A pet portrait
dogs, paintings
This is a sweet girl that I painted for a friend.
I have enjoyed doing more paintings this fall and hope to continue the trend into the new year.
A bit of my holiday decor
holiday decor
This year, I got my Christmassy Foof up early.
Again.
Typically, I use the excuse of hosting an art event or being on the holiday home tour for decorating before Thanksgiving. But this year, I just wanted to.
And that is enough of a reason.
For me, it is scaled back, not as elaborate as in the past. But more than last year.
2020 was hard. I needed some sparkle to lighten my load, but I wasn’t up to the full spread.
This year, I decided to set out a few more things.
It doesn’t usually take much time to do, since I pack it all up in a very organized way. But last year, when I dug through a few boxes for bits and pieces, I made quite a mess of all of it.
These photos are of my dining room hutch.
It is a winter forest, with trees, deer and fairies.
And lots of white lights!
I have a love/hate relationship with the battery powered LEDs. Over all, I love them to pieces. They run on remote control so they can be added to hard to reach places or spots with no plugs. They have a timer so they will automatically come on each day then turn themselves off. They have multiple settings and look pretty in any setting.
But oh man- the tangly mess they make! That long, long wire gets all twisty and stuck. Ugh.
But the pros outweigh the cons. I like having lights on this piece, and there is no plug in anywhere, so the battery operated strings make all the difference.
The main part of the house is all that I’m decorating this year, and I’ll have more photos of it later. Some years, I do every single room, and I love it that way. But I am pretty happy with just the downstairs decked. Every morning, all of the power strips are flipped before I even have my coffee, so I can enjoy the twinkling lights all day long.
And that is very satisfying.
How to refresh your tile floor for under a dollar
cottage, how-to projects 
This is the after photo. I am sooo happy with it!
This is the before. Years of wear had discolored the grout. I’d tried peroxide, bleach, scrubbing with a tooth brush, every kind of soap and cleanser I could try.
I even hired a company to steam clean the floor. No luck, the grout was turning black in the heavily trafficked areas.
I cannot speak for the longevity of this solution- yet. But as someone who works with paint a lot and understands the properties of it, I’m not too worried.
And even if I only get a year or two out of it, it is a fast, cheap solution. I could spring for another 79 cent bottle of acrylic craft paint and an hour of my time to redo it.
Here are the tricks I learned-
- Using a brush that fits the grout line, apply the paint full strength, not watered down.
- Keep a wet towel handy for mopping up big smears on the tile.
- Don't fret the small smears. Grout is porous and it’s “tooth” will hold acrylic paint. Smooth, porcelain tile will not. So, paint the lines and if you get a bit on the squares, just wait till it’s all dry, and wet mop. The lines will stay painted, the tiles will come clean. But very important- don’t wait too long or you might need some elbow grease to remove it. It will come off, but will be harder if you leave it more than a few hours.
How to make folded paper Christmas balls
holiday decor, how-to projects, vintage paper/collage art, wallpaper 
These layered balls ended up being pretty easy to make once I figured it out. My first ones didn’t come out as nicely, but they got better as I made a few. 
My first mistake? Using only vintage papers, and not being careful to find ones that aren’t brittle.
I discovered that the ideal paper is scrapbooking card stock, but since I love the old stuff so much, I tried using some book pages and wallpaper too. Plus, a mix looks pretty together.
Vintage flocked wallpaper is ideal, and some more sturdy wallpapers are too. But most of the antique ones disintegrate when folded.
I used some Xmas wrapping paper also.
If you have a fragile paper you just love, and really want to use, maybe try backing it with card stock first.
These were some that worked for me, as well as some book pages. To test it, fold the paper a few times and see if it cracks. If not, it should work okay.
Cut and fold all of the pages ahead of time, so you have a pile to work with and not have to pause while gluing.
Fold each piece with the most interesting side inwards, so you are gluing the outsides to each other.
Glue one folded piece to the next until you have a stack that looks like this.
Another discovery that I made is that it’s a good idea to glue all of the folded circles together and set them aside to dry. If you try to make the orb while the glue is wet, the paper is more fragile and will easily tear.
While still folded, you can ink the edges.
Add some strong glue (I like The Ultimate) along the folded edge.
Cut ribbon or string, and fold it in half with a loop at the end.
(I used pipe cleaners down the center of some, and it did work, but for me, it was too easy to poke through the papers with it, string or ribbon is better).
Then stick the ribbon into the glue, with the loop at the top and the two ends hanging out of the bottom.
Open the pages.
Apply glue to both half circle sides, then press them together to make the orb. Smoosh them together and there it is! You might need to carefully pick each layer apart, gently manipulate them, and form the circle.
If you get a tear when opening it up, just attach an extra circle over that segment.
You can use the two trailing ends or your ribbon or string to tie a bundle of netting and ribbons to the bottom.
Or use them to tie on charms. Or do both! (I liked the idea of book charms with the old book pages).
How many circles did I use? Well, they are all different. The thinner the paper, the more you need. The heavier papers fill out nicely without as many. And because they are thick, too many makes the stack so high that when you put them together you have a huge gap in the center.
So, about 20 for thin papers, half that much for heavy ones.
Thankful
celebrations, family 
Our Thanksgiving day was chilly, but we got to get outside the day before.
And I was very thankful for a pretty day in November.
In Kansas, you just never know what the day’s weather will bring.
So when you get a good one, you should celebrate it!
Especially if you are surrounded by loved ones (and dogs) who love to be outdoors too.
Happy Thanksgiving
flowers, Food and Drink 
I hope you are having a day full of gratitude and blessings.
And a tummy full of pie!
An elfin makeover
cottage, fairies, holiday decor, redos
This is the after from my mini redo. I had the cottage halls decked and thought I was done, but decided this area wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be.
This is the before. Cute stuff, but for my home, there might have been a tad too much red. And it’s was too busy with lots of small things lined up.
So I fetched this hunk of gorgeous-ness from the studio, glittered up some elves, and moved a few of the guys to another location.
This cabinet was a gift from a Peep, and it is such a lovely piece. It was just what I needed to take away the cluttery feeling of so many tiny figurines together.
The glue is still wet on this fella’s rhinestone buttons. Aren’t these sprites sweet in silver and gold glitter?
I used cream chalk paint over the high gloss red glaze, and sprinkled glitter or mica onto the paint before it dried.
The red felt pants on the other gnomes had a wash of white paint over the bright fabric to made it look pink as it dried.
I had debated whether or not to mess with this, since all the decorating was done, but decided that I’d enjoy it more if I made a few little changes.
And I do!
Prairie Fires
dogs 
Kansas scenery might not have a reputation for being very interesting, but I find it pretty. When the prairie fires are lit, it becomes striking. But I rarely see that, so I was happy to catch a field at the dog park being cleared.
Our local dog park was pretty nice as is, but it is now getting a makeover. I’ve excitedly watched the process and look forward to the summer’s blooms. We tried something similar by our bee hives, but skipped a couple of steps, including the burn. For a few months after tilling and planting wildflower seeds, it looked so-so, but nothing like I’d hoped. And soon, the weeds and grass took back over.
Plus, I got systemic poison ivy from all of that horrid vine in the air from the field being tilled. Ugh.
Our house is right on I70, so I’d be nervous about doing a burn off. With that smoke rolling through the sky, visibility on the turnpike could get bad.
So, I’ll enjoy the native plants at the dog park, since it doesn’t look like we will be getting a field of them at the cottage.
With so much smoke around while the fields were being burnt, my asthma was acting up, so we didn’t watch the fiery show for long. Instead, we headed down to the Kaw River at the backside of the dog run.
Molly enjoyed the change of pace. But she loves everything. That happy girl doesn’t care where we take her, she is just glad to be there.
Dorothy was glad to go too.
There are many times when I wish I lived by the beach or in the mountains, places where there is always a beautiful place to explore.
But honestly? I’m pretty happy right here. Beauty can be found just about anywhere if you look for it.
A Day at Good Juju was Good for my Soul
antiques/junking, friends 
My friends have spaces at Good Juju, in the Old West Bottoms, and some times I get very jealous.
The years that I spent immersed in the junking world and selling painted furniture represent some of my favorite times.
The estate sales!
Auctions!
Getting up early every weekend so I never missed a garage sale, and filling my van so full that I had to make a pit stop to unload in my garage and go back for more!
I loved the redos, the styling and arranging, the treasure hunts, even the sanding!
I loved every second of it all!
It has been ages since I moved onto selling smaller items online, or having a Birdsong shopping experience set up in my garage instead of renting booth space . And honestly, I love doing those too. 
But I haven’t had workshops or even managed my online Boutique since 2019. So, when Beth and Angie invite me to hang out on Good Juju work days, I am happy to go in and soak up the atmosphere.
They know I miss the junker’s life and always encourage me to join in.
Beth even gives me a few areas in her booth that I can arrange however I like.
It’s always a wonderful day, with a picnic, lots of interesting things to unpack and set up, and laughs with friends.
Plus, I get to wander around the empty mall and explore some of the other luscious displays.
It’s even better at the holidays and puts me in a festive mood.
Why don’t I get a booth? Or update my shop? Or host another Birdsong?
I’m just kinda- eh, right now, I guess.
Between my husband retiring, losing my son, a knee surgery that was more stressful than expected and well, COVID, and quarentine, family issues, and travels, I just haven’t built up enough gumption to get back into working again.
I would not say I am depressed, though of course I will be forever sad about Ryan.
I can’t imagine not falling apart inside when something strikes out of the blue to bring on that “oh my god, he is gone” feeling as if it is all just now happening. The pain that sometimes dims but at others returns and with a vengeance.
But I also don’t have an ongoing, overall depression. I’m just sad and mourning.
I miss him.
So, I accept every invitation from friends, and invite people to get togethers myself. I paint, I embroider, I do things for myself, for others, and for my home. I write in my journal (blog) and putz around the studio, I bake, spend time with Sugarwings, walk with my husband and dogs, and travel.
I’m just not ready to go back to work yet. Even if I miss the hustley, bustley fun and the treasures.
A day helping at Good Juju makes me feel like I am still part of that world, and not getting too rusty with my junker skills. Will I go back to buying, collecting, selling, and then buying, buying, buying, and collecting with a bit more selling, again?
I’d like to think so.
In the meantime, I am lucky to have friends that include me. And that I can take my time until I am ready to face working again. I am still stockpiling goods for my Boutique, and will eventually have a clearance sale there to clean up before restocking. I have kept it open and and also lucky that I sell enough past online tutorials to pay all of my blog and website fees, so that I don’t feel pressure to shut them down.
And if a good day of good junkin is just what you need too? There is a bonus day for Good Juju to be open for the holidays, this Saturday. I highly recommend a shopping trip there (and to the other cool shops in the area on first Fridays each month).
I did get a photo
flowers, Painting with thread
On an earlier post I showed this shirt in progress and said I didn’t have a finish of it completed. But then, I saw this one and realized I was sorta wrong. There is more to the design, with leaves and embellishments on the other side of the shirt too. But at least I did have a picture of this flower finished.