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The nametags for my Birdsongs are always handmade.  I try to do something different each year and hope that the nametags are "collectables" that can be added to art journals or scrapbooks.

This year, I wanted to do something even more elaborate and searched for cameos with birds on them.  

The ones I found were a nice variety.  But I thought they were too white, so I used a dark oak stain over them and wiped it off for an antiqued effect.

The backs have the name, date, and of course some glitter.

Guncle Randy and Terry got a steam punk version since they aren't into the foof like I am.

I've used lace to trim the name tag itself and to hang it like a necklace.  But in case the Peeps would prefer pins, I have a package of pinbacks ready to add if the dangling piece bothers them.

I think they look much nicer with the antiquing.  I plan on wearing mine as a necklace on a silver chain after the party is over.

 

Do you have any idea how lucky I feel to have so many ladies (and a Guncle) join me in Kansas for our gathering???

It means so much to me that we have a great turn out, and that guests fly in from all over to come and play with paper, glue, and beads with us.  I've got family and friends who come to help, talented and fun loving teachers, and the best bunch of students I could ever ask for.

I know that there are many art and craft events to chose from, and I appreciate that my guests keep coming back to the cottage for our Birdsong traditions.  Thanks, Peeps!

Mountain scenery is so inspiring that I have done nothing but paint since I have been home.

This one is a congloboration of something we drove by in Colorado, memories of another trip there, and the wildflowers we saw on our long hike.  So, it is kinda pulled from my brain, which really is a tough way to paint, I'm happier working from a photo.

I always start with the sky and background then work forward.

Next, brighten and add detail.

Then the foreground.

I love working with acrylic paint, it is easy to make changes and cover up mistakes.  This was partially watercolor too, I have a million tubes of watercolor, and used some of those to tint my acrylics.  I don't really know if that is an acceptable practice, but it worked for me.

I added the rocks at the last minute because the flowers needed something.  Plus, I was near Boulder, so thought a few boulders would be appropriate.  

Tiny boulders.

Recently, I gave my husband's office a spiffing up.  

Rich travels a lot for business, but when not on the road, he works from the room above my studio.  It is trimmed out in wood salvaged when we had to tear down our 100 year old barn, and I'd had an accent wall painted this bittersweet color.  

Which looked fine with this leather sofa and pool table, but those moved on to other places and he now has new furniture and has exchanged the pool table for gym equipment.

Once he picked out this charcoal sectional, I couldn't stop thinking of Halloween every time I came into the room when I saw it with the orangish wall.  (I preferred the leather sofa, but it is his room and he wanted a giant TV with a series of recliners built into a sofa).

The orangey wall was getting dinged up, with glaring white drywall showing through. It had been time to repaint a long time ago, but was never convenient. Because I wanted to do it while he was away so I wouldn't bother him at work, and also, he had to move everything out of the way for me, printers and charts, and other work stuff that I didn't want to mess with.

(This picture is of the barn wood wall, that my son put up when our barn came down, the rusty sign is from Rich's grandfather's old filling station.)

Eventually, our schedules meshed, he got the stuff out of the way, I got to painting on it. Two hours later, I was done.  Why wait years to get around to doing a two hour job????

The room is much fresher and brighter now, with no lingering Halloween goblin feel.

I also redid his pictures, put all of the work related things behind the desk, and did a big gallery wall grouping in rustic frames as the main focus when you walk into the room.  All the pictures are from happy moments in our lives, not just school pictures or formal shots. That theme went well with the farm house feel of the space.

Each picture tells a story of a special day.

I'd already had a few pictures hung up in there, but didn't have a complete set of matching frames.  And they'd  not been hung well, were kinda wonky and often tilted. This time, I made sure I had the right hardware to hang with, and I think I'll pick up some of that sticky stuff to put behind each one to keep it from sliding sideways.  That hasn't been done yet, so they do tend to drift a tad for now.

These frames are all from Hobby Lobby. Most are the same style in different sizes, but I mixed it up a bit, used some of the washboard metal and different rustic woods.

I started by hanging the biggest across the top, from the center of the wall and out. Then added smaller frames around them until I had the collaged look that I wanted.  Some of them might have three or four nail holes behind them…..not a process for anyone with OCD, my grouping isn't measured or accurately spaced.  

My son, Ryan, suggested it needed a banner. I had this old panel in the garage, but my hoarder fearing husband had "tidied up" the space and thrown it away. Luckily, I found it in the bonfire pit, that hadn't been lit yet, and was able to save it to paint on.  I wrote:

"Family, Together Forever"

 

 from a little ditty he sings with the grandfairies. (although, if he keeps throwing away things I have gathered up to save for projects, he will be lucky to have a family at all, right???!!)

The room is far from perfect, we still have the pool table lights hanging above the couch, which looks odd, and I can't convince Rich, to replace the carpet with wooden floors.  But he loves the room, with its gym equipment, big TV, and lots of open space to do yoga or for the grand fairies to play in while he works.  It's a comfy room when we have a big group, and while I think the sectional is… uhm… well, I guess I won't say "ugly", it is nice and soft and seats a lot of people.  

I like it a lot more now that the Halloween vibe is gone, and am kicking myself for waiting so long to exorcise those ghouls!

 

 

This is a rare sight around here.  All of our dogs aren't exactly friends. I've made a big effort to get them to form a pack after realizing that it was probably my own fault that they didn't get along. We had three yorkies, and I liked small, non-shedding dogs.  We'd had big, goldens before, but they were outside, farm dogs.  When we got Honey, I resented her hairiness and her destructive puppy qualities.

I think that Twinkle took my lead and resented her too.

These guys aren't exactly perfect themselves.  They might not shed, but Twinks can sure scrape the paint off of a door if she sees a rain cloud and is outside wanting in.  They all can pee on the floor at random times too, sometimes right next to the doggie door that they could walk through to do it outside instead.

So, it wasn't really fair of me to resent Honey, she wasn't any worse than the rest of the dogs. Her shedding certainly wasn't her fault.

And she has outgrown doing things like eating the siding off the house and emptying all of my flower pots to wear on her head as she runs around the yard spilling dirt and plants.

She is past her puppy stage, and is smart as can be, always listens.   

So, we are working on it.  I'm doing everything I can to make them into a pack before the pups are born.

 If they are coming, they are due May 7th.  She had a false pregnancy last time she went into heat, without being near a male, and this time we bred her to a poodle to create Golden Doodles.  I don't know if this is another false pregnancy, I'm ready to be there as her midwife if it isn't.  

I'll let you know if there are babies! Keep your fingers crossed.

We won't be at the parade today, I'm taking the Grand Fairies to Disney World!!! Then, Dewdrop will have a week with her mommy and Sugarwings will be at the beach with my husband and I.  

I've pre-posted on my blog for the next week, so please do come by and visit while I am away. 

Any Boutique orders while I am away, will be shipped on March 28th.  Thanks for your patience!

 

 

The construction was delayed. Then delayed again. That was after we ripped out the deck and were at the point of no return.

After years of dealing with mole holes, weeds, and chair legs that sank into the mud when someone tried to sit down, I was ready for a concrete pad, and thought I started the process plenty early to get it finished before Birdsong.  

Finally, weeks later than I had thought it would be, the digging began.

I was thrilled to get it started, but it was just a little more than a week before the party!  Thunderstorms were forecasted every single day. And now NONE of the yard was usable.

Luckily, the storms held off and in just a couple of days, the whole thing was done.

The guys we hired were just wonderful. Friendly, helpful, fast, and good at what they did.  Matt helped Sugarwings put her hand print in the wet cement.

Dewdrop was a little shy and wanted me to help her.

I did some imprinting in wet cement myself.

Once the guys were done, then our work began. 

AT&T and Directtv had moved the wires that used to be under the wooden deck. Those had to be cammofluaged with white paint.  While I was at it,  I scraped and repainted the walls from about 3' up, then went all the way around the whole house, scraping and touching up where needed. I've found that patchwork painting keeps the peeling under control and we can go much longer between paint jobs. 

We also needed a retaining wall to make a transition between the levels.

Not to mention all the landscaping and clean up that had to be done.  Plus the intire house needed a power wash to get all the concrete dust off, from where the guys had to use a saw to cut out old cement.

 

Jo Packham offered me a couple of extra copies of Where Women Create to share.  I have a giveaway on Facebook for one, and am giving another away here. 

Please leave a comment on THIS POST if you are interested. And feel free to sign up in both places. Thanks!