Easy Wreath Birdbath

On Friday I teased you with this sneak peek of our weekend craft project.  This is all you need to make a birdbath for your feathered friends; a grapevine wreath, terra cotta pot saucer and some cord or rope.  How do I know this?  Because I discovered an I-touch/phone app called Family Fun Craftfinder.

 I downloaded it to my I-Touch (free!) and checked it out.

You choose an age group, amount of time you have and time of year/holiday and out pops a list of matching crafts.

We chose this one.  It's great because I could pull out my I-Touch at the craft store and get the list of supplies we needed.  I never seem to remember what I need when I'm actually at the craft store. The employees were impressed.

I couldn't find the 15 inch wreath and 10 inch saucer that the directions called for so we made a smaller version.  It couldn't have been easier. Cut three pieces of rope/hemp cord (make them shorter if you are doing a smaller bird bath like we did). Then knot them at each end.

Nestle the wreath in the ropes.

Then put the saucer on top of the wreath. Hang it up and fill with water.

We decided not to add the artificial leaves, we get enough real ones out on the deck where we were going to hang it.

We got this far and then it rained for about three days so I couldn't get a sunny day photo of it until yesterday.

I still haven't seen a bird on it so it might be too small or too shallow. I still think it looks pretty and I can always fill it with birdseed but those squirrels...those ornery squirrels!                                                             

A Thing of Beauty

I love my Anthropologie egg holder...especially with brown eggs in it.  I feel like Giada (without the Italian accented words) when I pull this out of my fridge to whip up some French Toast in the morning.  Isn't it purdy?

Another use for this ceramic egg crate comes from those clever Youngsters over at Young House Love... Sherry P. uses it as a jewelry holder!!

Tag You're it!

Ok..I'll try it. Sunny tagged me in this blogger-style game.  You reminisce about your 1st and 6th blog posts. I've only been blogging since March but I've had a lot to say (apparently).

                           {photo from my first blog post- March 15, 2010}

My first ever blog post was about making a retro ribbon barrette from the 80's. I didn't do a tutorial but I listed the magazine where I found this fun blast from the past.
I had been stalking  reading some home improvement blogs and then finding other links to other blogs and that got me thinking that maybe I should start a blog.  It looked like fun and I wanted to improve my picture taking skills along the way. It's been a learning experience and I'm still learning but I'm hooked!!



My sixth post was I'd like to buy a vow and all about renewing our vows this past summer in California.
                                       {photo from 6th blog post  - March 21, 2010}

So there you have it.  If you'd like to play along, leave me a comment so I can check it out!

Snack Time

Fruit is good for us, right? But how about making it fun to eat too? I made these strawberry and banana kabobs up for my daughter the other night. I used a drinking straw rather than a sharp skewer (bonus is you get to slurp out all the strawberry/banana pulp when you're done!).  These could go in a lunch box too.  Served with a little side of whipped cream, she was one happy snacker!!

Do you have any creative ways to serve up yummy, healthy fruit?

Sneak Peek-What we're up to...

We've got visitors!

stay tuned!!

Kids Artwork-What to do with it all

My kids are very artistic and as a result, they generate a lot of artwork..a lot!!  I love their masterpieces but only have so much room to display it all. I have framed some of it but I wanted a more flexible system for displaying their artwork.  My mom told me about these frames from Improvements Catalog.

They look like this

and display one masterpiece at a time but hold up to 50 more behind it. It's easy to open the latch of the frame, add a new painting or drawing, then close the glass door and secure the latch. The new piece is on display and can be easily changed. They come in two sizes and in either black or cherry finish. They can be hung vertically or horizontally and come with the hardware for hanging these cabinet style frames.

I ordered four for our empty basement staircase and I think I need two more horizontal frames. I'm finding out that not all of their artwork is vertical!

I usually feature two from each child.

I store oversized artwork in here.

Do you have any fabulous solutions for this type of storage and display?

Curb appalling to curb appealing?

I don't know..maybe it's just me but I have a thing about mailboxes. I think they are a reflection of your home and when you think about it, they are they first thing people see as they pull up to your house (if you have a street mail box) or knock at your door (if you have a front door mail box) and I think they are often neglected.  So when we bought our home and inherited this 'gem'..well let's just say I had to do something about it. STAT!

Here it is up close! It was quite rusty and even came with a bees' nest inside! You can't see the bird droppings that covered the post as well.

                                                          Yowza!


So for Mother's Day that year I asked for and received a new...wait for it.....





......................................MAILBOX!

                                                       Hallelujah!!!
                And for putting up with me while I take pictures of the mailbox!!!

So what's your opinion on mailboxes? Are you like me and think they should reflect you and your home or do you really not care what they look like as long as they do their job and hold your mail?
                                                           

Mantel Makeover

We've had the same items up on our mantel pretty much since we moved in. I do change it up for the holidays but for most of the year it looks like this.

I've wanted to put a mirror up there but hadn't found the right one so while I was shopping at one of my favorite stores --Marshalls Home Goods --and looking for a mirror for the dining room, I found this PYT (pretty young thing...I've got the MJ song in my head now!)

 I came home with this instead of a mirror for over the buffet (they're really big and I'll need some help with that).

So up it went and with a few of the accessories we had left over from this party , here's what it looks like now. I think it lightens it up and looks fresh and springy.

The price tag is still on the mirror but I'm pretty sure it's staying. My 16 year old saw it and said 'that looks really good" and I asked "so a thumb's up?" and she said "A+". Wow! That's some high praise, coming from her!!  The big black star now hangs over our bed. What do you think? Was it time for a change or should I have left it as it was?

Still in love

You may recall my post here about how much I love my lilacs this time of year. Well I'm still lovin' on them.  I'm on my third round of bouquets for the house. They don't last that long but they sure smell and look great while they're around. 

I think they look sweet in my thrift store vase. I took a walk around my house and snapped a few pix of what is blooming right now.

the lovely lilacs

ajuga

azaleas and ajuga

bleeding heart

I forget what this is called....anyone..anyone...Bueller?

 So how are your blooms holding up this fine Spring?  Are your buds plentiful or pitiful?

                                                                          

http://southernfrieddreams.blogspot.com/2010/06/garden-party-2010.html

Sneak Peek - Weekend Craft Project

Thanks to a new I-Touch App and a few craft store purchases, we'll be making something this weekend.....stay tuned!

Who are the critters in my neighborhood?

We don't have any pets of our own but we do have a variety of critters that visit us during the year.  As long as they stay outside the house when they visit!
                                                     
                                                Mr Toad

turtles

butterflies

and other flying or crawly things

Lots and lots of squirrels

birds of prey

beautiful deer

ground hogs

Oh and these super creepy turkey vultures that seem to come by aound Halloween. Spooky!!

So what do you think of my visiting critters?

ps..we had some bunnies last night but I can't get close enough for a photo(yet).