I finished and hung the chickens made out of assorted beans and seeds on the fence by the coop. I think the real girls like them. I love how they turned out. A little paint is magic! You can see the before' picture of the rooster in the previous post. I still marvel at the patience someone took to make these and I am so glad that I was the one to find them! Olivia is having her 12th Birthday on the 30th. We have been planning a backyard campout party. She is really looking forward to it a lot. She is a listmaker so there are lists all over. It cracks me up. I told her to just sit back and relax and Auntie will do all the work. (haha). I have already been recruited. She finished her invitations. They are pretty cute and she really puts a lot into things. Then she worries. Peer pressure, that they are too girly or not girly enough or too over the top. I keep telling her just do what you like and don't worry about the rest. It is funny how this is showing up in things like birthdays....Kind of sad really. But pretty invitations. Taylor, my little BFF will be here on Monday. We are all excited about it. I guess she packs and unpacks about ten times a day. I know she will add a lot of sparkle to my summer. She is such a doll. A long time ago I had a giveaway for a pet portrait and Roc from whatsuproc.blogspot.com won. She didn't have a pet at the time and we didn't decide what to do right away. She makes the most amazing journal pages and I asked her if it was ok if I did a Thread Painted piece using one of her art Journal pages. I started on it and realized it would make a really nice, big art bag. I used a pair of blue jeans that I got at a yard sale for 50 cents. Then I went to town. Thread painting is when you put your feed dogs down on your sewing machine and sew. I draw out an image in pencil on light fabric and then I paint it in with colored thread and then I use real paint to highlight certain areas. (eyes are almost always painted.) This was a challenge, but fun....There is a lot of color in this. It isn't exactly like her page but it is really close. I used a waistband to add the ribbon detail and the back has two jean pockets that actually give four pockets total. Then inside it holds and art carrier that I had and never used. It can hold supplies or be taken out and used on it's own. I hope you like it Roc. I am a big fan of your artistic journeys. The Bunny in the piece is one of her Stamps that she makes for Stampotique. Tonight I am finishing up a Fourth of July Bunting for my friend Susan. So far so good and I am sure I will post that later. Happy Summer. xoxoxomelinda

Holy Cow, I just came off a two and a half day migraine and I am not sorry to see it go! I haven't had one in forever, so it kind of took me by surprise. I kind of came alive again tonight and I actually thought it was Friday. Really! I so appreciate not having them as a part of my life again. For me, having a hysterectomy took them away. I didn't even know that would be a benefit. I have to say I have become a putterer...You know the kind of puttering that leaves a thing half done here, a 1/4 of the way done here but nothing really done. I like that word "puttering". I just hope it doesn't become a habit because then all the crap that I have gotten at garage sales turns into a word that isn't so comforting...hoarding! Ha Ha! I use everything I get. Just ask the kids who sometimes can't figure out why I am paying a 1.00 for a bowling ball and strutting around like I won a prize. Ok, so what I was I doing before the migraine? Well I pretty much just told you... I did finish and mail a card for my dad for Father's Day. It is almost a kind of dark humor but I think it will go right over his head and he will laugh. I, ahem, have realized I am the black sheep of the family. I also made him an exploding photo box. The inside of the box is pictures of the two of us as I grew up and I didn't take pictures but here is the outside. I had found some old frames at a yard sale for fifty cents a piece and I had some wooden letters. Liv painted them green and I painted them with a sealer and now they are on my back fence. They are right in front of my "straw Bale " garden which is amazing. I am taking before and afters but this is the way I will grow vegetables from now on. On Pinterest I saw the "Grow" idea with the frames and then I saw another Pin that had "damn it" in letters beneath it. It made me laugh. I have a green thumb though and I don't want to make my plants mad so it just says grow. Another super yard sale find is these two big chickens. Well really one hen and one rooster. They are pretty good sized and all made of beans, corn, sunflowers and stuff. Someone cut out a plywood back in the shape and then spent gosh knows how many hours gluing this stuff on. I saw potential, but the colors are pretty worn out. Here is a picture of the two of them. I have painted the hen who was pretty dismal and this is the before of the Rooster who has since been done. They are going to go on the fence too by the chickens. The rooster I did with some nice bright rooster colors. He looks really good lying on the dining room floor. Where I left him. When I got a migraine. Happy puttering. xoxoxomelinda

I just can't believe it is June already! Daniel and Olivia are officially out of school. Taylor (my little bff from Utah) will be here from the 24rth until the 19th of August. She told me she has been packed for two weeks. We are both pretty excited. I just hope that the jealousy bug doesn't hit Liv too bad. We have a lot of things planned so it is going to be busy. I found on Pinterest (of course)a list of 100 things to do this summer so I printed three copies and we are going to make journals and journal about each thing we manage to do. Taylor and Liv were both encouraged to read and practice any kind of language arts over the summer y their teacher's, so we figured this would be a fun way to get some practice in. Olivia's twelfth Birthday is the end of the month. She wants to have a crafty birthday sleepover. I told Stacie (oldest daughter) feel free to have it at your house but I know the answer to that. We are doing tents, a cupcake bar and ice cream they each make in a baggie. We also are going to make fairy jars and stuffed owls. Daniel, Stacie and I practiced and made three owls. They are super easy and fast. Especially since I only have one pair of fabric scissors. It is all just random pieces of fabric sewn together and stuffed. and here are the backs. The one on the far right is mine. I was so tickled to have Stacie sewing with me. She never has shown any interest in anything crafty. NOTHING. She kept telling me how fun they were to make. So she and I before the party are going to cut out a bunch of pieces and have the interfacing ironed on and then the 5 girls can sew them. I have three machines so I think it will be ok. We figured it is better than doing sugar and junk filled goody bags. Both Olivia and Taylor sew too. A really cool thing has happened. I have reconnected with my granddaughter Haylie. She is my sons daughter and she is now 10. I haven't seen her since she was almost 4. There was a divorce and resentment and I felt like I was being asked not to intrude on her new life. It has weighed so heavy on my heart. Well, I reached out again and it worked out good! I made her some things and I sent them and hopefully I will be able to see her after the 4rth of July. She has changed a lot. One of the things I made her is an exploding photo box. These are amazingly cool. They are done with cardstock, cute papers and pictures. The outside makes a box and then you make a lid. When you open it there are all these pictures. Very cute and personal project. I am going to make one for my dad for Fathers Day. I also made her a halter maxi with a nylon chiffon ruffle on the bottom. Liv fell in love with it though it is a size too big for her. I pinned the sides and had her model it so if it looks a little wonky, it is from the pins. Now I love the chicken but I didn't want him in the picture. That was the only way she would let me take her picture though. I was just hoping that he didn't poop on the dress. (he didn't) I just love how it looks in the back. I decided to try my hand at Bowed flip flops too... The zen room will be done tomorrow and the puce curtains turned into something else. Although not curtains. No newspaper either...That will probable be my next post. Happy summer all. xoxooxxmelinda