Some easter ideas

Now, Easter is getting closer and even tho we dont decorate much for easter and no Easter bunny is coming here... but I see all the other bloggers have many spring and easter things and I thought I could decorate the blog at least!
This is the April issue of Martha Stewart Living and these are some ideas from there. The "tree" is a modified christmas tree with the branches put in an egg shape!


These are pompom bunnies with thread wrapped carrots.



Speaking of thread wrapping - it looks so cool. Now that's a way to use thread! Look at these eggs and wrapped in ribbon.




Then some pipe cleaner birds on a thread wrapped twig with silk flowers.




All very pastel and spring-like. All of the instructions are here as well.

The sun is shining - again! and the sap is running up here. I went to visit a friends sugar house on Tues and she took off the first syrup of the season. Nothing like fresh maple syrup. I might do a picture story later. It looks like the next few days is going to be perfect for it!

Have a good weekend, not sure if I will post or not, since there is ALOT of yard work to do and it is so nice out. I have to clean out my porch - long story - so I can put my hammock back up there for a bit before the blackflies come! So that is on my to - do list. I will take pics before (AHH!) and after. There is alot of before pics and I want to do a series on the house remodel and I have to get my pics from my other computer for that.

Be sure to get outside!!
Cheryl

Goodie Swap!!

A while ago I joined a goodie swap by Bonnie at bouncingbonbon.blogspot.com and I got my partner as Mizsmoochielips! We emailed back and forth to see what each other liked and I received my package yesterday!



There was a boxful! This is a pic of everything and then I will show you some closeups. I got some craft supplies - buttons, sparkles, glitter, tassles, stickers, paper and some vintage pages. There was also some tins, napkins, a couple plastic eggs(for easter)!! some really neat patchwork pieces and other goodies.



This is a doll she made the head on it is so cool! The green color matches my rooms well.



These are a couple of oriental envelopes. So neat!



She knew I love chocolate, so she sent a bobble pen and pad of paper with the saying - so many chocolates-so little time. Isnt that the truth!



Also along the chocolate theme was a tin of them! YES there are still some left.....



These are pine shaped decorations! Perfect for here.



And what I thought was perfect thing - was a roll of border paper with these pine cones on them!! How cool is that? I dont know now whether to use it as border or for art !! Decisions, decisions....



Thanks again Tia!

Cheryl

Artwords - Urban and Kiss

These are my 2 pages for the artwords site.

I am doing 2 weeks since I just decided to do this every week, so last weeks was Urban and this weeks is Kiss.









This is the pic for Urban. It is a collage about 10 x 10. As you can tell I really dont think too much of urban. I took the negative aspects of the city and put some words on there too. I dont mind the city to visit - just wouldn't want to live there! I think I am a little biased since I live in the DEEP RURAL! The first thoughts that entered my mind were these so I went with them!







Next is the Kiss one. At first I was thinking lovers kiss but I went through my pictures and I saw the pic of the girl kissing her Daddy and I decided to go with kid love and family.

The bottom writing is " First day home. First baby steps. A face smeared with birthday cake. Pet hamsters. Pet frogs. Pet turtles. Tents made out of sheets. Twirling contests. Chalk drawings on the sidewalk. Giggles from down the hall in the middle of the night. First lunch box. First day of school. Training wheels on. Training wheels off. Salty tears on skinned knees. Letters from camp. Homemade Mother's Day cards. Laughter. Hope. Plans for the future."

And then a sticker at the bottom that is " I am always here for you".

Thanks for looking!
Cheryl

Book Tuesday

Todays book is from my bookshelf - I might keep it or sell it in my spring cleaning frenzy - see below- but it is a nice book- I just havent looked at it too often. It is called A Room of one's own by Chris Casson Madden. It is about womens personal spaces and not only craft rooms but all kinds of spaces. For reading, for serenity, garden rooms and just somewhere to get away. Sounds great eh? There are all kinds of great pics in here and she does many different rooms and does the background about them. A nice read and a book to make you dream...







Today, I want to work on 2 collages for Artwords. One from last week and one from this week. I am also in a swap that vintagedragonfly is doing. That is due April 7th. I will post everything when it is done. Now to get to work!

Some pics

It's weird how once you start posting often and last week I did every day!! Yay thats a first.... that I feel I need to now! Do others feel like that?

This will be a pic heavy post since I am trying to clean up the yard with a fire before the snow is gone. YES we STILL have snow. 1/2 hour south, there isnt any but here? yes. No robins yet, no geese north yet, no flowers peeking through... We are a good 2 weeks behind people that are an hour away. BUT enough!! whine, whine. It will be here soon, so on this dreary rainy day, I give you sun! In pictures from Mexico.

Enjoy.

New items on ebay

Spring cleaning!

I started this week and I have to do some more... but I have a couple things up for sale on ebay that I am clearing out. As you know, I am a book and magazine FREAK and I have to pare down some, so I am selling some things I have moved and moved and hardly ever looked at!

The first is a copy of Better homes and garden hardcover Garden Style book. It is in great shape and I think I have only looked at it once! Crazy since it was over 50 bucks with tax! Time to let someone else use it.







Next, is an 1988 copy of Victoria magazine. Yes I love them too and I have more that I am going to list, because I thought I could cut up for pictures.... then thought NO! Let someone else enjoy it in its form since I have tons of other mags I can cut. If they want to cut it, that's up to them!






The other thing is this really neat scrapbook full of cards and quotes all hand done by the person who signed it in the back. There are easter, christmas and valentine cards all placed in here with stickers. I love the picture on the front!








I will be adding some more after the weekend.

I also wanted to thank everyone who visited me and thanks for the comments on the day of the tea party. Thanks go to artsymama for a well organized and neat event. Maybe a yearly first day of spring thing?

It sure feels like it here today and I think I am heading outside!!

Have a good weekend everybody!
Cheryl

Mexican Art

I stated a couple posts ago about going to the art museum in Mexico. It was great! It was all on the craft making of different states in Mexico and laid out in different rooms and areas. There was an area all on the musical instruments, then a wall of masks,



then a typical marketplace set up and a kitchen with all the tools still used today to make tortillas and to mill the corn. Also all the pottery as well. Other rooms were a church set up, a room all on toys, a display of nativity scenes and crosses make of all different materials such as corn husks, stone, wood, and pottery.

In the middle was a display of gourds.




There were a lot of different sizes and shapes and they were all used for different things. Hanging from the trees for birdhouses, used for drinking, for instruments, for carrying things. Some were carved, painted, and this one was beaded. Yes beaded! I could not believe the work in this - all little beads all over it. There were other items with beads as well. They were so cool.



The other thing I really liked too was these.



They are called tree of lifes and all different. There were a bunch of them and they all tell a story. They were quite large about 3-4 feet high and all made of wood and clay. Each little item is made and then attached to the wood which is also painted in detail like crazy! So intricate.




This gave me inspiration in the middle of Cancun to do some art! Of course I didnt have anything with me, but I took lots of pics so I can use them here. Everything was so colorful and I'd like to use some of that in painting.

I'll keep you posted!

Cheryl

Welcome!

Today is tea day at artsymama's house and I am participating!

Although I do not drink tea or coffee ( I am a hot chocolate kind of girl) I enjoy all the food of course!! And the getting together. So I am going to make this short and sweet since we have to visit a lot of people today!

First off, I wanted to show you my cream and sugar that I got
at the thrift store. It is so cute and I love it!




I love the handles on the sugar.




Next, is a tea cup from the set of my grandmothers. She had 2 and this was her first one. When the estate was being settled all the women had sets already including myself and we werent sure what we were going to do with it. Then my daughter asked can it be for me? YES! How perfect. So now the set is on display in our cabinet.




And how fitting it is as it is called "PINE TREE".



It works perfectly with our house in the pines and today for you. Thanks for stopping by!


Cheryl

Book Tuesday

I am going to start a new thing here every Tuesday where I will review and show pics of a book I have read in the past, or have right now from the library. Since Tuesday is usually library day for me - I think today is appropiate.

Today's book was really good! As I seem to be one of many that love to look at craft places and art studios, this was a good choice. It is called Organizing your craft space by Jo Packham. If that name sounds familiar, she is the author of the popular book Where Women Create. I also had a chance to look at that book and I will tell you that this is the better choice. The other book is presented with a better title and cover, but a lot of the pics are the same and this book has tons of info for organizing your space. The other book is pretty but thats about it, mostly pics which are the same as this book. It also gives some backgrounds on some artists, but not much useful info for me.

Some of the spaces in here are amazing! I was drooling over the markers and little cubbies for all kinds of things. These would be nice!








So if you want to get more organized (who doesnt!!) and at least get some get ideas to get you started... this is a good choice.

I will be here tomorrow joining the tea party over at artsymamas!
Seeya there.

Hola!

Yes we are back, and everywhere you went was Hola, senorita.... please please look at my shop! Very nice people but the vendors can be very pushy!

We had fun altho we both got sick separate days and for about 24 hours. Thank goodness for air conditioning and cable!

The resort was amazing and a great room and view of the ocean. We had our own private balcony with a hammock and it was great!





The food was good and a good variety and the entertainment at night was good too!

We went and saw the mayan ruins and went parasailing!

At about wednesday, I was getting lonesome for some kind of craft or art or something! I watched some decorating shows, but not the best. We found a museum beside the hotel that was supposed to not be that great, but we went and it was awesome! It was a folk art museum showing all the crafts of mexico. I will do a whole post on that in days to come. It was just what I needed! Sarah seemed to like it too, altho she said "I'm not goin nuts like you over it" Ha!

Overall, a good time but glad to be home, even tho as I type, there is another blizzard outside and I had to come home to it Sat night. From +27C to -5. YUCK! I did not miss that, but I did miss seasons. I was only there for one week and I can see that I would not want that year round. No spring??? C'mon. and no fall and leaves changing and no snow? Altho I have had enough of the white stuff for this year! Hopefully soon.

Also, I missed my pine trees, rock cliffs, all the lakes and maple trees.

As with all travel, it makes you appreciate what you have.

Mexico!!

Just to let everyone know..(although I dont think anyone is reading!!) Sarah and I are leaving for Mexico tomorrow! We are excited and just about all packed and now just to wait. Sarah went snowboarding today of all days - fingers crossed - she's never been before but it was a good deal with the school and she should have fun. I will rest easier when she walks in the door tho!

So I am leaving this....




YES we still have TONS of snow and STILL cold! -18C last night and it is March! I see on a lot of blogs blossoms and flowers popping up.... up here we wont have that for at least another month! Yuck. I guess the week away will have to help me through it he, he.

And I am going to this....






NO, I didnt take this pic, but its so lovely isnt it? I can feel the sand now....

Cabinet of curiousities - Destination

This is the last challenge for the cabinet of curiousites. ArtsyMama had said it was destination and reflection since this was the last one. I am however am going to continue with the book and adding some more pages! Its huge and I have lots of room for more. I am going to make it full of questions and answer them on the pages - hence cabinet of curiousities.

So I made this page in sort of 2 parts. I used Destination. On the one side is a highway stretching out with the word on the top of the mountains in the distance. I put JUST DO IT on the highway and wherever you want to go. So this side saying follow your heart and your dreams and continue forward. Follow the road to wherever it takes you.

The other side is actually a destination. Mexico - where my daughter Sarah and I are going next week! YAY! Can't wait. So I used pictures of sand beaches, palm trees and our resort and put in our dates and the word Mexico. This has been one of our dreams, so now the road is taking us there.

JUST DO IT!

What a difference!

I am on the computer in my daughters room, and it was the main one till I got a new Mac. Now I love the Mac except that the browser does not allow alot of the features of blogger! I went on to explorer and there is tons of stuff, like colors and text changes and bullets and italic and links! I want to add links and I'm gonna have to use the code to do it on my computer. I added a couple pics but I still cant figure out how to do a banner like everyone has with the letters inside!! Can anyone help me?

I dont have many pics over here that are sized down, they are still way too big to upload. So that is why there is a pic of some keys! I like old keys tho. I just wanted to try and see how different it is over here. I like it! I might have to put some pics on this computer cause it seems way easier.

Sorry with boring you with this! I'll go now.

Cheryl