Sunflower Saga

The rudbeckia around Houston right now are spectacular. Every corner seems to have at least one bright yellow sunflower-looking spot.

I joined the fun a few weeks ago and added them along the dry river bed in my front yard. They haven't disappointed.



Yes that is actually a dry river bed heading straight for my front door and when it rains it's a wet river bed that flows under my house and drains into the much lower back yard. A River Runs Through It? Yep, that's my house.

 But, I digress.

Remember these lovelies from Easter time?



Captain America was starting to give me funny looks because they were still on my front door and it's now August.

So I replaced them with rudbeckia!

 I've written about my reluctance to paint book page before, but if it's going to be rudbeckia, it has to be yellow, right? So I went to Michael's and bought some spray paint. After I promised the clerk that I would not spray her name or mine on any nearby overpasses, she opened the locked cabinet and handed me a couple of cans of bright yellow.

Back home, I grabbed about 150 pages and headed for the back yard

I laid out a big piece of orange plastic to protect the grass and then I got pretty good at playing ring-around-the-rosy as I'd lay out a few pages, spray them, swing to the other side of the plastic, lay out a few pages, spray them, come back to the first side which was somewhat dry, stack those pages, lay out a few more, spray them, swing to the other side... and so on.

I was getting pretty dizzy. I'm not sure if it was from doing that aforementioned dance while breathing in the paint fumes or if it was from the mosquitoes who insisted on making me their evening meal. 

What I do for art! And to keep you people entertained! And to replace the outdated-by-five-months wreaths on my door!

After they were dry, I spent an evening in front of the TV watching The Escape Artist on PBS (good flick!) and making cones.

The next night it was Mod-Podging the center circles...

...gluing on the cones...

...and making the centers...

Ta da! My new favorites!

And it looks like Rudy likes them, too!

The Fun of the Hunt

Eggstravaganza is over for another year. And you know what that means. Time to go spend the profits!

You know fate is looking out for you when you walk into an estate sale and the first thing you run across is this book.

I heard angel choirs as I dug deeper and found this treasury...

...all of which will now be part of my estate sale one day. I can't wait to dig into all of them!

While at Eggstravaganza I had the opportunity to see many beautiful displays. It makes me want to up my game the next time I ply my wares. That's why I was really excited to find this old trellis.

It has a beautiful patina...

...and is decorated with scrolled hearts.

The seller even threw in one free S-hook. :)

Which does a dang good job of holding a pretty Easter wreath at eye level.

Know what I'm saying?

Eggstravaganza Countdown: 1 Day to Go

Eggstravaganza starts tomorrow morning!
Date: Wednesday, Apr 9, 2014
Hours: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Where: Klein United Methodist Church, 5920 FM 2920, Spring, TX

That gives me just enough time to show you one more thing. Dragonflies!

Wait, no, I meant this one more thing--a Mr & Mrs book for that favorite couple getting ready to tie the knot.

But wait! What about the new popular baby names series? I need to show you that, too!

And the book wreath--perfect for hanging on the hospital door to welcome that new arrival...

and it has an interchangeable center, like this cute little Easter ducky, so baby can enjoy it for years to come!

But wait, there's more. But wait, I'm running out of time.

Just come to Eggstravaganza on Wednesday and see for yourself! Don't miss it!

Eggstravaganza Countdown: 10 Days

Spring has sprung! How do I know? The usual way. 

I saw a snake in my driveway.

Oh, and the new azaleas in my front yard are blooming.

And because my wreaths are looking forward to Easter!

What says Easter more than plastic Easter eggs and neon pink plastic grass?

How about a folded bunny?

This bunny is destined for the Eggstravaganza Craft Show at Klein United Methodist Church on April 9. Starting today I'm going to count down the days with pics of what you'll be able to see at my booth.

The bunny book is folded from an RDCB with a cherry pink and taupe diamond pattern and coordinating pastel watercolor-y endpapers. 

Wouldn't it look great sitting on your bookshelf to remind you that Spring is here?

Much better than looking for snakes in the driveway. Trust me.

Folding Fun With Mama

My mom and dad came to visit this weekend. Mama said she wanted a book wreath for her door.

Well, you know the old saying, Give a woman a book wreath and she smiles for a day. Teach a woman to fold a book wreath and she smiles forever more.

So I taught my mom how to fold a book wreath.

Here we are earlier this afternoon. I was in charge of trimming the pages and Mama was in charge of folding them.

When we were done we had 70 rolled pages.

Next we Mod Podged the center disk.

And then we got out the hot glue gun and the real fun began. 

Then there was trimming and attaching the center disk and voila!

Just beautiful! (And the wreath's not bad either.)

I Have Several Excellent Excuses

I've been trying to write. Honestly, I have, but I just don't seem to have the time lately.

I blame Captain America. 

First, it was Valentine's and he bought me flowers so I kept my nose buried in roses all day.

Then he invited me to meet him for a 24-hour layover in the Big Apple. Fun and cold!

Then it was my birthday and he bought me this really cool microphone for my motorcycle helmet. So we had to go riding, right?

And then he took me for a Sunday swing around the neighborhood--at 3,000 feet.

And if it wasn't Captain America, it was Rudy and Richard Parker. In those immortal lines from the Stylistics, first they break up...

...then they make up...

...That's all they do. It's exhausting.

And if live animals weren't enough, I was also dealing with not-so live ones. As I've mentioned before, life at my house would not be normal without an uninvited--dead--critter showing up on a regular basis. This one was on my front porch the other day.

I'm guessing bunny.

But in my spare time I have been making stuff, too. I'm frantically trying to get ready for my first craft show on March 20. I'm folding, folding, folding so I have enough stuff to fill my table.

And then last week I had three (count 'em, 3!!) custom orders from Etsy. One of them was for a drama teacher, so of course I had to go to the bookstore and find some Shakespeare.

Me in a bookstore. That took some time.

And then there was last week. You've all met my crafty friend, Debbie. Well, her brand-new granddaughter was christened this weekend. Debbie made her this beautiful gown and bonnet.

Check out that exquisite lace and beading on the bonnet!

Debbie had lots of company coming in from all over to see the baby, and of course her house was decorated to the nines.

Remember that wreath I made her for Christmas?

Well, the furry animals and glittery balls didn't really go with the christening decor. Debbie needed something a little more white, so...

I made her a new center.

I put silver crosses on little-bitty shoes, surrounded them with flowers and pearls, and added a sparkly M for the baby's name. Then I topped it off with a Bible verse, 3 John 1:4.

I think it looked very pretty on Debbie's wall. 

Something like this might look really cute on a new mom's hospital room door (maybe with a little added pink or blue), and then make an easy transition to a nursery. I'm not sure how to ship it, so probably couldn't sell it on Etsy, but if any of you near me know someone who would like one, give me a shout. Let's talk.

Quick, before Captain America steals me away again...