Sailing~

I managed to hit a few yard sales this morning before coming home to babysit my grandkids... Here is a peek at what I think was the highlight of the morning. A collection of real birds nests, I paid $8 for all of these. In total there are 16 nests. Here is a close-up...caute! There are two hummingbird nests here, possibly three if I knew what I was talking about!I had to take one in the backyard and wet it and restick it together (it has some mud inbedded in the nest) to get it back into a "nest" shape.I also have a lot of sticks & nest bedding that has fallen off of these that I'll put beside my bird feeder so the birds can recycle it... even my birds are "green" I also got a bunch of seashells...I picked these up for $1. Also, a bunch of other random junk stuff that is not worth mentioning~ Rhonda over at Southern Hospitality is hosting this "Show us what you got" linky party. Go check it out~

Boutiques~

Today I hit some thrift stores..a.k.a. Boutiques! Here is a run down of what I got....a vintage hat $2An vintage aluminum tray .50cents, 20 paint brushes .75cents, a baggie of little glass animals that came in tea boxes .50cents, (that would have taken me a life time of drinking tea to get that many!!) a new roll of ribbon .25cents, a small glass ginger jar .50cents, an old round metal working music box .50cents, a gold/glass bird .25cents, and a handful of crystals for .50cents....A battenburgh Christmas tree skirt for $3, six vintage egg shaped napkin rings for $1.50 (to repaint or not to repaint that is the question!)... and 4 plastic price thingies from a grocery store that stick inside of large boxes of fruit for .25cents. I am going to use these to make markers for my trees telling everyone what kind they are. I need more of these! lol A new in the box hummingbird feeder for $3, a bag of small wooden blank blocks .50cents (I have no idea what I'm going to use these for!) a glittered Christmas bell wreath .50cents, four sprays of red berries for decorating...and a cardboard tartan box that has small drawers in it for .25cents. I also picked up these vintage --whatever they are cardboard thingies for .25cents for the lot. They have fold lines but have never been folded-- crazy!This small six drawer cabinet was only .50cents. I am going to paint it (of course) and pop out the current "display" that is inside each drawer and maybe fill it up with different colored buttons.... caute!Another pirate chest.... this one was only $3.95cents~Best of all.... a box of old ribbons for *drum roll please* .25cents.
Seriously, I don't need any of this stuff....but wanting it is a whole other story~

Somethings gotta give~

It is all or nothing for me.... lately its been all about yard work. I tend to have tunnel vision on things I currently have a passion for and don't put any focus on things like I should...like house work... and secondly my blog... and eeeeeeeeeek that 4th of July swap I joined. (I've so got to wrap that up and mail it out) Something's always gotta give--- or else you'll start ripping out your seams~ I am trying so hard to get everything in perfect order before the 100 degree temperatures set in for the summer.... anywho... here are some photos from my yard so I don't feel like such a slacker. Yes, I have been accomplishing somethings! *woot-woot*

Here is one of my plum trees loaded down with plums~

My wonderful blackberries...... growning on an arch of course!I only harvest a handful a day, washing/drying then freezing them until I have enough for a pie. It takes a l-o-n-g time to get enough for one pie... that gets eaten in ONE day.Of course I've been feverishly working on things for the upcoming "Mad Hatter's tea Party" that is being held on June the 27th. I am holding mine in my grandaughter's garden that I've created in my backyard. It is still a work in progress mind you.... I've recently created the look of a gate leading into the area using two wrought iron trellis pieces- caute!Here is a sneak peek at some of the early guests that have shown up already.

Of course no tea party is complete without a teacup tree firmly planted next to a metal lemon tree. Very convenient huh!As you can see, Chloe's little garden has a lot of stuff in it. Oh trust me... there is a lot more to see. Every statue is getting a hat-- geeze, speaking of hats,I must go make some more!

New babies~

Thankful Thursday...I am thankful for being able to witness the gift of life right outside my front door~
My lovely dove couple had another set of twins. Take a peek.....Here is a little closer peek...the two babies cuddling into their mother, now how sweeeeeeeeeet is that? Here is the original story behind the nest. You can see more things to be thankful for over at Rhondi's blog "Rose Colored Glasses" If you have linked here and wish to see more of my blog-- you can click here.

Show us your Crown Party~

I just finished my crown this morning. This is the first time I've made a crown using chicken wire. I must say, I like it.Instead of just a straight curvy top, I actually cut out circles into the wire for a more scalloped look. I wrapped lace around the edges of the crown to keep it from poking anyone wishing to wear it. I even added a "corset" piece in the back to fit fat heads :-Pokokok, or those wishing to wear it pulled down more on your head. (which I prefer) I don't like the look of a crown that sits directly on top of the head-- my goodness.... if you were to sneeze that sucker would become a lethal weapon! You can check out more crowns by visiting Andrea over at Vintage Bella.

Dollar days~

On Saturday, I picked up these two wedding dresses for a dollar each at one of the many-many thrift stores I go to. I could have hauled home about 20 of them (all going for a dollar each) if I could only figure out what to do with them! I picked out the two I liked the most...one with layers and layers of tulle....and the other one the fabric is almost like a silk linen.I am going to take the skirt part off of the bodices for now-- I think some of this lace and fabric is going to be used for my crown which I am needing to finish for tomorrows "Show us your Crown" party~

Work in progress....

Here is my Cheshire cat that I've been working on for the upcoming Mad Hatter's tea party. I started with just balled up newspaper that I taped onto a foam core base, I formed the ears out of cardstock. I used some flat wooden stir sticks to give the legs and the tail some stability. If I'm going to put all this time & effort into something...I don't want it ruined if it gets dropped and a leg falls off! I used a mixture of equal parts of flour and water to make the paste to put on a few layers of newspaper covering the cats shape. Once that was dried I added the details onto the face and feet with paper clay. Lastly, I added a layer of torn up paper bags using a mixture of Mod Podge and water. The flour paste wasn't as thick as I'd of liked it to be...so the mod podge gave me a harder finished surface. Now I've just got to begin finishing it up. I am going to add some more paper clay to the eyes and maybe tweek the nose a little bit more.... then comes the painting! I am wanting- needing a thick paint to cover the lines created by the paper, I am wanting a smooth finish--- I am clueless as what to use! Oh well...it will come to me-- eventually!