Garden Cupola

I was enthralled by a post that I saw on the blog "Forever Decorating" by Terry. She is an amazing talent. I think she can almost do anything! I admired a cupola that she and her good-looking handyman created for her yard. I decided that my husband could help me make a similar one for my garden.

I found four old windows on Craig's List and drove a few miles to get them. I ended-up with ten windows - thinking that there could be some other creations down the line. It is so cute!

I placed a fairy and some succulents inside.

Quite a neat addition to my shade garden. Thanks, Terry, for the idea!

Coffee Sacks

We went to visit our son in Kansas City a week ago and visited the Coffee Roasterrie there. We took a tour and did some coffee tasting. They also said we could have as many coffee bean sacks as we wanted. I love all the graphics on the sacks and I'm loving burlap right now so I picked up 5 sacks. A friend asked me what I planned for them....well, here's what I did with one of them. DH said that he thought it would be too "scratchy" to sit on - so I told him to not sit on it with his bare behind - problem solved. 4 more to use - I know there will probably be a pillow or two from them. Possibly more burlap experiences to have! I'm hooking up to Nifty Thrifty Tuesday. Go check out all the other things to do very CHEAPLY!

Burlap

I love all the burlap I'm seeing out there. I did see "someone" on one of the blogs add a strip of burlap to a lamp shade. I liked it and decided I'd do that too. I pulled threads on all sides and a strip in the middle to weave my ribbon through.

It reminds me of a lady's hat from the 50s. I want to do more with burlap. Please visit My Romantic Home where Cindy shares all kinds of ideas on Show and Tell Friday.

Crafting a Planter

I copied an idea I saw in a magazine (I think). I thought it was a cute planter idea. I was originally going to place a real plant in it but decided watering it and the damage water could do wasn't such a great idea. So, a fake ivy was the best I could do with what I had.

This arrangement is in my sunroom.

I bought 2 books that I had no interest in reading at the local Thrift Shop. I glued them together by their covers. My husband drilled a 3 1/2" hole through them both. I recycled a sour cream container to fit inside it. I placed florist foam in the container and stuck my ivy in there. Planter completed.

Check Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch for some really great ideas for making changes in your home.

Hankie Display

I saw this idea in a magazine - not sure which one - but, they used an old spoon collection board to display old hankies. I had no spoon collection board so I was on "the watch" for that to use to display the old hankies I have. At an antique store last weekend I found one. I bought it and brought it home - sanded and painted it white.

Now, it displays some of the old hankies I've collected over the years. I thought it was a cute idea. I mentioned to the antique store owner and she also thought it was a really cute idea. I should send her pics of it! I'm sharing today over at Cindy's at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday. Check the hundreds of other ideas on her blog!

Valentine Thought

Have pulled-out the Valentine decorations but wanted to add something new for this year. Heather Bullard has placed some great free downloadable prints on her blog and I used one. The French phrase says "The risk of love is simply love." I added some scrapbooking paper, a cutout heart, a pink (antiqued) frame and some tulle for a hanger.

Thinkin' about Valentine's Day!

Small Spaces - Big Uses

So much wasted space between walls of rooms!! What to do with short little walls that have that wasted space behind them......I figured it out. I had DH take out sheet rock and create a plate rack on the short wall leading into our kitchen from the back door.

It can hold cookbooks........

...or it can hold plates. We're in the middle of a kitchen remodel so timing was right to to do it. We used that type of space in a bathroom once and created a medicine cabinet with sliding mirrors and it turned out great too. Be creative with those forgotten spaces!

Back Again!

After a long break from blogging, I've returned. My summer was a difficult one as I lost my mother and spent the summer spending alot of my time caring for her during her last days.

Once you're out of the habit of blogging, it's very easy to just "not do it". I've missed doing it. I do have to say though that I continued to check out all the other blogs out there.

It's winter here in Kansas. We had our first big snow here today. We have accumulated 4 inches of snow. It has stopped but the cold will continue.

I find it hard to put all the Christmas decorations away completely so I usually don't and use "snow" for my theme. The mantle received the "tree" treatment along with some snow. It's been kind of fun to search out trees on clearance tables as well as pulling trees out from my Christmas decorations.

Enjoy pics of our Kansas snow and be glad you're not experiencing the temperatures! Glad to be back!