A Picnic or Two......

I've been thinking alot about family and picnics and just spending some relaxing time together in conversation.  Maybe not talking at all, but watching the kids run around.  No pressure to "use our manners" ~  No pressure to "use the right fork".  Just to say AH~H~H~H, kick the shoes off, and sip that glass of sweet tea, all frosty and cold.

I absolutely love this picture.  It is a picture of a family back in the 70's (yes, back when I was in my prime).  The picture is from a vintage issue of House and Garden.  Now these people are a little "over dressed" for my picnics.  Shorts, t-shirts, sandals and flip-flops are a must at my picnics!  But, doesn't this picture just bring a smile to your lips and a warm fuzzy feeling knowing they are having such a good time.  All under the shade of a tree, with wonderful balloons, umbrellas, and yes, even hats for those of us that worry about the sun.  Children in cotton dresses, the feel of grass under your feet, and the sweet smell of clover in the air!  Just so wonderful.

While pondering about this picture, I suddenly had a flashback to my youth.  When I was a little girl, probably 6 or 7.  My family went to my Dad's grandparents who lived in Frametown, WV, near Gassaway and Sutton.  Now these were country people, and Oh, such sweet country people they were.  Big Mommy and Big Daddy (as I knew them), were the kindest, gentlest souls.  With their thick local accent (which I found myself picking up the longer I was there :)), they would give hugs and talk and talk about what was going on in the local town and of course, their little church.  Dad would line us up, me, my brother and my sister, and have us sing hymns for them.  A small little concert.  You would have thought we were stars on the stage by the twinkle in Big Mommy's eyes.

They lived in a very small, very simply furnished cottage ~ no air conditioning.  Big Mommy's sister, Merle, lived behind her in a little cottage, where she raised chickens and a had a few sheep.  I was thrilled to find out Aunt Merle had named the one sheep "Kitty Lynn".  I mean, really, at the age of 7, wouldn't that be the most amazing thing in your life?  We found eggs in the hen house, ran through the creek, and petted Big Daddy's dog, "Bally".  Carefree summer days, where we would walk down the dirt lane, and take a ride through the mountains.

We didn't visit my great grandparents much, and it wasn't long until Big Daddy passed and then Big Mommy.  Time gets muddled in your youth, so I couldn't give you the year.  But the one thing I remember most is how Big Mommy died.  The story goes, she was sitting in church, she stood up to give her testimony, sat down, and the Lord took her home.  If I could ask for anything, anything at all, it would be to go home to the Lord, in this way.

So, as I was looking at this family, in the vintage picture above, all these memories came rushing back. 

Yes, family, so precious, ever changing, and so many memories.....  If there is one thing I want to do this summer, is to make some "family memories", for me, for my kids, and especially for my grandkids.

Blessings to all.  Happy Summer! Kitty

Welcome to the Porch!

I know I have been absent from blogging for a little while, but I took an "unannounced" blogging break.  Sometimes you just have to stop what you are doing to allow yourself to "catch up".  I know you all know what I am talking about.  Spring came on beautifully, and after that horrid winter, well, it was time to just enjoy.

In honor of the beautiful spring we are having, I just wanted to invite you all over and have a little "sit down" on the porch!  It is not a grand porch, or a veranda, or a big, long, wrap around porch, just a "teeny little porch".  Enough for 2 chairs and great conversation, all the while enjoying some sweet and tangy lemonade.  If I had to pick between lemonade and iced tea, I think it would be lemonade, every time.  We should take a poll.... lemonade or iced tea, what do you prefer?

A sweet old cupboard I found last year at an antique mart. Love it with the angel statue that had its little feet glued back on. They seem to be holding just fine. This little cupboard sat on the porch all winter long, and held up just fine. But, I think I am tempting fate. I will find a place for her this winter, inside, away from "the elements".

This old metal table was another find.  Since this picture I have painted the top white, but I think I need to give it another coat.  Do you all remember these tables?  What era?  The 70's?  60's?  I just love it.  It's coffee table height.  Maybe a tad higher.  But I do love it.

And of course, what could be better than a mindful thought, "Water Your Spirit With Faith".  A constant reminder that our Dear Lord looks out after us, through all of our ups and downs.  God Bless You All.  Here's hoping you are all having a wonderful spring, and for those friends in the Southern hemisphere, a lovely fall!

Blessings to all,
Kitty
xox

Potential of a Black Box?

A few years back, I found this black box at a yard sale.  I think I paid $5 for it.  Even though the paint is a bit worn on the floral decoration, it intrigued me.  It is a generous size; measuring about 2 feet across the front.  It has a lid that lifts and a drawer on the bottom.  The paint is chippy, which I LOVE!  The color is black, which some may not like, but I just love mixing in black with my decor.  It's like a dark neutral, don't you think?

This is a picture before I had hubby move the big knob on the top, down to the drawer on the bottom.  I also had the sweetest little vintage metal pull that I got at an antique fair a few summers ago and never knew what to use it on.  So, here it is now:

The inside is a bit rough, but I have big plans.  I'm thinking a little sanding and a satin lining, maybe cream colored?  Something a bit elegant to offset the chippiness of it all.  What do you think? 

Alice in Wonderland ~ Tag Book Swap ~ It's Here!

Oh, I was so happy to see the tag book package arrive from Karla's Cottage.  In spite of Karla's bout with the flu and then tendinitis, and pleurisy, Karla persevered and sent out the tag books.  I sure hope you are feeling better now, Karla.  That was quite a string of nasties! 

But, here are the pictures of the tags.  I just love it all grouped together, Such a luscious looking little book.  I had to create a few extra of my own tags to include, just so I could remember what I created. 

On the cover is Karla's very own tag.  So so sweet, with Alice and "the key" to the tiny door.  Love all the layering.   I learned so much doing this swap.  I can see how to layer now, and use "extra touches" to make the tags even more wonderful.  I'm including a copy of the backs of the tags so you can see that the girls didn't stop on the front, but continued to create such beautiful backs, most with their signatures.

I'm not going to add to much text now, but just enjoy the tags....

And all I can say now, is I just loved this swap.  I hope to join in the fun again.  Hope you enjoyed the tour.  Have a great weekend...



Blessings To All,

Kitty

Love those Browns...

A bit of this, a dash of that..... That's what this post is about. I have some "pretty pictures" for you to see. This is from a recent "antiquing" day with Heather. She has already posted her pretties, so, I guess I am playing catch up :)

It is no secret, I "Love" Ironstone, and all those shades of white, cream, and brown. Love, love, love it!  Speaking of "Those luscious Browns", a little later in the post, I'll show you my "rose making" inspired by the sweet "Ann", of The Tin Rabbit. If you haven't been over,  you must see her blog.  Gorgeous!  But, here are a few more pictures of the shopping trip.

Couldn't pass up the old ironstone sugar bowl.  No lid, but who cares?  Love all those luscious shades.  The brown transferware dish was a great find.  It is now one of my favorites.

I know, don't you just love this simple white jewelry box with the sweet pink velvet and satin lining?   HMMMM?  I was lucky enough to purchase all the jewelry inside, as well.  3 rosaries, a few chains (for creating vintage jewelry), a few pair of earrings, and a gorgeous blue stone chain.  Ah yes, and one sweet Christmas tree pin wich needs a stone replacement.  But, it is an oldey and so very sweet.

Oh, and the lovely millinery, we couldn't believe the luck!

So, as a continuation of "the browns", I popped over to Ann's blog and saw her tutorial on making coffee filter roses (thanks Ann, I love it!).  So, I thought, why not?  I dyed my coffee filters in coffee, cut them up, as per her instructions.  Cut some hymnal petals, and then started on my first rose.  It turned out so-so, not tight enough, not enough petals,  needed more glue.  You know how it goes ~ you have to do a few before you get the "hang" of it.  But alas, I persevered, and was very happy with the last few I did. 

I did decide to add one thing.  I thought wouldn't it be great to hide a few petals of pictures inside the roses?  How fun to walk by the roses and look and know you can have a peak anytime you want...:)  I have a few other ideas that I am going to try.  More on this at a later date :) :) :)

So, off to the printer I flew, printed out a few pictures of the grandkids (in sepia), inked the back side a bit, and tucked a picture petal or two inside the rose. Here's a sneaky peak of the one petal.

I just love the fullness of these roses.  The lusciousness of "ALL THOSE PETALS".  And you can have as many as you want ~ from something so inexpensive as a "coffee filter". 

I plan on making more roses tonight.  It is an easy thing to do while watching TV.  I DVR'ed a movie from Hallmark to watch tonight, so that, with my roses, and a "cuppa" something warm sounds just right....

Hope you all have a wonderful week.  The snow is just about gone now, the tulips and daffodills are starting to pop up, the birds are all pairing up and building their nests.  I can't wait to add some other flowers to these rose beauties.....

Thanks for stopping by, and Blessings to all,

Kitty

xox

Wonderland ~ Wake Up Alice!

I was lucky enough to be asked to be in a tag swap by the gracious Karla of Karla's Cottage.  This is my very first tag book swap and I was a bit intimidated.  All I have to say after this experience, is "Go For It", if you are at all a bit hesitant, like I was.  This was so much fun.  Not only did I have a reason to create these fun tags, but I was able to read a story that I somehow had "skipped" in childhood.  Needless to say, I now cannot wait to see the new movie that is out of Alice In Wonderland.

The tags above are actually the backs of the first set.  I did double-sided tags.  Just to have the fun of doing 12 different scenes.  So, as you can see, Alice is falling down the hole, She is  having tea, and asking for a "clean cup" and of course, the big question, "Who Stole The Tarts?".  :)

 On the tags above, we have "An Invitation to Play Croquet", A tag indicating a good many of the symbols of the story with a little tiny dangle that says, "Wake Up Alice"; and of course, the infamous "Off With Her Head" from the Queen of Hearts.

Again, the backs of the tags, with a cottage scene, White Rabbit in the Court, and the Cheshire Cat talking to Alice about being "MAD"! (Not angry, you know, mad like "insane"!)  LOL!  This little spot in the story really made me chuckle, as he tells her if she goes one way, she'll go to the "Mad Hatter", and the other way to the "Mad Hare", and then he told Alice she must be "Mad" because she is in Wonderland!  I think I've been to Wonderland a few times, myself! :) :) :)

Here's a few closeups.  I won't bore you with a bunch.  :)





Well, I hope you all enjoyed a very quick trip through Wonderland.  Wouldn't it be nice to take a little trip down the rabbit hole just to spice things up a bit now and again?

I can't wait to pop over to Flickr and see the rest of the tags as they are posted.  And I am anxiously awaiting the tag book from Karla. 

Blessings to all,

Kitty

Update:  I've added some new items to Etsy.  Get your Easter Trees!   :) 

"Find The Seed At The Bottom Of Your Heart and Bring Forth A Flower" ~ Shigenori Kameoka

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you!  May you ALL find a seed from our own heart that will sow something wonderful for you....

Rebecca Sower has been having a wonderful time making hearts, and at the same time, showing other artist's creations on her blog.  I thought I might play along and show you my own creation.  So, for Heart Session {no. 06}, this is my creation.

I would be delighted to tell you how I created this sweet pink and creme heart. 

I began going to the thrift store.  Yes, that is a spot to find all kinds of "affordable" supplies.  I bought 3 pure wool sweaters (one being pink).  Of course the pink is what I used for this project.  I bought all 3 for $9.  Bring the sweater home, put it in the washer with a little detergent and wash on HOT water!  The water must be HOT.  I did not use fabric softener.  Run it through a normal wash cycle.  Next, put it in the dryer and dry it on a normal temperature untl dried.  It will shrink up.  A lady's sweater will now look like it will fit on a 6 year old! LOL! LOL!  I'm not sure, but I believe they call this "wool felting".  Maybe someone out there in blogland can confirm the name of this process, and any extra tips would be very much appreciated.

Next, take a heart template (I used a heart paper doily) and fold it in half.  Cut enough fabric from the sweater for an entire heart.  Fold the fabric in half and place the heart template on top, pin down, and cut out the heart.  Un-pin,and un-fold the fabric heart ~ Wa-la, a nicely, perfectly shaped heart.

Find some lace that you would like to use. I used some vintage eyelet cut from an old curtain and some very fine, thin lace that has some discoloration (which I love).  The different shades in the lace bring the piece a bit of definition, I think.  Cut it to length across the heart.  Get your fabric glue and glue down the eyelet first and then finish the top and bottom with the fine lace.  After drying a bit, I carefully strung 5 seed beads together in a row on a knotted thread and sewed in the middle of each eyelet flower.  They dangle a bit.  I then sewed 4 silver beads, scattering across the top, on the fine lace and 4 more along the bottom.

I had purchased the seam binding and crepe paper ruffle from Karen at Second Hand Rose.  I'm sure she would love to sell you some, and besides, she has various colors, if that is your preference.  But, someone who sews could make their own ruffled length ~ enough to go around the heart.  I hot glued this onto the circumfrence of the heart. 

Once that was completed, I used clear tacky glue to glue on additional silver beads to the crepe paper, here and there.

I hot-glued a length of pink seam binding (for hanging) onto the back of the heart and covered with one bone button and one shell button.

After allowing it to completely dry (probably over night), I added a 4 loop bow, and a vintage rhinestone pin.

Now you have your own pink and creme heart.  

Thanks for stopping by.  I love seeing all of you and will be around to pop in soon....

Blessings,
Kitty

xox

UPDATE:  I have listed a few new things on Etsy.  Please pop over and check them out...