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Happy Halloween y'all!
I'm afraid that this spooky cat got a bit of a trick for Halloween.
Poor Piglet was forced to go to the vet's office for her annual check up.
She wasn't much pleased about it.
Especially when she saw what was coming.
But this sweet kitty is not much of a complainer so she held perfectly still throughout the ordeal. Sweet Piggles kitty! Hope y'all have a fun Halloween.
It's starting to look a wee bit like fall around here.
I can't wait to see more color in the trees!
This time of year seems to be nothing but rush, rush, rush. I'm creature making like mad. The ballerinas are done so now I'm working hard on Ginger Girls. But I had to stop and admire this pretty little heart that popped up as I was fitting a skirt. Just a little unexpected sweetness to make me stop and appreciate the moment.
I've been super busy getting ready for the ICE Atlanta show in a couple of weeks.
And I finally finished up these new creatures, er, I mean ballerinas.
I kind of absolutely love them. There are a bunch over in the Fluffy Flowers shop if you love them too.
It's not secret that I've been on a gardening kick lately. I wanted to share another of those library gems that I discovered by dragging home a dozen or so books at a time. A Garden of One's Own: Making and Keeping Your Flower Garden by Elsa Bakalar is full of gardening wisdom from a no nonsense gardener. I love her straightforward way of talking and her can do attitude. Elsa was a master gardener who influenced many folks over her lifetime. If you see this one on your library's shelves, grab it and enjoy it on the porch with a cup of tea.
We have here a couple of not too pretty, old camp stools. I think its time they received a makeover.
Of course I'm going to do this the super lazy and easy way just like when I recovered Slash's chair. So first I pried off the ratty old covers with a screwdriver. A butter knife would work just as well.
Hey, speaking of Slash, this sweet kitty wants to help out.
Ah, much better with those horrid covers removed.
Now it's time to shine up that dried out wood!
I use a bit of Pledge extra moisturizing. Ok, I use A LOT of it actually.
While I let the wood dry I ran inside to cut out the fabric. Hum, might need to iron it too.
I used the old ratty cover as a pattern and just sort of cut around it. Then it was off to the the sewing machine to sew up the edges. Sorry, I forgot to get photos of me wrestling with the sewing machine beastie. Ya know, I was rushing along with this project, trying to get it done before dark and forgot to photograph the next step too: stapling the covers on. It's just as well that I didn't photograph it because in addition to the ginormous heavy duty staple gun it also required a hammer and a lot of the time I was sweating and grumbling and wondering why I took this project on in the first place. Yeah. Anyway, I did finally get them finished.
Ta da! Here they are all revamped in their new fluffy flowers fabulousness.
Aren't they awesome? Totally groovy even?
I adore them! And I'm delighted that they turned out so well.
They're perfect for an outdoor tea party to for a camp out. Best for children though, they probably wouldn't hold the weight of an adult. If you love them and want them to spiff up your cottage they are for sale over in my shop.
I was in Columbus, Georgia last week for a couple of days.
Stayed in the super fabulous Rothschild-Pound House Inn.
It was a delightful little bed and breakfast.
It was surrounded by cute little cottages.
And I got to stay in one of those sweet little places.
It was prettily decorated.
Complete with fresh flowers.
And lots of books to read.
With extra spots to stash guests.
And pretty little garden spaces.
On the last day things turned a little ethereal.
But before leaving town I was sure to wander by Gina's Junk.
Just as the sign on the front door promises, it was crammed full of useful junk. This place is not to be missed! Lots of selection, good prices, and clean, unbroken stuff. Loved the place.
I've been a little remiss in pointing out my constant garden companion.
Slash aka Slashables the kitty cat is always out in the yard with me.
If I'm there, then he's there too.
I love having him around!
Gives me someone to talk to when I'm muttering about some garden chore I'm dealing with.
And it's always fun to glance up every so often to see what he's up to.
And he's mighty cute too!
I don't know about you, but when I go out of town for a couple days it seems like I'm completely loaded down with stuff. And I don't mean things like hairdryers and extra clothes. Who needs a change of pants anyway? No, what I'm talking about is stuff that is essential to life. Stuff that makes the days fun. I'm talking about craft projects and books.
Even for a short trip, one essential thing is a choice of craft projects and books. I never know what mood I'll be in while I'm away so I've always got to have a selection of each to fill my needs. Recently, I was on one of these sojourns with an unsatisfying novel. It was about my favorite subject of late, gardening, but I just couldn't get into it. So I set it aside in favor of Helen Humphreys's The Lost Garden. Boy am I glad I did!
This book was a delight from beginning to end. Set in World War II, our heroine, Gwen, volunteers to head up a farming project in rural England for the Women's Land Army. Problem is, she isn't much of a leader. In fact, she's quite shy and introverted with a low opinion of herself. Not your typical heroine and this is no typical book. Well, actually, it is sort of typical. It's a story about an ordinary person and the small world she inhabits. Its also about love and a lost garden that is found. Helen has written a beautiful book that is nothing short of a delight. It's storytelling at it's best. I promise you'll like it so please run right out and get this book.
On a related note I've spent many hours thinking about and planning my gardens. Y'all may recall that I detested the state of my barren backyard and have been working to build flowerbeds. Well, I've also got an eyesore chainlink fence with a wide open view not only of the neighbors but the neighbors beyond them on the other side of their street! This is not working for me. I want privacy. I want a backyard I can hunker down in and read a good book. So I've been working out just exactly what plants I want to grow along the fence to look and smell good and keep out the prying eyes.
I finally settled on a mix of Confederate Jasmine, Lady Banks roses, and some sort of clematis. Since I will need several to cover up the fence I decided to save a little money by rooting these vines myself. Of course I'd never done this before so who knows where this grand experiment will end. But forget the ending, I still needed to begin! I was on the hunt down around the neighborhood for some Confederate Jasmine from which to take some cuttings. I didn't really know what it looked like so I spent a lot of time online looking at pictures of its flowers and leaves from different angles from up close and far away. I've had to do a lot of this the last few months as I've struggled to get to know plants. When I finally figured it all out I realized that, just as I'd hoped, it was everywhere. Including my own backyard. Who knew?!
Apparently, that little shrub way back there in the corner by the fence is the exact vine I was seeking. I remember seeing some of it climbing the fence last year and thinking that I needed to hack them down. So I did. I had no earthly idea that it was a vining plant nor that it was one that I'd eventually settle on to decorate my fence. And it's kind of funny that it worked out that way, don't you think? A little bit of a lost garden, right there in my own backyard.
I love fall. Too bad here in the south it takes such a long time to arrive.
Believe me when I say we're still wearing short sleeves around here.
And even though the trees are still as green as they can be, we love to decorate with those beautiful autumn leaves even if it means surrounding our cotton with the fake ones...
...and filling our wagons with faux pumpkins.
But we do always insist on real flowers. Its just not the same when it's not the real thing.
Can you believe I saw all these cute fall goodies at a store called Roche's in a small town in Georgia?
The Georgia Etsy Street Team's 3rd Annual It's Fall Y'all Sale stats Friday!
Shop Fluffy Flowers October 9th - 11th and get FREE shipping to ANYWHERE in the world.
Check out panAsh's blog on Friday for all the other exciting deals available from other fabulous Georgia shops.
psssst....I started my sale a little early so rush on over today to scoop up the deals.
Every once in a great while I find a book so funny that it makes me laugh out loud. And even rarer than that is a book that makes me laugh out loud several times. The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich is one that made me laugh out loud not once, not twice, but many times.
I loved this book. Mostly because the characters were so awesome. As Jennifer Crusie says on the back cover "Great snarky voice." That's what I enjoyed most. Our heroine, Carly McKay, has some of the wittiest comebacks I've heard in a while. And it reads super quick. I'm usually a pretty slow reader but I zoomed through this book in a couple of days.
If you're a fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series then you'll enjoy this book too. When ever I find a book that I really enjoy I always track down other books by that author. And lucky for me Lani has got oodles of books including a collaboration this year with Jennifer Crusie and Anne Stuart called Dogs and Goddesses. I'm off to find it!
Meet Miss Bra Turtle.
She's is hiding in her shell. She's a little shy.
She was made for the Plush Team's Breast Cancer Awareness Fundraiser 2009.
Breast cancer sucks. What do you do with those old bras after those medicine men have finished chopping you up? Make a bra turtle! Miss Bra Turtle is made from a real underwire bra. No kidding.
Miss Bra Turtle is dedicated to the fabulous Cassandra Danz aka Mrs. Greenthumbs who died of this wretched disease. She left her words behind for me to find to bring me out of my shell and turn me into a gardener. Thank you.
Please visit the Plush Team Etsy Store to support the cause and buy Miss Bra Turtle or one of the other fabulous plush creations where 80% of every purchase goes to the Susan G. Komen Institute, an international fund dedicated to raising money for Breast Cancer Cure research.
