Learn how to make a small space amazing with a beautiful spring container garden. Spring is my absolute favorite time of the year! And my very favorite thing to do is to stroll through the garden or hike through the woods looking for new growth pushing out of the ground. The air is rife with anticipation and the earth is filled with so much newness that my heart bursts with joy! With that in mind, you're in for a treat! Today I'm going to share all my tips for getting a head start on the gardening season by creating a fabulous small space container … [Read more...]
WHY do I celebrate Earth Day? Immediately upon rolling out of bed I take a step the to the window and pull hard on the cord that raises the blinds shielding my eyes and bedroom from the morning light. Today as I peered through the panes of my second story window, the blue sky was pale behind the gray sticks reaching upwards to the heavens. Those dull branches and twigs looked lifeless, yet invisibly life might be found coursing through the pulp in that forest of trees. In a matter of a few weeks, buds will be bursting with glimmers of green and our sleeping world will look … [Read more...]
Living on the edge of the woods with all that natural beauty inspires me in my Christmas decorating. This year I purchased a skinny tree and filled it with rustic farmhouse Christmas tree decorations I made. It's easy and inexpensive to create ornaments using the bounty of nature. Remember the 31 Days of Handmade Christmas Ornaments that we were so inspired by back in October? We enjoyed it so much that my friend, Mary Beth and I invited the group back for our First Annual Extraordinary Christmas Trees Tour. Not everyone could join us, but we have 13 gals for a fabulous 3-Day line … [Read more...]
Is there anything better than Christmas decor that's free and natural? I think not! That's why I'm excited to share with you my simple rustic handmade Christmas ornaments made from birch logs and pine cones. But, before I do, if you’re here from The How To Home (Didn't Mary Beth create the cutest retro vintage ornament ever?), WELCOME! This is the 4th stop on our third annual 31 Day Handmade Christmas Ornaments Blog Hop. Just like each year past, you can expect to be inspired by all kinds of lovely Christmas ornaments created by 30 extraordinary bloggers, plus me. … [Read more...]
Sigh! I just wasted two hours of a perfect day. The kind of day you wait for because it's sunny and energizing and everything you need to get a lot of work cranked out. You should have seen my goals for the day. I even gave myself permission to take care of all the after breakfast chores at lunchtime today, just so I could knock out my work. But, it didn't happen. Instead, I allowed myself to easily be distracted. Once I get focused on a project or my day, I can accomplish a huge amount of work. But if I get distracted... … [Read more...]
I absolutely LOVE using natural elements in my Christmas decorations. And the best part of using nature's gifts... they're usually free! That's a double win in my book. Before the leaves even started to fall this year, I knew I wanted to create something beautiful for Christmas with the plethora of oak leaves from the nearby woods and gold spray paint. But, what would that be? I finally settled on making an oak leaf Christmas wreath. Who knew the humble leaf from a stately oak could become so classy with just a few spritzes of gold spray paint? I had a pretty good … [Read more...]
"I just want my child to be happy." Have you said that? I think it might be the number one wish for many parents. We're all looking for happiness. We'll feel better or be happier... if we drop a few pounds. if I could get more traffic to the blog. if we would get the yard re-seeded this spring. if my kids would do better in _______. if I could get that merit raise. if my spouse would ________. These are some of the kinds of things that we think we need or at least want. Surely they will bring us happiness. I see you rolling your … [Read more...]
This fall I gathered a plethora of acorns on my walks at the local park. I've never seen such a variety of sizes and styles and browns in acorns. Of course, I probably never took the time to look before. This year in my quest to decorate on less than a dime, I turned to Mother Nature. And oh my... did she provide an abundance. I wanted to create a centerpiece for my Thanksgiving table setting. I had already made lovely oak leaf chargers, so I did what we all do when we want inspiration, I popped over to Pinterest. While I was looking at pretty tablescapes, I saw an acorn basket … [Read more...]
Do you remember those days as a child when you would collect fistfuls of autumn leaves? Maybe it was just last week that you found yourself picking up pretty leaves on your walk? Please... "Pin" - "Tweet" - or "Share" this image! I'm always on the look out for creating home decor with nature's bounty. It does seem that Mother Nature couldn't deliver any more leaves than she's been raining down on us the past few weeks. Actually, it's all been quite convenient for me. I have been planning an autumn tablescape but feeling like there was an important missing … [Read more...]
Please … “Pin-it” – Share it on Facebook – Stumble it! My friend mentioned to me that there just had to be something she could do with the garbage can filled with acorns she had just raked up from her yard...aside from starting an oak forest. You too? Recently, I shared the first of several upcoming ideas for creating home decor with acorns here. Can you imagine living in a virtual oak forest and never having crafted anything with acorns? [guilty] This year...I'm making up for lost time. There's a county park within walking distance and I've filled up a couple of bags of … [Read more...]
Last year I went hunting for acorns. I walked for what seemed like miles through the woods that rimmed the cornfield, eyes to the ground, carefully searching for those little nuts with cute hats. After expending all that effort in the hunt, I walked home with a small handful. That's all! This year I had success and found all the acorns I ever wanted! Please … “Pin-it” – Share it on Facebook – Stumble it! You know how you hear that there will be a bad winter when there are lots of acorns? Last winter was the worst I've known, and there were hardly any acorns in my neck of the … [Read more...]
Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind. Theodore Roosevelt Have your heard the expression talk is cheap? I think my dad used that expression when I was growing up. When I look around my world...the people who are loving, serving, and caring for others at some personal sacrifice are the people who inspire me. Great thoughts are good... but actions speak louder than words. My heart overflows with gratitude today for the benefits I have received because of the sacrifice of a friend. Several … [Read more...]
It's Earth Day! As a gardener and nature lover, Earth Day has mixed meanings to me. I appreciate the beauty of nature, the first shoots of green in the spring, and the harvest of flowers and fruits as the seasons turn. One of my favorite things is to spend time at the beach and enjoy the sand, sunshine, crashing or lapping waves, and the warm breeze. And anytime of the year, I am game for a hike, or even a walk along a rural roadside. Today, we took a walk down a nearby road. There's a small boat launch onto the river along that road and we strolled on in there to get a closer look at the now receding … [Read more...]
I love this Thoreau quote on winter... “One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” ~Henry David Thoreau This week...my bit of summer has been bluebirds.....perched high up on the tree in front of my window. Those round feathery puffs of blue and orange are a true delight while the branches sway and the snow drives horizontal. They are the true blue promise of spring. It may be February, but I'm counting the days 'til spring. You too? Thank you for stopping by today. I appreciate you and your sweet comments make my … [Read more...]
Bloggy friends... There's still time to link your extraordinary posts at our Project Inspire{d} Link Party. I can't wait to see your projects! I'm in the midst of several projects and posts and nothing is finished. A deadline is looming ahead. We're traveling this weekend and I will be "offline" so that means I need to accomplish much. If you pray, I would appreciate your prayers. Prayers to accomplish much....all that I need to...nothing more. Prayers for sleep. And wisdom. And traveling mercies. And discernment. And dry roads. Prayers for like-mindedness … [Read more...]
It's cold here in the Great Lakes. I woke up to a fresh blanket of sparkly snow and a big fat zero on the thermometer this morning. It was a gloriously beautiful morning with deep blue skies and sunshine casting dark purple shadows between the rows of trees. As I ate my blueberry banana pancakes this morning, I noticed a large flock of birds flying around the backyard. When I got up and went to the slider, I looked up to see a host of Cedar Wax Wings* flitting around in the tops of the maple tree, their breasts a gorgeous gold, illuminated by the rising … [Read more...]
I played with power tools this weekend. Just two. But, one, in particular, got me totally excited. I may or may not have posted something about it on Facebook. One tool was a power miter saw. That wasn't a big deal. I used to own one until I allowed some other people to use it and it came back to me in pieces. That's a story for another day. Maybe. I've always wanted to use a nail gun. I can't tell you how fun it was. It made quick work of assembling the birch branches. But, you can make a wreath like this without power tools. So just for fun, I put together a simple … [Read more...]
