My Faves

Where have I been?  There has been a lot going on here.  Much like everyone else.  The days are swallowed up in what seems like mere seconds.  It has been nothing more than the daily grind here.  We are working on finishing our homeschool curriculum sometime before July.  It is the first year of high school for my son.  He is completely right brained and an artist and I am trying very hard to incorporate that into a Classical Education model.  He was participating in an amazing art class but his teacher had to drop the class. It was quite sad for him.  She was a perfect fit.
Samples of his work:

Portraits of characters from the tv show Smallville.  He is mostly self taught in portraits.

Some comic book art

This is his passion.  He enjoys creating and has started working on some custom figures from his favorite comic books.

Although my posts have been scarce I have been spending some time reading some amazing blogs.  One of my favorite bloggers is Edie from Life in Grace.  She is a rock star and her every post is filled with amazing insight.  Her posts are as chic and eclectic as her home style and I am continuously blessed and inspired when I read her blog. She is my go to on what to read next.  A professed C.S. Lewis fan, she chooses some of the most amazing books and I am continuously challenged by her reading lists.

From Edie's blog I was introduced to Paige's blog, Simple Thoughts.  Many of you may be familiar with her blog and her story.  It is truly amazing and I have been so blessed to read her posts.  I have been reading through the archives.  Her blog is filled with beautiful photos, thought provoking posts and words to inspire.

Following links on Paige's blog I was blessed to find Sibi's blog, Pearls and Grace.  Her blog is filled with stories of God's grace and goodness towards us who are so undeserving.  Her story is a true testimony of God's unfailing love, even when we feel alone and abandoned, He is there and knows our every pain.

Last but certainly not least is Jaime of Crafty, Scrappy, Happy.  Her blog is filled with so many good things. Complete eye candy.  She shares amazing projects that turn her house into a home and inspires me with her style.

These are a few of my favorites.  My go tos.  The ones I can't go without.  I hope that you take time to visit them.  What are some of your favorites?  Who or what inspires you, challenges you and encourages you?

Gone to the Dogs

All of my days have gone to the dogs.  Of course, they are the cutest pups in the whole world and a ton of fun but my days are running together without any time for creating.  I am in need of some creative time.  Working on projects is my therapy.  Right now, I am in purge mode.  I have been going through the things that have accumulated in our storage space in the basement.  Looking forward to a yard sale with my neighbors.  I always feel like I can create better when I have purged.  Working in a clean and neat space is always more fun.  So I continue to clean out in little spurts while the pups are outside.

Homeschooling has gotten a little behind since we got the new puppy and our husky became ill.  The husky is doing so well.  We had a vet appointment this week and they were happy with her progress.  She is almost healed.  Her fur still needs to grow in from surgery and she still looks out of sorts because of it but is  feeling much more like herself.

I haven't done much creating but have spent some time getting inspiration from Pinterest.  There are so many amazing ideas on Pinterest and when I have a few spare moments I always take a peek.

On my to do list:

Gallery wall for our stairway:  I have started it and have a few prints and frames to finish.  I can't wait to reaveal it.

Inspiration

source

Baskets for organization:

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Burlap baskets

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Completed projects:

Ipad case for my daughter~I crocheted it using a chunky yarn

Tailoring some pants~I am short and needed to hem some pants, I also have some pants that flare and I am slowly sewing them to straight leg pants~One pair completed today

This is what has kept me busy these days.  Fun and a lot of work.

Hoping to post some pictures of completed projects soon.

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.

Linking to:

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. 

Linking to:

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.

Linking to: