Tidy Brown Wren, bringing order to your nest

I've been wanting patriotic buntings for our home for several years.  I got sticker shock when pricing them at the local stores - $20.00 per bunting.  Ouch! While perusing my favorite blogs, I discovered that Marian had done a tutorial for DIY buntings over at HGTV.  So I headed over there and read the directions . The buntings needed quite a bit of fabric because they are gathered.  My idea was to hop to the thrift store and buy my favorite source of fabric - sheets.  Much to my dismay, not a single red or blue sheet could be found.  Burgundy - yes.  Baby blue- yes.  But not true blue or real red.  Then I remembered that Walmart sold cheap 200 thread count flat twin size sheets for $5.00 a piece.  Bingo! I had to buy a fitted sheet in the blue because that's all they had.  I already had white sheets at home (or so I thought - I actually had to cut up an old dust ruffle - but, it worked ).  After several hours, I had t...

I have two nice urns next to the front porch that I have planted with seasonal annuals.  The light green sweet potato vine is doing great, but the coleus and geranium have been . . . well. . . I decided to do something about it.  I discovered that some of the plants had been eaten down to a nub.  Some were gone altogether.  What was needed was a slug deterrent that was organic and cheap.  Enter - crushed egg shells. The snails won't cross over the crushed egg shells because they will cut their skin?  exoskeletons?  exterior epidermis?  Whatever the outside of a snail is called. I'm hoping the greenery will soon grow enough to cover up the soil and egg shells.  Until then, when people ask, I'll just tell them I like to sprinkle confetti around my plants.  Kinda patriotic, don't you think? I'm linking to:

Food safety has always been something I've been concerned about, but I've become especially vigilant  lately. The other evening as I was using my cutting board, I realized that my "raw meat" cutting board was rather  ratty looking and should probably be replaced.  I also noticed that the words "raw meat" that I had written on the edge of the board were so faded that they couldn't be read anymore - which meant that I knew it was for raw meat, but no one else did.  Hmmm. . . that could be a problem ! Enter - solution: The top board is my regular cutting board.  The bottom board is my new "raw meat" cutting board.  See the writing?  Nothing fancy - just a Sharpie marker right on the edges of the board (write on all sides).  As long as my cooks can read, they're good to go.  Well, and as long as they can follow directions too.  It's a simple fix, but could save one of us (probably me) from getting sick.  Do me a favor - go...

For the past few Mondays we've looked at organizing and decorating children's rooms and belongings.  Truth is, though, children need to learn to take care of their own belongings and be a part of the family work team.                                                                                                                         (source) As parents, we are our children's first teachers....

 I found this nice frame at the thrift store yesterday.  When I saw it I knew right away what I wanted to do with it.  I wanted to frame a special pin that was given to me by a special friend. Of course, I couldn't leave the frame as it - I had to spray paint it.  Actually, it was a nice color but I wanted it to coordinate with three other frames I already had in the hallway.  After the paint dried, I had to decide what color mat I wanted to have to show off the pin.  I decided to upcycle an old wool plaid skirt (are we surprised?).  It picks up the colors in the other two matted pictures.  The pin had it's own pin mechanism but it also had a hanging mechanism so that you could hang it from a chain and wear it as a necklace.  I decided to safety pin it to the fabric through the hanging mechanism.  It seemed to lay flatter on the fabric. Well, it didn't lay perfectly flat.  The bottom of the pin seemed a bit droopy and need...

I've been waiting all Spring for my favorite flower to bloom.  Who am I kidding?  I could no longer pick a favorite flower than I could pick a favorite child or grandchild.  I love them all! But, Bee Balm certainly makes me smile. The flowers reminds me of miniature pineapples.  They are so darn cute! And guess who else likes them?  Can you pick a favorite flower?  I'm linking to: 

A few pieces of furniture have been calling my name.  They're in great need of a makeover. The first is a Roadside Recycle.  My son and I found it and hauled it home.  It will become a sideboard for my oldest daughter's home.   This blanket chest has been in my garage for over a year.  The finish is in terrible shape but I think it will clean up nicely. (Since this pic was taken, I've already used Formby's refinisher on the top and the wood grain is beautiful.)  I plan on finishing these two projects this week.  Wish me luck!  What projects are you working on?  *An Affiliate Link is embedded in this post.

This blog post was first published on Saturday, June 6, 2009   As we come to the end of the school year, we're faced with a dilemma. What do we do with all of the schoolwork our children have brought home from school. If you're like me, my sentimental side wants to keep everything my child has touched. However, the practical side of me screams "what do I do with all of this stuff?" I'll give you some ideas to keep both sides of your brain happy. 1. At the beginning of the school year, label a small file box for each child. 2. Label several hanging files for different areas of paperwork you might want to save for your child. Each child will be different according to their age and activities. Some examples are art, handwriting, poems/stories, awards/pictures, research etc. 3. Every time your child brings home a paper, decide first if it is a keeper. You don't have to keep everything. In fact, if you try to keep everything, you will be overcome wit...

Remember back in April when I had a kidney transplant?  Well, the kidney is doing great (thanks, Cathy , for taking such good care of it when you owned it).  There was one little glitch, however.  During surgery, the retractors they used caused some nerve damage in my right leg.  When I woke up from surgery, I couldn't move or feel my leg.  The docs felt like the feeling would come back but the paralysis had them stumped.  A visit to a neurologist ruled out a stroke and a CT scan showed some fluid which was pressing on L4 and L5 (medical talk which means I couldn't feel or move part of my leg).  The prognosis is good and I'm recovering pretty quickly.  In fact, I've left my cane behind and I'm walking freestyle without falling.  My next goal is to be able to drive. I've been itching to get back to exercising (physical therapy doesn't count) because my medication causes me to gain weight and I need to burn some calories.  Running? - n...

I completed two more aprons this week to add to my Etsy shop . The first one is in response to several readers who've been asking for larger size aprons. I really love the combination of paisley and eyelet.  The apron looks smaller on my dress form, but the sashes are generous and allow for adjusting for just about any size.  I had a hard time giving this apron up.  I love wearing a utility apron when I work.  It's so handy to keep a pair of scissors, a pen, kleenex, whatever. . . close at hand. You can fasten the ties in front or in back to make access to the three front pockets easier.  The vintage ric rac is a fun adornment.