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More snow??? How could that be?? What about that global warming I was promised? This has been such a cold, never ending winter.

I decided to make my own spring time. I spent a day making spring themed nests and other things with birdy and fairy elements.wreath sold

A funny thing about this latest snow storm, the sun is shiny and bright between the flakes floating down. Actually, they aren’t floating, they are the big, fat, splatty flakes.

So, I was surprised that the light coming in my studio window was so pretty. I took advantage of it and photographed all the things I was making and listed them on Etsy.

I don’t even know how many things I have made or listed today, I am a MACHINE! Bam- one after another.

Do you ever have one of those days when everything just flows together as it should? When you seem to never run out of ideas and the work just keeps coming? I could use more days like this. 

This painted bowl is something I had made a while ago for an article in Paint magazine. (not today) It is actually a light fixture that used to be in Sugarwing’s room, but we had to add a ceiling fan in there instead because the upstairs was too stuffy for a baby to sleep in. I now use the fixture as a bowl on this gazing ball stand. 

These teacup nests weren’t made today either, but I listed them while I was adding all the other nesty type things to my Etsy shop. So, I can still feel productive about them, even though they were made earlier!  sold

A regular customer asked for more Peat Pot Pretties, so I made these and listed them as a hold for her. sold

Yesterday at Hobby Lobby, I bought a bag of tiny wooden eggs for 30% off of 99 cents, and painted them robin’s egg blue. 

It was pretty easy to do, I mixed up the paint color, rolled the eggs in it, then rolled them in glitter while they were still wet. 

By the time I was done glittering eggs, my fingers were 10 times their normal size, and looked like big old giant Smurf hands, but then Smurfs are teeny, so that might not be a good comparison.

But not everything makes sense. Do fairies actually have eggs?  And why does my blue bird have robin’s eggs?  (shoe with pink ribbons is sold)

This little painting is also something made earlier, that I finally got listed today. I added two of these rose portraits to my shop this morning. Or is it afternoon? This day is all running together at this point.  Maybe I should stop for nourishment.

roses on sheet music sold

I am so happy with my little Etsy store.  I know it is only  a "virtual" store but it feels real to me and I enjoy arranging things and adding things to it, just like I used to at the antique mall I sold from for years. Or from  the gallery gift shop I used to help run.

I just added another wallpaper folder (from the ones that Somerset Life is featuring in the Spring issue)sold

This one is still in the shop too, but the third one has sold already. (the green one has sold too)

What is that poem about sleet and snow and the post office? Anyway, I might be snowed in, but the mail arrived safely.

With gifts! Could this day get any better?  I read a few chapters in a really good book,  then had plenty of creative time, plus good light to take photos and list things to sale, I got an email from the Fabulous Fifi who might be interested in an idea I presented to her, talked on the phone to a couple of really good friends, and now presents????? 

What did I do to deserve such a good life? Plus, tomorrow, Sugarwings and I get to pick my husband up at the airport.  See, life is REALLY good.

My present was a OWOH giveaway that I won from Angie.  It comes with a delicious vanilla scent, that is just driving me crazy, it smells so good. Did I mention that I worked through lunch today?

I think I’ll take a lunch break then, will have time to do a bit more work before Survivor starts. Yep, tonight is Survivor.  This day is about as perfect as a day can be!! (well, if the Office was back, it could be better, but I have no complaints today) oh, I almost forgot that Idol is on too!  Wow, this day just gets better and better.  And LOST is on , how could I forget Lost??! I will have my bottom firmly parked in front of the TV all night!

(And that is about the only time that the words "firm" and "my bottom" will ever be used in the same sentence)

And don’t forget to come by on Monday for my tutorial on Birdhouse Bling!   I’ll be giving away a birdhouse that day and will have directions on how to go about making your own.

I have TWO bird house bling kits still left in my ETSY shop, I will try to make up some more by Monday.

Also, it isn’t too late to enter my St Pat’s wap.  All you do is send 2 tags to me by March 5th so I can get them mailed out to everyone by the holiday.

My little Sugarwings is such a Kansas girl! She made a perfect teeny Dorothy.

We had some of the nicest weather this year, seems like it usually rains or is chilly on Halloween.  

I hope the weather holds for next week in Omaha for SILVER BELLA!!!

I have my swaps done and ready to go.

I took my 12 glittering ATCs and packaged them up with some wallpaper and added the recipient’s names in glitter to vintage wallpaper tags embellished with millinery flowers.

I have 3 extra so I signed up for side swaps that weekend. I am open to ANY trade, so I hope I get some takers.

(NEXT DAY) EDIT- BETH TOLD ME HOW TO LOAD THE BANNER! I DID IT!!!!

I’ve been working on a new banner tonight, after the baby went to bed. (Yes I got to keep her overnight TWICE this week! and no, I am not getting any closer to being ready for my sale, or the TV shoot!)

I copied and added color with pastels and glitter to the sepia water color I did of my fairy grand baby.

Then I cut out a piece of vintage fairy wallpaper.

At first, I thought I’d be techy and do it all digitally, with the scanner, but I had to resort to scissors and glue after my dismal failure.

So I snipped and clipped and glued and glittered and made this.

I will pretend that my cottage is that castle!

Trouble is, now I can’t load it into a new banner.  Geez, what is so hard about it???? I seemed to have it resized correctly. but NO.

If Sugarwings is Dorothy, I must be the Scarecrow. I am brainless when it comes to changing banners, or adding buttons to my blog.

So, I give up for now. Its 1am and the baby will be up in about 6 hours and a grandmother needs plenty of sleep if she expects to keep up with a one year old. As if sleep is enough to keep me going when she is here! It requires heavy duty cafienne, running shoes, and a helper to hold her down when I change her pants. 

So I’m off to bed, after announcing October’s winner:

It’s a  fellow Bella!!! Jessi gets the choice of a vintage wallpaper and ephemera Cottage Collage Kit or a hand made item from the kit.

Thanks to all of you who commented and entered. I enjoy hearing from you and will be bribing for more comments in November. Every comment counts as an entry into the drawing.  I will make a custom Christmas ornament for November’s winner.

You know how I mention that I am crazy about Fairies?  Well, here is one I really love!  My Sissy has sprouted wings!! She makes a pretty fairy, doesn’t she? 

And we have some similar tastes, don’t we?

More pretties- I have been working on making slipcovers all morning (I do not sew well, this has been rough). I wouldn’t have survived this ordeal with out a blogging break. Glad I took some browsing time, because I saw that my friend, Beth, over at Gathering Dust, is having a blow out of a sale!

I got this pack of collage and scrap booking goods for only $3.  Hurry over, I am seeing some sold signs going up.  I went back to get the rhinestone pack and they were gone already.

The remarkably warm and summer-like weather is continuing here in Kansas, lucky for me. I was face painting at the 150th anniversary of Eudora, KS yesterday and it was lovely outside. 

Here are some of my clients.  They are sisters and are expecting a new baby in the family soon.  I think they need a redheaded sis to complete the set!

If you hear underground rumblings, it is my mom turning over in her grave. My mother was a perfectionist at the sewing machine.  She could make anything and make it spectacular. She used to make slipcovers for me, and they were always so nice.

I DO NOT sew well. I hate to sew.  But I love redoing my living room and the cheapest way is garage sale fabric turned into slipcovers. (the old French book will be wallpaper, doesn’t it look good with the fabric?)

I have a good start on it, and am now heading to make the pillows before Sugarwings comes to stay all night and no work gets done at all. Just playing a few hundred games of Peek-a-boo and reading some stories.

Here are hard learned tips for making slipcovers from a non-sewer:

1. Crying doesn’t help, if you get frustrated, take a break and go read blogs instead

2. It helps to pin things, even if you don’t think you need to

3. Stop and fit the piece to the cushion every once in a while. Don’t just keep going on, assuming it will fit.

4. Fabric stores do not sell bobbins ready to go, you have to spin your own, and clerks will look at you strangely when you ask where full bobbins are.

5. Magic fairies won’t come in and finish the work for you.  Although, if you don’t clean the craft table up well before you start laying out fabric, the glitter all over the material makes it look like you had help from some sprites.

I am at 191 entries, 200 is coming up soon! So, I will have a prize on the day I hit 200, I don’t know what the prize will be yet, but I’ll come up with something fun for you.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out with French phrases for my signs. I appreciate it.

And don’t forget, you enter my October giveaway each time you leave a comment.  It will be a custom creation this month, just for the winner.  I’ll come up with a questionnaire for you to answer so I can custom fit the prize. Hopefully better than I custom fit slipcovers.

As I was flipping through blogs and reading the 7 Weird Things so many bloggers have listed (I am as hooked on those as I am on American Idol), I came across a beautiful blog in a language I couldn’t read.  I left a comment anyway (I love to comment, if you have a blog, you might have noticed me, I always leave one, even if I have nothing really to say. I am a bit like that in conversations too).

Eva Agnes wrote back in English and was so nice and her phrasing is so cute.  She featured some of my work on her lovely pages, thanks, Eva!   http://evascountry.blogspot.com/  somehow, my pictures looked better on her site. I think it is her clean, Scandinavian style, I seem to clutter and gaudy things up on my blog by squeezing too much in.   

Last night was the Feast for the Boss that I have been cleaning my house for. Well, for that and for the Birthday Bash on Saturday, I am throwing myself a party then. I love to have two parties in one week, that way all the prep for the first one carries over to the 2nd! One cleaning takes care of it all.  If I waited a week for a 2nd party, my filth would all come sneaking back again.

Looks more like a ladies tea luncheon than dinner with the boss, doesn’t it?? I do like to set the table up pretty and will use any excuse. I’d never met him, hope he wasn’t overwhelmed by the rosey-girly-ness of the table. (the dark stuff on the tiny plate is balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dipping the bread, in the photo it just looks yucky, but it was really tasty and went great with the lasagna and raviolis). 

I love these dishes, and the fact that they are all different colors so I can set a mismatched table. I found the set at a thrift store for $5 a plate, and they still had $25 price tags from the department store they were originally from on the backs.

Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ gave me the cut glass wine glasses.  She gives me piles of stuff she doesn’t like, but knows I love.  Did I tell you she was a generous friend? You should go over to her house to do crafts, she has the best paper supply EVER and shares it.  I think she is selling some at her Etsy shop too, if you want to see her stuff, there is a link from her site.

The aqua compote that the bread is in was one of my flea market bargains from my rainy day at Sparks.  I got it for $2.

At Sparks I found this birdie vase too. I filled it with roses.  I hit the rose bonanza again at the grocery store, $1.99 a dozen!!  I bought 3 dozen and hope they will live through Saturday night too.  I have a few in each room, its so good to have fresh flowers around. especially bargain blooms.

The party went well, even though our basement flooded and I was down there in 12" of water  messing with the sump pump an hour before dinner. 

I’m comfortable with entertaining and don’t get thrown easily. Also, I treat everyone the same, they are all big shots here at the cottage.  But, I did go to a bit of extra trouble for the Boss’s Feast. You could tell it was a big evening because I

#1- fixed my hair

#2- wore shoes all night – inside my own house!

#3- served the plates instead of doing the meal buffet style like I usually do

I had the fairy grand baby all day before the party, but since I had made the lasagna and raviolis and set the table the night before, the party itself was pretty much on auto pilot. So, Sugar Wings and I went out to the studio. I gave her bottles of paint to play with and challenged myself to paint some roses in the short time I had before she got bored and needed me.  Here is what I did, in under 15 minutes. 

Back in Sparks, wonderful Sparks, on that rainy flea market day, I bought a giant set of vintage black tin containers for only $10.  I will paint the base color on most of them, but didn’t have time while Sugar Wings was "helping" me for this one.  Plus, doesn’t black make a pretty background for pink roses?  If anyone wants to buy it, email me, it is only $15.  I can sell things pretty reasonable because of my LIGHTENING SPEED.

So, this is my #9 in A ROSE A DAY FOR 10 DAYS IN MAY in honor of Caring Bloggers Rose Day, tomorrow. I will miss the rose a day!!

My Fairy Grand baby came by to spend the day and go to a birthday luncheon some best friends had for me.  I dressed her up in this vintage hanky dress that was a gift from one of them.

Which brings me to being "tagged".  I am supposed to tell you 7 weird things about myself.  I asked friends and family for their opinions on the subject, and got a lot of the same sort of answers about my choice of wardrobe.

This photo of Sugar Wings and I going to a party might explain the comments I got from everyone.  I got her all dressed up in a cute vintage dress, and I just wear my paint clothes. But I did put on lipstick, so that means, I am all dressed up! ( This photo was taken in my bedroom we are sitting in my favorite chair, it was only $34 at a junk store)

#1-Beth’s input on my weird habits is that I wear my paint clothes out with a mink coat.  (It gets cold in Kansas!!)

#2-My sister, Bobbie Sue’s comment was that she can’t believe I go to the store in my slippers. And paint clothes. With a mink on.

#3-My other sister, Sissy (Sharon Ann) mentioned my habit of pulling off the closest table cloth, wrapping it around myself like a shaw and doing fortune telling, while calling myself "Madame Karkina."

#4-My handsome husband, Rich, and my youngest son, (Sugar Wing’s dad) both told me it was weird that I talk to our dorkies. I said, everyone who has a dog talks to it, but they said, yes that is true, but not the way I do it.  Apparently, I talk to them a bit oddly? Mine involves long conversations and lots of singing with made up songs and rhymes.  And I am tone deaf. But the fairy grand baby and the puppy love it.

That isn’t quite 7 since most friends agreed with Bobbie and Beth about the wardrobe, so I’ll add a couple from me. 

#5-I turn 49 on May 5, but for the last few years, I have been telling people I am 54, so they think I look really good.

#6-Also, I never use recipes, and my meals never turn out the same twice, but I do have to say, I make a great soup out of anything that is in the fridge.  So good, that I won’t let my family eat any until they call me the "Queen of Soup".  Then, they are allowed to have some.

That is close enough to seven. this could get way too long if I list it all. I was tagged by http://natashaburns.blogspot.com/ Now, to pass it on:

Vickie at http://vickichrisman.blogspot.com/

** Beth at http://bethleintz.typepad.com/

** Carlene at http://carlenefederer.blogspot.com/

Poor little Sugar Wings might take after me a bit, look how messy her pretty dress ended up after we planted some flowers with Twinkle.

For my ROSE A DAY FOR 10 DAYS IN MAY- here is a pretty rose cup that Beth gave to me.  She used to be a shabby chic-er with me, but has switched to a more mellowed neutral booth at the mall and now gives me pink stuff she doesn’t want! She is always generous anyway, has the BEST studio stock of vintage papers and goodies and always shares.

Speaking of sharing- Here is another rose, this one is black and white transferware. I mosaic-ed a table top with this pattern and had some left over, so today it is a necklace.  And I want to share it with you.

This pendant is my birthday present to you tomorrow, when I pick an early prize (hey,its my contest, I can make the rules and pick prizes whenever I want!!)

Remember, any comment I have received since I started the contest has entered you. You can keep entering too. tomorrow I draw for this piece, but next week is the MAY BUCKET FULL OF TREATS!!

Wow, we had a long, and lovely, but damp, day at the flea market in Sparks and White Cloud.  Both towns were not full like they usually are due to the drizzle, but there was enough loot out to make it worth the trek to get there.  Plus, it is an Event- with a capital E- for Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/) and I twice a year.

It was Twinkle’s first Flea Mkt and she was pretty popular.  Beth and I decided we needed to hang a sign that said "Twinkle/ Girl/ 3mths old/ Dorkie/6 lbs when grown" because EVERYONE wanted to know.

She made some friends, and besides peeing on Beth once, and barfing on me three times (her first big car trip didn’t agree with her), I think she liked the day.

We didn’t buy much, only had to unload our carts once all day!  Normally, we will make 3 or 4 trips to the car to empty out so we can refill.

I got this oval frame (to paint white and put a rose painting into), this pink bird vase, and a sparkly K. I tied the K onto my azalea pink shopping cart for the day.  Now that I have it home, I’m not sure where I’ll need to use it, but do know that there is an important spot waiting for it somewhere.

A green bucket with just the right amount of rust, and a nice little box came home with me too.

My highlight of the day was finding jewels for $3 a scoop.  I spent 20 minutes hand picking just the right ones to put into my scoop!  It was a treasure hunt, digging through the bucket of plastic beads, broken bits and made in china crap to find enough delightful sparkles to fill a scoop.  I don’t think, that even if I had enough time, I could have filled a 2nd scoop, the pickins were slim.  I got all the ones that spoke to me.  ( I did have the  permission of the proprietor to hand pick, she didn’t mind at all.  I think she was just happy that someone was shopping during the rain) 

My biggest surprise of the day, is that I didnt’ buy a single thing with a rose on it!!  Unusual for me.  So, for Day #3 in my ROSE FOR A DAY FOR 10 DAYS IN MAY in honor of Caring Blogger’s Rose Day on May 10th- here is an oil painting I did a couple years ago of some white roses.  (I saw a vintage painting in a book and stole the look,repainted it for myself, I’m afraid. – Hope I didn’t infringe on any copyrights!)

Happy May Day! check out all the pretty May Baskets at: http://www.artsymama.blogspot.com/.  She planned and arranged this fun swap.  I am enjoying my May Basket swap gift from Karin at: http://www.creativechaos.typepad.com/.  Karin was thoughtful to include tiny canvases for me to paint, so here is my May Day painting of roses in a basket to go along with the theme!  Next to it, is the lovely basket (box) she made for me, I am using it as a center piece on my studio dining room table. (I am lucky enough to have a giant studio, divided up into areas for multi functions!!!)

The rest of my studio doesn’t look as nice…. Thats what happens when I work on jewelry, paintings, charms, and who knows what all at the same time. 

Whats in the pink bag under the work table at my feet?

Twinkle is using her carry bag as a doggy bed.  She must think it is pretty cozy.  I hope she cooperates this well on Thursday when I go to Sparks and White Cloud for the giant annual flea market and take her along in this bag!!

This is a close up of my painting.  It is on my gifted canvas, and is painted with acrylic craft paints.  One trick I use with acrylic paint, is to paint in layers, blow drying in between and adding clear coats of polycryllic.  After it was done, I coated it with crackle glaze to age it, and covered that with a light coat of umber paint.  Over that went more clear coat.  I’d say it took me a couple of hours to do, thank goodness for blow dryers, or I’d go crazy waiting for things to dry!  I get impatient and just want to get it done!!  Of course, I never have a blow dryer in the house, it is always out in the studio. Explains why you don’t see ME in these photos.

If anyone is interested, the May Basket painting is $45.00

Well, it wouldn’t be May Day without a fairy flitting by, would it?

Here is a mixed media, tiny little painting I did.  She is in a 5×7 mat that I painted and sparkled up to match. 

This is day #1 of my 10 days of roses in honor of

http://brittarnhildshouseinthewoods.typepad.com/brittarnhilds_house_in_th/

and her Caring Bloggers Rose Day on May 10.  I will be posting a rose a day till then.

And please, keep entering my May Bucket giveaway!  I make an entry for you with every comment you leave. Some of you who have had trouble leaving comments, I have entered you when you email me. 

Here is a reminder of why you should enter!

By the way- I found a Pretty Hat to use for the drawing (as per #7, if you read the rules posted April 16th).

Lucinda, my jewelry lady, is modeling the hat now.  Of course, if she had a lick of sense, she’d be modeling the jewelry I am supposed to have ready for the art show on Sunday. Not too many pieces are hanging on her, are they??

Beth has a lot ready for Art in the Park, and has been showing it on her blog: http://bethleintz.typepad.com/

She is way ahead of me.

I was looking at the pictures of Beth Leintz’s collections on her blog:

http://bethleintz.typepad.com

  I have seen her home, and this is just a small taste of the enviable things she collects.  She really has an eye for the unique.  Beth was showing the photos because she saw the call for collections by Michelle Ward’s blog at: http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/

  So, I checked out Michelle.  Loved her hand assortment the best, but had a hankering for the Pierrot figures.  Mostly I was glad to find a site I enjoy looking at.

Time can sure go by quickly clicking from one blog to the next.  There is a wonderful network of art work and interesting things out there that I never would have known about without all the connections from one to the other. 

Here is my contribution to the obsessions, I mean collections.  You might have noticed, I kind of like Fairies.  Also am wild about roses.  I am always on the look out for any little fairy creature, preferably vintage, but not necessarily.  I mix the little winged beauties in with my dishes in the china cabinet along with porcelain or china roses .

Karla and Karla’s computer are a little under the weather, but Karla plans to be back on line by Mar 12, so please check back then.

This week, I had out my fabric dyes and treated a hand made scarf by my friend, Beth, to some springlike colors.  We have listed it as a group project to sell on Etsy.  If you’d like to check it out, click on this.

hand dyed hand knitted scarf

I seem to have issues with spilling things on my favorite shirts and ruining them.  I have figured out a way to fix the problem with fiber reactive dyes.  When I have my dye mess out for an art project, I’ll grab a ruined shirt and doctor it up.  Here are two pink ones that suffered through coffee dribbles, but are now wearable again.

You can tell by the look of my studio mess, that I need to get as much done as I can while it is all spread out on the tables.  Not something I pull out every day, it kind of takes over!