Its that time again for making resolutions...
Why do we make our resolutions so hard every year!
*wink*
big hugs,
12/31/13
12/29/13
New Treasures
I've found a lot of treasures over the last few weeks for my back yard... I was needing some old bottles for my pirate bar-- and ta da, there they were.
Once I got them home I added burlap caps to the bottles, they look so much better now.
I fell in love with this big urn, it is nicely aged with some gouged marks around the rim. I am always looking to buy old pulleys-- and this one with the hook for only $3 was a super deal.
Lots of different shaped pots that I'll place in amongst the bushes...
Of course, some wooden treasures...
and even more wooden treasures...
Anything wooden catches my eye. The tiki store is filling up surprisingly fast. I guess there isn't a big market for wooden junk stuff?
I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted these three monkeys... oh so cute! The wooden box was a must have, perfectly aged for a fabulous pirate prop! The blue netting below was a hammock chair which I simply cut off the hanging part of to create a fish net.
I am loving the gourd water jug shown below. The wooden spigot is going to be added to one of the huge wooden barrels I have. I think it will be adorable once I've stenciled "RUM" on the side of the barrel and have this spigot below it!
This scale was another must have...
The blue bottle below is huge. HUGE. I'll peel off the label and stick it the ground close by the pirate bar... arrrggggh~ 
Here is my pirate bar hutch that I've been working on. It is pretty much near completion other than just the fun part of staging it. The hutch itself was a five dollar find. No glass in the doors, no base for the hutch to sit on--- but I was delighted with it! I made the base for the hutch using scraps of posts, two by fours and fence boards that I already had. It sits lower than it would in a house because I didn't want to have it higher than the fence line. You can see the two barrels at either side in front of the hutch. These are going to be the ends of the actual bar itself.... stay tuned for that!
I added rolled bamboo to the back of the hutch itself giving it a more pirate feel to it. I also added some woven bamboo mats to the bottom portion. Now the wooden paneling is covered completely.
I had a LOT of fun using the various treasures I've been collecting to stage this piece. Here is the scale, the water jug, the pulley, keys and netting all placed around the hutch...
I hung another scale on the other side of the hutch, I hung a metal bucket from that one... for now.
The weather has really been cooperating with me wanting to work in my yard.... a forecast of 70 degrees for tomorrow in Dec/Jan? Oh its on!
big hugs,
I fell in love with this big urn, it is nicely aged with some gouged marks around the rim. I am always looking to buy old pulleys-- and this one with the hook for only $3 was a super deal.
Lots of different shaped pots that I'll place in amongst the bushes...
and even more wooden treasures...
I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted these three monkeys... oh so cute! The wooden box was a must have, perfectly aged for a fabulous pirate prop! The blue netting below was a hammock chair which I simply cut off the hanging part of to create a fish net.
This Aztec container is a really good sized piece. It is very heavy and I think its going to be a nice addition to my pirate yarrrd~
Here is my pirate bar hutch that I've been working on. It is pretty much near completion other than just the fun part of staging it. The hutch itself was a five dollar find. No glass in the doors, no base for the hutch to sit on--- but I was delighted with it! I made the base for the hutch using scraps of posts, two by fours and fence boards that I already had. It sits lower than it would in a house because I didn't want to have it higher than the fence line. You can see the two barrels at either side in front of the hutch. These are going to be the ends of the actual bar itself.... stay tuned for that!
I added rolled bamboo to the back of the hutch itself giving it a more pirate feel to it. I also added some woven bamboo mats to the bottom portion. Now the wooden paneling is covered completely.
I had a LOT of fun using the various treasures I've been collecting to stage this piece. Here is the scale, the water jug, the pulley, keys and netting all placed around the hutch...
I hung another scale on the other side of the hutch, I hung a metal bucket from that one... for now.
The weather has really been cooperating with me wanting to work in my yard.... a forecast of 70 degrees for tomorrow in Dec/Jan? Oh its on!
big hugs,
12/27/13
Waiting for inspiration...
While waiting for inspiration to kick in to jump start some project or another, I've been keeping busy finishing up a few small projects in my backyard. I added a ships mast to my garden. This project came about because of a resin pot that I bought for $2.00...When I first spotted the plant pot, I immediately thought it looked like it would make a perfect crows nest on a ships mast--- so that is what I did with it. I added a small skeleton to over see the comings and goings of the garden *wink*
I have also been working on the hutch that I picked up a few months ago. This is going to be behind the pirate bar. I am in the process of adding rolled bamboo to the inside of the hutch. The chicken wire attached easily with my electric staple gun... I am going to fill the hutch with a lot of bottles and various pirate treasures...
When it started getting to cold to work outside, I came inside and worked on a sign for the Tiki store.... The tiki store is going to be called "Boutiki"... I think I am going to add some sisal rope around the edge of this sign, to me it just seems to be unfinished.
Here is my cat Pee Wee taking a little cat nap atop a piratey box... this is his perch when he wants to come inside....
Well... I guess its good I'm not hot-to-trot to work on anything in particular because I'm getting a lot done!
big hugs,
I have also been working on the hutch that I picked up a few months ago. This is going to be behind the pirate bar. I am in the process of adding rolled bamboo to the inside of the hutch. The chicken wire attached easily with my electric staple gun... I am going to fill the hutch with a lot of bottles and various pirate treasures...
When it started getting to cold to work outside, I came inside and worked on a sign for the Tiki store.... The tiki store is going to be called "Boutiki"... I think I am going to add some sisal rope around the edge of this sign, to me it just seems to be unfinished.
Here is my cat Pee Wee taking a little cat nap atop a piratey box... this is his perch when he wants to come inside....
big hugs,
12/24/13
12/21/13
Photo Restoration
My uncle gave me a copy of an old-old family photo that I think is simply darling. He had given me this photo in the hopes of me being able to shed some light on the small little cherub in the middle... The photo is of my dad and his two brothers when they were little. Toy guns drawn, cowboy hats in place... what a cute photo. I have been trying repeatedly to bring out the detail in the photo with absolutely no success. It is pretty hard going when you don't know what your doing! Until now. It just all seemed to come together in one fell swoop! Below you can see the darkness of the original now watermarked photo.
Here is the after with the photo restoration that I did. *watermarked photo* I have this one in a sepia tone but it easily converts to black and white....
Which is what I did to create this 5 x7 photo canvas....
I am really pleased with the results and so glad to finally see the little smiling face of the tiniest boy in the photo.
big hugs,12/17/13
Holiday Bazaar
Oh my goodness--- I had a fabulous time at this past weekends Holiday Bazaar that I was a vendor at... It was five full hours of non-stop selling. It was utterly amazing, I have never experienced such good sales at one event before. Everyone who entered the facility was there specifically to purchase hand made items, they even had to pay a cover charge to get in. It was nice to see some of my friends who came to the event to say hello, and a few people who had purchased items from me previously stopping by to tell me that they love the things I make... and to purchase more. Gasp, does this mean I have a clientele? *chuckling*
I took one quick photo of part of my table--- before the door even opened I was selling to some of the other vendors. I had a LOT of things piled high on my table... a lot. I certainly made the most of my eight foot long table~
It was a whirl-wind of a good time! If I get an opportunity to do it again next year I would in a heart beat!
big hugs,
I took one quick photo of part of my table--- before the door even opened I was selling to some of the other vendors. I had a LOT of things piled high on my table... a lot. I certainly made the most of my eight foot long table~
big hugs,
12/11/13
Candy Cane Poinsettias
I made some candy can poinsettia's and I thought while I was at it, I would share the pattern.
All you need is red and green felt and some candy canes.
Here is the pattern you'll need to print out....
Once you print out the pattern pieces you can either draw the shapes onto felt.... or *what I do* iron freezer paper to the backside of the felt to make it easier to draw the pattern on the felt to be cut out.
Once the pieces are all cut out, you simply stack the four petal piece on top of the green leaf piece and cut a small slit in both pieces....
then using a crochet hook or a pencil poke the long petal piece through the slit...
so it looks like this on the backside....
then just feed a candy cane through the loop.
Ta da... that is all it takes to make a super cute candy cane poinsettia.
I think they look so cute in a flower vase~
big hugs,
12/7/13
Spoon Rings
Watch out--- I'm on a bender again! 
I have a lot of spoon handles left over from the various spoon jewelry pieces I've made this past year, so I thought it was time to actually use the handles. So, of course, I went with the obvious... spoon rings. I think I made over fifty before I realized I needed something to showcase these in besides a bowl...
I was lucky to find a huge box full of ornate wooden frames for only $5.00 this past summer... So, I pulled one out from my stash and put a layer of glue on it and then slathered on some white paint. A few swipes of some dark stain, a little sanding and I had the perfect frame for my new ring display.
I used a piece of vintage coral fabric on this piece and a strand of pearls around the border to give it a little more vintage glam... I made this particular ring display with a wider opening to hold the wider spoon rings that I've made.
I think the display really sets off the vintage designs of the spoon rings.
I tried on each ring as I made it--- and I loved each one. I kept saying to myself, "this is the one I'll keep.".... then I'd toss it in the bowl... 
I must remember to go back through them to find the one I'll keep!
Some are larger and fit really well on the thumb. I'm not a big fan of thumb rings and I was surprised that these felt so comfortable.
I also made a few that spiral around a few times...
I still have a LOT more handles left so I definitely see a lot more spoon rings in my future~
big hugs,
I have a lot of spoon handles left over from the various spoon jewelry pieces I've made this past year, so I thought it was time to actually use the handles. So, of course, I went with the obvious... spoon rings. I think I made over fifty before I realized I needed something to showcase these in besides a bowl...
I was lucky to find a huge box full of ornate wooden frames for only $5.00 this past summer... So, I pulled one out from my stash and put a layer of glue on it and then slathered on some white paint. A few swipes of some dark stain, a little sanding and I had the perfect frame for my new ring display.
I used a piece of vintage coral fabric on this piece and a strand of pearls around the border to give it a little more vintage glam... I made this particular ring display with a wider opening to hold the wider spoon rings that I've made.
I think the display really sets off the vintage designs of the spoon rings.
I must remember to go back through them to find the one I'll keep!
Some are larger and fit really well on the thumb. I'm not a big fan of thumb rings and I was surprised that these felt so comfortable.
I also made a few that spiral around a few times...
I still have a LOT more handles left so I definitely see a lot more spoon rings in my future~
big hugs,