Fluffy Flowers

weekend

It was a beautiful fall weekend. I spent nearly the entire time building my kitty cat army. I'm exhausted from it! I'll try to snap a photo of them today before they get packed up and ready for the Indie Craft Experience show. How was your weekend?

British Car Fayre

We were out and about this past weekend and made a slight wrong turn on our way back home. Lucky for us, we ran across an awesome British Car Fayre sponsored by Taste of Britain in the historic town of Norcross, Georgia.

Mr. Fluffy Flowers practically jumped out of the car to rush over and see all the cars on display.

I didn't really mind though since it was a beautiful afternoon with lots of pretty things to see.

And Mr. Fluffy Flowers had some mighty sore smile muscles by the end of the afternoon. I think he enjoyed himself :)

I know I did! There was so much to photograph in this cute little town.

And oodles of MGs to see. Mr. Fluffy Flowers loves MGs. There's one sitting in my backyard right now. I've never had a ride in it though. It seems to be in need of a little TLC before its ride worthy.

I did manage to drag him over to the local British pub, the Iron Horse Tavern, for a shandy and a quick bite of bangers and mash.

Loved that cute pub. It even had a phone box outside.

And, of course, I really loved it because there were oodles of fluffy flowers all over the place.

Flower Confidential

Thought I'd share some of my other fluffy flowers adventures with y'all. So here's what I've been up to lately when I'm not reading or plush making.

I have, in fact, been gardening. Lasagna gardening. This little weedy mess is the lasagna garden that I started a few months ago. Its a simple method of layering compostables and letting them rot while planting the bed at the same time. I never actually got around to planting this spot so a few weeds have sprouted up.

Too bad the weeds look so pretty cause these suckers have got to go.

And this sucker has really got to go! I have it on good authority that this weed truly is super invasive here in the state of Georgia so out he comes asap.

It's taken me nearly three years to decide exactly how to establish a garden in my backyard. I've been cutting the grass back there and yanking out the weeds but that lifeless expanse of grass and concrete feels like a dead zone. About the only life that can be found are the neighbors and their penned up prisoner dogs that can be clearly seen through the fence.

But finally, after reading and thinking, watching Gardener's Diary and note taking, and perusing GardenWeb forums, finally I think I've got my plan. And I've been slowly putting my plan into action the past couple of months.

One part of my plan involves establishing oodles of new flower beds in my backyard. I long for it to be a secret garden hideaway where I can enjoy lots of fluffy flowers. But beauty is hard work y'all! And hauling around mega pounds of cow poo is no easy task!

But gosh y'all, I think it's worth it. Because in my mind I can just see that new garden, can't you? And it doesn't really matter how long it takes. I'll just keep plugging along at it and taking all the necessary steps and making all the mistakes and reading all the books until I make it my own fluffy flowers magical land.

And speaking of reading, you might find Amy Stewart's book Flower Confidential: the Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful very interesting. This selective, historical account of the modern flower industry is fascinating! It reads almost like fiction (until she gets to the math section where my non-mathematical mind glazed over) with lots of interesting, in depth stories of folks in the industry. Run by the library and pick this one up when you get a chance.

Guess I had to slip a little reading in this story somehow! When next you find me I'll probably still be scrubbing at the dirt under my nails...

where've you been?

Like the gnome, I've been traveling. But I'll be back soon...

around the yard in 7 pictures

Whenever we visit my mother in law I always tour her yard with my camera.

She usually insists that nothing is blooming...

...so there won't be anything to photograph.

Initially, she was at a loss as to what I could find to snap a picture of.

Then after the first few times she just let me go...

...because she realized that I'd find SOMETHING to photograph.

 And I never fail to find some adorable rogue gnome.

there be gnomes here

Best to have your camera ready at all times.

You never know when you might run across some gnomes...

...or a sky just the perfect shade of blue...

...or critters crawling across beautiful flowers.

an Etsy endorsement or Why I'll Never Shop at the Mall Again!

Only very occasionally do I venture out into the *real* world to do any retail shopping. It is so rare in fact that I can probably count the number of times I've done it this year on one hand and still have a couple of fingers left over.

But the fact of the matter is that I simply can't get everything I need on Etsy: your place to buy & Sell all things handmade. Today's case in point were the shirts that my sweetheart requested. He had detailed specifications on the type of shirt that he wanted: brown, print, button down, button down collar, single pocket, short sleeves. Uh, ok. He refuses to wear a green hued shirt with green pants but that's a discussion for another day.

With this mental shopping list in hand I hoof it on down to the local mall. This monstrosity is an ailing dinosaur that is literally on it's deathbed. Evey few years it gasps it's last breath and is only brought back from the brink by a quick sale to a big corporation or some other shady influx of money. But it is the place I know has a good chance of having those elusive brown shirts, so I confidently storm the place like Sherman on the march.

Now I am not one to shop very often as I've already mentioned, so I naturally had to combine this rare mall visit with stops to two other stores in search of stuff for me that I simply can not buy on Etsy. I head to my local ladies shoe store to load up on the colorful athletic shoes that are a daily occurrence on my feet.

The thing that I hate about this store is that it's located across the aisle from the food court. Now I don't know about y'all but I get a little swoony when I get near that place. And I don't mean in a good way. Some sort of creepy feeling comes over me and the whole atmosphere seems to get wavy like looking through old timey glass windows. It ain't pleasant.

So I steel myself for that emotional onslaught and zoom lickity split into the shop. It's neat and tidy as a pin with not a customer in sight. Only one lone sales girl off in the corner. Gotta love that middle of the week day shopping. Or so I thought at the time.

I head for the seat to whip off my shoe to confirm the product number of my favorite shoe. The sales lady meets me there and asks what I'm looking for. I start to explain about the shoes that I want and she takes a swift glance at my shoe and quick as a flash bleats out "we don't have em". Unh. I'll be darned, I think as I look past her shoulder at the floor to ceiling wall of shoes with rows of my usual brand right there in the middle. Having battled the food court to get there I was in no mood what so ever to deal with the nasty nonsense of the underpaid sales girl. I simply stared at her in disbelieve for a heart beat or two. Then I replaced my shoe, stood up, and flatly stated "Well, I guess I'll go spend my $400 dollars online with a different shoe company" and I walked out. I'm pretty sure her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were goggling a bit by the time my feet hit the other side of the door. It probably took her that long to calculate the commission that she had just lost by her rudeness to me. I load up on shoes once a year y'all and this would have been quite a big buy.

Folks, I wish I could say that the ill treatment by mall sales staff ended there. Unfortunately, I was affronted by two other sales women in two completely different stores before I gave up in disgust and existed the mall empty handed. I shared with you today the worst of those offenders and I have only one question to ask. Why?

Why were they so hateful to me? Why were they abrupt and judgmental? Why were they so impatient? I was not mean, I was not in a hurry, and there were few or no customers to be waited on. So why on earth was I treated that way? I take my question back, I really don't want to know. But what I do have to say has every thing in the world to do with why I do most of my shopping here on Etsy.

The world is a busy place. Our society breeds busyness and our lives are crammed with things to do from morning until night. I turned long ago to the online world to buy stuff so that I could save my time from having to drive out to the time consuming mall. And, if truth be told, to avoid the agoraphobic inducing food court. Shopping online is great. Fast, easy, nice. But it was lacking something. Too impersonal, too cold. And that's when I happened upon Etsy.

I started out just watching this site the first year it was open. Then I opened an account and started buying. It was a couple years later that I opened a shop and started selling. And from that first moment I made a purchase I was hooked. Wow, personalized service! A real human being behind the shop front and a sweet one at that. Etsy, you had me. I am now one of the converted. This is why I shop Etsy. This is why I promote it to every one I know. This is why I participate in the forums and share my hard earned shop owner knowledge. This is why I prefer to do business with like minded folks who treat buyers, sellers, and browsers like the human beings they are. And if I could buy my favorite shoes there, I'd buy them too.

And in case you're wondering, apparently no one makes brown, print, button down, button down collar, single pocket, short sleeves shirts for guys.

End of rant.

on my desk

How about a little peak into my office?

I spend a lot of time there so I like to surround my self with cheery things.

A cute little fellow from the Land of Wee...

A pretty little white flower pincushion from Chapulin...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde who has been with me a long time from Jellibat...

And a comfy cushion for my guest chair from Sewing Geek.

My home away from home!

woodland creatures

Never know when you'll stumble across them. Better keep a look out!

And also watch out for those fast flying birds. Especially the ones about to take off!

weekend on the lake

After days and days of rain the sun finally poked it's head out. Summer has arrived! And it was a mighty beautiful weekend here in Georgia.

It was especially beautiful on the water.

fluffy flowers esque creatures in metal

A couple of weeks ago I was at a garden show and spotted some mighty cute fluffy flowers type creatures. But instead of being made from fabric and stuffing they were created from spare bits of metal.

Kathy Walton makes here cute creatures out of scraps just laying around the junk yard. It was all I could do to resist this adorable temperature snail.

And this tire rim spider with rebar legs is so adorable!

But the creature that crawled into my bag and wanted desperately to come home with me was this cute rain gauge spider. Made from a wire refridgerator rack, I simply could not resist his winning personality. And as you can see he looks right at home in the garden.

The awesome and fabulous Kathy doesn't have an online shop. She doesn't even have a website. But you're in luck if you're in Atlanta because a handful of garden centers sell her awesome steel art.

put the "G" back in HGTV

Wouldn't it be great if Home & Garden Television (HGTV) actually had some real gardening shows? Ones that helped folks learn about starting and maintaining a garden? Yes, I think it would be nice too. Now is your chance to let them know how you feel. I did.

the quest for the perfect suburban lawn

I've never lived in the suburbs. Not until a couple of years ago that is. Which means that I've never had to take care of a suburban lawn before.

Up until now I've either lived in the city with postage stamp lawns that require only the barest of attention or in the country where the large expanse of ground can hardly be called a lawn and whose "grass" is chopped to the ground twice a year and left to grow up to your shoulder blades otherwise. I simply had no experience on which to draw for dealing with a suburban lawn.

Two years ago when we moved into this house I was in awe of my new patch of ground that had been lovingly cared for by the previous owners. I looked around and imagined all the beautiful fluffy flowers that I could now grow on my expanded patch of earth. But the funny thing is, that's pretty much all I did for two years: imagine. Somehow, every time I would try to get serious, dragging out a paper and pen to take notes on where to put new flower beds, I found myself paralyzed by fear that I'd make some mistakes. So what I managed to accomplish in two years is exactly, nothing.

The first year, the lawn seemed to remember what those other owners had done to it so it pretty much cared for itself as I mowed it to within an inch of it's life. Only later did I find out that it's really not such a great idea to mow grass down to it's roots! The second year, all trace of those other owners must have dissipated because suddenly we seemed no longer to be growing grass but an amalgam of weeds that have names akin to those in the animal kingdom. That year the dandelions roared and the chickweed squawked. And I'm pretty sure the neighbors were not happy.

In my lawn ignorance I had, once again, done precisely nothing to care for the grass. I'd sort of vaguely heard of weed and feed but really didn't know what it was or how it worked. And of course I'd heard about how completely and utterly awful the chemicals were for our environment. So I dug in my heals and refused to put poison on my lawn. In addition to the greater world I was also quite concerned for Miss America, Mr. Cowboy, Slashables, and the Piggles. I didn't want them to come into contact with any harmful substances.

I started getting desperate to find a way to manage this patch of ground in a socially acceptable way and one in which my conscience wouldn't suffer. So I did what all good folks do when they're faced with a problem for which they need information. I went to the library.

There I found no end of books on gardening and lawn care all of whose covers had landscapes bursting with delightfully thick green grass and big, plump fluffy flowers. They sure had a lot to live up to with covers like that! I'd gather together a selection and drag them home in the hopes of figuring out what to do.

What I discovered is that there are two very distinctly different camps of folks. There are those who embrace the application of chemicals and those who don't. And a handful fell somewhere in the middle. By now I guess y'all have figured out on which side of the fence I was resting. Two books in particular stood out from the myriad of books that I perused in an effort to find one to help guide me.

I've probably checked out Front Yard Gardens: Growing More Than Grass by Liz Primeau and Andrew Layerle from the library so many times that my card's getting worn out. But I can't help it and I really need to just go on and buy myself a copy. Of all the books I read this one speaks to me more than any other.

Liz gives a brief, eye opening history of the North American lawn. She makes quite a convincing argument that a diverse front garden is much better for your soul as well as the environment. The sample gardens are many and varied from small to large, urban to suburban and are frankly a delight to explore. There are so many ideas here that I seem to find something new every time I read it.

This book gave me the long term goal I was looking for with my suburban lawn. I wanted more than grass to take care of. I wanted more than the chore of mowing. I wanted a place for birds and bees to gather and enjoy. I wanted more than a lawn.

So I've made up my mind that I really am going to expand existing beds as well as create new ones. I've finally started taking notes and figuring out which plants I want where. This is no easy feat because I'm bound and determined to implement xeriscaping techniques in order to avoid excessive watering. I'm excited about this new project and a whole lot less intimidated.

In the mean time before I get to the place where I can reduce the amount of lawn, I'm faced with an expanse of grass that needs caring for. That's when I found The Organic Lawn Care Manual by Paul Tukey. Paul set my mind at ease because he explains how to have grass without using chemicals. There is a lot of information in this book that can take awhile to 
absorb. But that's how it is with all new things, right? He speaks my language of wanting grass as a place for animals and activities. Plus, I've got to deal with the grass I've got now and decide just how much I want to have in the future. This book really gives the nuts and bolts on how to do that. Who the heck knew you could torch those weeds into oblivion?!

In addition to these two fabulous books I've also found an amazing amount of information on the GardenWeb Forums. These discussion boards cover plants and gardens with sections devoted to states and regions of the country. You don't even have to register to read the information so you can just lurk on there and find out all sorts of really groovy stuff. That's where I found out about my latest fun lawn gadget, the Weed Hound.

I am totally in love with this thing! It's a metal tool that allows you to rip those wretched dandelion weeds out of your yard roots and all. I swear y'all, yanking those suckers out is one of the most satisfying experiences I've had in a good long while. Once I got started I simply could not stop! If you're an organic gardener with a dandelion weed problem this thing 
will change your life.

Y'all are probably thinking I'm a little nuts. Nah, not really. I'm just so excited to finally feel like I know and understand something about this suburban lawn of mine. For so long I just felt lost and confused and immobile. It's so refreshing to finally know what to do and to not fear the results. So what if boiling water on the fire ant beds doesn't work right away? I'm going to keep trying it in the hopes that it will. Because a lot of precious animals are counting on me to make their space safe and fun. And it's nice to know that I'm figuring out my own way of creating it.

finding the way

I'm unplugging this weekend so I can find what I'm looking for. Hope you find what you're looking for too.

Slumber Party

Welcome folks! A big ol' Happy Birthday to Phyllis over at For the Love of Vintage who is hosting this Slumber Party to celebrate her forty-six years.

Come on in folks and get outfitted in your comfy PJs because we're about to head into some serious Slumber Partin'! I'll be sharin' some fab stories about some awesome vintage treasures and I hope you'll chime in with your own stories too.

First off I'd like to introduce you to some awesome folks and point out your lovely accommodations. Madeline and Puppy Cheese have already made themselves right at home.

Madeline is fairly new to the Fluffy Flowers household. She moved in last year after a trip to Athens, Georgia. It was on that same trip that a search for a fabulous yarn store landed us right next to an awesome old house antique shop. I spied this delightful hand sewn bed cover and pillow cases made from an old chenille bedspread and some oh so pretty fluffy flower fabric. It was marked at an unbelievable price but my wallet was low on paper money and high on the plastic. Unfortunately, they only took that old fashioned paper money!

One sleepless hotel night thinking about that groovy bed cover and the next morning I was at the ATM machine and down the road to claim that beauty for my own! Thank goodness it was still there and I don't have to tell this story as the one that got away.

Next I'd like to introduce you to someone near and dear to my heart. He's my teddy bear and his name is Puppy Cheese and, yep, even though I'm having a milestone birthday this year that ends with a zero, I still sleep with him every night.

You see, Puppy Cheese is actually a stuffed Dakin Panda Bear. He was given to me by my high school boyfriend (the infamous prom date who went on to become the quintessential rocket scientist, see here for details) when I was seventeen or eighteen. We found him at the gift shop at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida when we went there to see the real live Panda Bears. It was the first time I'd seen those fabulous animals in person and I was enraptured.

For the longest time he was the bear with no name. Then one day, nearly a decade and a different boyfriend later, I was told that I clutched him in my sleep and mumbled something like Puppy Cheese. It seemed so extraordinary and hilarious that the name stuck and he's been Puppy Cheese ever since.

My treasured stuffed Panda Bear has stayed with me nearly every night of my life including those spent traveling. In all that time I only left him behind once, at a hotel in the town I now call home. It was a harrowing two weeks without him until I got him back, I can tell you that!

Oh, pardon my manners! I forgot to offer y'all some refreshments. Here in the Fluffy Flowers household we're trying to watch our figures. Ever since that mean ol' doctor pointed out that we're a little short for our weight we've been watching what we eat. But I do have a tall, refreshing glass of skim milk and some nice and crunchy graham crackers that I guarantee will hit the spot.

Oh, and if you don't want any eyes staring at you just go right ahead and turn that fluff ball to face the other way. She won't mind.

Oh, and don't forget to wave to Miss Holly. She's been with me a long, long time. Since I was seven, I believe, which was a few, ahem, decades ago.

Now what slumber party would be complete without a cottage and three bears? They look like they've got their ears all perked up for something. Wonder what it could be?

And what's that Madeline and Puppy Cheese are saying? They've been waiting patiently? For what, I wonder?

Oh, for a story! Well, of course! It wouldn't be a slumber party without a bedtime story.

Once upon a time there was a little girl. She was sweet and kind and nice but quite ordinary in every way. The funny thing is that extraordinary things kept happening to her. And even though she followed the rules and always did what she was told she usually found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

But what she discovered when she found herself in that place was that she didn't have to live with it the way it was. She could change it. She could change herself. She could paint the walls, or hang a shelf, or put up a picture. She could rearrange things and add to it or take away. She discovered that she could transform the world around her and by so doing she could make quite extraordinary things happen.

And so she did, which made her live very happily ever after.

Hum, doesn't quite sound like the story of Jane Eyre, does it? Ah well, the story still seems a bit familiar to me :)

Yawn, I think Madeline and Puppy Cheese liked that story, yawn, I know I did, yawn. Sorry y'all, yawn, sorry! I think I'm getting a little sleepy now. I think it's time to snuggle under the covers and catch a few zzzzzs. Thank you everyone for dropping by and especially to that fabulous Phyllis who set the ball in motion. Happy Birthday!

carving out crafting time

Lately it seems like I don't have enough time for crafting. What a silly statement. If I could craft eight or nine hours a day, six days a week, I'd be happy. So I guess the few hours I do get are never going to be enough! But the truth is that I've been spending a lot of time on crafting for the house. By now y'all have figured out that I am totally ensconced in home improvement.

Crafting for myself is sort of new and different. I usually make stuff because I'm driven to for some odd reason. I enjoy figuring out how to make something then I prolong the joy by making lots of them. Then I wake up one day to discover that the craft closet is overflowing with creations. That's what drove me to setup my online shop and set up a craft booth at the weekly farmer's market. Because there is only so much that you can give away before your friends and family look at you strange and tell you that you just gave them a zipper pouch last week.

This time last year I was hip deep in preparing for the weekly market. But this year I've only made a handful of things. Mostly tote bags, which I plan to photograph soon. Instead, I've been working on things around the house. I don't really make formal new year's resolutions but I told myself I wanted to start fresh and spiff the place up. So I've made an effort to focus on making pretty things to surround myself with. And one of those ways is to include more color in my life.

I've always been a little bit afraid of color. Don't know why exactly, just afraid to make some sort of mistake I guess. But I'm trying to let go of the fear of color and to include more of my favorites in my life. That riotous Laura Ashley ironing board cover above was a step in the right direction I think. It makes me smile every time I look at it. Now how many of y'all can say that about your ironing board?! And orange, after all, is my favorite color. I think I should definitely include more orange in my future. I'll even share a little Ode to Orange poem I wrote about a thousand years ago when I was a freshman in college.

Ode to Orange

Little girls, purple and pink,

Grape Koolaid is all they'll drink;

Fluffy, swirly dresses,

To ensure life long successes;

With mauve dots on lilac,

Their heroes aren't the Sleestak;

Believing unicorns are alive,

Breathing in every shape and size;

Conforming young innocence,

Pastel color acceptance;

Orange simply isn't their way,

But it's mine ya know.

Snow in Macon

Yesterday it was 73 degrees (23C) outside. I wore short sleeves.

Today it snowed. Snowed in Macon, Georgia. Holy cats!

Actually, the cats wouldn't step one toe out into the stuff. It was the dogs that liked it.

It came down all afternoon. I couldn't believe it. I've only seen snow in this town a couple of times years ago and that was only flurries.

This snow was pretty amazing. It turned everything into a beautiful wonderland.

And it looks like oodles of folks got outside to enjoy it.

random

It was a beautiful weekend. The weather was warm. Too bad I was too sick to enjoy it much.

 
Do you ever get the feeling that we're too plugged in? I find that if I don't corral the wires in one location then the one I need goes rogue and an hour long hunt ensues at the least opportune time.

Lucky for me I procured this beautiful old bowl the other day in which to store them. It's big enough to hold them all and look pretty while doing it. Because you know those pesky wires have to remain handy otherwise the world goes spinning wildly on it's axis.

Did I mention that I'm sick? Hope y'all have a great day!

an oldie but a goodie

I ran across this cute little mug recently while out thrifting.

It had a small chip in the rim and was marked twenty five cents.

I think I did right by bringing it home, don't you?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from all of us at Fluffy Flowers!