It's a start

Just under two weeks of school left for me which means... yard sales, geraniums and gardens!!!!

It's always an exciting time when I bring home my geraniums from my classroom that I winterize in front of a huge window. I love my classroom!

                 ( there are 5 more of these pots still at school!)

 I use the flowers to teach kids about photosynthesis, annuals/perennials etc. Some of my geraniums are 5 years old, huge, and start to bloom at the end of April! A nice surprise when it is still freezing out!

Even though I keep many of my geraniums year after year, I can always make room for more!

$0.50 garden embroidery at a yard sale already!

filling containers...

New and improved sheshed,

There are a lot of new editions to the homestead already.

New entry way to my veggie/flower garden.

Apples to apples! Our trees are doing well! (hubbies project)

Iris from my son for Mother's day!

Tis' the season for fresh cut flowers!

Filling more containers!

Let the fun begin!! Enjoy! 

Seeing Spring Red!

Happy Spring! It occurred to me while compiling these pictures, that I must be seeing RED! On the outside especially.

The interior of my home is mainly blues, whites, and grays. 

Not the case outdoors!

I painted my sheshed RED! Although I think I had more on my clothes and in my hair than on the shed! But it was worth it!

Our land is great for gathering natural elements in the Spring. I'm loving the red background.

This was a fun little project with vine and sticks!

Soon, the garden season will be in full swing! I'm sure I will be adding more red, starting with the red iris my son bought me for Mother's Day! 

RED-Y for Spring?

Spring is finally here.

Spring is finally here! Seeds have started,

Garden turned over,

Forsythia everywhere!

Our Koi have survived another Winter, Yippee!! 

Not many words this post,

Working outside a lot! Get out there, and Happy Spring!

How to reupholster a chair from Good Will?

Well, when shopping with friends this week I came across two goodwill chairs for $6.00 a piece! We started there before heading to HomeGoods after lunch. Treasure hunting...

Yes, that's vinyl. Which apparently is making a come back , according to the prices on Ebay and Etsy. One of my friends spotted both pieces behind some larger furniture. I missed them. I was just going to upcycle a stool ( seemed much easier).

After our ladies lunch, that same friend suggested that we look at drapes to cover the chairs. Definitely a more inexpensive way to go. Some fabrics by the yard can really add up. With the help from the four ladies, we decided on this one. 

After a trip to JoAnne Fabrics with my teenage son who was so bored on this rainy day that he chose to tag along with me to buy batting and upholstery nails. ( Love that kid!)

And off I went...

Upholstery nails are amazing! They made this job so easy! I actually prefer the way the back of the chair looks more than the front.

After tacking the back, painting the legs gray, I was getting close to being done.

Had to throw in another picture of the one that's left. Sorry mid-century mod lovers... 

Not my style :( 

Vinyl that is.

What I fun project. I went antiquing with a different friend the day after purchasing these and found some inspiration at some really quaint shops. Cheers to creativity and great friends. Now, where am I going to put these?? 

No School!

Waiting anxiously at 5:47 AM, repeatedly checking websites, watching every other school in the area close, then... Poof! My school is flashed on the screen. Phew, no school due to icy roads. 

Heard of the February Funk? Yes, I believe I'm feeling it. This cancellation was a nice break! Weather wise, this past week was a rough one. Walking around some local nurseries with my husband helped this weekend when it was a high of maybe  -16 degrees. 

Buying my new transferware set at one of my favorite shops in town has also helped with the funk.

I bought this beautiful set for just $40! I have always wanted a set. It came with many more pieces than shown here. Now today I have some time to find a nice place to display it.

Another cure for the February funk is flowers!

My indoor plants are doing well. My geraniums that I bring indoors are happy. 

African violets too.

I'm going to enjoy this surprise day off to the fullest. And remember that Spring is on the way! Soon it will be time to start some seeds! 

Searching for Flowers

Okay, It's February and I am ready to play in the dirt outside! I want my gardens back! So what do I do in the meantime?? 

Projects, buy flowers/plants, antique, flea market shop, garden books, garden magazines, walk around nurseries, you name it until it's warm enough to work outside!

Sure, painted flowers are just as nice I guess... (My winter painting inspiration) Break out the oil paints! I saw this print in a magazine, thought I would have some fun. 

Paint and sips help. A little Artie Shaw radio on Pandora on a cold Winter night. This is still a work in progress. Oil paints, for me take many layers. Notice the real flowers always near by!

Spring? Are you there?

Soon? Maybe?

I'll keep dreaming, I guess. 

No offense Winter, but I think I am over you. :)

Glass Mosaic

It's almost February and the seed catalogs are starting to come in and I look for ways to make the indoors "Springier" even though up here we're not even CLOSE!

I probably spend way too much money on flowers, indoor plants, cloches, and vintage finds (not to mention I run out of space for it all) in the winter.

I know I definitely spend way too much time on Pinterest. However, I am a sucker for a fun winter project.  This one was fun, easy and I can't wait to hang it outside!

I started with an old window found at one of my favorite vintage shops near my work. You need a good waterproof sealant and floral glass beads.

Have a design in mind...

I think I'd like to get into using some real mosaic art materials. Hmmmm,

Stay tuned, this was fun!