Bits and Pieces

So we finally got some of that spring rain we so desperately needed yesterday and it looks like maybe more to come tomorrow. You know what they say..."February showers bring March flowers". Lol I did manage to fill all 6 of my cans full of leaves and trimmings and was just starting to refill them after the lawn waste guys had been here when the rains started again. I find it easier to rake the leaves when they're a bit drier, so that chore is once again on the back burner.

With that in mind, why don't we head into the dining room?

I hope I never stop loving this console table as much as I do now. Even though it doesn't give me as much "merchandising" space as the old faux fireplace did, it just speaks to my soul. And, each holiday I am finding ways to decorate it that I love. I actually just realized that there isn't any "real" St. Pat's decor in this vignette...just lots of my favorite green color.

I had a few of the small, violet roses left over from my Easter books so I just stuck them in the jug for the moment...and then decided to leave them there. I have found myself using pops of violet in my St. Pat's decor of late. I think it reminds me of heather and that reminds me of Ireland?? That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Lol

So that is the dining room for this year.

Right before I started this post, I went outside for a minute and captured this. The bougainvillea on the left is finally doing exactly what I had always hoped it would do...it is half way across the garage door and blooming. The one on the right isn't quite there even though it gets the same fertilizer and care. The one thing it doesn't get is quite as much sun and I'm guessing that is the difference. In any case, I'm loving it and right now am debating with myself if I need to drag out the ladder and sheets and get up there and get them covered. My newspaper tells me it is going to be 30 degrees tomorrow night while my phone says 34. I know I should do it to be safe but I HATE that job so I am going to wait and see if the forecast changes by tomorrow. If not, I will be up on that ladder lickety split because it has taken three years to get here from where we started!
 

When I left you yesterday, I was off to make some soup...which I did but then look what I also did! By the way, this is that Mexican lentil soup recipe from "The Chew" that I have posted about before. It is easy to make and, if you like lentils and just a tiny bit of spice-although you could certainly kick up the spice if you like more-absolutely delicious!

 I couldn't help myself. The thought of some skillet corn bread just sounded too good...and it was! Lol I think that brings you up to date on me. Off to finish a few more chores. Stay tuned.

Let's Move Along

I just realized that I have had so many other projects going on that I never got any further along on our decor tour than the front porch and living room. Since today promises to be rainy and gloomy, I am staying inside to tackle some "not as fun as gardening" chores and I thought I would get a post in before I head in the other direction.

So, with no further ado, we head into the kitchen.

Wow, I think this may be a first...not one word to be said about the decor. I would like to think that is because it pretty much speaks for itself and not that it is about the same as past years...perhaps it is a bit of both. But, whatever the reason, that is the kitchen for this year. And now, because it is so gloomy I am off to make a big pot of soup...and put those other dreaded chores off just a bit longer. Stay tuned.

I Should Have Been a Painter!

I should have been a painter...not an artist mind you, but a painter. Once again I got started on something I wanted to document and the first time I actually thought of it was as I was completely finished! For whatever reason, I just love to put paint to anything and watch it blend!

In any case, I had pinned a St. Pat's sign on Pinterest that I liked and thought might be easier for our kids' weekend. It was actually done on slate but, even though I have a good bit of slate left from our floors, I had also bought a stack of canvases and felt painting on the canvas surface would be much more "user" friendly!

And so, I painted the whole canvas with black chalk paint to give the feel of the slate. Then, I spaced off three sections - which would be painted the three colors if the Irish flag - leaving a thin bit of the black between them and really just dry brushing on the green, white and orange.

When that was dry, I traced a four leaf clover pattern that I still had from way back when we made shamrock shirts. I painted it with shamrock green and then came immediately in and blended in some lighter green so the edges of the leaves would stand out against the green of the flag.

Of course, after just now looking at this picture, I realize that the sign was supposed to actually be the Irish flag...and the flag has a shamrock (three leaves) instead of the four leaf clover that I used simply because I already had the pattern. Oh well, artistic license?

 And then I was done...I thought. I could add a word, I could add some twine or St. Pat's ribbon and make a hanger, I could add some gold accents...or any myriad of other details. And then, as I was setting it up to take a picture, I saw the sequin picture all done and for some reason it didn't look as tedious as I had originally thought. And, that is when the idea struck. Since the kids are getting older and have their own ideas on how things should be done, why don't I just paint all of the canvases the black background color so that boring step will be done and then just have the supplies available for either project and some extra stuff for embellishing and let everyone "go to town"?

I think there might be a taker or two for the sequins and I can probably guess who will go with the painted canvas.

Of course, I now have two more "signs" to incorporate into my already pretty filled decor but, I will work on it and I am sure I will find just the perfect new homes for them.

And, once again I am waiting for the day to warm up a bit so that I can head to the garden. Right now it is 42 degrees but they say it feels like 38! A bit too nippy for this Florida girl to have her hands in the dirt...if I could even get into the dirt! So, I am piddling around again. Thought I would show you how this turned out. I think a small bunny sitting on top will finish it off and I am pretty sure I will have the perfect one when I get out the Easter bins!

And, I might just have a dilemma on my hands. As I was just putting the bunny things away until next month, I realized how perfectly the colors in this pillow go with the bunny statue colors. Now, here is my dilemma...the pillow goes perfectly with my new burlap sided chair in the sunroom but the plan was to use the bunnies in the living room. But, come on, they have to be in the same room...and I think the living room wins out. Guess I will be looking for another "perfect" pillow for my chair. Stay tuned.

What you can just barely see is the green border that runs down the sides of the pillow that is just exactly the same green as the bunny's over-alls! Meant to be!!!

OK, if any of you who know me were taking bets...you probably win! I had to do something more and truthfully, I'm still not sure it's done. Lol

Know When to Hold 'Em...Know When to Fold 'Em

So, once again, I am preparing for another "weekend at Nana's"...this time for St. Pat's Day. And, as I have mentioned many times, I always try out every craft we are going to do so that I can gauge how many supplies to buy, how long it might take, etc.

I had so many comments on my sequin heart when I posted my Valentine's decor on a craft site I follow that I thought "why not do the same for St. Pat's?"

 The kids and I did the heart a few years ago and, although I do remember that we left it and came back to it a lot during the weekend, we did do it. I actually thought the shamrock would be easier as it is smaller. WRONG! Epic fail averted!

Even though the space needing to be filled in on the shamrock is smaller than the heart, it has way more outline detail. I have pretty decent eye/hand co-ordination and have been crafting for so long that I can pretty much finesse anything but this was difficult! And, I just couldn't see the kids enjoying it.

I was almost ready to scrap the whole thing and just rinse off the number of sequins I had already glued before they dried but then I decided to go ahead and finish it up and I would just have one more decoration for me...although at this moment, I have no idea where it is going to go.

The steps are pretty much self explanatory.

I always like to distress my edges but that is certainly a personal preference.

I used Tacky glue. I like it because it grabs the sequins pretty well but also allows for some moving of them for quite awhile before it dries clear.

So that pretty much leaves me at square zero...back to my Pinterest boards to see what I can find.

I had planned to be out in my yard all day today but Mother Nature threw us all a curve ball. While our temperatures hit in the 80s yesterday, I awoke to the high 40s this morning...and a low in the 30s tonight...before going back up to beautiful 60s and 70s tomorrow. I can't keep up with it but I have now decided that this will be a crafty kind of day and so...

I'm working on a set of Easter books. I grabbed the small tulips while I was out and about yesterday and am thinking of using a small sprig of them tied up with some of the Easter colored ribbons I have in my stash.

And, speaking of being out and about...sometimes, when I least expect it, something-or things-will speak to me and that sure happened yesterday! I was thinking Easter and spring-while shopping for St. Pat's...doesn't everyone's mind go like that-when I happened upon these bunnies at HL. I think it was the big carrot that the lady bunny was holding that made me think how perfectly they would go with the "almost free" carrots that I made. I can just see the cutest vignette in my living room. I really prefer decorating with the natural colored bunnies for Easter because then they can stay up throughout all of spring. I have a basket made out of twigs and leaves and I think they will look so cute nestled in there! Of course, my "free" decor just took a turn but, oh well! Lol

And then, I went so against all of my rules. I spied this pillow and even though it does not have a removable cover, I knew I had to have it. I love the "watercolor" look of the bunny as well as the writing in the background. And, look how perfect he will look on my new chair!

I needed a new chair for this space so when this beauty came across my FB feed, I couldn't resist. I like that it is a linen like fabric on the seat area but then has the burlap sides and back. And, won't this cutie look so perfect there when I move to Easter decor?

And, it kind of looks perfect there right now as well with the small St. Pat's wreath I found in the Target Dollar Spot last year.

So with all of that running through my mind right now, I'm off to work on St. Pat's...and Easter...and spring! The gardens will just have to wait until tomorrow. And, while I'm at it, I think I will get the fire going and cozy in. Stay tuned.

To Stop...

...or not to stop? That is the question.

I thought I knew what I wanted to do when I pulled out yet another of the pillow covers I got for 50% off at HLmany months ago. They  were $2.50 after the discount and I grabbed up a bunch thinking I would use them as gifts somewhere along the year. But, I never did and now I have my own private stash.

I liked the water color heart I did for Valentine's Day and thought I might do something along those lines for St. Pat's. But, somehow, the image I wanted to do with shamrocks didn't exactly lend itself to the watercolor technique-at least not the way I do it which I am sure is anything but conventional! Lol

And so, I have stopped where I am. I like it but I don't love it. I could spray it with water or splatter some drops of paint around...and I still might but, I am going to live with it for a bit before I decide. Once I commit to something else-especially on fabric-there is no going back. Tis a dilemma! But, except for deciding when to stop, this is pretty much a no-brainer.

I gathered the few supplies needed along with a bit of an inspiration picture.

Since shamrocks are from nature, I decided that it didn't matter if the leaves were all the same so I just quickly sketched out three sets of leaves and cut them out.

Next, I traced them on to the fabric with a green pencil.

I started painting and probably should have taken some pictures along the way but, there is something so calming about this process to me that I get going and, before I know it, I am done. Once I was happy with the leaves, I just painted in some stems, let it dry and stuffed in a feather insert.

I'm using this in "my" chair in the family room and it feels so good behind my back as I nestle in to watch TV. 

I still haven't decided...to stop or not to stop?

I still do not have all of the "red" put away and have a busy week ahead of me. I feel like I am playing catch-up and I'm still blaming it all on the early Thanksgiving...but, I digress. Lol Since I'm this far behind, I never pass up an opportunity to push the chores back even further and yesterday was no different.

I got an invitation to head to Eustis for our annaul strawberry picking trip and off I went. The crop was huge this year and, because yesterday was a Monday and the farm is usually closed, not many people knew it was open and we pretty much had the fields to ourselves. The weather was gorgeous and we all got enough berries to keep us eating for awhile!

We are nothing if not traditionalists! We always go to the same restaurant after picking-the girls won't hear of anywhere else...and, if the table is open, they must sit by the fountain.

After eating, we head to the nearby water front park and the kids can run off some of their lunch before we head for the traditional ice cream cone and our trip home.

 It is always such a lovely day and I always pick way too many berries. I have an appointment in a bit but then I will be looking for some good strawberry based recipes and then I will try to get the red put away and then I will tackle some of the weeds out front and then I will tackle some of the weeds out back and then... Well, you know! I am apparently not very good at playing catch-up! Stay tuned.