family

family

   IMG_2226

The weather is still smoldering and sizzling around here. I've been indoors avoiding it, with the excuse that Sugarwings was ill and I needed to cuddle her, and that I had tag books to do.  The heat has had me house bound almost as much as a big snowstorm would mid-winter.

The dogs and I have barely shuffled outdoors long enough to move the sprinkler, which has been running pretty much non-stop daily. Its good to live in the country and have well water, I'd hate to see a water bill after this heat wave.

IMG_2208
But I've had enough of being held captive by the weather!  This weekend, we are hitting the shores of Lake Clinton and getting some splash time in.

IMG_2221
There is nothing like playing out in the water to make the most of a hot summer day. 

(That is Sugarwing's daddy and his Gypsy Beloved doing aerial yoga while being pulled along behind the boat.)

  IMG_2209
I hope your weekend is a good one and you find some ways to beat the heat too!

 Ps- I'm going out of town on Wednesday. If you are still sending tags and haven't got them to me, TUESDAY morning, I'm making the LAST books!!  So, over night them if you are serious about being in the swap and just didn't have time to get them here.  And please contact me so I'll expect them.

Holding Space

family, holding space

IMG_3048
This girl is just getting cuter and cuter.  She seems to think she is big enough to keep up with her sibs and likes to chase Sugarwings now.

IMG_3009
And when all the big kids got balloons at the ice cream shop, she had to have one too.

IMG_3023
She likes hanging out at her parent's new business, Holding Space.  There is plenty of room to crawl around, a big mirror she can meet another baby in, and lots of bright colors.

I painted the rooms for my son, according to his feng shei designs.  The entry is all metallic, the treatment room is blue and purple swirls for water.  This room is "fire", so I did my version of a sunset.

IMG_3022-1
We painted the top 1/3 of the wall red, the bottom 1/3 yellow.  Then I brought up some yellow rays into the center, and around that, I painted the middle of the wall orange. (I saved money by mixing the red and yellow to make the orange, instead of buying another can of paint)

IMG_3044
With a torn up tee shirt, I dabbed on, and blended some bright colors of acrylic craft paint.

IMG_3063
The lower part of the wall is very colorful, but as I worked my way up, I changed to accenting with just a couple of colors.

IMG_3062
There are high ceilings with a skylight, so its the perfect environment for plants.  

The whole place is so inviting, I love the bright colors, even if they are the opposite of what I do at home.  I used to do murals and faux finishes for a livng and kind of miss getting to lots of things that I wouldn't do for my self. Its fun to experiment with the bright side.

I gave up doing this full time because it is such hard work, and I felt like I was crippling myself doing it.  But now that I rarely do decorative painting, and have a son who is a massage therapist, it isn't as painful as it used to be.  After i finished this work, my sweet boy gave me an hour's treatment on my neck and shoulder and I felt better after that than I did before I'd even started painting.

Kind of makes me think his business will be a success, since he is so good at making aches and pains go away!

IMG_3051
If you are in the area and need to feel better, give him a call. 

IMG_3027
We still have work to do, at the Habitat resale store, we bought a $5 window to put in this opening to give the massage room more privacy.  After that, we'll paint the trim. Around the doors, I painted the trim with bronze glaze in a dry brush technique. For this, I'm not sure yet. I'll have to see how the window turns out, we are going to paint the glass with a mandela pattern.

Canvas drop cloths are waiting to be dyed and made into curtains and Sugarwing's Daddy has some other green/low cost decor planned too, but the space is already functional and open for business.

IMG_3053
I gave them one of my favorite lamps, made by a friend. I hated to see it go, but it looks so good here, I just had to. I've got some hand blown glass lamps that I'm sending over too. I love them, but right now, they are just hanging in my shed, which is a silly waste of their beauty.

IMG_3056
His Gypsy Beloved will be making her "Freaks", for sale.  She makes funny little fairies and sock dolls too. Plus, she will be doing guided meditations.  There is already a good following building up for her Wednesday night group sessions.

IMG_8132
And my boy will be selling his silver wrapped jewelry.  He has some skills, doesn't he? I love seeing the detail in his work.

IMG_3046 Of course, I think these are his best creations.

IMG_2584
He also travels to festivals to do massage and energy work, so I made a sign that he could easily transport.  Its an old door panel, that I painted blue, flicked with white, then did some swirls on. This looks complicated, but takes only moments to do.

 I dip my rag in multiple colors and do quick swirls with it.

IMG_2590
Over that, I did some lettering, making the "o" a planet.  My writing is far from professional, but suited the theme.

IMG_2592
To get the watercolor look on the lettering, I let the white dry, outlined one side with black, let that dry, then outlined the other side with blue. While the blue was still wet, I used a brush loaded with water to bleed the color over the white paint.

I hope to do a larger, more permanent sign for the business too, but need to wait till I get caught up on a few more projects.  Tag books for one… a painting  of my grandma for a family cookbook, some decor for Jenn Hayslip's event in the fall, and about a billion more things. If you were wondering why I hadn't been making my little pretties or adding new goodies to the Boutique that explains it!

Button sweetness

Thank goodness this is still selling each day! Thank YOU to all of you who are signing up for the $15 online classes.  And I'm sorry I haven't had more kits to list, the ones I put in the Boutique went fast.  I'll try to make up some more, I have a table top of supplies set up to go…. But- there is only so much time in a day.  And not quite enough of it.

If you have any questions about the classes, feel free to ask. And I'd love to see what you make.  Maybe we should have a linky party and show our creations?  No two  turn out the same.

Gothic arches1
Seems like this is becoming my "Summer Giveaway" too.  I'm giving one  away for each drawing I do.  Leave a comment if you'd like to have a chance to win.

Thankful for family

family, flowers, Travel

IMG_2235
Our family getaway to Utah was very special.  It was good to see nieces and nephews we rarely get to visit and to catch up on laughs with some of my husband's sibs.

IMG_2234
We'd never been to his sister's newer home, and it was a beautiful place to stay, full of original artwork that was right up my alley.

IMG_2236
I never got tired of walking through the house and admiring the paintings.  Especially the fairy themed ones.

IMG_2231
They also had family portraits that were so beautiful, they held as much magic as the sprite and fey paintings did.

IMG_2233
Even the pets were represented in oil.  What a dreamy place!  The artist of many of these works is Lynn Lupettii and I have to say, I'm quite a fan.

IMG_2229
But the magic wasn't all just paint, we muggles spent some time visiting Hogwarts too.

IMG_2228-1
Quite a few of the group headed to the theater about 5 am on Thursday to watch a Harry Potter marathon that ended with the midnight showing of the latest flick.

Due to flight delays, I didn't get to join them quite that early, but I made it for movie #4 and was surprised at how fast 3 am came and it was all over with.  We had blankets, a ton of snacks and food and drinks, and it was such fun to be part of the large crowd saying a fond farewell to Harry.  The very last movie was just as moving to me as the book was. I sobbed again just like when I read the happy ending to the series.  Even knowing what was coming up, I still cried like a baby when**************************.(sorry, don't want to mess up the end for you, but I can't quite believe there are Harry fans who haven't read the book yet!!) 

Its one of the best series endings I've ever read. Heck, I have tears in my eyes now just thinking about it.

IMG_2264
But the real, honest magic of the trip, was Utah itself.  Everywhere we went, there was beauty.  And not much is more beautiful than Thanksgiving Point.

Its kind of a botanical gardens, but it is very user-friendly and almost like taking the kids to the park for the day. A very special park!

(this photo of Grandma Joan is NOT doctored up, the colors were that vibrant there!!!)

IMG_2315
Kids are allowed to run and play, and even to roll down the big hill.  The grass was a thick, cushion of plush green, nothing like around my house.  Better than any golf course I have seen too.  Plus NO CHIGGERS! Its been years since I have sat down in the grass out of chigger fear. I was so drawn to this lawn that I even tried rolling down the hill with the little girls.

Since I weigh quite a bit more than the kids, I took off rolling a bit harder and faster than they did, and after about 2 turns, was dizzy and ready to stop. But gravity had other plans for me, and it felt like an hour on a roller coaster later when I finally stopped, although it was probably only a few feet.  It made me so dizzy that I even feel slightly nauseous looking at this photo, although the picture doesn't really capture just how steep it really was.

IMG_2294
This park reminded me of Disney-world with no rides. It was over the top, and the detail was amazing.

  IMG_2266
The whole weekend, I kept seeing things Sugarwings would have loved, and I missed her terribly. I knew she'd have had a good time with her 2nd cousins.

IMG_2303
And this park was a perfect setting to play fairy. She'd have been deep into her imaginary world if she'd been there.

IMG_2249
I can just picture her having a conversation with this dragon. Its the base of my sis-in-law's mailbox!  Her home is filled with dragons and fairies and gnomes.

IMG_2362 The back yard was two levels, with a curving downhill path following a series of waterfalls.

IMG_2360
The pool at the base of the falls was lit up and misty.  Of course, Sugarwings is what we politely call a "hands on" child.  It would have been an non-stop challenge to keep her out of the waterfalls.

But I was pretty content to sit out there to enjoy the veiw adn the sound of trickling water.  In Utah, we had zero humidity, and could open our windows at night and listen to the creek as we slept. Not like the 110 degree heat index we have today in Kansas.

That fountain alone would have been worth the trip!  I had to change from the upstairs deck to the downstairs porch back and forth, I couldn't make up my mind which had the best view.

Heart
Still, the very best part was getting to spend time with my husband's sweet family.  What nice, generous people they are. It was a lovely trip.

I know how lucky I am to have a husband I love so much, but I'm also lucky that he has a family that I love too.

Gothic arches1

Next post, I'll announce another winner of my online dress form tutorial.  If you have already purchased one of the $15 classes,  (thank you!!), then I'll send you a kit of vintage goodies instead if I draw your name.

Leave a comment if you want to be entered, you still have a couple of days to enter while I am waist deep in Bird song swap tags!

the best kind of girls weekend

family, Sugarwings

1st time to babysit both girls

We had a sweet time babysitting for our tiny fairies.  That baby is about as mellow as they come. She fusses a bit if she is wet or hungry and that is about it. Goes right to sleep when I lay her down, and wakes up smiling and playing with toys in the crib until someone picks her up.

   IMG_2619
We thought it was going to be a piece of cake, after a fun family evening at Pixie Pie's birthday party, and peaceful night with the little one sleeping almost 12 hours and waking up as happy as can be.

IMG_2735
Sugarwings was helpful and not at all jealous of the time we spent with her sis-star.

IMG_2752
The dogs and the baby had a mutual admiration for each other, and spent a lot of time together. Twinkle adored her and didn't care how much her ears were pulled or twisted. 

IMG_2744

Agnes Rosebud liked to be near her if she was eating, since only about 20% of the food went into her mouth, and plenty went onto the floor. And she was happy to cuddle  up and visit, but when the ear pulling started, she jumped down.

Twinkle never even acted like she wanted to get away. 

What a good dog.

IMG_2755 Of course, Twinkle was probably just waiting for a photo op. Since she thinks all cameras are pointed at HER only.

IMG_2748
Our littlest fairy was content to crawl around, stick out her tongue and laugh for most of the day.

Then, about mid-afternoon, she started to wonder where her mom and dad were.  I could tell by the way she was looking over my shoulder and was beginning to fret.

By evening, she was in tears.  She'd never been away from mommy that long and was missing her too much.

Mayara star
So we hopped in the car and drove out to Camp Gaea where her parents were teaching workshops and she joined them for the rest of the weekend.

We still have Sugarwings, so she and I will be doing some painting together and will see a movie this afternoon.  It seems quiet without the baby, and we are already looking forward to our next time to have her back.

Sugarwings is helping me write about our weekend with her sister and it was her idea to have purple letters.

 

 

Who is this woman???

fairies, family, give away, vintage paper/collage art

IMG_3149

Can you guess who this photo is of?? If you guessed Karla Nathan, I just don't know if you are right or not.

Someone named Carla Ross, on Facebook, says it is her. She is using it as her profile picture. I'm a bit freaked out about the whole thing. I reported it to Facebook, and heard nothing back. I left her quite a few messages, asking her to remove it, and heard nothing back.

Yep, I'm more than a bit freaked out about it.

IMG_8952
I've changed my profile photo to this one, and changed my password too.  Honestly, I don't think there is much more I can do. Except hope that Carla Ross is just camera shy and borrowed a photo, and that she isn't really some weird, creepy, guy out to steal identities.

IMG_2587-1
Now. onto a much more pleasant, happy subject- Romantic Homes has a blurb about my wallpaper obsession collection on page 26-27.

IMG_2585
This is one of the photos they used. I was squeamish about doing my own photos for them, since I am not a real photographer, I'm just a picture taker.  My camera is a nice one (and I LOVE it), but not a great one, and I don't use big girl editing like photoshop, just picnik.  I'm good enough for blog pictures and scrapbooks of fairy babies, so was really worried about doing a magazine shoot, even a mini one.

(that bench was built by my son, from a Victorian headboard that I painted)

IMG_2581 I'm still plugging away on the tag book covers. My God, what is wrong with me, that I offered to make 135 covers?????????????????  By the way, the swap is at full capacity now, thank you to those who joined.

  IMG_2580
  I promise I am not really cursing you all as I glue trim onto yet another in the never diminishing pile of tags. They will get done.  I know they will.  I can do it.  right?

IMG_2175

That is, if I live through this weekend… I am babysitting the tiniest fairy grand baby for the first time.

 For 3 days while her parents are teaching their zen and energy stuff at some festival.  I will have Sugarwings too, and she is a full time handful when she is here, so it could be exciting.  Did I mention that the baby is still breast feeding and has never been without her mommy over night?

IMG_2583
Maybe I will have to use this as my new facebook picture after doing 135 tag covers and watching the girls for the weekend.  I'm feeling hagard just thinking about it.

Honestly, it will be a good experience for us to have both girls together.  And we need to spend more time with our littlest one, she hasn't been over as much.  I remember lots of late nigths cuddling baby Sugarwings and rocking her when she couldn't sleep. This will be my first shot at it with her sis-star.

Wish me luck!!!!!!

Gothic arches1
Oh, I almost forgot- the winner of the dress form tutorial is

Kim Caldwell

That was such an easy giveaway, I think I'll do it again!

Leave a comment if you want a chance to win.

I'f you've already purchased the $15 online class, and you win the drawing, I'll send you a kit. ( I really do have kits made,  I simply have not photographed and listed them yet. It has been crazy around here.)

Tru-Blood premiere party at the guncles

celebrations, family, Food and Drink, guncles, We're having a party

IMG_2548
Uhm, did I mention that the guncles and I had a good time?  With lots of silly fun?  The weekend went fast, but we managed to pack in a lot of goofiness, including a Tru Blood mini marathon.

With HBO Go on my Ipad, we were able to watch the second episode of the new season after the premiere.   So, of course, we made a PARTY out of it!

IMG_2523
Because everything is a party at Randy and Kevin's house!

I drew some Tru Blood labels that we added to some empty bottles, and we drank out of red, crystal goblets, and painted our faces to look like vamps.

IMG_2543
Since the guys bought my plane ticket, I wanted to treat them to dinner.  We talked about getting dressed up and going out, but decided it was more fun to get dressed as vampires, watch our favorite show and eat in.  So, I bought  some lobsters and we had the best meal ever.

Crusty bread, still warm when we bought it, a crisp lettuce wedge with Kev's home made dressing topped with a chopped, fresh tomato, and giant, lovely, delectable lobsters.

IMG_2534
I was disappointed in fairy land on the show, were you?  I've come to terms with the fact that the show doesn't follow the books. And since they do stay true to the actual characters themselves, I don't mind, and actually enjoy the surprises that the show wouldn't offer if it did follow the books.

But man, the fairy land is NOT what I had hoped for at all. And Bill is King?

IMG_2556

But that's okay. I still love me some Sookie and am a loyal fan.

I love me some guncles too.

IMG_2297

Every night, the suppers were so good. One night was seared scallops in a vermouth and heavy cream redcution. 

IMG_2300
And another meal was grilled flounder with fresh asparagus and fingerling potatoes roasted in butter and onions. See why I was worried about my zipper still working? Did I mention homemade German chocolate cake?

IMG_2167

Oh, and please remember, that there is a giveaway for one of my Mini Dress Form online workshops. If you win, and have already purchased the $15 class, I will send you a kit full of vintage goodies to make the dolled up dress form with.

Angels and pups in the Guncle’s Garden

dogs, fairies, family, guncles

IMG_2469
While I was down in Jax, we took a break from creating, crafting, and eating delicious seafood, to hang out in the garden with my furry niece and nephews. Yes, those are angel wings on that little white fur ball. And they suit her perfectly, she is a sweet heart. And she wasn't the only one to play dress up….

  IMG_2363
This is the newest member of the family, Perry the Party Pup. Or Zippy the Circus Poodle. He's got some wild jumping skills and I think he could have a great career in the circus if he decided to join one.

IMG_2357
And here is beautiful Bella.  She's still just a pup too, so between the two of these guys, its pretty lively around the guncle's house.

I was glad to see that she was no longer "Yella Bella" and that the yellow marker that Sugarwings decorated her with last January didn't leave a permanent stain.

IMG_2404
Darling, serious Zackie, who loves to pose. 

IMG_2505
And here is the whole, handsome family, all together.

IMG_2437
Sadly, it happened to be mosquito mayhem in the garden that weekend, so we weren't able to stay out there long and enjoy all the hidden treats and gorgeous blooms.

IMG_2435
But we did spritz some bug spray on and play out there a little while.

IMG_2406
Randy indulged me in posing as a sweet angel in the paradise of his backyard.  He looks every bit as good as Bella did in the wings, huh?

IMG_2408

There is nothing like having family that you can be silly with and have endless fun doing silly things with.

IMG_2423 Aren't I lucky to have married his brother and have him as part of my family now? And then he married the sweet, Kevin and I have two of the best brothers-in-law that anyone can ask for.

IMG_2454
Kevin is the one who bought me a plane ticket to bring me down to visit. What a sweet thing. Thanks guys, it was the best!!

A whimsical mantel redo

fairies, family, flowers, guncles, Travel, vintage paper/collage art

IMG_2234
My Guncle weekend was just wonderful, as I knew it would be.  Kevin bought my plane ticket as a birthday gift to Randy, lucky, lucky me

It all went by too fast, we played all weekend, and got sillier as the days passed by.

IMG_2233
Jacksonville is great, but we were having too much fun to get out and explore. We stayed in the craft room, garden or kitchen except for a quick run to pick up more seafood to cook or craft supplies to work with.

We got a bunch of these little wooden birds at Michaels and foofed them up for part of a redecorating project we wanted to do.  This one is perched on a grapevine wreath that we turned into a nest for the display.

IMG_2218
When I arrived, the guys mentioned that they were ready for a mantel makeover.  Here is a Before shot of that corner.

IMG_2266
And Ta-da! Here is the whimsical after.  We turned the fireplace into a magical fairy land, by shopping around the house, arranging some silk flowers, and making a few little tidbits to add here and there.

IMG_2257
After taking everything down, so we could start from scratch, we decided to remove the fireplace screen too. The logs are wrapped in mini lights, and we perched fairies with red glass wings, and some other fun creatures inside, then tucked lots of greenery all around.

IMG_2241
Out in the garage, I found a couple of large, metal bread racks, one in this great red, the other with chippy white paint. We leaned these up against the ornate mirror that was hanging over the mantel, then started tucking things behind the racks and hanging other stuff on them.

  IMG_2255

Kevin just happened to find a big bagful of marble eggs at a garage sale that morning, and we nestled them all around, in mossy nests.  (we were pretending they were fairy eggs)

IMG_2239

He also found two of these old bird books, one we used for display, the other we greedily tore apart and made things out of in the craft room.

The guys had lots of fairies, elves, and sparkly creatures around the house and in the garden for us to add.

IMG_2249 I'd brought them a Nest banner that I'd made, and we hung it right in the center.

IMG_2231
At Christmas, Randy had made a glittering nest in this top hat, and for summer, we redid it with the little Fairy Frog Prince that I'd brought to him for his birthday.

IMG_2242
And this magnicficent art deco piece is a light fixture that Kevin found along the road in the trash!! Randy arranged some flowers in it, since it neede rewiring before we could turn it on.

IMG_2329
Yes, we know that its busy, and there is a lot going on. But to us, that just made it all that much more fun. More treasures to discover each time you looked through the display, more magic to enjoy.

Neither one of us really get "editing".

For me, it was such a blast to get to shop his house for all the goodies we used. And to do something so bright and playful, since my house is all pastels and creams.  Plus, I got to play with my baby bro, and there isn't much better than that!

 

Frog Princes and Guncles

fairies, family, guncles, how to's

IMG_2177
Have you seen the little papermache creatures at Michael's in the dollar bins?

IMG_2159

That is where I picked up this frog.  All he needed was a kiss to be turned into a Froggy Fairy Prince!  (well that, and some ephemera, glitter, glue, and a crown)

IMG_2172
The best part about him, though, is his eyes.  I had a vintage Easter bunny that Agnes Rosebud thought was hers to play with, so it was missing a couple of its not-so-lucky rabbit's feet. I popped the eyes out of it and added them to this frog after decoupaging it in old text. (I'll be watching out for trashed dolls at flea markets and garage sales just to harvest the eyes from.  Kind of creepy, but worth it, these eyeballs really made the whole project)

Next, I used pink chalk to make blush for his cheeks, and rosy up his tummy, and drew his grin with a brown marker.

Over that, he got a generous helping of clear glitter.

IMG_2174
I made his wings with the patterns I drew for the Mini Dress Form tutorial. (see, there are LOTS of things in the class that you will use for other stuff too, not just the dress forms!!)

To get the wings shaped the way I wanted them, I made two pair, back to back and sandwiched wire in between.  That way, I could bend them around like this.  I inked the edges of them and added glitter to the rims.  For dimension, I cut the top half of the set of wings off of the bottom half, then layered them on top of each other.

I also used a brown ink pad to accent the frog's body. Probably should have thought of that before the glitter instead of after, but it was still ok.

His crown is a snip of screen that I cut to fit, and added sparklies and millinery to, then glued on.

IMG_8733

This lil froggy guy will be winging his way to the Guncle's house with me.  I'm off to Florida to celebrate Guncle Randy's birthday. Sugarwings wanted to go too, but I told her I didn't have a plane ticket for her.

She said, that we could go to the movie theater, they sell tickets! Then she could come too. She loves visiting her Guncles (gay uncles) and the beautiful beach they live near.  Plus, she knows how fun those guys are.  I'll miss her, but this weekend is all planned for grown ups.  I promised to take her to the beach and to see the Guncles another time.

I'll be in heaven this weekend-

  • great food (they are the BEST cooks, and always have fresh seafood)
  • a weekend long craft-a-thon
  • champagne!
  • show tunes to sing along with
  • non-stop laughter
  • and the most beautiful fairy garden to sit in

(this was pre-posted, I am away from my computer right now, and all orders from my Boutique will be shipped out on Wed. the 29th.  I'll be reading comments, but might not get to answer them all. )

Umbrellas-ellas-ellas

family

IMG_2057 Now that my computer is back, she is still not quite feeling right.  She is functional and in good working order, she's just feeling confused and a bit lost. So many files are hidden away somewhere deep, and we can't seem to coax them out.

Like the last 6 months of our financial records.  And ALL of my Paper Cowgirls getaway pictures. Many of my files are all dumped into one big, lump, not broken down into files like they were before. I've spent about 6 hours just today trying to get organized.

IMG_2081
Its all been frustrating, and I am sure you are sick of hearing about it. Sorry. But you know, a computer really does become more than just an appliance in the home. It contains so much, that when things go wrong, its traumatic!

But, I'll stop whining and complaining. I think I'm pretty lucky that my stuff is still on it, just scrambled into new and unusual places.  I'll try to think of it as a treasure hunt as I find little tid bits of my life hidden away here and there.

IMG_2070
At Paper Cowgirls (which I am still hunting for pictures of) I had this wonderful drink at the Polka Dot Prom and have made it every day since I've been home.  Its club soda with lemon, a sprig of mint, and fresh strawberries. I've got a giant patch of mint growing right outside of my studio and its good to have a delicious use for it.

Cindy had made this drink for us in Texas, and I was so over heated and tired, that I just couldn't stop pounding them down. This concoction is so simple and refreshing!

IMG_2106
I made another version of it for company too- with fruit tea instead of soda.

We were going to have the boys over for Father's Day and the party blossomed to 23 people.  And it was such a pretty day, we all sat outside in the courtyard.  This little dumpling is so fun to watch eat.  I've never seen a baby who just eats 'real' food like she does.  Her parents have been feeding her what they eat themselves for months now, and she is happy with it all.  The other day, I saw her chomping on a radish.  At 7 mths old?

She likes peppers, and cucumbers, and anything else that is handed to her.  She is not picky and doesn't even eat baby food, or has anything chopped up for her.  I've learned a lot from watching these two parent her.  Most of what we think we have to do with our little ones is pure marketing from big companies.  A baby doesn't really need all the equipment and specialty items that we think we have to buy for them. 

IMG_2078
Before everyone came over to the dinner party, I foofed up this umbrella. I'd painted it years ago, and the paint faded. So I took a sharpie and outlined the flowers and leaves to make them stand out again. This umbrella used to be a dark, dark green, but I've had it 15 years and bought it used at a garage sale. Its faded out to a nice, soft no-color shade and  is holding up fine.  Newer ones that I bought aren't made as sturdy and have broken in some of our  harsh Kansas winds.

 Of course, if I were they type to remember to put them away for the winter, that could help.

The pink umbrella in the previous photo is from an estate sale this summer ($20), I hope it holds up. Its such a cheerful burst of color in the center of my courtyard.

IMG_2120
I hope your Father's Day was a good one too!

This was pre-posted while I am visiting the Guncles in Florida.  I'll be answering emails and if you sign up for the Mini Dress form tutorials, I will send you the password.  I'm sorry I won't be able to answer all comments, though, and all orders from the Boutique will be sent out on Wed. the 29th.

Scroll to Top