I was wondering what to do with this 12 bottle wine crate I had. It is unique and I wanted to display it somehow. So gathering a few bits from around the house , I loaded it with a vintage Pears Soap box I had, a tin Bath sign from dollar store and other items like a rolled up sage green hand towel and an ivory cushion that came in a gift basket years ago. I plucked my ol' wash board off the wall from the laundry room, along with wooden bath items ( also dollar store items).This is what I came up with. An antique washboard vignette :-) It is easy and cute. Wondering what to do with a unique crate of some sort you have at home ? Give this a try.Try rolling towels into a crate and add some soaps wrapped in tissue paper for your guests. Even a gift bag will work too. (One that is more rectangular shaped).It is cute easy to do and really takes no time at all :-)

Here is a simple idea I made using dried roses, eucalyptis and a simple yellow ribbon. I bought the metal flower pot from the dollar store years ago and already had the dry floral foam ( also a dollar store item ). Dry out your roses, place dry floral foam ( for dry arrangements) in the bottom of the metal can( or terracotta pot or whatever you have ) Trim your floral foam to whatever shape of pot you are using, rectangle circle square etc.Any extra pieces sliver nicely into corners if you need to, use it all up..... Next start with the top and place dried roses in a straight line across, follow down the next row straight across and so on until you have layers ( or lowering rows )that you are satisfied with. I did one row across top, and double rows on both sides. Next I used some dried leaves or petals that broke off in the process and covered the foam inside the metal can. (I also used other dried leaves and such)Once you are happy with the coverage tie a ribbon around the bottom and place it where you want it displayed. I had it on a table in the hall but moved it into my bedroom and surrounded it with my pewter vintage dresser set of comb/brush/mirror and my jewelery box. Violla...its done. Great look for a bathroom or guest room :-)

Some birthday cakes and cupcakes I made for my husband and my son :-) Their birthdays are about 2 weeks apart. The first pic is my son's angel food cake slathered in a cool whip and cream cheese icing, the second 2 pics are husbands chocolate cake and cupcakes with cream cheese icing and strawberries. Yummm. The top pic is just a variety of some baking I did around Christmas time. I am at home at the moment, not working. So its nice to bake and decorate for my family :-)

Blog currently under re-construction.

With Mothers Day very quickly approaching us, I have decided to share a few background templates I use for homemade cards or lining baskets. Here are a few of my favorites. Most of the images are from the internet, or pic's I have taken myself. They are all beautiful and you can be very creative when printing off your card. Any craft supply store will carry a variety of textured paper and colors to choose from. I personally prefer a nice Ivory or light peach/cream colored paper with a vintage feel to it. Something similar to homemade paper. If you have the time to make your own paper go for it. If I can buy it, I will lol. Many craft stores also sell vintage stickers. Head to the scrapbook section to find the gold picture tabs to frame your card, or a seperate pic you want to glue and frame on the front of your card. I like to use tissue paper as well sometimes. Although it is lighter, most printers will do a good job printing txt on it. You can streamline rip the edges of your card to give it a more romantic feel. Enjoy :-)

Some random pics of where I live :-)

Oh wow its been awhile lol (( hugs )) Now that I remember my password and stuff I hope to start posting again :-) Cheers

....Neil txting me back telling me to not panic!! Everything is Fine...lol :-)

The post below this one, the pictures were about 3 weeks after these photos were taken lol :-) I did it backwards :-) My son and daughter went out target practice and some light hunting ( Grouse) with dad and our best friend and were taught valuable lessons on how to handle a gun. Target practice lol :-)....be advised the pictures may startle some people but the kids were well taken care of. They were taught how to handle and respect a gun. They used a .22 long rifle.....I think...lol , like I know what I'm talking about lol :-) My daughter is 19 and not into hunting....lol...but our son is 12 and his dad is going to take a course with him so he can go hunting too. Strong valuable lessons were taught. I,of course, did not want to see my son handling a gun...or my daughter...but dad is a hunter/fisher and the kids go with him so this was something he wanted to do for and with them....Neil taking the first shot at the bullseye target........Ashley went first.....

....almost a bullseye........Brads turn....

....Got it !!!!

They had a lot of fun.

....teacher #2...Good job kids :-)

Well it's that time of year again lol :-) Time to go gather wood for fires :-) We went on a drive out on one of the logging roads here and gathered some wood for some friends. It was a Blast !!! We left and it was a cold day....then it Snowed !!! I wasn't happy about that lol, but we had a lot of fun :-) Took the dog and let him run free. He didn't go far at all. I thought for sure with his wild nature in him he would wander away, but no...he stayed right near us all the whole time. He has wolf in him....in case you were wondering. So that was my big concern with him. My son brought his best friend so we had many hands to load two trucks full of wood :-) We started a fire to have warmth. It was great :-)


...the drive out there...

...the boys found a huge pile of logs to inspect....Notice the ignition used to start the fire....lol :-)...sigh...boys...lol :-)....My son and his sidekick lol :-) My son is to your left ( Brad ) and his buddy is to your right ( Damon). I always say Damon is the son I never gave birth too lol :-) We take him everywhere and his parents take my son everywhere lol :-)....the boys eating on a pile of logs...starting to snow now........20 minutes later !!!..white stuff.......the dog( Titus) checking out all the wood in the back of one of the trucks lol :-)....the drive home. Single lane log truck bridge........saw a LOT of this on the way home.....

....anyways, that was a day out gathering wood :-)

Wow !!!...It has been ages since I have blogged :-) I am doing well :-)...verrrry well :-) Just busy with work lol :-) I have no excuse for the lack of blogging...but I will try to update a bit more often :-)...I blame Facebook lol :-) Lets see, my puppy is now a ginormous dog, my children are well and my husband is fantastic :-) He broke a bone in his foot at the end of march and was off work for 2 1/2 months. Now we are spending the summer getting caught up on bills....life goes on don't it ;-) My car starter went a few days ago so I have to get that fixed...lol :-)...just seems like it's one little hurdle after another lol :-) I am happy to be working...as I know some people are not. My job is secure...at the moment. Plus I may have a new boss...negotiations for the business are in progress at the moment. Other than that...all is well :-) I will try and get around to seeing you all real soon :-) Thank you for your patience :-) ~ Cheers ~

My goodness !!! Time sure flys. I haven't been blogging much lately and I apologize for not getting back to you guys much sooner. Things are hectic at the moment. We are in a scramble at work to try and find a new book keeper. Our hours were dropped to 4 days a week because work is slow due to a fragile economy. Then I got spun into a whirlwind of work starting November 1st. I went from 5 days to 4days, and now its 6 days full time. This morning we had a meeting and now it looks like my days are back to 5 days and 8 hours per day instead of 7 per day.....I'm confused.....

So lets step outside of my little confusion bubble and enjoy some funnies for the day :-)

What's the difference between chopped beef and pea soup? Everyone can chop beef, but not everyone can pea soup!

A magician was driving down the road..then he turned into a drive way...

Why don't aliens eat clowns. Because they taste funny.

What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh

Two snowmen are standing in a field. One says to the other : "Funny, I smell carrots too".

What do you get when you cross an elephant and a rhino? el-if-i-no

Two peanuts walk into a bar. One was a salted.