busy

I can't believe I have not posted for over a month! We have such a short gardening season here that most of my time has been spent in the yard. The slow start to spring pushed everything back, but I did manage to get the window boxes done.
The back yard is mostly in maintenance mode; we have a few areas to work on but generally feel this shady area is complete. The front yard is our new project- we can add lots of sun loving perennials there. We started with lots of shrubs; I'll post pics later.
The two pots on the front steps are looking really good- thanks, Colette for the cannas!

About 15 years ago I laid a blue stone walk up to the front door. I meticulously cut the sod around each stone and fit it together like a puzzle leaving grass between each stone. Over the years it got mowed over but never trimmed and the stones started getting grown over. Well, we reclaimed the walk! I had forgotten how many stones there actually were. We thought we might plant some creeping thyme between the stones but I like the way it looks now so may have to give it some more time like this before I commit to anything.
I have also been busy with indoor projects- here's the new rug in the living room- my favorite rusts and greens.
We also removed the old victorian sofa( nice, but not very practical) from the sun room and got new rattan chairs and a new rug.
Also, I have lots to make for an upcoming show we are participating in on July 23rd- The Tangletown Garden tour in the Tangletown area of Minneapolis. Sponsored by the Tangletown Garden Center and about 3 art galleries each private garden on the tour will have two to three artists set up selling their art. Since it is a 'garden' environment I will have lots of floral items to sell, starting with my pillows:
Lots of my appliqued towels:
lavender filled sachets:
of course, my pincushions:
and the eyeglass cases. I can also include some handbags and the felted tiles/mug mats. Jim will have all of his leather bags, cases, and cuff bracelets. Should be lots of fun! Here's hoping for good weather and I better get busy!

re-do part 2

I have wanted to give the living room a makeover for some time now and have wanted to see how inexpensively I could do it. I love a bargain and enjoy repainting, repairing, and sewing what I can myself. I started with the kitchen table turned into a coffee table in the last post and now it is a dresser to add storage to the room. This was found at an antique shop and is in very good shape. It even comes with a mirror which I'll use somewhere else! The color was a turquoise/ green- nice,but not what I wanted. The colors I am going for are more a celery or light spring green and shades of warm rust- the walls are a pale yellow. Lots of warm colors!
So the dresser is now a wonderful 'fired brick' color. I kept the glass knobs and handles on for now- I may change them later. A different decorative knob for each would be fun.
This dresser (and mirror) only cost $135. The coffee table was only $220. Both of those items came in under my budget so I bought lots of fabric to do pillows and a new swag for the windows (you can see a tiny bit in the photo-I'll show more later). All of it was on sale at the local fabric store; in fact the 8 yards I needed for the swag only cost $27! My beat up 35 year old wing back chair that has been hiding under a slip cover is in to the upholsterer right now and should be done on Friday. That is my big ticket expense- fabric $100 and the work done will be about $300. I should be done next week-wait til you see the rug I bought!

'before' and after

There's probably no point to 'before and after' shots when you forget to take the 'before' pics, but I had to share my new/old coffee table. It was a standard height, rustic, farmhouse style kitchen table. We picked it up at an antique store and I knew it would be perfect. You can tell it was most likely handmade as the top is a little off from the base.
The base was painted a turquoise/green which wasn't bad, just not the color I wanted. I have used this lighter green on a few other things and just love it. The top was very dry, gray and stained from years of use. I like the worn look of it so just applied a clear varnish and the color changed to such a rich, warm brown. The reason I didn't get pics right away is because we had to saw the legs down in the parking lot just to get it in our rather small car! I have wanted a bigger coffee table because I do a lot of projects in this room and need the space to spread out.
My latest project is what I am calling 'felted tiles'. I have wanted to do some felting, but wanted a project I could still incorporate my embroidery and crochet into.
I crocheted the squares and then hand felted them. I like to leave some of the crocheting effect visible for added texture.
Then I added the embroidery leaving the knotted and tasseled ends for added interest.
I like polka dots so this one got crocheted dots.
I am not completely satisfied with these yet, but I have lots of ideas so will keep experimenting.
So this is what I have been doing lately. We still are having off and on miserable weather, still waiting to start gardening. Have to keep busy!

bags on etsy

I decided to work on some pouch bags to list on etsy. These two were finished a while ago
and it's a nice break from the usual. I particularly like the deep red of this wool. The little two tone leaves were fun to do.
I used both size 8 and size 5 perle cotton on this one which gave it more texture.
Both are listed in my etsy shop. I'm currently working on one in blue that I might add some beautiful beads to from my ever increasing stash. I have a show in June I need to stock up for, so back to work!

lovely gifts from Liz

What a wonderful surprise today to go out to the mail box and find a nice fat package from Liz. I so enjoy her blog and was very excited to see what goodies lied within!
I knew it would be beautifully wrapped- a lovely vintage lace piece and one of Liz' pretty handmade tags. I do admire her tags! The lace is hand crocheted so I can really appreciate the workmanship- such a pretty pattern.
I must confess I knew lavender was included because the package smelled divine even before I opened it! It is my absolute favorite! I was delighted to see these beautiful hand sewn sachets:
There are 4 of them! Even the ribbons are wonderful- I carefully wound them up and saved them for a future project. Just my colors!
Each one has such pretty seed packet pictures on them. As you can see from my last post I love the graphics on seed packets. This is such a special gift and came at just the right time. I think we all could use a lovely Springtime boost like this. While I am doing spring cleaning I will pop a sachet here and there and enjoy the scent of lavender. Thank you so much, Liz! Not only for these gifts, but also your friendship!

waiting for spring

A week ago we were finally able to see some uncovered earth and then we got dumped on with more snow. This is not unusual, but always disheartening this late. Our growing season is short enough as it is! This is the year I tackle the front yard. I put in my fruit bed in the back in the one sunny spot and the rest of the back yard is lots of shady beds. Very little lawn left back there which is great. I have always thought any expanse of lawn was a waste of space so this year the front yard is going to be all raised beds and garden areas. Plenty of sun and since my neighbor's yard has an entire row of black walnut trees the raised beds should be a good way to handle that problem. As you can see I have bought plenty of seeds as the raised beds are going to be a mix of vegetables, herbs, fruits, annuals, and perennials. It's time to get the gardening magazines out for inspiration!

I love the look of these raised beds- all the leafy lettuces make such nice foliage accents.
This year I plan to start with 3 raised beds each measuring 4' by 8'. The perimeter of the yard has already been planted in a variety of shrubs- bridal veil, amur maple, and hydrangeas. This will be the privacy fence from the street. Once those have filled in I want to bring that border in some more with additional shrubs, ornamental grasses, and perennials.
While I am waiting to get started I have been getting ideas for climbing structures for peas, beans, malabar spinach, morning glories,etc.
They are trimming trees right now at the arboretum- I might see if I can take a few straight branches off their hands!
The magazines have some great ideas for all the fresh flowers to come. I especially like the use of this old bulb planter- just slip a glass votive or small vase inside. Such a pretty centerpiece!
The little bird cage with the tulips - another great idea.
Sunflowers and canning jars-simple and stunning.
And I don't know how many times I have come across an old oil lamp that is missing the chimney- this adds such height to an arrangement.
And for the kitchen table- sunny yellow blossoms in a glass juicer!
Cosmos in a wire egg basket:
Great ideas to be looking for at all the upcoming sales and antique stores. Hurry up Spring!

photo shoot

It's nice to come across something that is not only beautiful but also useful. Last fall while I was dropping things off at the Textile Center shop I noticed this great day planner/journal devoted to local fiber arts. Not only is it practical but so interesting and beautifully photographed. The shops and artists included are mostly within driving distance of the Twin Cities- Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and northeastern Iowa.
It is a nice resource book for many things- I was glad to see the hand dyed wools with the resources listed in the back.

It includes rug hookers, quilters, knitters, and dyers. I am so pleased My work will be in the 2012 edition! I met with Jenny this past week at a local coffee shop to take some photos. The cafe had some wonderful old cupboards and tables to use for props.
Before the shoot I finished some applique pillows I wanted highlighted. This is the red one I was working on before.

Then I decided to do a geometric one using more of my batik stash. I sold a number of these non floral pillows when we had the shop- a bit more contemporary feel.

And, of course I needed to include the 'bread and butter' items: pincushions and
eyeglass cases. It was a lot of fun watching the staging process and from what I could tell her photos will be quite a bit better than mine!