A Bit O' Shine

Mosaic Monday - Apparently I like this tree

2012-01-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

This little aspen ends up in several of my photos unintentionally. It just happens to be at the perfect angle for sunlight from sunup to sundown so I find myself using it to frame a photo. I just didn't realize how often!

See the tree again in these photos:

Funny. :)

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Totally Random Thursday

2012-01-26T06:45:00.000-08:00

I have a new favorite guilty pleasure show - Finding Bigfoot on Animal Planet. I've always loved the unexplained and mysterious and had a bit of a soft spot for sasquatch. This program blends actual interesting research with odd characters quite well and despite their overuse of the term "squatch" and that ANYTHING to them is "totally evidence of nearby squatches" I'm totally hooked.

Personally I've experienced plenty of unusual things in the woods - the clacking rocks that had an actual rhythm I heard. Was it a raven trying to open a nutshell or....?
There was also an incident at my home but I think that story might traumatize you gentle readers.

The typical "squatch" proof involves large footprints...

Okay this could totally be a person track...EXCEPT there's no shoe tread. Also note the weird marks at the top like claws or toenails. So it could be a bear, but isn't a bear's foot shaped differently?

And as evidenced below, the track isn't much larger than my brother's foot...

But it still seems odd to me.

If you want to read an interesting "realistic" Bigfoot book try Wild Life by Molly Gloss, but do keep in mind my warning about her stories here.

What about you? Do you believe in strange creatures and the unexplained?

I'm thinking about making Totally Random Thursday a weekly feature - sound like fun?

Mosaic Monday - pastels

2012-01-22T19:36:00.000-08:00

Funny enough Mary's post this week is about winter pinks and that was my plan too! Soft blues, pinks and yellows covered in water and sometimes ice have made up my landscape this week. Last Monday was snow and I slid all the way to work, passing cars in the ditch while I went by at the breakneck speed of 35 mph. Then the rains came and Thursday night my way home became a serious issue as part of the road collapsed and I had to take a huge detour. But there is still a beauty and softness in this time of year that I will always love.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

A bit of a pane

2012-01-15T15:49:00.000-08:00

My mom was given this old farmhouse window and it was in pretty rough shape but perfect if you like the junque patina.

However, there was a bit more dirt on here than was really desired. I did do a bit of cleaning and I definitely cleaned the glass but I didn't want to do too much to this because I was pretty sure this was lead paint.

After giving it a mild cleaning I added two coats of oil-based varnish to keep the paint from continuing to flake off absolutely everywhere. It was an enormous pain of a pane to varnish because of all those strips between the pieces of glass. I felt like I was never going to be done.

It goes great above her fireplace....tv stand....mantel....whatever. She actually rested it on a couple of small pieces of that grippy stuff you buy in a roll and put in shelves. It doesn't slide and it solves the problem of, how do you hang something this big and heavy without ruining the window or ruining the wall?

I think it has great character and goes perfectly with her style.
Oh my gosh I just remembered she has a fireplace DVD - I totally should have put that on while I shot these photos! :)

Equine design

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

I recently read somewhere that equine inspired items are coming into style.

(Two of the horse photos are my relatives, one is a photo I bought at a shop.)

I should really jump on that.

(A thrift store print, a garage sale print and my mom's old button with her horse's name.)

Considering that has been "in style" for me since I was like five, I think I'm going to like this trend.

Mosaic Monday - I guess I kinda like the gloom

2012-01-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

(click to enlarge)

For as many photos as I take of flowers and sunshine during the summer, I take just as many fog and raindrop photos during the winter. It could be because that's all I've got in winter, or it could be because I think those things are just as beautiful as my sunshine and summer flowers.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Books read in 2011

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

This year was different in books for a few different reasons. First of all, I joined Goodreads in June and I set a goal of reading 50 books for the year. When they have that little progress bar that tells you how you're doing it is ridiculously motivating. I actually went 4 books over my goal - woo! Secondly, I did a bunch of house-sitting and visiting and had tons of time to read. Thirdly I made this the year that I read a lot of books on my shelf that I just never seemed to get around to reading. I really wanted to clean up the shelves and pare down to books I really wanted to keep because I knew I'd read them again. Most of those books got donated to the library. Apparently I'd been hanging on to them for nothing.

I ended the year reading Melody Carlson's The Christmas Dog, which I initially thought was going to be The Christmas Bus because that is what the dust jacket told me I was reading. I was so confused, and then I thought it was hilarious.

My standout favorites this year - which were not many - were:

I also love the movie just as much as I love the book, despite their differences.

You know how there are aproximately a zillion Pride and Prejudice or Jane Austen spin-off books out there? I read quite a few of them this year. This one was probably my favorite.

I try to read a certain amount of classics a year, and really I blame the Thursday Next books by Jasper Fforde with all their classic literature characters and inside jokes. This year I didn't get to very many because the ones I seemed to choose were monsters or the kind you have to kind of slog through. This book was both - yet it was amazing!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this next book but it. was. hilarious. Over-the-top, but hilarious and I really enjoyed it. The rest of the series was a complete disappointment.

This book was a bit of a slog because of all the history that seemed slightly unrelated, but actually wasn't. Still, it totally made me want to become a mystery writer.

Some of the books I finally got around to reading off my shelves this year were 3 books by Molly Gloss. Loved them. However, there were seriously awkward and horrible intimate encounters in the first two. So awkward I almost wondered if she was trying to make the reader uncomfortable? Other than those brief and completely random scenes her books are awesome. The Hearts of Horses didn't have a scene like that but this book was awesome for many other reasons.

Last but not least of my favorites was Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson. I've read two of her Faery Rebels series and finally got my hands on a copy of this book. It was totally not what I was expecting and it was amazing.

I have a TON of books on my list to read for this year and am looking forward to getting to them. Did you read anything I should add to this year's list?

Books Read in 2011

The Christmas Dog - Melody Carlson
The Inheritence - Louisa May Alcott
The Skin Map - Stephen R. Lawhead
Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
The Mark of the Golden Dragon - L.A. Meyer
Holmes on the Range - Steve Hockensmith
Ultraviolet - R.J. Anderson
The Christmas Bride - Grace Livingston Hill
The Hearts of Horses - Molly Gloss
Letters From Yellowstone - Diane Smith
Dark Canyon - Louis L'Amour
Pirate King - Laurie R. King
The Cherokee Trail - Louis L'Amour
Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
Wild Life - Molly Gloss
The Jump-Off Creek - Molly Gloss
Pattern of Wounds - J. Mark Bertrand (review)
The Day the Falls Stood Still - Cathy Marie Buchanan
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew & The Women Who Created Her - Melanie Rehak
Blameless - Gail Carriger
Changeless - Gail Carriger
Mr. Darcy's Secret - Jane Odiwe
Soulless - Gail Carriger
Charlotte Collins - Jennifer Becton
Serendipity - Cathy Marie Hake
Louis L'Amour His Life and Trails - Robert Phillips
Something Like Regret - Kara Louise
The Courteous Cad - Catherine Palmer
The Sweetest Thing - Elizabeth Musser (review)
Kingscote - Linda Chaikin
Under Eastern Stars - Linda Chaikin
Silk - Linda Chaikin
The Peach Keeper - Sarah Addison Allen
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket - Edgar Allan Poe
Divine by Mistake - P.C. Cast
The Knight and the Dove - Lori Wick
Who Brings Forth the Wind - Lori Wick
Middlemarch - George Eliot
The Girl in the GateHouse - Julie Klassen (review)
Promises to Keep - Ann Tatlock (review)
The Pirates! In An Adventure with Ahab - Gideon Defoe
The Pirates! In An Adventure with Scientists - Gideon Defoe
Confessions of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day - Winifred Watson (review)
Sahara - Clive Cussler
The Wake of the Lorelei Lee - L.A. Meyer
Assumed Obligation - Kara Louise
Forevermore - Cathy Marie Hake
A Darcy Christmas - Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, Carolyn Eberhart

My favorite photos of 2011

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is obviously going to be a photo heavy post and if you have a slow connection it could take a while - a long while - to load.

This year was different from previous years. Instead of working on tons of projects, I spent my time what I called "gallivanting" and that means instead of a list of things I accomplished this year, what I have is a list of favorite photos. And oh yeah, I love nature. These photos are pretty much all nature, all the time.

Winter

I will say one thing for our winter - it makes for some fantastic sunrises and sunsets.

Spring

Getting any light this time of year is such a rare and precious thing.

Summer

My longest bout of gallivanting and therefore my largest collection of photos I had to whittle down.

Autumn

My second largest bout of gallivanting.

Winter again

What a wonderful treat this winter was! Blue skies and dry weather for almost a whole month which meant lots of pretty frost and fog.

And a gorgeous Christmas morning sunrise.

This is the year I learned a lot about tricking my camera into doing what I wanted and then got a new camera that can do so much more (hello zoom!). So here's to 2012 and the lovely sights I see through my lens.

The year of the scarf

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love scarves and I'm not sure I've said it so much to the people around me as they've just noticed I wear one....every single day.
I actually keep a coat rack next to my dresser for scarves, hats and handbags that are in a regular rotation. Today I cleaned it off and put on all the new scarves I got for Christmas.

And guess what? They are all handmade!

The pink stripey one was made by my mom, the purple ruffled, and gray ruffled made by sariejune.

The pink ruffled was made by my cousin Judy.

And this neat red one my mom picked up at a local bazaar. I wish I could link to her shop but she's only got phone numbers on her card.

So the big question is...which one am I going to wear first? :)

Merry Christmas to all

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

I posted this photo on facebook and everyone griped about how creepy it was. I've never photographed red lights before, have you? It is impossible! The entire room looks like it is glowing red even though it looks nothing like that in reality. And when I tried a different setting...

I give up. But Merry Christmas, anyway!

Paint me argyle....or is it Plaid?

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

Back in...September? I submitted my painted pumpkin to Plaid Crafts Trick My Pumpkin contest. I put myself out there to win which is always difficult but can be so worth it.

The pumpkin I submitted was actually the argyle one.

I did not win the grand prize but I was chosen as a runner up! I came in third and was quite tickled to be chosen as even that. And I didn't know it at the time but soon received an email asking where to send my prize box. Prize box? Woohoo!

And here's what I won:

A box full of $50.00 worth of product! I got a small jar of Mod Podge which....I have actually never used before. I know, right? I don't know how that happened but I'm glad I can finally try it.

I'm also SUPER excited about these:

I'm excited because I'm actually wanting to try a new jewelry technique using these paints.

Thank you, Plaid!

Currently, they have a Christmas contest going on.

Crocheting coming along

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

My crochet is coming along pretty well! Better than knitting ever did, sad to say. I picked up a couple of books to give me some ideas and some help.

That Austentatious Crochet book is a fun idea but "contemporary designs from the world of Jane Austen" is completely false. Unless people are still wearing muffs and I just haven't seen them. The Happy Hooker is super helpful for learning new stitches. I have the knitting book as well and it helped me immensely.

After a semi-rough start in which nothing I tried to make turned out, I decided to try something more simple and made some of the wash cloths from the spa collection by Lion Brand yarn.

They are not only beautiful but they gave me some skill and experience that I needed to be able to try some more difficult patterns. Enough so that I was able to make a couple pair of...

Thank you Ravelry members and your lovely free patterns. At first I only had the grey yarn and it was bulkier than the pattern called for so those gloves don't look as pretty and consequently I'm keeping those. :) The white ones, however, turned out just right! Let that be a lesson to always use the recommended yarn weight and hook size.

Mosaic Monday - frolicking felines

2011-12-18T18:39:00.000-08:00

One kitty climbs the grape arbor while the other looks on. I like to take product photos in the grape arbor during winter and early spring because of great light filtration and the cats like to follow me everywhere I go so I suppose these antics were inevitable. :)

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Mosaic Monday - dark skies

2011-12-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

I started a new job two weeks ago and it is seriously cramping my photographer's lifestyle. You've no idea how much I cried and whined every morning when everything was frosted and gorgeous and foggy and amazing and I could do nothing about it except look and soak it in as I drove to work.
So here are some photos of the darkening skies that I took last month and a couple sunrise photos thrown in for good measure.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

The ugliest key holder in the world

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

I may be giving in to my dramatic side. Take a look for yourself:

The face on this thing! What the heck?

I removed the hideous golf boy insert, removed all the hardware, painted the entire piece in an off-white and painted the hooks, hinges and clasp with oil-rubbed bronze.
What I planned to use it for was not related to golf, ugly man-children or keys, but jewelry.

It works great for holding my jewelry or it works great at displaying my jewelry for sale.

Either way, it's better than how it started.

Mosaic Monday - scenes of a frosty morn

2011-12-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

(click to enlarge)

This frosty morning was especially icy with ice squeezed out of the earth like weird, frozen worms. And I stayed long enough to watch a pair of coyotes. Normally I'm not a fan of these creatures having lost my share of cats to them (why my cats now sleep indoors at night) but their jump and pounce while they hunt for mice is rather cute.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Kid in a candy store - scrap storage

2011-11-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

I've had this dream of a craft room inspired by an old fashioned candy shoppe because surrounded by craft supplies I really am like I kid in a candy store.

To help that along I put some of my colorful bits and pieces in jars with lids that I spray painted black. Recently I added a thrift store find to hold my scraps of yarn that I've wound into balls.

It's colorful like candy so it works, doesn't it? :)

Below: my recycled food jars with painted lids store my buttons and ribbon scraps.

It's just a start, but it has to start somewhere!

What do you dream your craft space to look like?

Black Friday / Cyber Monday

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

Visit my shop this weekend for deals on all your favorites! Remember your order will come in a gift box and I can include a blank tag or a handwritten gift message if you like.

Shipping will be refunded through paypal. Sale will end at 10:00 pm Pacific on Monday.

Molly Recommends - handmade holiday shopping guide

2011-11-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I decided to do an entirely handmade Christmas - it was a lot of work, but very rewarding. I have since expanded it to buying handmade as well. I love to support handmade artisans! The quality is amazing and the items unique. And if you can't find *exactly* what you are looking for, chances are you can ask someone to make it for you.

For this post I've collected items from some of my favorite handmade shops - all run by small, independent business owners - and listed them below to hopefully encourage you to buy handmade for not only the holiday season, but every occasion hereafter.

I admit most of this is girly stuff - I may try putting together a manly version to post soon.

My Bunnies 3 (Etsy) and there's a ton more in her ebay store
Owner/operator: Sandra
Location: Oregon

I "discovered" this shop after her sister and I began communicating via Etsy over purchases with each other. I love, love, love her paintings.

How cute is that?!
I especially love this one. I love her use of blue and orange.

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Gypsy Mare Studios
Owner/operator: Jennifer
Location: Pennsylvania

Okay so I like horse art. I "met" Jennifer during the annual Halloween blog party hosted by A Fanciful Twist and quickly fell in love with her beautiful (and whimsical) art and stunning photography. We both love horses and gardening too.

She has an Etsy shop (linked above), she sells some originals on ebay, and she has a CafePress shop with ornaments, cards, etc.

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Armadillo Dreams
Owner/operator: Dustin & Amanda
Location: Oregon

I can't remember how I found this shop but their fantastic creativity with wooden toys tickles the kid in me.

I saved a few dozen of their product photos but had to limit myself to using two - visit their shop to see the amazing selection of all natural wood and painted wood toys.

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Hooks & Whiskers
Owner/operator: Melissa
Location: North Carolina

I met Melissa through blogging. Her absolutely adorable work with felt has inspired me to work with it as well, and she can crochet all sorts of cute things. Plus she adopts kitties.

She also has a love for the 80's and a super creative way of expressing it.

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Lyndsay Go Rawr
Owner/operator: Lyndsay
Location: Oregon

I met Lyndsay when she came to my house with her boyfriend to watch Top Shot every Tuesday last season. She'd always bring fabric, stuffing and needle and thread so I got to watch a lot of these cute critters come to life before my eyes. She makes up all her own patterns and does a fabulous job making them look like their game/cartoon counterparts.

This Scyther plush has moveable arms!

Because these are work intensive be sure to get your orders in early!

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By String Theory
Owner/operator: Amanda
Location: Alabama

I discovered Amanda's shop only recently when Grey reviewed her nail polish and I was super impressed with the shop, packaging and product.

She just released a set of mini bottles - look at that beautiful packaging, ready for gift giving!

I love the name of this collection: From Spaaaaaaace! Ha ha! :)

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A Beau Ideal
Owner/operator: Katie

I discovered A Beau Ideal when I was searching Etsy for "Molly" items. I love her clever compilations of felt blossoms, each a style with a name. Headbands, clips, ear warmers - all super cute and wonderfully affordable.

Below - the Molly style headband!

Don't you feel like you should be sipping tea in a garden and reading Jane Austen?

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Ruffles 'n Such
Owner/operator: Jill
Location: Oregon

I met Jill when we lived in the same house at college - she was crafty then too. Now she runs her shop and fills it with things she makes with her insane sewing skills. I love her new lace overlay inifinity scarves.

Or how about a cute fabric pouch? A perfect clutch or money holder.

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HollyHawk
Owner operator: Holly
Location: Canada

I can't remember how I found this shop but I am SO in love with her gorgeous cuff bracelets. They are the perfect combination of ornate and colorful with natural simplicity.

The detail, the design, the colors! The patterns!

And how awesome are these leaf hair clips?

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Crafty Tokyo Mama
Owner/operator: Janine
Location: Japan

I "met" Janine when I favorited one of her foldable shopping bags and she sent me a message to let me know she knew just where in Oregon I lived because she grew up not 20 minutes away! She's wonderfully clever with her sewing machine and one of the nicest people I've never actually met.

I really love using her shopping bags as opposed to most because: stunning fabric choices,

And look how small this folds up! I have two of these in my purse at all times and they hardly take up any room at all.

I also like these chopstick carriers which are as beautiful as her bags

And also roll up to take up as little space as possible.

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Gourmet Soaps & Sundries
Owner/operator: Pam
Location: Alabama

I discovered Pam's shop when I was searching for a Lychee scented soap. When I read her profile I HAD to buy from her because she knows what she's doing and she is hilarious and a bit devious. If you have never bought handmade soaps before, you don't know what you are missing. The quality is incredible and your skin will thank you.

She also makes these travel soaps, haircare, and some pet and household items.

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If you're looking for indie makeup (and there is a ton) I personally own product from Shiro Cosmetics, Darling Girl Cosmetics and Evil Shades and love it all!

If you're looking for happy modern ragtime piano music and lyrics I love the music by Emma Wallace. She has 4 CD's out and I own one and have a few songs from the others on my mp3 player. She's one of the nicest artists I've ever encountered and she has fabulous taste.

When you shop handmade be sure to note a company's TAT (turn around time) and make sure you plan accordingly. Know that if you have a problem you can usually contact the owner personally. Most have twitter and facebook accounts and are not only easy to work with, but are happy to help. And most shops mail items in packaging so pretty you can give it as it comes - less work for you!

There are a lot of people selling handmade goods these days and I really encourage you to shop them first, it's not only a wonderful support financially but to know someone thinks your creativity is worth spending money on is one of the best feelings in the world.

If you have a favorite shop feel free to leave the link in the comments!

Mosaic Monday - orange, red, yellow

2011-11-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

My maples are bare now but I forgot to share these photos earlier. Fall color is one of my favorite things! And probably why I decorate with so many leaf things.

All these photos are unedited. I uploaded them on one computer and they looked fine - on this computer they look super colorful and bright. Amazing what a different monitor will do.

My neighbor's tree below. I walked up one evening as the sun lit it up.

I'm not sure what the tree is but come Fall it is just amazing. And so many colors!

Of course, when this thing drops leaves it is....well I have a blister from raking them for my neighbor who had surgery and can't do it himself.

The Japanese maple is one of my favorites every year.

Dear color,

I will miss you this winter. See you in the spring!

Sincerely,

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

By hook or by crook

2011-11-16T14:11:00.000-08:00

It's Jill's fault but I suddenly decided I wanted this cowl and to get it I must learn how to crochet. Thankfully there was a crochet-along for it and I was actually able to complete this project despite deciding to change quite a bit about the pattern. Why do I do that to myself when I'm trying to learn something?!

I've been wanting to learn crochet for about two years but it took something like wanting a new accessory and not wanting to spend any money on it to really motivate me.

The pattern for this is actually free on the Lion Brand website and once I started looking around, discovered they have tons of awesome free patterns. Most of my yarn is Lion Brand (I'm kindof in love with their Wool-Ease and Homespun yarns since way back in my knitting days). I also spent two whole days on Ravelry favoriting free patterns for items I will spend considerable frustration on while trying to learn.

Thankfully the internet is full of bloggers and youtubers with all kinds of help. Maybe Matilda, Crochet Spot, Crafty Minx and Bethintk1 were all superbly helpful.

So far I've really only managed to crochet this cowl. Everything else I've ripped out several times to start over. In fact I decided I need to maybe start smaller and am working on some spa cloths. But soon, all those patterns lovingly filed away with dreams and stars in my eyes will soon be easy to make. I hope.

P.S. Can I complain a moment about new crochet hooks? Up until now I've only used vintage and they have a completely different weight, finish and feel to them. It's the same company too; so disappointing. Am now really sad garage sale season is over.

This little light of mine

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

My brother gave me a flashlight for Christmas. He's a gadget and flashlight guy so he knows what is what and what he got me was a Coast L7.

And I haven't gone anywhere without it since. Going shopping? It's in my purse. Going camping? It's in my pack (or pocket). Am I coming to visit / house-sit for you for a week? I've got it with me.
Here's why.

Firstly, it's of a size that is easy to carry. It's about the same size as my phone, my wallet, and the case for my glasses so really it fits in my purse perfectly.

I left a friend's house one night to find another friend changing her tire in the dark. Flashlight to the rescue! Last night my cat wouldn't come inside and the owls were close - flashlight to the rescue! My friend had a noise in her heat vent - flashlight to the rescue!

This light isn't like those even tinier ones at the store that have a jillion LED's inside that seem bright. Nope, this one has just one LED.

The front twists to have a narrow beam or a wide beam - or anywhere in between.

It has an easily pushed grippy button that has never pushed accidentally but is always quick and easy to turn on.

They have actually updated this model and my mom has the new one so I borrowed it for comparison. (Top new, bottom mine)

Like I mentioned earlier I've had my light a year next month and I have never changed the batteries on this little light that has just one LED. Let's take a look at how it functions in pitch black.

For my night shots I used the narrow beam. I can't tell you how many times I have to go out at night to see what in the world is making that noise. And the narrow, intense beam will show me exactly what is out there.

This is with a year old battery. A new battery does even better.

Zoomed out, old flashlight.

Zoomed out, new flashlight.

Here's the tree in daylight to give you an idea of how far away I was standing when using the light.

Impressive right? I don't have to leave the relative safety of my deck to see what kind of critter shenanigans are occuring in the trees surrounding my yard. When it is dark and there are hair-rising sounds, these are the kinds of things you appreciate.

I've even used this light as an impromptu highlighter for taking indoor photos of my DIY project during the dark days of winter.

Thing is, this is the best flashlight I've ever owned. It's easily carried and goes everywhere with me. It actually sits on my nightstand every night in case of power outages or to see if there are creepers in your house (special thanks to my brother for agreeing to be my model creeper). I don't live near any streetlights and this was taken with not a single house light on.

(forgive the wreck that is my living room, am in the middle of painting)

I love that the company is local to me and that they have product of such great quality that I can, without hesitation, recommend. Get this light, you will thank me.

**I've been informed the above link shows the lights as sold out. Am in contact with the company to see where you can purchase. Will update ASAP**

Mosaic Monday - Finally frosted

2011-11-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's finally frosted a few times so that "second spring" I posted about in my last MM is officially over. I love getting up early on frosty mornings - great fun for taking photos. Actually I got up early on this particular morning to take photos of the setting moon...

Unfortunately the moon was completely obscured by fog before it set. But I still had fun taking photos of the fog and frost.

Sunrise, finally!

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Darling Girl cosmetics

2011-11-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

This is a link heavy post. Right click on links and "open in new tab" or "open in new window" so you can check them out and stay on this page.

I follow some makeup bloggers on twitter and there is where I first heard about Darling Girl Cosmetics. Grey also did a post and then Mandy posted a look (and later a swatch post) wearing one of DG's lip colors and I HAD to try it.

Susan, DG's owner occasionally closes her site's cart to catch up on orders and it was one of those times when I was wanting to order my own goodies. I haunted her shop every day just waiting for the second I saw it was up again. It paid off and I even spotted it as up and running before it was announced. Well I was house-sitting so it wasn't like I had a lot going on. I see that look you're giving me.

DG has plans to discontinue sales of sample sizes (as she announced on facebook, twitter or her blog. I've actually forgotten which.) but I got in before that with a sample of Moves Like Mick Jagger and Tragic Romance - both pink shades. I'm trying to see if I can wear a pink shadow and not look like I've been crying. I'll let you know how that goes.

With my order I also received a sample of Polaris and one of Red Butler (from her new Rainbow Brite collection - squee!)

I also ordered a couple petit jars (a great alternative to sample sizes if you're just wanting to try a color). They are gifts so I can't reveal what those looked like or were named, sorry. These mini jars are perfectly sized for someone like me who only wears eye shadow occasionally.

The kicker in this order was the Poison Plum kiss me off tinted lip balm. This was really hard for me to photograph - at sunset - and get the color right so I tried manipulating it to look right and I'm not sure I succeeded. It is a deep purple looking color in the tube and is a perfect plum shade on. It also has a nice golden shimmer to it. It was part of the Halloween collection but it will be perfect for winter holidays too.

I was sent a Halloween package of goodies even though I only ordered one thing from the collection - I thought that was so nice!

And I also got a "gift with purchase" for my order being over a certain amount. Being unfamiliar with Darling Girl I didn't know the requirements for getting it but I met them and was oh so pleasantly surprised to see a petit jar of a pretty eye shadow in my order.

What I really like about Darling Girl is how Susan tries out all her formulas and shades and posts photos of her wearing them so you can really see them in action. However, she has gorgeous, perfect skin and you will hate her but just get over it and order something and maybe it will look that good on you too.

It's obvious she packages her items with care (mine was wrapped in candy corn tissue paper and my candy goods were in a Halloween print cellophane bag.) and she includes an invoice with a nicely written note. As a former teacher I appreciate nice handwriting, what can I say?

When ordering be sure to note the current Turn Around Time (TAT) in her shop header and plan accordingly. Meaning if you want to order gifts, jump on that wagon likerightnow.

Old suitcases make a great show display

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

The last weekend in October I packed up my bits o' shine and headed to Bauman's Farm for a vendor event. They put us in an empty greenhouse with an apple tasting booth (and lots of corn stalks) so we got to stay dry and still had a lot of people walking through.

When plotting how to display my wares I wanted something with a vintage look. And by using an old suitcase I had, it worked as my display and carried all my display items!

I had a bracelet display but only two bracelets, instead I removed the foot off the base and stuck the stand into this candlestick - it was then the perfect height to display necklaces.

I still have no business cards *hangs head in shame* so I made these with the key stamp that comes on the box when you order from my etsy shop and had my shop address on the back. A few people were tickled by the fact that I am a "pirate.

The suitcase lining had a stain on the pocket so I covered it with this doily. And you thought I was just trying to make it look pretty! ;)

Strands of jute string in two levels allowed me to display most of my earrings at a height that was easy to see.

I had a great time selling (and spending money at the vendor next to me - cute fabric pumpkins and cup cozies!) and chatting with lookers and buyers. Even got a chuckle out of the chicken who kept coming into the building to find dropped bits of apple.

All in all - a success!

Mosaic Monday - second spring

2011-11-06T17:20:00.000-08:00

In October we here in my part of Oregon start to get rain again, but it is also sprinkled with warm sunshine and until the first frost we enjoy what you could call a second Spring. Flowers and plants confusedly sprout again and bloom happily. Even my raspberry plants produce a few more berries (though nothing with flavor like the ones from July). The top right photo is not grass but my grape hyacinths thinking it is time to come out again; they are sure in for a surprise!

Again, not grass, but poppy sprouts!

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Seasoning my jewelry storage

2011-11-02T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'll bet you thought this was a post about how to organize your jewelry for the seasons or something useful like that. Actually it is about how I finally figured out how to incorporate this gorgeous salt or pepper shaker into my bedroom decor.

I kinda have a thing for pretty shakers and this one has been sitting around since summer, looking a tad lost amongst the other items. A few days ago I decided to move the pottery type bowl I use to corral my frequently worn jewelry and then wondered where I was going to put these things. Looking around I spotted this.

It works great even at holding up the larger earrings and takes up much less space than the bowl.

I'm good at hanging up my necklaces when I take them off but earrings I need out in a place I can grab them in a shake. Ha ha. Tableware humor. ;)

Thrifted photo cloche

2011-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

I found this new (read unattractive) floral frog at Jo-Ann. It cost me a dollar. It was marked defective or deformed or something because a few of the spikes were bent. How many pair of pliers do I own? This is not going to be a problem.

It took me less than a second to fix the spikes but I decided to go ahead and spray paint this thing as well since the green was hideous and I'm not actually going to be submerging it in water. I painted it with a couple coats of antique brass metallic.
When I was cleaning after being gone for what amounts to almost my entire summer, I found this salsa jar holding some odds and ends. So classy. Instead of throwing it away I decided to use it for this project by giving it a couple coats of black spray paint.

And it became the base for my photo cloche. The key to this was layers. I used a little doily which I'm not usually a fan of, but it helps the jar lid look like less of a jar lid with some paint on it. With the newly painted floral frog, a tattered photo of my mom (I'm guessing my dad carried this around for quite a while) and the ten cent glass top I found at a garage sale this summer, my little display will now keep this photo out for display and dust free.

Favorite Accessories inspiration

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

So here's pretty much what I'll be wearing all fall. Dark teal, purple, denim, black, gray. That purse is similar in color to my actual purse. I just picked this one because it also has my initials dangling off the handle. (Hee!) My actual purse was eight bucks from Goodwill. I love the purple. Here's my actual purse and it is one of my favorite accessories.

Here are a few of my others!

Come fall I get completely obsessed with grays and metallics.

(source)

Vera Wang jeweled flats (I think these are lavender and not gray but it's the perfect shade.)

This scarf is lovely. And I can't read anything on her website but beauty transcends language!

(source)

I can't deny the quality of OPI polish and this color - Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous is fantastic, I'm wearing it on my toes right now.

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At the risk of sounding like a total cheeseball these are some of my new favorite earrings. And I made them. Eep. Occasionally I make something I can't resist myself and I've been wearing them a ton. The combination of metal tones and the shine of the pyrite. Love.

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And also at the risk of sounding like a brown noser I am obsessed with this headband of Gussy's. I have it in strawberry dot and love that one too.

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Industrial gray, metallics, soft lace, and sparkles - these are my favorite accessories.

The last house of the year

2011-10-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

I've spent this week at my last house-sitting appointment of 2011 (unless something comes up last minute - last year I did this until the day before Christmas). What I love about it is that most of the people's homes I'm caring for have nice yards with flowers I can enjoy...and you always get to see that. A day without photographing plants is...horrible.
This house has a really nice piece of property with a huge back deck and lots of leafy trees that are turning. And the sun even managed to come out and shine on me this week so I was able to go out and enjoy it.

I put a little soft focus on all the photos to give them an extra warm fall feeling.

Not the back deck.

Strolling down the lane I noticed an orange speck at the base of this tree.

It was one of their kitties taking a nap. This cute little kitty napping in such a "woodland" setting totally tickled me.

They have several kitties and a dog...

Who more frequently was doing this.

Pet meeeeeeeeee.

And these gals whom I called all either Henny Penny or Houdini depending on the situation.

And I've gathered plenty of these - about a dozen every day!

They've also got these fantastic ducks.

They are very shy and have a quiet, almost muted quack that I love.

It is just so very Autumn in an enjoyable sense.

And the light filters beautifully here.

And the leaves are putting on a show.

I had a little fun with this last one and added a "space texture" from picnik. Love them!

I've also been learning crochet thanks to Maybe Matilda and youtube. Now my brain is exploding with ideas for Christmas gifts and I'm not sure I can complete them all in time. Eep.

L&S Gardens

2011-10-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's a bit late in the year to be talking about a plant nursery/garden but I will absolutely forget if I have to wait.

This August my mom told me about a place she had to take me - L&S Gardens located just outside the town of La Pine, Oregon. I'm so glad she did!

This garden experience is an expansion of a passion is what it looks like, considering it is on their home property where you can see their personal garden (more on that later).

Outbuildings like an old west ghost town are filled with antiques and things great for decorating if you're a fan of junque like I am.

They have several greenhouses and each has a false front with a distinct personality.

And "the schoolhouse" complete with bell.

They even allow you to walk through the beautifully done landscaping around their home.

If you happen to be in the area, this place was a wonderful treat to visit.

They even have a website.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Gifts from Susan

2011-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

I received a giveaway prize package from Susan back in August and I've been gone so much ever since that I'm just now getting to show off how she was way too good to me.
Did she know I was a list maker? I don't know. I've already used the notepads a ton. Already put that tote bag to work and have a few pieces of jewelry in the works with the beautiful findings she sent.

Thank you so much Susan!

The love of leaves

2011-10-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

After nearly being cheated out of a summer I wasn't very excited for fall to arrive. Until I went to the mountains and saw the gorgeous change of seasons happening there.

Reds and yellows were slowly replacing the greens and everything was so beautifully vibrant like they are giving their full effort to making the most of their last days.

These short yellow-leafed plants littered the forest floor and looked simply stunning against the backdrop of the gray windfallen timber.

That juxtaposition of gray and color was a favorite and I think I probably wore it out but couldn't stop myself from trying it on every leaf in every color.

And then there were the aspens.

Even the dying leaves are pretty.

And the intricate pattern of this leaf skeleton had me marveling.

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus

Into the wild, foresty yonder

2011-10-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

I've been away again. That has pretty much been my summer - gone, gone, gone, home for a few days and gone again.

Here's where I was.

Such a variety of trees: Aspen, pine, cedar, juniper, fir, and multiple varieties of each.
It was beautiful! The trees were starting to turn and the weather was fair until the day we left. Cold, cold, cold and drizzle. The next day (I'm told) there were several inches of snow. Guess we got out just in time!

I took a lot of leaf photos - there will be more posts about those oh yes there will.

A month of thrifted goods

2011-09-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

This summer I spent a month visiting my mom in central Oregon and we made the rounds to all the thrifty places we could find and here's my haul.

The can of Poly was only $1.00 at the Redmond ReStore. I have SUCH plans for that little can. I've been wanting some for ages.
The white decorative pieces are a part of a drawer pull. I bought them at the La Pine ReStore. I don't have a specific plan for them yet, but liked that they were flat on the back and can be put on anything else flat. They cost me $1.00
That $0.50 glass dome also came from the La Pine ReStore. It's for a light fixture but I have plans similar to [this ] for it.
The other little dome was just $0.10 at a garage sale.

That enormous roll of burlap strap came from the La Pine ReStore and cost me $3.00. I was so excited when I saw it and my mom says, "What on earth do you do with that?" Oh so many things. She doesn't believe me.

The glass tumbler came from the Bend Goodwill and cost me $0.99 - it is going to hold my makeup brushes in some coffee beans so I can be as cool as this person.

I love drinking my morning coffee out of a vintage Pyrex mug I have and since I didn't have one while visiting my mom I bought one. Found at the Redmond Goodwill and it was the half price color so I got it for just $0.50.

I've never owned a camera tripod but I know I *needed* one for photos at night or dusk. This one was at the Bend Goodwill and was $2.99

And when I got my new camera and had nothing to put it in, I found this case at the Bend Goodwill (during a spectacular lightning storm I might add) for $1.99.

I have been wanting a makeup brush roll for quite a while now but could never fit it into my budget. They had a few of these never used Mary Kay brush rolls at the Redmond Goodwill for just $1.99! Also I love anything Mary Kay because MK is also my initials. It makes me look important to have all my makeup bags monogrammed. ;)

The umbrella was on a clearance rack at Target for just $3.74. Pink? Yes. Polka dots? Yes! Also? It not only opens with the button, it closes with the button!

I read a ton of books while I was visiting and had to buy a couple extras. I remember Cat talking about The Day The Falls Stood Still so I got that at Bend Goodwill for $3.99 (more than most of anything else I bought. Why so spendy on books Goodwill?)

I used to have two copies of The Scarlet Pimpernel - one of my favorite books - and one is on loan to a friend and the other I couldn't find. This copy was just $0.99.

I have been traveling nonstop this summer and one of my travel bags had more hole in the top than it did top. I picked up this Skyway Kid's Gear bag for just $2.00 at Second Tern.

Yes, it is for kids. Did that stop me? No, it did not. Plus it has wheels and a retractable handle and no giant holes so there.

And the icing on the cake...my new super zoomy camera was found at a Bend Pawn & Trading for $90.00.
I have only owned pocket cameras and I can't afford a DSLR so this is a good in between. Plus I can ZOOM. Quite a bit. So much fun.

I wasn't wearing makeup so I was only brave enough to show you my haggard looking eyes.

They gave me a week to try it out which is why there is still a sticker stuck to the bottom.
Oh! I forgot to take a photo of all the movies I got there for just $2.00 apiece. Oh well. Anyway it was a really nice shop, as you can see from their website.

Minus the camera all my thrifty goodies cost me just $26.77!

Mosaic Monday - taste of fall

2011-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

I've been away for quite a while but I could see the telltale signs of fall all around the house.

Like these overcast skies...

And my fall crocus.

I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this grass growing on top of a fence post in my neighbor's field. :)

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

The house in the woods

2011-09-23T14:56:00.000-07:00

Here's where I've been the last two weeks. And the weeks before that? Well...that's coming later.

It was cool in the woods - too cool for someone who has spent that past month in the desert, but we finally got the sunshine back. So I went wandering. Lots of moss and leaves.

And heart-shaped fiddleheads.

The woods here are thick with ferns.

So the homeowners built this fabulous set of decks.

And on the upper deck is where they do container gardening. This year there is a lot of pink and white.

And look at the enormous heliotrope - the purple one for those that don't know ;)

Here's the main reason I was staying here. A funny boy who likes to sleep in strange places.

Pattern of Wounds book review

2011-09-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

A brutal murder.
An unraveling conviction.

To catch the killer, Roland March must decipher the
PATTERN OF WOUNDS

Bodies left in the water, strange stab wounds in seeming pattern and Roland March connecting them like dots - the answer of which leads him to a killer already behind bars.

After reading countless "chick books" I chose one that seemed to say "dude book" or at least was more gender neutral than what I usually read. I actually love mysteries and have a few series filling my bookshelves.

The front cover says this is "A Roland March Mystery" and I learned it was part of an apparently ongoing series and that may be when I should have grabbed the first one and read it...you know...first.

As a result I felt like I was constantly playing catch up with the long list of secondary characters and I never could keep them all straight.

I think because I wasn't familiar with the characters and what was going on from the first book that this book didn't seem to go much of anywhere until partway through - until the "power point presentation" scene. But after that the pace was quick - pages were loaded with action, clues, and reveals. There were a few moments the hairs on the back of my neck were tickling from the intense creep-out. Maybe I should warn you that this really is a murder mystery and they cover lots of crime drama subjects including stabbing, voyeurism, rape and various ways to kill and maim people.

I did figure out whodunit before the end but that's okay, sometimes I like feeling smart. So while the mystery itself was good, I just didn't love this book. I think I might like it better if I'd read the first and had a history with the main character.

Bethany House provided this book for the purposes of review. The opinions are entirely mine.

Wild Life

2011-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've had ample opportunity to photograph the wildlife around my mom's place and the places we are visiting. We went to the Big Obsidian Flow one day and these butterflies filled the air.

Mario caught one for me so I could photograph it and we could figure out what it was. We were suspecting it wasn't good and we were right. It is a Pine Butterfly and they are causing defoliation problems here in the PacNW.

Then we pulled over for me to get some photos of the mountains and to try out my new camera. Apparently when we did this we disturbed this badger.

I whistled and got it to look up.

Totally makes me think of the line from UHF, "Badger? Badger? We don't need no stinkin' badger!" (An obvious homage to Treasure of the Sierra Madre which I've also seen).

My mom lives in a forested area and has a swampy meadow sort of area for a backyard. Not much of a place to stand so she and one of her brothers built a wide deck that makes a great place to watch the deer.

There are two doe that frequent the area with their twins. I don't know what the statistics are but two doe with twins seems unusual to me.

These fawns though! Sooooooo cute!

We went for a boat ride and I caught the tail end (no pun intended) of some geese taking off from the water.

We came back from the boat trip and hello! Look who is lounging in the back yard!

Gorgeous. Also tasty but these deer are not for eating. :)

As I sat on the deck this THING kept trying to land on me.

I've since identified him as a pine beetle. Next time we meet pal you are going to meet the bottom of my shoe.

Enough with the creepy thing - back to the cute!
They were curious about the pond/fountain.

So cute and fuzzy that I admit to a moderate amount of squealing when they do things like get hyper and jump and prance around the yard.

I stole - okay I seriously just typed "stold." I would make a disparaging remark about the area, the number of teeth I have and my new IQ but I won't. ;)

So I stole my post title from a book title by Molly Gloss which I will be reading quite soon. I ended up with one of her books since we both share the awesome name and have now collected three. This will be my first time reading them though.

Blog neglect

2011-08-31T17:26:00.000-07:00

I have been away, could you tell? I made sure to write several posts in advance and schedule them to post so I wouldn't look completely gone, but you may have noticed they were heavy on the photos and not so much the projects. It also meant I couldn't visit you back when you left me lovely comments.
I have been here:

A panorama shot from both sides meeting in the corner at the same mountains.

I have also been here:

And I'm headed back. But I have several more things to share with you! Like some of the fantastic wildlife I've seen and all the wildflowers and a fantastic plant nursery.

Happy birthday to me! Coupon code for you!

2011-08-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, today is my birthday and I'm giving you a present - of course it is a tad silly, but that is very like me.

So have a piece of cake...

(source)

Before I remembered my original 1980's Rainbow Brite cake pan was in the lost land of storage where I just don't know if I can find it, I was totally going to have the cake I had when I was a little girl. I like this one too, though!

And get ready to do something crazy...

(source)

Mosaic Monday - lace

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

After I'd gathered all my photos and gotten the collages made I realized I used the same photo in both - I must really like that one!

It amazes me that this weed is just as beautiful from the "wrong" side as it is the "right."

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Flowers in space

2011-08-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

I recently discovered the "space textures" on picnik - they are soooo much fun! I hope they keep them.

Mosaic Monday - growing wild

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

I had a single plant of this in the corner of my garden one year and it stayed like that for several years. In the past couple of years, however, it has exploded and moved all over said garden. Pretty, but not what I wanted. This fence:

...was bare in front and boring! I started moving plant starts until I ended up with this gorgeous wall of yellow! Weirdly, since moving them they have started mutating - originally they were plain yellow petals with a brown center but now some have red, some are doubling (or tripling or quadrupling?).

They also attracted this...moth? Anyone know what it is?

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Sure signs it is summer

2011-08-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

You know what that means, right? First of all, I spend my after dinner time in the grape arbor drinking tea and reading. This photo is already out of date - I've finished that book and the next in the series.

Summer also means that I interrupt my reading and tea time to wander around and take gratuitous photos of dried up grass. I don't know why, I just love it.

Also Queen Anne's Lace - tons of photos of this weed on my computer! Oh but it is so pretty. And it was so well used at the Barn House sale last year!

The moon came out to play. :)

Thank you summer for your warm evenings and long hours - please don't leave me yet!

The frog vase (not that kind of frog)

2011-08-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

I got a birthday gift early in the form of this glass vase with a built in floral frog.

The frog portion can be removed but sits nicely on a ledge just inside the top of the decorative edge of the vase.

Floral frogs work fantastically for spacing out your flowers and making your arrangements look professional even if you don't have enough flowers or any skill. And who doesn't like a product like that? I used it below to make just five flowers look like a whole bouquet's worth.

Also seen here:

Love it!

The Dragon Cloud

2011-08-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

To say I have an overactive imagination is...completely correct. As a result I never go anywhere without my camera because I'm always seeing shapes in the clouds.

Thing is, I've taken to sitting in my arbor, reading my book and drinking tea and eating a piece of chocolate on most evenings. It is fantastic. The other night I spotted a "dragon" in the sky across the field with a flopped ear, little flapping wings and a curved tail. More of a whimsical dragon than - I was just going to say realistic. I've clearly broken from reality for good! I meant more than what most movies portray a "realistic" dragon to look like.

It even seems to have a distinct face and is puffing out little clouds of "smoke."

Which I completely screw up using Paint but hey...

As the sun set and what looked like the wing tips highlighted it was looking even more dragon like.

I suppose there are worse things I could do than spend my evenings watching cloud shapes, reading books, sipping tea and eating chocolate.

The herbs and the bees

2011-08-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

We'll blame it on the books because they can't argue back and also, well, it IS their fault.

It started with the Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters, which are also a series of movies my friend and I used to get from the library. They are about Brother Cadfael (duh) and his apothecary job and how he solves crime with his knowledge of flora and also because he seems to be more observant and sensible than almost everyone else (how many times did I want to strangle Brother Jerome? But I digress.)

In any case I became interested in growing my own herbs to make fantastical things. So far the most fantastical thing I've made is baked chicken, but it was really good chicken! Even my attempts at potpourri are always foiled by me not remembering to harvest things when they are supposed to be. One of these days I might get my act together.

My herb garden.

In everything I read they always tell you to watch out when planting mint because it spreads so quickly. My mint did spread but remains in a manageable sized patch. My oregano however? Taking. over. my. entire. property. I have more oregano than ten people could use up in as many years; it's insane.

About 1/1000000000000000000 of the oregano I currently have:

Herbs bloom like most plants and in fact have gorgeous flowers!

Sage:

Thyme:

Spearmint:

Oregano!

The honeybees are having a field day.

I was suddenly remembering a post from last year where I decided to fill my bedroom with bouquets - it made the room smell amazing!

A trio of flowers that came up volunteer in my corn garden. (Also the head of some elephant garlic I had last year. It doesn't smell, I just think it's pretty)

Putting some of my oregano blossoms to good use.

I go to bed with this fantastic, fresh, green smell. How do I know what green smells like? I don't know, that's just how I can describe it. I love it and you should give it a try!

Giving me the raspberries

2011-07-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

With two lengthy rows of raspberry plants on a year where they really produce, I'm kept quite busy keeping up with the fruits of my labor. Honestly I only want to freeze so many; I'd rather enjoy them now. (To freeze mine, I lay them on baking sheets in the freezer and once they are frozen individually, then I bag them.)

And when I had nothing in my cupboards and fridge but wanted breakfast I miraculously had all the ingredients to make the oatmeal muffins out of my great aunt's 1974 Betty Crocker's Cook Book (page 48 at the top)

I half filled the cups, poked some raspberries in and then finished filling in with batter. Delish.

That used up...a handful of berries. I still have a lot of berries left. Then I found this flavored water recipe - yum! So I made a pitcher of lemon raspberry water. Also delicious. And refreshing! (and blogging has now murdered my proper sentence structure.)

That used up another small handful. Thankfully my mom knows me and my fruit snacks and bought me a food dehydrator earlier in the year. I dug it out and washed it and it had this great tray that meant I got to try fruit leather - one of my very favorite things.

I followed these instructions and it required almost no sugar at all. I added a small amount because my berries - at that point - had been a bit sun deprived and needed a flavor boost.

Also I learned to spread what I think is a fairly thick puree and just let it dry for a looooong time. This works much better than a thin layer which wants to flake. I also think if you used oven safe plastic wrap this would be even easier. I kept a small bowl of puree in my fridge for three days and made fresh fruit leather each day.

The rest? Raspberry jelly. (I used a mesh strainer and some seeds still made it through! Ah well.) I used the instructions found in the pectin box.

I have a glass topped stove and if I remembered correctly you can't use a canner on them because of weight and heat issues so I turned my jars upside down after I'd filled and put on my canning lids. The heat from the jelly is supposed to seal the lids for you. It worked, by the way, but I didn't get my jars as full as I'd thought (tie hair back next time) and my brother was looking at the jars and asked,
"Why is your jelly.......................levitating?"

I told him, "Because I made it like this."

Mosaic Monday - Bauman's Farm & Garden

2011-07-24T22:18:00.000-07:00

I briefly mentioned Bauman's another time in this post but this time I was with a friend and her extended family and a small herd of little ones so I got to see more while I spent more time there.

It was a gorgeous day and a tad warm so...

My friend and I got iced coffee drinks from inside their store (where you can buy an assortment of delectable baked goods that I try not to buy ALL of every time I go) and sat in this little, out of the way, gazebo next to a water feature.

This entranced me and I kept taking photos of it. (Is it larkspur?)

It was deliciously cool in there and the air smelled like the blossoms we were surrounded by.

They also have a lovely lawn with pathways if you're interested in a stroll.

Hydrangea bliss.

At the end of one of these pathways I found some picnic benches near several raised beds of herbs. Lavender always catches my eye.

These gorgeous lilies were taller than me. But as my friend sarcastically put it, "that doesn't take much."
Tis true.

And they have a spectacular collection of roses.

You can buy plants of all kinds, yard decor, baked goods, seasonal produce, assorted packaged local foods like sauces and canned goods. If that doesn't tempt you they have play structures and a petting zoo for the kiddos. They also host seasonal events like a pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay fort, etc. And during the summer they have classes that include canning and preserving.

You can visit their website here.

If you're in this part of Oregon I highly recommend stopping by.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Also check out Centsational Girl's garden link up.

My prize swag from J.R. Watkins

2011-07-23T09:33:00.000-07:00

Remember when I wrote about winning a photo contest on Twitter for the J.R. Watkins folks? Well now that I have a computer again I can show you the super generous box of goodies they sent me!

I was overwhelmed at the size of the box even before I opened it.

OH THE GOODIES!

Because of the comments on this post I dug out the lemon cuticle cream and hand cream and have been using it every day. It smells amazing and does wonderful things for my gardener's hands.
The all-purpose spray I used to clean my bathroom after I got home from house-sitting. The room really needed it and this smelled great (light and non-lingering) and worked really well.

The tote bag has already come in super handy for shopping as it is a nice, thick and quality bag.
They even sent me coupons because obviously after I've been hooked this way I will want more.

The rest I'm rationing but don't think I haven't opened and sniffed them all a time or two.

I know there's a "Watkins man" in my little town because I bought stuff from him at the last holiday bazaar I worked; I like supporting my fellow small townians that way. Watkins also has a website and can be found in stores like Target as well.

Watkins also has a twitter account and they post tips for using their extracts. I've gotten some great ideas for foods that way!

They are not paying me to say this, but they are totally welcome to. ;)

My monitor died

2011-07-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

I apologize if I'm difficult to get ahold of for a little while. I think my computer eats monitors - this is the second one!

This is my super awesome drawing done with MS Paint. :)

Mosaic Monday - poppies

2011-07-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

I love how large poppies have such crepe paper petals and hairy stems. :)

My "here and there" volunteer poppies I've moved, cultivated and saved and dried seeds for the past several years to create my raised bed poppy garden. Such a gorgeous splash of color from summer until autumn.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Real life spaces - the home library

2011-07-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned a few times that I've been house-sitting. Lucky for me the couple are both big readers. So big in fact that they converted a spare bedroom into a library.

This room is all about reading, tea, grandbaby and kitties - what else in the world do you need?

At the bottom of this photo ^^ see that basket? Books for granddaughter. A-dorable.

.I love this little nook here with the seat (which can unfold into an impromptu guest bed)

Every which way you turn is wall to wall books. It's an impressive collection!

Aw! I made her this sign for her birthday a couple of years ago.

I've read 6 of their books while I was here. I have to admit it was tough choosing which ones since I had such a selection.

I need a library. I also need it hidden by a secret bookcase door. I'd better get to work on that. ;)

Get your goodies here!

2011-07-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

That may have been a tad misleading because you can't get your goodies here so much as there and there and that other place.

Just Add Glitter and Stir is giving away an Emma Wallace CD - love her music.

Hooks and Whiskers is now open for business! Crocheted cuteness, felt foods and wearables - even a flower brooch made from crocheted cassette tape ribbon -what?

Seriously, how cute is this?

Also there's a beauty blog sale going on at Ki and Makeup - Etsy goodies from Shiro Cosmetics, Latherati, Haus of Gloi, The Morbid the Merrier. Eyeshadows by Persephone Minerals, a Mac eyeshadow and an Inglot shadow palette.

Whet your appetite for Emma Wallace music with this adorable fan video using footage from one of my favorite movie series - The Thin Man.

Happy Monday!

Mosaic Monday - roses

2011-07-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

How many poems or lines can you immediately think of that deal with the subject of roses? With all of mine blooming I can understand why it's a favorite subject for writers.

^ This rose has the most amazing scent. Wish I had a whole garden full of them.

Fair is the rose, indeed.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night

2011-07-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

All About Eve is one of those movies you always see the cover art for, or know who acted in it, or maybe even know a few lines but have no familiarity with the actual movie. Is that just me? Seems like a lot of classics are that way. To remedy that, I scroll through my TV schedule on the channels that air classic movies and copiously click my "record" button.

Because of past "assignments" for Classic Movie Monday I've taken to keeping a sheet of paper next to me when I watch them so I can write down the lines that amuse me most. This wasn't one of those assignments but it never hurts to be prepared. ;)

I don't know what I expected this movie to be about but it wasn't this.

I seem to say that a lot about the classics.

The movie actually starts at the end, narrated by "Addison DeWitt" (played by George Sanders. Or if you're a perpetual child like myself, the guy who did the voice of Shere Khan in The Jungle Book).

Meet Addison DeWitt. Snark and creep extraordinaire.

We're in the middle of an awards show and he tells us "Minor awards are for such as writer and director since their function is merely to construct a tower so that the world can applaud a light which flashes from the top."

Dang.

We see this woman receiving an award while several audience members look...uncomfortable or smug depending on who they were.

Don't I look so benevolent?

That would be Eve. Then we have to backtrack to how we got here in the first place.

Eve, a rabid fan of Margo (Bette Davis) goes to every showing of her play and finally plots a way to meet her. She's so sweet and tells such a sad tale Margo and entourage are quite taken in and they wrangle her a job with Margo. It isn't long before her obsequious ways get on Margo's nerves and she lashes out, not wanting her around. Of course everything thinks Margo is being a horrible person, but it turns out....

SPOILERS :)

Eve has been scheming the entire time to become Margo - replace her and become famous herself. Her sob story? Lies. But by this time there's little for Margo to do - she's an aging actress and here's the new version taking over her life. Creeptastic. Also Addison DeWitt has a schemey sort of hand in this and you really hate him. However, the end - oh ho ho. Loved.

End spoilers.

There are a lot of great lines in this movie. Or maybe new movies are just such tripe that everything from a classic sounds amazing. Either way...
"I'll admit I may have seen better days but I'm still not to be had for the price of a cocktail...like a salted peanut."
Ha.

Marilyn Monroe has a bit part in this movie and she plays a (surprise!) vapid glamor hound.

She did have one of my favorite lines though. A woman walks by this stairway group with a sable wrap. Marilyn's character says, "Now there's something a girl could make sacrifices for...sable."
Deaf man with cigarette says, "Sable? Did she say sable or Gable?"
Marilyn (I should learn her character's name) retorts, "Either one."

Even Marilyn loves me.

Despite the witty snark and glamorous actress lifestyle I found this movie to be a little depressing. I'm also wondering why - what seems somewhat early to me in the history of film - so many actresses were deemed "old" and phased out (see also my post on Sunset Blvd.).

I doubt I'll be watching it again, but it was absolutely worth watching once.

Americana door decor

2011-07-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Just in time for the fourth I managed to complete a project I started months ago - new art to hang on my door.

With an overabundance of embroidery hoops and unbleached muslin this seemed like a logical place to start. Then I used a small amount of my wool felt stash to create the stars and stripes. My field of blue measuring 2 x 3 inches and the stripes measuring 1 inch wide and varying a tad in length. I secured them in place using felt glue - something that should be used sparingly so hand stitching doesn't become difficult later. Then I stitched around the square and stripes which took....forever. I recommend this as a project for that late time of night when you're vegging out in front of the TV.

Then I needed stars. I didn't manage room for all 50 (just 42), but this was I think the most time consuming part.

Since it was so small I couldn't make a traditional star shape and opted for this instead.

And to try and help me keep the rows straight (I failed, but we'll just call it "rustic" okay?) I followed this pattern.

Finally! I can take down my Christmas cones which should have been taken down months ago except that without it my door look so boring and sad.

A length of jute string looped around the top holds it in place.

This will be perfect to stay up until Autumn. Maybe I should get started on my Autumn art now so it might be ready in time. ;)

Linking to:

The FaveCrafts Blog Hop

Book Review - The Sweetest Thing by Elizabeth Musser

2011-06-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

When I chose this book, I admit I thought the soft colored cover and promises of 1930's Atlanta sounded too good to pass up. What I didn't expect was a story about a girl who loses her father and the full gamut of emotions she and her family go through to right their upside down world. Having lost my father not quite five years ago I spent most of this book crying. And I'm crying even remembering it as I type this which is why I put off writing this for so long. It was hard for me to read, yet I didn't want to stop reading. In fact I think there may have been a little divine intervention in my choosing of this book because now that I'm finished with it, I think I needed to read it.

Anne "Perri" Singleton, despite The Depression lives a good life, goes to an excellent girl's school and even had 1,000 "dates" in a single year (dates are not quite the same in this world as they are in ours). The day she meets Mary "Dobbs" Dillard she thinks they'll never be more than acquaintances. Dobbs is unfashionable, poor, and speaks about faith as if it was as natural as breathing. But when Perri's father suddenly dies and mysterious circumstances lead to more questions than answers, Perri and Dobbs form a deep bond.

While Perri's life is tipped end over teakettle, so is Dobbs' life completely different from what she knew and both girls fight very emotional struggles finding the balance between self and fitting in.

I loved that Perri was into photography - because so am I. She was also into sky watching for a bit, and so am I. I also really enjoyed the feel of the era and place, despite the dire circumstances. Some of Musser's descriptive areas reminded me a tad of Sarah Addison Allen which endeared this book to me as well.

Yes, there is plenty of heartache, but there is also romantic love, true, deep friendship, following your dreams and a grand scale mystery to boot.

Does it help all that talk about crying if I tell you it has a satisfying conclusion?

Bethany House provided this book for the purposes of review. The opinions are entirely mine.

Mosaic Monday - a new view

2011-06-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

When I house-sit I always warn the homeowners that I'll likely be taking photos all over the place. To date, none have minded and are usually curious to see what I'm so interested in photographing. Plants of course. :)

I can't recall the name of the plant, but doesn't it look like an alien daisy?

And leaves is the other. I'm loving the way this red maple lights up at certain hours of the day.

The setting sun always lights up this tree.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

Clean cup! Move down!

2011-06-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

I don't get to participate this year due to my house-sitting duties but do go over and visit Vanessa and see the loveliness going on there. Also, be sure to visit her guest of honor's blog as well - delectable treats that will delight the eyes. Click here to go down the rabbit hole...

Couponing for the "extras"

2011-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's where I admit to watching that "Extreme Couponing" show. I admire the savings especially for the ones who have large families and small incomes, but 20 toothbrushes? Just...why? Once you've stockpiled things shouldn't you...you know...stop? At least for a while? Anyway.

When I want an "extra" - something I don't need to live - I contrive a way for it to cost me little so I don't feel so guilty buying it.

While I'm house-sitting I've been happily browsing coupons and store websites and finally broke down to get a couple of store rewards cards (Walgreens and Fred Meyer).
Did you know you can load coupons to your store's rewards card? It's like coupons without the paper cuts. I did that with things I needed (and erm...didn't) and made my shopping list and went for it.

Haircolor. My root growout is making me crazy. And I swear my hair gets darker every year so the contrast is that much worse. This new foam stuff (this will be my first time trying it*) is normally $9.99. There was an in-store sale marking it down to $7.49. And I had loaded a $3.00 off coupon to my rewards card to get it for just $4.49.

I'm thiiiiiiiis close to being out of mascara and old mascara is certainly not something I want to be putting near my eye. This mascara was $7.49 (honestly it was just one of the cheapest I could find by CoverGirl) I had a $1.00 off manufacturer's coupon and the store was having a BOGO 1/2 off. The mascara being now just $6.49 and the lip gloss/tint went from $7.49 to $3.74.

The color is "Grenache"

I think this is possibly a clever way to re-package CoverGirl's old solid glosses which are around $4.00 anyway, but I'm a sucker for lip tints and this smells amazing!

I did also use my coupon-ing skills to buy necessary items like...coffee.

*I have since used it. The foam does not come out creamy and white like it shows on the box, so don't be alarmed by that. Also, it - to me - has an odd savory sesame smell. I have long, thick hair and it took the entire bottle of this to saturate my hair and I was only doing half my head. If you have thin or short hair however, I think this would work great.

Flowers for Rose

2011-06-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

I had a different post scheduled for today but I received word that my dear sweet neighbor has gone home to be with Jesus. I thought I'd share some photos of her spaces. She graciously invited me to her yard as her flowers and burst into bloom so I could take photos - knowing I loved it so.

The images in these posts are much smaller than my current ones but if you simply click one they will enlarge for you.

Her beautiful back porch flowers are here.

Her beautiful front yard is here.

The rest of her yard here.

Rest in peace, wonderful lady.

And prayers for her husband would be greatly appreciated.

In the land of the unfamiliar

2011-06-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Still house-sitting. I've actually done this for several people over the last couple of years and it is a challenge to constantly learn where the silverware drawer is or how to operate the TV, DVD, VHS, DVR, etc. when you've lived in 4 different houses in a year.

Also try being 5'2" and living in the house of people around 6'0" - the microwave is literally above my head. I have to stand on tippy toes to get my plate/cup out. And the washer and dryer knobs are at my eye level. I have to stand on tippy toes to turn them on.

The worst though? Being used to driving an old orange pickup in the country but then coming out of a very in-town store to a full parking lot full of small cars that look exactly like the one you drove there and you can't remember what the make/model is of the car or where you parked. And what was the color again? Too bad whistling for it like a lost puppy doesn't work.

At least they have me well stocked on books and movies! More on that later!

Don't worry, I'm really not suffering, it's just a challenge at times. :)

To the man who encouraged me

2011-06-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

To say I'm a daddy's girl is quite true - inheriting my looks (we share the same blue eyes) and personality (love of corny jokes) from his side of my genetics.

Dad and I. Just a few years ago. ;)

He was never the man who said I couldn't. In fact he was more frequently pushing me and saying I could. No matter what it was. Come on, you can hike up one more hill! Yes that's really me on the left. Gasp away! ;)

My dad started his own business and even had to build the location. The family chipped in of course.
Yep that's me on the roller. Guess who put me up to that? Mostly against my will. Let me tell you that is not a smooth ride. I've never driven one before? Psh! You can learn!

To that you can attitude and entrepreneurial inspiration I can credit the success of my own business venture. So thanks for all the encouragement dad.

To steal a bit I've seen floating around on facebook:

If red roses grow in Heaven, Lord pick a bunch for me
Place them in my Dad's arms and tell him they're from me
Tell him that I love and miss him, and when he turns to smile,
place a kiss upon his cheek and hold him for a while
Because remembering him is easy, I do it everyday
There's an ache within my heart that will never go away..I love you!

Happy Father's Day.

And thank you also to my wonderful stand-ins Mario, Dick, and George. ♥

Transition week - strawberries and books and movies, oh my.

2011-06-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

My mom bought me a gift the other day - she found this lonesome beauty at a thrift store - isn't it lovely?

I'm house-sitting for some friends while they go to a wedding in England and there's been a lot of this:

These strawberries have such sweet flavor!

And after driving my friends to the airport yesterday I am busy trying to catch up on blog business after being "offline" a few days.

And since the Mr. friend was gifted the entire Horatio Hornblower movie series right before he left I get to enjoy them while they are gone. I already own them but on VHS so I don't have all the fun features these came with. If you haven't seen the films I highly recommend them.

Oh yes. And I'm taking the opportunity - since the weather is crummy - to try and link my blog and shop visually. If things keep changing, I apologize for the inconsistency but I sometimes have to change things around a lot until I'm happy. For the time being. ;)

You can find me in the garden

2011-06-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Summer finally arrived and my herb garden is looking lovely - thank goodness! I've been really working on it for over a year.

My rusty bucket is filled with snapdragons that I rescued from the oddest little spot where they popped up. They were going to get stomped where they were and now they seem to be thriving in their new home.

Flowers, flowers everywhere! These are Dame's Rocket - which is apparently a noxious weed in some areas. It came in a wildflower seed mix I planted years ago. They spread like crazy so I understand the "weed" part (I feel the same way about Calendulas).

I actually moved all the ones growing on my property this this spot here and pulled the rest. I've been able to contain and maintain them this way and things don't get out of hand. The Calendulas however...

In my grape arbor (which can be seen in this post) is a two-seat chair with table in the middle that my uncle made. It's the perfectly shady spot to relax after some hard work.

Thank goodness there are two seats to this! I'm sure she'll claim she's just keeping my seat warm for me. ;)

Office organization solutions from my barn

2011-06-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'll blame Donna and her amazing junked office space.
Then I'll blame my pen holder. I hated it. Hated it so much I don't even have a "before" photo. It was too big, too tall, too varied in size from bottom to top. Okay it was a painted terra cotta pot. They are great for many things and holding pens isn't one of them.

However, this little bucket works just great. AND it goes with my rustic farmhouse style office. The floors are hardwood original to the house. The ceiling...

Is also wood!

The walls are the same green as a copper patina.

When I realized how badly I needed desktop file storage, and how awesome Donna's was, and how I had two plant hangers that were one step from the thrift store if I couldn't find a spot for them, and how they perfectly go with the green walls...

And why does every store suddenly do away with pretty file folders when I go to do this project?

So those two were what started this whole thing. Like the pen holder, I didn't take a single before photo of my office makeover because honestly...even if I had...I wouldn't have shown you. It was that bad. Clutter like you wouldn't believe!

With these two free storage solutions I still needed a little more to help out. This wooden crate I found in my barn.

A vacuuming, wipe down and newspaper in the bottom and it holds phone books, catalogues, and paperwork waiting to be filed. The wire basket was also a find and holds mail waiting to be sorted.

With no clutter all over the desk it's amazing how neat things look.

I'm also working on making a new mouse pad because I absolutely hate this one.
The computer wallpaper is a photo I took at The Oregon Garden.

Because you see the back of the computer - and therefore all the wires - when you walk into the office, I used an old window shutter to hide the mess.

I can also use the slots between each of the shutter's blinds to hold photos and notes.

The closet had sliding doors and it was impossible to get anything of size in or out. These curtains (hemmed pieces of un-bleached muslin) were actually made for another door one house ago so they are getting repurposed here to hide the amazing way I stacked a ton of stuff into this closet. Putting them on clip rings that slide means it opens quickly and easily.

I love these old staplers. Especially that one in front.

I also love the old, wooden office chair. However, it is both too short for this desk and doggone hard on the backside so some cushions - the top in a lively gingham - make it cushy and farmhouse chic.

There are still a few areas here that need serious work and I am still lacking shelving or bookcases but I have some ideas for that...involving the wood from the corral that had to be torn down...

Linking to:

The Shabby Nest

Finding Fabulous

Funky Junk Interiors

Headband storage

2011-06-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

I have a candle sconce above my nightstand. I actually took the candles out thinking I'd come up with something more clever to put in there. And so far...nothing. However, I took off a headband the other day and set it there for "a minute."

I don't know about you but it's working for me. ;)
And yes that is a tree branch on my wall to the right.

If you want to see a REAL headband storage solution go visit Jill at Made it on Monday.

Featured and Won - good start to my week

2011-06-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

My manly java jacket project is featured in this issue of Savvy Kids magazine - what a great publication! I'm delighted to be able to share the tutorial with young crafters.

I also won the J.R. Watkins EnviroDay photo contest on twitter with the photo below.

I won a basket of J.R. Watkins goodies - which I love!

Hurray for a terrific start to the week!

Mosaic Monday - The Oregon Garden

2011-06-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

I recently got to spend my weekend at The Oregon Garden Resort with a friend. We had spa treatments, delicious dinner and local wine and, of course, a walk in the garden after our departure day breakfast.

As my friend said, "I could get used to having a delicious buffet breakfast prepared for me and then an hour's walk in the garden."

To find out more about The Oregon Garden click here. There's more about the resort portion of the garden here.

Be sure to visit Little Red House to see all the beautiful mosaics!

The mystery of the sympathy card

2011-06-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

I cleaned out the card drawer the other day to organize all the cards into a special "card file folder" that has tabs for cards describing what kind they are. I seriously sat there and tried to find matching envelopes for them all; it was a nightmare. However, I grabbed this one card and for some reason decided to read the inside...

Um.

What?

There's no clue as to what, who, when, where or why. It looks like a store printed card. I've never had the printer skills to align words so well inside a card. So WHERE did this come from? I may never know...

Molly's Revenge

2011-05-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Don't you hate it when your friends move far, far away? Me too.
But when they come "home" to visit you're sure to have a good time.

Last Friday I was invited to join my friend and her dad for live music - we knew it was Celtic but had no idea who they were or what they were called. Imagine the laugh we all got when we saw the band's name.

I texted my future sister-in-law the photo and she said I should walk in and say, "the star has arrived!"

My friend that was with me was feeling a tad nervous, "are we going to get in here and the doors will lock and Molly takes her revenge?"

Ha! Oh there are some I would be tempted....but no.

Forgive my all black but I had been to a funeral that afternoon with no chance to change.

The paintings on the building could only be explained by knowing more about the town.

The band of Molly's Revenge* was fantastic. You can check out their website here.

If you are in the area and are interested in going to the Mt. Angel Performing Arts Center you can check out their website here.

Also if you are in the area (sortof) and into interesting music, the annual Gymanfa Ganu will be on June 26th.
Don't worry, I can't pronounce it either.

*Can I just rant for a minute about how if it isn't every farm animal and family dog that is named Molly then it has to be an amorous hag? What is the deal?

Remembering

2011-05-30T11:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the men and women who have served this country.

Here my uncle prepares to begin service - that's my dad standing next to him (so cute).

Skip forward a few years to my dad and the beginning of his service.

Both made it home but have since passed on.

"The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten".

We won't forget.

Mosaic Monday - flower explosion

2011-05-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

It seems like just yesterday that it was drab winter and I thought color would never arrive, but today, walking around in the sunshine I realized what a flower explosion I have going on.

My oregano is trying to take over my herb garden. I haven't let it yet, but it doesn't give up trying.

My cousin once told me about an old wives tale in which wasps are needed to "crack open" peony blossoms. Whatever it is, they sure like them and I have to watch myself as I walk by. Haven't been stung in probably 8 years and I'd like to keep it that way!

My kitty is good at keeping track of me even amidst the jungle of plants. :)

Not sure if Mosaic Monday is even going on this week but you should visit Little Red House anyway, she always has amazing photos up.

Scared awake - what is that THING in my grapefruit

2011-05-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not what you would call a morning person. I'm not a groggy person, I just like to acclimatize myself to being awake (which reads: don't yammer at me unless you want me to give you the glare of death). But I pretty much went from 0 to 60 when I opened my grapefruit and found this:

At first it looked like some kind of creature just under the surface of the fruit. And in these gory red grapefruit bits...tell me it doesn't look like some weird fetus.

Once I got my heart rate to slow down I realized what it was and took these hurried, horrible photos. I threw it in my mulch pile. Maybe I'll get a grapefruit tree out of the deal. ;)

Decorating & organizing bookshelves

2011-05-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

I like to decorate and I don't have a lot of space. I also, however, have a TON of books. So what if you have a lot of bookshelves, a lot of books, but want to decorate too?

Whatever you do, please don't do this. This makes me want to crawl into a fetal ball and sob softly.

What if you use books as your decorations? Or as your room color? I recently discovered this:

Source

I got big puffy hearts in my eyes. I LOVE the way it looks but again...I'm too much of a librarian to break up series or genres to do this everywhere. Thankfully I have no less than five bookshelves in the space I was working in.

Atop a bookcase makes a great space for a few books and mostly accessories. I have a lot of historical books in the first shelf so a natural theme felt like the thing to do on top.

Once you get to the actual shelves though, don't be afraid to accessorize them too! I usually add things that deal with the book subjects.

This is my "scholarly" shelf. Some are leftover school books and others are just because I'm a nerd. :)
Pottery from my grandmother, a painted turkey feather quill and ink go along with the scholarly feel. See where I'm going with all this?

This candle belonged to my grandmother as well, it's one of the weirdest candles I've seen but seems to fit this book grouping.
(Not so much the Fanny Crosby book - haven't found the right home for that one yet!)

My largest bookshelf hangs above my desk and gives me plenty of space for non-book decorating...if only I'd quit buying books.

This carved wooden chest filled with dried flowers and seeds seemed the perfect companion for my Brother Cadfael books.

And this horse head bookend sits next to my Margeurite Henry books and my copy of Traveller by Richard Adams.

I have to admit I haven't read any of the books in this next photo excepting the one on the far right. I'm working on remedying that, but my exotic looking candle holder goes next to my exotic sounding books.

I have a huge collection of Breyer horses and this one wouldn't fit in storage. He goes in my horsey vignette with this vintage print I bought at an antique sale years ago (I just love it!) and a pinback button that belonged to my mom; Ginger was the name of her horse. I'm bugging her to get me a photo of her and Ginger to add to this spot.

I have a decent collection of classic literature on the lowest shelf. A pair of...things? given me by a friend from Okinawa and a photo I took in Israel (and put in a thrifted frame) make good companions for these books which span both history and the globe.

Also, have you read the Amelia Peabody mysteries (to the left)? Or the Mary Russell series? They are both fantastic.

See how I stack books this way and that? I am able to fit way more books on a shelf this way, and it makes it a bit more interesting to look at.

I already showed you my gorgeous shell treasure bottle (visit her shop here) which made the perfect accessory to my collection of nautical books (next to my American lit - yeah...it made sense to me). I was also gifted that ceramic pirate treasure box.

And this shell "box" which I filled with foreign coins. Sometimes I just have too much fun with this stuff.

All those bookshelves I've got under a "system" with series and genre all together and making sense, but I really wanted to try the rainbow bookshelf thing. Luckily I have a random assortment of older books I can try this with on a small scale.

It's actually a bit of a challenge to match the shades properly! And I didn't care about making this one in proper rainbow order - I just wanted like colors together.

And do you know how many older books are blue? Most of mine are.

I found another shelf to play rainbow games on. Had been wanting to change this one for a while yet anyway. And yes there are unicorns. More Breyer collectibles that also won't fit in storage and I'm afraid they are going to get broken. I won that large unicorn for getting straight A's in grade school, go me! :)

Unicorns go with books, right? ;)

The blue/green end. I don't have any purple books, what is up with that?

When changing this shelf I found some really fun books that I forgot I had.

This one belonged to a great aunt who was a ballerina.

So....are you feeling motivated to make your bookshelves interesting? I should warn you that if I come to your house, I might feel compelled to move books around. It's not a mean thing or even something I can control. I'm a crazy book person and I can't help it. Pity me.

WIP

2011-05-21T12:32:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's not a coincidence that WIP could both stand for What Is Up and Works in Progress. Here's what I've got for both.

After months of waiting on the library list I finally got Sarah Addison Allen's The Peach Keeper. I finished it in a day and a half. I really connected with some of the characters but this definitely felt different from her other books. Not bad, just different. That's all I'm going to say. :)

My friend Megan has been bugging me to watch this forever and I finally remembered! Thanks to hulu I've been catching up. What a bizarre show. I like it.

(To date I think Pier Pressure is my favorite episode. Hilarious.)

For some reason I can't even remember, I decided to look for clothing items on ebay. I found exactly what I was looking for and it was great prices (a dollar is a good price to me, what do you think?) even with shipping. Which is exactly the opposite experience I have shopping on normal clothing sites or even in store. It got the hamster wheel turning and I've since cleaned my own closet and made moola selling things I never wear. Could this get any better? Well...the fees could be better...

I'd show you photos of my new stuff but I'm still waiting on my items. :)

Speaking of stuff...I've been finding some goodies at dear old Goodwill.

Like these shoes for $3.99.

Hmm. Shoes? Really? Yeah, normally I don't even look but there were a gajillion people down the aisles I wanted to go down. Found these Land's End shoes that actually fit, look hardly worn and were the half price color of the day. Since I have an impossible time finding shoes that fit and my old Skechers shoes are acting like they want to die because I wear them all the time, these came home with me.

But I also scored this overnight travel bag for just 99 cents! (half price color woot woot!) - I was looking for one so I was excited to find it at so affordable a price.

The brand is Jaguar. It was probably an awesome bag 15 years ago, but I so don't care. 99 cents!! Ha ha!

I'm going to catch some garbage for this one since my friend thinks I'm a purse hoarder but I also found this lavender lovely for just $7.99. I've never paid a new price for a purse so I'm just going to assume that is a bargain. Plus I found a dime in one of the inside pockets. Would have been nice if it had been $10 but pshhh.

THEN I got my goodies from the Gussy giveaway! You probably heard a delighted shriek when I first learned I won - I'm sure you heard me, wherever you may live. These lovelies arrived just in time for me to wear them to a two year old's birthday party and they will be headed to The Oregon Garden Resort with me in just a short while. Thank you Maggie!

Speaking of that two year old, I spent most of my week visiting her and her family so I was much too busy playing in the sandbox, catching balloons and picking dandelions to worry about this silly old blog.

Once the photos are emailed to me I'll show you the fun assortment of felt food I made her for her birthday - it was so much fun to make and there are so many tutorials out there for it.