Some Things Should be Left to Others...

When you're in the Trash to Treasure business, you soon learn a few things. 

1.  You never have enough flat places when you are getting ready for a sale...like tables, dressers, etc. to set stuff on.  The accumulated home accessories out number the places to display them at a ratio of 100 to 1.

2.  The weather usually refuses to cooperate - at least on one day of a two day sale.

3.  If you have one lamp and 12 shades...none of the the shades will look right and/or fit the lamp.

So when I saw Renee's Shabby, Chic and Charming blog about decorating lampshades with coffee filters, why wouldn't I be interested???

Here's my attempt at beautifying an ugly shade that has been around the block a few times.

The pile of stuff you need!

Finished product...

I think it looks better on Renee's site...at least I don't have a lot of money invested!!!  It's so heavy that I had to reinforce the wire in the shade.

Hmmm...

Off to do something else...

Bonnie

A Day on Our Farm

I'm not sure that there is ever a typical day on our farm so today was no different.  I began the day in our Fixin' It pole barn, cleaning a couple windows so I could complete an order for a decorated window and getting another ready for our Farmgirls Country Sale that's coming so fast on August 5 & 6th!

Shantel has been coming once a week to help me organize and organize and today she was weeding and mulching!!!  Her son Jordan helped too!  Yay!

So here she is working on her creative endeavor!!!

Lots of weeds on both sides of my new sidewalk!!!

She asked for stepping stones and these were the only ones I could find!!!

Love the rabbits playing in my Alyssum!
Look no weeds in the Bee Balm!

Ok - so while she was glowing in the sun for 5 hours...I was decorating windows. What can I say??? They were dirty so I washed them, then I had to soak the grapevine, attach it and find a birdhouse and nests. Walking around between pole barn and barn and upstairs in the house and then finding the birdhouses back at the barn. I did get my exercise and cleared my head of lots of frustrations in the form of plenty of unspoken censored verbage!!!

Things that sell immediately at one sale are duplicated quickly for the next sale!

So much accomplished today with help!  Last time serious weeding got done was at our first sale in June when laughter could be heard across the yard while my youngest and a neighbor helped me with my gardens.  I am so grateful for the extra help - seems I don't get as much done lately.

I'm as happy as my pig in mulch!

Take care and when you need help, ask for it!

Bonnie

I Say Tomato!

Nothing beats the first tomatoes of the season...cheeseburgers, crispy fries and sliced tomato for supper tonight!!!  Yum!

The flavor is so summer sweet...four ripe tomatoes - now only three.  A couple more will be ripe in the next day or so.  We only have two regular, one medium and one tiny sized Mexican Currant.

Those little small marble sized tomatoes have more tomato taste per little guy than anything I've ever experienced. So good - found in the desert in Mexico and imported to Brainerd, MN where I got my first little plant this June. My new friend, Deb, introduced them to us last year but this is the first year we've grown them.

I planted it in a 5 gal. pail so it is right by the deck steps and is it ever a viney little guy. I'll have to go to Brainerd next year for more than one plant so I can share with family and friends!  The above article does say that they are difficult to find so I count myself so lucky!  Just throw a handful in a salad...so easy!

These are smaller tomatoes but the Mexican Currant is so very tiny
 but packed with rich tomato flavor!!!

Now I'm a happy gardener...BLT's tomorrow!  Yay!

How is your garden doing?

Bonnie

Making Neck Bling!

My idea of making jewelry is a little eclectic.  So this post is about making a few necklaces so I use up some of the bizillion dollars of jewelry stuff I've purchased lately.  When I say that I remember that the focus pieces of a couple of my creations were made a few years ago and I just found them sitting in a Cool Whip bowl of odds and ends.  Who knows why I made them originally but now they adorn my latest hodgepodge pieces.  They are made of clay and pushed into a mold.  I used metal faces for my original Goddess of Hinges but lately can't find them so I substituted.

I hope they aren't too scary looking!

Another version - just as scary but kind lovable in a way!

And the littlest angel queen...

I should give credit to someone on Craft Gossip for my Spooning Necklaces but I didn't keep track.  Well - I was making these at 11:30 at night before our Farmgirls meeting and that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

Of course getting ready to make these is really fun -
just take a hammer and whale away at the spoon until it is flat!
These are MINE!  My Mom in riding jodphers and of course I'm the Junk Queen!

I love Scottie dogs!

And last but not least, the sanest of the group made with Vintage Groove parts.  I love the mellow yellow, buttery look of the pendant(s)

Love this one!

 Other than the two that are mine, the others will be for sale at our next Farmgirls Country Sale on Aug. 5 & 6!

Take care and take time!

Bonnie

Something to Look Forward To...

Yesterday was a very nice day even with the hot and humid stuff outside.  It was our quilters meeting and we're making plans for our retreat next month!!!  Three days of laughter, sewing, eating and fun!!!

It's so rejuvenating to change things up and do something different with friends of like minds.  Our retreat center is part of The Pine City Scrapbooking Co. called Scrapbooking in the Pines Retreat Center so when we get tired of sewing (?) we can mosey into the store and reinspire ourselves.  While paper isn't fabric, its similar.  Oh ya - and they do carry a few bolts of very nice fabric also.

Jaci made these magnets out of stuff from the scrapbooking store! 
They are for sale at our Farmgirls Country Sale Aug. 5 & 6th!

So we have been known to buy some paper supplies and make a few paper bowls or something and then go back to our sewing machines.

Anyway - its something to look forward to and in this crazy heat that is a good thing.  I'm planning my projects that I will bring and what food I will supply.

I do so love this part of retirement!!!

Take care,
Bonnie

The Lesson of The Migrant Workers

I call these "Farm Hydrangeas"!

I just finished watching a documentary on the migrant workers on NBC.  It was a very moving story of families trying to make a living for their families in the United States.  While some of the focus was on the underage children working in the fields illegally, the message was clear - there are many hardworking legal migrant families trying to make it in this country.  It went on to highlight that pesticides are taking some of that work away - not that many weeds survive.

Their children sometimes suffer the consequences of leaving early and returning late in the school year in order to accompany their families to the fields of farmers up north or in Florida or other states across the country.  They work shoulder to shoulder and stay in small quarters at night but they are together.

Some of the stories were told of those same children who were underage and working in the fields who had graduated from high school and went on to graduate from college.  One that was featured was a teacher who taught migrant worker's children.  She knew their plight and how to help.

I would hope that all Americans would watch this show in order to put faces on migrant workers and immigrants.  They are more than statistics on charts.  They are lovely people doing their best to make a life for their families and isn't that what all of us want for our families.

Let's thank all those that pick our fruits and veggies in all kinds of weather every year.  How many of us could do that kind of work for 44 cents/lb. or less?

Just saying...

Bonnie

I Finally Got a Sidewalk and Then...

I love bee balm and so do the hummers

Ya - well, I finally got a sidewalk and then Mother Nature took over and landed my favorite tree on it.  But yesterday, Hubby and his brother in the thunder and rain removed it from my path.

It seems like we can't get ahead of the work around here this year.  The storms have made a real mess of our trees and the guys in the heavy equipment who built out new little barn wrecked almost every inch of our grassy spaces.  Now when Hubby mows the lawn, he looks like he's riding a bucking horse!  Lots of work to do - cushy retirement this is not!!!

There's my fav tree hugging my new sidewalk!

Sad day - love that tree!

There's my sidewalk!

All that's left of my tree...

Now the crabby apple will provide our shade and a tree for the kids to climb.  Life means change and we've had lots of that this year.  Thankfully our home wasn't harmed or our other outbuildings...that's a good thing!

Tomorrow's another day with lots in store and lots to do!

Take care and stay hydrated and cool!  We expect near 100 degrees with dewpoint in the upper 70's.

Bonnie

My Handmade Gift Exchange Gifts!!!

Today I received my Handmade Gift Exchange gift from Nichelle of 
Vintage Wanna Bee.  She likes flowers too - it was fun to open it up and see her creations.  Thanks, Nichelle!

There's a flower theme here!

Wow - we are in for another week of hot and humid! Such good sewing weather - yay!


Take care and stay cool!

Bonnie

I'm Melting...but I'm still Creating!

I'm not that fond of summer.  I really like a cool spring and fall.  I'm also not that fond of swimming.  But today I'd take a pool so I can just sit in it!

I must leave the house tomorrow - just got to go out in the yard and do something.  Today I have all my jewelry stuff all over the kitchen island.  I had hoped to get more done...I've just scattered and sorted today.  I'm getting ready to do something though.  I'll probably get something done so I can add a picture to this  post.  You surely wouldn't want a picture of me in a pool.

So I love this bench...but my friend gave me this needlepoint piece so I thought I would combine a cute bench with a gorgeous handmade!

Here is my cute little shabby bench covered in green vinyl.

Now its a Shabby Chic Bench covered in gorgeous!!!

I feel good about getting something accomplished in the last two days.  We put in the little AC in the window and its chugging along but getting the temp and humidity down to somewhat manageable if you don't try to do too much!

Hope you are enjoying your day!

Bonnie




Handmade Gift Exchange Show and Tell!

Nichelle likes vintage pastels so I made her a makeup bag using 30's fabric,
 four yo yo clips, two lavender lace sachets, a vintage tag and a denim cuff.

It was fun getting to know my giftee for this exchange - Nichelle - Vintage Wanna Bee . I hope she likes the handmades I created for her.

A huge Thank You to Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous for organizing this event!

Take care,
Bonnie

And then...

Like I was telling you yesterday, the day of our sale was brutally hot and humid...  not fit for animal or vegetable.  We knew that we were in for some pretty bad storms.  When we heard they were about 50 miles away and were heading right toward us, we began to move the outside stuff in.  By 6:00 we were in the house and watching the weather.

The Potatoe Wagon Lady called from town about 9 miles away at 6:40 and said the sirens were going off in town and could Hubby go out and latch the window in her wagon.  So Hubby gingerly went out in the thunder and lightning and got the window latched.

A few minutes later the storm hit - the kind with straight line winds of 70+ miles an hour with rain going horizontal.  We had some small size hail and lots and lots of rain and wind. 

Nothing fell on the house, new barn or our other buildings, but here are a few pictures of the damage we had.  We were without electric for about 38 hours and that first night we showered using cleansing wipes!!!  Not that fun but we were able to open the sale the next morning and had another crazy busy day!

Our "Open Today" sign in a broken pile!

My favorite tree is leaning and has to be cut down...sob!

I think if one main part of the branch is trimmed off
it will get better but I guess it poses a problem...like falling
 on someone or on my new sidewalk.
  Now I'll have to move my wheelbarrows with my lettuce
 and snap peas to another shady place. 
It's such a wonderful tree, don't you think???

Hubby moved branches out of the way
 so customers could get in the driveway.

My tumble of copper tomato cages - only two tomatoes
 fell off but the rhubarb got messed up.

The tops of two of my Jack Pines are now at the bottom of the tree.
  Twisted them right off.

So tomorrow maybe the tree guy will come and give us an estimate on taking my lovely tree down...it is another loss along with my barn.   It's been shading this house since 1949 I would imagine and maybe before that.  Doggone Mother Nature and her weather this year!!!

Must rest up so we can begin the clean up tomorrow!

Take care,

Bonnie

A Very Hot Sale!

Beyond expectations is the phrase I would use to describe our sale this past weekend.  To set the scene -

a.  The temperature was in the high 90's.
b.  The dewpoint was in the high 70's.
c.  The breezes were non-existent.
d.  The setting was a steel building.

These details = a sauna! 

It was brutal in the barn!  But you apparently cannot stop women from shopping no matter what Mother Nature throws at us.  So we get up - get dressed - and get going!

Here's a couple pictures:

I know there are better pictures that others took but this is my attempt at capturing the place before most things were sold!

The evening of the first day of our sale brought lots of excitement.  The heat should have been a hint...more tomorrow!

Take care,

Bonnie