Big Changes

Today was the start of my landscaping.

We built our house 15 years ago (still a work in progress) and never did much landscaping.

Behind my house there use to be a big pond, but due to the handiwork of some muskrats it would no longer hold water.  It's been a swamp of sorts for many years and a breeding ground for mosquitoes, however still a home for many wonderful little creatures.  I was broken hearted at the thought of them being buried alive and had to do something to help them.  My husband worked hard to dig a ditch and together with the men who came to operate the machinery, they encouraged frogs, snakes and turtles to move through the ditch and on toward their new home in the creek at the edge of the yard.  I'm sure some probably got left behind, but hundreds of these little guys made it to the creek. I feel bad about the ones who didn't make it, but an honest effort was made to do the right thing.

My husband was a bit upset with me at first because you know "time is money", but went along with my wishes in the end.

I hope you're all having a good day where you are.

Thanks for visiting.

Karen

Oddly Green

I started creating this necklace a couple of months ago and have finally finished it.

It's available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Made of organic cotton, clay, leather, and an antique glass button.

Thanks for looking.

Karen

Teeny Tiny

Have a nice weekend!

Karen

Weeds & Tea With Lemon

Prudence is watching over the vegetable (weed) garden.

She is best friend to Hortense and her job is to protect the vegetables.

I don't know why she doesn't pull some weeds while she's there.

It's on my TO DO list.

Prudence is wearing a lovely velvet antique bed jacket.

It's stained and tattered and oh so pretty.

Such a sweet straw hat and that crocheted scarf is fabulous don't you think?

She's done a good job watching over the tomatoes and herbs.

While Prudence was watching the weeds grow, I was cleaning the kitchen and drinking tea with lemon.

Feels like summer.

Thanks for stopping by.

Karen



Homegrown

There's nothing better than homegrown herbs.

I love stepping outside in the morning and checking on the progress of my little gardens.

What a wonderful beginning to my week!

How does your garden grow?

Hugs,

Karen

Sneak Peek

Heres a sneak peek at what's coming to RECONSIDERED in the upcoming days.

More white country farmhouse items like these:

Pretty collectible bottles like these:

And this one:

And some curiosities like these magnifiers:

Just a few of the new items I've been gathering for my shop.

Hope your weekend has been fabulous.

Happy Fathers Day to all you Dads out there and to all you Moms who play both roles.

Hugs,

Karen

Creating Space In My Creating Space

I need all this stuff!

It inspires me.

And then there are all the supplies.

You've got to have them or you can't create.

It's so difficult to fit it all into one room...okay, impossible.

I'm working on at least knowing where everything is.

These are all empty so I can use them for more storage.

This is an awesome display unit that we found on vacation.

It's a great place for storing small odds and ends.

U is for UMELECKY

I just had to throw that in there: )

Storing the small objects in old glass jars makes it easier to find things.

 I picked up this shelf for just $2 at a garage sale.

This is part of the sewing area.

The armoire is filled with  vintage linen and lace.

A large jar with a rusty lid holds old wooden thread spools.

And the ladder which came from a barn not far from here, keeps my grain sacks organized.

This salvaged door with a chicken wire insert is a good place for drying herbs and flowers.

The white enamel pot is more storage space.

Random drawers make great organizers.

Closets with shelves are key.

I can't show you the other closets.

They aren't ready for public viewing at this time: )

Those are my daughters eyes.

She gave them to me years ago.

She enlarged a photo of her eyes and put one in each picture frame then connected them with a piece of thick wire.

All of my stamping supplies are going into a big wooden blueprint cabinet.

It's not ready for public viewing yet either : )

Right now all the stamping stuff is in boxes in the middle of the floor.

Then of course there's the nonsense that you need just for inspiration.

You know, the stuff you need just because.

Stuff that you've had forever and you just can't part with.

I bought this old typewriter in a thrift shop about 25 years ago.

It doesn't do anything but take up space, but I can't imagine my space without it.

Then there are the current projects.

These are the beginning of some fabulous pin cushions that I will be carrying in my shop soon.

I picked up some antique velvet, vintage linen and lace, silver plated spoons and antique hat pins at the flea market today and can't wait to get these started.

If you're wondering what this all has to do with making space in my space, well...I took a truckload of stuff to goodwill and have only gotten started. More on creating space in my creating space next week, providing there are no crisis or unexpected distractions.

Does anyone else out there have trouble staying organized?

How do you keep your space under control?

I'd love to hear your ideas.

Thanks!

Karen

Junk Art

As you probably already know...

I love collecting old stuff (junk).

It inspires me to create.

I guess you could call it eco friendly, since everything is repurposed.

These are some new pincushions I've made for my studio.

Made of all repurposed materials and scraps.

I borrowed the idea for these from the spoon pin cushion, made by Debbie Burkey.

This is some wall art that I created from some found objects and gifts from friends and family.

Now I just need to organize my studio, so these things will fit in there.

Happy Tuesday to you!

Karen