Preview...

My great friend, Kelly, owner of Kelly's Cafe and Bakery has invited me to feature my work in her cafe. I love every sandwich...and of course all the sweet goodies...she makes and eat there regularly. Now my works will take center stage starting July 1o! Next Sunday Emily and I will hang our "show" and then on Friday we get to have an Open Ceremony. I am overwhelmed in my friend's support and with this opportunity I have been given. Here is the sample I put on FaceBook. My friend Brenda has already requested this piece so I'm working on Missouri and Illinois as the backgrounds. This one has Chicago and the eastern border of IL and most of IN.

This is similar to a map wreath I have for display at Kelly's. I created this one a few weeks ago for a client who had specific modes of travel she wanted featured. LoVe how it came out!

Just a small preview! Come on Friday, July 15, between 7pm and 9pm to check out the new pieces!

What Happened To MAY?

Um. Well. I really have no idea what happened to May. What I do know is that June has been wonderful! Life is slowing down. Coaching high school softball has ended, school is out so the classroom is packed away and grades are finalized, our niece has gone back to live with her mom, and the days are filled with friends, home cooking, crafting, tablescaping, renovations, pool time, backyard-sitting and porch swinging. The garden is planted and we are eating salads from our yard everyday. There are variety of of greens planted and I'm excited to make some lettuce wraps this week with some of the leaves. We have also been enjoying fresh squeezed lemonade and tons of strawberries...not from our yard but signs of summer all the same.

Metamorphosis Monday: Our daisies are sprouting up like weeds in the path of the garden. For years I have tried to be a successful gardener so there is no way that I will pull them as I do the Creeping Charlie! I just love this wire cloche I got at Nell Hill's when I was in Kansas City in May. The daisies from our garden tend to wilt quickly in the heat of the day because I'm not a fan of air conditioning until absolutely necessary. This is the perfect disguise...plus I am playing with some flower preservation solutions that have helped as well. The colored mason jars have been my favorite estate sale, garage sale and auction find of the spring. A birdhouse, leftover lemons, world map and IMAGINE rock round out the perfect inspirational table decor for summer dreaming!

Check out the other fun creations at Between Naps on the Porch!

Fun Day of Shopping...and a new thing!

What a fun weekend we had shopping at estate sales, some garage sales, at the thrift stores and at the architectual salvage! I can also add an item to the 35 New Thing Challenge- I went to an estate from a company I had never heard of before and it was incredible!!! Great prices! The day off from coaching softball because of the rain was well spent...literally, I was spent at the end of the day and all my money was spent!

It has been a couple of weeks now and I've been enjoying usnig the buttons and mason jars already. The house has been painted a yellow color, similar to the Big Bird Bed and Breakfast (the name we have given to our home!) and I can't wait to add miniatures and other littles to it. Notice the adorable bunny salt and pepper shakers? They are exactly like the ones my grandmother had. I love their precious little faces!!!Awesome score on the buttons also! Love the little jars they came in and how they were already separated into colors. It was half price time at the estate sale so the price could not be beat. They were one or two dollars a piece. I don't want to use any of them because they look so cute in these jars. The shelf they are sitting in was bought from the former money manager from District 87. I'm sure his garage sale money is funding his fishing trips with my former principal.

The shelves I bought will be perfect for craft shows in the summer and fall...now I better get to work on transforming some of these goodies!!!

Check out the other great ideas at Between Naps on the Porch!

More Pink!

The pink paint NEEDED to be on the inside of these boxes. All these pieces were just hanging around my craftroom...which will soon be my "studio"...and I love the way they look in here. It was like I picked each piece thinking it would belong in this set.

The jar has "Geo Gridley Druggist Bloomington ILL" stamped on it. I wonder how this plays into the history of Bloomington being that the Gridleys played such an important role in the development and scandals of early Bloomington. Very interesting!

Little Pink Houses

Blocked. Stumped. Uninspired. As spring break started I was hoping to get so much done in my craftroom but couldn't get started. I love pink! So I mixed some red and white paint until I had a color that inspired me. The paint flew onto the various items that were waiting for me to love them. The bases looked natural and I felt they complimented the pink wonderfully.

Once the pink was on the rest of the Little Pink Houses came together easily. Some stamping, punching, pearls, lace, buttons and inking brought the homes to life.

I hope a little birdie comes along with a friend. One can INSPIRE and one can DISCOVER. However, these homes are in my mudroom and I don't think we'll be welcoming any birdies there- and the dogs definitely won't fit!

Check out the other great creations at Between Naps on The Porch. Thanks to Susan for hosting this great party every week!!!

Another place that tickles me PINK is the Sundae Party at http://www.iheartnaptime.blogspot.com/

The entries at Funky Junk Interiors are always amazing!

EnJoY!

Momma's Craft Mecca

For my Metamorphosis Monday this week- I have a doozie! My Momma's Craft Mecca needed to be cleaned up since she'd been busy this fall with several craft shows and then Christmas crept up on us all. Her room was in total disarray and she needed help. Of course, we jumped in and didn't remember to take pictures along the way- which is better because it was a mess and she'd be embarrassed to have let you see it. We were just going to do a little cleaning/straightening but then we rearranged some of the really big pieces in the room. Welcome to My Momma's Craft Mecca!

Jars of buttons, hardware, keys, bits and baubles!

This shelf was on another wall and couldn't be utilized because the table was in the way. The books are organized so she can easily find the foreign language section, hymnals or textbooks for cosmetology- you just never know when you'll need that in a hurry!

A shelf full of lace, ribbon and string- heaven!

Punches, punches, punches! The ones mom uses often are on a shelf near her work table but these are the over flow. Easy to get to though!

What a storage space! The big bookshelf came from "England's Auction" in Grandview, MO, for $17. Such a great deal. The paper on the shelves was added by mom but she didn't have to do the painting.

The cat helped the whole time so it's fitting that she showed up in the pictures. The black shelves are Rubbermaid and are on wheels. When mom is working she can roll this shelving to where she is creating.

Projects being worked on and some that are finished are displayed here. Best part- notice that open shelf at the top. Room to grow!

A wire rack turned inspiration board. The Merry is a license plate I gave mom for Christmas. The postcard is from a very creative plumber who writes messages that go with the colorful designs. He cuts them to perfect postcard size and then mails them! Great way to save money and not be frustrated by lack of envelopes.

Love the cricut and jukebox full of cartridges!

I love having the small pieces displayed and close at hand. She'll be able to see what she has and put it to good use.

Here is the black shelf rolled over to the table/work area. So convenient!

The view from the table! Dad hooked up the tv and we enjoyed some FoodNetwork while we were crafted this evening.

Room to grow!

A beautiful space to get your craft on! I'm so glad I could help her organize hers...now when my room in the basement is ready, she's coming to Illinois to help me! :)