Thursday, March 29, 2012

Spring Fever

I love spring.  The promise of new life.  It is so refreshing after the darkness and cold of winter.  Of course, we have gone from spring sunshine and warm temps to rain and chilly temps, but that is a true taste of spring in New England.  I am enjoying daylight saving times and longer days.

A true taste of spring here.

Forsythia in bloom makes me smile.

 A bit of sunshine to enjoy on these cloudy days.

While the weather is a bit gloomy I have been sprucing up the inside of our home a bit here and there.
As we await the return of spring sunshine.
This little bowl is a bit like a nest.  I filled it with twigs, moss and some book page strips.

This was inspired by Jaime's spring decor.
Enjoying lattes with my daughter.
Yum!!  Where's the chocolate syrup?
Invited our neighbors to tea.
Transformed a plain jar.
My daughter wanted a spring decoration for her room.
I started with a plain gravy jar.

Wrapped it with some twine.
Some scrap lace and  bauble I had.
This little decoration was made with things I had on had so it did not cost anything.  For now she has some silk flowers leftover from my wreath but it planning to get out there when we have good weather and fill it with forsythia.

Fun things to pass the time as we wait for the spring sunshine to return.

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the Grant Life

Monday, March 26, 2012

Spring Yarn Wreath

Yarn wreaths are my new favorites.  I love the endless possibilities.  I have seen them all over blog land and Pinterest.  My new addiction, but I have not made myself an account yet.  I can only imagine all the time I would spend dreaming on there.
With so many fun choices I had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do.
I purchased a straw wreath at AC Moore with a 40% off coupon.  It cost less than $2.  I did not find a yarn I liked so I headed to Joann's.
I purchased this yarn at Joann's.  With the 50%  coupon it was less than $3.  I chose a light green color.  The texture of the yarn seemed perfect for a wreath.

There were perfect floral picks on sale.  I chose a couple with simple small flowers that I could pluck off.  I only used one on this wreath.
I used the whole skein of yarn to make the wreath full and a bit fluffy.
Then I randomly hot glued the floral buds around the wreath.

The spring banner I made with a scrap of fabric I cut into triangles.  I used a Sharpie and wrote the letters on them.
It is a perfect addition to our door.  

This was  thrifty, fun, and super easy.  Yarn wreaths can become addicting.  I am thinking of what I can make next. 

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

Taste of Spring

Spring is in the air.  The weather here has been gorgeous!!  The temps have reached 80 twice this week.  We are being spoiled.  It is coming to an end this weekend.  Showers and much lower temps are on the way.
But while we are enjoying this spectacular weather I have been starting some spring cleaning.  With three dogs spring cleaning lasts the whole spring.  Muddy footprints abound here, as well as fur, especially from our husky girl.
The living room needs some paint and new window trim, along with new window treatments.  But while I am not ready to bite off these large projects, I started some small spring projects.
A new centerpiece for our dining table was my first project.
I started with a sheet of moss from Joann's.
These small bottles were a find at an antique store.  I cut the sheet of moss into strips and attached them to the bottles with a little hot glue, then tied them with twine.
Sorry for the dark photos.  I have to wait until night time for some creativity time.
With the bottles completed, I put them in a tray that I had on hand. To add some color I used glass beads my neighbor gave me.
I added these little buttons.  They were a perfect touch with the twine.

I felt like they needed a something to make them pop.  I wanted it to be bright and cheerful.
On a trip to AC Moore with my son, I saw these flowers.  While I wish they were real, they were too cute to pass up.
They are the perfect spring touch.
They may be replaced with some real tulips eventually.


Until then they make me smile.
The colors of spring and the promise of new life is something to look forward to.


I have been working on a couple of other projects and will be sharing them soon. It is still a bit busy here.  We have a lot of school work I would like to finish before June.  A new puppy full of energy and a husky still recuperating.  She has made great progress and looks much better.

Looking forward to sharing more spring fun with you.

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Friday, March 9, 2012

A Trip to Mark a Milestone

On Tuesday I celebrated a milestone~the big 40.  Dear hubby treated me to a weekend in New York to celebrate.  I haven't been to New York in years and was looking forward to going.  I love the city.  It is so vibrant and full of life.  I could sit and people watch for hours but there was so much I wanted to see.
This was our hotel.  
We were right in the heart of Times Square.
The hustle and bustle had not yet started.  It was quiet on this weekend morning.

The magnificent architecture in the city leaves me wanting to stare at each building for hours, trying to take it all in.
The New York Public Library is astounding.

Another example of the classic architecture on the Upper West Side.
Dear hubby treated me to my first Broadway show.  It was spectacular.  I love The Phantom.  It recently celebrated it's ten thousandth show, making it the longest running show on Broadway.
The Marriot Marquis has a restaurant called The View.  It is on the 48th floor and revolves giving you a complete view of the city.  We went up just as the sun was setting.
The Empire State Building~it had been cloudy and raining all day but cleared up just in time for the view.

Rockefeller Center early on Sunday morning.  This was our last stop before we headed home.  I enjoyed every moment in the city.  I could people watch all day.  It is a fascinating place.
On Wednesday our little guy had surgery.  Doesn't he look so precious.  He is usually a very active pup but was not himself.  
He has won our hearts with his spirited play and sweet moments when we can snuggle him. He is already feeling more like himself.  Running around and trying to get at his incision wound.  Our husky had major surgery in February.  She had a large cyst that spread almost completely around her neck.  The incision was so large and we were quite alarmed when we picked her up.  She looks so unlike herself because she had to be shaved quite a bit.  Half the trouble with the cyst was that it was hidden under all the husky fur.  It had spread quietly without detection.  Hopefully, this is the end of her health troubles.  She has had a tough year so far.  She is a good sport but gives us quite a bit a trouble staying away from her stitches.  
 Our husky had major surgery in February.  She had a large cyst that spread almost completely around her neck.  The incision was so large and we were quite alarmed when we picked her up.  She looks so unlike herself because she had to be shaved quite a bit.  Half the trouble with the cyst was that it was hidden under all the husky fur.  It had spread quietly without detection.  Hopefully, this is the end of her health troubles.  She has had a tough year so far.  She is a good sport but gives us quite a bit a trouble staying away from her stitches.  She has scratched the stitches and caused bleeding a couple of times.  We are trying to keep her from scratching and are quickly running out of ideas.  I promised her no pictures of her in her sad state.

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It's Overflowing