Monday, May 30, 2011

Rooster and Hen Painting and our new Buddy

Whew, it's been a while since I posted an actual project I made. I've been super busy and we also just got a new puppy to be a friend to our Boston, Chloe. :-) His name is Buddy and he's a 9 week old black lab pup:



 Of course, Chloe is a bit jealous of all the attention Buddy is getting....and though she looks vicious in the next picture, she is actually treating him quite nicely. I just thought her eyes were hilarious in the photo and had to show you. :-)

When he's not sleeping, he loves to wrestle with his sister. 

 So....that is a pretty good reason for being busy recently. I'm on puppy duty. (And, sometimes IN Puppy Doody).

Here is the project I wanted to show you today:
This rooster is decorating the side of my In-Laws chicken coop. It's made from the same Sub-Flooring that I've used on other projects like the Crab Apple Blossoms, and  Cheap Chicks. This is my favorite material to work on right now. Look how great it weathered!! Here is one of the Roosters hens:
Pretty simple, really. Just painted them on and used an acrylic spray to seal them once they were dry. Mod podge would do nicely as well. The hen painting stays inside, as you can tell from how little it has worn. The rooster painting is out protecting his ladies and getting a little faded from the sun. 

I'm sharing this post at these lovely parties:




The DIY Show OffThe Girl CreativeMakingcraft Todays Creative Blog
Tuesday To Do Party
Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special


HookingupwithHoH
Transformation ThursdaySomewhat Simple
Beyond The Picket FenceThe Shabby Nest

Fantabulous Friday!
Chic on a Shoestring DecoratingTodays Creative BlogAnything Related
Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special

A Marvelous Mess #15 and Features!!!

Did any one else have some serious trouble logging into their blogger account?? I couldn't get onto mine all Sunday....until I finally did some research and found the solution. Empty your cookies and cache. Then, close out of your browser and come back to it. Try logging in and it should be fixed. Sounds pretty simple, right?? So.....why did I wait all day yesterday to figure it out?? I was being dopey. Busy this weekend too!! Hope you are all enjoying your Memorial Day weekend if you live in the States. :-)

Here were my favorites from last party:

Yarn Chevron Canvas from Tattered and Inked:

And.....the project I'm going to feature on my sidebar for a week:


Flamingo Beach Tote from Inspiration and Realisation!! What a an awesome bag and what a price difference on the Do-It-Yourself. Lovin' it!!
If you were featured in this post, feel free to grab a featured button and flaunt accordingly!!






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Now, on to the Party!!



Monday, May 23, 2011

Going To Camp

In a couple of weeks, my family and I will be heading out to our new favorite camp on a lake in Maine. It's so relaxing!! We're on our own little peninsula and to either side of us there are lily pads galore. Directly in front of the camp is the great big dock you see above, searching out to a perfect delightful swimming spot. The water will be COLD this time of year....but, that's no big deal, we are Mainers!! When we visited Myrtle Beach about a month ago, we were swimming like crazy in the 68 degree water and they all looked at us like we were bonkers. :-) It was warmer than our ocean in Maine ever gets. 
This camp is perfect for hosting friends and family. It's huge....with two master bedrooms, a big kitchen and open concept dining and living room, a gorgeous wrap around deck and a one large room upstairs filled with twin sized beds. The only thing I could think of to improve this camp (which would be hard to improve upon) is to turn some of the twin beds upstairs into bunk beds!!!! Not only do bunk beds look cool but they maximize the amount of people who can sleep in a space. Take a look at this funky bunk-y:
Triple Bunk!!!!

That's a double bed on the bottom and a twin on top. Yeehaa!! 
Or how about a metal bunk bed? This one has got a nautical feel to it that would go perfectly at a camp:
 Metal Triple Bunk Bed

The options are endless on the site I found these images. I think it is really hard to improve upon the incredible camp we stay at....but this would be one way to make it *even more* efficient. Here's one more camp image I'll leave you with:
Ahhhhhhh. I can't wait. 


This post is in association with BedStar. All opinions expressed within are entirely my own and written in my own words.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

A Marvelous Mess #14 and Features

Hi. :-) 
I'm going to be doing my features in the same post as I do my Mess Party because it seems like it'll give those projects some extra special attention.  Sound good? K. 

(You'll find the party if you scroll down below.....but don't forget to look at the features, you'll be inspired!!)

Here are some of my Fav's from last weeks party:
Amanda from Eating in Winnipeg made this photographically delicious Vanilla Bean Cheesecake. I can only imagine (and drool) at what it really tastes like. :-)

Next, Craftopotamus took a quilt she made that had been well-loved by their family and a tad roughed up by their dryer and appliqued some hearts all over it to cover the tears. Check out her other quilts as well, she does a fantastic job. By the way, this quilt can climb trees.

Molly Susan Strong gives us some great pointers with working with chalk paint and shows some beautiful hand painted decorations on an antique bed frame (this project "wowed" me):

And, the most interesting project of all in my book was the homemade Cupola by Forever Decorating!!!! This is better than sliced bread. I am totally inspired.
Amazing, right?? I want one.

If I featured you this post be sure to grab a button:


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Now, on with the show!!!

Spring's Sprung

Well, FINALLY, Spring is in full swing around here!! I love watching the perennials poke up out of the earth and start filling out the garden space. Every day, I check to see what else is new in the garden. I've put a lot work into those beds and this year I can finally see the results. Yay!! I meant to start seedlings this late winter/spring.....but honestly we were just so busy. I've got some just beginning their true leaves in the windowsill....even though my timing is late, I can still use the seedlings and dirt as a fun teaching tool for the munchkin. :-)
Don't ya just love the strange symbiotic relationship between ants and peonies? Some people believe that the peonies produce a particular nectar that is incredibly sweet for the ants and as the ant licks off the nectar holding the leaves shut, the leaves open and the flower blooms.

Not only are plants blossoming this time of year, but....so are young adults:

Isn't that a sweet graduation announcement rom Shutterfly?
I lucked out this past Christmas and got to work with Shutterfly for my Christmas cards. They turned out spectacular!! I totally recommend them for any of your photo stationary needs.
Hey, while your sending out those graduation announcements how about you go shopping for a personalized gift for the proud student:

You could get them a personalized notebook with photos of family and friends for when they go off to college!! Another great gift for a Graduate would be a photo book. I know from experience, as I am sure you do, that being far from home, family, and friends can be really tough....an especially in the beginning of that transition there is nothing like looking through pictures of your loved ones to help center you.


You can customize a photo book to be just the way you like.....or Shutterfly can make it really simple and do it for you. Sounds perfect to me!!

So, there are some ideas to think about. I have some graduates in my life right now and I know that perusing through the Shutterfly site gave me some good ideas. As a side note, if you are a blogger you can work with Shutterfly too.... Sign Up for a chance at a free photo book!!