I've left, but not for long!

I'm at the cabin this week, and I left Daisy at home to fend for herself. Oh she has a clean litterbox, a self feeding food bowl and watering station, (two watering stations actually) and an air conditioned environment. She should be okay. But due to a little incident that happened once which we don't talk about in her presence anymore, I am a little paranoid about her being home without me. So, Steve takes these nightly pictures with his cell to show me she is safe and sound, and sends them to my phone.

Aawe! Isn't that sweet? He said she's been sitting on the stairs staring at him a lot....

And that she is also on the move and enjoying her free-flowing water bowl...

Have I ever mentioned that these two just sort of tolerate each other, but never dare to touch each other or anything close to being affectionate? lol!

But, he wants us (you and "your readers" he said) to know that all the flowering pots are thriving in my absence! Thank you Honey!

Walk at the Cabin

It was nice and cool this morning at the cabin. A cool front swept in last night and it was about 65 degrees when I got up this morning. The birds were singing, the bullfrogs too, so I took a little stroll down the road and back and look who was waiting for me when I came back.
Not exactly a prince charming if you ask me, but he does serenade me all night long. However I did not kiss him or even get that close to him. The wonders of telephoto lenses. ICK!

The Princess and the Pea

Once upon a time, in a land far away, lived a beautiful princess.
She was a very rich princess and she slept on only the finest silk and brocade mattresses to be found in all the land. It was said that she was so sensitive to her soft bedding that she could even feel a pea under her mattress.
But she was a lonely princess and she spent her nights waiting and waiting for someone to save her from the doom and gloom of horrible fate which befell her.
For she was so beautiful, that all of her subjects in her kingdom loathed her.
They were jealous, and said she made them sneeze. Rubbish! No one would play with the beautiful princess for fear of her leaving her mark on them, strands of her billowy golden hair.
Then one day, along came a brightly clad person to save her from her doom and destiny.
A Fairy Godmother with bad hair, who understood the demise the poor princess was facing, sleeping forever alone on her silk and satin pillows.
Soon, the princess left her castle and ventured out to the land of cotton where her Fairy Godmother lived. It was a bumpy and hilly land, not like the soft mattresses she was used to.
It took some getting used to. Her tiny paws were not accustomed to the rough feel of the cotton after living on the finest silk in all the land.
But soon, they made fast friends, and the princess liked her new surroundings, as she began to purr and she even learned how to make biscuits, something she would never have dared to do on her silk and satin finery.
The princess was very happy in this new world and she and the Fairy Godmother spent the rest of their days together, blogging and reading emails.

And they lived happily everafter.

The End.

It's a Mad Tea Party!

I just happened upon this two days ago, and didn't have time to smock my frock, but thought you guys might like to join me as guests to the 2009 Mad Tea Party.

If you've been searching for some unexpected blogs to read, I think you will find more than a few here. All the Mad Hatter Tea Party participants are listed in her sidebar.

Cheerio!

Dana Gets her Groove Back!

Chicks! It's been a long time since I've darkened the steps of the studio. Steve has been threatening to turn off the utilities up there. "All the money we could save," he says. I admit I have not worn my artist hat in a long time. But at least I've been creative in other ways than in the studio.
I think these are the last creations I made, or close to it anyway. These were party favors I made for my little table at the tea party. Do you remember that episode? If not, click here. It was a while ago.
These little star books are a project I learned from Mr. Dolph Smith, himself, live from Tennarkipi, his own little imaginary world where he lives. He teaches bookmaking every summer at ESSA. WHAT? You do not know about ESSA? Oh Lordy, I am really falling down on the job. You can read about ESSA here! I'm supposed to be their biggest online cheerleader. They are going to take away my pom-pons if I don't shape up!
These books were adorned with stickers! (Martha Stewart, found them at Walmart) Now Dolph, if you are watching, I know you are going to hang your head in shame at that. (He taught us not to use anything with a chemical adhesive, because eventually they dry out and your glued stuff will yellow or fall off. He said to use PVA.) So, I did use PVA! Just smeared it right over top of the sticky adhesive and poof! It worked, held those little suckers down good, too!
Here is what the book looks like opened. I rubber stamped all those bird-brain images on the back sides of scrapbook paper, because we could not have blank pages in a book. No-sirree! These books are not so much for reading as they are for admiring. You can post little pictures in them and then dangle them from the ceiling, close to an air vent is a nice effect. Some people even hang them on their Christmas tree.
Here is a peak at the birdie paper I used on the inside. If you want to learn how to make them too, do one of two things. Either take Dolph's class at ESSA. I prefer this as he is the "mastah of bookmaking." Or stumble your way through my tutorial, which you can find if you click here.

Now next week, I am going to be in a class at ESSA, which I think is right up my alley, so to speak, I hope it will help me get my mojo back and I'll be back in the studio before Steve can have it remodeled into a workout room. And if you are lucky, I will post pictures of all the fun stuff. The class is papermaking. Yes, we are going to do it like the Egyptians did, cut our own papyrus leaves and everything. Okay, I might be exaggerating a little bit. I don't think Egyptians used electric handheld blenders to make their pulp. Not to mention we are using store bought cotton linters to make our pulp. Should be interesting though! Ta ta! Now go out there and make something today!

Eclecticism Rules the Day

Are you stuck in the "matchy matchy " decorating phase? Do you wonder how some people put all these seemingly non-coordinating elements together and it looks... good? I'm about to tell you a few of my secrets. Shh!
The first rule is buy only what you love and allow yourself to stray from what matches your already matching set. If you follow this simple rule, you will find you have many things that go together without even knowing so when you bought them. I firmly believe we all have a style within us and if we listen to that inner voice that squeals when we see something we love, then we will be on the right path.
These dishes are an example of that. I found them years ago at TJMaax. They don't have a maker's mark and there were not two place settings that were the same color. But they spoke to me.
I love mixing the plate colors, instead of pairing them.
No two settings are alike and this is the next rule. Mix things up, but... have a golden thread running through it. The handcrafted edge of this pottery takes the design to a funky level. What could be funkier than pairing them with polka-dot drinking glasses? Notice the colors do not match, but they work!
That's because I set a neutral landscape on which all other things have been presented. And since my pottery has some warm colors, the yellow and red in the glasses work too.

I stepped up the funky factor with these wire candleholders. They were made to hold tapers. Guess what? I wanted to use these colorful votives. Just bend the wire to steady the hold on the cups. This is unexpected and whimsical. One of the things that makes eclectic scenes work is thinking outside of the box, and that's the third rule. You can do it! Play with it! I know you can!
And my favorite rule... Break a few rules. My centerpiece breaks more than a few. My plants are fake. My centerpiece has a backside, who cares? The person sitting behind this rooster platter will be entertained by the conversation, and will not notice the back of this plate. Honestly, some rules are meant to be broken. Do it!
And lastly, make design repetitions. But never mind if they are not all the same. Polka-dots on the glasses, round circle napkin rings, swirly designed silverware... they work together because they are repeating circles on the tabletop.

Even simple repititions such as a hand woven placemat with a stitched edge repeats the hand pressed edge of this pottery. It is simple, you can do it. Collect things you love, and mix 'em up a bit! Leave the "matchy matchy" to those who can't imagine things differently!

Now for a gander at other table decorating ideas, head over to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. She has an infinitely more formal way of decorating than I do, but I promise, she follows some of my same rules. She hosts this event each week called Tablescape Thursday. And I love participating. You just might, too! Look for specials for her readers on Yankee Candles. A little candle light can make your table sing!

Three Glasses of Iced Tea Later...

Kids, its hot out there! We're having several days of triple digit temps and lordy be! I am scorched! I am convinced that the main reason to wear a bra these days is as a sweat band around my torso. Too much information?

Watering the gardens has become my fulltime job. No longer can I take the morning off from the water hose to blog. The plants on the patio would be dead by High Noon at the OK Corral.

It takes me about 2 hours to fully water all the beds and pots. And then two hours and a quart of iced tea to cool off after. I'm beginning to wonder if the sprinkler system would be worth it. But it is SOO expensive, especially with 7 flower beds. I'd have to have 9 separate zones, cha ching cha ching. And actually, I enjoy being one with nature out there with the water hose, inspecting the plants as I go. Pretending to be Mother Nature raining light showers of nurturing drops of water. Okay, maybe I should get out more? But practically speaking, because I am a practical girl, I would only use a sprinkler system about 3 months out of the year and it just seems so darn expensive. I just cannot justify it. I know people who have rigged up little watering systems for their hanging pots too. I am engineering deficient though. I am doing good if I figure out how to keep the water from dripping down and running under my armpit as I water. Which I have come to welcome as a means of staying cool anyway.

So, in case you are not tired of hearing me rant about watering flowers, and maybe you have some time left to look at my pics, here is the latest developments in the garden.

P.S. Who am I kidding, a few days? The temps in Oklahoma will be 99 and up for the next 10 weeks.

Next year, I'm gonna...

... plant some sunflowers in the garden. I figure it can't be that hard, because whenever I feed the birds, I always get tons of sunflowers popping up in the grass.

I'm also gonna plant some poppies. I got the hook up for some beautiful poppy seeds... you will never guess from who... the refrigerator repairman. It turns out he also collects dishes and is a gardener. Well, so, you just never know where and when you might make a new friend.

He asked me if I knew where the garden is on East Mountain with the red water pump in the front yard. I thought, then exclaimed, YES! Yes I do know where that garden is! He proudly said, "That's my garden."

I said, "oh, I've been wanting to ask you if I could possibly have some of your poppy seeds?" He is bringing me an envelope when they're ready.

He noticed my fiesta salt and pepper shakers. Small towns are awesome! Eureka rocks!

I have been jinxed, not Jenks'd

Okay, it started just about two weeks ago. The fridge went out at the cabin. The rats were pooping on the front porch and there was also a situation with my stuff getting left "not under the covered roof" and it pouring rain and mud on my stuff.

Then last week, my sewing machine froze up while I was taking a class. My fridge went out again. I sat on and broke a chair (yes, I know embarrassing to admit it). Splat, right there on the floor! And then, on Friday, the little amber colored light on my dash lit up and it looked like a little tiny engine, how cute!

Being 187 miles from my Honda dealership, I called home to say HAYLP! HAYLP ME! To which Steve said, "I don't know what to tell you, Dana." So, I drove home with the engine light on. And I parked it all weekend. Today I got up bright and early, called Honda Service the minute they opened and said, I need a service appointment please. Six hours and 855 dollars later, not to mention two stale donuts and three cups of burned coffee, my car runs fine. Just like it did when I took it in, actually. But the light is off. And supposedly I am good to go for another 30,000 miles unless a belt brakes along the way. Hmm? How reassuring!

However, in light of the reality of what has happened in one of my friend's life, I can honestly say, I should shut my mouth and realize there are more important things in life. And so I will.

Dreams of a Country Girl: ET's New Look

Dreams of a Country Girl: ET's New Look

I love what CG and the whole family did to spruce up ET's (her daughter's) room. Click on the link and leave her some comment love!

To Cloche or Not to Cloche, That is the Question.

Welcome to the first cloche party ever hosted on the world wide web by Marty at A Stroll Thru Life. Thank you Marty for hosting this party. Now, you may be wondering, what the heck is a cloche? And how do you pronounce it? Well, I am from Oklahoma, so I may say it wrong. But I say long o with an sh on the end, hard c on the front end. . . kl•oh•sh.

A cloche is a bell shaped jar, originally used like a miniature green house to nurture tender plants in the garden or greenhouse during colder seasons. They have become indoor decorating items in these last so many years, and can be found just about everywhere, now, and at any price point, Would you believe I even saw some at Walmart recently? I think, but don't hold me to it. It might have been Tarjay.

The party, however has taken on a wider meaning, any container you might use to decorate within. Well, you know, I don't follow rules very well, so some of my pics... well... let's just say, if I had more cloches, these vignettes might all be covered. But since I am a bit clocheless (I only have two), some of these pictures will just have to wait their turn for a cloche.

Apothecary Jars were invited to the party, however, and I have a few of those.
A bird's eye view.
How did she get in here?
Closer up, this is on my coffee table and as long as no one sneezes, all the moss stays put -- right out in the open.
Here's a little fish bowl/vase to which I added a few stray pieces of my decor.
A jar of seashells by Heather's painting of my immigrant ancestors as they approach Liberty Island. Very fitting I think.
Here's a spot where I could use one more cloche. They are quite nice for keeping these naturescapes dust free. Not to mention they add a certain "laboratory-under-the-looking-glass-mystique" to things.
Okay, I was running out of things to photograph, so here are some jars in the bathroom. I have a lifetime supply of this soap.
And a couple more jars by the bathtub. Okay, now I am really stretching. But I hope you enjoyed this little party on the subject of cloches, jars and no cloches. For more cloche accoutrements, please visit Marty at A Stroll through Life and tell her Dana sent you! Ta ta!

Did someone say summertime?

Welcome to my Tablescape Thursday post. This should make your mouth water and your lips pucker all at the same time! Let's start with some inspiration... pink lemonade and daisies.
Begin with a yellow woven tablecloth with a daisy pattern, layer with a pink and yellow plaid placemat, top with a white luncheon plate, by Mikasa, a pressed italian drinking glass, pretty glass serving pieces and a white compote with fresh peaches. Crisp. Bright. Sunny.
The tiny glass vase sports lime green spider mums from the grocery floral, laced with home grown shasta daisies, fresh from the garden.
Jazz up a pitcher of pink lemonade with fresh slices of Meyers lemons. They are so much sweeter and juicier than regular lemons.
Mmm! Yummy, lunch looks good!
Care to sample dessert first? Sugar cookies, spread with lemon curd. Yum!
How about four bean salad on a bed of spinach sprinkled with pine nuts?
Soft cheese to spread on heart shaped crackers?
Why, even the birds liked the lunch I prepared! They get invited to almost every occasion!

Please remember to visit Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for more Tablescape Thursday Participants. It's the funnest party on the block!