the cutest fabric:


Isn't it adorable? No idea what I will do with it. I'm sure something will come to mind soon!

I spent the evening creating a new car stash. Jessie has a busy week. She is cheering Wednesday and Thursday afternoon and another game on Saturday. Lots of idle hand time.


Do you see my fancy turners on top? They work great! I actually cut more, I just ran out of time to serge the edges.

That colorful thing in the background is Miss Jessie's and her friend's balloon car for a science project. It is powered by a double balloon. I am impressed! I would be more impressed if she cleaned up the counter but that's another matter.

Be back soon!

A Bed For Charlie!

Charlie needed a bed. Before Patrick, the new dog came, Charlie slept on my husband's side of the bed in a dog bed. When Patrick came, I laid down a fluffy comforter beside my bed for him. Guess who decided that was his spot! Charlie!

Well, he would spread the whole comforter around the floor and I had a hard time getting out of bed because of this. Enough was enough!

I took this crib bumper set I bought at the thrift store about a year ago. I bought it because I loved the fabric. I was going to take it apart and use the fabric in something.

I found another use for it!

Charlie now has a new bed!


Looks pretty comfy to me! The main objection from my husband and Jessie when I told them what I was going to do:

"It's pink and he is a boy! You can't make him sleep in a pink bed!"

"If he has an objection, he won't sleep in it!" my response.

Guess he isn't intimidated with the pink. He is old and grouchy and growls all the time at the other dogs if they come near him. But obviously, he has no problem with the pink dog bed I made him.

I am scared by how his eyes showed up in the picture. So Jessie put his picture through PAINT and made him less scary!



When I get up in the morning, I won't be tripping over a queen size comforter that Charlie has decided to carpet the floor with.

Life is Good!

Be back soon!

Another One

I decided to make a shabby style stand from the same items I used to make the Halloween witch dessert stand.

I had some runs in my spray paint because I was impatient. I added too much paint, too soon. #1 rule in spray painting is several light coats. So as I was sanding the runs off, I decided I liked it and left it. I did add a coat of matte sealer.

Be back soon!

Halloween Basket Part 3

I thought I would show you a little bit of what I have done on my gross witch spice jars.

I spray painted the lids of salsa jars this weekend. (I need to thank my SIL & her husband who eat this all the time and have been saving their jars for me for years. Love the wide mouth jars!) I found this rack at the thrift store - perfect for my jars!

The picture above is taken with the lights on. It looks really cool with the lights off. I attached to the back of the rack a small little led clip on light. I still need to paint that black.

Below on the top shelf I have bloodied severed fingers and ..................I need 3 (cheap) ideas for the other jars. I am racking my brain.


Below on the bottom shelf I have bloodied eyeballs, cat guts and ugly teeth. I need an idea for one more of the large jars.

I think I will make the water in the jar of the ugly teeth a little lighter. Hubby thinks I have too many cat guts in the jar. He is probably right now that I am looking at the pictures, but don't tell him I said that! He doesn't read my blog so I am safe.

I still have to wrap twine around the top of 5 jars and put on some labels. I don't want them too large. I want people to see what is in the jars!

Here is a picture of my spice rack with the lights off:

Looks Good to me, but I am a Halloween Nut! I still have more projects in the works.

Be back soon!

Halloween Basket Part 2

I have been working on the Halloween basket, a little here and a little there. I did a lot of spray painting this weekend for it.

Here I am making cat's guts to go in a jar. So simple to make with a hot glue gun and a glass cutting board.

Look what I found at Michael's this week. I need something like this to go on my "Spice Jars" for my Halloween Witch Kitchen basket.


We all know how talented Martha Stewart is! I just knew she would have something I could use! I bought this with my 40% off coupon, so it was about $3.50.

Be back soon!

Halloween Basket Part 1

Tonight I am working on creating some witch cookbooks! I hope they turn out good!

Wardrobe Refashion

Son #2 left a Christmas gift here after Christmas break (see above). He said he would never wear it - and I never managed to return it.

One day I decided it would be great for bumming around the house in. It was too late to return it, so it became mine.

This week I decided to do some refashioning to it. I saw a shirt on Anthropologie that gave me the inspiration. I decided to add bias tape around the neck and at the bottom though.



Because my Pirate belt was sitting on my cutting table I decided to try it on with the shirt. Looks pretty cute! Hubby thought I should add the pocket back on.

It actually looks better on the dress form than on me. I wish my waist was that small!! I won't be wearing this with the belt!

Be Back Soon!