Keepin it Lite

My quest continues to beautify my shed... and this time what I needed was a windowbox for some flowers.  My dilemma was... to keep it light enough to hang from the scrap window frame that when I had dirt and flowers in it, the weight of it all wouldn't damage or destroy the frame itself.....

I made the window box out of  a scrap of old picket fence -  - using a piece of trellis along the bottom so that drainage was not an issue.  I had to add the border along the front of the box to hide the edges of the trellis - but it turned out ok....

 

For the plant holders - I saved up some lite and fit yogurt containers... drilled some holes in the bottom for drainage (and that's important... don't try to hammer the holes with a nail... the whole bottom will crack... ask me how I know this.....)   and then - to cover up the obvious commercialism of it all.... hot glued some nature to the
outside of them...

I covered the first one with sticks  (again.. from branches that fell in our back yard)  filled in the cracks with moss and tied the whole thing

up with hemp string. 

That took FOREVER... so I looked for something easier..... The next one I covered with bark strips.... that went a whole lot faster.... didn't take much moss at all to fill in the gaps and again - I tied it with hemp to make it consistent.

 Lastly - for variety - I covered the last one with Magnolia leaves.... that one was the fastest one ever - although it is the most fragile - and probably won't last a month.

Here's the finished product -

 you'll have to let me know what you think....

and yes - it's very light - even with dirt and flowers.....  I think the end result turned out fun - if not interesting. 

 We'll see how everything weathers over time and then I'll have some opinions as to how practical these finishes are.  (although - since I have no money in them at all - I have no risk...)  : )

A Visit from the Grand-Kitties

Post graduation - my eldest daughter is taking a well deserved break... and the grand kitties are here with me!   We have the pet trifecta of the food chain again - Cats - dogs and rats...HOW does this happen?

In the past - I have had to rotate the critters - keeping the cats in the guest bedroom until the dogs were put outside so we could safely let them have a few minutes to roam the house without our bigger dog, skeeter chasing them around the house.  We'd then shut the cats back up in the guest room so we could give our

pet rats some time out of their cages. 

 A pretty tiring rotation.

We did that several times - and this time I'd had enough.  The dogs and cats were just going to have to make peace one way or another.  After a few tense moments - where skeeter eyed the cats with a hungry look - and a few wild and frantic chases - I think we've settled down to a tentative truce between the cats and the dogs!   As long as the cats don't run through the house.....the dogs won't chase them.   But - a flash of fur - -- well - it's just too much for skeeter...

he has to chase!

So - the cats can be out and about the whole day (which they LOVE) and I just put skeeter downstairs at night so the cats can roam about without fear at bedtime. 

Skeeter doesn't care anyway - He usually sleeps next to our bed at night - but he's downstairs during the day, so he's adjusted pretty well. 

And then there are the squirrels..... well - you know how I feel about the squirrels.  The cats just sit and stare longingly out the window as they come and go on the porch. 

I can only please just so many furry things at once - ya know!

Ah - the continued excitement of the Stewart Zoo!  We still have to keep the cats and the rats apart.....

Don't know if I'll ever get that one fixed!

Shutter Plant Stand

I saw some shutters at the Habitat store the other day - and had about 20 (or more) ideas of things I wanted to make with them.... Sometimes that's the problem I have, not wondering WHAT to do with something, but narrowing down

the ideas to just one.

I've made  standing screens..... you know - for hanging things on....or for putting on a desktop (they make a good table-scape)

They look good in two's and threes -

and in all colors!

This time - I happened to find 4 that were approximately the same size and thought I'd make them into some kind of stand- since the 4 I had were narrow and tall....

and so made this one with top and bottom

Perfect for a plant - or vase or something...

then I had an idea - and made this one -

with just a top.  I put an up-light under it and

lifted the shutters a bit.  The affect was

pretty neat - a night light affect.  It would be

a cool thing on a deck or front porch.

I'm working on one right now - candy apple green with a cobalt  blue top and bottom to match a candlier I made for someone earlier. 

Here's the candlier.   If you can see the candlier past all the other stuff it's hanging around.  I'm re-doing the candlier as well as it's spent a season out in the rain and weather and the glass has faded, the paint chipped a bit and one of the pendants has come loose.   All in all - it's weathered pretty well, considering I did not make it to be in direct weather.  I'm trying to get the glass free from the candlier right now - but the epoxy I used to glue it in place was WAAAYYY too good and I'm having some difficulty getting it to release. 

 I'd rather not break the glasses...

 they are the perfect shape. 

I'll take a picture once everything is completed and let you see the two together.  Hopefully I'll get the projects done this century. 

Anyway - won't you agree...

shutters are very cool!

Stick to It

With the May showers come lots of fallen branches - some of which have fallen on our house.

  So... what to do -  what to do!    We've hauled truck loads to the recycle center  

(after I've picked through them of course -

 to pull out the best pieces) 

There are so many things you can make with branches and sticks....

Like these trellis-fences to hold up our lily's

It doesn't look like it in this picture - but the lilys will grow really tall - and then fall over, which makes it hard to mow.... these stick trellisses are just enough to keep them from laying flat on the ground  - or breaking off altogether. 

I made this free-form trellis after I got my nail gun for my birthday - - - wow what a difference it made as far as construction ease!   Night and day I tell you!  Night and Day!!  (I LOVE my nail gun.... I'm just saying!)

In this picture you can start to  see how the lillys grow - and these haven't reached full size yet.  They are especially pretty when they bloom!  Please imagine these carefully weeded....

thank you!

 My rosebush really loves this trellis - although I think I needed to make it about twice as big!

I wanted a split rail fence next to my shed so I could grow some climbing roses to spruce up the empty wood side...

My first attempt turned out more like a headboard than a fence.... I'll have to find a place in the back yard to put that.....

My second attempt - much better - turned out more like what I had in mind... and the best part...... it only cost me the price of some nails for my nail gun!  I can't wait to plant my rose bush!

more stick ideas to come.....

You're as Good Lookin as you Feel!

There are some days, when I get up, that I just can't pull it all together.  My hair won't go the right way - my scale says I've gained a few pounds and I can't find anything to wear.  I hate the way my makeup looks and I just leave the house feeling less than pretty.    It's hard to get my head in the game when I start the day that way.  But at the park the other day - I saw this little guy and realized - - - it's all a mind game....

This guy, amongst all the beautiful black and white ducks and canada geese,

Sat there - like a movie star... with his red,

lumpy face....

Rockin his Elvis hair!

Accomplished-ment!

ConGRAD-ulations to our Graduate..... AGAIN!

 This time she has MASTERED teaching... can you believe it?    Just a few more summer classes and she'll be out in the "real" world with a class of her own.. I just know she can't wait! 

 Graduation was amazing - The hooding ceremony was crazy - each doctor brought a doctor of their own to do the honors.... I've never seen anything like it. That's next on Jessica's list!  : )  

Jessica's friend Kati (sp?)  was introducing her family to her fiance's family for the first time....aren't they both so cute? 

Linda took everyone to lunch at silver spoon - yum!  Katie actually got to see her sister graduate... and is trying to narrow down her field of study as we speak.   

 All in all it was a wonderful day!  I am so proud of Jess - she has set her sights on her goals and never waivered. 

 The sky is the limit and nothing she wants to do is out of reach!

All the little birdies....

It's amazing to me how nature is so trusting. Outside our front door... about thigh high is this evergreen bush - and inside it's prickly branches we happened to see....

such delicate beauty and so within reach of the crazy - murderous cat that lives next door and stalks the wildlife in my yard! (no bad feelings there on my part... remind me to tell you the story about me... that darn cat... and the chipmunk) Anyway.... I've been keeping an eye on the bush - sneaking a peak to make sure everything is ok...

and two of the eggs have hatched

aren't they... um..... cute?

I think they look just like their mother

Little Fur Man

I was out on the porch today - and this little brave soul came right up to me

He was trying to tell me that the branch that had fallen earlier had knocked down the corn cob holder....

and there was no corn on his branch..... I was so surprised to see his cute little furry face, however, that I just kept snapping pictures of him - while he flipped his tail in agitation - and flapped his arms around and got closer and closer to me....

Til he looked me straight in the eye in disgust... and then I realized... No corn! What was I thinking!

Yes - I have a problem... I love squirrels!! There's just something about those funny furry feet that make me smile!

My Birthday - The Denial Years!

My beautiful daughters and loving husband celebrated my birthday with me yesterday! We had a delicious dinner at Hidalgo's - my favorite mexican restaurant... then came home for cake... which my husband loaded with trick candles... accidentally.... mmm hmmmmmm!

He did, however, do me the favor of NOT placing the entire number of candles on my cake to match the number of years I am celebrating...... something I stopped doing several years ago for fear I'd burn the house down!

But he's got to work on his

"You're HOW OLD?"

 face... dont' you think?

My birthday flowers
make up for it though!

Flowers - a new nail gun, mexican food, cake and family time!  It was a really good birthday!

A Whole Latta Regatta!

So It's rowing season and weekends mean Regattas! 

Warm days, friends and races in the sun!

Winning always makes the day more fun!

And having family there to cheer you on is vital to victory - of course!

Go Katie Go!

ATOMI-CCC!    Even the wild life enjoys rowing....  (ha - well - maybe not so much)