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 ...