Play Time

I found a little time to play today, so this is what I did.

These are some before, after, and incorporated into my decor thrifty finds.

I knew that I wanted the small urn for my silver leaf ball, and just loved the shape and size of the small silver pedestal dish, this may not be its final resting place, or even its final color, but for now I like the two pieces together.

I also whipped up this drink cozy for my Ice Tea glass. I am currently drinking Mango Passion fruit herbal tea from Stash, and loving it.

I used a cardboard coffee cozy for my template, adding an inch to the width to accommodate my larger cup, and a 1/2 inch seam allowance. The charms were purchased at Michael's long ago and I'm glad I finally used them, but I am loving the back with my button (yes from Mom's collection) and stitched closure.

I like to use this recycled coffee house cup, because it is a great size for Iced Tea and it has a lid. My son Daniel's dog Marco will drink out of any unguarded cup he can find. Yes he is super cute and a very good boy, when we got him his was pretty skinny, and now thinks he must eat and drink at every opportunity,but I do not wish to share with the little bugger.

Hope you all had time to play this weekend too.

A visit from Pam and Daniel

Grandson Daniel had fun with all three dogs when they visited. O'Reilly loved playing with Scruffy and Marco. Scruffy is the littlest one; Marco is the tallest. O'Reilly is still puppy enough that he wouldn't give them any rest... wanted to play all the time. Whew! They all dashed madly about, through the yard and in the house. Not so long ago Pam's dogs could escape O'Reilly's attention by jumping up onto the couch, but O'Reilly has grown so that he jumps right up too. Finally on the second day everyone settled down somewhat. But by the time they left, O'Reilly was so tired he slept most of the day.
This is my button collection. More than twenty years ago I got this glass Railroad Carboy and began to save buttons. Daniel said he had always wanted to empty it out and look at all the buttons, so we did. Pam picked out a few to use in her sewing projects, and we even found one to replace a missing button on a pair of shorts. Now they are all back in the carboy. Some of the buttons are very old, some have been cut from our throw-away clothing, and some have been donated by friends. It's always been a conversation starter, great for using in crafts, and the grandkids love it.

Purses

Here are my latest creations. I love making purses, maybe I have found my passion.

Strawberry Pie and Lavender

Here's the fresh strawberry pie. I just had enough berries left after the freezer jam. Pam and grandson Daniel are coming for a brief visit tomorrow, so will try to resist this until they arrive. Looks like the hens are watching it for me.

This lavender is from a bush by the front door. It is white lavender, and it seems to me it was white last year, but now it looks pale pink to me... Hmmm. Anyhow, it is beautiful and smells wonderful.
The view of part of the garden has another lavender bush on the right, but it isn't blooming yet. The bush in the center is a Rosemary bush. A start was given to me by Charlotte. It has gotten huge, but I love clipping sprigs for fresh bouquets, and it smells good too. Rosemary is for remembrance and whenever I smell it, I think of my friend Charlotte. On the right is the David Austin rose that I showcased earlier and used for greeting cards. I bought this rose at the Farmer's Market from a local grower. It was tiny, but had a perfect little bud in bloom, so I knew it would be beautiful. It has thrived for the past 4 or 5 years, and now is very showy and one of my favorite rose bushes this summer.

Strawberries

Saturday Mom & I went to a local strawberry field. There was a time when I would have picked these berries and come home with sore back, stained knees and fingers, a full tummy and great satisfaction. This time we bought 2 flats already picked. After visiting the grocery store and stocking up on sugar, pectin and freezer containers, I made strawberry freezer jam. Due to a shortage of the kind of pectin I usually use, I tried the other brand. It has a slightly different recipe, but tasted good. Back to a different store for more supplies... takes a lot of sugar and pectin and containers, as my eyes were bigger than my supply list. This time I was able to buy my favorite brand of pectin, so made some of that too. Now we can compare at some point and decide which we like best. I have an aunt who always swore by one kind, so that's all I ever used... until now.
Meantime we are eating lots of berries, which are fat, juicy, and yummy. Again I have a feeling of satisfaction, and I'm thinking maybe tomorrow I should make a fresh strawberry pie!