Grandkids~

Here are some photos of my two grandkids. Over the weekend I bought my grandaughter two wigs....yes, you read it correctly, wigs. She turned one month on March the 13th...and I was wanting to see her with long hair....so here she is in all her glory~ She didn't care to much for the dark hair........ I think she is in a "milk-coma" in this photo~Here she is working the reddish hair...... work it girl! Look down your nose at the world... you go girl~Here she is falling over-- she is only a month old lol~Lastly, my grandson shows his sister how to model... attitude, its all in the attitude~
he is such a HAM!! Here he is with a toy ladder stuck on his nose!Alright, alright... I'll stop :-P

Trash to Treasure~

This trash to treasure is being hosted by Kari & Kijsa.

Here is a chicken wire wreath that I picked up for .70cents from a thrift store. It was already painted pink...so I just added some copies of old photographs that I had. I glued the photos to old yellowed book pages, punched a whole at the top of each photo and tied it to the wreath with some lace. I then cut out some leaves....but seeing it completed, they look like butterflys. Better yet! This wreath is going out onto my front yard patio. You can see that transformation here. It is an ever-evolving work in progress~ This photo of the mother holding her baby is my favorite...so sweet~

2nd Time Around Tuesday

I bought these two plastic cherubs awhile back for $2 bucks each. They were gold with no embellishments. *gasp* Life is to short not to go around wearing a party hat 24/7....I'm sorry, life is to be celebrated!!Whenever I see these gold cherubs I pick them up and make them "happier" and pass them along to other people.Here are the two with a fresh coat of white paint and some brown paint to distress the harsh white... I covered the plastic draping with real fabric and added a party hat to both of them. The "boy" wearing the blue hat has been shipped to Karen in MN and the "girl" wearing the pink party hat is for my grandaughter Chloe. I had to add more to Chloe's cherub as she would expect that from her Nana~ Sooooooo I added a bit of a vintage pearl necklace, added some feathers to the cherubs wings... painted the toe nails-- pink of course. Topped it all off with a rose colored tutu with a rose belt~ (it shows up darker in the photo than it really is)

Here is a close up of the little cherub~

I would suggest if you ever see these gold cherubs to buy them and release their inner happiness with a coat of paint and a party hat~
You can find more 2nd hand treasures over at "A Picture is Worth a $1,000 Words"

Mmm Mmm Monday~

I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe yet...its one of my all time favorites.... if you love banana bread you'll love these banana crumb muffins :-) Banana Crumb Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda and baking powder. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into muffin cups. 3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Robins egg~

Here is another little somethin'-somethin' I made for my swapping buddy. I really like how it turned out.... Here is the outside...and the inside...and a close up of the little soldered egg inside of the larger egg :-)

Stuff~

I haven't had much time to be artsy fartsy lately, but I have finished up two things that are going to my Easter swapping partner. I altered this tin egg into a nice container that is going to hold that little egg cup with the little fairy sitting atop the grass. (the fairy is two sided) The paper covering the egg is from a book from the 1800's. I am also sending along one of these cherubs...(the one with the blue party hat) I love making these-- they make me chuckle. The one with the pinkish party hat is for my grandaughter Chloe~ The plastic "drape" on these statues I cover with real fabric, it takes some time, but I think it looks better when its all finished. It is barely noticeable in these photos because I used a sheer fabric...but its there~
I am also working on a soldered piece and an robins egg container for that. I am hoping to have that completed tomorrow :-)

Two'fer One~

Its a two'fer one post....and.....

I am making over my front patio area for the upcoming summer months. Most everything on my patio is from thrift stores or yard sales! Here is the messy/unkept before photo~ Here is the after photo..... It doesn't show up well, but there is a huge flower ball hanging from the center of the gazebo :-) Alright, it is not a HUGE difference... but I did do a lot. I added stuff, pulled the weeds out of the brick, built an arch/planted some climbing roses.... and added some fabric to the table! Scroll down to see the photos :-)I don't do anything to the porch area during the winter months as it is toooooooooo cold for me to work out in the yard! I purchased the round gazebo a few years ago from Big Lots for only $200 buckeroos~ The white chairs are from a thrift store.... (I once had them inside my house) The metal table was another thrifted find ($40 bucks) All the "extra" odds and ends and doo-dads are things that I don't really want anymore-- and wouldn't be to terribly upset if they were stolen misplaced. I used a duvet cover from the Pottery Barn to make a table cloth and I also covered some pillows and covered a small bench and used some of the fabric as ribbons on some of the statues.... I think its cute. Again, my thoughts are "more is better" The little metal fence pieces I picked up for $1 buck each. I got a total of 5!I used wire to attach them to the gazebo and then I covered the wire with a torn fabric ribbon-- caute! This little angel I wired directly to the small rose bush as our paper boy man is probably a retired pitcher from some baseball team because he seems to hit everything I put outside. The bird bath was $15, the bird house was $2, the 2 miniature rose bushes with the pottery pots were $3 each.This cement urn was a dollar at a yard sale.... I added the nest, moss and the dried flowers & eggs...Here is a bunny wearing a matching ribbon made with the same fabric as the table & bench~ (I bought 5 bunnies for a dollar each) the white wire bird cage was $10 bucks (still working on straighting that sucker out) The "welcome" sign was $2 bucks...Here is a little rusty tricycle given to me by a friend that I spruced up... I don't really have a place for it just yet...but it will work its self into some little spot. The basket was $1 buck lolThis wooden "object de'art" for lack of a better word is just filled with more odds & ends. All of this "stuff" was free or nearly free. The broken shovel head says it all "Garden of Weedin" A rusty wagon also given to me by a friend..... filled with stuff sits in a planter near the gazebo... all the pots also were given to me~Here is a little half table that has no place inside anymore...so out it went onto the patio. (yes, thats dirt on the top of it, it just recently rained!) The rose in the pot was $1, the metal candle stick with the glass top was .50cents, the bunnies with the pots were $2 bucks (I have two) The heart wire bird cage was $3 bucks, the table itself was $3 bucks... the metal bird feeder on the ground was $7, the blue flower pot was $3~This two balled wire topiary form is one of 3 that I picked up for $1 dollar each. I just used some silk ivy greenery I had stashed away to make it come alive~ see my two wooden cats in my window.... I love cats.This wrought iron bakers rack my dad made.... now it holds a lot of my overflow from my house. The white truck behind it is a 1964 (year I was born) Falcon truck it was a gift for one of my birthdays from my hubs.This white basket was a freebie at a yard sale. It is perfect for holding long stemmed roses and cuttings from plants that I can easily transport to my gardening bench. (which is the table lol) this summer I will cut a piece of wood for that big whole in the middle. I think I'll drill around the wood circle and lace it to the metal basket with wire~This white metal stand was $5, the bird house $1, the vintage wooden 7-up crate on the bottom shelf was $1. The large blue pot was $5-- which holds another one of those 2 tiered topairy forms ($1)

I picked up the wire tray for $1, the wire teapot was .50cents, the wire cups & saucers .25cents and the metal plant stand $2 .....and just attached everything together with wire for this little vinette. The black garden thingy was $1.If you would like to see more make-overs stop over at Jens blog "Sanctuary Arts at Home" she is hosting a monthly Mr. Linky for make-overs! *woot-woot*

If your wanting to see other peoples Thrift store finds check out the Mr. Linky over at Dianes blog "A Picture is Worth a $1,000 Words" If you have linked here and wish to view more of my blog you can click here!

Mmm mmm Monday~

I am trying out a new quiche recipe for Easter Sunday.... this one was pretty good-- although it had to much meat for me! I think I would cut the meat/sausage by half next time~ Here is the recipe:

Sausage Mushroom Quiche

1 pound small fresh button mushrooms
1 pound ground pork breakfast sausage
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (I know, thats a lot!)
3 eggs
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used the cheese you sprinkle on pizza) 1 (9 inch) unbaked 9 inch pie crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the mushrooms by snipping off the stems. Cut in half if large. Crumble the sausage in a large skillet, add the mushrooms, cook on medium-high heat until the meat and mushrooms are lightly browned and all the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Drain off the grease. I even took some paper towels to the meat, this will help your quiche cook better if it is not so greasy. After all that, add the parsley. (I wouldn't add as much as what the recipe calls for, thats a lot of "green" lol)
In a large bowl, beat the eggs, adding the cream and cheese. (again, I just used the parmesan cheese you sprinkle on top of pizza!) Pour into the mushroom/sausage mixture; blending well. Pour mixture into the pie shell. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until crust is browned and the filling is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Spray paint party!

I really love to paint things, especially white! I've got 3 bins in my garage full of spray paint in different colors :-) All organized by color of course~ I've used spray paint for stenciling onto wood/cars/cement etc., painting on things directly to give them new life...highlighting details on things... and adding "age" to other things. I love me a good can'o paint!

This Easter tree got a complete make-over, it used to be one of those skinny white trees, now its a fuller tree with a brown trunk & limbs.. you can see the tutorial here. Here is a $3 dollar find that was hand cut by someone years ago. It is really intricate when you look at it up close. When I bought it it was in its natural wood state.... I think it really pops now that it is spray painted white...A vintage style basket that got the pink treatment...(soon to be an Easter basket for my swapping buddy)one of my "block sale" shopping carts got some white paint to freshen it up a bit.Here is a 3 piece set that I picked up for $5 bucks that with the white paint really is adorable now :-)Here is a small oak dresser that I grabbed off of a trash pile..... I put a base coat of latex paint over the wood to seal it then I spray painted over that to give it a nice smooth finish. Of course I had to grubby it up a bit, I like a nice shabby look to things. (yes, I keep the plastic on my lampshades, it gets very dusty where I live!)I made this "map" tablecloth for the yearly pirate party I have for my grandson's birthday. I simply spray painted right onto the fabric to give it an old dirty look~Speaking of pirate party...here is the pirate ship! I spray painted parts of it brown and used some black spray paint to give it an aged/dirty look. Those pirates are a dirty lot!!Okokok....now I'm just showing off in this photo...didn't it turn out soooooooooo caute? The green plastic cabin of the boat was the bottom section of a two tiered play house that I got for free. I got the base at my house, and my daughter has the house/cabin part at her house :-)

Here is a $4 dollar chandelier that I spray painted white that sits over my kitchen table. I wasn't sure if I wanted one, so I picked up one of those "brass" yucky ones and painted it. NOW.... I am in the market for one of those blingy over the top dripping with crystals chandeliers :-)You can see more spray paint party goers by visiting Sara at her blog "Thrifty Chick Decor" If you want to check out more of my blog you can click here :-)