HAVE YOU EVER HAD THAT GREAT IDEA THAT FALLS TO PIECES???

sHEESH!!! What a day I tell ya!!! I had the best ideas when I got up this morning. I was going to make cushions for my wicker furniture on the deck.

I got up and drew pattern templates with newspapers using the chairs themselves to measure. No problem. I cut out the fabric I got on sale last week. Pretty vibrant colors.

Sewed them up and was so delighted they were turning out so nice!!!

wELLL.................that was until i put them on the chairs and realized I did not leave ANY seam allowance to allow for the size of the seats. So instead of being a great fit--------they are ALL TOOO SMALL.

Darn it anyway. OKay no problem. I still have enough fabric ---- to do it again..................maybe.......hmmmmm on the other hand not really-----will have to add a ruffle or something to make adjustments.

So scrap that IDEA. On to the next brilliant moments of the day. I had to haul myself to the fabric store and then the hardware store and then back home. It is 90 plus as usual.....phew.

I cut off a length of light PINK yes i said PINK canvas on the deck.
I am going to make a 'canvas rug'. I thought it would be so fun and cute if the girls and the kids next door helped by dipping their feet and hands in colored paint-----not too messy -------at least in theory.

HMMMMMMMMMM mix 2 almost 6 yr olds, an 8 yr old and a 2 yr old with an Oma with brilliant ideas, white pink and mint green exterior paint, a new TREX deck----gray---the kind that is sort of permanent for the life of hte deck -----like longer than the rest of my life time---especially after today---and a wet towel, and an aluminum
roasting pan.

step one: pour the paint in two sections in the pan. Have the barefeet kids step in and help them carefully on the 'rug' and let them walk around and make handprints.

step two: tell kids repeatedly be careful WATCH OUT ohhhhh noooonoooooo don't step anywhere but on the pink rug or the wet towel or BACK into the pan!!!!step three: okay this is getting easier. Really.
So far so good. Great Idea!!!

step three: Kim, the mom of the playmates walks into the back yard and said wow you are having some fun. of c ourse. You know me always making something.

step four: ummmmmmmm Oma do you think that paint might be soaking through the cloth?

step five: Of course it is!!!!! how could I NOT realize that??
step six: scramble all the kids off the deck and pull up the canvas 'rug' to stare HORRIFIED at all the green/pink/'white splotches of paint imbedded deep into the finish of the deck!!!!

step seven through 112!!!! Mutter under your breath four letter words that the kids can't hear......scrub with every product under the sink and in the laundry room. after two hours lay down on said deck and pray that hubby remembers the wedding vows---through thick and thin and sickness and health.

Believe me it is a 'sickness' enveloping me the deck still has paint stains on it and where the paint stains are no longer---the deck is sorta bleached out in spots and definitely lighter than where it is not scrubbed and 'productized.'

damn damn damn damn.........................and i woke up full of energy and feeling so good> I figured i would have the deck washed off ---this was just with the spray hose and water ----before the paint debacle-----and all the furniture re arranged and new cushions on the chairs, etc etc etc.

OHHHHHHHHHH DEARRRRRR ME and my BRIGHT ideas!!!!!!!

Okay now I have to go pick up my very understanding husband and we are going to dinner. HMMMMM how to tell him?? Before or after we eat??? Either way he will have indigestion.

oh dear.......................tune in tomorrow to see if I am still alive!!!!!!!!

I AM SOOO SPOILED

It is such a beautiful day today. It is going to be another triple digit hot day but John and I weeded the front flower bed and I am determined to weed more this evening when it is cooler out.

I am going to spend the rest of today rearranging our bedroom and decluttering in there. I am also working on three swaps----yikes---but what fun!

As I said before, our 36th wedding anniversary was on July 17th. John said he wanted me to pick out diamond earrings. What a darling man.
BUT I asked if i could have a new camera instead. AM I nuts or what?

I love photography and now that I have this Blog I NEED a camera to take and post pictures right?

Well he gave me his blessing to pick out what I wanted. Of course he will be using it as well.

I went to Kit's Camera's here at one of the malls. They were having a sale on cameras. The one I went to buy was very nice but the one next above it was the one I walked out with. It came with two telephoto lenses, filters etc etc etc. By the time I bought everything they could show me---heheh they know a soft sell when they see one----I still paid less than a nice pair of diamond earrings.

I had to wait for the case as they were back ordered. When we went to pick it up yesterday, John decided I needed a THIRD detachabel lens.
So I have everything I can possibly buy for it now.

Of course I am experimenting with settings etc. It comes with TWO instructional dvd's and a huge manual. I have not looked at any of those yet though so am excited to do that some time soon.

I will be taking a lot of pics of the kids before they move. They will be leaving on Aug. 7th!!

We are going to get them and us a video cam so we can communicate that way. Do any of you use them??

Oh yea------my camera is a Nikon 40dx!!! It is very professional. I have always wanted some thing like this to take pics and now I can.
My honey is sooooo sweet to me.
thank you John!! I love you!!!


As you can see in the estate sale pics it takes wonderful pictures!!!

NEW BLOg BANNER!

Before I do anything else I must comment on my NEW BLOG BANNER.

Isn't it just soooo sweet?? I have a new swap partner for the art doll hat swap, Barbara Burkard @123lavenderlollipoplane. I told her I didn't know how to make one and next thing I know here it is. She made it for me!!!!

I JUST LOVE IT. She is so talented and so nice to do that for me.
Check out her blog----she is a very talented mixed media artist. Thank You Barb!

ESTATE SALE FINDS

This past weekend, John kept insisting we go garage saling or thrift stores etc. So I looked in the paper and there was the coolest living estate sale out in the country. It had been going on about three hours when we got there.......oh darn......................BUT the stuff that was left for me was so wonderful!!!! The prices were unbelieveably cheap!!! I was in hog heaven I tell ya!!!
This is a vintage hat with vintage fabric flowers that I found for $3 for
Lizzie. She loves the hat and thinks it gives her a very 'distinctive air' as black is so fashionable these days. a front view. I told her she better not keep an 'attitude' going
or none of the other 'dwellers' in this room will put up with it.

ALthough I didn't find vintage flowers I found this big bin and the smaller roses for $1 for all!! I know there will be projects I can use them on and people out there who will love them.

This sled is very nice. solid wood with metal runners for

yep....,,,, $1.

She was selling a reproduction vintage calendar from 1994 for a quarter so in the box it went. John was so cute. As soon as I hobbled up and saw the $1 signs I asked the people if they had boxes. Of course they did!!

another month's picture. I love this stuff.

she had a container of 50 ...... yes 50..... of these very very nice buttons made into pierced earrings. All were on cards ready to sell. The bunch of them were a mere $5.

these are little glass salt and pepper shakers but thought they would be adorable with glitter in them and a ribbon. the tray was a quarter and the total of jars were a quarter as well!!!!

these glass prisms were $10 for 60. I have all sorts of ideas using these for embellishments.

I just had to have these small lamps. I am going to use them as bedside table lamps in our bedroom.

aren't they different?

these doll forms were $1 each as well and I couldn't pass them up.

I was so happy with my lot of 'stuffs.' I got a lot more crafty stuff but these were the highlights. Almost everything was $1 or 5 or 10 for $1.

she was a very craft lady. they were selling the farm and going rving across country. I kept thinking about the stuff I never saw. There were several piles of stuff marked "sold' that I would have given my eye teeth for!.

Oh well another day another sale!!!!!!!

DID I SAY I LOVE TO COOK?

Hi Everyone,

I love cooking and baking and entertaining. It is probably a good thing.
John has been off work for almost three months now. His dept at work has been so supportive and caring. Someone has mowed our lawn every week without fail. He has received phone calls, visits and cards. The biggest gift though is that people have donated vacation hours to him so he hasn't been out any pay. A few of them only have 80 hours but donated 20.

We are so blessed. We wanted to do something nice for all of them. We talked about catering a lunch from somewhere. Then we decided to make them a spaghetti dinner. I have a family recipe that everyone just loves. So we spent the day of our anniversary chopping and dicing and mixing and stirring and made everything.

We started with huge cans of sauce and tomatoes and spices.
we cooked hamburger and sliced veggies: zuccini, green, red, yellow and orange peppers, onion, celery.

then we throw in lots of sliced olives.

then come the spices: garlic salt, oregano, basil, celery seed, sage,

italian seasoning, lemon pepper, dill weed, chili powder, tumeric,

sugar, paprika and lots of cumin, parsley and i think i covered them all.

simmer for nine hours --the aroma--fills the house--and deck where we had the roaster plugged in.

Add to 9 lbs of spaghetti noodles and voila you have dinner.

serve with salad mix with croutons and bacon bits and warm garlic

bread.

We served over 50 people from several departments!!! Everyone raved about the whole thing and especially the homemade sauce.

John was so pleased that everyone liked it so much. So was I. It was just our way of saying 'thank you' to so many dear friends and coworkers.

Happy 36th Anniversary

July 17, 1971 I 'thee wed' this most marvelous of men. John is my soul mate, my best friend, my greatest support and my true love. Thank you Honey for all you are.
squeek

Terrific Tiara!!

Morning everyone.

On Monday I received the sweetest Tiara from my tiara swap partner, Mica over at Garb-oodles Soup Thank you Mica!! I love my tiara. The grand daughters have been fighting over who gets to wear it with 2 yr old tovi joi saying 'mine mine mine!" Of course that is what I am also saying to myself!!! ";

Thank you for all the extra goodies as well. If you haven't checked out this site run!! Mica has incredible "garboodle dollies" she makes.

catie

THRIFT STORE WONDERS

I had a great time thrift store jumping this past week with friends. I was so delighted to find this amazing mannequin head!!!! She is beautiful.
Her name is Lizzie!!!!! She seemed to call my name and said she needed a nice fun home to go to. All I had to do was look at her to know her name. I splurged on her----she was $29.00 but I made up for it on the other two items.

She is now at home in my studio and is just waiting for her 'tiara' from my swap partner. Isn't she just tooo cool?

I found these vintage halloween crepe paper rolls for 25cents each!!! I had one more but sent it to a special new friend. I can't wait to make some one of a kind halloween 'kids' to wear these.

This was another wonderful find----a purple feather tree with yellow tips for 59 cents!!!! I love victorian christmas decorations and have my own feather trees in all sizes all over the house at Christmas. This one is in my studio but will probably move to our lavendar bedroom during the christmas season.

There is a new swap meet/farmer's market/craft sale/antiques etc here with over 150 stalls. I haven't been able to go yet but as soon as i get off these crutches and back on my cane I plan on going and spending all the time I want wandering around. It is held every weekend.

Happy treasure hunting to all of you thrifters out there.

catie

SWAP GOODIES!!!

Hi everyone!!!

I have been missing in action lately. Have been so busy with out of town guests, and some medical issues but am on the mend once again. I have had two falls in the last week---ugh. I am using crutches and my grand daughters are kissing my 'boo boo's'. how sweet is that?


My first swap surprise comes from sweet Sonia over at ccraftscollectibles. It is our match box swap hosted by my next swap partner, Natasha Burns. Sonia sent wonderful little goodies for me. I have had such a nice time getting to know you!!
Hope your family vacation in Malta is absolutely wonderful!!

My second swap was with the fantabulous Natasha @ artistic creations by natasha burns. This was the Bits and Pieces swap hosted by Jenny at
every day is a holiday!

I already have it hanging in a place of honor on my studio wall. Whenever I am in my studio I can see it while I am working away.

Please visit both these wonderful creative blogs for more inspiration.

Thank you Natasha. Thank you Sonia.