Three year blogaversary at Trash to Treasure

You just have to visit Trash to Treasure, Lynn is having a wonderful generous giveaway. Check it out http://trashtotreasureart.blogspot.com/2011/11/three-year-blogaversary-giveaway.html . She is so talented, enjoy your visit. Blessings~Barb

The Cat and the Cake

A friend at work told of how she had decorated a layer cake for her daughters birthday. The family was enjoying the get together outside while a cat was eating the pretty fushia frosting flowers! The mom was upset that all her work on the pretty cake was ruined. But when she tells the story you just can't help but laugh.
I found a neat Vintage Cake taker at a second hand shop.... added some rubons and sprayed them with sealer. It was fun and she was so surprised when I gave it to her.

My fall artsy roadtrip full of happenstance!

 I  and my artsy friend Jane went on a Roadtrip to check out an art shop in Hastings, Mn.
 Friday October 14th!
 The day turned sunny and was full of surprises.
 I had heard about this shop from an artist I met briefly in Rochester.  " Betsy " and I  had exchanged emails and I sent her a message that I was going to take a fall drive and would like her to contact me of where her shop was and of where a good place to eat would be for my friend and I.
 I did not here from her ( she had been ill, that is why I did not hear from her ) but headed off to the two hour or so journey to Hastings, I or Jane had not been there before.
The minute we drove into town we saw a sign for tour times for the LeDuc Historic Estate.... If you ever go to Hastings it is a must to see.
It is so hard to write in a blog post of all the happenstance of the day, but after touring Estate we headed to the downtown area because all I knew is the shop was on second street. We drove down second and did not see the shop but did see a garage sale sign that said fishing, scrapbooking and kids stuff on it. Well we  had to stop at the garage sale and out from the house came " Betsy"!

That was the first of many happenstance moments of the day! We ended up with another  beautiful house and garden tour, great finds at the garage sale, getting to shop at the store when closed and under remodeling!
Best of all two new, very kind Artsy friends, Betsy and Anne..... they made our day!


  Here are a few pics of
fall at the LeDuc Estate.

                                                   Please do not copy my pictures, thank you.

                                                      Please do not copy my pictures, thank you.

    Please do not copy my pictures, thank you.

Fun Lizard Wiz

I am always trying to think up something new for my shop and this is my newest creation.
I used a dry stalk from a flower that I have planted in my yard!
See a seamstress smile using this funky tool.

Do you need a lizard in your sewing basket?

Fall Road Trip

 I made my first Treasury on Etsy to promote other shops... It was a fun Road Trip just looking for Fall items I like on Etsy.

Digging for Treasure!

 My hubby likes to go metal detecting but seems he never gets the chance.  Today was a beautiful warm sunny day, we went out digging for about 40 minutes. He found his first arrowhead, I found a tooth! Here is a picture of everything we dug up lots of pieces of glass and nails. We found an interesting clay item with a date on it.... all I can guess is that its a cap to an old clay bottle, we think from 1860's?

Miss Margaret, my first girl I made from the on-line workshop I am taking.

 She was fun to create..... I used old book paper to make her body....on her neck and  face when I got all done, I noticed the print reads " Miss Margaret"!  I like her.

Blessings from the Garden

It is like a piece of art to see jars of my garden produce in the pantry. Each year I try to find something or some different way to can from the garden.

This year it is Marinated Roasted Peppers... only got two small jars and I have no idea how they will taste! I planted Cherry Pick sweet peppers. I will plant more next year if they taste as good as they look.

Bells of Ireland

Just had to show a close-up,
 too bad I can't send the fragrance!

Garden Blessings

I have wonderful weather since on vacation.... just doing things around home... It was a Dreamy day.

 I found this tag while cleaning in my pantry..." I wonder how it got in there! I am getting ready to stock the pantry with my canning goodies from this year... The tomatoes I will can today.

 I plan to make my Sloppy Joe condiment sauce and hopefully will have time to make a batch of Ketchup.....it cooks down to this wonderful deep Ruby color.


On my table my favorite flowers from my garden, Bells of Ireland, they have a spicey fragrance that I just love.  It is hard to believe that my favorite flower is just green!
  Yes , wonderful tomatoes from my garden, a delightful  sunny day, and I do have a grateful heart!

I gave my mother-in-law a gift certificate for an " Afternoon of Art" for her 85th Birthday. Yesterday was a picture perfect September Day in Minnesota. Here is a picture of Beatrice with the Visual Stash Journal she made.

My computer is still in the shop!

I have missed blogging and loading more items on my Etsy shop.. I have not been able to check out my blogs I love to visit. All is well with me, but not my computer.  I will be back to blogging hopefully soon.

Art journaling class

I  had given my nieces daughter a gift card for Christmas. It was for an " afternoon of art" making a artsy stash Journal. On Saturday, July 2nd  Dharma age 10 was able to come to play. She brought her cousin Faith  age 9. We had  a lot of fun, and got so busy I did not get pictures of the finished journals, Dharma's mom made one also. I did take some pictures of my creative studio before they came. It was fun to have the table ready, and to see the look on Dharmas face when she entered the room!

 All three of the journals turned out so cute.  As they buckled in the car for their ride home... they got there journals out to look at again!

 A picture of my desk, all cleaned ready for company.

My Delphiniums inside and outside!

July in my garden and my studio room! I just love the color of blue these delphiniums are. I stenciled this piece years ago, it works so well as storage for my wool fabrics and such in my art studio. I love the contrast of the blue and white of my fence in my flower bed also.

Sorry I have not posted lately.

I have been having problems with my computer and it is in the shop.  Have been picking flowers and am amazed at how everything is growing so fast. I hope to be up and running with my computer soon.  blessings~barb

Pretty perennial

   It is always a nice surprise when a perennial that you planted the year before survives the winter and is just so delightful!

 Facts:Verbascum phoeniceum (also called purple mullein)

Short lived herbaceous perennial grown for spires

of flowers in pink, purple and white.

Good for mixed borders and wildlife gardens

 

Our first Piebald fawn!

My hubby raises deer, this is our first piebald fawn.... isn't she adorable.

Visit Melissa at Creating from the heart!

I have followed Melissa's blog for some time... she is having a great give away! Check it out.

Paper Craft Pleasures

 Visit Jan, she has a wonderful blog and has a very sweet give away. It will be worth your visit. See her link on my sidebar. Have a great day! Blessings~Barb

Get well card

 Made a get well card for a friend from church. He had surgery and was told he may not be comfortable sitting  for a week.... could stand or lay down. I bet any chair would look good to you after a week of that.

 

I have had this chair stamp for years. I just purchased the die cut that matches it. I am having so much fun with my Big Shot Sizzix.

Mini Album

  This is entered for the Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes!


 Plus, Srapbook.com was having a challenge, this is the first I have done there.
  You were to make a mini album about yourself.
 In gathering the garbage to take out,I came upon the potato chip box and that was the inspiration.

 I decided I would make a little album of tags, using my Sizzix to cut the tags from the potato chip box... It was fun.
I have both the big sides of the box for more die cutting.

Look at the change in one week!

It turned from cold and dreary to hot and humid! We'll for a little while that was, now it is rainy and 45. This picture was taken on Thursday May 12th. I can't believe how everything grew so much in a few days! Just compare this to my last post of the Memory Shade Garden. Last week you couldn't even tell there are ferns!

I took a close up of the tulip. I just love seeing the inside of them....didn't even notice the bee until I loaded the pics on my computer.

Memory Shade Garden

 My Mom was a Master Gardener. When she passed away some of my friends I worked with gave me a gift certificate to a nursery and told me to buy something for myself. I purchased this garden statue.

In this shade garden is a Double Bloodroot that one of my sisters recieved from my Mom and my Sis was told they were rare. She dug part of hers and gave it to me.

American native double form that was discovered in Michigan and some people believe it to be the most beautiful of all wildflowers.

Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Multiplex’

I also have a single Bloodroot that I moved from our woods to another of my shade gardens... they are one of the first things to come up in the spring. The  blossom doesn't last long but their beautiful leaves do.

Sanguinaria canadensis

(Bloodroot)

To Nola

 Hi Nola,

 My Artsy ~ Etsy ~  friend with a wonderful imagination.

Here is your one flower in a vase.

 Just sending you a smile!

  I don't collect angels, I just have this grouping of three...

I just couldn't leave the aligator one in the store!

 Have a great day.

May feels like March

Its cold here in Southeastern Minnesota! I have been waiting for some tulips to come up, but none yet. I am so anxious to pick some.

My first flowers of the season, I put in a vase for my in-laws wedding aniversary.

I just love to pick flowers and give them to others.

6 am Easter Sunrise

We have a cross at church for Easter, that on Good Friday is draped in black. The cross was made from the trunk of one of the large trees we had donated from a members property years ago.
Years ago a family would have a Florist shop do fresh flowers,  in memory of there parents, for Easter Sunrise. When that came to an end, the cross seemed so bare at our Sunrise service I decided I would give it a try. Very few people in our church knows who has done this. I don't care to have credit in the bulletin.
My dear hubby helped figure out how to attach it to the cross. I was concerned about the cost of the flowers but a friend and fellow member wanted to donate towards the flowers. I had run into her at one of many supermarkets in a large town 30 miles from where we live. We chatted at the market last year, I told her I was going to try to put fresh flowers on the cross and was checking out the floral shops. 
 This year when I talked with my hubby about doing the flowers again, he said not to ask my friend to donate...... but our Lord must have had other plans because mid week before Easter I was in a different supermarket in the city and who do you think I found when shopping! Yes the same friend and the first thing she said was can I give you money to help with the flowers. What a blessing!


This picture is on Easter.

  This picture is the next Sunday, which was  our Confirmation sevice.  Last year they lasted three Sundays.

  

Erosion Art Bundle 2011

 Yes I took my bundle down on my birthday, April 29th. This was the first bundle I have done.... Was a little disappointed, think I may have wrapped things too tight. The coffee grounds I sprinkled on did not seem to run and stain like I thought they would. I will keep what I like and make a   Erosion work of Art to show

in August... wish me luck.

MORE SNOW!!!!!

 Woke up to winter white this morning. Last Saturday night into Sunday morning we had a grand electrical storm and I knew it would green up the grass. It got to 80 last Sunday and this Saturday it is 34 at mid day and covered in white AGAIN!

 As you see in the pic my Erosion Bundle is still out in the weather. I placed it in January and your to bring it in sometime in April. I plan on fetching it on my birthday later this month..

If you wonder what the Erosion Bundle is all about here is the link

http://erosionbundles.blogspot.com/