Show and Tell Sunday

I have seen a few blogs that have something they call show and tell Sunday. Since I am new to blogging, I have never done one of these, but it sounds like a lot of fun so I wanted to get in on it.

For my Show and Tell Sunday I am showing my craft bin. I found this pretty hot pink rose fabric, some lace and some ribbon.

Here is my bin before I sorted it all out.
Some more fabrics and lace.

I have a ton of these little wooden cut-outs. The gold beaded dangly things are napkin rings from my MIL. But I thought they would be better in some kind of craft. This end table is one of my favorites. I refinished it myself. The table itself was free, it just needed some pretty paint and some appliques.

These are curtain tie-backs, but I know they will have another more creative use one day!! I also found a few rolls of ribbon.

I have lots of Victorian Scraps. I absolutely love them. I can never get enough scraps. They are so useful in so many crafts. I am always on the lookout for new ones. Expecially some with pink roses and cute children pictures. I also love the ones with cute animals doing funny things.

I found a few heart shaped doilies too. Farm theme scraps and roosters are another favorite. I think I will use these for some Easter art.

I have lots of scraps. They are from Germany. I love doing decoupage with these. They have such beautiful colors, and most of them have pretty pink roses too. I have been thinking of some new ideas to use these for, maybe an altered book. I have never made one before, but I've been thinking up some ideas for a couple lately.

Some of my rosey appliques.

I bought these, but I want to learn how to make my own appliques one day.

Tons of pretty pansies!! A huge bag full of them in lots of colors.

I have lots of treat bags in different colors. I made these tiles, one of my decoupage projects.

I have been saving these pretty pink pieces of glass for a mosaic project one day. I have a few buttons. I plan to look for some vintage buttons on my next trip to the thrift shop. I love these ladybugs. Aren't they cute??

I gave my blog a makeover. Let me know what you think about the new background and header. I think it added a little well-needed color. And...well pink will always be my favorite.

My First Mosaic Monday

This is my first time making a mosaic like this. Thanks to Cindy from Romantic Home for the inspiration, and Dear Little Red House for the tutorial. I had fun running around my house taking photos of some of my favorite things, plus I already had a few photos on Flickr.

I took this pic yesterday at Haddam Meadow State Park, we had such a fun day. We explored the park and all the little beaches on the Connecticut River. We ate a picnic lunch and walked around for a while. Doesn't the sky with the clouds look awesome. My hubby loves clouds, he is a science major and just finished up meteorology last semester. So he loves to tell us the names of all the clouds.

I am so happy, tomorrow is my last day at work before my (almost) 10 day vacation. I only have to go in for one day in the middle of my vacation for a meeting. Luckily we are having the meeting at Sakura restaurant, and I love Japanese food.

I can't wait for my time off so I can do some un-packing. I have been missing some of my favorite things around the house. Especially my garden and cookbooks, a few projects I packed away before they were finished, and my art stuff.
This is where I'll be spending a lot of my time off!! Down on our lake. Hubby wants me to try kayaking, I've never tried before. He goes with the kids all the time, but I am always a chicken.

Bad News & a Pick Me Up

Well we had some bad news today. The deal on the house we were trying to buy has fallen through. What a bad day! This was the fourth house we put an offer on and we paid for inspections, appraisals, and so many other things on 3 different houses. Every deal just kept falling through. In total we are out thousands of dollars. We are going to give it a rest for a few months and maybe later in the autumn give it another go and try to find another house.

To cheer myself up I bought some gorgeous gladiolus. They are just starting to open their lovely blossoms. Aren't they pretty?

I got to spend some time in the kitchen with my youngest son cooking a nice dinner.

Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. It is so relaxing and I love it when Alex helps out. He wants to be a chef when he grows up. He loves cooking as much as I do.

After dinner we made yummy root beer floats. I served mine in my favorite mug.

I guess when it is the right house and it is meant to be it will happen. Hubby is so sweet, he keeps trying to cheer me up. I am glad I got to spend the afternoon with my family. It ended up being kind of a good day.

Scraps & Crafts

I found some beautiful Victorian scraps, so I decided to do a little crafting with them.

These are gorgeous w/ embossed details.

I think this girl and boy are my favorites. Sky blue and pink go together so nicely. The scraps were made in Germany.

I made this by painting a mini Lane cedar chest, then decoupaging the pretty scraps onto it. It is great for holding little knick-knacks.

I left the inside of the mini chest unpainted, so it still has that lovely cedar smell. I also tied a pretty pink chiffon ribbon to the tiny key.

I also made this little galvanized pail. I love the pretty colors. It brightens up the whole room. This also got tied with a pink chiffon ribbon.

My garden is in full bloom right now. I will try to get some new pics up tomorrow.

Where Can I Get These??

I once saw these on eBay, but missed the auction. Does anyone know what they are or where I can get them? Maybe they are old vintage valentines or paper dolls. Anyway they are so cute, I hope to find another set one day.

I spent the afternoon today cooking. I made a yummy bacon wrapped meatloaf, some roasted chicken enchiladas w/ salsa verde. My hubby loved them and kept eating all day long. I have some bananas on the counter ripening up. They should be making some delicious banana bread in a day or two.

Spring Garden Photos

These are some pictures I took in my shade garden this spring.

Dicentra Spectabilis (Bleeding Hearts)

Dicentra Spectabilis Alba (White Bleeding Heart)

I love the tiny white flowers peeking out through the Hostas.

Convallaria Majalis (Lily of the valley) Aren't there nodding heads adorable?

This is a small tree I have been growing since it was only a twig about 6" tall. It is a prunus cistena (purple sand leaf cherry).