Anatomy of a toolbox

Every lady should have a toolbox. Let me share what's in mine:

1. Mallet-for when you need to pound on something, but don't want to leave dents.

2. Needle nose pliers-very useful for getting that gunk out of drains.

3. Small hammer-perfect for our petite wrists.

4. Nail getter-outer-for those nails that are too little to pry out with a hammer.

5. Hacksaw blade-wonderful for hacking! (obviously)

6. A variety of paintbrushes-good for painting that wood-tone furniture that you are sick of looking at, right Rhonda?

7. Tapemeasure-for when you don't trust yourself to eyeball.

8. Sandpaper-to sand the edges of that furniture you just painted.

9. X acto knife-you may need this to do your help with your child's school project.

10. Widget-great for when painting something with glass and you are too lazy to tape off.

11. Glass scraper-my neighbor bought me this when I complained that the hubster sprayed house stain all over the windows.

12. Multi-bit screwdriver-a bunch of different screwdrivers all-in-one!

All of these things can be purchased at the dollar store. So if you don't already have one-get yourself a toolbox. You'll be glad you did! It'd also make a nice gift, right Jodie???

Glass jars, how do I love thee???

Let me count the ways.

I love seeing things in glass jars. I know I'm not the only one because I see this all over the blogosphere.

But wait, there's more....

But wait, there's even more.

Just kidding. Actually, there are, but I don't feel like gathering them up. Now-it's time for me to go-gotta put these jars back!

*****Red stool-courtesy of ~Dawnie~*****

867-5309

Jenny, I got your number..........

Now that I have Tommy Tutone running through your brain, let me tell you about my purty telephone. Bahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!

Yes, you guessed it. I bought this at Goodwill a couple years ago. I love it because of the color and the shape-kinda retro-ish, don't you think? The only thing is-we have caller ID now and this phone doesn't have it. I guess I could get a box for it, but it's not that important to me. I just run in the other room to see who is calling, if I feel I need to know. This lovely turquoise phone sits on a little stand beside my bed. And no, I don't normally keep this cute little notebook and pen (that my niece gave me) beside it-usually tissues sit there. But tissues don't look so nice in a picture, do they???

Seed packet window treatments

Here's one of my lovely, little basement windows with a lovely, little seed packet window treatment. It's been up, oh, about 9 years or so. For this picture I cleaned the window, removed wasp nests outside, changed out a couple seed packets, and added my new petite, colored clothespins that I bought at Dollar Value. Love those dollar stores.

I got this idea from Rebecca's Garden magazine from the year 2000. It was my first and only issue that I received-the magazine folded after this issue. But I always kept this issue because it has a potting shed in it that I love!!!! And you can see the seed packets below.
Well-since hubby won't build me a potting shed, I just went ahead and fixed up a basement window. It looks cute. I would rather have a potting shed, but since hubby refuses to build me one, I guess this will have to do. Do I sound bitter? I hope so. Cause I am!

Just kidding.

I needed these...

Ummmmmm, no I didn't, but....

I couldn't resist the pink and orange mug for a quarter at Goodwill. And last night I saw cake somewhere on TV or on a blog and I had to have it. I just happened to have a red velvet cake mix, so.......you see the results. Red #40 food dye-it's a bad good thing.

My new wallpaper

Desktop wallpaper, that is.

How About Orange directed me to the free download.

I love it!!! Sorry kids, your picture had to go!

What I did today

A friend asked me to make two cushion covers using a quilted throw.

One almost done...now if only I could remember how I did it so I could make the second one the same...

Okay, I figured it out after quite a few goofs. Now I'm done, done, stick a fork in me I'm done!

Goodwill find

I stopped at Goodwill today after church and found this little heart ramekin made by Henn Pottery. I'm excited because I collect this pottery. The little green ring keeper I already had. I looked up the heart on the Gerald E. Henn website and they sell for $14.00 without tax and shipping. I got mine for a quarter. Score!

I always wondered if I'd be lucky enough to find this pottery at Goodwill, and I was!

More with the Russian tea cakes

My sister mentioned Friday that she could go for some Russian tea cakes. So, that gave me an excuse to make some. I was going for pink and blue but they came out pink and green-ish. I guess blue food coloring + yellow butter=green-ish cookies. That's fine, cause I still think they're purdy.

If she wants her cookies, she better be at church today!

So I'd like to know where, you got the notion....

(Rock the boat.) Get it??? If not, sorry!

I love notions, too. Dictionary.com says notions are small articles, such as buttons, thread, ribbon, and other personal items, esp. such items displayed together for sale, as in a department store. Well-they're not displayed in a department store. They are displayed on my dining room wall in a mail holder I probably grabbed off the 10 cent shelf at Goodwill. And then I painted it. And then I hung it on the wall with notions in, so I could look at them!

Oh, and see my homemade bottle cap magnet?

You know you can click on the pictures to enlarge, right? Hope you don't see any dust bunnies.

Yes-as my wonderful brother-out-law would say-I'm weird!

Criss-cross coasters

I made these criss-cross coasters following this wonderful tutorial from Allsorts. I've actually made a lot more than these, but I gave them away and didn't take any pictures-(who knew I'd have a blog-not me.)

The coaster with strawberries on it was a practice one, I think. (That strawberry sitting beside it is a little felt box that strawberry earrings came in from Avon. I like fruit for some weird reason.)

The one with the bunnies and bears is one of a pair I made for my niece. I swiped this when I was over at her house. (I'll bring it back, I promise, Jess! I'm sure you are missing it.) hehe

I like to make stuff. Can you tell???

I've been coloring...

on my tea towels again.

It's fun!

Celebrate St. Patty's Day with Russian Tea Cakes!?

Well you can if you make them green!

Russian Tea Cakes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix thoroughly:

1 cup softened butter (real butter is best!)

1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus more to roll warm cookies in)

1 teaspoon vanilla

If you want to add food coloring, add it to this butter mixture

Then, add these dry ingredients to butter mixture:

2 1/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt (mix in flour)

Mix in 3/4 cup chopped nuts, if you desire.

Roll into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned-15-20 minutes. Roll in more powdered sugar while warm.

This is one of my favorite cookies. They are so simple, but so delicious. This recipe came from my friend Tara's mom, Nan. For a wedding gift, she gave us a big glass cookie jar, and inside was a little book of hand written cookie recipes. I love this idea!

Chicken Scratch

Hubby's grandma taught me to make these lovely tablecloths, oh so many, many years ago. It's a form of embroidery called chicken scratch. I'm not sure where she got this pattern, but I know she made one for each of her 9 children. She used some funky colors too-like kelly green, orange, lemon yellow-plus blue and red-I think. I was trying to remember how many I made b.c. (before child). At least 10 of them. I used a few funky colors of my own-like mauve, navy blue, light blue, yellow. The one below is the one I made myself all those years ago. The one above is one I made myself about 2 years ago. I like this new gingham because it's red and tan, not white-and looks more country/rustic.

So within the last few years, I've probably made about 5 more because I really like the new gingham made with tan instead of white. I was trying to make my mom a new one cause she,
ahem, spilled nail polish on hers. But I gave up, because I kept messing up and I couldn't get the star centered. Maybe someday I will be in the mood to get-r-done, but not right now.

And finally-here's a not so pretty picture of the crap stuff I took off my table, so I could photograph (that sounds so hoity toity-hehe) these lovely tablecloths. And too bad I can't use them as tablecloths-our table is always so messy and gross and dirty-I don't even bother anymore. I do use that red one under my parakeets' cage-but, it's usually covered with feathers and bird seed and other wonderful things. Ahhhhh-I guess that's life.

Happy 15th Pat-rick!

Today is this silly boy's birthday!Here are a few things you might not know about my nephew Patrick, in no particular order:

1. He's broken his arm twice.

2. He's very chatty. (Chatty Patty)
3. He was born with a BIG head and stick legs.

4. He's grown into his head and legs.

5. He's loves dirt bikes.

6. He loves to text. (But what teenager doesn't?)

7. He is turning into a handsome, fine, young man.

8. He loves his Aunt Holly (even though he won't admit it).

Happy birthday Patty! We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bunnies, bunnies everywhere

Bunny salt and pepper shakers on top of a bunny egg plate. My dear neighbor was cleaning her cupboards and this was in a box to go to Goodwill. Her kids had already gone through this box and this was still there. She told me I could have whatever I wanted, I thought this was so cute, so I took it home.

Bunny soaps. Have I mentioned I love soaps? I stole these from my sister.

Bunny hanger-displaying the tiny sleeper I brought my baby home in. I try to remember how tiny she was. (That's hard.)

Bunny table. Dawnie gave this to Goodwill when she needed to clear out her basement and fast.
It sat at Goodwill for 20 bucks for a month. I scarfed it up when it went to 10 cents. I'm glad it's in my home-instead of a stranger's. I love it-but told Dawnie she could have back any time. She doesn't want it-so I guess I have to keep it. Yipee!!!!!


Bunny tin. I got this from my mom one year for Easter with candy in it. I love the colors. I keep it out all year.

Apparently I have a bunny fetish, and I didn't even know it.
One good thing about taking pictures and putting them on my blog-I'm forced to clean up my dust bunnies. (I crack myself up!)

Red-letter day

I love anything personalized, so when I saw these I wanted to try to make my own. So I downloaded some free letter counted cross stitch patterns and came up with this. I changed the pattern a little because I wanted my letter to be plain, not fancy. And fancy letters was all I could find. The H was easy, because there are no curves. The L for my mom was pretty easy because-no curves. The D for Dawnie was kinda hard because-curve. And that was all I made. But-I do like mine-it's hanging in my bedroom.

Wikipedia says a red-letter day is any day of special significance. I think every day should be a red-letter day, don't you?

I colored on my tea towels!

Yep, I did. I ordered these embroidered tea towels a long, long time ago from Tender Heart Treasures. Then I came upon this and this. The Happy Zombie uses crayons on her embroidery. How exciting! So I had to try it out. I think I like it. I have washed these and the crayon doesn't come out. Just don't use OxiClean. Unless you don't like look, then use OxiClean.

Once upon a time.....

I crocheted.

I'm pretty sure I made this afghan before I got married. That was over(yikes)21 years ago. I think it's called the "bubble" stitch. I'm pretty sure the last thing I crocheted was a baby afghan for my friend Rhonda's baby shower. Her baby will be 18 in May. If I ever want to crochet anything again, I will have to learn all over. Hopefully it's like riding a bike.

After being in the closet for almost 20 years, I decided put it at the foot of my bed. At night I pull it up and use it as an extra blanket. It does hold the heat well. But this thing is not soft at all. I don't even like it touching me. I'm thinking yarn is made to feel softer now. I sure hope so. And the color-I don't mind it. I'm thinking I was going for mauve-because mauve was the "in" color in the late 80's. It's actually more the color of a cherry Slush Puppie, and I like it!

Buttonwork

I had torn out an article about an artist named Mary Teeter from a Country Living magazine-February 2000. (I do that if I see something I really like because I figure I won't be able to find it again. Then I put all my articles in a folder.) I was leafing through my folder last year sometime and I thought I would look up Mary Teeter (she makes art with buttons) on the internet, to see if you could buy her art. You can buy it here and here. Well, I love it, but it's too pricey for me, so I made my own. Obviously, mine's not nearly as nice as Mary's, but it only cost a dollar or two.

I bought the frame at Goodwill. The fabric is cut from an old quilt top. I put a piece of batting behind it. I wish I would have embroidered the text more neatly, but I

didn't feel like doing it over, so it had to do.

This lovely, little piece lives in our downstairs bathroom.

Scissor tree

I bought this mug tree a couple years ago at Goodwill. I don't really know why, except that we had one at home when I was a kid. It sat in my basement for a long time and was about ready to hit the trash when I came across this.

I thought this was a great idea for storing all the scissors I had laying around in drawers. At least now they're in plain sight and I know where to find them. Except when I don't put them back and they're laying all over the house. But, then it's really easy to gather them up and put them back because I know exactly where they go.

Yes, I know, scissor trees-exciting stuff!

Onesies and washcloths

When I was looking for embroidery hoops yesterday, I came across these onesies and baby washcloths that I had embroidered a while ago, which I kinda forgot about. I used iron on patterns from Sublime Stitching.

I think a few of these, along with baby wash, diapers, and wipes or in addition to a gift card, would make a nice baby shower gift. If you knew what the baby's name was going to be-you could even embroider the name! Cute!

Don't look at Simon Baker...

Look at my swatch portraits. I thought I needed something above the TV. I think they look okay.

It took stupendous acrobatics and much sweating to get them up there, so I think they are staying.

Wow-that is one good-lookin' little boy!

This is my dad-also known now as Poppy.My goodness, he was a cutie. Still is!

Happy birthday to him (and his twin, Aunt Ida)!

We love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!