My 2024 Summer Flowers.....

 

My flowers this year did me proud... The petunias the Granddaughters helped me pick out lasted all Summer....... up until about 2 weeks ago they finally started giving up the ghost... but with 110F temps i really did expect that... I LOVE petunias... all the different colors and SOME of them still smell... My favorite is a varigated purple one called 'Sugar Daddy' .. could not find it this year.. 

This is my first time trying to grow Marigolds... I think it came home with a case of bugs because i had trouble with that straight away...Cleared that up and it did beautifully. It too now got scorched by the hot TX sun.. 

And here is a wild volunteer... 'Devil's Bouquet'... It does beautifully with little to no help from me.. If we go a particularly long stretch without rain i will drop some leftover from my watering can on it but otherwise nothing.. Infact we had a rainy stretch here a while ago and it shriveled up and died... just too wet.. 

So there i got pictures of all my flowers before they died...I hope you enjoy them.. Happy T day everyone! I'll be around to visit... even if i'm a little slow... Hugs! deb

Making a TINY GHOST in a Jar! Spooky and Cute Halloween DIY Decor!

Never shared a video on here before so giving it a go... AGAIN i'm channeling Fall.... so ready..This video is from YouTube. Enjoy! Hugs! deb

Busy.....

 

Trying to channel a Fall vibe here.... I'm so ready for Fall. Here in TX anyway its been a long Hot Summer already.  And coincidently I've been having trouble sleeping.... you?  

I've even been trying my hand at making some Christmas cards... not sure how many i'll make though... This is a picture i took of my Christmas cactus bloom with the light behind it several years ago... I made 7 or 8 copies thinking it would make a good card.. I embossed a little snowflake in the corner to give it a more festive feel... Yeah so if you can't tell... i'm SO over Summer.. 

Grasshoppers are EVERYWHERE!  They are all over the Sunflowers but i haven't noticed much damage... so i don't know what they are eating... They have nibbled on a few choice Petunia blooms... 

I made some more cards by recycling a huge print still in the frame from a dumpster... It was so big!  I identified then cut out  little venues from the larger print and made 5x7 cards out of them... then embossed a little gold bee on each one.. I think they turned out great and i saved something from going to the dump... 

Life is still crazy busy..... or maybe its not ... and i'm just feeling overwhelmed.. whatever it is i just want it to slow down.. Take care and i'll be around to visit! Happy T day! Hugs! deb

My Beautiful Mess.....

 Welcome to my beautiful messy desk.  As usual i have so many projects going on at once there's barely room to do what i need to do... Do you work like that?  

I can hardly believe i haven't posted since JANUARY!  And to be honest.... 

I'm not sure what this 'dipping my toes' back into my blog will ultimately mean.  But i wanted to share what i've been up to....There's been Ladybugs....  

And.... I've had these little ceramic houses for years... I just paint them a little at a time as the mood strikes me.. The TINY details i can handle just so much at a time if you know what i mean..lol 

I have 5 of them... I've tried to paint them all different and yet still relate to each other in some little ways... like i've given them all black roofs...

And finally a picture of my Moon Tea....  This is something new i've started.  Before bed during the waxing and full moon i set water in that little jar there with two black tea tea bags and let it bask in the moons glow all night. In the morning i add a little extra water and sweetner and it makes pretty darn good ice tea... :)  And it makes a wonder ticket to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T day should i choose to join.   Big Hugs from Texas! deb

T stand for....... Glitter, Giggles and Tutu's!!!

The GrandLittles are hereeee.... and my goodness our life has been turned upside down and sideways.... 

......but in a good way .. you know.. I decided to try my hand at making tutu's for the girls.. It looked simple enough.. I was a little surprised how much tulle it took... 

......maybe i'm doing this wrong... ?  And the Glitter ... the GLITTER!!! everywhere..  I could not possible recommend the tulle with Glitter.. Its beautiful but i'm sure it won't be long and there will be no Glitter left on the tutu.. wow! The Glitter avalanche is REAL! 

But they are looking pretty... And except for the Glitter i'm having fun.. :)  I have some fabric roses to sew on ... fun fun.. Then i have a smaller pink and white one to do... Then i will gift them to them when they move to their new apartment... see.. I can be clever... lol 

Last looks at Amigo... She really did put on quite a show.. 

Final finished look at the Bear... I think he came out great.. all refreshed. He is now at his post by the front door.. 

Last but not least a recycled photo for my ticket to the T party..  Its crazy around here.. We have about 10 more days before things slide back the 'normal' range for hubby and i. But i will do my absolute best to get around and visit everyone! Happy happy T day~ Hugs! deb

T stands for..... Finding the Light

......... in the New Year I'am determined to 'find the light'.......  Some people make resolutions, some pick a word...  i'm determined to find the light in all things..... situations, people, encounters... Its something i normally try to do anyway.. its a  mindset i have... but this year i want to pay particular attention to it.. You? 

Remember 'Amigo'? Well she bloomed.... 

Something is not quite right here.... Either the picture on the box is wrong or the wrong bulb got in the box!! LOL ..  After looking on the internet i do not think this is 'Amigo'... infact it looks like 'AppleBlossom'. I'm a little disappointed....  But she's still beautiful... 

My project for the past few days has been Mr. Bear... Hubby and Daughter found him for me oh.. 20+ years ago and he is certainly a little worse for wear.. So he gets a facelift for the New Year... 

He needed a little wood putty around the base and you can see i'm restaining him and repainting his black parts black..  I'll seal him with a clear coat and he can take up his post again at the back door.. Don't miss my ticket to the party... my bottle of water.. 

I'll leave you with the latest addition to my Snowman Collection...Found him at a Flea Market.. i thought he was just so stinkin' cute.. :)  Happy Tday! AND Happy New Year!!  Hugs! deb



 

T stands for... the week before Christmas....

 

Brrrrr......  the nights have been chilly here but the days beautiful.... I have decided to start walking again.... in the middle of Winter... um yeah... And i walk at Dawn.. because... i know me... the longer the day wears on and i get involved in things the less likely i'am to go... so i set my alarm... drag myself out of bed.. have a cup of coffee... dress in layers grab my Ipod and out the door i go.. 2 miles right now.. every other day... This morning i saw pink contrails from airplanes as the sun came up.. really pretty... ice on rooftops... ever notice how Christmas decorations look a little sad in the daylight? 

My very inexperienced hand has been crocheting my Granddaughter (5) her very own afghan in her favorite color... Thank goodness at 5 she will no doubt forgive her Grandmothers bobbles in putting this together... I'm using the 'learn as you go method'... lol ... I had the brilliant or not so brilliant idea of putting glow in the dark beads on it... I wasn't sure i could figure out how to make that work but so far so good... 

I've been embellishing two cute little dolls i found for the Granddaughters stockings... One loves pink and the other purple... My sewing skills are not up to par either... but its been fun and when they are so little alot is forgiven... 

And finally .... i started a recycled project last year and finally finished it yesterday... The squares are plastic packaging material that came in something we bought and i thought ' i can so something with that'..! That happens way too often... and why my craftroom looks like a hoarder's den... I painted the visible portions gold (so nice they make paint that sticks to plastic now) and two sides i covered scrapbooking paper.. I then painted wooden letters and glued them on..

The opposite side has Peace and Joy... I bought the little pedestals at Hobby Lobby.. stained them and glued them on

The little gold buttons were a thriftstore find... they are not all the same but they are all gold.. The plastic squares had 4 holes on top that i want to fill with something and thats the finishing touch i put on this year... 

Having the Granddaughters for Christmas this year i had to find places up high to put things from curious little fingers... Wishing everyone a lovely 'run up ' week to Christmas...and Christmas Day...  I still have wrapping to do... I've procrastinated about as long as i dare... And ofcourse .. Happy happy T day! Hugs! deb

I Did It!!!............

 

I did it!!! I pulled myself up by the bra straps and got myself out the door for a 2 mile walk this morning... I did all the things... set my alarm... actually got out of bed when the alarm went off.. enjoyed a cup of coffee... put on my layers... 36 F out there this morning.. charged my Ipod.. grabbed a bottle of water... and enjoyed the Sunrise just as i was finishing up... Day 1 done and dusted... Hugs! deb

T stands for.... Christmas Spirit...

 Mr and Mrs. Santa Claus have been with me for oh... 36 years i think.. I painted them while i was pregnant with my daughter... they have yellowed with age.. but they have been with me everywhere.. with nary a scratch.. (knock on wood)... I toted them to Germany, Texas, California, Arkansas, and back to Texas.. 

Slowly but surely over the month of December Christmas springs up around the house.. it starts slowly right after Thanksgiving... usually with my Christmas cards... I have every Christmas card i have ever been sent since the beginning of my marriage 34 years ago.. all in a stack with a ribbon around it..

My eclectic Snowman collection....sorry about the bad photo...poor lighting.. They bring me such joy as i unwrap them every year... 

I love my Christmas village.. I try to add a little something every year... 

Another collection... they are made of cast iron and stained glass... i always have my eye out for them in the thrift shops..  i hadn't found one in awhile and then just this year i came across the Santa one at Goodwill i think.. 

I flirted with the idea of making my Christmas cards this year but with time quickly getting away from me i had to pass on that... maybe next year.. But i did manage a prototype.. I watercolored the tree and stamped the fox.. pretty fun!! 

Hoping the Christmas Spirit is finding its way into your life... I'll close with a pic of Hubby eating his very favorite food.... he doesn't get it often so you have no idea just how happy he is sitting there eating his Ramen and Diet Mountain Dew... 😋

So there's my ticket to the T party. If i don't manage to get back on here before Christmas I wish each and every one of you a beautiful Christmas.. I'll be around to visit!! Hugs! deb 

T stands for Playing with Paper....

Enjoying time in the Craft Room... Several years ago i was gifted some long envelopes in the hope i could do something with them.. Well this is what i came up with... The sun is my drawing and everything else is a stamp..The base is a file folder and the colored paper is scrapbook paper.. FUN! And it gave my stamps a much needed work out.. They don't get used near enough.. The coffee in the much loved coffee mug is the ticket to enter Elizabeth's T party... Hugs! deb 

* I've just realized the way i wrote this has led a few people to think that i decorated the envelope. But if you read, it says the 'base' is a file folder. So what i created is a card to go inside the envelopes i was given.... hope that makes sense now... lol 
 

I've Been Missing in Action...

 

I thought i would get myself together and come for T....I've been missing everyone.. First my phone went on the fritz or all the pics in my phone i could not transfer... by the time i got it figured out i had gotten out of the habit of T... and i found it difficult to get myself motivated to make a post... But i picked myself up by the bootstraps and here i'am.. And i know i'll be glad i did..  I found a cement pumpkin at a Yard Sale for $5 and gave him a good paint job.. this is just the gesso first coat.... He had a crack down the middle.. we put on some glue and a prayer and maybe he'll have a few more Halloweens in him...lol 

We had a fantastic Halloween... Well over 50 kids knocked on our door... last 2 years we had 1... So you know i was over the moon!  That tree is a new addition to our Halloween decor... He was the display model at Lowe's. We scored with 75% off! The crow moves his wings and 'caws'... really cool.. It now resides in my craftroom as it was just too cool to put in a box for a year...lol 

This craft project is keeping busy... Years ago we bought a slinky because of a YouTube video we saw about using it to keep squirrels out of our bird feeders... Never got around to that so i'm using it to make a mobile..  I'll show you when i'm all done! 

Veterans Day we spent the day out and about... We had a free breakfast at IHOP... then spent the day at Yard,Garage and Estate Sales... My Keurig went on the fritz just recently and at a Sale we found this one for $5... We thought it worth the chance... So brought it  home, cleaned it up, descaled it etc... and it works like a champ... SCORE! 

I collect these candle holders.... I have trees and wreaths... they are made out of cast iron.. Its been a long time since i've found one.... 

I was so happy to find this one at Goodwill for $2... 

I also found these at Goodwill... They are supposed to be coasters... but i'm seeing ornaments for me tree... with just a few little magic touches from me...lol We ended the day with a free meal at Chili's  Yum... 

With Veterans Day just past and the fact i have had cause to dig through some pictures i thought i would show you some pictures of my Hubby... Above he was fresh out of Basic Training... Look how young he was!!! 

And here's my Honey around 30 about the time we got married.. 

And i came across these last two photos... Above is ME at 3 years old...lol 

And my daughter at 3 years old... So fun to look back... I hope all of you have been doing well while i've been gone.. I'm looking forward to visiting everyone and catching up!!! Happy T day ! Hugs! deb