ITALIAN MARBLE COASTERS

 

I love to bring the outdoors in, and enjoy nature year 'round in my home.  My hubby, who is a sculptor in marble, wood, etc. made these coasters for me.  They are Italian marble tiles (4x4) that can be found in most lumber and hardware stores.  He used a Drumel power carver and free handed in the leaves.  I then added a bit of paint and added some cork to the backs.  They have been very useable pieces of art in our home, and super easy to make!

WINE BOTTLE TOWEL RACK

I know this is a bit odd, but I don't have enough drawers in my kitchen for everything, and I needed a place to put my dish towels that was convenient.  I found this cast iron wine rack at a garage sale for 2 dollars, and decided to put it to use holding my towels right on my counter next to the kitchen sink.  I am still working out how best to fold the towels so that they stay folded nicely...I am thinking that it is almost too big for the kitchen towels, and might work better for bath towels, but it is certainly convenient for me until I can find another solution!  Have you got something that works better for you?  If so, leave a comment and share!  Would love to hear from you.

VICTORIAN REMODEL

I was driving through a small historic town one day, and ran across this scene.  A group of industrious remodelers were refurbishing this old Victorian 'Painted Lady', and they were getting loads of help from their dog!  I loved the enthusiasm of all concerned...

A DEER FOR THE ROCK GARDEN

I found the most wonderful old bronze deer at an estate sale!  Isn't she beautiful?  She is about 22 inches tall, mounted on a crappy piece of concrete that works perfectly in my rock garden.  I am especially happy with how my rock garden is shaping up.  I am creating it to look like a stream bed, with a rocky bank.  So far, I have found a funky 10 inch fish made of copper, a bronze mermaid, and I have set up several 'dinosaur egg' agates to look like a turtle nest.  I have been given several lizards over the years, and they are being scattered about the rocks, and nestled in among the hen and chicks that I have nurtured all winter long.  Now to find some more live plants that don't require too much work (I am not blessed with a green thumb) and my rocky stream bed will be complete!

WHAT TO DO WITH AN OLD CANDELABRA

 

I picked this candelabra up at a garage sale last week for 25 cents!  Now what do I do with it???  I have seen lots of Halloween makeovers with things like this, ways to make it look creepy and cool, but I want to use it year round...I seldom light tapers anymore, since I have visions of the cats getting up on the table and setting their tails on fire!!  I did see the most interesting remake, however...where they epoxied antique tea cups onto the candle cups, and made it into a useful and beautiful place to put flowers, or candy, or even veggies for a party.  Maybe that is what I will do.  More on this later!

TEA GADGET

A friend of mine gave me this neat tea gadget.  From Teavana, it is an infuser.  You place it on the counter, add loose tea leaves, and fill it with hot water.  Infuse for the proper amount of time, then set in directly on your teacup.  It drains the perfectly infused tea into the cup!  It is especially nice for those Teavana herbal concoctions that look like trail mix.  Gives the fruit and berries plenty of room to expand.  There is nothing like a perfectly brewed cup of tea! 

CURB APPEAL

I was digging through old photos the other day, and ran across this one from last summer. This is my home, set in the woods of West Tennessee.  It was the height of the season, and my zinnias had run amock in the front garden.  You can't see it due to the flowers, but there is a sidewalk leading up to the front door.  I had put an interesting basket up on the door, filled with silk flowers.  Unfortunately, we have a real problem with red wasps, who made a habit of building nests in the basket, scaring off potential visitors.  I am certainly going to have to figure out something different for the front this year!  It was a jungle!

WHATSIT?

 

Hubby and I are collecting odd whatsit pieces with gears and odd movements.  We plan on building a sculpture together that is kinetic in nature, and fun to play with!  The collecting is fun.  Last year we found an intriguing piece that turned out to be a manual darner from the early 1900's.  This piece above is an antique Victorian door crank.  Missing its metal dome, of course, and a real bargain at 50 cents!

ACORN CRAFTING

Aren't these the sweetest acorns?  My mom and I gathered acorn caps (1" ones) and cleaned them up.  We then cut circles of fabric, ran a basting circle around the edges, tucked a scented cotton ball in the center and pulled the thread tight to make a puffy ball.  Last, we hot glued the ball into the acorn cap and gathered them into a small wooden bowl.  They make a corner of the house fragrant, and look pretty too!  I do have to chase them about occasionally,though.  The cat has discovered them!

TINY FRAMES

 

I am not sure what I am going to do with these tiny frames (2x3 inches) but they were an inspiration to a miniature lover like me.  I am thinking about doing tiny paintings of fruit...one tiny raspberry, maybe...what do you think?

ONE LAST EASTER EGG

The Saturday before Easter, hubby and I went to Corinth, MS and stopped at Tina's Treasures...a wonderful consignment flea market.  They are so organized and clean in there, and have the most diverse group of consigners!  I found this lovely embroidered fabric egg on a stand for only $3.00...now I know it isn't old, isn't worth lots, but it was perfect for my home.  I fell in love with the shiny fabric, the gold embroidery, and the luxurious feeling it gave to a little corner in my home.  And it wasn't breakable!  That is a good thing, as we are thinking of moving again...

FRAME YOUR GARDEN

 

Every year the University of Tennessee Agricultural Department puts together the most wonderful displays of plants and succulents in Jackson, TN.  This past year they had added an old frame to their garden, and it just captured my imagination!  I did notice in a recent Birds and Blooms magazine that they had taken an old frame and nailed it to a large tree, framing a hand made bird feeder in their own 'work of art'.  Where else can we put frames?  I will be looking for those unexpected places!

IT'S ALWAYS NINE IN MY HOUSE!

I discovered this tiny, tiny cuckoo clock in a box of pencils at the flea market this year.  If you push a little lever in the back, the bird comes popping out to greet you!  The 2 weights wiggle about as well.  It is only 2 inches high, and takes me back to my days as a child, discovering the miniature world of the Borrowers in the lovely books by Mary Norton.  A world to escape to ...